High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1465: Chapter 209: One More Tail

Even though he was quite certain that the Blue Fatty lying on the beach was his classmate, Zheng Qing did not take any chances. He followed the standard procedure outlined in the hunting plan to verify the Fatty’s identity.

Throughout the process, the Blue Fatty, leaning back on the beach, was very cooperative. Except for wiping off some drool when a young lady in a bikini passed by, he made no other movements.

”Aren’t you worried I might be some kind of dream creature?”

As Zheng Qing tossed talisman papers meant for exorcising demons and subduing evil spirits onto the Fatty, he asked curiously, ”You trust my talisman papers that much?”

The Fatty raised an eyebrow and looked down at a talisman slowly drifting down.

Yellow talisman paper fluttered down, sticking to his greasy skin and sweat without eliciting any abnormal reactions. When Zheng Qing performed the Hand Jue to activate the paper, Blue Fatty was wrapped in wisps of blue smoke, resembling a Buddha enjoying offerings.

”See, totally normal.”

The Fatty patted his belly and took a deep breath, inhaling the surrounding smoke into his belly, revealing an honest smile: ”... and even if I weren’t sure, I would need you to come closer before I could react in time.”

While speaking, he tucked away a small black-lacquered box into his hand.

Zheng Qing suddenly understood.

The box was about an inch long and as thick as two fingers, with a tiny hole the size of a grain of rice at the top, and its surface was covered with golden runes. It was the Flying Centipede they had bought a long time ago at the Wandering Bar.

The Flying Centipede, fond of feeding on demon brains, is very sensitive to the presence of demons. But this doesn’t mean it only reacts to demon auras. Such ancient insects’ ability to recognize danger and anomalies far exceeds that of an Ordinary Wizard.

The Flying Centipede in the Fatty’s hand, being relatively young, could only sense anomalies within a fifteen-step radius.

With this in mind, he had also hoped Zheng Qing would come closer.

But there lies a problem.

”If I remember correctly, the Flying Centipede was kept by the Elders,” the young subsidized student took a step back and looked cautious, ”Even if the Elders lent it to you, how can you use it without having performed a ritual on it?”

”It is precisely because I haven’t performed a ritual that it can only discern within a fifteen-step range,” said the Fatty lecherously eyeing another beauty running across the beach, while surreptitiously glancing at Zheng Qing, he complained, ”I didn’t even find it weird that you have a tail hanging behind you, and you still suspect me?”

Tail?

Zheng Qing was somewhat baffled and turned to look behind him.

He thought the Fatty meant someone was tailing them, but after turning around, he realized the Fatty was referring to an actual tail. A thick, long tail covered in black fur seemed to sense Zheng Qing’s thoughts, emerging from below his robe and airily tapping in the void a few times.

It was just like a little hand waving a greeting.

Zheng Qing was so frightened that he nearly fell backward onto the sand.

The black tail swayed in the air, struggling to help the Warlock maintain balance, which instilled an indescribable sense of absurdity in Zheng Qing’s heart.

”So basically, the idea of teaching me to control myself you just pitched is ridiculous,” said the Fatty, taking out a small knife from who knows where, slicing open the roasted camel’s belly, rummaging inside for quite a while before pulling out a roasted quail, bringing it to his mouth and tearing at it wildly as he shook his head and commented, ”You can’t even control your own appearance, let alone hide your thoughts. It would be the world’s greatest joke... The consequence of trying to suppress your own thoughts is that no matter where you go, you’re always followed by a cloud of mist.”

Zheng Qing ignored the Fatty’s teasing and quickly pulled out a mirror from the Grey Cloth Bag.

He took a look.

All right, all is well. Although his face was somewhat pale, it was still his own and not running around staring at a cat face. Young cost student Zheng Qing let out a sigh of relief and looked back.

Just as the fatty had just said.

Behind him, at a far distance, were attached thin pieces of mist resembling a white robe dragging a tail. Compared to when he had first arrived in this world, the mist was not thick, but it added a few more layers of blur and chaos to the originally clean and refreshing beach.

”Let’s go, let’s go.” Blue Fatty finished off the last bit of grilled quail breast meat, tossed the bones aside, and struggled to stand up. He looked around with reluctance: ”... What a perfect time and scene, alas, for whom does it belong? What delightful experiences are mere figments of dreams. Time to go, time to go.”

After saying that, he casually wiped his greasy hands on Zheng Qing’s robe, and with loud cries, charged towards Furry Bean.

Gouzi meowed and took off running.

Zheng Qing looked at the grease stain on his robe, gritted his teeth, and was about to curse when a cloud of mist clung to his robe and dissolved the stain.

This place is a Dreamland as well as an Illusory World.

Zheng Qing nodded thoughtfully and followed the distant steps of Furry Bean and the fatty.

...

...

The water ripples spread.

They warped the originally surreal countenance of the dream and shattered the white mist.

Mr. Wu’s gaze shifted away from the pool of clear water in the bronze basin and onto the entrance of San You Bookstore.

”That rascal went to the Dreamland?”

A yellow whirlwind broke through the curtains of the bookstore’s door, swept up to the bookstore owner’s recliner, and abruptly stopped: ”... Simply reckless! Utter lawlessness! How dare he be so rash! A group of first-year little wizards daring to enter the Dreamland?! What are schools teaching these days!”

The Yellow Flowered Cat puffed up its whiskers and glared, its voice low and growling in irritation, with the tip of its tail flailing wildly behind it in mid-air.

The force of its voice made the bronze basin hum, and the water in the basin trembled unceasingly, causing the reflected images in the water to fragment.

Mr. Wu removed his glasses, set the book he was holding onto his lap, and rubbed his eyes, his gaze falling on the tip of the Yellow Flowered Cat’s tail. He felt that the cat’s tail was very much like that of a certain grey-skinned dog.

Perhaps the cat and the dog had been switched at birth? The elder mused to himself, looking up at the ceiling, once again doubting if there was some kind of existence outside of this world that could interfere with the workings of this world.

”Schools naturally have their own rules,” Mr. Wu answered casually: ”As for why the boy would go to the Dreamland, I can probably guess the reason... And I’ve taken him there once before; he probably doesn’t think it’s too dangerous.”

”Why would you take him there?”

”To see the falsehood and reality of this world.”

”Didn’t you tell him how dangerous the World in the Mirror is? The Elders from the Deeps of the Starry Sky cannot descend into this world, but they can stretch their tentacles into the Dreamland... Does he know this?”

”Probably not.” The gentleman looked at the Flower Cat and sincerely spread his hands:

”But if you’re always nurtured in a greenhouse, even the wildest grass will become delicate... just like when you face the sunlight, you tend to feel drowsy. Only a blow of the cold wind can make your consciousness clearer. This isn’t any profound principle; it’s a bit of common sense.”