A Fight That Fizzled Out

Ruan Rou felt like she was going crazy!

She was going to kill him!

She was going to kill him!

A fierce wind suddenly rose, instantly blinding Xiao Xiao.

Hiss—The wind was like blades. Caught off guard, Xiao Xiao was already covered in cuts.

Fortunately, they were all shallow wounds. With Xiao Xiao's monstrous regenerative ability, they healed in the blink of an eye.

Though new wounds kept appearing, they were hardly worth mentioning.

Within the hurricane, Ruan Rou seemed to stand in the eye of a typhoon. Her dark hair hung loose, utterly motionless.

Her scarlet eyes were dim and murky. Vaguely, it seemed as though an enormous fox tail covered the sky and blotted out the sun, its imposing aura terrifying.

Xiao Xiao knew he had acted rashly.

To satisfy a momentary impulse, he had placed himself in such a dangerous situation.

But he realized he could not hold himself back.

He had never realized that he could be so hot-blooded. Knowing that one of his classmates might have been possessed—even if they were merely students at the same school, even if they had never interacted before—he still could not suppress his anger.

Some words, once spoken, would never be regretted. Some things, once done, left no way back.

So all he could do was... face the danger head-on!

He began silently reciting the black notebook's name. Golden Light gradually surfaced in his pupils, hazy and indistinct.

A black notebook slowly appeared before him, exuding an ancient, mysterious aura.

The notebook opened, its pages standing upright. The next instant, "rustle, rustle, rustle," the pages began flipping nonstop.

At a thought from Xiao Xiao, the page depicting Qin Yuan trembled with a "shudder."

In the blink of an eye, with a "shrieeek," Qin Yuan soared into the air and circled above Xiao Xiao's head, its protective intent unmistakable.

"Clang—clang—clang."

The biting wind that could so easily cut Xiao Xiao was powerless against Qin Yuan. As it swept past, it only produced waves of metallic clashing.

"Shrieeek—" Its cry was sharp and sinister, filled with viciousness, like an old, shriveled hand dragging blackened nails viciously across glass, producing an unbearably piercing screech.

Its eyes were equally scarlet. Though round, they held not a trace of softness or gentleness.

The needle-like stinger at the end of its tail gleamed coldly, and a streak of blood-red was shockingly conspicuous.

Only when those cold, shadowy round eyes fixed on her did Ruan Rou shudder and suddenly snap back to her senses. Her vertical pupils contracted violently until they were the size of needlepoints. A chill rose from her tailbone, gradually seeping through every limb and bone.

She clenched her teeth hard. Damn it, where had this monster come from?

And why was this monster protecting a human?

How ridiculous! A mocking curve formed at Ruan Rou's lips.

But what was ridiculous—the absurdity of a monster protecting a human?

Or the fact that her earlier premonition had come true?! Xiao Xiao truly was no ordinary human to provoke!

He could actually command monsters!

How was that possible? Ruan Rou frowned deeply, unable to make sense of it no matter how she thought about it.

Monsters were born from the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Ever since gaining consciousness, they had considered themselves superior to all others. How could they so easily submit to a human's command?

Especially such an utterly ordinary human!

What was going on?

Just what was this human?

Completely unaware that he was being endlessly shrouded in mystery, Xiao Xiao stared at Qin Yuan above him and suddenly felt incredibly safe.

Even if its smell was not particularly pleasant.

But Xiao Xiao figured that, for the sake of his life, what did a little smell matter?

Besides, perhaps it was just his imagination, but Qin Yuan seemed to smell a little less pungent than it had the last time?

Come to think of it, he actually still remembered that smell from last time?

Before he could think any further, the monsters ahead began fighting.

Though the sudden appearance of another monster had thrown her off somewhat, Ruan Rou was not afraid.

Who was stronger and who was weaker would only be known after they fought.

Sharp, black nails rapidly grew from Ruan Rou's hands, glinting coldly. They were blade-sharp and carried a trace of chilling poison.

This was the second time Xiao Xiao had watched monsters battle.

Yet it was no less shocking than the first time.

A fight scene of flying sand and rolling stones, darkened skies, and earth-shaking chaos—the sort found only in novels and movies—was unfolding right before his eyes with such raw, direct impact that everything felt dreamlike and unreal.

Monsters really existed in this world. It was simply too unscientific.

Once again, Xiao Xiao clearly realized that his entire worldview had shattered into pieces.

Ruan Rou half-knelt on the ground, her eyes strange and unfathomable, as though storms were gathering within them. In an instant, they returned to calm.

She slowly rose to her feet and looked straight at Xiao Xiao, paying no attention to Qin Yuan hovering in the air, watching her like a tiger eyeing its prey and waiting for a chance to strike.

"Let's stop. Continuing won't lead to any result."

Indeed, under the current circumstances, she and this monster that had suddenly appeared were evenly matched. Continuing to stubbornly fight would only be a waste of effort.

And she had never been willing to do things that took effort without bringing any benefit.

Damn it. If possessing this body had not restricted the strength of her true form, why would she need to compromise like this?

She would have strangled that monster that dared provoke her to death!

At Ruan Rou's signal for peace, Xiao Xiao raised an eyebrow before readily accepting.

She was right. Though the two monsters appeared to be fighting with tremendous force and spectacle, neither could do anything to the other. Their injuries were merely superficial. At this rate, when would there ever be a winner?

Originally, even if the two monsters had fought until both were badly injured, Xiao Xiao would have been happy to see it.

But that monster happened to be possessing someone. As for whether it had seized the body outright, that was another matter. If they continued fighting without restraint, Ruan Rou's body could very likely be harmed.

Therefore, the monster possessing Ruan Rou had its concerns, and Xiao Xiao had concerns as well.

Moreover, the monster could abandon this body, but unless absolutely necessary, Xiao Xiao could not ignore its safety.

From this perspective, Xiao Xiao was at a disadvantage.

Now that the monster had taken the initiative to propose a truce, Xiao Xiao naturally had no reason to refuse.

The fight ended just like that, all thunder and no rain.

Ruan Rou returned to her soft and delicate appearance.

"I'm leaving. I still have a date."

Watching the fake girl retract her slit pupils and claws, becoming gentle, harmless, and docile once more, Xiao Xiao could not help twitching at the corner of his mouth.

But then he thought about it—was this monster so accustomed to human identities because it had possessed many humans before?

The more he thought about it, the worse his mood became.

And when his mood soured, his mouth became a little harder to control. Once again, he began provoking her with no regard for his life.

"I'll drive you out of this body." His tone was flat, but his gaze could not have been more serious.

"Oh~" Though it was clearly a girl's youthful voice, it somehow carried a seductive, bewitching lilt. Its faint rasp conveyed a touch of casual amusement and interest. "I'll be waiting to see it."

"Don't keep me waiting too long, okay?"