Chapter 2644: Chapter 865: Jiang Yu’s Warning
"Where’s your string of Haha Beads?"
On Thursday afternoon, before Old Yao entered the classroom for the Art of Body Transformation class, the room with only two students was filled with a heavy atmosphere, especially after Jiang Yu naturally asked this question.
What was bound to come eventually arrived.
Zheng Qing felt a sense of relief in his heart.
"On the day of the Anti-Magic Festival, on the way back from meeting Sister Korma in the North District with the Doctor and Fatty, we encountered some crows that destroyed them." He replied almost without thinking, providing the most honest and accurate answer.
Zheng Qing had rehearsed this answer many times in his mind. Through careful simulation, he was keenly aware of how hard it would be to lie to an excellent and familiar witch. Instead of being accidentally exposed later, he might as well give the most correct answer from the start.
Sure enough, hearing this response, Jiang Yu’s attention was immediately diverted by a certain keyword, no longer focusing on the destruction of the Haha Beads or even asking why Zheng Qing went to the North District.
"Crows? Where did those crows come from... are they not all dead yet?" The witch frowned beautifully, pressing down on the white jade kitten playing on her wrist.
Zheng Qing felt a slight hint of joy.
But his face remained very serious.
"Perhaps."
His words were uncertain, but his tone was extremely assured: "A while ago, I went to the Sakura Pub, where Sister Korma did a reading for me..."
Zheng Qing briefly described the ’Inverted Tower’ card he received and the nightmare he had that night of withered crows hanging on scaffolds and praying cultists.
"This time, when we were trapped in the sandbox in the North District, we saw those scaffolds from my dream..."
He recounted his experiences in the sandbox in a few words, pausing for a moment before cautiously adding, "Before we escaped, we saw a few wizards wearing crow masks being rescued by a large crow...those masks were identical to the ones we saw during our Hunting Team upgrade task over the winter break!"
The white jade kitten finally escaped the witch’s grasp and sprinted to the warlock’s cuff, nuzzling his wrist with a pitiful look.
"Be careful not to let it snatch your cufflink." Jiang Yu reminded, then looked seriously at the boy: "Why didn’t you tell me about this before?"
Zheng Qing pinched the white jade kitten with two fingers and returned it to its owner.
"Because your schedule is even more packed than mine... I didn’t want to make things harder for you," he explained in a low voice.
The witch bit her lip, seeming like she wanted to say something, but finally just sighed and looked down, fiddling with the white jade kitten. After a while, she raised her head again.
"You’re about to graduate... Spend the remaining time of this semester in school, those crows can’t do anything to you here." Saying this, a hint of hesitation flashed on her face, but she eventually added, "Also, regarding Sister Korma, I suggest you keep a little distance... Of course, I understand you are now an assistant at Edge Academy and she is the Vice Dean of Edge College. I mean, try to keep your distance outside of work."
Zheng Qing raised his eyebrows in surprise.
This was the first time Jiang Yu very clearly asked him to ’keep a distance’ from a certain witch, leaving him momentarily unsure what expression he should have.
But his attitude should be clear.
"Between her and me, there is nothing... I mean, we have no relationship!" The boy was eager to express something, though his choice of words was awkward.
A faint cherry blush appeared on the witch’s face.
"That’s not what I meant."
She grabbed the white jade kitten and tossed it into Zheng Qing’s arms, her tone slightly aggrieved, but then she turned serious: "Actually, I heard some things about her from my family elders... It’s said that she’s involved in the internal and external ’war’ over the position of Dean of the Peripheral College... Her advancement foundation isn’t solid, so her situation is quite precarious, not exactly going mad... In such times, keeping a safe distance from her is good for everyone."
The white jade kitten tried to nestle into Zheng Qing’s chest, and Zheng Qing picked it up by the tail, carefully handing it back to the witch.
While doing this, his mind quickly flashed back to his recent visits to the Sakura Pub to see Korma, and suddenly he gained some realization—perhaps the ’off-kilter’ feeling he sensed before stemmed from this.
"Very good, very good!"
Old Yao’s familiar voice suddenly sounded in the ears of the two young wizards, and Zheng Qing sharply looked up, only then noticing that the headmaster of Jiuyou Academy had appeared in front of the desk at some unknown time, looking with interest at the white jade kitten in Jiang Yu’s hand: "I noticed that student Jiang Yu has already completed the first-phase practice content of the Art of Body Transformation... and you?"
He turned to look at Zheng Qing.
Zheng Qing looked embarrassed, spreading his palms to reveal the obsidian he had been clutching. It bore a somewhat feline shape, appearing wrapped in an envelope, occasionally squirming slightly.
Looking at his own, Zheng Qing couldn’t help but glance at Jiang Yu’s.
Perhaps it was the presence of the Legendary Wizard that made the white jade kitten feel a sense of reverence; it currently sat very obediently in the witch’s hand, tail curled, appearing dignified and well-behaved.
This only made him more frustrated.
Old Yao patted his shoulder, making no comment.
"Hmm, I roughly understand the situation." He flicked through the young wizards’ notebooks on the desk, the pages flipping past his fingertips with a gentle rustling sound.
Zheng Qing only then noticed the professor’s fingertips continuously flickering with tiny light shadows, resembling a stuttering video. He was no longer the magic novice he once was, easily deducing from these details that the professor before him was not a real person or a Righteous Body, but merely a projection.
"We’ve been progressing quite well in the past few classes, so for this class, you two will study independently, no new content... try to keep your progress aligned."
At this point, the professor extended a finger, tapping on Zheng Qing’s forehead: "Especially you, quickly take your first step in the Art of Body Transformation. Jiang Yu’s cat is already scouting around, while your cat’s whiskers and eyelashes are indistinguishable, aren’t you embarrassed?"
Zheng Qing accompanied with a smile, feeling not even a tinge of embarrassment.
This prompted him to reminisce about his freshman self, blushing easily at the slightest criticism, a touch of nostalgia for that delightful youth.
"And what about you, Professor?"
The witch boldly looked at Old Yao, who seemed ready to sit back at the lectern, and tactfully suggested: "If you’re in the classroom, our efficiency will be very low... After all, you’re a legend; just sitting there makes us jittery... Mr. Pierce said a relaxed and pleasant environment is conducive to learning."
Old Yao pursed his lips.
"I don’t think you’re jittery at all." He mumbled, but his figure vanished from the classroom with a loud ’pop’.
