Seeing this, Bai Jie was about to make his move.
But a subtle premonition abruptly surfaced, making him abandon that thought.
"Senior Xia!" a cry of alarm rang out.
The pajama-clad girl's lovely face showed astonishment. She subconsciously wanted to close her eyes, unable to bear watching.
Beneath her delicate lenses, Xia Qimeng's glistening, black-pearl-like pupils constricted violently, as if struck by a blinding light. The bats' silhouettes reflected within them, rapidly magnifying.
The wind whistled, the air tearing apart. It looked as if Xia Qimeng's snow-white skin was about to be pierced by those razor-sharp fangs!
In that split second, Xia Qimeng's expression changed.
The demonic spider's bristles also reacted in that very moment. Its heart tightened, and it focused all its perception onto Xia Qimeng!
In that instant, time seemed to freeze, and the air nearly solidified.
Xia Qimeng's eyes were veiled with a layer of gray, becoming cold and emotionless, devoid of any human sentiment.
Her entire aura sharpened abruptly, as though she were a goddess from the heavens, briefly passing through the mortal world.
Then, imperceptible to the naked eye, Xia Qimeng's figure moved as if teleporting, appearing two meters behind.
By the narrowest of margins, she barely dodged the bats' piercing bite.
This is...
Bai Jie's eight eyes flickered with a faint blue-violet glow. No spiritual essence reaction was detected.
Yang Shining was completely dumbfounded, clearly unable to comprehend the scene before her:
How had the girl who just moments ago was so frail and timid, too scared to even approach the dark stairwell, suddenly undergone such a drastic change in aura and evaded the bats' attack in the blink of an eye?
And what came next would shock her even more.
Xia Qimeng's knees bent slightly, her fair hands flicked deftly. Casually, she slapped two bats away—pap pap—then lifted her long, toned leg, kicking away the remaining bats like a meteor chasing the moon. The speed was so great it nearly warped the air, leaving only afterimages.
"Scree!"
Amidst their pained shrieks, the bats flew backward like clumps of black fungus.
"You..."
The pajama-clad girl hesitated for just a moment, then formed hand seals, silently chanting four words: "Spirit Eye, open."
A faint, clear light adhered to her eyes. She commanded, "Nine-Tails, eliminate the evil spawn."
"Meow!"
Instantly, the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox's aura surged. Its fox eyes emitted an icy blue glow. Wind blades and ice arrows coalesced in multiplied quantities, bombarding the two black curtains in a frenzy.
The wind howled, and ice crystals danced through the air.
Now, the dark creatures within the two black curtains could barely emerge, leaving behind only piles of corpses. These corpses, however, could not last five seconds in the air before disintegrating into ash, leaving no trace behind.
Because these dark creatures, after dying in the mortal world, would dissipate on their own.
Although Bai Jie had expended some of his own spirit power, the demonic spider watched with great interest.
A string of illusory information materialized before its eyes.
[Target]: Xia Qimeng
[Vitality]: 1.6
[Body Length]: 166cm
[Status]: Normal (slight cold)
"Class Monitor Xia... you also have secrets? Those vampire bats just now were beings with considerably higher Vitality than the Corrosion-Poison Cockroaches."
"But you have no spiritual essence reaction either. Why is that? Of course, even if you did, as long as you weren't parasitized by that eerie purple light, I wouldn't take your spiritual essence."
"Forget it. Let's stop here. I've already obtained part of the information I wanted."
Bai Jie willed the two black curtains to close.
At that moment, Yang Shining was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when her body suddenly shuddered.
Then, a pair of eyes covered in that peculiar clear light abruptly turned toward where Bai Jie was!
"A spider?"
A cry of surprise, as pleasant as ringing bells, echoed through the hallway.
...
"What does that mean?! This big-chested woman can see me?!"
Tumultuous waves surged in Bai Jie's heart. This was the first time he had truly been seen by a human while in an invisible state!
After all, even Li Jiayu had only sensed something vaguely, harboring suspicion without certainty.
But this pajama-clad girl had practically confirmed seeing his form.
Along with the shock, Bai Jie also felt a twinge of embarrassment...
So now, should he retreat... or silence her permanently?
A status panel for the pajama-clad girl materialized before his eyes.
[Target]: Yang Shining
[Vitality]: 17
[Body Length]: 172cm
[Status]: Healthy
"No notes behind her name—she's just an ordinary person? But with this Vitality and those techniques she just used... tch, not even a ghost would believe that."
"If you had to explain this Vitality far exceeding a normal human's, it might be related to the technique she just performed."
"But that name... at first glance, why does it also feel somewhat familiar?"
From the moment Yang Shining cried out in surprise to the myriad thoughts racing through Bai Jie's mind, only half a breath had passed.
Before Bai Jie could make up his mind, a second, even louder voice came from Yang Shining:
"Nine-Tails, look! What a cute spider!"
Bai Jie: ...
Could you keep it down a bit?
And "cute"??!
Are you sure you haven't misunderstood the word "cute," huh?
Daring to say something like that to the unfathomable Lord Bai Zhi,
Little girl, so you think you're brave? Believe me, if I dropped a single hair, you'd be dead from poisoning.
Maybe he should just pretend to be a statue. He was too embarrassed to move anyway...
In one second, countless thoughts flashed through the demonic spider's mind.
"Meow!"
After the black curtains had closed, the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox also seemed to sense something, letting out a strange howl.
"Wh-what spider?"
Xia Qimeng had returned to her usual self, panting slightly. Her pale face was filled with confusion as she looked at Yang Shining and asked.
"Meow! Awooo!"
The Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox bared its clenched fangs, emitting a low, rumbling growl like an engine. It glared balefully at a certain spot on the ceiling, its entire body wreathed in energy, ready to attack at any moment.
The demonic spider couldn't help but feel amused. A stinky fox that scavenged through the trash, with a Vitality barely a quarter of its own, was baring its fangs at it.
But at this moment, the demonic spider conveniently forgot that it had once eaten insects that were hardly better than garbage...
"Shh!"
Yang Shining raised one finger to her lips and pressed the other hand down on the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox's head. Softly, she said, "Nine-Tails, you're no match for this spider. Stay quiet."
Then, tilting her head with a grin, she added, "Esteemed cute Spider Lord, I know you harbor no ill will toward us. You were just joking around with us, right?"
"You're quite clever. If I weren't unwilling to let this fight damage the lovely girls' dorm, or ruin that fine appearance of yours, the fact that you found me alone would be reason enough for me to tie you up, take you away, and study you thoroughly."
Bai Jie grumbled inwardly.
At the same time, Bai Jie couldn't help but grow a little curious about Yang Shining. Coupled with a strange sense of familiarity about her, that curiosity became increasingly uncontrollable.
Unfortunately, the demonic spider couldn't speak. And in front of Xia Qimeng and the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox, he had no intention of injecting the Mutant Venom into Yang Shining's body.
So, after much deliberation, the "cute Spider Lord" ultimately chose to slip away.
Bzzzt!
In Xia Qimeng's view, the ceiling beside her suddenly erupted in a blinding flash of blue-violet lightning. And with it, the last bit of unease in her heart faded away.