High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1364: Chapter 111 Mulan Soup in the Magic Potion Class

On Thursday morning, there was a Magic Potion class.

Because of the Dragon Boat Festival’s ritual of paying tribute to the Dragon Ancestor and praying for blessings to ward off evil, Zheng Qing and his companions left later than usual. Along the way to the teaching building, many students, both known and unknown, would suddenly come over and tie a five-colored silk thread around the wrists of strangers. This is an ancient blessing that no one would refuse.

So today, everyone spent more time than usual to get to the classroom.

Just before the class bell rang.

The Stick Figure behind the door unexpectedly did not utter any sarcasm as usual, and upon closer inspection, Zheng Qing realized that some kind-hearted person had smeared some cinnabar on the Stick Figure’s forehead.

The orange hue was exceptionally conspicuous on the entire Simple Sketch, almost glowing.

This kept it happily rolling on the spot.

Zheng Qing paused, hesitated for a few seconds, and from his Grey Cloth Bag, he took out a ’Noon Time Charm’; he hung it on the Stick Figure’s paper and tied it with the multicolored silk threads.

The Noon Time Charm was not a time-telling Talisman, but rather like the cinnabar smearing and five-colored thread, it served the purpose of exorcism and blessings. That morning in the dorm, Xiao Xiao had Zheng Qing draw a few extra.

”For you, these blessings to others couldn’t be more appropriate,” suggested Doctor Xiao.

And indeed so it was.

On the way to class, whenever someone tied a five-colored silk on Zheng Qing’s wrist, he would reciprocate with a Noon Time Charm. The effect was excellent. The charm presently hung on the Stick Figure’s paper was slightly botched in activation, a bit of an embarrassment to give away, but perfect to adorn the Stick Figure.

Sure enough, his action won the Stick Figure’s considerable favor.

”May Merlin bless you, hurried cost student!” The Stick Figure rolled up from the ground, straightened the sparse hair on its head, and gave Zheng Qing a deep bow, looking quite earnest: ”...Professor Li will enter the room in twenty-seven seconds!”

Zheng Qing had no time to thank the Stick Figure; he dashed towards his own seat.

He did not want to get points deducted in his final classes of the term for being late or having a bad attitude.

As he passed the first row of the classroom, Li Mengxing enthusiastically stretched out her arm towards him, opening her hand as if she also wanted a Noon Time Charm. Zheng Qing gave her palm a slap and dashed past the Little Witch like a gust of wind.

Behind him erupted the frustrated curses of Li Meng and the barely suppressed advisory laughter of Jiang Yu.

The Warlock sat down in his seat with a slight smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

He had just taken ”Standard Potion: First Year College” out of his Grey Cloth Bag, placed it on his desk, when Professor Li pushed the door open and strode in.

The classroom immediately fell silent.

Zheng Qing quietly breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the fine sweat from his forehead.

”You should carry a few Refreshing charms with you, to use and switch out as needed,” Xin Fat Man poked Zheng Qing’s arm with his pen and suggested, ”It wouldn’t cost you more than a few bronze coins... for you, that is.”

Zheng Qing squinted his eyes, mumbling an agreement to Fat Man’s suggestion, while his gaze settled on a copper basin on Professor Li’s lectern.

The professor had carried that copper basin in with him.

Most students in the classroom focused their attention on that copper basin.

Professor Li looked around with a smile, raised his head, and with a tone full of ups and downs, said: ”Today is a good day, just in time for the Dragon Boat Festival, the fifth of May, a day for worshipping gods and ancestors. The almanac says to avoid excavation today, so let’s follow the traditional guidance and eschew gardening in the herb gardens... Instead, we’ll have a theory class.”

A chorus of laughter echoed in the classroom.

The professor patted the edge of the copper basin, which made a faint buzzing sound, and the laughter in the room abruptly ceased.

”...This is Mulan Soup. ’Annual Seasonal Records’ mentions that on the fifth of May, one should gather various herbs, as they can cure all diseases.” The professor said and then shook his long, slender pointer: ”Of course, we all know that most ’cure-all’ magic potions rumored in the world don’t exist... Like snake oil, is it somewhat useful for many ailments? Seems so. But using it to treat diseases? It’s no more effective than a placebo.”

”Also, according to tradition, you should be taking a bath with Mulan Soup... Given our limited conditions, just wash your hands with it, that’ll be symbolic enough.”

Once again, a wave of joyful laughter rang out in the classroom.

Rarely do professors approach a solemn festival with such a humorous attitude, not to mention the usually serious Professor Li. This significantly relaxed the tense study atmosphere that had been due to the impending final exams, and the gloom that weighed on everyone’s minds seemed to dissipate.

About a dozen sprites, dressed in grey uniforms, tugged at a net woven from colorful threads, pulling the copper basin from the lectern and stopping at every desk for a moment.

A white towel draped over the edge of the basin, along with a small piece of soap.

Everyone washed their hands devoutly; the difference was, while the girls seemed to only wash their fingertips, the boys were more casual, as if they wanted to wash their entire arms.

Throughout this process, Professor Li continued to chat amiably with everyone about Potion Making knowledge related to today’s Dragon Boat Festival, which he had covered in previous lessons.

For instance, the ingredients for boiling the Mulan Soup are not limited to mugwort, reed grass, white magnolia, and columbine. Some wizards add peach leaves to ward off spirits and cypress leaves for exorcism. Some even replace mugwort with big wind root, and the effect is the same.

Then there’s the difference between Noon Water and Rootless Water.

Noon Water is drawn from a well at noon on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, also known as ’Extreme Yang Water’ or ’Dragon Eye Water.’ It is full of yang energy and excellent at exorcism, it can be used to neutralize the excess cold properties of many cold medicines and is the first choice for harmonizing many prescription properties.

Rootless Water, on the other hand, refers to any water that falls from the sky, including rain, snow, frost, dew, and other forms, each with its own special uses. Unlike Noon Water, which naturally contains yang energy, Rootless Water contains no ’properties’ and can maintain the integrity of herbal properties to the greatest extent, earning it the title of the most ’pure’ water.

Additionally, the professor shared with everyone about different medicinal wines like realgar wine, reed wine, and cinnabar wine, their combinations, and efficacy.

”Because today’s Potion Making knowledge is so extensive, I once proposed to the school to change the Dragon Boat Festival into a Potion Making Festival... Of course, this suggestion was rejected by the Professor Joint Meeting.”

Professor Li laughed along with everyone, then continued:

”The reason why there is so much Potion Making knowledge related to the Dragon Boat Festival is that on this day the yang energy is abundant. It’s the day when many herbs have the strongest medicinal properties of the year. That’s why gathering herbs is the most important work for many wizards today.”

”Another reason we didn’t take everyone to the Hundred Herb Gardens today is that the School Works Committee is organizing a protective harvest in the gardens... If you first-year students went, you’d cause nothing but trouble. So it’s best to stay in the classroom and memorize a couple of prescriptions.”