Chapter 25: Principles of Witchcraft
Su Mu first went to a large herbal store. The store had a comprehensive selection, but she could only buy part of what the system required. Some rare herbs, or those not commonly used, were not available there.
She then searched online, posting high-price requests for the herbs.
By the time she finished all this, it was already noon. Su Mu had been so busy all morning that she hadn’t even sat down, nor had she eaten breakfast.
She took a cab home and ordered takeout.
The herbs she purchased weren’t with her because the store had promised to send them by courier.
While waiting for the takeout, Su Mu continued searching for herbs online. Trying to gather all these herbs within two days was proving difficult.
Even though she had money, she couldn’t find where to buy them.
After browsing through herbal exchange posts, she looked for posts about witches. Some graduates of herbalism mentioned things they learned during their studies, hinting at connections to witchcraft.
She read through dozens of posts, leaving her high-price herb requests under those mentioning the herbs she needed.
By the time she finished, the takeout was nearly cold. Su Mu sat alone in her room, eating.
Xiao Bu was asleep, and the surroundings were exceptionally quiet.
After eating, Su Mu rested for a while, then picked up her textbooks and went to school.
As she walked around the campus, she overheard people discussing Meng Nian’s expulsion.
In their conversations, Witch Shanshan was portrayed as a just witch who despised human cruelty to animals.
When Su Mu arrived at the classroom, it was nearly empty. She walked to the first row and sat down. Just as she did, a familiar face approached her.
“Hi! Su Mu! Good afternoon!” Yang Ye greeted enthusiastically.
“… Good afternoon.”
“There are no spiders this time, so don’t be so cold. Let me tell you a secret!”
“…” Su Mu.
Not really interested.
Besides, weren’t they not even that familiar with each other? If it was truly a secret, why would he tell her?
Most likely, it was just a secret in his own mind… like last time when he thought spiders could bring people closer together.
Su Mu opened her book indifferently. “I don’t want to hear it.”
“Why?” Yang Ye was incredulous. “I haven’t told anyone else. I was waiting for you to come so I could tell you first!”
“Not interested.” Su Mu flipped through the pages.
“That’s because you haven’t heard it yet!” Yang Ye said matter-of-factly. “Once you hear it, you’ll be shocked…”
Without waiting for Su Mu to refuse again, he leaned in and whispered, “Did you know? Meng Nian wasn’t originally going to be expelled. Her father donated two buildings to the school! But the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation pressured the school because they thought Witch Shanshan wanted an explanation… The school had no choice but to expel Meng Nian.”
Su Mu was slightly taken aback. She hadn’t expected Yang Ye’s information to actually sound like a “secret.”
Moreover, if the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation pressured the school… it implied that Shanshan’s witch status was quite significant in their eyes.
Seeing Su Mu lost in thought, Yang Ye grinned proudly. “So? Pretty shocking, right? I told you it was a secret!”
“…Yes, very shocking.” Su Mu closed her book and turned to Yang Ye, blinking lightly. “How did you know?”
“Uh…” Yang Ye’s face reddened slightly, and he averted his eyes, stammering a bit. “I… I found out by accident. I’m a hacker. I often browse the school’s information network and just stumbled upon it.”
“…” Su Mu.
How could someone “accidentally” find out such information?
And… frequently browsing the school’s information network?
Su Mu genuinely said, “You’re quite impressive.” Just not very student-like.
Yang Ye couldn’t help but smile. “It’s nothing, really, just average.”
Though he said this, his eyes were filled with pride and satisfaction.
Because of this information, Su Mu no longer resisted his approach as much. During class, she even allowed him to occasionally whisper a few words to her.
…After all, it wasn’t her being called out by the teacher.
After class, Su Mu went home.
The herbs she bought that morning had arrived, and she had found sellers for the rest. Now it was just a matter of waiting.
By the next afternoon, she had received all the herbs.
Su Mu organized all the herbs, and the system confirmed the task’s completion, rewarding her accordingly.
The magic bag was a small black pouch, only palm-sized, looking very ordinary. It didn’t seem like it could hold much, but when she opened it, Su Mu could feel an indescribable power inside.
The magic circle was a “circle” that could be bound to a person, with a range of one meter. Naturally, Su Mu bound it to herself. After binding, in the room with drawn curtains, a golden circle appeared within a one-meter radius around Su Mu. It floated in mid-air, composed of various intricate patterns.
Su Mu couldn’t recognize those strange patterns, but she could feel the magic emanating from them.
She softly said, “Disperse.”
The magic circle, which was rotating slightly and emitting a golden glow, dissolved into the air.
From the task completion reward page, Su Mu learned that the magic circle was a protective circle for witches during rituals or magic casting. It could prevent external energy interference or attacks from dark forces.
After examining the two rewards, Su Mu finally turned her attention to the “Witch’s Code.”
A new page had been unlocked.
Each page had two sides, and on one side was written “Principles of Witchcraft.”
The contents were as follows:
- Witchcraft is natural.
- Witchcraft requires effort; what you invest is what you will get.
- Never use witchcraft for jokes or self-aggrandizement.
- Practicing witchcraft is a sacred act; maintain reverence.
- Witchcraft itself is not a miracle, but witches are bringers of miracles.
Su Mu’s gaze lingered on the words “miracles” for a moment before she turned to the other side.
At the top of this page, two large characters stood out: “Enchanting.”
“Before using herbs in witchcraft, they need to be enchanted. Enchanting is a necessary step to align the herbs with the requirements of witchcraft…”
Su Mu spent a few minutes thoroughly reading the thin page, from top to bottom, several times.
Then, she got up to make sure her door was locked and her phone was turned off before taking out her previously acquired magical tools.
First, she lit the candles, then summoned the magic circle, used incense for purification, and took out the herbs…
Su Mu did not hesitate when choosing the herbs because she only knew the enchantment spells for three herbs, which were examples given in the “Witch’s Code.”
She took out allspice from the numerous herbs.
She placed a wooden bowl at the center of the altar (a substitute she had bought since she didn’t have a magical altar), calmed herself, and sat quietly for five minutes.
“I gather you…” Su Mu began chanting.
