Zheng Qing had always felt that he was born with a flag: if he thought something definitely would not happen, then it was highly likely to happen.
Later, he learned that this flag had a name: Murphy's Law.
During today's journey, this law had been demonstrated to the fullest.
A red-eyed female demon had appeared on the school Special Plane he had considered utterly safe; among the vast sea of strangers he had considered mere passersby, one classmate after another had appeared before him.
Zheng Qing squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his forehead, trying to ease the drilling pain pulsing through the top of his head.
The aftereffects of his headache had not fully faded, though the pain remained within tolerable limits. This old problem, which had not acted up in over a decade, had suddenly returned, casting another shadow over his already gloomy mood.
He pulled two yellow paper talismans from the Gray Cloth Bag and slapped them onto his temples.
The talismans slowly began to emit green smoke.
Coolness welled up from his temples, soothing his battered mind.
When he opened his eyes, a sharp-chinned girl holding a cobra stood nervously before them.
She had been the one to interrupt the somewhat awkward atmosphere just now.
"Excuse me!" The girl bowed deeply, her face flushed red. "I accidentally overheard your conversation, so I couldn't help coming over to say hello. I'm also a new student in Jiuyou Academy's Astronomy Class 08-1. Please take care of me!"
After saying that, she bowed again.
The cobra in her arms hung its head, half its body draped around its mistress's neck as it weakly flicked its tongue.
"A snake!" Li Meng shrieked, hopping back at once and hiding behind the boys.
Xiao Bai the pigeon cooed as well, flapping its wings wildly and stirring Poseidon in Zheng Qing's arms into agitation.
"How old is she?" Zhang Jixin leaned close to Zheng Qing's ear, discreetly pointing behind them at Li Meng as he whispered.
"Twelve," Zheng Qing replied in a lowered voice. "Don't mention anything about being young in front of her. She prefers people to call her a college student."
The red-faced boy curled his lips and nodded with an expression that said he understood.
"Xiaolong is very well-behaved. He doesn't bite!" The sharp-chinned girl waved her hands anxiously and held the thick cobra out toward them.
The tiny wound on the cobra's cheek had already vanished. Seemingly sensing that its owner wanted it to greet them, it raised its head, flicked out its bright red tongue, and hissed at them with its black eyes fixed on the group.
This time, even Zheng Qing could not help taking a small step back.
Then he felt that retreating had been somewhat rude. So he stared at the cobra, forced himself to take a step forward, returned to his original position, and reassured her, "Sorry, what should we call you? Is your pet all right?"
"My name is Liu Feifei. Everyone can call me Feifei." The sharp-chinned girl happily pulled the cobra back into her arms. "But Xiaolong was badly hurt. I think he'll be weak for a long time. I wonder whether the school has a suitable veterinarian for pets."
The cobra's neck seemed to suddenly lose all its bones, and it collapsed back into Liu Feifei's arms, its tongue hanging motionlessly from its mouth.
This sly reptile is becoming just like Little Fox. Zheng Qing could not help grumbling inwardly.
"Why are you raising a snake?" Li Meng poked her head out from behind Zheng Qing and asked nervously, "For most wizards, that isn't a very friendly companion."
"When I got him, he was still an egg. My great-grandmother told me it was a dragon egg." Liu Feifei looked dejected as she explained softly, "But after it hatched, it turned out to be a little snake. By the time I wanted to replace him, it was already too late. The little snake considered me its companion. My great-grandmother said that was fate and told me to raise him properly."
It's all fate. Zheng Qing silently thought as he looked around.
As time passed, the atmosphere in the dining hall gradually stabilized.
The black-robed wizard at the entrance was calling for the freshmen who had survived the ordeal to sign the roster. Once they signed, they could leave the dining hall and return to their seats in the passenger cabin.
A smiling flight attendant stood beside the roster, handing every student who signed a small red gift box.
Xiao Xiao did not join the little gathering of classmates. Instead, he went straight over to sign in. However, after signing, he did not leave immediately, but returned to the group with the small paper box.
The little red box was completely plain, without the slightest pattern, and its workmanship was somewhat rough.
"What is inside?" Zheng Qing looked over curiously.
"A Mint Candy, a piece of dark chocolate, and a Calming Talisman." Xiao Xiao pinched the yellow paper talisman between his fingertips and examined its markings carefully before shaking his head. "They're just small consolation gifts. They were probably made in a hurry. The cinnabar on the Calming Talisman hasn't even dried yet."
"The buffet by the entrance is serving food again. Do any of you need anything?" Zhang Jixin had also returned after signing in. Holding a cup of water, he jabbed his thumb toward the buffet some distance away. "There are free drinks too—coffee, milk, iced water, everything."
"I want Green Bee!" Li Meng immediately started walking.
"There are no alcoholic drinks," Zhang Jixin hurriedly added behind her.
Li Meng dejectedly changed direction and headed for the entrance to sign in.
Zheng Qing could not help laughing.
"Student, open flames and burning paper talismans are prohibited on the Special Plane. If you have special needs, you may ask one of our crew members." A flight attendant in a navy uniform walked over to Zheng Qing and advised him gently.
Zheng Qing smiled awkwardly, tore the still-smoking talismans from his temples, rolled them into little balls, and tossed them into the trash bag carried by the flight attendant.
As the cool sensation faded, the fierce headache surged back.
He could not help frowning. His hand gripped his scalp tightly as he rubbed hard, trying to lessen the sudden waves of stabbing pain.
"Were you struck by demonic energy?" the flight attendant asked anxiously. "There isn't a professional physician on board. We can only arrange medical treatment after landing. We only have some motion sickness medicine."
"No, no, no need. It's just a headache. It has nothing to do with that female demon." Zheng Qing pressed his temples and rubbed them gently, trying to make his expression look more natural. "Do you have anything refreshing? Something that can make my head feel clearer?"
The flight attendant ran to the lounge to look, but in the end only found a small box of medicated balm.
Zheng Qing accepted the little round red tin with a wry smile.
Watching him spread a layer of medicated balm over his temples, Zhang Jixin asked in surprise, "Were you really struck by demonic energy? Are you all right? Few wizards these days have a constitution as sensitive as yours."
Zheng Qing's right hand froze. Gritting his teeth, he said viciously, "This is an old problem, not because of that monster!"
"It doesn't matter," Xiao Xiao explained comfortingly. "It's common for ordinary people to faint instantly after being hit by demonic energy. We're not much stronger than ordinary people, and besides, you were far too close to that female demon. Some aftereffects are unavoidable."
Zheng Qing rolled his eyes and did not respond. He merely expanded the area he was massaging with his right hand to cover his entire face.
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