Although he had unexpectedly encountered a wild demon in the neighborhood and felt dissatisfied and resentful about how things had unfolded, Zheng Qing still stayed home for a full two weeks, not leaving for school until February 2.
This was the result of several factors working together.
For one thing, before leaving school, he had agreed with the school to return through the Clockwork Passage at 4:45 p.m. on February 2. Any change during that time would not only mean a great deal of paperwork and documentation, but also the added expense of a Temporary Passage.
Compared with staying home a few extra days, the cost of returning early was clearly not worth it.
On the other hand, it had to do with his existing social ties.
Zheng Qing had only truly entered the wizards' world for a little over half a year, whereas he had lived in Pingyang City, in the ordinary world, for a full eighteen years.
Relatives on both his parents' sides, uncles and aunts, paternal and maternal cousins, elementary school classmates, middle school classmates, high school classmates, classmates from hobby classes, neighborhood friends, and so on—eighteen years of bonds would not fade or disappear after half a year apart. On the contrary, those bonds had become even stronger and closer after more than half a year without contact.
Beginning on the first day of the lunar new year, Zheng Qing found himself caught in an enormous web encompassing every aspect of his relationships, unable to break free.
By the time he had taken care of all those social obligations, another six or seven days had passed, and it was time for him to leave home and return to school.
Besides those two reasons, the unexpected wild demon had also made Zheng Qing doubt the protection plan