Little Pink Starfish

The young girl in the yellow dress blushed slightly, her tone carrying a hint of shyness. “I—I am Meng Xiaohe. H-hello. Since we are both new students…”

Qiguan Rui was extremely displeased inside, but his smile remained unchanged. “Miss Meng, hello.”

However, he did not deny being mistaken for a new student.

Otherwise… what, should he send her to see Ziche Shubai instead?

Meng Xiaohe lowered her head slightly, revealing a stretch of snow-white skin at the nape of her neck—both alluring and innocent. “Since… since we are classmates, for the upcoming hunt, I wonder if… we could, um, watch each other’s backs…”

She was quite a shy girl, and managing to phrase her invitation this way had already taken an enormous effort.

Qiguan Rui had absolutely no interest in appreciating a young girl’s romantic feelings. Looking at Meng Xiaohe, all he wanted was to send her away as quickly as possible.

As for her affectionate gaze… what was that?

So, he continued smiling and said, “I appreciate Miss Meng’s kind offer, but I will need to consider it further. Therefore…”

Meng Xiaohe looked a little disappointed.

However, she knew she had been a bit abrupt, and as a girl, she had her own sense of reserve. So, she temporarily gave up.

“I see… Well, then I’ll take my leave.”

Qiguan Rui kept smiling.

Meng Xiaohe hesitated for a moment longer before finally turning away with obvious reluctance.

This was the entire scene that Gu Bai witnessed.

As Qiguan Rui saw Meng Xiaohe leave, he turned around to head back inside.

And then—he caught a glimpse of a white robe peeking from the corner.

…Ziche Shubai.

Why did his mood suddenly feel so strange?

Gu Bai had been gnashing his teeth, and only when the light was blocked in front of him did he realize that the person he had been spying on had already noticed him. 囧

“…Xiaoshan.”

Qiguan Rui’s smile was bright. “Gege, let’s go inside.”

Gu Bai lowered his head and took a glance.

Damn brat, does he have to grab my hand so accurately? So naturally?!

Don’t think that just because you’re acting all sweet now, I’ll let this slide!

As soon as they stepped inside, the maids—who had been practically “invisible” in the corners—silently left and closed the door behind them.

So well-trained, seriously!

Qiguan Rui smiled gently. “Gege, let me dry your hair.”

As he spoke, he took a dry towel and lightly placed it over Gu Bai’s waterfall-like black hair.

His fingertips brushed against the silky strands, causing a slight tickling sensation.

It was like a tiny itch… from deep within.

Gu Bai narrowed his eyes, enjoying it.

Gu Xiaoshan’s skills have really improved… This is so comfortable, I could fall asleep…

…No, wait!

Wasn’t there something important he needed to ask?!

Gu Bai, who had nearly gone slack, immediately straightened up. “Xiaoshan, who was that just now?”

Qiguan Rui’s fingers didn’t stop moving as he raised an eyebrow. “I heard her name is Meng Xiaohe… Why? Gege, do you know her?”

If they know each other, maybe I should put a curse on her.

Because of the unexpected incident with Wei Wu last time, Qiguan Rui had become somewhat wary of Qingtian Academy. He no longer easily released his snake parasites on people here—lest he get discovered and expose himself.

Gu Bai, however, didn’t notice anything unusual in Qiguan Rui’s tone. His full attention was on the girl’s name.

Meng Xiaohe.

Damn it. What kind of luck is this?!

As mentioned before, in this kind of harem novel, the protagonist’s top-ranking love interests included one empress, two consorts, four fairies, and eight beauties.

Encountering that troublemaker Yun Menglian had been unlucky enough, and now, he had run into one of the four fairies—Meng Xiaohe.

Yes, the Clear Water Fairy, Meng Xiaohe.

Just like Yun Menglian’s name hinted at a delicate white flower, Meng Xiaohe’s name suggested “a lotus bud just beginning to emerge.”

But since the author was hell-bent on writing an ultimate harem novel, simple shyness wasn’t enough.

She had to have a dark side.

In fact, Meng Xiaohe had… a split personality.

Just like Lupin the werewolf from Harry Potter, who transformed during a full moon, Meng Xiaohe transformed every first day of the month, when the moon was hidden from sight.

She would become a seductive monster—preying on men, absorbing their energy, and finally digging out their hearts to suppress her bloodline’s restlessness.

Yes, just as the twisted protagonist had inherited the bloodline of the Devouring Heavenly Python, Meng Xiaohe had inherited the Moon-Worshiping Fox bloodline.

All heirs of this bloodline had split personalities, with drastically different characteristics—a perfect setup for gap moe moments. ╮(╯▽╰)╭

And because Moon-Worshiping Foxes had historically been a subordinate race to the Devouring Heavenly Python, whenever they encountered a bloodline inheritor, they would inevitably fall for them at first sight.

