High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 100: Chapter 24 Flint and Magic_1

The administrative office building of the worker’s committee was located on an island in water.

Across the wide water’s surface, the Silent Forest, mysteriously wrapped around the island, blocked prying eyes, forming a sturdy barrier.

The breeze carried the moisture from outside the shore, swirling in this narrow world. A sense of dampness flowed smoothly in the air, giving a refreshing serenity.

In the grasses, the spinner began singing a little tune intermittently, pulling at her ’weave, weave, weave, weave’ throat.

At the transition from late Summer to early Autumn, the water surface was calm and serene. The sand on the islet was clear and white, and a large yellow duck took its ducklings ashore, parading past the young wizards with complete ease.

Because they had just returned from swimming in the water, the large yellow duck left a string of wet footprints behind. The ducklings fluttered their wings, following in the footsteps left by their mother duck, marching in an orderly manner.

They walked clumsily, getting through the willow grove on the shore.

Under the breeze, the slender twigs of the weeping willow swayed harmoniously. The collision of the bright green leaves produced pleasing rustling sounds.

The willows had not been pruned, their thick branches were striving to bend towards the water surface, like worshippers showing their piety to the Silent Forest.

An old man rested under one of the willow trees, taking a break in the late afternoon shade.

This willow tree stood next to a small pier protruding onto the water’s surface; a part of the bark on the tree trunk has been scraped off, exposing the pale wood underneath, on which ’Li She’ and ’Wen Jin’ were engraved in heavy, black characters.

”It’s a good omen.” Zhang Ji Xin pointed to the characters ’Wen Jin’, grinning at his companions, ”Maybe this is the correct way.”

He arrived before the old man ahead of the others, but didn’t ask anything.

A blue-checked cotton cloth was laid under the tree. The old man held a large bamboo tube and lazily leaned against the tree. His eyes were half-closed as he sat cross-legged.

He appeared to notice someone before him and slightly lifted his eyelids.

Zhang Ji Xin took a step forward, saluted courteously, and asked in a rough voice:

”Excuse me, do you know how to get to the office building of the workers’ committee?”

Meanwhile, other newcomers arrived beneath the willow tree.

The old man lifted an eyelid to glance at Zhang Ji Xin, then mumbled something under his breath and finally, but only spat out a thick glob of phlegm.

Xiao Xiao banged his law book to clear the patch of phlegm left by the old man on the ground.

The old man showing his teeth, chuckled with a hoarse voice, ”No rush, no rush, just wait for a while.”

Upon hearing this, the group could only stay where they were, waiting quietly.

The old man stretched out his thin, yellowed fingers, reaching into his pocket to carefully pull out a bundle of golden strands, slowly kneading them into a small bamboo tube protruding from the side of the large bamboo tube.

A grey-white handkerchief lay beside him, scattered with many tiny objects.

Once the tobacco was kneaded in, the old man’s thin fingers slid over those tiny items, eventually picking up a black stone and knife-shaped object.

He grabbed the stone with one hand and the knife-shaped object with the other, then struck them hard against each other.

”Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!”

The crisp knocking sound disrupted the peace along the water’s edge.

The spinner’s call abruptly stopped as the band of ducklings under the leading of the mother duck quickly crouched in the grass and played dead.

A cluster of orange sparks erupted from the knife-shaped object, landing on the tobacco.

The strands of tobacco began to emit puffs of blue smoke.

The old man took a long, slow drag on the bamboo pipe, bubbles gurgling within it for quite a long time.

”Is he smoking a water pipe?” Lin Guo asked Zheng Qing quietly and curiously from behind.

”Maybe.” Zhang Ji Xin scratched his head, boredly commenting, ”Why isn’t he using magic? Why rely on such a slow method? It takes a whole afternoon to smoke one pipe.”

”Puff puff.”

A series of white smoke rings came out of the old man’s nostrils, large rings inside smaller rings, linked together in a very comical way. Zheng Qing couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

The old man laughed too.

He tapped the little bamboo pipe, brushing off the residual ash inside, slowly pulled out more tobacco from his pocket, while slowly saying, ”You’re still so young, you have plenty of time. Why the rush?”

”We have things to do! Urgent matters!” Zhang Ji Xin turned circles anxiously.

”What’s the rush? Rushing doesn’t solve anything. Take your time and you can do everything well.” The old man painstakingly packed a new bunch of tobacco into the small bamboo pipe, not missing a single strand. His meticulous and slow-paced demeanor made everyone somewhat frustrated.

”Let me help you light it.” Seeing the old man’s thin hand reaching for a grey handkerchief, Zheng Qing quickly pulled out a talisman paper from his grey bag and asked, ”Why don’t you use magic?”

”Magic?” The old man raised an eyebrow in surprise, swinging his arm once again, where a flint and a piece of metal clashed together, ”Isn’t what I’m doing magic? Who said magic necessarily requires a chant and a law book?”

As he spoke, the flint and the metal piece clashed together heavily, sparking a burst of golden sparks.

”But it’s just a common flint and iron piece!” Zheng Qing was puzzled.

”Oh, young people these days are so rigid in their thinking.” Mumbled the old man, drawing another long puff of the water pipe.

”Fire is the most potent magic in this world!”

”Things taken for granted by you today were only dreamt about by our ancestors.”

”Today, you see a book that can create fire, electricity, alchemical gold, and drugs, turning out all sorts of effects, and so you say it’s magic. But don’t you know, many years ago, our ancestors regarded the spark from a piece of wood as a miracle! Apart from the time elapsed, there’s really no magic in our world.”

In the grass, a few little ducks couldn’t bear loneliness and stealthily slipped out from under their mother’s wing to chase a few playful locusts.

Between the cracks of things, the weaving lady had apparently adjusted to the occasional clunk sound and resumed her ’weaving, weaving’.

The old man took a few puffs from his water pipe, shook his head, and finally languidly pointed towards a building not far away, saying, ”It’s about time, go on in there. Your destination is right behind you.”

”Behind?” When Zhang Ji Xin turned his head, sure enough, there was an entrance on the building not far away, almost like a wide-opened mouth. He cheered, and ran with all his heart.

After expressing their thanks, Xiao Xiao and others also followed close behind.

Only Zheng Qing was left, blankly looking back at himself for a while before finally realizing. His face flushed with embarrassment, he thanked the old man and jogged to catch up with the others ahead.

Behind him, a hearty laughter came.

”This lad has some good luck.” Old Yao appeared from somewhere, grabbing his own pipe, puffing clouds of smoke while saying to the old man.

”Hahahaha.” The old man nodded satisfactorily, paused with the pipe in hand, took out a small handful of tobacco, laughed, ”Well turned, well turned indeed! Would you like some of this?”

”I have no idea if he really realized the door was right behind him!” Old Yao happily received the tobacco, stuffed it into his still-smoking pipe, and added onto the conversation.

”Being able to see it is good enough! Innocent understanding is a blessing, while clear comprehension is destiny.”

The sky gradually dimmed, enveloping the two elongated silhouettes and the faint drifting smoke.