Farewell

Su Mian knew in her heart that suppressing her demon side out of fear for its terrifying nature was not a long-term solution. Since the two halves were inseparable, attempting to accept and eventually control it was likely the only real answer.

The problem was that the power and desire originating from the demon side were far too intense. Controlling them would be ideal, but if she lost control…

The consequences would be catastrophic.

This was exactly what worried her.

But the succubus had a point: without even trying, how could she know if it were possible?

The girl’s expression flickered as she faced her reflection. It wasn’t just the succubus’s temptation; it was more about the fact that she didn’t seem to have many choices left.

If her other self was telling the truth and Yujing was currently in immense danger, Su Mian—who had lived in this city since childhood—truly felt a deep attachment to it. Since she couldn’t stand by and watch disaster strike, she had to do whatever was within her power.

Moreover, she had her own needs to consider.

She needed to feed. She needed a feast.

However, in the face of the unknown, the hunter could become the prey, and the predator could end up on the dinner plate. This time, she clearly had to give it her all.

As her other self had said, fully accepting her demon side had become an unavoidable hurdle.

Becoming a true demon, joining the hunt, releasing her desires for a feast, and perhaps even becoming the city’s savior—it was killing two birds with one stone!

In exchange, she would have to give up her identity as a human, along with a friend who had accompanied her for nearly twenty years.

Su Mian felt a momentary pang of hesitation.

But it was only for a moment.

“Forget it. It was going to happen sooner or later anyway.”

The girl looked down at her body. As she had mentioned before, with the demonic power awakening more and more frequently, she was psychologically prepared for the day she might not be able to change back.

It was just that she had always harbored a sliver of hope.

The current situation served as a reason—an excuse.

Yes, things had come to this; there was no other choice.

In that case…

“Are you ready?”

The demon in the mirror was smiling. As Su Mian’s other side, she knew that although she was usually lazy, once she made a decision, she would act with absolute decisiveness.

And indeed, that was the case.

“Not yet.”

“Fine, then…”

Seeing the succubus’s smile freeze on her face, Su Mian nodded in satisfaction before continuing: “Before that, I have a few things I need to confirm.”

“What?”

“First, your perception isn’t wrong, is it?”

Although she trusted the succubus, Su Mian still asked. The girl in the mirror didn’t answer verbally; instead, she simply snapped her fingers.

In the next second, the power from the demon side within her body was concentrated and layered over her eyes. The world before her went dark, then suddenly opened up.

Through a non-human perspective, the anomalies hidden beneath the surface of the normal world became clearly visible!

“Blood mist?”

As if sensing something, Su Mian looked up. She saw a layer of faint, blood-colored mist floating in the night sky over Yujing. The mist wasn’t thick; it was a thin, translucent veil that nearly blended with the night, appearing exceptionally beautiful yet dangerous.

Observing more closely, she realized this strange blood mist didn’t originate from the sky but from the earth. In every direction of Yujing, red lines could be seen connecting to the sky. The denser the lines, the thicker the blood mist.

The closest few lines were even near Shengri Manor!

Looking at the countless red lines, Su Mian felt her scalp go numb. She didn’t know exactly what this represented, but she vaguely sensed it was definitely nothing good.

This also proved that the succubus’s words were not mere alarmist talk. The city was indeed shrouded in danger!

Su Mian felt it was a bit strange. The trouble brought by Yu Fu hadn’t even been fully resolved, yet an even bigger problem had appeared immediately after.

Had this city always been this dangerous?

It had been peaceful for over ten years, so why were various dangers suddenly appearing one after another?

Su Mian fell silent for a long while before withdrawing her gaze. She then asked her other self in the mirror:

“When will the ritual start?”

“Tonight at the earliest, tomorrow at the latest.”

The succubus’s answer was decisive. Fearing Su Mian might not believe her, she explained further:

“It’s hard to hide such a massive ritual from everyone. Even if those humans aren’t as sensitive as us, they will definitely notice something through the instruments or relics they control as the ritual nears completion.”

“Furthermore, these large-scale rituals usually only have one chance. To prevent it from being destroyed after exposure, they will naturally start it as quickly as possible.”

It was logical. Since the ritual could drop at any moment, Su Mian didn’t have much time to hesitate.

She let out a sigh.

“Change me back first.”

The girl looked at her reflection. Before the other side could respond, she suddenly added:

“I know you can do it!”

The silver-haired, blood-eyed succubus watched her quietly. After several seconds, she finally snapped her fingers reluctantly.

The girl outside the mirror changed back into a youth.

Su Mian looked down at his body, then at the demon in the mirror, and gave a cold snort.

“I knew you weren’t telling the whole truth.”

He had found it strange from the beginning. A few sips of Officer Jiang’s blood had provided a sense of fullness before, yet after eating a real demon, he felt nothing—if anything, he had grown hungrier!

While part of the reason was that the demon side had fully awakened after being stimulated, Su Mian still felt something was off.

When he called the succubus out just now, he realized that not only had the hunger that made him want to devour himself faded significantly, but the voices screaming in his head had also vanished!

Clearly, the succubus was capable of suppressing the desire of gluttony.

But she hadn’t done so before.

Was it because Su Mian hadn’t asked?

Obviously not. The succubus was intentionally forcing him, inducing him to give up his human identity and become a true demon.

To this…

“Don’t let it happen again.”

Since she was his other half, Su Mian had no way to deal with her for now. Even discovering the truth was useless because this was a genuine “open scheme.”

Even if the succubus could help him temporarily suppress the gluttony, the crisis in Yujing was real.

To deal with the upcoming accidents or dangers, using his demonic power was an inevitable choice. And to exert the maximum capability, he had to stop suppressing the demon side.

However, before that.

There was one last thing to do.

“What are you going to do?”

Seeing Su Mian walking back, the succubus in the mirror was momentarily confused by his thoughts.

The youth’s expression was complex.

“Naturally, I’m going to say goodbye to the good friend I’ve lived with for twenty years. We may likely never see each other again in this life. I’m very sad, so don’t disturb me!”

The succubus was speechless. She asked tentatively: “The friend you’re referring to is… Qi Chuan?”

“Huh? Why would I say goodbye to him?”