The firebird vanished behind the mountains.
The rain finally stopped as well.
Pale moonlight replaced the sun, continuing to bring light to the world. But that light remained shrouded beneath the heavy Night Veil, like the school's ban—until it was lifted, it weighed on everyone's hearts like a stone.
The good news was that after the new "sun" rose, the school loosened its controls to a limited extent.
The mermen in Linzhong Lake began surfacing to blow bubbles. A few shops along Pedestrian Street lit their night lamps, and at the school, some students who had obtained notes from professors were permitted to go out on errands.
Naturally, Zheng Qing could not get a professor's note.
Or rather, no muddleheaded professor would have dared let him out at such a sensitive time.
But while people could not leave, cats could.
When the moonlight grew richer, the newly freed Black Gemstone Cat eagerly slipped down Dormitory Hill and headed straight for the Cat Fruit Tree. There was no one along the way. The Cat Fruit Tree was much quieter than usual too. The furry fruits in the tree seemed unable to endure the earlier gale and downpour, fleeing one after another to drier, more comfortable places. Only a sparse few remained hanging from the branches, looking desolate.
He did not wait long.
The Great Fox and the White Jade Cat arrived beneath the tree one after another.
"—Don't ask me. I don't know anything."
The moment the Black Gemstone Cat cocked his tail, the blue Great Fox seemed to guess what he wanted to say. She cut him off directly, then patted the thick copy of "Potions Studies" at her side and reminded her two tutoring students, "There is only one week left until finals. Whether you can graduate depends on