High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1290: Chapter 37: Beginning of Summer

May 5th, Tuesday.

Solar term: Beginning of Summer.

Appropriate for: wedding, alliance, inaugurating, sacrifice, seeking medical advice;

Forbidden: relocating, moving into a house, building, erecting frameworks.

As a child, Zheng Qing never quite understood what ’erecting frameworks’ meant, always feeling that the ’erect’ character was a substitute for ’alpha’. ’Alpha Horse’ made much more sense—it meant one should honestly stay at home that day, not wander around aimlessly.

It wasn’t until he grew up that he learned ’erecting frameworks’ referred to placing a beam in a house, clearing up this misunderstanding. But at the same time, it made Zheng Qing even more speechless about the Old Almanac. Like today’s taboo, having both building and ’erecting frameworks’ seems redundant.

Despite this, life is always full of such ’redundancies’.

For instance, after Lei Zhe and Augustus destroyed half of Beta Town’s street, the town’s management committee seriously sent them a lawyer’s letter and a penalty; such as the hearing held by the student council after Zheng Qing injured Sepulano; and, for example, the university’s abrupt announcement on Tuesday proclaiming that Silent Forest remained as silent as ever, and North Beta Town as peaceful as ever.

It all appeared like a series of poorly played comedies.

Yet every actor in the play took their roles seriously, as if everything they said and did was indispensable.

Subtly, this gave Zheng Qing a deeper understanding of ’Order’.

Today is Tuesday.

There was an Astronomy class in the afternoon.

As the rotating chairperson for the May session of Professor Joint Meeting at First University, Professor Emma was much more responsible than Professor Yao, and thus, busier. Therefore, she inevitably relaxed her teaching a bit.

According to the students from the morning Magic Script class, Professor Emma even forgot to assign them homework.

It sounded like good news.

Zheng Qing sincerely hoped that Astronomy Class 08-1 would be equally lucky—for this, he would rather do something that seemed a bit ’redundant’, like divination.

The divination of young wizards wouldn’t change the minds of the big wizards, but it could help these young ones prepare mentally.

Of course, due to his poor divination skills, Zheng Qing didn’t plan to do it himself. Professional tasks should always be handled by professionals to truly be professional. Like assigning potion making to Xin Fat Man, Hunting Team Training to the Elders, and chanting to the little monk.

For divination, entrusting it to Doctor Xiao was undoubtedly correct.

The spring chill had vanished, and the intense heat of summer had not yet arrived; the temperature this season was as sensitive and changeable as the emotions of a seventeen or eighteen-year-old. Often there might be a hint of coolness in the morning, but by noon, it could be so hot that people felt itchy all over.

After coming out of the study room, Zheng Qing, carrying a brand new standard Law book, strolled through the campus.

The original book from Lower Yuan Bookstores, privately customized and containing the ’Forbidden Curse’ initiation, had been sealed by a teacher. In the teacher’s words, ’When it’s time to open it, you will naturally be able to.’

That sounded like nonsense.

But a teacher is still a teacher; even if they spouted nonsense, students had no choice but to diligently take notes and earnestly listen to the lecture.

Returning to dorm 403, just as he pushed the door open, a thick smoke rushed up, making the young grant student tear up and cough continuously, leaving him momentarily bewildered.

”What happened? Is there a fire? Should we report it to the school?” The young grant student screamed, ”Is everyone still alive?”

”Almost dead,” Dylan’s weak voice came from the coffin, sounding a bit muffled.

This reassured Zheng Qing a bit.

Since Mr. Blood Werewolf still had the mood to close his coffin lid, it meant that things hadn’t gotten worse, and Dylan didn’t need to flee carrying the coffin.

”You were never alive anyway.” Xin Fat Man habitually retorted to Dylan before screaming, ”... Tuan Tuan! You scratched my face! It’s just a bubble from the Bubble Head Charm, not a crystal ball!”

Amid the smoke, a few angry cat howls could also be heard.

Zheng Qing felt increasingly reassured.

”What happened? Did someone conduct a magic experiment in the dormitory?” He exerted the authority expected of a cost student and asked sternly.

The school dormitories strictly prohibited students from conducting magic experiments, with violators subjected to school discipline.

Zheng Qing still carried a ’School probation’ on his back; he definitely did not want a fire in his own backyard at this crucial time.

”No, cough cough, no experiments... just an accident.”

Doctor Xiao’s explanation, accompanied by a cough from the smoke, seemed slightly breathless, ”...I just tried the traditional Gypsy divination method... evidently, warlocks are prone to magic allergies when using this type of divination.”

Zheng Qing squinted his eyes, holding his breath, and made his way through the thick smoke.

Xiao Xiao was sitting cross-legged in front of a small brass pot, surrounded by various peculiar magic materials—dried moss, red mushrooms with silver-white spots, dried reindeer cartilage, an owl’s eyeballs, and several pieces of ice emitting white vapor.

Zheng Qing seriously doubted that those white translucent solids were actually ice, because he had never seen wizards throw ice into white flames, which then intensified the flames even more.

At that moment, Xiao Xiao was using a slender bone, possibly an animal rib, to stir the flames in the copper pot. He occasionally picked up some material from beside him and threw it into the fire, allowing black, gray, blue, and white smoke to spill out from the pot, filling the entire dormitory.

”What are you looking at?” Zheng Qing noticed that Xiao Xiao was intently staring at the smoke in front of him and couldn’t help but ask.

”You should drink some of this first before looking.” Xin Fat Man handed Zheng Qing a wooden cup filled with a suspicious pale yellow liquid, faintly steaming—Zheng Qing, observing the undisguised malicious smile on Fat Man’s face, very politely and courteously declined:

”Thanks, but my divination skill is lacking—I won’t bother.”

Disappointment was unmistakable on Fat Man’s face.

”So what did you want to see?” Zheng Qing changed his phrasing and looked back at Xiao Xiao—he didn’t have much time to waste here with the doctor as he had urgent matters to discuss.

However, Xiao Xiao’s response silenced him.

”Looking for a goat, the Black Mountain Goat of Lin Guo... Turtle Shell, Crystal Ball, Tarot Cards—I’ve tried them all, no clues. The Line Drawing is even less effective than old grass.”

Doctor Xiao had a somewhat desolate tone as he kept his eyes glued to the smoke, mumbling an explanation, ”Of course, besides looking for the goat, I also want to see if I can graduate from school unscathed... the kind where I’m not missing any parts.”

Zheng Qing’s expression instantly darkened.

Undoubtedly, Doctor Xiao was hinting at something.

”I’ve been protesting all morning,” Dylan’s head popped out of the coffin, his eyes bloodshot, whether from staying up all night, being smoked out—or perhaps it was the peak of a vampire’s anger:

”But to no avail... you’re the head of Dorm 403, you should do something.”

His last statement was directed at Zheng Qing.

Zheng Qing only then realized, he was indeed the head of Dorm 403. Having not performed related duties for a long time, he momentarily didn’t know how to react—usual responsibilities like hygiene and sweeping, long taken care of by his sprites.

”Ah, doctor, you can’t have open fires in the dormitory anymore.” He shook his head, trying to sound as gentle as possible: ”A good dormitory environment is everyone’s responsibility... you’ve turned this place into a wilderness.”

”It’s worse than a wilderness!” Dylan clamored, banging on the coffin beneath him: ”In the wilderness, I could still see stars, breathe fresh air... can I do that here?”