High School of Demon Hunting
Chapter 952 - 14: 7-Day Talk

Chapter 952: Chapter 14: 7-Day Talk

Although he had an unexpected encounter with a Wild Demon in the neighborhood and was dissatisfied and complained about the development of the situation at heart, Zheng Qing still stayed at home for two full weeks before leaving for school on February 2nd.

This was the result of a combination of factors.

On one hand, it was because before leaving school, he had agreed with the school to return through the "Clock Passageway" on the afternoon of February 2nd at 4:45 PM. Any changes during this period would mean not only a large amount of paperwork and material work but also the additional cost of a "Temporary Passageway" fee.

Compared to staying at home for a few more days, the cost of returning early was clearly not worthwhile.

On the other hand, it was related to old social interactions.

Zheng Qing had truly entered the Magical World of the Wizards for just over half a year, while he had lived in Pingyang City, in the world of ordinary people, for a full eighteen years.

Relatives on both parents’ sides, uncles and aunts, cousins, primary school classmates, junior high classmates, high school classmates, hobby class peers, friends from the neighborhood, and so on—the ties of eighteen years would not fade or disappear due to not seeing each other for half a year. Instead, these bonds had become even stronger and tighter due to the lack of contact for over half a year.

Starting from the first day of the lunar new year, Zheng Qing found himself caught in a huge web that encompassed all aspects of his interpersonal relationships, unable to extricate himself.

By the time he had managed all the social obligations, six or seven days had passed, and it was time for him to leave home and return to school.

Besides the two reasons mentioned above, the unexpected appearance of the Wild Demon also made Zheng Qing skeptical of the protection plan arranged by the Mage Alliance. As a result, in the week after the new year, he was busy every day setting up protective talisman spells in hidden spots at home and around the neighborhood, and he also changed the New Year gifts for his family to amulets.

For example, he prepared sandalwood bead bracelets for his grandfather, a zodiac-carved jade pendant for his mother, and an ivory-carved keychain for his father—this was to ensure that his family members carried these amulets with them as much as possible.

Of course, he did not need to worry about San You Bookstore. Zheng Qing thought that if any Small Demon without any sense of self-preservation caused trouble in San You Bookstore, then it must be out of its mind.

Also, completing the holiday homework also somewhat delayed Zheng Qing’s steps.

Four weekly diaries, one essay on Magic Potion preparation experience, one Magic Script analysis report, two hundred and eighty Basic Runes imitations, eight Spell analyses, one Crystal Ball divination project, and the "Evaluation Manual" to be filled in with the help of parents, and so on. Zheng Qing aimed to complete them all before returning to school.

The weekly diaries could be slightly delayed, finishing two first; but the rest needed to be completed as soon as possible.

After all, according to the plans made before the holidays, the two weeks following his return to school were reserved for the School Works Committee and Xin Fat Man. One was a public service labor arranged long ago, and the other was an investigation task in North Beta Town agreed upon before the holiday. Time was tight; tasks were numerous. In the absence of certainty regarding the arrangement of subsequent events, it was a very smart choice to get a head start and finish the homework first.

In summary, the only feeling Zheng Qing had this New Year was frustration.

Whether it was the stray dog demon, the follow-up disposal work of the Trident Sword, or the homework writing.

Perhaps the only thing that uplifted him was receiving several holiday greetings during the new year.

Inclunding Xiao Xiao, Jiang Yu, and many other friends did not give up on preparing New Year’s gifts for Zheng Qing despite the short winter vacation and the long distance. Of course, since the New Year was very close to the previous New Year’s Day and Christmas in terms of time, everyone decided not to send any formal gifts but instead chose to send greeting cards via Paper Cranes.

It can be said that the few colorful Paper Cranes he received on the morning of the first day of the lunar new year were one of the few moments during this New Year that made Zheng Qing genuinely happy.

"It’s just a few Paper Cranes, do you need to be so excited?" When there was no one at home, the Yellow Flowered Cat once mocked Zheng Qing’s reaction.

"You don’t understand, this is called salvation... tell me, besides the petty life before my eyes, there is also poetry and the distant places." Zheng Qing’s twisted reply came, "This will fill me with confidence and hope for life."

"Bullshit petty life, nonsense confidence," Yellow Flowered Cat sneered at Zheng Qing’s response, tugging his whiskers back and rolling his eyes, "I could understand if you said ’Wild Demon’."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Qing shook his head repeatedly, "With such a refined temperament, how could Master raise such a vulgar cat like you?"

This was purely asking for a beating.

Responding to Zheng Qing, there was no meow, just a giant cat paw as big as a palm-leaf fan, which slapped him right in the face and knocked him down onto the bed.

It was amusing to think about it.

During the days he stayed at home, Zheng Qing couldn’t help imagining what his teammates from the Absolution Hunting Team were doing at school, whether they were hunting freely in the Hunting Ground or conducting interesting magic experiments in the laboratory; apart from his friends, he also worried about whether the group of Sprites he raised would panic because he wasn’t there, or if they might get carried away by passing hawks; he also pondered whether Poseidon was comfortably settled in Greenhill Mansion, whether everything was normal with D&K’s management, and so on.

You could say that while he was home, his mind was often occupied with matters from another magical world.

And as the time to leave home drew nearer, especially the night before he left, he began to worry about matters at home.

For instance, whether the protective talismans he laid out near his home were effective, whether they could be washed away by rain or spoiled by small animals; whether his family members like his parents and grandfather would keep wearing the amulets he gave them all the time; and for example, during the New Year, his old classmates had asked him for his phone number and address, and if they couldn’t get in touch after the holiday, whether they would complain.

"Don’t worry, when you’re not here, even if Mr. Wu isn’t either, I’ll take the time to look after your home for you," reassured Deng Xiaoxian as he bid farewell, blowing on that lock of hair on his forehead.

This put Zheng Qing’s mind at ease a bit.

"Remember to wish Huang Xiaoya a Happy New Year for me," Zheng Qing said as he pulled out a box of Sprite seeds and stuffed them into Deng Xiaoxian’s hands, "This is a New Year’s gift for that girl; she hasn’t come back yet, so please give it to her on my behalf."

Deng Xiaoxian took the small box and weighed it, raising his eyebrows, "What about mine?"

"How old are you, still expecting New Year’s gifts? Aren’t you ashamed?" Zheng Qing pushed Pan Lv Er away with one hand and took the opportunity to take another jab, "If you want a gift, wait until you get married."

That killed the conversation.

After a pause, Deng Xiaoxian found a topic for a comeback.

"Didn’t you say before that you planned to renovate the shopfronts of the old brands at Hui Zi Ji? How are the preparations going?" Deng Xiaoxian was referencing the bold vows Zheng Qing had made after coming back from Great Ming Pavilion for the first time, having compared the differences between the two marketplaces.

But as time went on, as he opened his own little shop, Zheng Qing had gradually realized that a store’s decoration needed to match the marketplace’s character where it’s located.

His previous plans had been somewhat presumptuous.

"No rush, take it slow." Faced with Pan Lv Er’s question, Zheng Qing finally gave a vague answer, "These kinds of things... you’ll always find the right solution."