Christmas sunlight filtered through the thick snow, turning soft and warm.
Lin Yuan sat beside the fireplace. In his hands was no longer a book of abstruse Magical Theory, but that error-riddled A Study of the Strange Creatures of the East.
He read slowly, as if savoring something.
For the first time, a genuine warmth from this mortal world had left its mark upon his proud and lonely Dao Heart.
Though faint, it was enough for a seed to take root and sprout.
Hogwarts' Christmas holiday was like an ancient hymn silenced by a Silencing Charm.
The once-bustling corridors now held only the long shadows cast by winter sunlight, along with the occasional off-key Christmas carol from a suit of armor echoing off the empty stone walls, adding an eerie sense of desolation.
For most students, this was a heartwarming time for family, fireplaces, and presents.
But for Lin Yuan, it simply meant that the noisy students who got in the way at the library had finally disappeared. At last, he could enjoy a perfect, undisturbed sanctuary of quiet, where he could devote himself entirely to the grand endeavor of "deciphering the world."
His life remained as regular as the turning of the Stars.
In the morning, when the first faint light of dawn passed through the stained-glass windows of Gryffindor Tower, he had already finished a night of Spiritual Sense cultivation. Though this world had no spiritual energy to absorb, he still tirelessly tempered his Spiritual Sense, keeping this "supercomputer" in peak working condition.
In the morning, he would appear in the Forbidden Section of the library. Thanks to the pass he had obtained in exchange for "the Prince's secret," he was now its only and most diligent "visitor."
In the afternoon, he would choose to leave the castle.
Not to admire the snow or soak up the festive atmosphere. Rather, a closed laboratory containing only theoretical data could never produce truly great results.
He needed to conduct "field research."
He needed to feel the "pulses of the Laws" flowing through this land, alive and shifting, utterly unlike the rigid words in books.
Today, his destination was Hogsmeade.
To wizards, the village was full of magical charm and fond memories. To Lin Yuan's Spiritual Sense, it was merely a marketplace for low-tier magical items, a "mortal bazaar" teeming with mixed energy currents.
Honeydukes was full of low-grade energy blocks enchanted with simple "Animating Charms" and "Taste Deception Charms." The Three Broomsticks was steeped in the chaotic emotional energy released under the influence of alcohol. Zonko's Joke Shop was an even worse breeding ground for low-level mental interference spells.
He had no interest in any of it.
He had only come to buy alchemical materials unavailable at an ordinary pharmacy, and more valuable for research, such as "Fire Salamander's Blood," "Mooncalf dung," and "Hagbird Feather."
These materials would serve as important reference points for his next "Alchemy Path experiment."
Just as he emerged from a branch of Borgin and Burkes, carrying a small bag of oddly scented materials, he suddenly stopped.
His Spiritual Sense, spread like radar over a radius of more than a dozen meters, had picked up an aura that was extremely faint, yet highly unusual.
It was an aura... mingled with death, curses, purity, and pain.
It was as if a drop of the holiest dew had fallen into the foulest pool of poison, and the two were locked in a painful struggle to annihilate each other.
The source of that aura was a figure hurrying along not far from him, bundled up in a heavy cloak with the collar pulled high.
Lin Yuan's gaze settled calmly on the figure.
[Target locked: Quirinus Quirrell][Life signs: Extremely weak, irregular heartbeat, soul energy in a state of dual overlap.][Energy field analysis: The host soul (Quirrell) is parasitized by another powerful, incomplete soul (Voldemort), steeped in venom and the Laws of Death. The host's life force is being rapidly drained by the parasite and is on the verge of collapse.][Recent behavior analysis: The energy traces on his body point to the depths of the Forbidden Forest. The residue contains the aura of blood rich in the purest Life Law... as well as the immense fear and wailing of the creature in its final moments.]
A description of a certain creature from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them instantly surfaced in Lin Yuan's mind.
—Unicorn: A symbol of purity. Its blood can prolong life, but whoever kills one will bear an eternal curse from the moment it falls, doomed to live a cursed, half-dead existence.
"So that's it." Lin Yuan understood. "To keep that shattered soul from dying, he's resorted to anything he can, sucking unicorn blood to cling to life?"
Killing a pure creature in exchange for a cursed life.
To Lin Yuan, this was a foolish way to court disaster, but... it was of immense research value.
"A perfect live experimental subject for studying the interaction between the 'Life Law' and the 'Law of Curses.'"
A cold, feverish glint—the look of a researcher—flashed in Lin Yuan's eyes.
He decided to make "close contact" and gather more precise data.
He set off, seemingly at ease, toward the black-cloaked figure, who was just about to hurry around a corner into an alley.
"Professor Quirrell?"
Lin Yuan's voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to the other man.
Quirrell stiffened, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. He turned around, his face hidden in shadow and pale as paper, his eyes full of nervous fear and suspicion.
"Ryan?" His familiar stammer grew even worse with tension. "W-what are you doing here?"
"Buying some Potions ingredients." Lin Yuan's tone was as calm as if he were chatting with a friend, but his Spiritual Sense was already dissecting the chaotic energy field around Quirrell with the precision of an invisible scalpel. "What about you, Professor? You look... terribly unwell."
"N-no! I'm fine!" Quirrell instinctively shrank back, as if Lin Yuan were some kind of monster.
"Are you?" Lin Yuan took a step closer. His dark eyes seemed able to see through Quirrell's body and gaze directly at the invisible "tumor" on the back of his head. "But I can sense your life force draining at an abnormal rate. Like a candle burning at both ends. If nothing is done, I'm afraid... you won't make it through the winter."
Quirrell's pupils contracted to pinpricks.
H-how could he know?!
"N-nonsense!" he shrieked, his voice sharp and grating with fear.
Just then, a cold, domineering will filled with viciousness forcibly seized control of Quirrell's body from deep within.
The cowardly look in Quirrell's eyes turned instantly cold and vicious. His stammer vanished, replaced by a hissing whisper that sent a chill down the spine.
"A foolish little Gryffindor who doesn't know his place... daring to pry into secrets he was never meant to know..."
A wave of murderous magic locked onto Lin Yuan.
Yet Lin Yuan remained unfazed.
He simply gazed at the "Quirrell" before him, as if admiring an intriguing specimen.
"Finally decided to show yourself, remnant soul hiding in the shadows." Lin Yuan's voice remained calm. "You're in a bad way. Unicorn blood treats the symptoms, not the cause. The Life Law within it is too pure, incompatible with the cursed essence of your soul. Every time you drink it, it's like washing a devil with holy water. It must be... agonizing, wouldn't you say?"
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