Persuasion and Counter-Persuasion

Zheng Qing scratched the back of his head, looking somewhat bewildered.

Had he guessed wrong? Was the Little White Cat he had encountered on Friday night really just some relative of the murdered kitten, rather than Jiang Yu in disguise?

For one reason or another, Zheng Qing had always assumed that the Little White Cat he had saved at Linzhong Lakefront on Friday night had been transformed from Jiang Yu. That was why, when he had started the conversation just now, he had intended to thoroughly tease the witch about how pitifully weak she had looked after transforming. At the same time, he had hoped to lay the groundwork for persuading her to abandon that dangerous plan.

Yet Jiang Yu's answer had caught him off guard. The many words he had prepared in his mind suddenly fell flat, leaving him tongue-tied.

After a pause, he considered mentioning the Little White Cat he had seen that night, to remind her of the risks involved in that plan. But on second thought, if he brought up that kitten, he would have to mention his own transformation. Perhaps he would also have to mention the three patrol officers, how the black cat had frightened them off, and then explain why he could change size. Old Yao's speculation might even come into it, and so on.

With that thought, the young publicly funded student immediately abandoned the idea.

Of course, that did not mean he had given up on trying to dissuade the witch.

"...The best thing is that you haven't started practicing yet." The young publicly funded student seemed to let out a heavy sigh of relief, his tone becoming slightly more solemn. "Transformation Spell is an advanced form of magic. Even with a Transformation Potion to assist you, things can easily go