The sun set, and night descended.
As darkness fell, the demons that had been hiding all day began to appear.
Su Mu walked out from the cave where he had spent the entire day. He looked up and saw a full moon hanging high in the pitch-black night sky.
For demons, daytime was taboo, and night was the time for indulgence.
Many demons would hunt at this hour.
Su Mu made his way to the town.
The clamor of the day had long faded. Every household was tightly shut. Only Su Mu, a lone demon, wandered the streets of the town. The entire street seemed empty and desolate.
Passing by an inn that served food and lodging, he slipped in silently and stole a roast chicken that the innkeeper had prepared for the next day's business.
The roast chicken was still warm, its color and sheen looking quite appetizing. He tore off a bit of the meat and put it in his mouth. To humans, it was delicious food, but to Su Mu, it was like chewing wax-not much better than eating dirt.
Enduring the sensation of chewing dirt, he swallowed the chicken in his mouth. His stomach seemed to protest at this moment, and he could even smell a tantalizing scent in his nostrils. That tantalizing scent was the true food of a demon.
Shaking his head, he suppressed the craving for human flesh and blood in his heart. He soon arrived in front of a house in the town.
With a light tap of his feet, he was already on the eaves. Sitting alone on the roof, holding the roast chicken, he silently gazed at the full moon in the sky, all the while suppressing the hunger for flesh and blood in his heart.
Time passed bit by bit.
At some point, the wind began to blow. The wind carried a chill as it swept over Su Mu, bringing a trace of icy cold. In the sky, dark clouds had unknowingly covered the full moon. The already dim horizon was now completely plunged into darkness.
Drip, drip, drip...
At some point, it began to rain.
Raindrops fell on Su Mu's head and shoulders, then slid downward. The icy rain landed on his face, tracing across his cheeks.
Su Mu wiped the rain from his cheeks and only then realized that he was soaked through.
Despite this, Su Mu had no intention of leaving. As usual, he still sat quietly on the eaves. His gaze fell upon the empty street beneath the curtain of rain.
The girl he had met last night-he had told her that if she came by at night in the future, he would bring her some food to supplement her nutrition. Perhaps it was just a whim of pity from yesterday, but he did not intend to go back on his word.
However, judging by tonight's conditions, that girl probably would not come today.
Drip, drip, drip...
Rainwater fell to the ground, splashing mud everywhere. The skin-and-bones girl huddled up, braving the curtain of rain as she quietly stepped out of her door.
The icy rain fell on her body, seeping down her neck and into her flesh, as if she had been immersed in freezing ice. She could feel her body temperature draining away bit by bit.
In this moment, she really wanted to turn back immediately, to return to the shabby little hut where she lived. Although that hut was broken and leaked, it could at least shelter her from some of the wind and rain.
But for some reason, thinking of that strange uncle from yesterday, thinking of what he had said, her steps unconsciously quickened.
Soon, the skin-and-bones girl arrived at the place where she had met the uncle yesterday.
The street was empty. All that met her eyes was the endless curtain of falling rain. The girl's pretty pink-purple eyes lowered slightly.
Such a deep night, such cold weather, such heavy rain-who would still come out?
Yet for no reason at all, a sense of anticipation welled up in her heart. She unconsciously lifted her head. Beneath the curtain of rain, that strange uncle sat alone on the eaves. The rain had soaked his clothes, and his hair was wet, dripping water.
The girl's pretty eyes widened at this moment. She had not expected him to actually show up-even in such heavy rain, he was still here waiting for her.
For the first time, someone was waiting for her. For the first time, someone valued her this much. Even though the rain had soaked through her clothes and her whole body was freezing, her heart had grown warm. In the pitch-black cold of her life, when she felt the world was dead and silent, she suddenly felt a long-lost warmth and vitality.
"You came."
Su Mu jumped down from the eaves. His tall figure stood before the girl.
The girl lifted her head and stared blankly at the uncle before her. Her lips pressed slightly together, her fingertips unconsciously clenching.
"I didn't expect you to come."
Su Mu smiled as he looked at the girl. Such heavy rain, such a deep night-he had not expected her to come because of a small promise from him, a promise that was merely to bring some insignificant food.
The girl pressed her lips together and said nothing. She just stood there blankly, like an obedient but frail kitten. The rain soaked her hair and her clothes. The cold seeped through her body, making her shiver uncontrollably.
"Let's go under the eaves. You can't keep getting rained on."
Su Mu stepped forward and took her hand. The girl's hand was very cold, like a block of ice.
With the eaves blocking overhead, the rain no longer fell on her. The man's tall body stood in front, blocking the cold wind blowing over. The girl stayed quietly, feeling as if the whole world had suddenly become so warm.
"Last time I told you, if you came by at night, I'd bring you some food."
Under the eaves, Su Mu reached into the inner layer of his clothes. The roast chicken wrapped in lotus leaves was taken out, still faintly steaming.
The girl looked at the roast chicken, then at the man soaked through.
Even though he was drenched, even though the rain was so heavy, even though the weather was so cold, the roast chicken had been protected perfectly.
And this perfectly protected roast chicken was for her.
An indescribable feeling spread through her heart, warm, like scalding hot water falling on a layer of cold ice. Only then did she suddenly realize that this world was not all cold-there was another kind of warmth, the opposite of cold.
"Eat."
Su Mu patted the girl's head and spoke with some pity. Such a young girl-in his world, she should have been living carefree under her parents' protection. But judging by the girl's situation, things were really not good for her.
The roast chicken he had brought tasted good and was still hot. Urged on by him, the girl ate in small bites, looking as if she was eating with relish.
In this moment, Su Mu also felt hungry.
"Uncle, you eat too."
The girl handed him the chicken leg, which she considered the best part.
"I'm not hungry."
He shook his head.
The girl looked at Su Mu in confusion. She clearly felt that the uncle was very hungry-this feeling of being trapped in hunger was very familiar to her. But why did the uncle say he was not hungry?
"Is it because Uncle doesn't like eating these?"
"Mm."
"Then what does Uncle like to eat?"
The girl lifted her head and looked at the man.
Su Mu did not know how to answer for a moment. Once, when he was human, there were many things he liked to eat. But those foods, now, to him, were like chewing wax.
And for a demon, the most delicious food was only one thing. But that was a line he could not touch.
Shaking his head, he reached out and patted the girl's head. He did not answer what he liked to eat. Instead, he asked, "Do you know where Mount Sagiri is?"