Chapter Summaries

Zheng Qing went out into the heavy snow and was chased by two snowmen after watching a snowball fight. Nicholas stopped the chase and discovered that someone had stuck a talisman to Zheng Qing’s back.

• Zheng Qing took the wardrobe mirror’s advice and wore a scarf before leaving his dormitory.
• On his way to the library, Zheng Qing was pelted with snowballs by abandoned snowmen and then chased by two of them.
• After hearing someone suggest the Weak Leg Curse, Zheng Qing cast it and broke the two snowmen apart.
• Nicholas approached Zheng Qing and found a talisman secretly stuck to his back.

Zheng Qing and Nicholas discussed the cheap talismans animating campus snowmen after one exploded in their faces. Nicholas explained that most snowmen were harmless and temporary, but rare conditions could transform an ordinary one into a true snowman.

• Zheng Qing crushed the Locator Talisman that had attracted two snowmen, and Nicholas said the prank was common.
• Nicholas found a Ginger Juice–soaked papyrus talisman in the remains of a snowman, and Zheng Qing identified its unstable construction.
• The talisman exploded when it flashed red, pelting Zheng Qing and Nicholas with snow.
• Nicholas praised Zheng Qing for making his own talisman bullets, and Zheng Qing modestly explained that he drew the talismans himself.
• Zheng Qing asked why the school tolerated roaming snowmen, and Nicholas explained that their crude talismans usually failed within two hours and the snowmen would melt.
• Nicholas warned that rare conditions could turn an ordinary animated snowman into a true snowman.

Nicholas explained the difference between ordinary Snow Puppets and rare True Snowmen to Zheng Qing, who wondered whether the snowman nearby might be one. Nicholas revealed that he was searching for a special snowflake for his sister Liz, and Zheng Qing regretted teasing him about skipping study time.

• Nicholas explained that True Snowmen were independent Elemental Life and described how they differed from ordinary Snow Puppets.
• Zheng Qing watched a departing snowman and wondered whether it might be a True Snowman, though he decided the thought was probably imagination.
• Zheng Qing teased Nicholas about not studying with Liu Feifei, whose tutoring had improved Nicholas's class ranking.
• Nicholas admitted he was looking for Star-shaped Pine Needle Snowflakes to preserve as a Christmas present for Liz, continuing a tradition their mother had kept.
• Zheng Qing's smile faded as he remembered that Nicholas's mother had died and that Liz was sickly.

Zheng Qing prepared for his first proper date with Ilena on Beta Town's Pedestrian Street, eager to spend time with her before their required class meeting. He gathered his money and reflected on how he had earned it, ending with the explanation of why credits were First University's hardest currency.

• After comforting a senior student, Zheng Qing left in a better mood as he thought of his upcoming meeting with Ilena.
• Zheng Qing and Ilena agreed to meet at three-thirty because she had to attend a class meeting about the Silent Tideback that evening.
• Zheng Qing spent the week planning their date, researching shops, restaurants, and how to handle a possible demon attack.
• Zheng Qing recalled earning money through Wander Bar, his hunting team, and betting on You Zui Hunting Team's Campus Cup victory.
• Zheng Qing explained that credits could officially be exchanged for jade coins but not the reverse, making them scarce and highly valued among students.

Zheng Qing exchanged one credit for jade coins at Wander Bar, then met Ilena on Pedestrian Street for their shopping outing. The chapter ended with him worrying that she was dressed too lightly for the snowy weather.

• Zheng Qing reflected on his abundant credit balance and decided to exchange some credits for spending money.
• Zheng Qing exchanged one credit at Wander Bar, where the Multi-armed People attendant waived his fee by treating him to Green Bee.
• Zheng Qing met Ilena outside a sugar figurine shop on Pedestrian Street.
• Zheng Qing noticed Ilena was wearing a thin summer dress in the snow and asked whether she was cold.

Zheng Qing took Ilena to Shuang Tang Ji and gave her a Wind Flower Snow Moon candy globe as a sweet gift. Ilena accepted it and invited him to sample snacks all along Pedestrian Street.

