Chapter 115

Chapter 115: Chapter 115

Ruoxi stopped on the walkway built in a square surrounding the pond, a bone-deep relief washing over him. "Lihua."

The addressed Succubus took off the mask that protected her eyes from the glare of the sun, sitting on the flower with a benign expression on her face. "Ruoxi, you returned."

Even as she said that, her dark pink eyes drifted from her son to the strange creature standing next to him. "Did you rescue a Vampire on your way out?" She asked with bemusement, stepping off her flower bed onto a line of lotus leaves, walking out of the pond and onto the walkway.

"He rescued me," Ruoxi corrected, watching his mother walk up to him.

She was a towering Demon, taller than he was, her patterned robe draped elegantly over her voluptuous body. She walked up to him and patted his hair lovingly. "I find that hard to believe."

"Via summons," Ruoxi elaborated, ducking away from her touch.

Lihua’s eyes widened at that, she was ancient for a Demon, very little surprised her. "Thank you." She said sincerely to Dulce.

The Vampire wasn’t quite sure how to respond to this, he had been thanked many times for what were mistakes, he was rather self-conscious.

Lihua refocused on her child, a frown marring her beautiful face at the sight of his eyes. "You have had a terrible time."

"Well I was captured for centuries," Ruoxi said flatly, "While you were relaxing in your pond, unbothered."

The frown on Lihua’s face eased, "What was your poor mother supposed to do?" She said with affected seriousness. "March to the Holy City and get herself captured as well?"

"Yes, Lihua," Ruoxi continued in that deadpan tone, but the light in his eyes was hard to miss. "That was exactly what you were supposed to do. Now I look like a Demon from Sunflower Garden."

Lihua looked him over with a serious expression, "You have a point, I could have a word with Lady Kexin for you to become a part of her Garden."

Dulce looked from Demon to Demon, at a loss, he couldn’t tell if they meant their words or not.

Ruoxi ignored her generous offer, "I met Qingyi in a desert on Earth. She was on the run from slavemasters."

Lihua’s elegant brows dipped at the mention of slavemasters. "They’re no longer satisfied with stealing what Cubi Demon they can find, now they’re brazenly approaching with insulting offers." She turned away with a sweep of her robes, her wet hair shimmering like a silken rope.

"I had a meeting with the other Gardens, the times are coming around again, we might be forced to return to hiding."

Ruoxi looked up to his mother’s straight back partially covered by her midnight black hair, completely understanding why that was the only viable solution.

Cubi were a peace-loving species, and even with his newfound unnatural strength, he wasn’t inclined to meet their oppressors with violence. They were outnumbered and outclassed in strength, it would only bring them to a violent end.

There was a reason the Cubi lived the longest of any species of Demon, far more interested in living peaceful decadent lives than anything else, even when they were justified in their violence.

"When?"

Lihua turned around, her kind gaze passing over the Vampire. "You just arrived, get some rest and settle in our guest, then we’ll talk."

Ruoxi glanced to his side to see Dulce staring at him with wide, curious eyes. He had no guard up against the Vampire that he had thought nothing of having such an important conversation in front of him.

And even when he agreed with his mother, it wasn’t because he didn’t want Dulce to hear their plans, but rather because of his own plans.

He turned away from the pond, guiding Dulce back into the manor. When Cubi went into hiding, it was for several hundred years, it was a perfect defense, keeping out every adversary. Which equally meant that it also kept out Succubi and Incubi not present on their islands.

Ruoxi couldn’t tell if his mother caught his oversight or if she had just been cautious about sensitive information. But if he brought Dulce to Lotus Garden, it meant that he trusted him, so Lihua had just known that it was a tetchy subject, even before he realized it for himself.

"Is Huayuan in danger?" Dulce asked in concern.

"There’s rarely ever any danger for a Cubi," Ruoxi answered, opening the door to his old room. It was spacious, colorful rugs littered around with surplus cushions. It seemed like the entire room was made into a bed, dazzling paintings on the walls.

"But we appreciate our freedom as much as anyone else." He said lightly.

