Chapter 45: A Dream

Seeing Yang Yi again happened during yet another basketball match. This game was an invitation tournament initiated by the University of Science and Technology. Officially, it was promoted as a friendly exchange and mutual promotion between the basketball teams of the two universities... Of course, everyone actually knew that this was the University of Science and Technology's battle for revenge.

Since their boss was playing, Xiao Xiao and the others naturally followed him to the University of Science and Technology to cheer for the boss and their school basketball team.

Walking through the gates of the University of Science and Technology once more, amidst the bustling crowds and the cheerful laughter of students ringing in his ears, Xiao Xiao barely registered the sounds. His thoughts had already drifted uncontrollably back to that alley from a few days ago.

Having agreed to the proposal of the Spirit Devourer, Xiao Xiao certainly could not remain on the spot just to watch the creature devour a monster larger than itself.

The Gu-diao began to struggle anew. The last thing Xiao Xiao saw before turning away were its paranoid, frantic vertical pupils that had shrunk to the size of thin needles. Within their brilliant, vivid scarlet, a desolate, desperate gray-black seeped through, yet they held a desperate resolve as if to destroy everything.

Xiao Xiao did not look back for long; he knew that no matter how much the Gu-diao might struggle with its last ounce of strength, it was already beyond saving.

"Clatter... clatter..."

Xiao Xiao stepped slowly out of the dim alley and into the gentle, bright sunlight.

He leaned lazily against the alley entrance, supporting his head with one hand, his soft fingertips massaging his throbbing, aching temples.

He could already foresee how utterly miserable a time he was in for over the very near future.

......

The Spirit Devourer did not take long to finish its meal. Xiao Xiao sensed a subtle shift the moment the creature vanished, accompanied by a sentence transmitted directly into his consciousness that left him briefly stunned. Was it so advanced that it could even transmit sound over a thousand miles?

Xiao Xiao turned his head to gaze deep into the alley. Even with his vastly enhanced vision, he possessed no X-ray capabilities; naturally, all that met his eyes was a solid stone wall.

He still struggled to understand the point of him staying behind. In any case, the spirits he summoned would naturally vanish the moment he willed it or issued a command in advance, and ordinary people could not see them anyway. This certainly provided great convenience for his actions.

Perhaps it was simply because of his headache that he needed a moment to rest.

Brushing aside the lingering irritation in his heart, Xiao Xiao bumped the back of his head gently against the wall. The external sensory stimulation dulled the internal pain just a fraction.

A wave of warmth blossomed in his hand—a familiar sensation that prompted Xiao Xiao to immediately raise the hand holding the Demon Mirror. The black cover bore faint, swirling, bizarre patterns where silver brilliance flowed, tinged with threads of blood. Whether it was his imagination or not, the crimson hue seemed a shade richer, vibrant like a living thing as it wove through the silver glow.

A warm current flowed slowly through Xiao Xiao’s entire body. The greater part of it entered his brain, while the rest branched out into his limbs, his eyes, and even his ears.

Xiao Xiao had the illusion of soaking in an open-air hot spring. His whole body felt languid and comfortably close to drifting off to sleep with half-closed eyes.

He tilted his head back slightly as the pale sunlight enveloped him. His sensitive, delicate eyelids covered his eyeballs, and a warm current circulated between them. Was it the effect of the sunlight, the warm current within him, or perhaps both combined?

In short, Xiao Xiao only knew he had never felt such a sensation before, as if every single cell in his body was cheering and leaping with joy.

It was a feeling so intoxicating and addictive.

......

Xiao Xiao maintained his posture until all the sensations faded away completely, before slowly and somewhat reluctantly opening his eyes.

The world before him had not changed in the slightest, yet Xiao Xiao felt as though he were looking at a brand-new world.

His heightened senses allowed him to appreciate the beauty of this long-familiar world all the more deeply.

"Tsk, how bright," Xiao Xiao remarked. Instead of squinting, he opened his eyes wide, joyfully observing everything within his field of vision.

