High School of Demon Hunting-Chapter 2394 - 615: Taboo, Excavation (Part 2)

Squeak!

In his arms, Poseidon waved his little paws, asking the Warlock for candied hawthorn—some vendors pushing carts were trailing behind the parade selling snacks, and the bright glass window of the cart made the syrup-covered hawthorn particularly tempting.

"Didn’t I give you some New Year’s money yesterday? Go buy it yourself... Buy whatever you want." The Warlock generously put the Little Fox on the ground but warned, "But don’t buy the whole cart."

Poseidon, however, clung to his robe, unwilling to leave.

"What do you mean the New Year’s money is gone?" Listening to the Little Fox’s squeaking ramble, Zheng Qing’s mind immediately flashed to Su Ya’s wicked smile and her little paw reaching for Poseidon’s wallet, causing him to squint: "Did Su Ya ’borrow’ it?"

Su Ya?

Poseidon showed a puzzled expression, not understanding why Zheng Qing mentioned her name, shook his head vigorously, and then pointed his furry paw at Su Shijun.

Squeak!

She confidently informed the Warlock of the real ’culprit.’

Zheng Qing looked at Su Shijun with a speechless expression, only to find the Big Fox whistling and glancing around, pretending not to know what was being discussed.

Zheng Qing absolutely refused to believe a Big Wizard could be ’hard of hearing’ to such a degree.

Just like he previously didn’t think Su Shijun had taken Poseidon’s New Year’s money—given his simplistic parenting philosophy, girls should be raised generously to avoid being tricked by lollipops in the future; moreover, nine jade coins theoretically should not be more precious than nine copper coins to Councillor Su’s legitimate daughter.

"Where’s her New Year’s money?" Zheng Qing brazenly stood up for the Little Fox’s ’justice.’

This time, Su Shijun could no longer pretend to be deaf.

"She asked me to keep it for her."

The Witch adjusted her glasses with a self-righteous look: "Besides, think about it, a Little Fox who hasn’t even shed her baby fur, why give her so many jade coins? Waiting for Su Ya to trick her away? I didn’t even charge a custody fee, and in fact, I give her interest of one jade coin a year... In the future, all this money will be part of her dowry!"

There were so many points to poke fun at in this answer that Zheng Qing was momentarily unsure whether to mock the idea of a Little Fox accumulating a dowry before even losing her baby fur, or to note the surprising alignment between him and Su Shijun regarding Su Ya, or to lament that no one objected when nine jade coins were given to Poseidon as New Year’s money.

He could only silently fish out a silver dime from his grey cloth bag and put it in the Little Fox’s paw, letting her have money for candied hawthorn.

What a sad affair.

Zheng Qing watched sympathetically as the Little Fox, who had grandly forfeited her nine jade coins, became excited over a shiny silver dime, unwilling to reveal to her the truth about ’custody of New Year’s money.’

Then he noticed a familiar figure appear beside the Little Fox’s candy-buying cart.

"Sister Korma?" The Warlock exclaimed in surprise: "Why is she here?"

"Probably worrying that the enthusiasm of Northern District Wizards during the parade goes overboard," Su Shijun mused while chewing on a paper bag of cloud cake, thinking: "To be honest, the Council initially didn’t expect her to accomplish that thing."

The reference to the Council probably meant the Moon Council, as for ’that thing,’ Zheng Qing did not care; he had enough of his own troubles already.

He just watched as Poseidon exchanged the silver dime for two sticks of candied hawthorn, starting to worry that the Little Fox’s future curriculum might include a math class.

Thankfully, Korma intervened timely, transforming the Little Fox’s candied hawthorn into four sticks.

"That’s why I took her New Year’s money," Su Shijun’s voice echoed in Zheng Qing’s ear, her tone slightly annoyed: "It’s so embarrassing, maybe you should give her a little math brush-up later... If she can’t calculate how many candied hawthorns can be bought with a silver dime, can you trust her to really grasp the value of jade coins?"

Zheng Qing smirked but said nothing.

He watched Korma carrying Poseidon toward them, wondering what her purpose was.

The Northern District Great Wise Person wore a grey-white robe today, similar to Su Shijun, her face hidden under a wide hood, the aura of a Big Wizard gently flowing around her, subtly diverting pedestrian focus and positions.

