By the time Zheng Qing returned to Qingqiu Mansion, it was already nine in the morning.
The flowers in the garden were in full bloom. The little sprites that had just drunk their fill of nectar and dew lay among the petals with their wings spread, lazily enjoying the winter sun. Several Fox Maidservants were scattered around the garden, carefully tending to these delicate little creatures.
Zheng Qing did not see Su Ya.
That struck him as somewhat strange. At this time of day, the Little Fox Girl should have been crouching in front of her Seven-Colored Flower, ordering the little earth dragons she had caught to loosen its soil. Yet for some reason, she was nowhere to be seen today.
Could it be that Su Shijun had gone out on urgent business and taken her along?
At the thought, a surge of joy rose in the young wizard's heart. He unconsciously quickened his pace, hoping to use this time to discuss the hunting team's plans for the new semester with his teammate.
Unfortunately, the moment he stepped into the front hall, that joy vanished, replaced by intense nervousness. Not only had Su Shijun not left the mansion, but she was sitting in the living room drinking tea with Jiang Yu. Exquisite pastries sat on the coffee table. Su Ya, who should have been in the garden, stood in the corner holding a Green Peacock. Her back was ramrod straight, and she had even carefully tucked her tail into her waist, without a single tuft of fluff showing. That was a rare sight indeed.
Zheng Qing would have sworn that he had never seen that bird in the mansion before.
The peacock might have been the first to notice the young publicly funded student entering the room.
It stared at