Chapter Summaries

As finals approached, Zheng Qing’s friends teased him about avoiding Ilena, whose attitude had grown distant since their interrupted date. Zheng Qing decided to stop reaching out if she continued refusing to speak to him.

• Zhang Jixin and Fatty Xin complained about the holiday schedule falling just before final exams.
• Zheng Qing distractedly watched Ilena studying while Fatty Xin and Zhang Jixin teased him.
• Dr. Xiao told Zheng Qing to stop sneaking glances at Ilena, and the others laughed at him.
• Zheng Qing remembered that the disturbance at the lake island had cut short his date with Ilena, after which she began avoiding him.
• Zheng Qing recalled that Ilena ignored his paper cranes and that their only recent contact was a practical class where her spells left him unable to speak.
• Zheng Qing decided that if Ilena refused to talk to him, he would remain silent too.

Zheng Qing’s classmates teased him about Ilena before Professor Yao arrived to teach Magic Spell Class. Professor Yao praised the students for holding him accountable and left them with their assignment despite briefly putting a pipe in his mouth.

• Xing Fatty and Zhang Jixin teased Zheng Qing about his relationship with Ilena.
• The Stick Figure warned the class that Professor Yao was approaching, and the students hurried to settle down.
• Zhang Jixin punched Fatty Xin after their argument about whether the Stick Figure could feel cold.
• Li Meng told Professor Yao that the Stick Figure had asked for a hat, and Jiang Yu pulled her back into her seat.
• Professor Yao said the Student Union had asked him not to smoke in class and praised the students for taking responsibility for Jiuyou Academy.
• Li Meng spotted Professor Yao with a pipe in his mouth and asked to skip an assignment, but he said the assignment was still due because he was not smoking.

As Jiuyou Academy prepared for its first final exams, Professor Yao reviewed the spells students had learned and explained how university magic relied on borrowing and transferring power. He warned that Yuan Chen Shou Hu would definitely appear on the exam, leaving Zheng Qing thinking of his two strange guardians.

• Professor Yao told his students that the final exams tested what they had learned and urged them to take responsibility for their studies.
• Professor Yao reviewed the Binding Spell and explained how spells borrowed power from true spirits and transferred curses.
• Professor Yao reviewed Yuan Chen Shou Hu and announced that it would definitely be on the final exam.
• Fatty Xin worried that he struggled to cast Yuan Chen Shou Hu without exhausting himself.
• Zheng Qing looked at the spell formula and remembered his two strange guardians.

Old Yao reviewed the Magic Spell Class final exam scope, emphasizing advanced incantations and spellbook knowledge. He confirmed that the Chaos Spell taught during the Hunt Moon would be tested, but the other hunting spells would not.

• Old Yao highlighted several beyond-syllabus incantations as likely exam questions that could distinguish students’ scores.
• Old Yao said spellbooks and their history, standards, workings, and use would account for about thirty percent of the final exam.
• Zheng Qing glanced at Jiang Yu and remembered completing their lengthy spellbook report with her.
• Duan Xiaojian asked whether spells taught during the Hunt Moon would appear on the exam.
• Old Yao confirmed that the Chaos Spell would be tested, while the other hunting spells would not.

Professor Yao reviewed spell material for the final exam, then Li Meng approached Zheng Qing and his friends to ask if they were free Friday afternoon. After they objected and Li Meng calmed herself, she insisted they had time, leaving Zheng Qing and Xiao Xiao suspicious that she was plotting something.

• Professor Yao reviewed familiar spell keywords and exam points until class ran over, then reminded the students to study steadily.
• After Professor Yao left, Li Meng rushed to Zheng Qing, Xiao Xiao, Fatty Xin, and Zhang Jixin and asked if they were free Friday afternoon.
• Zhang Jixin and Fatty Xin eagerly agreed, while Xiao Xiao reminded them that their shop opened Saturday and that they had obligations to the You Zui Hunting Team.
• Zheng Qing warned the others about inappropriate behavior toward a minor, and Li Meng kicked him and insisted she was a college student.
• Li Meng calmed herself and said the group had time, prompting Zheng Qing and Xiao Xiao to suspect she was plotting something.

