Meeting

Xiao Xiao pursed his lips, looking somewhat disgusted, though the corners of his eyes curved into a sharp arc.

Even though the stench of garbage and the rank smell of blood made the lingering demonic aura increasingly difficult to detect and distinguish,

once Xiao Xiao caught its scent, he would never mistake it again.

In Xiao Xiao's view, every demon was an individual, so naturally each had a different scent. Wasn't that only to be expected?

It was like one demon smelled of durian and another of mango. Of course, that was just an analogy. Demons themselves weren't nearly so harmless and cute.

In short, Xiao Xiao could easily distinguish and pick up the scents of different demons. After all, who could mistake such distinctive, unmistakable smells as durian and mango?

To Xiao Xiao, this was all perfectly ordinary.

But he still didn't know just how absurdly powerful this ability was.

Because it meant that no demon could hide from him!

A familiar scent. This demonic aura...

Xiao Xiao immediately thought of the demon he'd encountered in the basketball gym—the Gūdiāo.

After all, they'd met just a few days ago, and the other party had even given him such a "wonderful" gift.

Because of that demon, his headache, which had just started to get better, had gotten worse again!

Xiao Xiao tugged at his cheek. He hadn't dared go home lately. He was so pale he looked like he was still recovering from a serious illness.

Xiao Xiao straightened up and looked around. Other than those few spots of blood, there was nothing unusual.

He didn't know whether the victim was human or animal. He didn't know whether they'd only been injured or... eaten.

He couldn't even be sure whether the Gūdiāo had been here as the culprit or had merely passed through.

Wasn't this the same as knowing nothing? Xiao Xiao's eyelids twitched, his mouth quivered, and his face settled into an utterly speechless expression.

All right, he had two options.

He could pretend nothing had happened and turn around to head back to the dorm. By now, Eldest Brother and the others should have brought back his dinner, right? He was hungry.

Or... he could still turn around and head back to the dorm. After all, it was already completely dark.

But since he had a theory, he ought to verify it. Tomorrow, he'd go to Polytechnic University and see if he could find any clues.

Honestly, the first option really was pretty good. If this kept up, he was starting to wonder whether his headache would ever go away completely.

Sigh. He really was a kindhearted person with a noble sense of decency.

He simply couldn't live with himself if he stood by and turned a blind eye.

Still, he decided that he'd try peaceful means first. He would just take a look. If it all turned out to be a misunderstanding, wouldn't that be the best outcome for everyone?

He sincerely prayed that was how it would turn out.

The next day, Xiao Xiao went to Polytechnic University.

It wasn't until yesterday, when he looked it up online, that he learned the rookie player's name was Yang Yi.

There was no shortage of information about him on Polytechnic University's campus forum. After all, he was handsome and good at basketball, and apparently came from a well-off family. He'd become a campus celebrity as soon as he started university. He wasn't exactly the modest type, either, and had a rather cocky streak, so there was always news about him.

Yang Yi was a clear-cut success story at Polytechnic University.

He was practically a model example of a perfect life.

As Xiao Xiao recalled the assortment of information about Yang Yi that he'd read the day before, he kept walking toward Polytechnic University's basketball gym.

This was the time when Yang Yi's basketball team held practice.

As Xiao Xiao stepped inside, the din of voices and waves of heat rushed toward him, making him instinctively pause.

This place really was as popular as they said.

Xiao Xiao slowly made his way up to the second-floor stands, rested his hands on the railing, and looked down.

The court was buzzing with activity, the sound of basketballs bouncing—thump, thump, thump—rising and falling without pause.

With his good eyesight and the fact that his target stood out, Xiao Xiao spotted the person he'd come to find at a glance: Yang Yi.

He silently studied Yang Yi for a while, especially his eyes. Everything seemed normal. He was just a handsome, sunny athlete.

Xiao Xiao shifted his gaze and spotted the Gūdiāo in the rest area. Its eyes were half-closed, as if it were resting, or perhaps simply disdained human sports and preferred not to watch.

Maybe it was just Xiao Xiao's imagination, but the demon seemed to give off an even stronger aura than before. Xiao Xiao couldn't help rubbing his nose. The sickly-sweet, nauseating smell of blood on the other party was growing more obvious, too.

It made him feel as if he were about to vomit, but couldn't.

Xiao Xiao's face grew even grimmer with discomfort. Sometimes, having too keen a sense of smell really wasn't a good thing.

The increasingly strong stench seemed to seep from the Gūdiāo's very bones, giving Xiao Xiao a bad feeling.

The exact same aura and the growing reek of blood seemed to point, little by little, toward the very conclusion he least wanted to face.

Perhaps the unknown murder that had taken place in the alley—though there was no body and no clues to go on—had a culprit he'd already found.

The Gūdiāo's eyes snapped open, as if it had noticed Xiao Xiao's burning gaze. Its bright, thickly colored eyes looked as if blood were dripping from them as it stared straight at him.

Xiao Xiao lowered his eyelids, clearly feeling a needle-like pain in them.

Then he slowly raised his gaze and met the Gūdiāo's sharp stare without the slightest sign of retreat.

He wouldn't fall for the same trick twice.

A thin layer of golden light covered Xiao Xiao's eyes, brilliant as molten gold. Beneath their beautiful appearance lay a deadly danger.

The thought that the demon before him might really have eaten a person sent a chill through Xiao Xiao. At the same time, uncontrollable fury surged within him, making the golden light in his eyes blaze even brighter.

Xiao Xiao's standoff with the Gūdiāo was suddenly interrupted. He watched Yang Yi step in front of the demon and smile at him. Xiao Xiao's eyes narrowed slightly. Was this a coincidence, or deliberate?

Yang Yi had obviously noticed Xiao Xiao's confusion, and kindly provided an explanation.

Yang Yi reached out. The gesture might have looked a little strange to the people around them, but Xiao Xiao saw it clearly: he was stroking the Gūdiāo's back feathers!

The truth couldn't have been clearer.

Yang Yi could see the Gūdiāo, and the two of them were even close!

Xiao Xiao had plenty of questions. Since the other party seemed to have no intention of hiding anything and was so openly showing him his relationship with the Gūdiāo, they might as well make things simple.

Though they hadn't made any arrangements, Xiao Xiao and Yang Yi seemed to have reached an understanding.

Looking at Yang Yi as he walked up to him, with the Gūdiāo behind him, Xiao Xiao curled his lips slightly. There was no real smile in it, just politeness. "Come on. Let's find somewhere to sit and talk."