High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 949: Chapter 11: Calming the Wind and Waves

The cat’s meow suddenly rang out, and the demon that looked like a stray dog halted abruptly before turning its head towards the direction of the meowing.

Perfect opportunity!

Zheng Qing’s spirits lifted, and with a flick of his fingers, he shook a silver Colt Python out of the Grey Cloth Bag. Before the dog demon could recover, he was already holding the gun with both hands, firing a string of Fu Bullets.

There were Binding talismans, Shocking talismans, as well as Chaos and Soft Leg talismans.

The colorful Fu Bullets exploded in mid-air, quickly suppressing the dog demon on the spot. Dark green vines wrapped the demon up tightly, binding all four limbs, even its long snout was trapped snugly; and the Soft Leg talisman made it so weak, all it could do was slump on the ground and whimper.

Only then did Zheng Qing find the chance to look towards the direction from which the cat’s cry had come.

Through the thin mist, on an abandoned stone table at the edge of the clearing, the Yellow Flowered Cat from San You Bookstore lay leisurely, methodically nibbling on a braised chicken leg in front of it.

”Meow~!” Sensing Zheng Qing’s gaze, the Yellow Flowered Cat called out again merrily.

The corner of Zheng Qing’s mouth twitched, unusually refraining from silently criticizing the Yellow Flowered Cat’s seemingly cutesy behavior, for with its second meow, the previously nearly solidified atmosphere around them suddenly eased.

The piercing cold wind began to blow, dry leaves started to drift, and the clinking of the glass windows once again filled the air.

From the open windows in the distance, the familiar ’Spring Festival Overture’ background music could still be heard; the sound of cars honking as they passed on the street outside the complex had also returned to Zheng Qing’s ears.

A wave of cold air swirled around the corner and slammed into the young man.

Feeling the chill carried by the wind, Zheng Qing couldn’t help but shiver before a satisfied smile spread across his face. Just a few minutes ago, he couldn’t have imagined that he would miss the cold wind of the deep winter days.

His gaze fell once again on the demon that was tied up tightly.

”Phew!”

Zheng Qing let out a long breath, and his previously tense spirit relaxed instantly—with Brother Huang here, even a few more demons wouldn’t be a big deal—recalling Brother Huang’s impressive performance during the D&K and Winter Hunt, Zheng Qing felt reassured.

”We’ll set off the firecrackers after we’ve burned the paper money!” Professor Zheng’s booming voice came from behind the smoke, ”Don’t break tradition.”

Zheng Qing was startled at the words.

It took him a moment to realize that his grandfather had mistaken the sound of his gunfire for firecrackers. Thankfully, the heavy smoke and the duller sound of the Charm Gun compared to that of a gunpowder firearm had led to the misunderstanding.

But that was just as well, as it saved Zheng Qing the trouble of having to explain things to his family.

”Alright!” he called back loudly, while also complaining in collusion, ”This firecracker doesn’t sound crisp, feels a bit like a dud, wonder if it got damp, too.”

The old man’s angry voice then came through the mist, ”Let your dad set them off! He made the mess, let him clean it up!”

Zheng Qing touched his nose and silently reflected on his own duplicitous behavior for a second. Soon after, Father of Zheng Qing emerged from the smoke, face scowling—a literal black face—perhaps because the paper money was so damp, it produced a swirling smoke and flying ashes when burned, causing his face to be smeared with soot.

”I’ll go set off the firecrackers... You go and bow a few times,” Father of Zheng Qing muttered as he took the firecrackers from Zheng Qing’s hand.

Zheng Qing hesitated, cautiously glancing back.

The stray dog demon he had bound tightly just moments ago on the clearing had now disappeared without a trace. He immediately looked towards the stone table, only to see the Yellow Flowered Cat still lying there, slowly chewing.

Seeing the boy turn around, the Yellow Flowered Cat slightly lifted its chin and hooked the tip of its tail, as if signaling that it was safe for Zheng Qing to proceed.

Only then did Zheng Qing relax, nodding in agreement with his father’s words and obediently walking to the copper basin, following the old man in bowing his head.

The crackling of firecrackers resounded behind Zheng Qing without pause.

Because today was only the Welcoming home ceremony, the ritual was relatively simple, and not many firecrackers were needed. Father of Zheng Qing had only set up a string of a thousand firecrackers on the vacant ground nearby.

After burning the paper money, bowing, and setting off the firecrackers, the ceremony was essentially complete.

Professor Zheng, wearing large asbestos gloves, cradled the copper basin and motioned for the two behind him to get ready to go home. As the cold wind blew again, the blue smoke that had accumulated in the empty space was quickly swept away, and the surroundings became clear once more.

Zheng Qing stood up, patted the dust off his knees, and hesitated for a moment in place.

”I just thought I saw Mr. Wu’s cat run out... I’ll go look for it in a bit, so it doesn’t get lost,” he quickly came up with a plausible excuse to stay behind.

Professor Zheng turned back, looking at Father of Zheng Qing.

”I think I saw it too.” Father of Zheng Qing immediately explained, pointing toward the stone table on the edge of the vacant lot, ”Right before we set off the firecrackers, it seemed to be on that table.”

”Maybe it got scared off by the noise of the firecrackers,” Zheng Qing quickly chimed in.

Professor Zheng finally stopped dwelling on it.

”Then come back soon,” he instructed, pausing before adding, ”If you can’t find it, come back early and tell us, and we can look together, which might be faster.”

Zheng Qing promptly acknowledged this with multiple nods.

...

Watching his grandfather and father disappear behind the building, Zheng Qing’s expression finally darkened.

The Yellow Flowered Cat, for some reason, had reappeared by his side, silently crouching at his feet, occasionally licking its paws and twitching its ears, acting like an ordinary cat.

”What’s going on? Where did that demon come from?” Zheng Qing’s voice was filled with concern, ”And, where did that demon just now go?”

”I ate it, meow,” the Yellow Flowered Cat replied nonchalantly, ”As for its origin... since there are too many forces coveting you, there are too many possibilities to judge... I even gave it a serious tasting just now and couldn’t discern where it came from.”

A twitch appeared at the corner of Zheng Qing’s mouth.

From Brother Huang’s implication, he could even taste a demon’s origin?

But then, he let go of dwelling on these details, instead focusing on certain words in the Yellow Flowered Cat’s statement.

”Coveting my power?” He repeated the cat’s words, lowering his head to look at the tail-wagging cat at his feet, his tone filled with surprise, ”Coveting me? Why? I’m not Tang Sanzang!”

”Tang Sanzang isn’t as valuable as you,” the Yellow Flowered Cat murmured, flicking its airplane ears, and gave a perfunctory response, ”Knowing or not knowing about such things doesn’t make a difference... Not knowing is a bit safer for you. If you really want to know, ask that old man back at the bookstore.”

A few lines of frustration appeared on Zheng Qing’s face.

What a response, a bunch of nonsense, as good as not saying anything at all.