Cats Perched on Branches, Wind Ruffling Fur

The winter sky was gray and hazy, its whiteness somewhat dim.

At Linzhong Lakefront, trees of varying thicknesses and heights stood scattered neatly through the small grove, weathering the cold days of this year and month. The once lush green leaves had long since vanished with the north wind, leaving only bare branches and white or brown bark covered in scars.

Though not a single leaf remained on these trees, they were laden with plump "fruit."

These "fruits" came in white, yellow, and black. Each was furry; the smallest were only the size of apples, while the largest were as big as watermelons. Hanging from withered branches, they swayed gently in the cool breeze off the lake.

Zheng Qing was one of these "fruits."

Yes, these "fruits" were actually cats of all different colors and sizes.

Ever since Jiuyou Academy issued its notice that catching mice would count toward final evaluations, the cats in the pet shops along Beta Town's Pedestrian Street had sold out in the blink of an eye. Wizards without pets naturally did not hesitate, treating it as buying insurance for their evaluations. Even wizards who already had pets were eager to try, and many had recently been asking the Pet Garden attendants whether they could keep more than one pet.

For Zheng Qing, this had both benefits and drawbacks.

The benefit was that there were more cats wandering around the academy, greatly improving his concealment after transforming. With so many unfamiliar cats appearing, the black cat no longer attracted as much attention when he brazenly wandered about.

The drawback was that Zheng Qing had become completely unable to shake off the label of "cat catching mice." Since some students' cats had very successfully caught many mice, the other hunters of the You Zui Hunting Team had