Li Meng recruited Zheng Qing and his friends for a confidential job and revealed that Qingqiu Mansion needed help making Pumpkin Carriages for the school. The group learned that Su Ya had asked Li Meng to find reliable classmates, while Jiang Yu waited nearby.

• Li Meng presented a Silent Contract, and Fatty Xin, Zhang Jixin, Xiao Xiao, and Zheng Qing signed it.
• Xiao Xiao guessed the job might be outsourced Student Union work, while Zheng Qing wondered if it involved final exams.
• Li Meng put up Barrier Talismans to create a soundproof barrier and stressed that the matter was confidential.
• Li Meng told the group that Su Ya had asked her to recruit help making Pumpkin Carriages for Qingqiu Mansion.

Li Meng recruited Zheng Qing and the You Zui Hunting Team to help Su Ya make Pumpkin Carriages at Qingqiu Mansion, leaving Zheng Qing unable to find a way to refuse. Fatty Xin enthusiastically offered to source and transport pumpkins.

• Li Meng explained that the work involved picking pumpkins and drawing monitoring Runes, and stressed that it was unpaid and voluntary.
• Zheng Qing worried that working at Qingqiu Mansion with Su Ya could expose his connection to her and Poseidon.
• Zhang Jixin and Fatty Xin eagerly agreed to help, while Dr. Xiao justified it as supporting friendship between the Under the Moon Council and First University.
• Zheng Qing considered using the Silent Contract as an excuse to miss the work, but Fatty Xin pointed out that Ilena had ignored him in class.
• Fatty Xin offered to find druids who could supply pumpkins and promised that the boys would buy and transport them.

Zheng Qing was pressed by his friends to explain how he knew about Qingqiu Mansion’s garden, and he claimed he visited to retrieve Poseidon from Su Ya. His companions grew somewhat convinced, though Fatty Xin envied his good fortune.

• Zheng Qing accidentally revealed that Qingqiu Mansion’s pumpkins were overgrown, drawing suspicion from Li Meng and the others.
• Xiao Xiao explained that Guardian Magic concealed the mansion’s location and challenged Zheng Qing to explain how he knew about it.
• Fatty Xin and Xiao Xiao dismissed Zheng Qing’s possible claim that he had heard the information at Wander Bar.
• Zheng Qing said he visited Qingqiu Mansion to bring Poseidon back after Su Ya took the fox there to play.
• Li Meng and Fatty Xin questioned Zheng Qing, then began to believe his explanation, and Zheng Qing corrected Fatty Xin that Poseidon was a fox, not a dog.

Zheng Qing devised three plans to avoid going to Qingqiu Mansion with his friends on Friday, hoping to keep his connection to Su Shijun from being exposed. His plan to fake an injury during practical class collapsed when Dunton announced that the class and several future sessions had been canceled.

• Zheng Qing decided he had to avoid accompanying Li Meng, Xiao Xiao, and the others to Qingqiu Mansion, where Su Ya might recognize him and expose his connection to Su Shijun.
• Zheng Qing planned to ask Professor Yao to summon him to the office by reporting that his eyes were red, swollen, and painful.
• Zheng Qing planned to overexert himself during Friday's practical class so he would have to stay in the School Hospital for six hours.
• Dunton told Zheng Qing and Fatty Xin that practical classes had been canceled for the rest of the semester because finals were approaching.
• Zheng Qing reacted in shock to the cancellation, while Fatty Xin complained that practical classes were also a required course.

As final exams approached, Jiuyou Academy replaced practical class with extra Talisman Class, disrupting Zheng Qing’s plans. His friends suggested he use the lenient instructor to get leave and scout Qingqiu Mansion, but he resisted.

• Xiao Xiao and Dunton explained that core courses customarily took over practical class time near final exams and that practical class grades relied mostly on regular tests and teaching assistant evaluations.
• Dunton announced that Teacher Zhang’s Talisman Class would replace the afternoon practical class because the course was behind schedule and students had performed poorly on Basic Talismans.
• Zheng Qing felt relieved that Teacher Zhang was teaching, since he expected she would be more accommodating if he needed to request leave for his backup plan.
• After Dunton hurried away to notify other students, Fatty Xin and Zhang Jixin teased Zheng Qing about Teacher Zhang favoring him.
• Zhang Jixin and Xiao Xiao urged Zheng Qing to ask Teacher Zhang for leave and scout Qingqiu Mansion early, but Zheng Qing said he would rather not miss class before finals.

