A furry something brushed Zheng Qing’s nose, and with a huge sneeze, Zheng Qing rubbed his sleepy eyes, pulled the furry little guy into his arms, and roughly kneaded it a few times.
Accompanied by a series of squeaks that sounded like suppressed laughter, Zheng Qing sighed heavily.
He casually pulled out his phone; the time displayed was August 29th. More than a month had passed since that dream-like experience, and there were only two days left until he officially departed for First University.
It was just like a dream.
Zheng Qing couldn't help but take out his admission letter again and read it carefully, word for word.
A wet tongue tirelessly licked his cheek.
Zheng Qing turned his face, and a pair of bright, shiny eyes stared at him unblinkingly. Its pink little nose twitched, accompanied by the shaking of its large ears, and its clean white tail wagged back and forth, looking incredibly cute.
It was Poseidon, the little fox.
“Go play with Fei Rui; don’t keep licking me,” he mumbled, getting up and carrying the little guy towards the balcony.
That fat Hamster had been freeloading at his place for so long; it was only right that he help take care of the little one. Zheng Qing maliciously dropped the little fox next to Fei Rui’s nest.
In less than two months, Poseidon had grown from the size of a fist to the size of two fists, and the light blue ripples on its body were becoming increasingly apparent. Just like its mischievous mother, the little guy was very lively. Waking up every day with a sneeze had become a new habit for Zheng Qing.
He casually wiped his face, practiced a few rounds of boxing on the balcony, drank a warm cup of soy milk, and after breakfast, Zheng Qing hurried back to his room to read.
That’s right, reading.
If Mr. Wu had led him into a mysterious world, then First University’s reading list had peeled back a layer of that mysterious world’s veil, allowing Zheng Qing to see a broader history and reality.
He used to think his future was confined to the mountains and dense forests, only as big as Hui Zi Market.
But in just one month, his world had become boundless.
Opening the bookmark for “The Great History: Modern and Contemporary World History,” Zheng Qing turned to where he had last read and began to read with great interest:
“…In the early twentieth century of the Baiding calendar, the Wizarding World was still debating whether wizards should reveal themselves on a large scale… ”
Thomas visited again a few days ago, bringing Zheng Qing a copy of the “wizarding world encyclopedia” borrowed from the Library, which was precisely the version published by the Wizard Alliance Education Committee’s Quality Education Office that he had mentioned before. Since Zheng Qing had not yet officially enrolled, Thomas himself was the borrower.
After repeatedly cautioning Zheng Qing to take good care of the book, the busy interviewer left in a hurry.
After this period of intensive study, Zheng Qing could now understand many unfamiliar terms.
Just like ‘Baiding’.
In the Wizarding World, Baiding specifically refers to other humans who are not wizards; in other words, the White Dings World is the world of ordinary people.
“…Stubborn Wizards (Non-Contact Faction) believed that wizards were born noble, that mortals were untouchable, and strongly resisted any form of contact… Conservative Wizards (Limited Contact Faction) believed that wizards should maintain mystery and low-key profiles, reduce contact with mortals, and avoid uncontrollable incidents… Radical Wizards (Active Contact Faction) believed that wizards were friends of humanity and had the responsibility and obligation to help human society develop and progress better. They believed that isolation policy was a discriminatory act… ”
“…A series of escalating incidents brought this debate to a fever pitch… On the land of Europa in the mortal realm, several kings were controlled by dark creatures, causing immense casualties among the Baiding… Evil soul wizards in Vienna ignited the most insane internal strife in the Baiding world by widely spreading hatred… At the same time, in the Greater China region, Japanese samurai families wantonly appeared, while the various factions of the Central Plains, due to their stubborn stances, turned a blind eye to this… ”
“…Given that the White Dings World is the foundation of the Wizarding World, after several debates and based on regulations such as the ‘Vampire Seclusion Treaty,’ on July 21, 1945, the Wizard Alliance Grand Wizard Council unanimously passed the ‘Wizard Conduct Management Methods’ at its 1,536th meeting, imposing strict restrictions on wizards’ secular lives… At the same time, capable wizards were dispatched deep into the White Dings World, bringing nuclear power, thereby preventing the tragedy from recurring from another perspective… ”
Zheng Qing pulled out a notebook, turned to the last page where he took notes, started a new line, put an asterisk, and added a remark: July 21, 1945 — Wizard Alliance Grand Wizard Council — 1,536th Meeting — “Wizard Conduct Management Methods”.
The most famous achievement of China's education system is test-oriented education. Having been immersed in this environment for nearly twenty years, Zheng Qing had a good grasp of how to quickly master knowledge points.
He knew his foundation was weak and his grasp of knowledge points was poor.
So he raced against time, trying to enrich his understanding of the Wizarding World as much as possible.
Soon, the entire morning passed.
After lunch, his father pulled Zheng Qing into the room and handed him a bus ticket to Chang'an, saying, “You won’t be spending much of the family’s money at University, and the school even prepared your plane ticket, so I want you to be comfortable when you leave home. Once you get to school, study hard and don’t waste such a good opportunity.”
Scanning the white at his father’s temples, Zheng Qing blinked and gave a very firm “Mm.”
“Your school is strange too; there’s only one special flight, and they don’t allow parents to pick up or drop off students,” his mother, who had entered the room at some point, complained with a smile. “Also, do you really not need money? Take some from home, at least.”
“No need, the school is a closed campus; there’s nowhere to spend it even if I bring it,” Zheng Qing thought of the alarming exchange rate between wizard currency and RMB, feeling melancholic. In the past few days, he had sorted through the talismans in the box under his bed; there were less than thirty complete and undamaged ones. According to the prices he had inquired about at Four Seasons Square, he estimated they wouldn’t even be enough to exchange for one jade coin.
Perhaps he could try to work part-time during his free time to earn living expenses.
Thinking this, a surge of eagerness welled up within him.
“Still, take some,” his father finally decided, handing over a bank card: “There are a few thousand yuan in it, just for daily pocket money. The password is your birthday.”
“Understood.” Zheng Qing no longer refused, nodding his head in acknowledgment.
“Hurry up and go, and make some time to say goodbye to your classmates.”
“Don’t forget Mr. Wu!” Professor Zheng emerged from the study, reminding him.
“I know!” Zheng Qing nodded vigorously: “I’ll go to San You Bookstore to see if Mr. Wu is back today.”
On the day he received the First University admission letter, Zheng Qing had gone to San You Bookstore to look for Mr. Wu. However, the bookstore door was tightly shut, and a notice board on the windowsill read, “Owner out on business, store temporarily closed.”
Such incidents happened frequently over the past ten years or so. Every year around autumn and winter, Mr. Wu would take the Yellow Flower Cat out for a period of time. Sometimes it was as short as a dozen days, and sometimes as long as several months. Zheng Qing still remembered when he was fifteen, Mr. Wu left before the Mid-Autumn Festival and didn't return until the spring equinox of the following year.
According to Mr. Wu, he went to save the world.
Whenever Zheng Qing heard this, though he didn't scoff, he would simply lower his gaze and remain silent.