High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 393: Chapter 62: Cat’s Eye View of the Academy_1

The chill is sharp for early risers, with frost lingering around the toes.

Zheng Qing’s paw could always feel a faint, yet penetrating chill creeping up his toes and seeping into his entrails, whenever it brushed against the icy flagstones.

The black cat couldn’t help but curse the on-duty wizards from the school’s astronomical observatory.

It was only Wednesday and there were still ten days until the first frosts. Yet the newly appointed assistants and groundkeepers at the observatory had already prematurely edged the whole campus into autumn.

Not only had the maple leaves on both sides of the forest path been stricken to a rigid red, but the evergreens around the lawn couldn’t stand the dramatic change of weather either, appearing somewhat withered and listless.

And not to mention the black cat who was, technically, in a state of ’half-naked running’.

Previously shielded by his dormitory, Zheng Qing hadn’t taken much notice. It was only when he was out running on the open paved road that he felt the morning chill of late autumn under the cool stimulation.

But since he had already covered half of the route, turning back now would mean unnecessarily repeating it, which would be quite uneconomical.

If the paved roads are too cold, then the grassy lawn should be relatively warmer, he thought.

Soon after these thoughts sprang in his mind, the galloping black cat twisted its waist lightly and jumped onto the grassy lawn by the road.

Indeed, with the thick grass as a barrier, the chill doesn’t feel as lingering or oppressive.

The black cat dashed across the grass, passing almost unnoticed. In fact, there were very few people on campus during the break of dawn on a Saturday.

Especially on this chilly morning, most of the students were still tucked in their warm beds, having long and friendly conversations with the Duke of Zhou. Other than the diligent students who were up for their morning class, very few were willing to hone their willpower in the freezing wind.

Of course, the scarcity of people inevitably didn’t mean the campus was deserted.

As Moon Hunting season approached, an increasing number and variety of colours picked up from where the vividness of summer left off, gradually occupying the academy enclosed by high walls.

Flower beds, ribbons, colourful sculptures were placed haphazardly on the grass and along the roads.

The student council had to have this stack of chaotic things organised before the opening ceremony of Moon Hunting. They had to make sure the flower bed was filled with all kinds of blossoms, ribbons were waving between branches and buildings, and those rude postures of the sculptures were adjusted properly, and their colourful bodies were given a fresh coat of paint.

Compared to the student council’s miscellaneous task, the job of the Club Union was much easier.

They only needed to promote those outstanding clubs and associated Hunting teams, and hopefully accumulate some popularity for the upcoming School Hunting Party.

And their advertising strategy was traditional.

Banners with phosphorescent text hung on tall trees along the road, arranged in an orderly chaos. Each banner represented a member in the Club Union. Zheng Qing vaguely remembered that the ’Absolution Knight Group’ also hung a banner, but even after circling around the road twice, he could only find posters of the entire Hunting teams aside from his own banner.

Noting someone on the poster waving at him, the black cat raised its nose high with an air of superiority and snorted contemptuously.

This sound drew the attention of a nearby ’staff’.

”Excuse me!”. The staff shambled in front of the black cat, hung a small domino around the black cat’s neck with a smile, and announced excitedly, ”We let go our youth and chase our dreams! Hunters will never stop running- YPO club welcomes the arrival of Moon Hunting with you...”

This ’staff’ was actually an alchemy puppet. Clothed in buckskin, filled with cotton and hemp. Its eyes were buttons and its mouth was made from a girl’s hairpin, in its hands was a bouquet. It was humming lively, greeting every passer-by.

Quite goofy from head to toe.

The alchemy puppets under the other banners were not more elaborate either. After all, these puppets were manually crafted by students and naturally lacked professional refinement compared to the ones made by external professional alchemy workshops.

Zheng Qing flicked the domino hanging around his neck with his paw.

This little gift was also rather crude, seemingly made from ground cow bone, with the letters ’YPO’ crudely carved on it.

No magical runes, no integrated talismans, the domino wasn’t even soaked in olive oil or blessed before an idol- just a plain, unaffected little trinket.

He had heard about this club. It seemed to be called the ’Youth Hunter Association’, with a requirement of experiencing demon hunting at least once. They had also once sent an invitation letter to the young state-funded students.

Zheng Qing was relieved that he didn’t casually join those clubs back then.

After all, not everyone has the courage to shout out overly showy mottoes in public.

With a swish of his tail, the black cat brushed past the other puppets and went straight to the Book Mountain Library through the gap in the bush.

He still remembered his destination.

Comparatively, the atmosphere around the Book Mountain Library was much livelier than the rest of the campus.

More than a month had passed since school had started, and mid-term exams were rapidly approaching. Although the mid-semester exam wouldn’t impact the year-end advancement exam, it was seen as a phase-wise summary where most professors would award substantial marks.

Many hard-working students had already begun preparing for this stage of examination, and the library was the perfect place to study.

The black cat’s spry steps overstepped one waiting figure after another, and in a blink, it reached the first-floor entrance of the Book Mountain Library.

Just as he was about to slip through the door, a wooden rod blocked his way.

Zheng Qing was very familiar with the rod’s appearance.

He used to hold one like it when he was patrolling Lin Zhong Lake at night- it was the standard equipment of the campus groundkeepers.

”Do you have a student card or staff certificate?” The stern gatekeeper squinted at the black cat.

”Meow?” Zheng Qing stared innocently with wide eyes at the gatekeeper.

”That’s not how a cat sounds...” The gatekeeper’s face twitched, and he thumped the wooden rod on the flagstone to expose an intimidating noise: ”If you have your ID, go and stand in line... right at the back of the queue.”

”If you can’t even queue properly, what use will you have to go to the library?” Another slightly younger gatekeeper came over, chuckling at the black cat: ”You look quite new. Have you just recently learned the transformation technique?”

Zheng Qing’s whiskers drooped.

Oh, he had forgotten, this was the First College, no one would let their guard down for an unfamiliar black cat.

”You can’t enter the library without a card.” The older gatekeeper stared at the black cat seriously, waving his hand slightly: ”Go back and get your ID.”

The black cat sniffed, his whiskers twitching, the complex matrices and talismans inscribed on the library door looming nearby, and ultimately abandoned the idea of sneaking in.