The owner of Qingqiu Mansion seemed to have ten thousand whys she wanted the young government-sponsored student to answer.
Zheng Qing wore a stiff smile and followed at her heels, seemingly guiding the guest around. At the same time, however, he keenly sensed a gaze drifting over from another corner of the room, there and gone again. Like wisps of cold wind from outside, it blew against the back of his neck, slipped down his collar, and chilled the back already soaked in cold sweat.
Su Shijun seemed to have noticed that "chill" as well.
"Eh? Your Class Monitor is walking this way."
Her attention was immediately drawn to the other witch approaching at a leisurely pace. She gave the Wanderer Wizard a cool nod while eagerly describing the scene in Zheng Qing's ear. "...She's pretending to get a drink, but I can calculate that her destination is right here... Mm, three people away... I have to say, her dress is quite pretty today. It seems to be Fudi Chui's custom piece from last month... Two people away... The wine she chose smells nice too. Citrus, lemon, white peach, and orchids... One more person..."
The voice in his ear was like a demon's whisper, rustling softly and making Zheng Qing feel as though hundreds of tiny bugs were crawling across his back. Every movement left him feeling like thorns were pressing into his spine. He had originally worried that Su Shijun might clash with the Wanderer Wizard over the recent scene-crashing incident, but now it seemed that Archwizards had a much higher tolerance for error in their interactions. He should have been worrying about himself instead.
Zheng Qing began seriously considering the possibility of slipping away.
Just as desert peoples evolved long eyelashes to ward off windblown sand, as people