Chapter 754: The Scent
The two of them left the rooftop and slowly made their way downstairs.
The moment the dragon disappeared, Zheng Yingxiong lifted his head sharply. He sensed that the scent had suddenly vanished.
"How weird..." he said. "Why did that scent suddenly disappear?"
Chen Junnan replied, "These people here all come and go like the wind. I thought you'd already figured that out."
"No... Even 'come and go like the wind' can't do that."
"What's so strange about it? Isn't it just a scent disappearing?"
"What's so strange about it...?" Zheng Yingxiong turned his head, a puzzled expression on his face. "Isn't that strange enough? That's a 'scent'! It's not a 'shadow' on a person! When a person leaves, it's normal for their shadow to disappear, but when a person disappears, the scent on their body shouldn't just vanish! It should linger here!"
Hearing Zheng Yingxiong's words, Chen Junnan suddenly felt there was some logic to it. But since he couldn't smell the "scent" that Zheng Yingxiong was talking about, he couldn't quite grasp what it meant for a scent to suddenly disappear.
"You mean... when that person left, they took their scent along with them?"
"That's exactly what I mean... Isn't this person really strange?" Zheng Yingxiong said. "When they came, they suddenly brought a huge scent, which I could smell from far downstairs. But when they left, the scent vanished abruptly, leaving not even a trace behind. What kind of weird situation is this?"
"Now that you mention it..." Chen Junnan nodded. "I think I kind of get it. You're saying the scent came quickly and dispersed just as quickly."
"Right!" Zheng Yingxiong said. "Scents are always 'emitted'—they can't just suddenly fill the air all at once..."
"Hiss..." Chen Junnan mimicked Qi Xia by stroking his chin, but he couldn't come up with any ideas. "That makes sense too. Was that person a range hood or something? Leaving without even a trace of residue..."
Not far away, Qiao Jiajin overheard their conversation and also reached out to stroke his chin, speaking in a deep voice. "I think I have an idea."
Hearing this, Chen Junnan turned to look at Qiao Jiajin, then chuckled. "Old Qiao! Old Qiao! Among us, you've always got the most unconventional thinking. Spit it out!"
Zheng Yingxiong also looked at him seriously and asked, "Do you know what's going on?"
Qiao Jiajin thought for a moment longer before speaking. "Don't laugh at me when I say this."
"Wouldn't dream of it." Chen Junnan shook his head. "Go on!"
Qiao Jiajin then said with a serious expression, "What if those scents... were 'growing' on that person?"
"Huh...?"
Qiao Jiajin's line of thinking was so unconventional that even Chen Junnan was taken aback for a moment. But he quickly felt that Qiao Jiajin might have a point.
The scent came with the person and left with the person, neither "emitting" nor "lingering." If you thought about it that way, it really did seem like the scent was "growing" on the person.
It was just that this "flesh" covered a large area and was completely invisible.
If Zheng Yingxiong hadn't been there, probably no one would have noticed such a small detail.
"That makes a lot of sense!" Chen Junnan said. "Old Qiao, when it comes to thinking, you're the man! Me and Old Qi can step aside! When you think about it, isn't that exactly it? The scent really is like a 'shadow' on the person!"
"Scent 'growing' on a person...?" Watching the two of them chatting cheerfully, Zheng Yingxiong slowly pursed his lips.
He felt he had been a bit too hasty, believing them so easily.
"If a scent can grow on a person... then if I sucked it away, wouldn't that mean the person lost a piece of flesh?" Zheng Yingxiong said.
"Uh..." Chen Junnan tried to go along with the logic. "Maybe it's not like flesh growing on them, but more like hair? Losing one strand isn't a big deal."
Zheng Yingxiong shook his head, deciding not to bother with these two anymore.
...
The people standing on the playground saw Chu Tianqiu and Qi Xia walk out of the teaching building and immediately gathered around.
Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin were about to speak when they saw Qi Xia raise an index finger at them, as if signaling them to stop. The two exchanged knowing glances and swallowed their words.
"Yun Yao, you're here too?" Qi Xia called out.
"Ah... Qi, Qi Xia?"
First sentence.
Yun Yao, Zhang Chenze, and Li Xiangling all looked surprised. Before coming to "Heaven's Mouth," they had heard that Qi Xia had already gone to "Cat." So they had planned to look for Tian Tian here before heading to "Cat."
But they never expected to run into Qi Xia here. However, Qi Xia's appearance was somewhat different from what they remembered. A subtle change seemed to have occurred.
Chu Tianqiu furrowed his brow, turning to look at Qi Xia, wondering what he was up to.
Did he really think the other party would mention "Wen Qiaoyun" within three sentences?
Even though he knew Qi Xia was a gambler, he had never seen such a bizarre bet.
Qi Xia smiled and said to Yun Yao and Zhang Chenze, "Your expressions look like you have something to talk to me about. What's up?"
"I... we..." Reminded by Qi Xia, Yun Yao finally remembered their purpose. She snapped back to reality and said, "We came to you because we're looking for someone..."
Second sentence.
Hearing this, Chu Tianqiu's expression changed instantly. He never imagined things would develop exactly as Qi Xia had predicted.
Who had tipped them off?
"Oh?" Qi Xia nodded. "What's that person's name?"
"Wen... Qiaoyun."
Third sentence.
After hearing her response, Qi Xia turned directly to Chu Tianqiu and said, "Concede?"
Chu Tianqiu nodded heavily. "Concede."
Yun Yao and Zhang Chenze exchanged glances, not understanding what the two of them meant.
"What 'concede'...?" Yun Yao asked. "What are you two talking about?"
"Nothing." Qi Xia turned back. "You said this Wen Qiaoyun—what about her?"
Yun Yao collected her thoughts and recounted the story they had prepared to Qi Xia.
Qi Xia listened with interest as she spun her fabricated tale.
She said they had participated in several very complex games, even making up a few sets of rules that seemed fine on the surface but had glaring loopholes upon closer examination. Then she told how they had encountered an extremely capable woman in the game, whose name was Wen Qiaoyun. That woman led them through every challenge, nearly beating an "Earth-level" into a corner. It was then that they realized she possessed exceptional leadership skills, a sharp mind, and a kind demeanor.
Finally, Yun Yao said casually, "Having a girl like that active in the 'End of Eternity' can only be a good thing, right, Qi Xia?"
"Oh?" Qi Xia raised an eyebrow. "Good in what way?"
"We can recruit her!" Yun Yao said. "If we have such a powerful ally, wouldn't everything be easier? Whether we're betting against the 'Zodiacs' or formulating other strategies, she's a rare asset!"