Qin Yuan

Xiao Xiao dug the black notebook out of his drawer. At the moment, he was the only one in the dormitory.

The black cover had an unusual texture—like metal, like jade, and like ancient sandalwood. It carried a weighty, timeworn charm. Strange, twisting patterns faintly wound across its surface, glimmering with a pale silver sheen. Threads of blood-red seeped through that silver light, as though foretelling misfortune.

Xiao Xiao rubbed the cover for a while.

Its faintly cool touch gradually steadied his somewhat erratic heartbeat.

Xiao Xiao slowly opened the notebook. The Qiuqiu fish was a vivid cinnabar red, nimble in form, and a faint "hee-hee" seemed to drift from it. Yet that innocent, childish voice sent an inexplicable chill down one's spine.

Its overly cunning eyes also made one's skin crawl.

Hm? What was this?

When Xiao Xiao turned to the Ear Mouse on the second page, he could not help but freeze.

Compared with the vibrant colors of the Qiuqiu fish, the Ear Mouse seemed to be covered by a layer of ash, dull and lackluster, like a crude old painting.

What was going on? The last time he had looked at it, the Ear Mouse had been just like the Qiuqiu fish, its bright cinnabar red seeming to flow across the page, lifelike and vivid.

But now, while the Qiuqiu fish remained unchanged, the Ear Mouse had undergone such a transformation.

Could it... be because the Ear Mouse had suddenly appeared before him that night?

Though he had no concrete evidence, Xiao Xiao felt that this guess was probably right.

"I wonder if it'll recover?"

"How long will it take to recover?"

Xiao Xiao lightly touched the Ear Mouse on the page with one finger and muttered to himself.

That night, the Ear Mouse's appearance had undoubtedly saved his life. Naturally, he was deeply grateful, and he especially did not want his savior to suffer any harm because of it.

But why had it appeared?

Why had it saved him?

Why had that caused the image of itself to darken?

There were many questions, and Xiao Xiao had some guesses about all of them.

But everything still needed to be verified.

Xiao Xiao was lost in thought for a while before cautiously turning to the third page.

The yellowed page was completely blank, yet Xiao Xiao was not disappointed. He continued staring at it without blinking.

A strange ripple seemed to flash through the air, so quickly that it was almost an illusion.

It appeared!

Xiao Xiao's eyes widened, and golden light surged up from the depths of his pupils.

Vermilion seeped across the yellowed paper, as though an unadorned brush were sketching lines upon it, the strokes alternately light and heavy, thick and faint in perfect balance.

Very soon, the "bee" from that night appeared upon the page that had previously been empty.

Those familiar round scarlet pupils seemed to churn with blood, giving off a rotten, cloyingly sweet scent. Overflowing malice and the aura of death filled the air, instantly dragging him back into the memories of that night.

That really was not a pleasant memory.

Xiao Xiao quickly came back to himself and shook his head. It truly was an unlikeable yao.

The yao's name surfaced as well, archaic and strange lines outlining an unusual aura.

"Qin Yuan," Xiao Xiao softly read out the yao's name.

"Mm, this name does sound much more impressive than Qiuqiu fish or Ear Mouse." Xiao Xiao stroked his chin.

But then—"What a waste!" Xiao Xiao delivered his conclusion with admirable brevity. "Such a good name, utterly wasted!"

Xiao Xiao still remembered that almost suffocating stench. For a yao with such an overpowering "body odor," someone as mildly germophobic as him naturally could not have much goodwill toward it.

What was more, he had nearly died beneath that yao's sharp tail stinger.

Oh, right. There was also that piercing shriek that had put him through hell. This yao did not have a single redeeming quality from head to toe!

Still, having this kind of yao on the enemy's side was indeed a tremendous headache.

But what if it were on his side?

Xiao Xiao smiled somewhat mischievously.

At present, there were only three kinds of yao in the black notebook.

Qiuqiu fish, Ear Mouse, and Qin Yuan.

He wondered what abilities the Qiuqiu fish possessed.

Perhaps he could try it somewhere with water next time?

And since the Qiuqiu fish was a yao, it was naturally different from ordinary fish. Maybe it could survive on land as well?

A monster battle had ended without a sound.

Xiao Xiao suddenly wondered whether, in many places, countless monster conflicts were taking place even when no one witnessed them.

For no apparent reason, Xiao Xiao felt a little excited.

Never before had he understood so clearly that the world as he saw it had undergone tremendous changes. A grander, more magnificent world had opened its arms to him, lifting its mysterious veil and allowing him to explore its secrets.

This was a world of humans and monsters.

And how fortunate he was to be able to walk between those two worlds.

Even if it took a bit of courage.

Because danger was everywhere too, wasn't it?

Several days passed, and no similar incidents occurred in the Small Forest. The previous victims could not explain what had happened to them either, so the case known as the "Small Forest Incident" on the campus forum gradually faded away and was sealed in the archives.

Fortunately, after emergency treatment, the girl who had been injured most severely was no longer in mortal danger.

After causing a stir for some time, the incident was naturally forgotten when no new victims appeared and the Small Forest once again became a dating spot for couples.

"Third Brother, there's a mixer this Friday night!"

"Hm? A mixer?" Xiao Xiao raised his eyebrows in surprise. Had Eldest Brother finally managed to connect with some girls' dorm?

"Actually, the girls from the Small Forest incident wanted to thank us. They're treating our whole dorm to dinner," Zhao Luzheng explained bluntly.

"Ah, what does it matter? This is an opportunity, an opportunity!" Zhuge Yun waved a hand with great gusto, then revealed a somewhat sleazy grin. "The girls in that dorm are all pretty cute."

"Heh heh." Eldest Brother exchanged a knowing smile with Zhuge Yun, clearly agreeing.

"Oh, right, Third Brother, the girl you had your eye on before will be there too."

"It's fate, Third Brother."

Even Youngest Brother began waggling his eyebrows at Xiao Xiao.

Xiao Xiao's brow twitched. Of course he knew who they meant.

Honestly, when he had seen that girl that day, he had been surprised too. She was actually the girl who had seen the Ear Mouse.

It really was true that coincidence made for a good story.

Xiao Xiao could not help feeling rather sentimental.

Had that girl seen the Ear Mouse again afterward?

On Friday evening, after the entire dorm fussed over themselves for a while, they finally made themselves look presentable and headed to the appointment.

Zhuge Yun had even sprayed on perfume, earning a round of mockery from Eldest Brother, who always prided himself on being a real man.

When they arrived at the meeting place, they discovered that the girls were already there. The boys were instantly horrified.

Oh no, they had actually arrived later than the girls! What an inauspicious start!

"Sorry, we're late." Eldest Brother readily took the blame, doing his best to salvage their first impression.

"No, you're early."

"We just got here earlier."

"After all, how could we make our lifesavers wait?"

The girls smiled sweetly, lovely and charming.