Xiao Hei!

Just as her razor-sharp claws hovered over Su Xiaobai's neck, ready to choke the life out of him, a loud, unmistakable sound grrrrrrrrrrumbled from the depths of her stomach.

The demon girl froze, her entire body tensing as if she'd been caught in the middle of something forbidden.

Grrrroooowl...

"Huh...?" Su Xiaobai stirred, his eyes blinking open as he groggily tried to make sense of his surroundings.

He felt the weight on his chest, the warmth of the girl's body pressing against him, and then—

"Was that noise... from your stomach?" Su Xiaobai asked, his voice still filled with tiredness, eyes glancing down at her with a raised brow.

"..."

The demon girl's face instantly shifted, a look of pure panic flashing across her delicate features. Her eyes widened in shock, the predatory gleam disappearing as she scrambled to cover her tracks.

Without missing a beat, she plastered on an innocent smile, her red eyes now wide and blinking like she hadn't just been on the verge of murdering him.

"..."

Su Xiaobai stared down at her, utterly confused.

Her claws had retracted, her hands now resting on his chest as if she hadn't just been two seconds away from slitting his throat.

She lowered her head, her long black hair falling over her face to hide the panic still flickering in her eyes.

Seeing her lower her head, Su Xiaobai frowned, completely misunderstanding the situation. "You're still hungry after drinking so much of my blood?" he muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.

The demon girl didn't respond, keeping her face hidden beneath her hair, but Su Xiaobai could feel her tense up as if her stomach's betrayal had somehow exposed her entire plot.

"Grrrrroooowl..."

Her stomach rumbled again, even louder this time, confirming his suspicion.

"How much can this thing eat?" Su Xiaobai thought, feeling both amused and slightly exasperated. "Alright, alright, calm down. I'll find you something to eat before you end up draining me dry again." He pushed her gently off his chest, sitting up and stretching, trying to shake off the weird feeling lingering in the air.

The demon girl glanced up from behind her hair, her red eyes blinking in confusion at his reaction.

The deadly tension from moments ago seemed to vanish as quickly as it had appeared, replaced with an awkward silence broken only by the occasional growl from her stomach.

Su Xiaobai, feeling somewhat more composed after the strange encounter, scooped the demon girl into his arms and carried her back to Grandpa Wei's hut.

It was eerily quiet when they arrived; both Grandpa Wei and Wei Jun were absent. 'Not exactly surprising,' Su Xiaobai thought. 'These two aren't normal, and I doubt many know about this place.'

The location, tucked deep within the forest, and the fact that this old man had "retired" here told Su Xiaobai enough.

Whoever Grandpa Wei was, he wasn't just some hermit.

There was something bigger going on, but for now, Su Xiaobai had more immediate concerns—like feeding this demon girl before she decided to suck him dry again.

He caught a nearby rabbit that had been innocently hopping around, minding its own business. "You're jumping too much for your own good," Su Xiaobai muttered, sending the poor creature to meet the king of the underworld with a swift blow.

Splat.

'Roasted rabbit it is,' he thought, expertly roasting the meat over the fire.

The scent of cooking meat filled the air, mingling with the quiet rustling of the forest around them.

The demon girl sat beside him, her usual blank expression hiding something deeper, her small hands resting on her lap.

When the meat was ready, Su Xiaobai handed her a piece. "Here, eat up. And try not to eat me next time, alright?"

The demon girl blinked, then hesitantly bit into the roasted rabbit, her sharp pearly teeth awkwardly gnawing at the meat.

Chomp... chew...

Her head remained down, her face flushed pink as she chewed slowly, almost shyly.

"..."

Su Xiaobai tilted his head, watching her with confusion. She looked so docile now, so obedient and... cute, like some lost pet. "You're a strange..." he muttered under his breath.

Her small frame, her flushed face, and the way she cautiously nibbled at the meat gave off an odd sense of innocence—completely at odds with the ruthless strength she'd shown earlier.

If Su Xiaobai didn't know better, he would've thought she was just some harmless little girl.

But he knew better. His poor "little brother" was still recovering from her earlier... 'affection'.

He frowned, sitting back and rubbing his chin. "Why did my tiredness vanish so suddenly?" He glanced around suspiciously. 'Maybe I inhaled something weird... or it's the trauma of nearly losing my manhood to a demon girl.'

Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

His energy had returned too quickly, and he couldn't quite place why.

He cast another glance at the demon girl, who awkwardly chewed her meat, her gaze flickering slightly. When he mentioned his tiredness, she flinched for a brief moment, her reaction subtle but noticeable.

Her sharp, pearly teeth caught the firelight, glinting like daggers.

Chomp!

In the next instant, she sank her teeth into the tender flesh, as if the earlier flinch had never happened.

Su Xiaobai's eyes narrowed. Was she one of those demons that drained a man's essence?

Being half-demon himself, he wasn't overly concerned. After all, Immortal Rain Valley had an entire continent ruled by demons. It wasn't like White Cloud Star, where humans dominated.

Humans just tended to be a bit 'racist' towards demons.

No problem, Su Xiaobai could fight their prejudice with a bit of his own.

For now, he let his suspicions rest.

If she stayed this docile, this cute and obedient, she might just be the perfect pet. 'As long as she doesn't go grabbing anything else she shouldn't,' Su Xiaobai thought with a wry smile.

Su Xiaobai watched the demon girl as she continued to gnaw on the roasted rabbit, her small, sharp teeth cutting into the meat with delicate precision.

The firelight flickered over her pale skin, giving her an almost ethereal glow, her raven hair falling gently over her flushed cheeks.

She didn't say a word, and her eyes—those sharp crimson eyes—remained fixed on the food, as if she were trying to avoid his gaze.

For someone who had nearly ended him not too long ago, she seemed ridiculously harmless now.

He leaned back, letting out a soft sigh. 'Alright,' he thought. 'If she's going to stick around, she's going to need a name. Can't just keep calling her 'demon girl' forever.'

He glanced at her again, the way she was quietly chewing her food, her head slightly lowered like a child caught doing something wrong.

There was something about her that felt... otherworldly, like she didn't quite belong in this world.

But at the same time, there was a strange attachment he felt to her, despite the danger she clearly possessed.

"Let's see," Su Xiaobai murmured, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "You're small, deadly, and somehow, a little cute... like a demon fox or an evil spirit."

The demon girl glanced up at him briefly, her eyes blinking slowly as if she hadn't fully processed his words.

A grin spread across Su Xiaobai's face. "I've got it. From now on, you'll be... Xiao Hei."

She blinked again, her chewing slowing as she tilted her head in confusion.

"Xiao Hei," Su Xiaobai repeated, more confidently this time. "You're small, and your hair is black like the night. It fits. Plus, it has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" He smirked, clearly pleased with himself.

The demon girl—Xiao Hei—stared at him, her expression unreadable, her red eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

For a moment, Su Xiaobai wondered if she was about to protest... or worse, attack him again.

But then, she lowered her head, continuing to nibble on the rabbit, her hands gripping the meat just a little tighter.

"..."

Su Xiaobai raised an eyebrow. "You don't like it?" he asked, sounding slightly amused. But Xiao Hei didn't respond, choosing instead to keep eating, her silence almost... agreeable.

"Well, too bad," Su Xiaobai said, leaning forward with a satisfied grin. "You're stuck with it now. Xiao Hei it is."

He watched her closely, waiting for some kind of reaction, but there was none.

She simply kept chewing, her face flushed and her red eyes occasionally flickering up toward him before darting back down.

Su Xiaobai chuckled, feeling more at ease.

This was a far cry from the terrifying demon who had nearly crushed his soul earlier.