The Little Succubus's Hypnosis Manual - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Incubus Picks Up a Dirty Stray

In March, the weather in City A was unpredictable. One moment it was bright and sunny, and the next, a torrential downpour.

Raindrops the size of beans fell from the sky, splashing onto the ground and leaving coin-sized wet spots. These spots were quickly covered by more raindrops, and in an instant, the rain turned into a curtain, slanting down in sheets.

Pedestrians cursed under their breath and hurried home, holding bags over their heads.

Only Xie Nanxing stood in the rain, wearing tattered clothes. The heavy rain soaked his hair and clothes, and his overly long bangs covered his forehead, barely revealing his eyes.

He shivered in the cold wind, asking each passerby, “Can you… take me home?”

But no one paid him any attention.

In the half-month since he’d arrived in the human world, he hadn’t successfully hypnotized a single person.

Covered in filth, Xie Nanxing made some people detour around him, while a few kind-hearted ones bought him food. But human food couldn’t sustain him—he needed essence bl00d to replenish his energy.

His energy was nearly depleted, barely enough to maintain his human form. His tail and horns were threatening to break free, as if they would appear at any moment.

“Ugh.” Before his tail could show, he staggered off the main street and into a side alley.

The alley was lined with garbage bins, with trash spilling out and reeking to high heaven—no human would willingly stay here.

He’d been surviving here for the past half-month.

His consciousness was fading, but he still desperately tried to suppress his ears and tail.

When he had first arrived in the human world, he couldn’t control his magic well, and his ears and tail would frequently slip out. When humans saw him, they treated him like a monster, throwing stones at him to drive him away.

Now he could at least control his tail properly.

He wasn’t a monster—he was just an incubus.

He had come from another world. Due to scarce resources, once incubi reached adulthood, they were banished to the human world and could only return to their kind after successfully seducing a human.

But Xie Nanxing was only a half-bl00d, born of both human and incubus. His only ability—hypnosis—was unreliable at best.

Hugging his stomach, Xie Nanxing curled up. He hadn’t eaten in half a month. If this went on, he would starve to death.

“Meow~” Suddenly, a scruffy little cat appeared in front of him, meowing at him.

The kitten tugged at his clothes, seemingly trying to pull him out of there, but Xie Nanxing was too weak to even shoo it away.

A beam of light suddenly pierced through the darkness. Xie Nanxing squinted toward the source.

Within the range of the flashlight’s beam, the rain became sharply visible. Behind it stood a hazy figure.

The man didn’t look very old, dressed in a black trench coat over a black suit, holding a black umbrella that merged with the night.

Raindrops pattered against the umbrella, and leather shoes splashed in puddles, his footsteps growing louder.

His figure sliced through the curtain of rain and stopped in front of Xie Nanxing.

The large black umbrella hovered over Xie Nanxing’s head, shielding him from the downpour.

Xie Nanxing looked up and met Zhou Qiyue’s calm, unreadable gaze. The man barely glanced at him before bending down to pick up the kitten.

The kitten squirmed violently in his arms, but Zhou Qiyue came prepared and placed it into a carrier.

He held the umbrella handle, hesitated for a moment, then left the umbrella for Xie Nanxing. Rain immediately soaked his bangs, but Zhou Qiyue didn’t care. He wrapped the kitten in his coat and walked away.

Xie Nanxing stared at his retreating back. Unlike the man’s all-black attire, a faint white glow surrounded him. Just from that brief proximity, Xie Nanxing felt a sense of euphoria.

For an incubus, human essence was nourishment. Some were high-quality, some were trash.

But someone like Zhou Qiyue, whose essence could be felt just by brushing past him—he was top-tier, beyond top-tier.

Xie Nanxing struggled to his feet. The umbrella was knocked aside in the process, but he didn’t care. He stumbled forward, chasing after the retreating figure.

His heavy body splashed through puddles, soaking his already cold pants. But he only focused on catching up, until he finally collided with that black-clad figure.

Zhou Qiyue had heard the footsteps behind him and intended to dodge, but Xie Nanxing crashed into him.

Panting, Xie Nanxing leaned heavily on Zhou Qiyue’s back. His damp hair quickly soaked the man’s coat. Zhou Qiyue scowled, pried Xie Nanxing’s hand off, and turned around.

“Don’t try to scam me. Or I’ll let the police deal with you.”

Xie Nanxing didn’t understand what “police” meant. He just looked at Zhou Qiyue with wide eyes and asked, “Can you… take me… home?”

Zhou Qiyue’s face darkened instantly. He had thought the guy was just trying to con him for money, but now it seemed he wanted to stick around.

“No.” Zhou Qiyue didn’t hesitate to refuse and continued toward the parking lot.

Xie Nanxing followed close behind, both of them getting drenched in the rain. March’s chill mixed with the wind, cutting to the bone.

Xie Nanxing wore thin clothes, now soaked through and clinging to his skin.

He suddenly sneezed, hugging himself and shivering.

He trailed behind Zhou Qiyue to the parking lot. Zhou Qiyue’s long strides forced him to jog just to keep up.

Suddenly, Zhou Qiyue stopped.

Xie Nanxing nearly bumped into him again but stopped just in time, swaying clumsily until Zhou Qiyue steadied him with a hand.

Xie Nanxing froze, meeting Zhou Qiyue’s gaze.

The black coat emphasized Zhou Qiyue’s tall, sharp frame, his brows sharp as blades, eyes dark as ink, lips pressed into a thin line.