• Zheng Qing noticed Ilena's rune-embroidered winter dress kept her warm against the snow and wind.
• Zheng Qing bought a Wind Flower Snow Moon candy globe from Master Little Tang at Shuang Tang Ji.
• Zheng Qing gave the globe to Ilena and recited a prepared wish for her studies and happiness.
• Ilena accepted the gift, then linked arms with Zheng Qing and suggested they try snacks from every shop on Pedestrian Street.

Zheng Qing took Ilena to Beta Town’s food street, where they sampled fried octopus balls and planned to try the other stalls. The two set off to eat their way through the lively alley together.

• Zheng Qing spotted the food street and suggested they go there for something tasty.
• Zheng Qing and Ilena entered the crowded alley, where an archway’s magic kept snow and slush out.
• Ilena admired the food street’s atmosphere and said she wanted to eat her fill.
• Zheng Qing bought Ilena two skewers of fried balls and joked that they were probably ordinary octopus.
• Ilena shared a skewer with Zheng Qing, and he praised the food before they decided to visit each stall.

After eating their way through the food alley, Zheng Qing and Ilena skipped their Yota reservation and walked across the snowy campus to Linzhong Lakefront. They ended the walk chatting about the lake’s magical fishmen as dusk fell.

• Zheng Qing and Ilena sampled food and drinks in the alley until they were too full for dinner.
• Zheng Qing reassured Ilena that he could transfer his Yota reservation and avoid losing the deposit.
• Zheng Qing and Ilena walked through deep campus snow, and Ilena said she had cast an Anti-slip Charm.
• At Linzhong Lakefront, Zheng Qing wondered whether the fishmen would freeze, and Ilena explained that they were adapted to the cold.

Zheng Qing and Ilena spotted a cobra in the snow and wondered whether it belonged to Liu Feifei. After Ilena stopped Zheng Qing from approaching it, the two joked about speaking Parseltongue and the snake’s gender.

• Zheng Qing noticed a blue-black cobra perched motionless on an artificial rock in the snowy field.
• Ilena tensed at the sight of the cobra, and Zheng Qing reassured her that school snakes were generally registered and harmless.
• Ilena recognized the cobra as resembling Liu Feifei’s pet, and Zheng Qing guessed it was waiting for her near the library.
• Ilena grabbed Zheng Qing’s arm to stop him from approaching the snake, warning that it might bite him.
• Zheng Qing pretended to speak Parseltongue, and he and Ilena joked about whether the cobra was female.

Zheng Qing and Ilena strolled beside Linzhong Lake as Ilena questioned how much anyone could truly know about the world. After discussing the limits of perception, Ilena asked Zheng Qing to kiss her, and he did.

• Zheng Qing and Ilena walked through the snow near the lake while a rattlesnake watched the white tower from the rockery.
• Ilena asked Zheng Qing why he trusted his eyes and feelings, and he replied that wizards had to trust their feelings.
• At the lakeshore, Zheng Qing praised Ilena’s reflection, then firmly said there was no other point in the water besides it.
• Ilena reflected that people might mistake fragments of reality for the world’s essence and suggested the lake could conceal an unseen world.
• Ilena turned to Zheng Qing, asked him to kiss her, and he captured her lips.

Zheng Qing and the Gypsy witch watched a spotted frog fall prey to a cobra as unmanned Zhe Meng boats began crossing Linzhong Lake toward the forbidden Lake Island, drawn by bells. The chapter left them wondering why the island’s tower had summoned the boats and what the school was hiding there.

• A spotted frog croaked and struggled as a cobra swallowed it, interrupting Zheng Qing and the Gypsy witch beside the lake.
• Zheng Qing noticed that empty Zhe Meng boats were moving across the lake, their bronze bells ringing.
• The Gypsy witch explained that bells from the tower on Lake Island had drawn the boats toward the island.
• Zheng Qing questioned why the boats were heading to Lake Island, a forbidden area whose purpose and secrets were unknown.

Zheng Qing and Ilena watched several red Zhe Meng boats cross the mermen’s restricted waters and dock at the forbidden island. The island’s tower erupted in colors and terrifying magical pressure, leaving Ilena unconscious and Zheng Qing pinned in place as a cobra rolled toward them.

