High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 299: Chapter 223 The So-Called Big Trouble_1

In Zheng Qing’s memory, a headache has always been a major hassle.

Many childhood memories have blurred. For example, he can’t remember what the girl he liked in elementary school looked like, nor can he recall the name of the four-wheel car his uncle gave him for his twelfth birthday. Even the promise he made at junior high graduation was completely forgotten unless he flipped open his diary.

But the feeling of a headache, like the moon lingering in the sky every night, remains so fresh and clear.

He can still vividly recall the ’dong dong’ sound when he banged his head against the wall due to a headache in his childhood, and he can also remember that the begonia flower in front of the San You Bookstore had just bloomed five petals when he convulsed and fell for the first time.

All of it is engraved deeply in his memory.

Luckily, he had a mentor.

Mr. Wu suppressed Zheng Qing’s recurring headaches with his mysterious methods, allowing him to grow up peacefully and have a relatively normal memory.

However, that peaceful life was gradually slipping away.

Since when did it start?

When alone, Zheng Qing would occasionally ponder this question.

Perhaps it was when he saw Mr. Wu waving his hand to call up a teacup, or maybe it was when he first stepped into the Hui Zi Ji, or possibly it was that morning when he woke up and found a thick, bulging envelope by his pillow.

Magic, wizard, top university – these fantasy-filled words seemed to have poured into his life overnight, and along with them came the recurring headache.

From the private jet ride to school, all the way to astronomy class.

Not even a month into the school year, and he’s had three headaches.

This was definitely not a good thing.

”Major trouble?” Zheng Qing echoed Professor Yao’s words, his voice even pitch-shifted: ”Brace me!”

He’s heard this term before.

TV characters diagnosed with terminal illnesses often use these scary words when doctors inform them of their condition.

”How long do I have left to live?” The thought of facing this cruel life without having ever held Elena made the young scholarship student choke up with sorrow.

”Huh?” Professor Yao’s eyebrows shot up.

”It’s okay, go on, I can handle it.” Zheng Qing sniffled, rambling on: ”Just don’t let my family know about this... They’re ordinary people. They’ve never had anything to do with the magical world. They might even misunderstand you... I’m eighteen, I’m legally fully capable... I can sign for myself. When I die, I hope the school can create a puppet in my likeness to send home... I’ve already earned over a dozen credits, they can be used to cover the related expenses.”

After saying all this, Zheng Qing felt as if a weight had been lifted off his chest and the hot sensation in his eyelids subsided.

But Professor Yao behind the desk clearly didn’t think so.

”I think... you... might be... somewhat... misunderstanding my words.” The professor seemed to have used a lot of effort to accommodate the student’s unconventional thinking: ”No one is going to die... especially for a wizard.”

”Oh!” Zheng Qing’s eyes instantly widened: ”Right! I’m a wizard... I can use magic... Is there a spell for treating headaches? Magic potions would work too... And if there’s a talisman, even better. I can draw it for myself.”

”Calm down.” Professor Yao flipped open the law book on the desk, lightly flicking his finger, his expression somewhat helpless: ”Did Mrs. Bella feed you stimulants this morning?”

A light blue stream of light rose from the pages of the book under the professor’s finger, circled in mid-air, and then plunged into Zheng Quing’s chest.

A chill surged from his heart, making the young scholarship student shiver repeatedly.

His mind instantly cleared up quite a bit.

The embarrassing words he had said just a few minutes ago immediately resurfaced in his mind, causing his cheeks to turn visibly red at a speed visible to the naked eye.

”Sorry, I’m sorry,” he stumbled as he pushed his chair away, stuttering as he apologized, his face as red as Zhang Ji Xin’s older brother: ”I don’t know what came over me.”

”It’s okay.” Professor Yao made a soft beckoning gesture with his finger.

Behind Zheng Qing, the soft leather chair whooshed forward, numbing his legs and causing him to sit back uncontrollably on the swivel chair.