Xie Nanxing was nearly a head shorter, appearing weak and fragile. Zhou Qiyue’s mere presence made it hard for him to breathe.

His body stiffened like rusted machinery, and he awkwardly turned his head to run. But Zhou Qiyue caught him by the nape.

“You’ve been following me this long and now you want to run? Fine, I’ll take you to the police station.”

Xie Nanxing didn’t understand what a police station was. He only knew this human wanted to take him somewhere.

Zhou Qiyue’s clothes were soaked too and stuck to him uncomfortably. He lost all patience, let go of Xie Nanxing, and motioned for him to follow.

Xie Nanxing immediately trotted after him to the car.

Zhou Qiyue placed the kitten in the back seat, got in, and took off his drenched coat.

Xie Nanxing stood outside, unsure how to proceed—he’d never been in a human’s car before.

Inside, Zhou Qiyue started the engine, tapping the steering wheel impatiently. He wasn’t used to waiting.

He checked his watch.

It was already eight. The pet store was probably closing.

“Hurry up and get in.” Zhou Qiyue leaned over and opened the passenger door.

Xie Nanxing let out a sigh of relief and climbed in. The car’s heater was on, but his wet clothes dripped all over the pristine seats.

He sat stiffly, afraid to lean back.

Zhou Qiyue looked at him, a twitch forming at his temple. If it had been a subordinate, he’d have scolded them already. But seeing Xie Nanxing’s frightened gaze, he swallowed his words.

He reached over, shut the door, and buckled Xie Nanxing’s seatbelt himself.

As Zhou Qiyue leaned in, a gentle stream of essence flowed into Xie Nanxing. He couldn’t help but sigh.

His body instinctively wanted to lean closer, but the seatbelt pulled him back.

He gazed at Zhou Qiyue in a daze, fingers clenched. Zhou Qiyue smelled nice, while he reeked of garbage.

He peeked at Zhou Qiyue through the rearview mirror. The man drove steadily, not even blinking.

They soon arrived at the police station.

Zhou Qiyue got out, opened Xie Nanxing’s door, unbuckled him, and led him inside.

Everything inside fascinated Xie Nanxing. It was past hours, so only the night staff were on duty.

Zhou Qiyue gestured behind him. “Picked up this scammer on the street.”

The officer looked Xie Nanxing over and pulled out a notebook. “How old are you? Where are you from? How long have you been missing?”

The officer, an older man, spoke loudly enough to spray spit on Zhou Qiyue’s face.

Frightened, Xie Nanxing hid behind Zhou Qiyue and clutched his arm.

Zhou Qiyue frowned. Though his face was dirty, Xie Nanxing’s eyes were clear, like obsidian.

“I… I…” He barely knew a few human words, and now couldn’t answer at all.

The officer grew impatient. “What’s your name? Got an ID?”

Xie Nanxing clutched Zhou Qiyue’s arm so tightly his nails nearly drew bl00d. Zhou Qiyue suddenly recalled a stray cat he once picked up.

The cat had been filthy, matted, and struggling to escape its carrier, meowing like it wanted to stay with him. Even the pet store owner had suggested keeping it.

But he hadn’t been able to bring himself to do it and left the cat behind.

Now, watching Xie Nanxing almost break down, he blocked the officer’s view with his body and gently asked, “You can’t speak?”

Xie Nanxing, nestled in Zhou Qiyue’s arms, nodded slowly, soothed by the man’s calming aura.

“Are you an adult?”

Xie Nanxing: nods.

Zhou Qiyue raised an eyebrow, surprised. He’d assumed this was a teenager.

“Are you local?”

Shakes head.

“Are your parents alive? Any way to contact them?”

Xie Nanxing hesitated, bit his lip, then shook his head again.

Before Zhou Qiyue could respond, the officer snapped, “You don’t even know if your parents are alive?”

Xie Nanxing flinched and grabbed Zhou Qiyue’s sleeve again.

“It’s okay,” Zhou Qiyue soothed him. “Are your parents… gone?”

“No.” Xie Nanxing struggled to say the word. Zhou Qiyue’s pupils contracted, his hand clenched, then slowly relaxed.

Through a series of nods and shakes, Zhou Qiyue pieced together his story and told the officer: “He’s an adult, not from around here, been living in a trash heap for about half a month, and his parents are gone.”

The officer jotted it down. “This is complicated. I’ll record it and report it to the higher-ups tomorrow so they can notify other departments.”

“Okay. That’s your job,” Zhou Qiyue replied, ready to leave.

But Xie Nanxing tugged his sleeve again.

He still reeked, his face smudged with grime, but his eyes shone with innocent tears.

He whimpered, sounding exactly like a mewling kitten. The officer pulled him away, but he kicked and screamed, desperate to follow Zhou Qiyue, his cries sharp and pitiful.

“Crying won’t help.” Zhou Qiyue looked away.

His mind wrestled with itself as Xie Nanxing’s cries echoed in the room.

Taking care of a cat wasn’t the same as a person.

And he had zero experience.

Tears and filth streaked Xie Nanxing’s face. His eyes reflected Zhou Qiyue’s conflicted expression—eyebrows deeply furrowed.

Only then did Zhou Qiyue realize… he felt empathy for someone he’d known for less than an hour.

Xie Nanxing didn’t cry for long—he was too weak. After the rain, his vision blurred, and he collapsed.

The officer didn’t catch him in time. But Zhou Qiyue, quick as ever, reached out and caught him.