High School of Demon Hunting

The cold wind of Thanksgiving roared through the academy for an entire night. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

It didn’t cease even the next morning.

Upon getting up, Zheng Qing unsurprisingly saw the ground covered with fallen branches and leaves. Bald-nosed ravens and gray squirrels hurriedly foraged through the fallen nuts in the biting wind, collecting nature’s bounty in preparation for the foreseeable harsh winter.

Xin Fat Man, on the other hand, was full of praise for the Thanksgiving gifts the sprites gave yesterday.

"I thought I’d never use these things in my lifetime."

On the way to class, he tugged at the thick scarf tucked in his hood and collar, his round nose turning red from the wind, his voice somewhat muffled: "I want to bring them a bottle of apple nectar when I return tonight; even unicorns love that drink!"

"You should have given it to them last night to show sincerity, rather than temporarily plucking leaves from your laurel branch and stuffing them into a box that once held fried chicken," Zheng Qing, hiding behind Fat Man’s broad shoulders, teased unreservedly.

Even though they didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving wildly, it didn’t mean that the students of Jiuyou Academy were completely indifferent to the day. Especially with widely recognized holidays like this, it inevitably led to the bad habit of exchanging gifts—of course, differing from major holidays like Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Eve, or Christmas, Thanksgiving gifts were mostly exchanged between those with ’gratitude’ relationships.

For example, gifts from shop owners to their employees; this year was D&K’s first holiday, and Zheng Qing’s gifts to the Mouse Clan’s Ears Brother and the Fox Clan Accountant Hank were a half-day off, fully honoring it without deductions, closing at noon sharp to give them time off.

Another example is gifts from the student union or school clubs to their respective members. The gifts from the student union were business as usual over the years, nothing more than law books, classics, talisman papers, or cinnabar, entirely unimaginative; whereas, club gifts were varied.

Due to the high profits from selling scarecrows and ’Zheng Qing peripherals’ recently, this year the Absolution’s club fund was substantial. After a simple discussion with Doctor Xiao, Zheng Qing decided lavishly to grant each member a jade coin as a holiday allowance, including Monk Shi Yuan, who rarely attended club activities, and Li Meng, who forcefully joined the hunting team, without exception.

There was a little episode during this.

While listing the names for the money distribution, Zheng Qing casually asked, ’Should we send one to the Greenhill Mansion as well,’ and as soon as the words left his mouth, he immediately realized it was inappropriate. Looking up, he indeed saw several knowing gazes.

"That’s the problem with being a player," Xin Fat Man sighed while holding Fat Cat, full of emotion: "In every thing you do, you must attend to all sides, keep everything balanced. If there’s ever a time you don’t hold the scales evenly, the world is bound to fall apart."

"Without some assets to back you up, you can’t possibly afford to be a player." Xiao Xiao added in the same vein.

Embarrassed, Zheng Qing couldn’t help but defend himself: "I meant to say, during the school hunting competition, Su Shijun was our Absolution’s advisor and helped us a lot; shouldn’t we send her a gift?"

"Certainly, certainly, we must!"

The Fat Wizard quickly stood up, deeply bowing in the direction of the Greenhill Mansion, as a sign of respect for the Big Wizard. Then, tilting his head, he cast a glance at the young cost student: "Only you... If anyone else so casually called Su Councilor by her real name, they’d already be lying in the school hospital."

Zheng Qing had no words to respond, giving up the debate with him.

Of course, discussion is just that, the jade coin was ultimately recorded under Absolution’s Thanksgiving expenses, though Zheng Qing doubted whether Miss Qingqiu would notice this inconspicuous small gift amid her long gift list.

Besides the straightforward gifts from the shop and clubs, Zheng Qing, or rather Dorm 403, received other special gifts—scarves, gloves, hats, and knitted wristlets woven by the sprites fostered by Zheng Qing. Compared to last year, everyone received a four-piece set this year.

Last Thanksgiving, those sprites gave gifts that greatly surprised Zheng Qing, so this time, the young cost student prepared a small bottle of lucky magic oil early as a return gift. The recipe for this magic oil also came from the "Shaman Magic Dictionary" recommended by Jiang Yu, using grape seed oil as a base, with additions of comfrey root, fool’s gold (pyrite) shavings, and cinnamon, essence, and wintergreen, ensuring the user some good luck for a certain time.

Xiao Xiao’s return gift was a complete set of exquisite brass pendants, items to decorate the sprites’ paper houses; Dylan’s return gift was beautiful green gauze skirts, one set for each sprite, even with hoods included.

Only Xin Fat Man completely forgot about this. Upon receiving the wool gloves gifted by the sprites, he hastily pulled out a sprig of laurel, plucking the leaves one by one, giving each sprite a leaf.

Hearing the young cost student’s teasing, the Fat Wizard was somewhat unyielding: "My sincerity is way more expensive than yours! Does your bottle of magic oil go for three gold beans? My laurel branch has been blessed by the Big Wizard! It was originally meant to be a Christmas gift for... It wouldn’t be less than seven or eight jade coins according to market rates; now I’ve given all those leaves to the sprites, isn’t that a big loss?"

"Sincerity doesn’t necessarily relate to the gift’s value," Xiao Xiao seriously refuted the Fat Wizard’s claim: "Haven’t you heard of ’a goose feather sent from afar’? In this sense, the magic oil personally crafted by Mr. Zha, with its beautiful significance, is more precious than your leaves!"

"I never said his gift wasn’t precious!"

"Don’t randomly call that nickname outside!" Zheng Qing, first anxiously looked around to ensure no one was nearby, then angrily glared at the Doctor, before turning to the Fat Wizard, changing his expression: "Compared to whether it’s precious or not... I’m more curious about the name you didn’t make clear earlier... Who was that laurel branch originally intended for?"

"Your law book looks pretty nice, is it newly bought?" The Fat Wizard, eyeing the brand-new law book in Zheng Qing’s arms, tried to change the subject.

"You know very well this was the student union’s Thanksgiving gift to cost students, it’s not as if I’m the only one who received it!" Zheng Qing chuckled, unmoved: "Don’t change the subject!"

"But the Doctor didn’t abandon the old for the new, casually using the new one like that." Fat Man replied with insinuation: "If you say you have no other thoughts, I wouldn’t believe it."

Jiang Yu, also a cost student, received the exact same law book as Zheng Qing this time.

"Don’t drag me into this. My bamboo slip law book is perfectly fine, I don’t need a replacement." Xiao Xiao, adjusting his glasses, felt quite helpless, turning to Zheng Qing: "As for his laurel branch, it’s most likely intended for Senior Linda at his editorial department... I heard she’s going for off-campus practice and indeed could use some luck."