Zheng Qing always felt he was born with a flag: if he thought something definitely wouldn't happen, then it was highly likely to happen.
Later, he learned this flag had a name: Murphy's Law.
On today's journey, the effect of this law was brought to its fullest.
A crimson-eyed female demon popped out of the school's private plane, which he thought was incredibly safe; he thought everyone in the vast crowd would be strangers, but one classmate after another appeared before him.
Zheng Qing squeezed his eyes shut, rubbed his forehead, and eased the throbbing pain in his head.
The after-effects of his headache had not completely dissipated; only the pain was within a controllable range. The old problem, which hadn't recurred for over a decade, suddenly reappeared, casting another shadow over his already gloomy mood.
He pulled two yellow paper talismans from his gray cloth bag and placed them on his temples.
The paper talismans slowly emitted a wisp of green smoke.
A cool sensation emerged from his temples, soothing his battered mind.
Opening his eyes, a sharp-chinned girl holding a Cobra stood nervously before them.
It was she who broke the somewhat awkward atmosphere just now.
"Excuse me!" The girl bowed deeply, her face flushed: "I accidentally overheard your conversation, so I couldn't help but come over and say hello. I'm also a new student in Astronomy 08-1 Class at Nine Provinces College. Please guide me!"
After speaking, she bowed again.
The Cobra in her arms hung its head, half its body draped around its owner's neck, listlessly flicking its tongue.
"A snake!" Li Meng shrieked, quickly hopping and hiding behind the boys.
The pigeon, Little White, also cooed and flapped its wings wildly, causing Poseidon in Zheng Qing's arms to become restless.
"How old is she?" Zhang Jixin whispered to Zheng Qing, secretly pointing to Li Meng behind him.
"Twelve years old," Zheng Qing also lowered his voice: "Don't mention her age in front of her; she prefers to be called a University student."
The red-faced boy pursed his lips and nodded, a look of understanding on his face.
"Little Dragon is very well-behaved, it doesn't bite!" The sharp-chinned girl nervously waved her hands repeatedly, offering the thick Cobra in her arms closer to them.
The tiny wound on the Cobra's cheek was no longer visible. As if sensing its owner's wish for it to greet them, it raised its head, flicked its bright red tongue, and hissed at the group with its dark eyes.
This time, even Zheng Qing couldn't help but take a small step back.
Then he felt his retreat was a bit offensive. So, he stared at the Cobra, forced himself to take a step forward, returned to his original position, and comforted it: "Excuse me, what should I call you? Is your pet alright?"
"My name is Liu Feifei, everyone can call me Feifei." The sharp-chinned girl happily hugged the Cobra back into her arms: "It's just that Little Dragon was severely injured and feels like it will be weak for a long time. I wonder if the school has a suitable pet doctor."
The Cobra's neck seemed to suddenly lose its bones, slumping back into Liu Feifei's arms, its tongue hanging motionless outside its lips.
This cunning reptile is almost like a little fox, Zheng Qing couldn't help but inwardly grumble.
"Why do you keep a snake!" Li Meng poked her head out from behind Zheng Qing and asked nervously: "For most wizards, this isn't a very friendly companion."
"When I got it, it was still an egg. My great-grandmother told me it was a Dragon egg." Liu Feifei showed a dejected expression and explained slowly: "But it hatched into a small snake. It was too late when I wanted to change it; the little snake treated me as its companion. Great-grandmother said this was fate and told me to raise it well."
It's all fate. Zheng Qing thought silently, looking around.
As time passed, the atmosphere in the restaurant gradually stabilized.
The black-robed wizard at the entrance was beckoning the new students, who had survived the ordeal, to sign the roll call. Those who signed could leave the restaurant and return to their seats in the cabin.
Next to the roll call stood a smiling flight attendant, giving each new student who signed a small red gift box.
Xiao Xiao did not join the small gathering of his classmates but went directly to sign. However, after signing, he did not leave immediately but returned to the group with the small paper box.
The small red paper box was bare, without any patterns, and its craftsmanship was a bit rough.
"What's inside?" Zheng Qing asked curiously.
"A mint, a dark chocolate, and a Tranquility Talisman." Xiao Xiao picked up the yellow paper talisman with his fingertips, carefully examining the patterns on it, and shook his head: "They're just small comforting gifts, probably made in a hurry. The cinnabar on the Tranquility Talisman isn't even dry yet."
"The dining counter by the door is serving food again, do any of you need anything?" Zhang Jixin also returned after signing; he held a glass of water and poked the nearby counter with his thumb: "There are also free drinks over there, coffee, milk, iced water, everything."
"I want to drink qing feng'er!" Li Meng lifted her leg and walked.
"No alcoholic beverages," Zhang Jixin quickly added from behind her.
Li Meng turned in disappointment and went to the door to sign.
Zheng Qing couldn't help but smile.
"Student, open flame talismans are prohibited on the private jet. If you have special needs, you can inform our cabin crew." A flight attendant in a dark blue uniform walked up to Zheng Qing and advised gently.
Zheng Qing smiled awkwardly, pulled off the smoking talisman from his temple, crumpled it into a small ball, and threw it into the trash bag held by the flight attendant.
The cool sensation dissipated, and the severe headache surged back.
He couldn't help but frown. His hand desperately clutched his scalp, rubbing vigorously, trying to alleviate the sudden waves of sharp pain.
"Were you affected by Demonic Qi?" The flight attendant asked nervously: "There are no professional doctors on the plane; we can only arrange for you to see a doctor after landing. We only have some motion sickness medication."
"No, no, no, it's not needed. Just a bit of a headache, nothing to do with that female demon." Zheng Qing pressed his temples, gently rubbing them, trying to make his expression more natural: "Do you have anything refreshing, something that makes your head feel clearer?"
The flight attendant ran to the lounge to search and eventually found only a small box of cooling ointment.
Zheng Qing smiled wryly, taking the small red round box.
Zhang Jixin watched him apply a layer of cooling ointment to his temples and asked in surprise: "Were you really affected by Demonic Qi? Are you alright! Few wizards nowadays have such sensitive Physiques as you."
Zheng Qing's right hand stiffened, and he gritted his teeth, saying fiercely: "This is an old problem, not because of that monster!"
"It's alright," Xiao Xiao explained comfortingly: "It's common for Baiding to instantly faint when hit by Demonic Qi, and we're not much stronger than Baiding, not to mention you were too close to that female demon, so some after-effects are inevitable."
Zheng Qing rolled his eyes, said nothing in response, and simply expanded the massage area of his right hand to his entire cheek.