Chapter 945 - Tail-End Street
Chapter 945 of "High School of Demon Hunting" opens with: Chapter 945: Chapter 7: Tail-End StreetHui Zi Ji was very small, and it only had... See what unfolds next!
Chapter 945: Chapter 7: Tail-End StreetHui Zi Ji was very small, and it only had one short, narrow street.
After going around the marketplace once, and having greeted the neighbors, Zheng Qing returned to San You Bookstore in just over half an hour.
"This street is really short," Zheng Qing sighed. "As a kid, why did I feel like this street was so long, running around as if it never ended?"
"Long and short, big and small, itâs all relative," Deng Xiaoxian said thoughtfully. "Also, most wizards as children have sharper spirit senses than adults, and can see through the fog to whatâs truly behind it more clearly."
"Fog? Reality?" Zheng Qingâs interest was piqued. "Is there a story behind this street?"
As he spoke, he looked around, his gaze sliding over those ancient signboards.
Deng Xiaoxian didnât directly answer his question but hinted, "What do you think Hui Zi Ji resembles?"
"Like the character for âhuiâ." Zheng Qing replied with an answer akin to a cold joke.
Deng Xiaoxianâs face immediately fell.
"Just kidding, just kidding." Zheng Qing waved his hand and guessed again with a smile, "Like the Lakefront Corridor at school? Or like a horseshoe? ...Got any clues?"
"Like some kind of animal," Deng Xiaoxian added a hint.
Zheng Qing frowned.
He stretched out his finger, drew circles in midair a few times, and then hesitated before answering softly, "Ouroboros?"
"Bingo!" Deng Xiaoxian snapped his fingers and continued to hint, "What does the Ouroboros represent?"
"Immortality, cycles, infinity," Zheng Qing immediately answered.
Because Sepulanoâs society used the Ouroboros as a symbol, Zheng Qing had specifically looked into this mysterious magical creature. Therefore, he didnât hesitate at all with Deng Xiaoxianâs question.
"Huh!" The young proprietor of Spring Reviving Hall raised his eyebrows, "I feel like Iâve underestimated you... So next, if you connect this totem with Hui Zi Ji, can you guess anything?"
Zheng Qing did not have an answer this time.
His instinct told him the answer to this question was not simple.
After waiting for a while and realizing Zheng Qing was just staring at him, seemingly with no intention to answer, Deng Xiaoxian couldnât help but laugh, "Actually, I heard it through the grapevine, so just take it as a story... Donât take it too seriously."
"Some say, this little circle that keeps going around in Hui Zi Ji is actually a segment of the river of time that has been cut out by great mana. Many old folks, who havenât transcended time and have entered the tail end of the legend, choose to âextend their livesâ in Hui Zi Ji, in the hopes of eventually taking that one step beyond legend."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Qingyuan was initially about to interject with a question, but he restrained himself and swallowed his question back down.
Deng Xiaoxian continued, "Others say, Hui Zi Ji is actually built upon the remains of an ancient Ouroboros, and that by staying on this street, one can somewhat emulate the Ouroborosâs talents... Immortality, cycles, infinity."
"In any case, there are many rumors, but no solid evidence."
"The only thing that could indirectly confirm these rumors is that there are many elder wizards on the street, all very old... but nobody has investigated exactly how old they are. That kind of thing isnât easily asked."
"Youâre Old Mr. Dengâs grandson, hasnât he ever told you?" Zheng Qing finally couldnât resist and asked.
"Youâre Mr. Wuâs disciple, has he ever told you?" Deng Xiaoxian countered with a question.
"Thatâs different," the young state-sponsored studentâs expression faltered, and he murmured in a low voice, "At least you have a blood relationship."
Deng Xiaoxian shook his head in disagreement, "For wizards, a blood relationship isnât necessarily closer than a master-disciple relationship. Often, wizards will pass on their wealth to their disciples but not to their kin."
Zheng Qing felt that he had a hard time understanding the thoughts of those wizards.
But he didnât dwell on it; he had another concern that preoccupied him.
"The âLegendâ you just mentioned, is it the rank after Big Wizard?" he asked with some curiosity.
"You donât know?" Deng Xiaoxian was somewhat surprised, "Ordinary Wizard, Registered Wizard, Big Wizard, Legendary Wizard, Ancient Wizard... Such a general classification is common knowledge, isnât it?"
