High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 237: Chapter 161: The Monster That Consumes Life_1

A crested hawk spread its broad wings, hovering at a low altitude, looking down at the many creatures in the Flying Garden with a contemptuous gaze.

A few swifts chased after the breeze, swiftly passing by at the horizon.

In the lawn, a pink piglet shook its tail, wagging its butt, and trod leisurely; a ferocious mastiff drooped its ears, following closely behind the piglet as if listening attentively to what it was saying; Even further, there were a few fat grey bears, standing upright, indulging in sumo wrestling, drawing cheers from a group of students around them.

In the nearby shrubbery, numerous silent figures were hidden.

A colorful cat was lying on a thick shrub branch with its paws tucked under, raising its chin, slightly squinting its eyes, enjoying the pleasure brought by the morning breeze; two squirrels were chasing a nut, squabbling among the branches, disturbing the tranquility around them; remarkably, a few baby fruit bats, undeterred by the gradually rising temperature, hung leisurely upside down from the branches, swinging like a swing.

Not only students.

Even the pets who were strolling in Flying Garden in the morning had also increased significantly.

”Has Flying Garden always been this lively?” Dylan squinted his eyes, curiously scanning the views around him.

The intense light made him slightly uncomfortable, but the sight of few fruit bats swinging on tree branches lightened up his mood.

”So many beautiful girls!” Xin Fat Man looked baffled, full of doubt in his tone, ”Why didn’t you two mention this before...Are you planning to monopolize them?”

Zheng Qing didn’t bother to respond to the Fat Man’s complaint.

He too was surprised, looking around him.

”Did we take a turn from Pavilion Number Three?” Zheng Qing hesitated, and glanced at Xiao Xiao, ”the atmosphere here feels...somewhat strange today.”

In the midst of their conversation, Poseidon, a fluffy ball of blue and white fur, rolled over from a distance and jumped into Zheng Qing’s arms.

”There aren’t usually this many people.” Zheng Qing scratched Poseidon’s large ears, looking at the small groups of people on the lawn, feeling somewhat irritated, ”What are those guys from Alpha doing here!”

Due to historical reasons, many students of Jiuyou Academy have developed some skills in Qi cultivation and health maintenance, which could help young wizards to regulate their Qi and replenish their spirits. But these skills require years of practice - like the daily morning exercise.

Similarly, the students of Starry Sky Academy also practice various skills day and night to measure their combat ability in alignment with their educational philosophy.

Therefore, amongst the morning exercise groups in Flying Garden, these two academies have the most number of students.

The students of Alpha believe that talent is constant and is hidden within their own bloodlines - it just needs to be discovered in an orderly manner, there’s no need for deliberate cultivation. Therefore, their perception of morning exercise is limited to being ’beneficial to health.’ And magic offers hundreds of ways to maintain this level of ’health’, so very few people waste their time doing morning exercise in the Flying Garden.

The most peculiar one is Atlas Academy, the only academy that includes morning exercise in its credit system. But their morning exercise time usually depends on the norms of their own doctrines, and the location of morning exercise is mostly concentrated under the statues of their respective gods.

These two academies have the least number of students coming to Flying Garden for morning exercise.

So, Zheng Qing was particularly surprised to see many white-robed and yellow-robed figures in Flying Garden.

”Xin is lazy, Dylan is nocturnal, it’s understandable that they don’t know... but how do you also not know?” Xiao Xiao glanced at Zheng Qing and smoothed out the folds on his training suit a bit more, ”Haven’t you all noticed? Today the major clubs in the school are officially recruiting new members!...This news has been up on the Campus Newspaper for almost a week.”

”What does that have to do with them coming to Flying Garden.” Zheng Qing was still somewhat confused.

”Morning exercise in Flying Garden is the best way to showcase a freshman’s ability, many clubs have arranged their ’scouts’ here to secretly observe...this is the old tradition of the school, any freshman with connections would know.” Xiao Xiao picked a relatively quiet patch of lawn and sat down cross-legged.

”As a mature man who is already twelve hundred years old, I never read childish things like the Campus Newspaper.” Dylan spoke in a deep voice, his eyes lingering on a curvaceous white-robed female student in the distance.

”I’m curious,” Zheng Qing hummed, ”Does a twelve hundred-year-old geezer still have an ’interested’ urge?”

Dylan’s expression instantly stiffened.

Zheng Qing was feeling great, took the opportunity to gather himself, collected his mind, and began to review his ’Unarmed’ technique.

The air of the early morning was lively and refreshing.

Zheng Qing slightly squinted his eyes, circled his arms, grounded his energy in his dantian, and a gentle strength within his body woke up slowly with his movement. It lazily moved through Zheng Qing’s meridians, circulating around several major acupoints by instinctive impulse, nurturing each one, then continued its journey.

As the number of major acupoints passed increased, that strength became more and more active, veering left and right, trying to find a new path, to reach those places filled with enticing energy faster.

At this moment, a noisy voice resounded in Zheng Qing’s ears.

”What are you twirling around for so sluggishly?” Xin Fat Man chomped on a freshly bought warm meat pie and soy milk, shouted in a muffled voice: ”Is this your morning exercise? You look as if you’re sleeping standing up!”

With his eyes closed, Zheng Qing tried hard to control the warm current inside his body, forcefully suppressing the urge to smash that fat head.

Perhaps sensing Zheng Qing’s murderous intent, the fat man quietly slipped away.

When the sun finally jumped above the horizon, marking the start of the day, Xin Fat Man came back wearing a mysterious smile.

”Do you know why there are so many people today?” He panted, plonked his butt on the grass, sweat beads the size of beans seeping from his forehead.

”Isn’t it because of the club recruitment?” Zheng Qing suppressed his immediate urge to retaliate and expressed his confusion: ”Xiao Xiao already mentioned this earlier!”

”That’s not the only reason.” Xin Fat Man wagged his finger, looking smug at his roommates, but didn’t dare to hold back anymore: ”I just chatted with a few senior year students... It’s actually related to your patrol last Saturday.”

”Me?” Zheng Qing pointed at his own nose, utterly baffled.

”Did you encounter a kappa with half its body gnawed off during your patrol?” Xin Fat Man lowered his voice and whispered: ”These past few nights, the school patrol team has consecutively found three withered magical creatures.”

”Withered?” Xiao Xiao frowned.

”Three!” Zheng Qing’s eyes widened: ”Three kappas with half their bodies gnawed off?”

”Poor comprehension skills.” Xin Fat Man shook his head in disapproval: ”Three withered magical creatures! They weren’t half-eaten by carrion scarabs, and also not all were kappas... one was a tree elf, and two were red chain snakes... When they were found, their whole bodies were shriveled, looking like they were about to die of old age.”

”Isn’t this the work of the bloodsucking vampires feeding in the wild?” Zheng Qing suspiciously glanced at Dylan.

”Vampires have their dignity too.” Dylan glared back at him: ”Moreover, the Blood Race only suck blood... Based on your descriptions, not only a bit of blood was lost from that kappa, or the several magical creatures afterwards.”

”Life.” Xiao Xiao pronounced succinctly.

Zheng Qing shuddered.

”Right!” Xin Fat Man looked solemnly at everyone and added: ”The news of a creature that devours life appearing in the campus has spread among many students... causing a lot of them to panic.”

”So they came to the Flying Garden looking for a last-minute refuge, to practice the Guarding Curse?” Xiao Xiao scoffed.

”Bingo!” Xin Fat Man snapped his fingers.

”That’s terrifying.” Zheng Qing smacked his lips, finally shaking his head: ”But we still have to go to class.”