Even during morning training, Xiao Xiao was still trying to explain to Zheng Qing that he had used the word "eat" precisely because he had discussed too much medieval Magic History with Sima the previous night and had gotten used to the wizarding terminology of that era.
Zheng Qing halfheartedly humored him while absentmindedly practicing his Unfettered Fist.
Compared with those trivial matters involving Dr. Xiao, he had far too many troubles to worry about—the approaching hunting month, the You Zui Hunting Team's training and competition, both of which took up a great deal of time; the increasingly demanding coursework after entering his second year, with weekly assignments enough to drive anyone mad; and the two Rat People in the little shop off campus, Poseidon as he gradually grew up, Jiang Yu, Su Shijun, the shadow, the slowly recovering spellbook, the Small Sapling in his sea of consciousness, and the Little Green Snake coiled around it.
Worse still, Zheng Qing vaguely felt that he had recently provoked another major problem, yet could not remember what it was. It was like a sneeze stuck at the tip of his nose that would not come out, making him increasingly irritated.
"Maybe you need a mirror." After hearing Zheng Qing's troubles, Xiao Xiao offered this suggestion.
The suggestion came from an ancient spell they had learned during the "extracurricular extension" portion of Tuesday's Divination class—choose a small round mirror, place a bay leaf beneath each bedpost before sleeping, recite the incantation, and go to sleep. Then, in a dream, one would see the mirror, which would reveal events about to happen.
Of course, this magic had side effects as well. For some time after waking, the wizard would frequently experience déjà vu, constantly feeling as though they had seen the scene before them