"Before you mentioned it, I really didnât know," Zheng Qing honestly admitted.
"Iâm not sure what they are teaching you at university," Deng Xiaoxian shook his head, not continuing on this slightly odd topic. Instead, he took out his pocket watch to check the time, "Hmm, itâs getting late; I need to rush back to prepare medicines."
Zheng Qing also took out his pocket watch and saw that he still had over two hours before the deadline his mother set for him to return home.
"Ah... what to do next?" The young wizard stood at the entrance of the bookstore, scratching his head, his gaze shifting between the bookshelves and the black door at the back of the room, "Should I read some leisure books for a while, or should I go to the front of the store and call Brother Huang back to watch TV with me? Hmm, watching TV seems more appealing... But the cartoons Brother Huang watches are a bit too old-fashioned... I wonder how many channels his little TV can receive, whether there are any good movies."
"Hey, Iâm saying, with such a short holiday, donât you plan to make the most of it and spend more time at home?... Why would you think about idling away the time outside?" At the doorway of the neighboring store, Deng Xiaoxian, who had half stepped into Spring Reviving Hall, tilted his head to look at Zheng Qing and asked in surprise.
Zheng Qing immediately looked downcast.
"I donât know either," he said, his demeanor dejected, "Before I came home, I thought I really missed it... but after returning, it seems like thereâs an invisible barrier between me and my family."
"I donât know if itâs because of the difference between my wizard status and my familyâs commoner status, or just because of the generational gap." seaĘá´h thŃ NĂ´velĆire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Deng Xiaoxian looked at the young warlock with a sense of empathy, "Hmm, youâve reached that age... Remember when you couldnât understand why I felt so out of place when I returned to our street? You should have some understanding now."
"Not really." Zheng Qing said blankly, glancing at the junior proprietor of Spring Reviving Hall, "I just donât want to do chores at home, which is in no way comparable to your previous bizarre behavior."
Deng Xiaoxianâs mouth twitched slightly, he withdrew the foot that had crossed the threshold and turned to look at Zheng Qing.
"Iâm giving you a chance to rephrase." He lifted his arm, tossed the tuft of long hair at his forehead on top of his head, then rolled up his sleeves and looked at the young man opposite him with an intense gaze.
Zheng Qing figured he was looking for a fight.
"Ahem... I mean, I havenât spent enough time in the Wizard World, so Iâm still adjusting, you get me," Zheng Qing coughed, swiftly changing his tune, and then in a failed attempt to cover it up, he added, "It would have been helpful for me to get through this period of adjustment if, before I started school, youâd introduced me to some information about First University."
"For example, you could have told me that Sprites are harmless Alchemical Creatures that wonât harm warlocks;"
"Or, donât drop things into Lin Zhong Lake, because Fishmen will snatch them away... These are just inconsequential details, right?"
Deng Xiaoxian looked at Zheng Qing through his nostrils for several seconds before eventually replying at a leisurely pace, "Inconsequential details, yes... But not necessarily unimportant. As Iâve told you before... all these experiences are one of the most interesting parts of your school life. If every little unknown you encounter in school becomes known, wouldnât life lose a lot of its fun?"
"My life doesnât need that much unknown," Zheng Qing complained, and his mood seemed to fall again as something came to mind.
Deng Xiaoxian blinked and smiled, "Like final exam grades?"
"Ah, yes, and the final exams." Thinking of his final exam grades, Zheng Qing suddenly felt a headache coming on and muttered in apprehension, "Itâs really ruining my vacation... I still donât understand why the school canât just send our report cards to our pillows directly..."
Then he realized that the grades would be announced during the Lantern Festival, by which time he would have returned to school.
Thinking that he wouldnât need to explain his subjects and grades to his family made the young warlock feel a bit more relaxed.
"Does the school still send your grades via pets?" Deng Xiaoxianâs face showed a hint of nostalgia, but then he scoffed at Zheng Qingâs worries, "Only bookworms and suck-ups worry about report cards... Oh, right, youâre also a âBookwormâ... No offense meant to you guys."
Zheng Qing looked at Deng Xiaoxian expressionlessly.
He was definitely doing it on purpose.