During Talisman Class, Zheng Qing anxiously waited for Professor Yao’s reply about his plan. Yao’s message said his symptoms were not abnormal and they would talk after Sunday’s class meeting, prompting Zheng Qing to leave class.

• Zheng Qing hoped Professor Yao would help with his plan and promised himself he would avoid millet porridge for a month.
• A paper crane from Professor Yao arrived during class, and Teacher Zhang allowed Zheng Qing to read it.
• Teacher Zhang resumed explaining how to write the Calming Talisman while the students took notes.
• Zheng Qing read Yao’s message that his symptoms were not abnormal and that they would talk after Sunday’s class meeting.
• Zheng Qing asked to leave class, and Teacher Zhang told him to review Xiao Xiao’s notes afterward.

Zheng Qing rushed back to Dormitory 403 to handle an urgent assignment from Old Yao and told Dylan he would miss the group's planned trip to Qingqiu Clubhouse. He left Dylan to pass on his apology to Li Meng while he shut himself inside his bed.

• Zheng Qing hurried back to the dormitory after getting half a class off and waited for Fifth Master Ni to open the door.
• Zheng Qing found Dylan newly awake and undressed, and the two argued over his early return and the old bronze mirror.
• Dylan asked whether Zheng Qing had skipped class to prepare for the trip to Qingqiu Mansion.
• Zheng Qing remembered his assignment from Old Yao, rushed into his bed, and asked Dylan to tell the others he could not go to Qingqiu Clubhouse and would apologize to Li Meng.

Dylan agreed to deliver Zheng Qing’s message and try to join the temporary labor team at Qingqiu Mansion. After Dylan left, Zheng Qing secretly asked Fat Cat Tuantuan to report on the dorm’s atmosphere that evening in exchange for chicken legs.

• Dylan complained that Zheng Qing had made him a messenger, but Zheng Qing eventually agreed that he could help at Qingqiu Mansion if Li Meng approved.
• Zheng Qing advised Dylan to meet Li Meng after class, bring her pastries from Meow Meow Dessert Shop, and avoid giving them to her in front of Jiang Yu.
• Dylan rushed out, then returned to retrieve Zheng Qing’s unopened spellbook for an autograph from Beauty Su.
• After Dylan left, a black cat slipped out from behind Zheng Qing’s bed curtains and asked Tuantuan to send a red or white paper crane depending on the dorm’s mood that night.
• Tuantuan agreed to the deal after the black cat offered five chicken legs, including two as a deposit.

Zheng Qing used Professor Yao’s summons as a cover to turn into a black cat and sneak into the rear garden woods. He joined the cats in their tree, where a Little White Cat arrived and looked up at them.

• Zheng Qing chose his third plan after his first two plans failed, using Old Yao’s paper crane as an excuse to leave campus work behind.
• Zheng Qing slipped out of the dormitory as a black cat and made his way through the crowds into the rear garden woods.
• Zheng Qing found the cat group lounging in an Old Scholar Tree and climbed onto a sheltered branch, kicking a blue cat off it.
• Zheng Qing rested in the tree as night deepened and the cats settled back down.
• A Little White Cat arrived beneath the tree and craned its neck to look up.

Jiang Yu transformed into a kitten and searched the winter campus for the person killing kittens, choosing a path into the academy’s rear garden grove. There, she found a great locust tree crowded with cats and encountered the Black Cat who had saved her before.

• Jiang Yu found the library and classrooms full, then failed to study in her dorm because Li Neng distracted her with a Pu Rongrong.
• Jiang Yu drank a Transformation Potion, put on a Magic Jade Pendant, and went out to search for the kitten killer.
• Jiang Yu reached a fork and chose the weed-choked path toward the academy’s rear gardens instead of the route to Linzhong Lake.
• Jiang Yu discovered many cats gathered in a great locust tree and saw the Black Cat with four white paws and crimson eyes watching her.

