Meeting

Xiao Xiao pursed his lips, a hint of disgust on his face, yet the corners of his eyes curved into a sharp arc.

Even though the stench of garbage and the coppery smell of blood made the residual demonic energy increasingly difficult to detect and distinguish.

But once Xiao Xiao caught a whiff, he would never misidentify it again.

In Xiao Xiao's opinion, every monster was an individual and naturally had a different scent. Wasn't that obvious?

It was like one monster smelled like durian, and another smelled like mango. Of course, that was just a metaphor; monsters themselves weren't that harmless and cute.

In short, Xiao Xiao could easily distinguish and pinpoint the scent of different monsters. After all, who would mistake the unique and distinct smell of durian for mango?

Xiao Xiao simply thought all of this was normal.

However, he didn't know yet how heaven-defying this ability was.

Because it meant that all monsters were completely exposed before him!

A familiar scent, this demonic energy...

Xiao Xiao immediately thought of the monster he encountered in the basketball gym—the Gu雕.

After all, he had met it just a few days ago, and it had even given him such a "great gift."

It was all because of this monster that his recently improved headache had worsened!

Xiao Xiao tugged at his cheek. He hadn't dared to go home for a while; his pale face made him look like he was recovering from a serious illness.

Xiao Xiao straightened up and looked around. Apart from a few bloodstains, there was nothing unusual.

He wondered if the victim was human or animal. He also wondered if they were just injured or... eaten?

He couldn't even be sure if the Gu diao had appeared here as the perpetrator or had merely passed by.

Wasn't this ignorance? Xiao Xiao's eye twitched, his mouth twitched, and his expression was one of speechlessness.

Alright, now he had two paths before him.

He could either pretend nothing happened and turn back to his dorm. At this time, Eldest Brother and the others should have brought back his dinner, right? He was hungry.

Or... he could still turn back to his dorm, as it was already completely dark.

However, since he had a guess, he had to verify it. He would go to Polytechnic University tomorrow to see if he could find any clues.

Actually, the first option was really quite good. If this continued, he really doubted if his headache would ever fully recover.

Sigh, he truly was a kind person with noble sentiments.

He couldn't just stand by and do nothing; he couldn't get past his own conscience.

But he decided that he would prioritize peaceful means. He would just observe first. If it all turned out to be a misunderstanding, wouldn't that be a happy ending for everyone?

He sincerely prayed for that outcome.

The next day, Xiao Xiao arrived at Polytechnic University.

It wasn't until yesterday that he looked it up online and found out the new player's name was Yang Yi.

There was quite a bit of information about him on the Polytechnic University campus forum. After all, he was handsome and played basketball well. His family background was also reportedly good. He had become a prominent figure right after entering university, and he himself was not a low-key person, possessing a certain arrogance. News about him was endless.

Yang Yi was living a wildly successful life as a winner at Polytechnic University.

It was practically a template for a perfect life.

Xiao Xiao recalled the miscellaneous information he had seen about Yang Yi yesterday, while his footsteps continued towards the Polytechnic University basketball gym.

This time of day was precisely when Yang Yi's basketball team trained.

As he stepped into the basketball gym, the clamor of voices and waves of heat hit him, causing Xiao Xiao to instinctively pause.

The popularity here was truly no joke.

Xiao Xiao slowly strolled to the second-floor stands, leaning on the railing, and looked down.

The court was a scene of fiery intensity, with the thudding of basketballs echoing one after another.

With his excellent eyesight and the prominence of his target, Xiao Xiao could spot the person he was looking for—Yang Yi—at a glance.

He silently observed Yang Yi for a while, especially his eyes. Everything seemed normal; he was just a handsome and sunny athletic boy.

Xiao Xiao's gaze shifted, and he saw the Gu diao in the resting area, its eyes slightly closed, as if resting, or perhaps disdainful of human sports, preferring not to see.

Whether it was Xiao Xiao's imagination or not, he felt that the aura emanating from the monster seemed stronger, but Xiao Xiao couldn't help but rub his nose. The sweet and disgusting bloody smell from the monster had become even more apparent.

It gave him a nauseous feeling, on the verge of vomiting.

Xiao Xiao's complexion turned even more unsightly due to discomfort. Sometimes, having too keen a sense of smell wasn't a good thing.

This increasingly strong, fishy odor, seemingly seeping from the Gu carving's very bones, gave Xiao Xiao a bad premonition.

The identical scent, the intensifying smell of blood, seemed to point towards the very guess he least wanted to face.

Perhaps, the unknown murder that happened in the alley, even without a body and without leaving any clues for reference, the final culprit had probably, possibly already been found by him.

As if sensing Xiao Xiao's burning gaze, the Gu carving's eyes suddenly opened, its eyeballs, bright red and thick as if blood was dripping, stared directly at him.

Xiao Xiao's eyelids drooped slightly, and he could clearly feel a needle-like pain on them.

He then slowly raised his eyes, meeting the roc's sharp gaze without an inch of yielding.

He wouldn't fall for the same trick a second time.

Xiao Xiao's eyeballs were covered with a thin layer of Golden Light, brilliant like flowing gold, but beneath its beautiful exterior lay a deadly danger.

The moment Xiao Xiao thought that this monster might have actually eaten someone, a chill ran down his spine, and at the same time, an uncontrollable rage surged, burning so fiercely that the Golden Light in his eyes intensified.

Xiao Xiao's confrontation with the Gu Diao was suddenly interrupted. Looking at Yang Yi, who stood in front of the Gu Diao and smiled at him, Xiao Xiao slowly narrowed his eyes. Was this a coincidence, or intentional?

Clearly, Yang Yi saw Xiao Xiao's confusion and kindly provided an answer.

Yang Yi reached out, a gesture that seemed a bit strange to others, but Xiao Xiao saw it clearly. He was stroking the Gu雕's back feathers!

The facts were obvious.

Yang Yi could see the Gu carvings, and even had an intimate relationship with them!

Xiao Xiao had many questions. Since the other party didn't seem to intend to hide anything, displaying his relationship with the Gu clan so openly in front of him, then let things be simpler.

Even without an agreement, Xiao Xiao and Yang Yi seemed to have tacitly reached a consensus.

Looking at Yang Yi walking up to him, and the Gu雕 behind him, Xiao Xiao slightly hooked the corner of his mouth, without any smile, just a gesture of courtesy, "Let's go, let's find a place to sit down and talk."