High School of Demon Hunting

It’s simple to judge whether a person is mature; just see how they perceive this world.

If they think people in this world are divided into good people and bad people, then they are immature; if they think people are divided into those who follow the rules and those who don’t, then they are somewhat mature; if they realize people are divided into those who can control themselves and those who cannot, then they are mature.

Mature people will control their emotions, deal with their feelings first, and then handle matters, avoiding emotions affecting decisions and actions.

Just like now.

Zheng Qing feels he has matured.

Because he didn’t turn the black gem cat into a stone out of a secret annoyance, nor did he flee and flee in a moment of panic. Instead, he stood calmly between the fox and the witch.

On the bustling yet quiet Quankela Fair, Gouzi was in front, with a young warlock, witch, and the turquoise big fox walking side by side behind. The witch on the left, fox on the right, Zheng Qing in the middle, with a black gem cat perched on his left shoulder and a white jade cat hanging from his right, while holding a little fox in his arms.

The little fox had already returned from a squirrel appearance to its usual size, chattering along the way with the two cats, creating quite a commotion.

But the commotion was theirs; Zheng Qing found it noisy.

Because he had to constantly filter out the noise from his arms and shoulders, carefully capturing the ’amiable’ exchanges between the witch and the big fox, ensuring he didn’t miss any terrifying words.

"...Dean Yao mentioned everyone to stay safe; bringing Dong Dong to the market might be inappropriate." The witch glanced at the grey little fox in Zheng Qing’s arms and added, "—Dyeing children’s fur is not good."

"Her fur is just a bit of talent magic, no need to dye."

The big fox moved with light steps, her tone brisk, "Besides, as the old saying goes, children repay filial piety by the age of three... I just want Dong Dong to do as much filial piety as possible before turning three."

The little fox’s big tail elegantly draped around Zheng Qing’s neck. When Zheng Qing shifted her weight, he didn’t feel any filial piety, only that the tail felt like a noose, ready to strangle him at any moment.

"—It’s all those crows causing trouble!" The girl sighed slightly.

"Yes."

The big fox seemed to agree, narrowing her eyes, "I remember Oscar Wilde said, some bring happiness alive, others when they die..."

Saying this, she suddenly tilted her head, looking at Zheng Qing, "...Do you think this is reasonable?"

"Ah?"

Zheng Qing seemed to wake from a dream, swallowed a small mouthful—his throat felt inflamed, swallowing felt like gulping blades, yet instinct forced him to keep repeating the process—his eyes darted around, left and right, confirming the two gazes fell on him, panicked briefly, suddenly noticed a group of fireflies pursuing a glowing yellow little snake not far away, instinctively pointed, "What’s that snake? It’s glowing!"

The big fox and the girl both looked over.

"It’s a Tiao Rong."

Ultimately, the big wizard had more knowledge; the fox took just a few seconds to give Zheng Qing an obscure name, simply explaining, "It’s a creature from the Mo Tu River, though it lives by water, it’s a sign of drought... in other words, what it pursues is water, but actually, it’s pursuing drought."

Even Zheng Qing’s small brain could sense something off from her words.

But before he could process it.

A more intriguing statement came to his ears.

"—Indeed interesting."

Jiang Yu observed the little snake and those fireflies, suddenly smiled, "The Tiao Rong chases water, the insects chase light, humans chase profits. No causeless pursuits exist."

Each sentence discussed the yellow little snake.

Yet each sentence seemed completely unrelated to the little snake.

The turquoise big fox elegantly flicked her tail, lightly laughed, "The human nature is to chase profits. Seeking self-interest maximization within rules is the inevitable result of the combination of instinct and reason. As the saying goes, ’the wizard is big and does as they please without overstepping bounds’ that’s what it means."

At this moment, Zheng Qing wished he could turn invisible, fearing the person beside him might suddenly speak, seeking his opinion.

Such irrational logic, what opinion could he possibly have?

Meow!

Furry Bean suddenly stopped, turned back, and called to Zheng Qing.

The warlock was overjoyed, looked over, and happened to see Xiao Xiao’s group just coming out from a small store, the three were whispering about something.

"Doctor!" He hurriedly waved.

Xiao Xiao looked up, instantly grabbed Zhang Ji Xinyu and Xin Fat Man, turning another direction, loudly complaining, "Oh, I just remembered you said you wanted to sell lemongrass..."

"Didn’t we just sell out?" The Fat Wizard hadn’t seen Zheng Qing’s group, his voice full of confusion.

"No, you haven’t sold it!" Xiao Xiao firmly refuted.

Zheng Qing couldn’t let them slip away like this.

He took a few steps, caught up with his companions, hung Poseidon around his neck, then took out a string of jerky tied with hemp rope from the grey cloth bag and stuffed it into Xiao Xiao’s hands, "...Here, this is the Yao bird jerky I bought for you, no need to thank me!"

"Why would I need this stuff?" Doctor Xiao looked bewildered.

"To make feed for your turtle... didn’t you say you’re running out of turtle shell? Yao bird jerky promotes reproduction, you’ll never worry about running out of shells again."

The short warlock looked speechless, "—Do you know how long it takes to raise a baby turtle until it hatches? By the time these Yao bird jerky-fed turtle shells are usable, I’d have graduated from school!"

"Perhaps even the grass on your grave would be three feet tall." At this moment, Xin Fat Man also noticed the big fox and Jiang Yu not far away, seemed to be following Xiao Xiao’s words, yet patted Zheng Qing’s shoulder with deep meaning.

Zheng Qing took a deep breath.

Maintaining inner peace.

This wasn’t the time to argue, continuing would be indecent. After all, among this group, in debates, there might be winners and losers, only he has no chance of winning.

"Do you remember where the Fishman Elder Priest’s tent we visited for divination last time is?" He gripped Xiao Xiao’s shoulder blade, his tone carrying a slightly hidden threat.

"Hiss!" Doctor lightly gasped, his eye corner twitching slightly, "I’ll take you there! ...Next time, could you grab a different shoulder?"

Chirp chirp chirp chirp!

Poseidon hung around Zheng Qing’s neck, and chuckled away.