Ling Yao

On the maple tree, which had been empty a moment before, Ling Yao stood with its head held high, as if it had always been there, its long tail hanging down. Though a single shade of red, it seemed to possess a thousand variations in its splendor.

Xiao Xiao slowly walked towards the maple tree.

He stopped, quite sensibly, three steps away from the tree.

Xiao Xiao looked up at Ling Yao, momentarily at a loss for words.

Only now did he realize that, despite his eagerness to see Ling Yao, it was ultimately just curiosity about a talking monster.

So, now, what should he say?

Xiao Xiao was stunned. Should he say, "Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Xiao Xiao. I'm happy to meet you"?

Just thinking about it made him incredibly awkward.

Heh, he had never imagined that in the future, he would be agonizing over how to interact with a monster.

This corner maple forest wasn't entirely deserted. Tourists, sometimes alone, sometimes in small groups, occasionally passed by Xiao Xiao.

The cheerful sounds of conversation were close to his ears, yet seemed worlds away.

Those who passed by merely glanced casually at the young man standing alone under the maple tree.

Even though the youth staring blankly up at the maple tree looked a bit strange, they would only sigh and think: It's rare to see a young person who likes maple trees so much.

It was precisely because he knew what others thought that Xiao Xiao could stare at Ling Yao so brazenly and openly.

He stood there, lost in thought.

Thinking about how to strike up a friendly and cordial conversation with a monster.

Perhaps Ling Yao could no longer stand Xiao Xiao's foolishness and, with a touch of condescension, spoke, "Human, you have come to find me. What is your intention?"

Xiao Xiao, who had been surprised by Ling Yao's sudden speech, was instantly dumbfounded.

"Idiot." Ling Yao looked at him with disdain.

Huh? Xiao Xiao snapped back to reality. His mind, now spinning, recalled his first conversation with a monster. At that time, the other party had spoken in plain language.

So, was this monster playing a trick on him now?

Xiao Xiao felt a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

However, the tense and awkward feeling subsided.

"Humans are as foolish as ever," Ling Yao said lazily. If it weren't for the fact that it hadn't encountered a human who could see it in a long time, it wouldn't bother with this human at all.

Xiao Xiao remained silent in response.

"Hello, my name is Xiao Xiao."

Yes, after much thought and deliberation, the foolish human Xiao Xiao decided to start with an introduction.

However, Ling Yao merely flicked its beautiful tail, a dazzling stream of light flashing before Xiao Xiao's eyes. It offered no comment on Xiao Xiao's words.

It was a blatant display of dismissal.

Uh, Xiao Xiao felt a critical hit.

But Ling Yao didn't disappear; it didn't vanish from his sight again.

So, that meant they could still talk?

Just as Xiao Xiao was racking his brain for the next topic, his head suddenly felt heavy, and he stumbled, nearly falling.

Upon seeing the familiar tail feathers before him, Xiao Xiao instantly understood what was on his head.

Xiao Xiao's eyebrows twitched. "Huh?" Xiao Xiao froze. How should he address this monster? Judging by its voice, it sounded like an adult male, so, "...Monster, uh, Mr. Ling Yao, you..."

Before Xiao Xiao could finish, he was interrupted.

"You know I am Ling Yao?" Ling Yao, who had always looked down on others, flew back to a maple branch. Its dark eyes were dim and inscrutable, showing a clear emotional fluctuation for the first time: a mix of surprise, doubt, and a hint of wariness.

This human could see it. Although such people were increasingly rare in modern times, they weren't non-existent. But for him to know its identity right away was quite unusual.

As mentioned before, with the changing times, fewer and fewer humans could see monsters.

In the past, although not many, Ling Yao could still encounter one or two from time to time.

But now, it had been nearly a hundred years since it had met one.

That was why it had been so interested in teasing this human.

That was why it had appeared before this human again and again.

Otherwise, how could this clumsy human have found it on his own?

But now, it seemed this human might not be as simple as he appeared.

His identity was not something an ordinary person could know.

Did he misjudge?

Ling Yao carefully sensed Xiao Xiao's aura, but there was still no trace of spiritual energy; he was just a completely ordinary human.

The old monster, who had lived for hundreds of years, was rarely confused.

Xiao Xiao, of course, was unaware of Ling Yao's complex thoughts.

However, he understood the sudden change in the monster's eyes.

It was just that he didn't know how to explain it.

The Monster Compendium was naturally not something that could be spoken of.

He had a premonition that the Monster Compendium might be his greatest reliance.

Therefore, facing Ling Yao's intensely oppressive gaze, even with cold sweat trickling down his back, Xiao Xiao could only brace himself.

With a look of bewildered innocence.

"I saw it in a book."

"Because I suddenly gained the ability to see monsters, I've been reading a lot of books related to monsters during this time."

"So..."

Xiao Xiao shrugged. "It seems reading more books is useful after all."

Ling Yao naturally wouldn't believe Xiao Xiao's explanation so easily, but he wasn't some inexperienced fledgling monster and wouldn't pester for an answer.

As a dignified great monster, he also respected others' privacy.

He just needed to know that the human before him was not as simple as he appeared.

So, regarding Xiao Xiao's explanation, Ling Yao merely snorted and said nothing more.

As for Xiao Xiao, he was somewhat flustered. His first reaction was shock that a monster could make such a difficult expression as a "snort," and only then did he realize that the monster was letting the topic drop. He couldn't help but heave a huge sigh of relief internally.

Perhaps he was overthinking it, but one should always guard against others, let alone monsters?

It wasn't racial prejudice, but ancient sayings often held some truth: "Those not of our kind have different hearts."

It's not about fearing the unlikely, but fearing the worst.

The atmosphere then suddenly lightened.

Monsters always respected the strong. Since Ling Yao knew Xiao Xiao was not simple, he wouldn't put on airs. Even if they couldn't be considered equals yet, he wouldn't be indifferent.

Conversing with a monster was a novel experience.

A monster that had lived for hundreds of years possessed vast knowledge that ordinary humans could hardly imagine.

And upon learning that Xiao Xiao had only recently gained the ability to see monsters, Ling Yao offered a few pointers, giving Xiao Xiao a basic understanding of monsters.

In Xiao Xiao's opinion, despite Ling Yao's inherent uncertainty and danger as a monster, its beautiful appearance always made it easy for people to let down their guard. Moreover, even though it didn't speak much, Ling Yao truly told him many things he had never known before, things he might have eventually learned but would have taken a lot of time and effort. Therefore, Xiao Xiao was grateful for Ling Yao's willingness to impart knowledge.

Regardless of Ling Yao's motivations for telling him these things, he would definitely acknowledge this kindness.

The only regret was that Ling Yao couldn't provide a clear answer as to why he suddenly gained the ability to see monsters, only telling him to let nature take its course and everything would eventually be revealed.

Xiao Xiao wasn't particularly concerned about the answer to this question. After all, regardless of the cause, the result was that he could see monsters.

That was the most important thing.

Instead of dwelling on how he gained the ability to see monsters, he should spend more time thinking about how to handle his life, which had slowly deviated from its normal course after he started seeing them?

That was what he should be considering most right now.