”I know why this is happening...” Professor continued to flip through the data at hand: ”As I said, your headache is a huge problem... it causes your spirit to become extremely active... but activity often comes with fragility. It’s also one of the reasons why you lost control of your emotions just now.”

Zheng Qing licked his somewhat dry lips, trying hard to control his urge to speak.

”Move a little closer.” The professor beckoned again.

The chair beneath him violently thrust forward, stuffing Zheng Qing’s legs into the gap of the mahogany desk.

”Close your left eye.” The professor leaned forward, lifting Zheng Qing’s right eyelid.

His coarse finger made Zheng Qing’s eyelid hurt.

”Magic is not as omnipotent as you imagine. On the contrary, it’s a very strict art.” Professor Yao flipped through his law book, searching for a suitable talisman, observing Zheng Qing’s right eye, and said slowly: ”So, don’t expect me to remove your curse with one or two talismans.”

As he spoke, he pulled out a wrinkled talisman paper from the drawer, plucked a hair from the young wizard’s head, then tapped the ashes from his pipe onto the talisman paper, and gently wiped it.

Orange sparks shone brightly, thin tendrils of smoke slowly swirling up from the talisman paper.

”Curse!” Ignoring the burning talisman on the desk, Zheng Qing let his roiling thoughts loose, exclaiming in some fear.

”Don’t panic, young man.” The professor patted his shoulder and said with a smile: ”In the eyes of wizards, this kind of invisible harm with no obvious physical wound are all considered curses. Cancer of the non-wizards is a very good example, some modern therapists believe that cancer is ’Gaia’s Curse’.”

”Then what kind of curse is mine?”

Professor Yao didn’t speak, silently watching the ashes remaining after the burning talisman paper, for a long while, then murmured: ”As expected, we still need someone more professional to look at it.”

The most professional with regards to treatment in the first university is the school hospital.

And Zheng Qing had just come from the school hospital.

So, an hour after leaving the white building, Zheng Qing reappeared in the stern gaze of Miss Bella.

”He needs to use the Clean House.” Old Yao laughed dryly, looking at Bella with her face set tight, adding: ”just a little while...”

”Then why did you go through the discharge procedures!” The head nurse banged the medical record book in her hand: ”Don’t you know we need a bunch of certificates to get in and out? You think I have light work, don’t you? Huh?!”

Zheng Qing shrank his neck, watching the irritable head nurse and the appeasing professor, and quietly moved towards the corner, trying to make himself less noticeable.

Only the on-duty Doctor Ma could mediate to some extent, ignoring the pressing atmosphere and saying: ”Today we can only arrange a comprehensive check... the specific test results probably won’t come out until next week.”

”That’s okay, that’s okay.” Old Yao had no objections to the doctor’s arrangement: ”This kind of thing should be handed over to professionals.”

With that, he grinned his yellow teeth, giving Bella a flattering smile.

The head nurse ignored him, but quickly arranged for Zheng Qing to have a full examination in the Clean House.

The Clean House is a small room filled with formations, talismans, and sigils, where wizards analyze curses and study transformations.

To maintain the purity of the air inside the room, the Clean House has no windows or doors.

Just a few minutes after entering, Zheng Qing was pulled out by the head nurse.

”The check is simple, but data analysis is complex.” Doctor Ma, his eyes bulging, dragged out his words, saying listlessly: ”The results of the relevant test will be sent directly to the office of Jiuyou Academy...”

”There’s nothing else for today, you can go back.” Old Yao waved his hand at the young student under scholarship, adding: ”I remember you have a life skills class in the afternoon, right?”

Zheng Qing obediently nodded.

”Well, go to the library before class in the afternoon and ask Tang Dun for the homework for these past days’ history, philosophy, and potion studies... the teachers are all very lenient, allowing you to submit it before class next week.”

The young scholarship student was dazed for a moment, then walked to the library with a dejected air.