High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 2787: Chapter 1008: Price Increase

Question: What is the common feature when emotions like joy, heartbreak, and shock reach their peak?

The answer is—unable to breathe.

Zheng Qing originally thought that only when facing Su Shijun would he be stunned by her incredible beauty to the point of being breathless. But now, seeing Jiang Yu standing charmingly in the night, he was surprised and delighted to realize that he seemed to have found that same feeling he had the first time facing Su Shijun after she removed her glasses.

Even without a mirror, he knew his face must be especially red now.

He believed the witch in front of him must have also received this emotion bursting from the bottom of his heart; otherwise, why else would she sprint towards him the moment she saw him?

A series of thoughts flashed through the warlock’s mind in a flash. He even began to consider the mental shock embracing the witch in front of everyone would give to his companions.

Then.

The next second.

Bang!

Jiang Yu, sprinting towards him, pressed her hands on his chest and gave a heavy push, directly shoving him into the tree hollow carved under the decayed oak tree, the entrance to Quankela Fair.

Zheng Qing felt the sky spinning, as if the witch’s push had clogged his chest, making him unable to breathe. Strangely enough, although it was his arm that grazed the tree hollow gap, it was his neck that hurt instead.

The sides of his neck felt like they were cut by a knife.

He instinctively raised his hand to touch his neck, feeling a piece of cold and slippery surface, then his fingertips encountered two narrow slits under his ears, striving to open and close in the air—

Exhale—

Inhale—

Thud!

The warlock fell heavily into the tree hollow. Though just a step away, the world inside and outside the tree hollow was drastically different. If outside was a dry desert, then inside was Cherrapunji during the rainy season. Abundant moisture rushed to meet him, making it feel like you’d inhale a mouthful of water as soon as you opened your mouth.

The sour sensation behind Zheng Qing’s cheeks quickly dissipated, replaced by a clear and refreshing feeling rising from the heart. His fingertips, still lingering at the slits under his ears, felt the slight undulation accompanying his breathing, and Zheng Qing belatedly realized the inability to breathe earlier was due to the effect of the Gill Pouch Grass.

This left him dejected and inexplicably spawned a sense of embarrassment.

”Why stand outside after taking Gill Pouch Grass?”

Following him into the tree hollow was Jiang Yu, who frowned slightly and looked at the warlock with a hint of blame: ”—If I hadn’t seen you slowly growing fish gills on your face, were you planning to faint directly in front of me?”

The almost tangible moisture inside the hollow surged forward to meet the witch, as if being cleaved by an invisible sharp blade, forming a sharp, oval-shaped air bubble that enveloped her entirely.

Zheng Qing guessed this was likely the effect of Shaotang Fruit.

He raised his arm and glanced at the light blue webbing sprouting between his fingers at some point, and sighed heavily: ”I didn’t expect it either—blame the Doctor, he gave me this Gill Pouch Grass...”

”Hey hey, I just asked you to take a look, I didn’t tell you to eat it immediately, did I!”

Xiao Xiao, who just squeezed into the tree hollow, didn’t have time to adjust his glasses before hearing someone shirking responsibility and immediately mocked without hesitation: ”I don’t know who just heard...”

”Is the entrance for this year’s fair confirmed to be here? Why can’t we see any other guests?” Zheng Qing hastily interrupted the short warlock’s retort, making a show of looking around.

Xin Fat Man kindly helped him out: ”Oh, that’s because we’re too late. By now, Quankela’s opening time should have passed a quarter... most guests have already gone in.”

”What’s the effective duration for this Gill Pouch Grass?”

Zheng Qing quietly sneaked beside Xiao Xiao, gently patted Doctor Xiao on the shoulder, and then pinched his scapula with a hint of threat in his tone: ”—Make sure it doesn’t lose effect just when we start shopping at the fair.”

The doctor took a small, cool breath and felt his mouth fill with water.

He raised his hand to adjust his glasses, covering his twitching eyelid.

”Um, this is our refined Gill Pouch Grass, its effective duration can reach over three hours, more than enough for shopping.” He wisely gave up provoking the increasingly physically intimidating guy beside him.

”Want a Bubble Head Charm, gentlemen?”

A slightly unfamiliar enthusiastic voice interrupted the young wizards’ little interlude; Zheng Qing turned around. A tortoise with a stretched neck was slowly crawling towards the door, smiling with wrinkled cheeks: ”Ten coppers to maintain it for a night, fair for all... Although the fair doesn’t require a Bubble Head Charm, the scattered stalls outside are all underwater, you absolutely need the charm out there. Also, I believe you’ve heard, the school’s legendary wizard also suggested guests at the fair be fully prepared... of course, if you find the Bubble Head Charm suffocating, we also offer Gill Pouch Grass or Shaotang Fruit, absolutely worth the money... But the Bubble Head Charm is the simplest, shall I give you one, sir?”

Zheng Qing felt this tortoise’s verbosity directly rivaling Tang Sanzang in a certain movie.

Not far behind the tortoise, a square pond was bubbling with air, water vapor looming above it, faintly revealing a Naga Spirit wielding a curved knife patrolling above.

”No thank you.”

Zheng Qing amicably yet firmly declined the tortoise’s pitch—as he never bought anything at train or bus stations, respecting the market as someone his age.

”I remember last year’s entrance guardian was a... a Mr. Goldfish?” Jiang Yu curiously examined the tortoise.

”The aquatic realm is vast, miss.” The tortoise deflected politely and courteously.

”Ten coppers is too expensive! Wasn’t it only five coppers last year?” Xin Fat Man chewed his own Gill Pouch Grass, loudly complaining about the tortoise’s price. He was particularly concerned about market prices this time as he came to the fair to sell Mangrass.

Zheng Qing was amazed his cheeks could accommodate this racket.

”Market economy, sir, our aquatic fair highly values market economy!”

The tortoise stretched its neck, earnestly arguing: ”Last year’s Zhuyu Grass sold for only one silver corner per plant, but ever since the Romanian vampires clashed with the Crimean werewolves, Zhuyu Grass has risen to three silver corners... Where could you go to reason?”

Zhuyu Grass is an herb that prevents hunger once consumed, often used by magic potion brewers in crafting Fasting Pills. Although originally from Zhao Yao Mountain, its largest production area is now the Dnieper River basin.

Regarding the mentioned clash between the Blood Race and werewolves, Zheng Qing hadn’t paid attention, figuring it was probably another outburst of their age-old feud.