“Li Meng!” A somewhat stern voice rang out not far away.
Zheng Qing looked over at the sound and saw Jiang Yu hurrying over.
Today, she was wearing a simple teal-colored, straight-collared, waist-length ruqun, with two jade forbidden steps tied at her waist. As she jogged, the tassels on the forbidden steps bounced merrily, and the two jade pieces clinked together.
This was not her usual reserved and proud demeanor, Zheng Qing thought with some curiosity.
Jiang Yu ran to the bar, reached out, and snatched the wine glass from Li Meng’s hand, then looked at Li Meng with a nervous expression: “Who told you to drink?! How much did you drink? Are you feeling unwell?”
Zheng Qing also reacted then, breaking out in a cold sweat.
This little madam better not have any alcohol-related issues; if anything bad happened, he would definitely be in deep trouble!
Li Meng’s cheeks were slightly flushed, her eyes a bit hazy. Hearing Jiang Yu’s question, she pouted and mumbled, “I just took a tiny sip; the rest went to Li Neng.”
Li Neng?
Zheng Qing turned to look at the Plush Bear and saw its two glass-bead eyes blinking, looking utterly adorable and foolish.
“Come here?!” Jiang Yu extended two fingers, pinched the Plush Bear’s ears, and brought it close to her eyes, sniffing its mouth.
The Plush Bear obediently curled its arms and legs, not daring to move.
“Hmm?” She lowered her face, frowned, and looked back at Li Meng.
Li Meng seemed not to have expected her lie to be exposed so quickly. She stuck out her tongue and flopped onto the bar counter.
Jiang Yu exclaimed and rushed forward to check on her.
“Can she not drink alcohol?” Zheng Qing asked cautiously from behind her.
This was a foolish question.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Zheng Qing wanted to slap himself.
After a quick check, Jiang Yu found that Li Meng had only fallen asleep. Jiang Yu breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, glanced at Zheng Qing, and simply explained, “She is a Spiritual Witch.”
A low gasp came from the surrounding crowd.
Zheng Qing gasped, too.
Trouble.
He was no longer a fledgling who had just entered the Wizarding World; he had some understanding of what a Spiritual Witch was.
A Spiritual Witch does not refer to a clever or agile wizard, but rather a wizard with ‘spirituality.’ They can communicate with the ‘Spirits’ that have disappeared from this world through their spirituality, making them highly valued by the Wizard Alliance.
In many documents researching wizarding ranks, ‘Spirit’ is described as the ultimate destination of the wizarding path.
The ancients once concisely summarized the characteristics of Spirits in one sentence:
“Unknowing its name, it is forced to be called Dao; forced to be named Great.”
The ‘Spirit’ entry in the wizarding world encyclopedia lists even more well-known examples:
“…In the Northern Darkness there is a Spirit… it transforms into a fish, its name is Kun. The size of the Kun is unknown for thousands of miles; it transforms into a bird, its name is Peng. The back of the Peng is unknown for thousands of miles; when it flies in Wrath, its wings are like clouds hanging from the sky. This Spirit, when the sea is moved, will migrate to the Southern Darkness… When the Spirit migrates to the Southern Darkness, it strikes the water for three thousand miles, ascends ninety thousand miles on a whirlwind, and departs with a six-month rest…”
Furthermore, similar descriptions exist in the Classic of Mountains and Seas and Spirits: “…There is a Spirit, its name is Peng. Its back is like Mount Tai, its wings are like clouds hanging from the sky, it ascends ninety thousand miles on a whirlwind, it transcends the clouds and carries the Azure Sky…”
Of course, from ancient times to the present, the Kunpeng is not the only wizard who could become a ‘Spirit’; it is merely the most renowned in the Wizarding World. Compared to it, other Spirits are no less impressive. For instance, it is said that the ancestors worshipped by demons are ancient True Spirits.
In all legends and records, ‘Spirits’ display power beyond the mundane.
