In this world, the only thing we can be certain of is that the future is full of uncertainty.
Zheng Qing had heard this sentence many tis, but each ti it carried a different taste.
For instance, he could never imagine that one day, from Lin Zhong Lake to Alpha Fortress, wizards in white robes would join forces with those in red robes, burning their own straw figures together in front of a bonfire; or that the commission he made at the Wandering Bar the night before would bring him very useful information the next morning; or that he would end up with bruises all over his face on the thirteenth Monday of his second year.
A butterfly flapping its wings in the Amazon can cause a tornado in Texas weeks later.
Similarly, one ordinary evening after finishing his college entrance exam, a whim led Zheng Qing to pick up a Little Fox, which a year later had him with a sack over his head, knocked out with a club.
The clubbing happened on a Sunday night.
It was after the class eting; Xiao Xiao had gone to the library, Xin Fat Man to the Campus Newspaper editing room, and Zhang Ji Xin to his brother’s office, so Zheng Qing chose to return to the dormitory alone.
It had been twenty-one days since the grand parade on Halloween eve, and almost a month since the article in the Herald News. Although during the day on campus he couldn’t avoid being pointed at and talked about, overall, the atmosphere had eased, leading Zheng Qing to the illusion that the matter had passed.
Until that sack fell from the sky.
At the ti, Zheng Qing was walking and recalling the discussions with a few companions about the ’Ravens’.
Ever since discovering that the Ravens were conducting experints on Demon Flesh transplants, Xiao Xiao had been trying hard to convince Zheng Qing to give up investigating the Ravens, repeatedly emphasizing how dangerous wizards capable of such experints were; Xin Fat Man seed noncommittal, showing so interest in the big news hidden within the school; as for Zhang Ji Xin, he was more concerned about whether he could take on the Ravens and what his brother thought of this.
The discussions ended without conclusion by the end of the class eting, leaving the young cost student feeling frustrated. On the way back to the dorm, he veered off to the Cat Fruit Tree to pet so cats and relieve his inner irritation.
And then, as he passed a secluded grove, a sack was thrown down from the trees.
When the world suddenly went dark, Zheng Qing’s mind was actually blank, not having snapped out of thinking about the ’Ravens’. And the rain of punches that followed left him dazed—never before had he experienced such straightforward brutality; even in the Magical World, most of the ti both sides would just create distance and throw Evil Curses at each other.
His mind, in bewildernt, followed the oldest, most effective solution: wrapping his arms around his head, curling his body up tightly, and trying his best to avoid those punches hitting dangerous areas.
People often say that love is like a tornado; in fact, this beating was also like a tornado—ca fast, left faster. From the mont the sack ca down and everything went black, to Zheng Qing regaining his senses in confusion and reaching for his Charm Gun, all that took only a few dozen seconds, after which the assailants vanished without a trace at a whistle, leaving the Warlock with a buzzing head angrily tugging the sack off and searching fruitlessly in the night for the vanished assailants.
"You’ve got so guts!"
This was the last curse the attackers threw out before leaving.
The dazed Warlock stood there in confusion for quite a while before slowly realizing that he probably won the half-praised, half-threatening remark because he had gritted his teeth and not uttered a sound during the beating.
To be honest, having anticipated and ntally prepared for this so many tis, when the sack was actually over his head and he was beaten, the young cost student even felt a slight sense of relief.
But this was not a reason for him to ’accept it gladly’.
Before he could decide whether to imdiately complain to the school or stay put and burn a Turtle Shell to find traces of those attackers, several figures arrived at the scene one after another.
The first to arrive was Jiang Yu, followed by Xiao Xiao, then Zhang Ji Xin and Xin Fat Man, and eventually Dylan and Blue Bird showed up too.
When Jiang Yu appeared, Zheng Qing was stunned for a few seconds before realizing that in the first monts of the beating, he had subconsciously burned the Alarm Talisman hanging at his waist – this talisman would notify all mbers of the Absolution Hunting Team to assemble urgently.
"Beaten up?"
This was the first thing the Witch remarked after a simple glance around on arrival.
Her tone was calm, with lips pursed, seemingly a bit angry, yet her eyes crinkled with a hint of a smile, casting a probing gaze at Zheng Qing.
Zheng Qing grunted, feeling a bit disgraced. The roiling blood irritated his broken skin, making his whole body feel a burning sensation.
Thank heavens, Doctor Xiao arrived at this critical mont.
"So you really got beaten up."
Compared to the Witch, the Doctor’s words were seemingly more aggravating: "I have long divined this calamity for you, but it never happened... almost made doubt my Divination ability."
Zheng Qing gritted his teeth, hissing through the gaps, squeezing out a few words: "Find out who did this!"
"Don’t hold out much hope... Anyone daring to act within the academy walls must have been well-prepared. There might even be high-tier wizards covering for them."
The Absolution’s Diviner shook his head, deftly taking out the Cao Herb, Turtle Shell, and Crystal Ball, skillfully capturing any lingering essence at the scene, forming hand seals, chanting incantations, and starting to track the attackers.
Jiang Yu did not further provoke Zheng Qing but took out a Jade Pendant and a bottle of milky-white ointnt, offering to treat the boy’s wounds: "The Jade Pendant wards off evil and calms the fire, preventing any low tricks they might pull... the Whitening Ointnt is great for activating blood circulation and dispersing bruises; apply it externally, then dissolve a bit in Double Yang Water to consu internally for the best effect... Don’t move!"
As she spoke, she already started applying the ointnt to Zheng Qing’s face. The boy felt slightly uncomfortable, just turning his head a little when he received a stern warning, scaring him into obediently staying still.
At that mont, he heard Xin Fat Man’s familiar voice.
"Finally got beaten up!"
The Fat Wizard’s voice wasn’t surprised; rather, it was sowhat gleeful: "I always said, the more you walk in the dark, the more likely you are to encounter ghosts, and doing more bad deeds isn’t without consequence... whoa, they even used a sack... over the head?"
Though, because he couldn’t move much, Zheng Qing couldn’t see the Fat Man’s expression or actions, he could guess the schadenfreude on his face just by imagining it.
But Xin Fat Man’s next remark made Zheng Qing instantly forget his minor offense: "Is the Doctor divining those assailants’ whereabouts? Why not let Furry Bean help? Logically speaking, since the perpetrators left behind so tools of the cri, having Furry Bean, a professional hound, instead of you fumbling with a crystal ball would seem far more reliable!"
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