"Cough, cough."
The young government-sponsored student coughed softly twice, forcing a warm smile onto his face. "What I meant was, it's good to get some wind in winter. The more wind you get, the more energetic you look! Your body can grow as sturdy as a bear's."
This answer showed no regard whatsoever for his dignity. He simply swallowed his previous words whole, digested them, and farted them out.
The other two onlookers in the dormitory were not surprised in the least.
They had already grown accustomed to Zheng Qing's increasingly thick skin. It was not worth wasting even two drops of saliva mocking him. Fatty Xin nodded in satisfaction as well, flicking his wrist and setting the green paper crane free.
The paper crane traced a short arc through the air. Just as it was about to fall to the floor, it struggled to spread open the wings Fatty Xin had crumpled, then flapped back into the air.
Furiously beating its tiny wings, it circled the bronze mirror hanging from the dormitory ceiling by fine threads three times. Finally locking onto its target, it tucked its wings in and shot into Zheng Qing's palm with a whoosh.
After landing, it viciously pecked the young wizard several times before venting its anger and obediently spreading itself flat.
Zheng Qing sucked in a few breaths of cold air. Looking at the red marks the paper crane had pecked into his palm, he hesitated for several seconds before deciding to read the letter first and deal with the crane afterward.
The letter's salutation was extremely brief, containing only four words:
"To Big Black Cat."
The moment Zheng Qing saw those four words, his heart tightened and the hairs on his back stood on end.
Only a handful of people knew that he