• Zheng Qing asked Ilena whether he should notify the School Labor Committee about the boats, but she advised him to wait because they did not know what was happening.
• The red Zhe Meng boats crossed the mermen’s restricted zone and docked at the island without being challenged.
• The island’s Little White Tower flashed through a series of colors as immense magical fluctuations surged from it, while the Guardian Array showed no reaction.
• The magical pressure overwhelmed Zheng Qing and knocked Ilena unconscious on the lakeshore.
• A cobra spat out the spotted frog, curled into a ball, and rolled toward Zheng Qing and Ilena as the injured frog sank into the lake.

A terrifying magical fluctuation struck Linzhong Lake, and Zheng Qing and Ilena were knocked unconscious until wizards arriving from the white tower ended the danger. Zheng Qing woke beside Professor Yao and learned the lakeshore had been transformed into a landscape of spring.

• A crushing magical pressure flattened Zheng Qing, Ilena, and a cobra beside Linzhong Lake while a squirrel continued digging nearby.
• A beam burst from the white tower, and its magical halo lifted the pressure as a black-robed figure appeared before Zheng Qing.
• Zheng Qing and Ilena fainted, then Zheng Qing woke to several wizards questioning him about what he had seen.
• Professor Yao recognized Zheng Qing, sent a young wizard to address the magical aftermath, and went to speak with him.
• Zheng Qing sat up and saw that the winter lakeshore had turned green and filled with spring vitality.

Zheng Qing and Ilena encountered a magically altered lakeside before Professor Yao explained that a school spell should have kept them away. The professor suspected an unexplained loophole, but the chapter ended when Ilena reacted to something in Zheng Qing’s gaze.

• Zheng Qing and Ilena found Linzhong Lake surrounded by signs of spring despite the winter weather, while Professor Yao called the change an accident from a magical experiment.
• Professor Yao’s black-robed wizards recited a spell that began restoring the lakeside to winter, and he asked Zheng Qing what he and Ilena had seen.
• Zheng Qing described an empty Zhe Meng boat, a glowing white tower, and powerful magical fluctuations, then said they had come for a walk.
• Professor Yao explained that a repulsion spell should have made visitors remember urgent business and leave Linzhong Lake between two and six.
• Ilena suggested that walking by the lake had been their most important task, and Professor Yao began to suspect a loophole.
• Ilena startled as she met Zheng Qing’s eyes and snapped the blade of grass wrapped around her fingers.

After a dangerous magical disturbance, Zheng Qing discovered that both eyes had turned crimson, bringing back a troubling symptom the School Hospital had not explained before. Professor Yao arranged for the students and the spectacled snake to sign agreements keeping the incident secret, while Zheng Qing and Ilena waited to go to the hospital.

• The gypsy witch noticed Zheng Qing's eyes had turned red, and Old Yao formed a water mirror so he could see them.
• Zheng Qing recalled that his right eye had turned red after an earlier encounter with a Kappa Demon, then returned to normal after the Freshman Competition, though the School Hospital had never determined why.
• Ilena urged Zheng Qing to go to the School Hospital, and Old Yao said staff would arrive soon and excused him from the class meeting if necessary.
• A black-robed wizard suggested altering the witnesses' memories, but Dean Yao rejected the idea and ordered an appropriate Silent Contract prepared for the students.
• The black-robed wizard asked about the spectacled snake, and Dean Yao ordered that a little blood be drawn to make a blood pact before the group could leave for the School Hospital.

In an otherwise uneventful week, Zheng Qing wore sunglasses to conceal his abnormal red eyes while coping with his fragile mental state and lingering troubles. He met Dr. Xiao at Book Mountain Hall and asked how the investigation was going after searching seven rows of books about Linzhong Lake without finding anything useful.

• Zheng Qing's classmates heard conflicting explanations from Xiao Xiao, Fatty Xin, and Dylan about why he wore sunglasses.
• Zheng Qing recalled how his red eyes had alarmed his roommates and how the school hospital linked his abnormal red eye syndrome to his fragile mental condition.
• Zheng Qing continued to worry about rumors of cheating and Jiang Yu's plan to turn into a cat to lure out a kitten's murderer.
• Zheng Qing told Dr. Xiao that he had searched D Zone 1-2 through 1-9 and found only records about herbs in Linzhong Lake.
• Zheng Qing asked Dr. Xiao how his investigation was going.