Such as “Its sight is day, its sleep is night, its breath is winter, its exhalation is summer, it does not drink, eat, or rest, its rest is wind.”
Or “Its tears are rivers, its breath is wind, its voice is thunder, its pupils are lightning, its joy is clear weather, its Wrath is overcast.”
There are also countless other descriptions, such as ‘eight thousand years for spring, eight thousand years for autumn,’ ‘nine transformations a day,’ ‘riding a thunder chariot, harnessing an Yinglong, accompanied by an Azure Dragon, pulling a divine omen,’ and so on.
Because they are too powerful, ‘Spirits’ are rejected by heaven and earth. Their true bodies wander in the depths of the universe, able to touch this real Wizarding World only through extremely subtle thoughts.
And a Spiritual Witch is the medium that carries their thoughts.
A common saying has always circulated in the Wizarding World: “When a Spirit excels, it becomes sacred; when a Saint descends to the mortal realm, it resides in a Spiritual Witch.”
This means that powerful ‘Spirits’ are true divinities; if they wish to descend to the mortal world, they need to inhabit the body of a Spiritual Witch. It can be popularly understood that the relationship of a Spiritual Witch to a Spirit is like that of a divine child to a deity.
Only a wizard with ‘spirituality’ can receive and contain the descent of a ‘Spirit.’
And the method for receiving a ‘Spirit’ is very simple—sacrifice.
Sandalwood, talismans, fine wine, and delicacies—all these can be offered. The body of a Spiritual Witch is very special; under the influence of these offerings, they fall into a very deep slumber. The ‘Spirit’s’ thought then touches the Spiritual Witch deep in her dreams and descends to the mortal realm through her guidance.
Therefore, unless it is for a sacrifice, Spiritual Witches are strictly forbidden from touching sacrificial items, to prevent disturbing those infinitely powerful beings.
Of course, because sandalwood has quality requirements, talismans have different types, and delicacies vary with the season, most of the time, Spiritual Witches rarely come into contact with suitable sandalwood, talismans, and delicacies.
Only fine wine has no restrictions whatsoever.
Therefore, every Spiritual Witch, at the request of the Wizard Alliance, follows an ancient tradition and strictly abstains from alcohol.
And now, Li Meng had slightly broken a small part of that precept.
Zheng Qing anxiously looked around, fearing to see a group of Wrathful Old Wizards, leaning on staffs and dragging chains, rushing over to lock them back in the Wizard Alliance headquarters.
Under the ‘Spirit’ entry in the wizarding world encyclopedia, there was a warning in red text: Any unrecorded ‘Spirit Summoning’ act is a very serious magical accident and will be subject to questioning by the Great Wizard Council of the Wizard Alliance.
At that time, Zheng Qing would not just face the school rules and regulations of First University, nor merely the fate of patrolling Linzhong Lake late at night on weekends, but the direct admonishment of all the Great Wizards of the Wizard Alliance, and he might even go to jail for violating wizarding law!
Thinking of this, he shivered.
“This doesn’t count as ‘Spirit Summoning,’ does it?” Liu Feifei, holding her large snake, timidly tugged at Nicholas’s robe sleeve beside her.
Zheng Qing glanced at the two of them, not in the mood to tease.
Nicholas looked solemnly at the sleeping Li Meng and slowly shook his head: “The ritual is not complete; it will not attract their attention.”
Saying this, he extended his index finger and pointed upwards.
“If normal reception is an invitation, then this at most counts as a greeting,” Xiao Xiao also explained from the side: “As long as Li Meng maintains this state, she won’t suffer any harm even after she wakes up.”
“Really?” Jiang Yu turned her head, looking eagerly at Xiao Xiao.
Xiao Xiao, holding his notebook, nodded very solemnly.
Jiang Yu’s previously tense expression visibly relaxed a great deal.
Zheng Qing also slowly pushed his heart, which had been in his throat, back into his chest.