For some reason, watching her approach slowly, Zheng Qing randomly thought of the Saint in the Bible who parted the Red Sea, except that the Northern District Great Wise Person was parting a sea of people.

"Happy New Year!" Sister’s voice was as straightforward as ever, but besides being sharp, it carried a few extra ounces of authority—developed from long-term command.

"Happy New Year." The young cost student replied respectfully.

Su Shijun said nothing, she simply followed Zheng Qing’s lead, nodding slightly in greeting.

Korma placed Poseidon back in Zheng Qing’s arms and gazed at Su Shijun, as the aura of the two Big Wizards cautiously intertwined amidst the bustling street, Zheng Qing could faintly sense countless messages flowing within.

The owner of Greenhill Mansion also restrained her prior relaxation and cheerfulness, reverting back to the public’s perception of an Upper House Member and the most beautiful woman in the wizard world.

Zheng Qing lacked the ability to interfere between the two Big Wizards’ exchanges but could intervene in the distribution of the Little Fox’s purchased snacks—four sticks of candied hawthorn, precisely one for each of the four.

Poseidon, submissive in demeanor, supported the Warlock’s decision generously. Zheng Qing felt the Little Fox’s casual and breezy ’unselfish’ style was much like his own, reminiscent of when he was just financially careless in the Wandering Bar during freshman year.

Regardless of money or resources, it’s enough to get by.

Offering surplus to others often exchanges for something more valuable.

After a while, the aura of the Big Wizards converged, Korma’s gaze fell on Zheng Qing with a hint of interest: "Him? He is indeed quite a suitable choice."

"And affordable and dependable," Su Shijun cheerfully added: "By the way, you can settle relevant expenses directly with me, Dong Dong’s dowry can’t be too shabby in the future."

Zheng Qing gazed at the two Witches with a bewildered expression, unsure what kind of devilish agreement they had reached.

Squeak!

The Little Fox stuck the candied hawthorn into Zheng Qing’s mouth, letting him taste the magical sweet and sour of the wizard world. For some reason, Zheng Qing felt this candied hawthorn tasted better than the ones he bought days ago.

"Don’t eat too much, it’s bad for your teeth." The Warlock pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the sugar syrup from the Little Fox’s mouth corner: "Anything else you’d like to eat?"

"You could try the fried frog eyes, a Northern District specialty, the texture is crisp and bouncy, difficult to describe with words," Korma munched on candied hawthorn, suggesting: "These snacks taste best during festive seasons."

"Really?" The Warlock got interested.

"Hmm?" Su Shijun, who had been silently eating candied hawthorn, suddenly tilted her head and looked into the distance, her face showing slight surprise.

"What’s up?"

Zheng Qing and Korma simultaneously looked at her.

"Time to head home." Su Shijun withdrew her gaze, focusing on Korma with a proper smile: "Your plan, I’ve heard about it, best wishes on success, after all, within the Alliance, the Moon Council remains a marginal group... Feel free to visit Greenhill Mansion if needed, don’t be shy."

"Thank you." Northern District Great Wise Person’s tone was sincerely earnest.

Zheng Qing did not wish to know what transaction the Moon Council and Northern District Wizards had transpired, nor to pursue any underlying meanings in the cryptic dialogues between the Witches; he only cared if the fried frog eyes truly tasted as good as Korma described.

"Heading back already?" Zheng Qing had just started to enjoy his venture, still having many wizard treats yet untried, leading to inevitable disappointment.

"Yes," Su Shijun glanced at him, expression enigmatic, offering a simple explanation: "We have guests at home."

What did the guests at Greenhill Mansion have to do with him?

Was he supposed to entertain?

With this worry, Zheng Qing carried Poseidon following Su Shijun slowly towards Greenhill Mansion in Beta Town West District. Unlike him, after wandering for so long, the Little Fox was a bit tired, resting her head on his shoulder and starting to doze off.

Soon Zheng Qing spotted Su Shijun’s mentioned ’guest’ at the Mansion’s entrance.

It was Jiang Yu.

At the sight of that figure, Zheng Qing’s mind instantly flashed back to this morning’s Old Almanac: Sure enough, the Old Almanac remains accurate; today indeed forbids excavations—even in dreams.