Other species liked to take a moral high ground on the lifestyle that the Cubi chose, but to the Cubi, intimacy was as natural as breathing. They weren’t the ones with merchants who specialized in capturing and selling their kind for the very thing they were put down for.

Cubi were agreeable, instead of retaliating, Qingyi had passively chosen to go on the run instead. It meant that they were essentially treated with the same passiveness.

But that was merely their nature, they weren’t passive to avoid violence and when it was time to act, they did, albeit by hiding.

"But you will need to go into hiding as well," Dulce tried to keep the sadness from his voice, taking off his shoes at the doorway.

"Trying to get rid of me?" Ruoxi teased lightly. He had lost his shoes as soon as they arrived on Huayuan. Demons rarely ever wore shoes here, there was little reason to, the grassy ground was as soft as the carpets that were scattered in homes. "I agreed to keep you company, remember?"

Dulce was torn, "Don’t you want to return home?"

Ruoxi made a face, "And be a victim of Lihua’s teasing for the next several hundred years? Do you dislike me, Dulce?"

"No, no," Dulce denied in a panic. He didn’t quite understand the lighthearted atmosphere but Ruoxi didn’t look devastated by his decision, and that was satisfactory.

"We can leave after I speak to Lihua but you spent so long with Kath’tan," The Incubus said shamelessly. "It’s only right that I’m a little selfish."

Dulce lowered himself down to the carpet, surrounded by cushions. "Not too selfish, I’m worried about Caedos."

"Yet, you’re not worried about me?" Ruoxi was at his demanding best with no aggravating interruptions.

"Are you hungry?" Dulce immediately asked, his panic expressive on his striking features.

Ruoxi lost his steam, the Vampire was so open and honest that it was difficult to tease him. Depth was unavoidable, and Ruoxi would rather avoid any intensity. He would but his actions were rather counterproductive.

"Yes." He said quietly, the double entendre just as quiet. "I’m going to speak to Lihua, I’ll be back."

Dulce looked around after Ruoxi left, his hair loose around his face. He didn’t remember undoing the tie that held back his hair but the journey had been so sudden that he had nothing else with him but the clothes on his back.

The room really was like a large bed, there was a bed in a corner but he could just as well lay down on the ground and be fast asleep if he could sleep... He trailed off, a frown on his face, on the cusp of another memory that dissipated before he could focus on it.

Dulce thought nothing of it, giving in to his urges to roll around, nearly suffocating himself with his own hair when it wrapped around his neck.

Ruoxi was insisting on staying with him although returning home would protect him from his previous captor. It was difficult not to immediately try to convince the Demon to change his mind, he also didn’t want Ruoxi to feel indebted to him.

He rolled around for a bit, only stopping when he heard footsteps in the hallway. He sat up thinking it was Ruoxi, only to be surprised by the newly familiar Demon that appeared behind the open door.

It was Qingyi, she was wearing different clothes and carrying a tray with her, a flower crown on her head. "Dulce? Do you like desserts?" She asked with a smile as she stepped in.

Dulce was instantly hooked, his searching eyes trying to peer through the covered tray. "I do."

Qingyi walked up to him without preamble, lowering herself to the ground in front of him. She placed the tray in between them and uncovered it, revealing little cakes made in the shapes of flowers, a little teapot next to the plate of treats.

She poured out of the teapot into a single cup and offered it to Dulce.

"Thank you," He appreciated, taking it. He expected tea and instead found himself with a mouthful of delicious flower wine.

"Here, try this, and try this too." The Succubus generously offered him cakes, taking none for herself, despite the longing in her pale pink eyes.

"Thank you," Dulce repeated, "Why don’t you join me?" He invited, offering back to her one of the cakes she had given him.

"Maybe just a little," She muttered like she was trying to convince herself, taking the cake and tossing the entire pastry into her mouth, her cheeks bulging as she chewed.

Dulce poured her a cup of flower wine as well, saying nothing about the strange tradition of putting wine in a teapot.

Qingyi generously drank it down and held out her teacup for more, switching their roles of host and guest.