High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1383: Chapter 130: The Uninvited Guest of the Cat Fruit Tree

Nicholas noticed the low but intense discussions among the guests.

He glanced at Zheng Qing curiously, and after a moment of hesitation, Zheng Qing stuffed the ”Brahman Times” into Nicholas’s hands. This report was bad, so it was all the more necessary to let him know; lest Alpha’s people attack him with the news from the newspaper and catch him off guard.

But contrary to what the young state-funded student expected.

After Nicholas quickly browsed through that report, he did not show any irritation, which was surprisingly calm.

”This newspaper is very careful with its words,” said the new ponytailed Northern District Wizard, whose eyes trembled slightly and even had a smile on his face: ”A few days ago, a newspaper... I forgot which one it was... insisted that Korma the Wise is colluding with the Outer God, planning to betray Buji Island and subvert the First University... This newspaper merely used words like ’rioters’, ’fanatics’, ’skepticism’... it’s already quite friendly.”

Zheng Qing was taken aback and realized the page that Nicholas was reading.

It was the article about Korma and the Northern District Wizards.

”Not that one,” the state-funded student moved closer to the Northern District Wizard, flipping the newspaper forward a few pages, then pointing at the article titled ”Is Nicholas a Fool or ’Shub-Nicholas’?” and reminded, ”This one... This is definitely a malignment, we can’t let it go so easily, we need to lodge a complaint with the Alliance!”

Nicholas caught sight of the exaggerated and bizarre cartoon on the newspaper instantly.

He exaggeratedly leaned his head back and looked around before raising his right hand: ”I swear, I only used frogs to perform magic... I’ve never eaten these creatures live!”

After speaking, he realized that he was still holding a yellow-skinned frog in his right hand, and the amphibian destined to turn to ashes was desperately trying to move its hind legs in a struggle of despair.

Nicholas let out a dry laugh and tossed the frog into a bamboo basket at his feet.

This was not funny at all.

But Liu Fei Fei very cooperatively covered her mouth, laughing uncontrollably at Nicholas’s exaggerated actions. The originally indignant state-funded student suddenly felt an unexplained fullness, as a wave of listlessness rose in his heart.

”All right... It was just a suggestion,” he said sulkily as he took out his textbook and walked toward the desk by the window, only to see Xiao Xiao poking at the grass spirit poking its head out of the flowerpot with a feather pen.

The grass spirit was motionless, it turned out to be a stone model.

”Finally saw something that isn’t weird,” the Warlock muttered, heavily sitting down into the chair, which groaned with a deep moan: ”I had thought everything in the school could move...”

Before his words ended, the stone model suddenly opened its mouth and bit off Xiao Xiao’s pen tip.

Crack, crack.

The Feather Pen tip became scraps in the stone creature’s mouth.

”What did you say?” Xiao Xiao turned around, holding the broken feather pen in his hand.

”No, nothing,” Zheng Qing numbly looked away, focusing his gaze on the reference book in front of him: ”I mean, we should seize the time... and review our homework quickly.”

...

...

Reviewing homework in the study room is indeed much more efficient than in the dormitory.

But it must be admitted that doing homework and reading textbooks are the most soporific methods in the world, without a doubt. Especially after a period of intense concentrated learning, if one continues to force oneself to focus on the textbook, then the body is very likely to shut down, and the brain will release illusions, making you think you’re still studying—when in fact, your soul has already left your body, off to play chess with the Duke of Zhou in an unknown place.

Just like Zheng Qing.

A moment ago, he was hunched over his desk, analyzing the various medicinal uses of Yangmeiqing, but the next, his mind involuntarily began to wander, becoming ethereal and elusive.

Yangmeiqing is a peculiar mineral known for brightening the eyes and benefiting the orifices, invigorating the blood and clearing heat. It also goes by another name, ’Kong Qing’. The Tang Dynasty’s ”Records of the Four Liang Officials” once mentioned this stone, saying ’Dragons fear wax, love fine jade and Kong Qing, and are fond of swallows’, implying that dragon species have a fondness for fine jade and Kong Qing.

From Yangmeiqing, Zheng Qing thought of Kong Qing, and then to dragons liking Kong Qing, and naturally his thoughts drifted to dragons fond of burning swallows, and he couldn’t help but recall a certain evening long ago when a little warlock and himself had boldly declared their intention to go dragon hunting while patrolling Lin Zhong Lake at night.

Then he remembered the Big Black Mountain Goat that Lin Guo was riding on that day.

From afar, the faint voice of his master speaking could be heard, seemingly lecturing him, yet also as if talking to himself:

”People exist in the world in three states.”

”Living, dead, living dead.”

”Those with a heart, breath, thoughts, and desires, who can see what they see, hear what they hear, speak what they speak, are the living.”

”Without heart, breath, thoughts, or desires, they are called the dead.”

”Those with heart and breath, but without thought or desire, are the living dead.”

”Most of the time, when people are awake, they are alive; when people are asleep, they are dead; if one can wake up from sleeping, then the sleeping person is a living dead; if one can’t wake from sleep, then the sleeping person is dead... The concept between life and death is just that simple...”

Zheng Qing chased after the voice of his master into the distance.

Suddenly, he crossed the darkness and appeared beside the Cat Fruit Tree.

Then he saw a handsome wizard in a moon-white silk robe, with a pair of gleaming moustaches, clinging to the Cat Fruit Tree like an octopus, climbing up the tree.

The cats of various sizes on the Cat Fruit Tree showed no proprietorial attitude, ignoring the strange visitor, hanging stubbornly on the branches like ripe fruits unwilling to budge. Occasionally a few curious ones would poke their heads out to look at the wizard and then quickly retract back, hiding among the cat-shaped leaves.

Only the Gouzi pretending to be a cat, in some corner of its soul, had not lost its instinct. It jumped up, stood in front of the warlock and barked a few times:

”Woof!! Meow meow!! Woof! Meow meow!!”

The unfamiliar warlock was startled by the weirdly barking creature, and it took him a while to regain his composure. He muttered a curse under his breath and with a wave of his hand released a few vines that hung the Gouzi in midair.

Then he continued to climb.

Until he reached the Black Cat’s ’Throne’.

The strange wizard took out an engraving knife, jade powder, and a small bottle of thick red liquid from his pocket and began to etch on the Throne, huffing and puffing. Zheng Qing really wanted to get closer to see what that guy was doing on his seat.

But the closer he tried to move towards the Cat Fruit Tree, the further it seemed to move away from him.

Zheng Qing felt a sudden urgency inside him, he stepped hard, and unintentionally slipped on a smooth pebble, his body suddenly tilting forward.

”Bang!”

A loud noise erupted in the quiet study room.

Zheng Qing, holding his forehead, looked bewildered at his reflection on the glass in front of him, still not recovering from the shock.

After a moment, the indignant voice of his classmate Li Meng resonated in the study room:

”Did you just sneak in a nap? We’re all doing our homework... That’s so unfair!”