High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 2038: Chapter 259: Blocked at the Door

As it turns out, there is no real distinction between ’smart ways’ and ’dumb ways’ in the world. Any approach that can solve a problem is a good approach.

The set of responses that Zheng Qing prepared, while unable to perfectly address everyone’s confusion, significantly responded to public skepticism.

By the time evening arrived for the class meeting, there were very few paper cranes seeking Zheng Qing - even the Beta Town Post, after posing over ten varied questions and receiving repetitive answers, had lost patience and ceased its harassment of the young scholarship student with paper cranes.

This made Zheng Qing feel quite proud.

”That’s more like it!”

Xin Fat Man, holding a box of dried fruit, chewed noisily and said indignantly: ”Remember the consequences of last year’s interview? You were portrayed as a cold-hearted wizard who neglects life, and Jiuyou Academy was deemed a haven for filth and corruption. Saying they play with words barely scratches the surface! Never trust anyone wielding a feather pen!”

Zheng Qing squinted at him.

The Fat Wizard immediately added, ”Except for me... You need to have more faith in the world. Besides, the campus newspaper is fundamentally different from the Beta Town Post; we’re a serious media outlet.”

”In a certain sense, the Beta Town Post wasn’t entirely wrong,” Zheng Qing recalled the true identity of the dean of Jiuyou Academy and the newspaper’s past criticisms, feeling exhausted: ”...I don’t like it, it’s just a matter of stance, not right or wrong.”

”That statement sounds irrational yet is quite logical.”

Xiao Xiao, walking on Zheng Qing’s other side, carefully avoiding several witches coming their way - the three were en route from the library to the teaching building for the class meeting, with invisibility talismans still hanging on the young hunters of the Absolution Hunting Team - spoke in his slow, methodical tone: ”When evaluating something, if there is no stance, there is no right or wrong, because many things appear right from one perspective but wrong from another...”

Seeing the Doctor was about to embark on a lengthy discourse, Zheng Qing hurriedly shifted the topic.

”So, refusing the Beta Town Post’s interview was the right decision!”

The young scholarship student finalized, then pivoted to a new topic: ”Moreover, it’s premature to focus on the interview matter right now... The selection contest has only gone through its first round... The first selection was so exhausting, I can’t even imagine what’s coming next!”

This wasn’t the first time he had voiced such concerns.

In the hunting grounds, the young wizard had worried over this issue.

”Chin up, if we feel it’s difficult, other hunting teams won’t find it easy either.” The Fat Wizard showed remarkable optimism, patting Zheng Qing’s shoulder with his sugar-stained hand: ”You must know, we ranked seventh among forty-seven hunting teams last night!”

Zheng Qing frowned, dodging the Fat Wizard’s paw.

”You also know how fortunate that seventh place was.” He dusted off the sugar granules from his shoulder in annoyance: ”Had Mister’s impartiality been genuine, pretending not to see my charm gun, I should have fallen into the dark vortex like you guys... Absolution would’ve slipped from seventh to beyond fifteenth place.”

”Shut up!” The Fat Wizard paled, matching the color of the sugar in his box.

”Silence!” Xiao Xiao grit his teeth, his eyes darting around swiftly, and muttered under his breath: ”Don’t think that just because it’s school, that ’He’ won’t hear your impudence!”

Zheng Qing pouted.

The caution of his two companions was warranted - especially after learning about Zhang Ji Xin’s plight - maybe because during the competition he uttered that word ’shit’¹, the red-faced male wizard suffered the worst ’death’ amongst the Absolution Hunting Team, and unlike others who slept like babies, he was plagued with nightmares all night long, so much so that he couldn’t manage to come to the library for self-study all day.

Of course, these were merely the young wizards’ speculations.

Zheng Qing had reason to question whether Mordicana would be bothered by a little disrespect from the ’bugs’. Xin Fat Man’s cowardice was more likely due to his morning grumbling about Mordicana’s ’generosity’, repeatedly calling ’His’ name, small missteps first assured greater unease later.

A twin-tailed squirrel chasing after grass spirits suddenly collided with Zheng Qing’s leg with a thunk, sprawling head-over-tail, disrupting the young wizards’ idle chatter.

The squirrel covered its head as it sat up, looking around in terror but unable to see what it had just crashed into.

”Sorry,” a voice unexpectedly issued from the air: ”I shouldn’t have been chatting while walking, but you can’t speed either; most traffic accidents are partly both parties’ fault...”

The squirrel didn’t bother listening to the man’s reasoning, instead it let out a squeak, its two tails snapping straight, whirring rapidly, and instantaneously the little creature flew backward into the distant treetop, disappearing from sight in a blink.

Beneath the tree, the young scholarship students, still draped in invisibility talismans, shrugged.

”...So this incident isn’t really my fault,” Zheng Qing nevertheless finished his sentence, then seamlessly transitioned back to the previous topic: ”I still maintain, the Elder’s plight was just an accident.”

However, Zheng Qing’s determination faltered upon entering the classroom and seeing Zhang Ji Xin.

Usually spirited and robust, the red-faced male wizard appeared as though just recovering from a serious illness, sitting in the corner, a sense of languid weakness enveloping his entire being, even his complexion was noticeably paler than usual.

”The cheating brats have arrived!”

The shrill voice of the stick figure at the door disrupted the young scholarship student’s gaze, and as he refocused, he noticed the chaotic scene in the classroom—almost everyone was gathered around Jiang Yu and Li Meng, loudly discussing something. Upon hearing the sketch’s shout, scores of eyes simultaneously swiveled towards the door, catching sight of three male wizards removing their invisibility talismans.

With a whoosh, the crowd suddenly split away from the witches, surging toward the male wizards.

Zheng Qing clearly saw Jiang Yu exhibiting a relieved expression, and upon noticing his gaze, she gestured helplessly in their direction.

”Brother Qing, how did you manage it last night? Over on the school team, Lei Zhe used a secret technique to conceal the entire hunting squad in the void, barely evading the Spider God’s massive web...”

”And Alpha Hunting Team got even luckier! They drew Zu Ge! Can you believe it? Faced with a pack of fluffy brown mice in the selection contest for one of the top three hunting teams at First University!”

”The entire school is buzzing with rumors that Su Councilor taught you all the Moon Council’s joint attack secret technique! It’s said that five Upper House Members can cast Legendary Rank spells with this secret technique... Is it true?”

”Brother Qing, Brother Qing! Is Su Councilor coming to the scene again tonight? She left too quickly yesterday, I forgot to ask her to autograph for me! We’re classmates, right!”

”Are you brainless! An autograph in your dreams is useless!”

Various comments surged in like a flood bursting through a dam, overwhelming the young scholarship student almost to the point of drawing his charm gun from the grey cloth bag and firing a shot straight at those before him.