You Have...

Earlier, Xiao Xiao had always felt that aside from the smell, everything about Ruan Rou seemed just like that of a normal girl. Was he overthinking things? After all, so much had happened lately. Maybe he was just becoming overly paranoid.

But that earlier feeling of palpitations still lingered vividly in his mind, impossible to ignore.

He told himself that he was not being oversensitive. There really was something wrong with this girl.

Could she be some kind of demon again?

If so, then just how powerful would a demon capable of taking human form be?

He just did not know whether that gaze had been intentional or not. If it had been intentional, Xiao Xiao did not think he stood the slightest chance against her.

This was bad. Xiao Xiao raised his head to look at the sky. So this was why curiosity killed the cat—why had he stupidly stared at her earlier?

So what if her smell was strange? He could have just endured it.

That was better than losing his life.

Sigh, he wondered whether Qin Yuan and Ear Mouse together could defeat her.

Or should he add the Qiuqiu fish too?

"Third Brother, what are you spacing out for? Let's go."

"Coming." Only then did Xiao Xiao notice that Eldest Brother and the others had already gone far ahead. He hurried after them.

"Hey, Third Brother, why is your spacing-out problem getting worse and worse? You can zone out anywhere now?"

"...An accident."

"What accident? This has happened several times already."

"Exactly, Third Brother, you need to..."

Xiao Xiao knew his own limits. Besides, they were not acquainted to begin with. He had thought that as long as he did not approach her, they should not have any reason to cross paths.

Unfortunately, the girl did not think so.

Xiao Xiao fell silent as he looked at the smiling girl before him.

They were beneath the boys' dormitory building. Someone had just passed word to Xiao Xiao's dorm room that a girl was looking for him downstairs.

Eldest Brother and the others had howled like wolves. If they knew this girl was Ruan Rou, who knew what they would think?

Feeling the burning stares fixed on him, Xiao Xiao looked at the "source of trouble." "What is it? If it's going to take a while, how about we talk somewhere else?"

"Let's go." Ruan Rou turned around without hesitation.

Ruan Rou stopped at the corner of the dormitory building. With a nimble turn, she fixed her gaze on Xiao Xiao behind her. A broad swath of shadow fell over her, making it impossible for Xiao Xiao to see her face clearly.

Xiao Xiao stopped three steps away from Ruan Rou.

In the quiet space, he could hear the wind passing by his ears and the rustling of branches and leaves. Only then did he recover from the surprise of Ruan Rou's sudden visit.

He quietly studied the girl opposite him. Her face, somewhat familiar after their several encounters, now revealed a distinctly different aura.

Xiao Xiao's gaze slid from her face to her shoulder.

A tiny red fox lay there, its posture languid and its expression teasing.

Do not ask him how he could discern such a difficult expression from a furry fox face.

It was simply too obvious for him to pretend he had not understood.

"Hehe, you can see Little Barbarian?" Ruan Rou raised a hand and rubbed the Little Fox's soft fur. Her smile carried an inscrutable meaning, and though she phrased it as a question, her tone was certain.

Xiao Xiao froze, then immediately realized that this Little Fox was a demon? And like the Qiuqiu fish, Ear Mouse, and Qin Yuan from before, it was something ordinary people could not see?

But Xiao Xiao was confused again. Just what was Ruan Rou's identity?

Was she the demon he had suspected her to be? Or was she someone like him, capable of seeing demons?

Ruan Rou had hesitated over whether to make this trip.

She had considered that since he had noticed something unusual about her, the safest course would be to kill him and silence him forever.

Naturally, she had the ability to do so without anyone noticing.

But she could not see through Xiao Xiao. She even felt a faint fear of him.

At her level of cultivation, intuition was extremely important, so she did not dare take that risk. She had survived until now and steadily increased her cultivation through caution and careful planning at every step.

Besides, over their several encounters, Xiao Xiao had clearly shown no intention of dealing with her. Thus, she was unwilling to make an enemy for no reason.

She was not sure whether he could not defeat her or simply did not take her seriously.

She worried that she might end up making things worse.

The losses she had suffered in the past made her wary of underestimating humans she should have looked down upon.

That was why she stood here now.

She hoped they could stay out of each other's way.

"Xiao Xiao." Ruan Rou's voice was as low, soft, and alluring as ever, its slightly drawn-out tone adding a hint of ambiguity, yet her words were utterly blunt. "I don't know who you are."

"But don't disturb me."

Even if she was wary, how could she, a demon, possibly fear a human?

She simply did not want to make unnecessary trouble.

To her, rather than waste time on this, she might as well look for her next target.

Whether to possess someone or drain their vital yang essence.

She did not like spending time on things unrelated to cultivation.

Faced with Ruan Rou's bluntness, Xiao Xiao was somewhat surprised, then nodded.

He was neither a saint nor a hotheaded fool. When his own safety could not be guaranteed, he had no ability to meddle in others' affairs. He would choose to compromise for the time being.

Yes, only for the time being.

But, "Are you a demon? Or a human?" Since she was being so direct, Xiao Xiao did not beat around the bush and asked outright.

"You guess." Ruan Rou smiled brightly, but at some point, the eyes she turned toward him had become the vertical pupils of a beast.

"A monster?!" Xiao Xiao cried softly. "But why can people see you?"

Ruan Rou waved a hand. "Hehe, this body is a genuine human one."

"What do you mean?" Xiao Xiao blurted out, then quickly realized what she meant. Remembering the novels he had read, his expression changed drastically. "You took over someone's body?"

If that was the case, a chill surged in Xiao Xiao's eyes.

"No."

Taking over a body was both exhausting and not worth the effort. Why would she do that?

"The original owner of this body is still alive."

She would just die very soon afterward.

"How awful. I'm not such a bloodthirsty demon."

Just kidding. I may not kill her myself, but she will die because of me. That was probably... the situation.

Ruan Rou smiled with crescent eyes. Yet her seductive face revealed an innocent delight and... cruelty.

A beauty smiling like a blooming flower should have been a pleasing sight, but Xiao Xiao frowned. The nauseating fishy stench at his nose seemed to grow even stronger, and a look of disgust inevitably appeared on his face.

Xiao Xiao made no effort to hide his expression, so naturally Ruan Rou saw it clearly.

Her smile froze abruptly.

A hint of ferocity uncontrollably showed between her brows.

Disgust? Disgust! Heh, how ridiculous!

Wasn't she beautiful? How could anyone be disgusted by her?

No one had ever humiliated her like this!

Ruan Rou's scarlet vertical pupils grew narrower and sharper. Her beastly instincts gradually awakened, and a dangerous aura spread through the air. The languid fox on her shoulder straightened up as well, its gaze blazing with a savage, bloodthirsty gleam.

"Tell me, why do you dislike me?" Despite her vicious expression, Ruan Rou's voice sounded plaintive and tender, soft and harmless, carrying a faint choke in it as though she had suffered a tremendous grievance—enough to inspire pity.

"Do you know?" Xiao Xiao remained unmoved and said, word by word, "You have body odor."