High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1993: Chapter 214: Xiao Xiao’s Mid-Autumn Gift

The effect of the Good Dream Cat was really outstanding.

When Zheng Qing went back that night, he placed the stuffed toy beside his pillow and indeed had a good dream. He dreamed that the Absolution Hunting Team won this year’s school hunting competition. When the results were announced, all the hunters of Absolution were cheering with joy, and Jiang Yu took the opportunity to hug him.

Or rather, he took the opportunity to hug the witch.

But that was all.

Beyond that, the warlock had no recollection—maybe he fell into a dreamless sleep, or perhaps he was startled awake—anyway, when he woke up, the last impression in his mind was of him spinning around holding Jiang Yu, the witch’s raised skirt looked like a blooming butterfly flower, vibrant and dazzling, intertwining with the blurred and enthusiastic cheers around, resembling the scene at the climax of a movie.

Just as most movie endings are not so satisfying.

Zheng Qing also felt somewhat unfulfilled with this dream.

He always felt that there was some potential for extension in the ending, or that it should have been more open-ended. This kind of lingering sense of disappointment tormented the warlock the entire Sunday, so much so that even during the evening class meeting, he still felt somewhat downcast.

”It’s been a whole day! Whatever it is, you should have figured it out by now.” Xin Fat Man leaned against the window, lazily flipping through today’s newspaper and teasing the young cost student: ”...Do you know what you look like? A distressed woman in a secluded chamber! Or a witch a few days before or after her period!”

Zheng Qing lifted his eyelids and glanced at the fat wizard.

”Not a single girlfriend but knows quite a lot.” He unmercifully jabbed the fat man.

The fat man’s face suddenly turned somewhat ashen, and the sound of flipping the newspaper also subconsciously lowered. This immediately improved the young cost student’s mood.

He turned to look at Xiao Xiao who was sitting beside him.

Since entering the classroom, the good Doctor had been fiddling with several brushes of varying sizes and writing and drawing on a bamboo board, not knowing what he was up to.

Zheng Qing leaned over to look, and on that bamboo board was a transcribed Binding Spell, though each line varied in thickness and heaviness, and the size of the characters fluctuated. At a glance, this piece of spell text gave off a distinct aesthetic.

”Are you planning to participate in this year’s hunting art exhibition?” Zheng Qing asked with interest.

Xiao Xiao glanced at him and adjusted his glasses.

”Good idea.”

The diviner of Absolution moved the bamboo board a bit further from himself, nodding slightly: ”Now that you mention it... seems like I really should give it a try.”

Zheng Qing raised an eyebrow.

”You mean you hadn’t thought of it before?” His curiosity piqued instantly: ”What were you planning to do with this before? Experimenting with spell text elasticity?”

Spell text elasticity refers to the ’boundary’ where spell text transcribed using non-standard formats and font sizes can still function normally. As every wizard’s understanding of spell formulas and sensitivity to magic power changes with experience, being familiar with one’s spell text elasticity can greatly optimize the efficiency of casting magic.

Xiao Xiao hadn’t yet had a chance to speak when Xin Fat Man’s emotions, like a surging tide, rose high once again: ”So, you’re acting like a distressed woman in a secluded chamber today, ignoring outside happenings... Don’t you know what gift the Doctor received yesterday?”

If the fat man hadn’t mentioned the gift, it might have been okay.

But once he did, Zheng Qing immediately remembered his own gift, the fluffy stuffed cat by his pillow, and then recalled the ’unfulfilled’ blissful dream from last night. The emotions that had swelled like foam immediately became ruins like a sandcastle washed away by the tide.

”I’ve been busy recently, so I haven’t paid attention.” The young cost student pulled himself together and casually asked: ”What gift did you receive for Mid-Autumn yesterday?”

Xiao Xiao modestly coughed once.

”I was just looking for the most suitable brush.” He explained as he took a scroll of bamboo slips from his pocket and placed it gently on the desk, as if it were a delicate piece of porcelain: ”Here, it’s this... I said it was too luxurious, but Sima said it was already bought and couldn’t be returned, so...”

”You’ve said that at least five times today.” Xin Fat Man sneered sourly.

As for Zheng Qing, he sharply inhaled and instinctively reached for the scroll of bamboo slips. Xiao Xiao obviously wanted to stop his companion’s reckless action, but considering Zheng Qing’s typical reliability, he hesitantly withdrew the hand he had raised.

”Is this a Bamboo Slip Law Book?”

The young cost student felt the smooth bamboo strips with a tone full of envy: ”I saw one at Shangyuan Bookstore, but it was much larger than this one, that one was at least...”

He gestured the size of the Bamboo Slip Law Book in his memory while trying to recall the scant introduction left in his mind: ”...at least three feet long.”

”It’s two feet and four inches,” Xiao Xiao promptly corrected, fully demonstrating his doctoral expertise in such details: ”The Shangyuan Bookstore displays pre-Qin bamboo slips that are two feet and four inches long, used for transcribing large spells or carving semi-permanent spells, they’re high-end law books... Mine is just an ordinary Han version, seven inches and eight tenths long, similar to the chopsticks we usually use.”

Having already spoken, he naturally retrieved his Bamboo Slip Law Book from Zheng Qing and proceeded to unabashedly introduce: ”...of course, although it’s just an ordinary Han version, it’s made from thousand-year bitter bamboo, features a patina, is bound with five-color deer leather, and the inner lining can be repeatedly replaced just like the pre-Qin bamboo slips... Sima told me, normally you just slip in a sheet of Mulberry paper inside, use it and throw it away, that way it doesn’t feel wasteful.”

”Also, look at this, the outer slips are carved with a complete set of Binding Spells, semi-solid spell text, even if I don’t have a brush and ink, I can just rub my hand over it to imprint the spell text onto paper and then cast this high tier Binding Spell...”

”How much?”

Zheng Qing looked eagerly at the scroll of bamboo slips, trying to dispel the scene in his mind of Doctor Xiao jumping up and smashing it on a fishman’s head, instinctively shook his head: ”...I remember the set of pre-Qin bamboo slips at Shangyuan Bookstore cost fifteen jade coins!”

Xin Fat Man loudly gulped.

”Well, this one is a bit cheaper.” Xiao Xiao humbly waved his hand: ”I heard from Sima, this one apparently cost less than ten jade coins... She’s a teacher at the school, so there was quite a bit of discount when buying.”

”Listen, less than ten jade coins. Those are some bold words!” Zheng Qing sighed enviously: ”The annual scholarship for a school-funded student is ten jade coins... what more could you possibly want.”

”I don’t want anything more. I’m quite satisfied.”

Doctor Xiao immediately denied his companion’s nonsense and casually picked up two small brushes: ”Which one do you think is more suitable—this wolf hair, or this rabbit hair?”