Chapter 551: The Scentless One
In the days that followed, I worked hard to familiarize myself with the new changes in "Peach Blossom Spring"... Sorry, I always have trouble changing my habits.
I mean, the changes in the "Land of Finality."
That night, I went to the dark, stinking basement and saw Chu Tianqiu. Through the door, I told him about what had happened that day.
Qi Xia had come, and he'd brought eight other teammates with him.
Chu Tianqiu didn't ask about Qi Xia's teammates. He just kept staring at me and smiling, which sent a chill down my spine.
"What's wrong?" I couldn't help but ask.
"Xiao Nian, can you do me another favor?"
"Tell me."
"I want to know what 'scent' they carry."
"Scent...?" Chu Tianqiu's words completely baffled me. "You mean Qi Xia?"
"No, not just Qi Xia." Chu Tianqiu smiled. "I want to know the 'scent' on every single person in Qi Xia's room."
"But I don't understand..."
"You don't need to understand." Chu Tianqiu laughed. "Just go and sniff the 'scent' on them, then come back and describe it to me. The more detailed, the better."
As always, I couldn't fathom what Chu Tianqiu was thinking.
"I understand. I'll go get them all together."
"No. Keep it secret." Chu Tianqiu interrupted. "No one can know about this."
"You..."
Secret?
He meant I had to secretly sniff the scent of everyone in Qi Xia's room without them finding out.
For a moment, I had no idea what was going on. Who was negotiating with whom? Who was using whom?
"Xiao Nian, you understand... if I expose you right now, I won't be the one at a loss." Chu Tianqiu seemed to read my thoughts, then smiled softly and moved closer to the door. "I can do what I need to do without your 'core,' but right now you need my 'shell.' I'm willing to humble myself and hide in this dark basement, so you should give something in return."
Hearing this, I let out a deep sigh and nodded.
Yes, Chu Tianqiu wasn't wrong. The initiative was in his hands, not mine. If he was determined to expose my identity, I would be the one to suffer.
But this situation wouldn't last forever. I couldn't remain this passive indefinitely.
"I understand. I'll go now," I agreed.
"Wait. Lock the door when you leave," Chu Tianqiu added.
I was about to leave when I heard these words and slowly stopped in my tracks, then looked down at the lock on the basement door.
The lock could only be fastened from the outside, making it impossible for anyone inside to get out.
"Tianqiu, why do you always ask me to lock the door every time I leave?"
"Naturally, to put your mind at ease," Chu Tianqiu replied. "If you lock the door, I can't get out. I won't interfere with anything you need to do. Doesn't that show my sincerity?"
It was strange. I was the one locking Chu Tianqiu in, yet I always had an ominous feeling, as if once this lock was fastened, I would be the one imprisoned instead.
But what harm could locking him in possibly do to me?
I ran through countless scenarios and couldn't think of a single outcome that would be disadvantageous to me. So I decisively reached out and locked the basement door.
"That's right, Xiao Nian." Chu Tianqiu smiled from behind the door. "We have to show each other our sincerity to complete a collaboration that satisfies both parties."
Without another word, I left the room and began to formulate a plan.
Fortunately, everyone in Qi Xia's room was staying in the same room. If I could find a way to sneak in, I should be able to collect the 'scent' from all of them at once.
Still, I couldn't understand why Chu Tianqiu had suddenly become curious about their 'scent.'
Even though we were constantly reincarnating in the "Land of Finality," our physical bodies were being refreshed over and over, always carrying the 'scent' of the real world. Did Chu Tianqiu want to learn about their past through these scents?
I took the dagger I always carried with me, grabbed a rope from the storage room, and made my way to the corridor under the cover of night. By then, all the campfires in the classrooms had been extinguished.
I tied the rope horizontally across the corridor in advance, then arrived at Qi Xia's room.
Fortunately, the night was pitch black. I couldn't even see my own hand in front of my face, let alone have anyone else see me.
I turned the door handle. With a crisp, muffled click, I stepped into the room.
Although visibility was poor, I could clearly sense that everyone was asleep. I took a few steps forward and stopped beside the person closest to the door.
Reaching out, I felt the person's hair—it was a woman. I lowered my head and sniffed. No scent at all.
Without giving it much thought, I moved to the second person. This one was large and burly, snoring loudly in his sleep. He must have been a muscular man.
Just as I was about to sniff his scent, something suddenly felt off.
This was only the second day since everyone had been reborn... why was that woman completely scentless?
As a human being, was it possible to have no scent at all?
If she had bathed or changed clothes not long ago, she should at least have some lingering fragrance. If she hadn't taken care of herself in a while, her scent would naturally be unpleasant.
But why was there nothing at all?
"Strange..." I murmured to myself.
I knew this opportunity was fleeting. Even if the person had no scent, I didn't need to dwell on it. I just had to report everything to Chu Tianqiu as it was.
With that thought, I sniffed the burly man in front of me. His scent wasn't pleasant—a strong mixture of cigarette smoke and body odor, as if he hadn't showered in days.
I turned around. By now, my eyes had somewhat adjusted to the darkness. I scanned the people lying in the room.
Something felt a bit off. If I wasn't mistaken... there were eight people in the room?
A chill ran down my spine. It was already pitch dark outside. Had someone gone out in the middle of the night?
Maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me. I raised my finger and counted very carefully. Yes, eight people.
One person wasn't sleeping here.
If he wasn't sleeping here and it wasn't possible that he had gone out, then where was he?
I knew things had become tricky. This kind of situation might be unremarkable in any other room, but this was Qi Xia's room.
A tiny coincidence was a fatal flaw.
Realizing this, I abandoned everything in an instant and sprinted toward the door behind me. At the same time, a shadow also moved, dashing toward the door.
His goal was to close the door. I just had to be one step faster.
When he realized it was too late to close the door, he immediately reached out to grab me. I dodged in the nick of time, then ran down the corridor at full speed.