High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 232: Chapter 156 Fish Wives_1

The time was already past three in the morning.

The noisy lakeside has once again fallen into tranquility.

The bugs in the grass were intermittently chirping, passing the boring night time. With no other sounds to compete with, the tunes of these bugs seemed especially loud in the silent night.

In the distant square, one could vaguely see some silent figures practicing formations.

According to the elderly men in the patrol team, these people were members of the school’s hunting team, conducting their regular nighttime training.

Upon hearing this statement, Zheng Qing quietly clicked his tongue.

He never felt that there was anything more important in life than snoring, nor did he think that practicing formations in the middle of the night was a wise choice, let alone expecting that the so-called hunting team that everyone talked about was so laborious.

Luckily, he wasn’t a member of the hunting team and didn’t need to worry about those hardworking guys in the middle of the night.

His patrol mission for tonight was almost over.

His only thought now was to roll back onto his six-pillar bed, hug his pillow and meet the Duke of Zhou in his dreams.

He had to help Elena with her talisman course tomorrow. Zheng Qing yawned and followed listlessly behind the old school worker.

Not long after Professor Yi left with the injured Kappa, old man Ferna didn’t let everyone rest early as expected by the crowd, but instead assigned many new tasks to the patrol team.

The second-year students were led by the old hunting dog May, following the planned patrol route to complete the designated patrol targets.

The few veterans from the third and fourth year stayed at the original location where the Kappa had an accident, continuing to search the forest for any remaining carrion beetles. The only Deadly Wind Lamp of the patrol team was also given to this team.

The remaining two first-year students were busy working with the old school worker in the grass by the lake.

Old man Ferna took out a wooden stake from the basket at his side, using his fists to hammer it into the shrubs next to the lakeshore’s bluestones. Then he tied two live buckles on the stake.

Zheng Qing had seen this method used by old hunters on the mountain.

”Are you setting a rabbit trap?” The young public funding student couldn’t help asking: ”Why not use magic?”

”Magic and curses are not all a wizard has.” The old man took a breath, with Zheng Qing’s help he managed to stand up. He chuckled: ”As for rabbits... Do those stupid rabbits at First University need a trap? Give them a carrot, and those fools will hop along with you... The minute they reach the Silent Forest, these fools are sure to be eaten clean on the first day!”

”I also think it looks like a trap.” Lin Guo hollered from not too far away.

Being young, he didn’t need to work with the old man, so seizing this opportunity, this small genius from Alpha Academy, wearing silkworm-skin gloves, was concocting some large carrion beetles between the test tube and mortar.

These insects were Lin Guo’s rewards.

Because in the recent bug-catching battle, this small alchemy-adept wizard took out a bottle of ’Insect Stupefying Potion’ from his bag, knocking out large swathes of carrion beetles. The old school worker was pleased at the time and agreed to give him a few beetles.

As strongly poisonous creatures, the use of carrion beetles within the confines of First University campus is strictly controlled. From the application process to certification of qualifications, to the record of experiments, all the clauses are complex.

A first-year student wanting to clear through these steps, and apply for several bugs from the school’s ’Insect Garden’, could spend months doing it.

Only carrion beetles caught in the wild like this, which hadn’t been registered with the school, had some wiggle room.

Theoretically, fresh alchemy materials are always better.

The night was bathed in abundant moonlight, and the brightness by the lakeside was enough to perform simple operations, so Lin Guo took advantage of the idle moment and started dissecting the beetle’s shell, collecting corrosive fluid, and conducting some preliminary processing of the beetle.

”It is indeed a trap,” said Old man Ferna, lifting the wooden cane in his hand and stirring the bushes. He continued to walk along the lakeside: ”It’s just a trap for water beasts and fish wives. Recently, the Fishmen in the lake have been lazy, not dealing with those water beasts. Quite a few students complained that when they were rowing, they saw water beasts pulling their oars... We the patrol team need to help exterminate these problems.”

”How can there be water ghosts in the lake?” Zheng Qing couldn’t help asking curiously: ”As far as I know, no one has died in the lake, right?”

”But people have died in the river,” the old man’s tone became somewhat low: ”Lin Zhong Lake is connected to the Silent River. The school’s protective array allows the gentleman but doesn’t block the petty thief... Those water ghosts know the school is safe and just follow the water flow in.”

”Are there many people who die in the river?”

”Every day, those who venture deeper into the Silent Forest through the Silent River, there are always some pulled down to the river bed by Water Beasts,” the old man sighed, ”All of it is karma... The lives of the tricksters are lives too.”

The lakeside fell silent for a moment, due to the rather somber topic.

The lapping lake water grazed the cobblestones of the embankment, producing a refreshing sound.

Zheng Qing recalled a recent dispute between the old school janitor and several professors. He linked it to the old man’s current actions and asked: ”Catching Water Ghosts... or Fish Wives, does it have anything to do with that Kappa that was bitten by an insect?”

”Sharp little fellow.” Ferna glanced at him and muttered.

Although he did not give any explicit assessment of Zheng Qing’s speculation, his attitude had already revealed a lot.

”Why is that?” Zheng Qing was in deep thought, recalling the group of beetles that were put in a bottle, and trying to decipher the meaning behind the old man’s actions.

The only clue was the relationship between a Kappa and a Water Ghost or Fish Wife.

Between the Water Ghost and the Kappa, apart from both being aquatic creatures, Zheng Qing couldn’t find any commonality.

But Fish Wives were different.

According to ancient books, there is a fish that is half-dead and half-human, named Fish Wife. When the wind comes from the south and the water springs up, a snake can transform into a fish, becoming a Fish Wife.

Notwithstanding the argument of how a Fish Wife was formed, just the half-dead appearance alone bore a strong resemblance to that Kappa, which had half its body gnawed away and its meat dried up.

”Half-dead, half-dead,” Zheng Qing murmured, combing through obscure memories in his mind and pondering, ”Could that Kappa have wanted to turn into a Fish Wife, but did not succeed?”

Ferna laughed heartily.

”An innovative idea,” the old man leaned on his wooden crutch, his voice echoing across the quiet lakeside, ”Young man, it’s good to think outside the box...”

Zheng Qing realized that he had clearly guessed wrongly. His face flushed, and he fell speechless.

Lin Guo had been picking up fresh alchemy materials not far away.

Suddenly, he came rushing back, his voice lowered, ”It is not these bugs!”

”What?” Zheng Qing jerked his head up; a glint seemed to flash through his mind.

”This is extraordinary.” Ferna nodded appreciatively.

”The Kappa only became a dried corpse before the flesh-eating beetle gnawed away most of its flesh and bone.” Lin Guo spoke quickly: ”I’ve been pondering which kind of flesh-eating beetle would turn a body into a dried corpse... There’s none mentioned in the Great Encyclopedia.”

”Could it be something that escaped from a lab?” Zheng Qing gave a strained laugh, trying to find other possibilities.

”This is a primitive flesh-eating beetle from the depths of the Silent Forest.” Lin Guo, wearing deerskin gloves, held up the milky white, struggling bug in his hand, his expression serious: ”It’s not an experimental subject.”

Zheng Qing fell silent.

”Troubles never come singly,” Ferna did not explain Lin Guo’s doubts, only sighing and gazing off into the distance.

A mild sadness welled up inside Zheng Qing.

First, there was the kitten with its eyes gouged out, then the Kappa that was drained to a husk.

This school seemed far from the safety it was purported to offer.