Jiang Yu recognized Zheng Qing as the Big Black Cat and climbed the pagoda tree to claim a spot beside him. Zheng Qing eventually made room for her and brushed the leaves from her fur, then found himself petting her as she purred.

• Jiang Yu spotted Black Cat and identified him as the Big Black Cat she had been searching for.
• Jiang Yu climbed the pagoda tree and kicked Zheng Qing until he shifted over to make room.
• Ragdoll Cat tried to climb higher, but Jiang Yu pushed him back down and he returned to his perch.
• Zheng Qing brushed dead leaves from Jiang Yu's fur, and she settled beneath his paw and purred.
• Zheng Qing stroked Jiang Yu while telling himself he was only looking after a child.

Jiang Yu tried to dismiss her hazy memories of being groomed by a big black cat while walking with Li Meng to D&K’s opening ceremony. Li Meng told her about seeing Su Shijun at Qingqiu Mansion and revealed that Su Shijun had been carrying Poseidon in fox form.

• Jiang Yu recalled being a cat and tried to explain away her memories of the big black cat grooming her as a side effect of Transformation Magic.
• Li Meng noticed Jiang Yu’s flushed face, but Jiang Yu blamed the cold wind and avoided explaining what had happened.
• Li Meng chatted about Qingqiu Mansion, and Jiang Yu offered to ask her family to find her a Seven-Colored Flower.
• Li Meng hinted that Su Shijun had carried a little fox, and Jiang Yu guessed it was Poseidon.
• Li Meng confirmed that the fox was Poseidon and said it had pretended not to recognize her until Xiao Xiao and the others helped expose it.

Zheng Qing woke early on the morning his new shop was due to open, but Xiao Xiao reminded him to do his morning lessons before opening preparations. The chapter ended with Xiao Xiao and Zheng Qing heading to train while Dylan and Fatty Xin were told to prepare the shop.

• Zheng Qing got up before dawn to dress for the shop opening, then remembered his morning lessons and changed back into his old robe.
• Zheng Qing woke Xiao Xiao, Fatty Xin, and Dylan while urging them to get ready for the shop’s nine o’clock opening.
• Dylan emerged from his coffin after Zheng Qing promised him Red Chi blood as a reward for helping at the shop.
• Xiao Xiao got Fatty Xin out of bed and assigned him and Dylan to brush and feed the rat samples in the shop’s back warehouse.
• Xiao Xiao and Zheng Qing changed for training and went to do their morning lessons.

Su Ya tried to avoid garden chores so she could water the Seven-Colored Flower and attend D&K's opening ceremony, but Su Man sent her to clean the garden. Su Shijun said she would attend the ceremony herself and bring Poseidon to someone.

• Su Ya reluctantly watered the plants in the sitting room, eagerly saving the Seven-Colored Flower for last.
• Su Man ordered Su Ya to clean the garden and collect pumpkin vines for the Grass Sprites to use in their nests.
• Su Ya protested that she was supposed to attend D&K's opening ceremony in Su Shijun's place.
• Su Shijun told Su Ya to stay home and watch the garden, saying she would attend the ceremony and bring Poseidon to someone.

The You Zui Hunting Team rushed to prepare their new shop, D&K, for its opening, dealing with missing supplies and a nest of Human-faced Spiders. Once everything was ready, a group of rats wearing Green Vests arrived as the first visitors, spotted by Fat Cat Tuantuan.

• Zheng Qing raced back to the dormitory for cleaning supplies after the team realized they had forgotten them.
• Zheng Qing, Xiao Xiao, and Fatty Xin discussed how to remove the Human-faced Spiders nesting behind the shop sign, and Fatty suggested using the little elves.
• Fatty Xin brought frames for Zheng Qing’s certificates and business documents from the school newspaper’s editorial office.
• Zheng Qing returned to the dormitory to bring the little elves and Fat Cat Tuantuan to the shop.
• The You Zui Hunting Team finished setting up D&K’s exterior, and rats wearing Green Vests became its first visitors.
• Fat Cat Tuantuan noticed the rats sprawled on the counter inside the shop.