Of course, aside from the protagonist—who was her true love—the Moon-Worshiping Fox’s “love” for all other handsome men was deadly.

The moment Gu Bai realized this, he felt like he had been struck by the malice of the universe.

Why do I keep running into the protagonist’s most lethal love interests?!

This is just too much…

By this time, Qiguan Rui had finished drying his hair and moved to stand in front of him. “Gege, what’s wrong?”

He could tell at a glance that Ziche Shubai was lost in some emotion again.

Gu Bai snapped back to reality and looked at Qiguan Rui, his gaze flickering slightly.

His emotions were extremely complicated.

Gu Xiaoshan had always been good-looking, but no matter how good-looking he was, he was nothing compared to the protagonist in Meng Xiaohe’s eyes.

If he got involved in this ridiculous romance, he would be in serious danger!

But how could he explain this without hurting his innocent little heart…

Qiguan Rui sighed internally.

He prided himself on understanding people’s thoughts, but why was it that he could never read Ziche Shubai?

“…Gege?”

Gu Bai let out a sigh.

Qiguan Rui’s eyes widened.

Did he just sigh?! Even with his usual blank expression, that sigh was way too obvious!

Gu Bai said, “Xiaoshan, you’re still young.”

Qiguan Rui: “?”

Gu Bai raised his hand and patted Qiguan Rui’s head. “Before making decisions, think carefully.”

Pick a different girl, okay?! Otherwise, I’ll be the one picking up your corpse after she rips your heart out!

Qiguan Rui didn’t understand, but he was used to not understanding.

So, he smiled gently. “I heard Miss Meng mention a hunting event. Does gege know about it?”

Gu Bai, who had written the novel himself, naturally knew all about it.

And he knew exactly what Meng Xiaohe’s intentions were.

Gu Bai looked at Qiguan Rui and felt even more conflicted. “Did she invite you?”

Qiguan Rui nodded instinctively. “Yes.”

Gu Bai: “…”

DON’T GO, KID! OR I’LL HAVE TO LIGHT CANDLES FOR YOU!

Qiguan Rui then smiled. “But I refused.”

Good job, kid!

Gu Bai said, “Tomorrow, you’ll come with me.”

Qiguan Rui responded warmly, “I’ll always listen to gege.”

Gu Bai let out a sigh of relief.

That girl was truly too dangerous.

Because the number of deaths during the hunt was countless, in order to satisfy her secondary personality, she would subconsciously invite some men who were clearly interested in her to join. The timing was generally around the first day of the month, within a three-day window before or after. Each time, at least one or two men would lose their lives.

She was practically a deathtrap.

Aside from the protagonist, who, upon encountering her secondary personality’s awakening, instantly transformed into his giant python form and completely dominated her, no one else had ever escaped.

But her appearance and aura were so captivating that she still managed to attract plenty of naive men, rushing toward her like moths to a flame.

This time, it was obvious that Gu Xiaoshan had been invited to be her next victim. If he had accepted, there would have been only one outcome.

As an older brother, Gu Bai felt it was necessary to increase his level of protection.

Since he had already planned to participate in the hunt soon, he figured there was no better option than to keep Gu Xiaoshan by his side at all times.

Five days later, it would be the tenth of the month, far from the timeframe when that girl would enter the mountains.

Gu Bai was quite satisfied. Though the girl had only just entered the academy and, even in her secondary personality, was at most on par with him, it was still best to avoid unnecessary contact to prevent affecting the plot.

As someone who had long been eyeing the academy’s library, how could Gu Bai settle for the rule that newly admitted wu jun could only browse the first level?

Raising his reading access level was absolutely necessary.

And hunting was one of the best ways to do so.

This world was filled with ancient beasts and ferocious creatures. Aside from the few that could be tamed, most were hostile toward martial artists. Beyond Haoyang City lay an unbroken chain of massive mountain ranges, home to countless vicious beasts.

These creatures multiplied rapidly. If they weren’t culled regularly, they would recover and form beast tides, bringing catastrophic destruction to Haoyang City. That was why the students of Qingtian Academy were the perfect candidates to gradually eliminate them.

As a general rule, students at the wu jun level were required to kill at least three beasts of the same rank every year—that is, three rank-three ancient beasts. For every two additional kills, they could gain access to a higher floor in the library, up to the tenth or even fifteenth floor.

Gu Bai had already finished reading everything on the first level within a month. Naturally, he was eager to move on to the second.

After all, there was nothing more important than improving his own strength.

Having made up his mind, Gu Bai prepared the necessary supplies, declined the company of any maids, and headed toward the mountain range outside the city with Qiguan Rui.