Zheng Qing and Youzui searched the library for information about Lake Heart Island’s white pagoda but found almost nothing. Fatty Xin’s hopes of earning a Golden Feather Pen led Zheng Qing to propose a hunting-team outing, but Li Meng overheard them and seemed ready to use what she heard as leverage.

• Zheng Qing, Xiao Xiao, Fatty Xin, and other members of Youzui searched the library for information about Lake Heart Island and found only a brief description of its white pagoda.
• Fatty Xin explained that he wanted to find and interview a Clothed Rat to improve his chances of entering the Golden Feather Pen selection.
• Xiao Xiao explained that the Golden Feather Pen recognized notable media figures and works and could help students secure media jobs after graduation.
• Zheng Qing proposed that the hunting team train the next night and search for a Clothed Rat, but Xiao Xiao warned that Hilda might schedule high-risk combat practice the next afternoon.
• Li Meng overheard the wizards discussing Hilda’s class and hinted that she would keep what she heard secret only if they agreed to her terms; another voice called out to her.

Jiang Yu scolded Li Meng for making noise in the library and threatened to put her in Magic Restraint Steps. After Li Meng ran off with Jiang Yu’s books, Jiang Yu apologized to the male wizards, while Zheng Qing pretended to study until Xiao Xiao kicked him under the table.

• Jiang Yu arrived carrying reference books and quietly reprimanded Li Meng for being loud in the library.
• Jiang Yu warned Li Meng that she would make her wear Magic Restraint Steps if she kept running around.
• Li Meng took Jiang Yu’s books and ran toward the library exit despite Jiang Yu telling her to slow down.
• Jiang Yu apologized to the male wizards, and Fatty Xin asked whether Magic Restraint Steps could harm young wizards.
• Jiang Yu said she had only meant to scare Li Meng and recalled that her family had made her wear the restraints as a child.
• Xiao Xiao kicked Zheng Qing under the table while Zheng Qing pretended to take notes, and Zheng Qing looked up to complain.

Zheng Qing discussed his study of the Yu Step with his friends while Jiang Yu concealed her involvement with the Little White Cat. The conversation shifted to the class’s weekly journals, and Jiang Yu teased Zheng Qing about missing the last class meeting alongside Ilena.

• Xiao Xiao and Fatty Xin mocked Zheng Qing for failing to greet Jiang Yu and for not understanding the Little White Cat’s Yu Step message.
• Fatty Xin recounted how Zheng Qing and Lin Guo encountered the Little White Cat during night patrol at Linzhong Lake, and Xiao Xiao noted that Zheng Qing had since begun studying the Yu Step.
• Jiang Yu grew uneasy as the others discussed the Little White Cat, while Zheng Qing mistakenly thought she was remembering a kitten killed near the lake.
• Zheng Qing changed the subject to Old Yao’s insistence on weekly journals, and Jiang Yu said she and Dunton suspected the journals prepared the students for later magic.
• Jiang Yu explained that she had come to the library to supervise Li Meng as she made up missing journals, then teased Zheng Qing about missing the last class meeting with Ilena.

Zheng Qing’s friends teased him about his snowy-day outing with Ilena, but their conversation was interrupted when Lin Guo arrived in a panic to report trouble with the hunting team. Lin Guo was taken away by a library Alchemy Doll, and Zheng Qing set out to wait for him at the disciplinary office.

• Jiang Yu questioned Zheng Qing about his trip to the School Hospital with Ilena, and he dodged her questions by showing his friends a blank contract.
• Lin Guo rushed into the library, shouting that Zheng Qing’s subordinates were in trouble.
• A Book Mountain Hall Alchemy Doll seized Lin Guo for breaking library rules and took him to the disciplinary office.
• Xiao Xiao stopped Zheng Qing from interfering and explained that the doll might blacklist him too.
• Zheng Qing decided to wait outside the disciplinary office, while Fatty Xin reminded Jiang Yu that Li Meng needed her help with homework.