The brilliant radiance shone straight into his heart, melting away the previous gloom like ice and snow, leaving behind only absolute clarity and warmth.

......

The basketball arena was packed and bustling with deafening noise.

Capitalizing on their boss's status, Xiao Xiao and the others used the name of the basketball team to secure prime front-row seats.

"There are so many people!" Zhao Lvzheng exclaimed as he looked around.

"Hmph, aren't they just hoping to watch our school lose? They can keep dreaming! When they lose again, they better not cry!" Zhuge Yun said with a rather righteous indignation.

Fortunately, this section of the stands was occupied entirely by students from Yenching University; otherwise, had Zhuge Yun uttered those words elsewhere, Xiao Xiao genuinely doubted they would have made it out of the University of Science and Technology unscathed.

"Second Brother," Zhao Lvzheng said helplessly. Is it really a good idea to be this arrogant on someone else's turf, when such things are better kept to oneself or merely thought in secret?

"I'm just speaking the truth!" Zhuge Yun crossed his arms, wearing a disdainful expression.

This idiot, Xiao Xiao thought, feeling both speechless and somewhat amused.

"Yeah, absolutely!"

"Exactly, do these boys from the University of Science and Technology really think they can beat us just because they're on their home court?"

"Who's afraid of who? Crush them!"

......

Clearly, Zhuge Yun's words resonated with the surrounding circle of Yenching University students, who quickly chimed in with fierce support.

Zhuge Yun wore a smug look, spouting words as he rapidly hit it off with the crowd around him.

Choosing not to join them, Xiao Xiao stood up, walked over to the railing, and cast his gaze downward toward the opposing team's bench.

Yang Yi stood out as usual like a crane among chickens, catching the eye immediately.

It seemed as though he truly believed everything that had happened before was merely a dream and had successfully moved past the aftermath of that incident.

"......That human could see spirits because of the Gu-diao. Now that the Gu-diao is dead, he will never see spirits again..." The words the Spirit Devourer had spoken to him before it vanished resurfaced in his mind.

Xiao Xiao had left Yang Yi behind in the alley. Upon hearing the spirit's words, he concluded that it was best for them to avoid any further contact entirely.

Later on, Yang Yi had indeed visited Yenching University. Unfortunately, he did not know Xiao Xiao's name. Their previous encounters might have been because Yang Yi simply hadn't regarded Xiao Xiao as significant, or perhaps he had simply forgotten. In any case, Yang Yi had never asked for Xiao Xiao's name, and Xiao Xiao certainly hadn't volunteered it.

Thus, knowing only Xiao Xiao's appearance and not his name, Yang Yi had spent a considerable amount of effort tracking him down.

Faced with Yang Yi's probing questions, Xiao Xiao had naturally denied everything outright.

"No, I've only ever seen you during that last basketball match."

"I have never met you anywhere else."

Of course, there were loopholes in this story; Yang Yi's roommates had seen Xiao Xiao and knew he had come looking for Yang Yi.

Therefore, his original plan was never to set foot in the University of Science and Technology again.

However, it was his boss's game, and he couldn't simply skip it without a valid reason.

Because of his stellar performance in the previous match against the University of Science and Technology, their boss had since been slated for focused training by the school team, naturally earning a spot in the lineup for this game.

As a good brother, how could he not come to cheer him on when there was no legitimate reason to stay away?

After hesitating for a long time, Xiao Xiao ultimately came.

In truth, he didn't care whether Yang Yi regarded the previous period as a mere illusion. After all, no matter what wild ideas Yang Yi might harbor, without the ability to see spirits, everything else was utterly futile.

Xiao Xiao was simply averse to trouble.

With that thought, Xiao Xiao let go of his misgivings and once again entered the basketball arena of the University of Science and Technology without hesitation, predictably running into Yang Yi once more.

Regardless of what Yang Yi might think, he had no choice but to treat that period of time and the Gu-diao as nothing more than a dream.

It was the only and the best choice available.

"Beep—" The match began.