High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 715: Chapter 63 Cat Crouched on Branch Hair Blown by Wind_1

The winter sky was hazy and grey, the white somewhat dull.

On the lakeside of Bell Lake, a miscellany of trees—varying in thickness and height—were scattered amicably within a copse, enduring the months of winter. The branches, once home to vibrant leaves, had long lost their charm, carried away with the northerly wind, leaving behind only bare branches and the white or light brown bark covered in marks of age.

At present, these trees bore no leaves, but were laden with clusters of ’fruits’.

Some of these ’fruits’ were black, some white, some yellow, their fur all fluffy. The smaller ones were the size of apples, while the bigger ones as big as watermelons. They hung in the dry branches, subtly swinging with the cool breeze caressing across the lake.

Zheng Qing was one of these ’fruits’.

Indeed, these ’fruits’ were actually cats of various sizes and colors.

Since Jiuyou Academy announced that catching mice would contribute to the final exam, all the cats in the pet stores along the pedestrian street in Beta Town sold out in a blink. Wizards who originally didn’t own pets bought cats without any doubt to guarantee their results, even those who already had pets were eager to try. Many recently have been inquiring the caretaker of Pet Garden about whether they could keep multiple pets.

As far as Zheng Qing was concerned, this came with its pros and cons.

The advantage was that the number of cats wandering around the academy increased, which greatly improved his concealment after transformation—because there were too many unfamiliar cats present, so when the black cat strutted around, it didn’t attract as much attention.

The disadvantage was, Zheng Qing was now irrevocably mired in the definition of ’cats catching mice’—given that some classmates’ cats caught many mice effortlessly, the other hunters in the Absolution Hunting Team had begun secretly discussing whether they should fundraise to hire their team leader to take on more ’hard work’.

When Zheng Qing first heard Xin Fat Man suggesting this idea, he almost pulled out his Colt Python from his grey cloth bag and shot it against that fat face.

He had only transformed into a cat but wasn’t actually a real one!

And who would want to catch those filthy things like mice!

They are all wizards, surely they wouldn’t neglect their magical powers!

Driven by resentment, the young cost student-turned-cat crept out of the dormitory first thing in the morning, bolting straight towards the lakeside without looking back. He wanted to check whether the rat hole under the oak tree had opened, or whether Hei Jiao had returned. He didn’t have the time to listen to the greasy fat man’s nagging.

The morning on a Saturday was still. Especially after the arrival of winter, even the figures practicing in the morning had significantly reduced. If he hadn’t turned into a cat, Zheng Qing would have been one of those young wizards taking morning classes.

Of course, he was now a cat, a small black one, hovering about a foot above the ground, and naturally, he didn’t need to go to the Flying Garden for morning exercise.

Walking on the ice-cold stone road, sniffing the gentle sunlight, there was a hint of melancholy in the black cat’s eyes as his ears twitched slightly backward.

The other day, when he asked Jiang Yu about ’that thing she’s planning’, although the witch denied his suspicions, she didn’t explicitly tell him when she would initiate her plan. Somehow, this left Zheng Qing feeling involuntarily irritable.

His mind wasn’t at peace, hence the desire for tranquility.

That’s why, as soon as Old Yao assured him there were no issues with the transformation technique, Zheng Qing quickly chose to transform into a cat again. He found that when he was a cat, he didn’t have as many worries, and he didn’t always have to guess the thoughts of the ever-elusive girls.

The black cat ran across the small square, through the small forest path, over the artificial rocks, and finally stopped in front of the small woods by the lakeside of Bell Lake.

Initially, he had planned to visit the bottom of the oak tree to check whether the rat hole was still there. But not far away, the ’furry bundles of fruit’ attracted the black cat’s attention like a magnet—it seemed that the air was fresher up there. Some forty-odd cats of varying sizes and colors were crouching, lying, or simply hanging between the branches, not moving an inch.

Every once in a while, a breeze would come across the lake, rustling their big, fluffy tails hanging in mid-air, swaying back and forth, reminiscent of willow catkins blooming in early spring.

”Meow!” A leopard cat lowered its head, spotted the black cat crouching on the ground, and amiably hailed it.

Zheng Qing jumped up from his spot as if his fur had been ruffled, baring his teeth and sneering at the leopard cat, almost roaring, ”I’m a wizard! Not a cat! I certainly wouldn’t be huddling together like you, squatting on a tree branch!”

The black cat’s actions attracted the gaze of the other cats in the tree.

Be it curiosity, indifference, or confusion, all eyes fell on the black cat in unison - the only similarity was that these cats remained motionless, as if glued to the branches.

For the curious cats, this was extremely difficult. Usually, even if a paper crane flies by, it would provoke the united effort of seventeen or eighteen cats to catch and play with.

After a long hesitation, the black cat finally decided to climb up and see - just to look! To see what those cats were doing, he certainly wouldn’t lie down among the branches in the early morning like them!

Thus, with a short run-up, the black cat jumped a few times and easily sprung up to an empty branch.

Hmm, well, the air on the branches is indeed refreshing.

It was much better than the murky air by the lake, which even had a mild stench of Fishman - especially for cats, their keen sense of smell always made them catch even more unpleasant smells.

Zheng Qing curled up, his tail dangling in midair, just like the other cats, swaying gently in the breeze.

Hmm, maybe it’s closer to the sun from the tree top? Somehow, Zheng Qing felt a warm sensation all over his body. He involuntarily recalled the argument of ’two boys debating about the sun’ he learned a long time ago - the sun was cool at dawn but scorching hot at noon; wasn’t this because the closer ones were hotter and the farther ones cooler?

In the leisure, enjoying the early winter sun among the tree branches along with the other cats, Zheng Qing nearly forgot what he set out to do.

Until a familiar voice came from below the tree:

”Meow meow!”

”Meow~~”

Finally, the black cat opened his eyes, tilted his head, and peered down.

A petite witch in a red robe was holding a fluffy teddy bear in one hand and a small dried fish in the other, looking up at the furballs on the tree, occasionally meowing softly, hoping that a cat would respond, jump down, and play with her.

The enticing aroma of the fried dried fish was making the cats drool.

Several big cats that were clearly fatter than the others seemed to hesitate and sit up at such a temptation, still torn between napping and enjoying the delicious food.

The only black cat firmly closed his eyes, ignoring the temptation of the little girl, and even dropped its tail hanging in mid-air, coiling it around his waist.

That Li Meng girl is not someone good to deal with.