Vengeful Ghosts and Wandering Souls

Although he had gotten a rough sense of Hogwarts Castle from books and films, now that he had truly entered the castle, Li Mu was still astonished by the splendor and luxury of its decor. The other students also looked around in amazement.

Rewinding a little... after getting off the train, the first-years were led by Hagrid just as described in the "history books," boarding boats in groups of four and crossing the lake to the castle. Li Mu sat with Harry, Ron, and Neville, and they all greeted Hagrid amicably.

Hagrid was clearly delighted to meet "old acquaintances" as well. He was especially excited as he shouted instructions to the students, his voice even louder than usual.

The lake was not large, and its waters were calm, but Harry and Neville sat on edge, afraid their little boat would get tangled in lakeweed or that their heads would strike one of the artificial rock formations jutting out of the water.

Ron, on the other hand, looked quite relaxed. Secretly, he was glad Hermione was not in the same boat as them. Otherwise, she would probably have kept chattering about the historical origins of the lake-crossing ritual, or continued curiously questioning Li Mu about the connection between Celestial Empire Daoist arts and modern magic.

On the train, she had already asked Li Mu more than once to teach her how to cast magic without a wand.

After the boats crossed the lake, the group of twenty or thirty first-years arrived at the castle gates. A female professor in emerald-green robes, named "Minerva McGonagall," was waiting there. She led them through the magnificent entrance hall, down dim corridors, and finally into a small empty room.

Li Mu stood behind Harry and the other two, surrounded by young faces. He glanced behind him and saw Hermione still talking with several girls about Hogwarts' ceiling.

"Has none of you read Hogwarts: A History?" She looked quite surprised. "It says that someone enchanted the ceiling so it could display the weather outside the castle, which is why we can see the stars outside..."

Before she could finish, Hermione fell silent, because Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and began to speak.

Professor McGonagall's speech was roughly a welcome for the new students, followed by an introduction to Hogwarts' four Houses—Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. They were named after their respective founders and embodied the four founders' educational ideals and teaching styles.

Li Mu had long known all this, so he listened absentmindedly.

"In a few minutes, the Sorting Ceremony will begin before the entire school. I suggest you pay attention to your appearance." This was Professor McGonagall's final remark. She swept her gaze over the students, then left the little room. "I will return shortly to inform you."

Li Mu saw Harry trying to smooth down his hair, while Hermione nervously straightened her clothes and tried to tame her fluffy, messy brown hair. Neville and Ron had initially stood there blankly without moving, but while adjusting her clothes, Hermione still found time to step forward and remind her friends—

"Neville, your cloak is tied crooked. Oh!... And you, Ron, what is that on your nose? Did you get dust on it again?" As she spoke, she pointed out Neville and Ron's shortcomings one by one. Unfortunately, while helping her friends, she forgot to lower her voice. "Pay attention to Professor McGonagall's warning. It might affect your Sorting results!"

Neville and Ron awkwardly adjusted their clothes and wiped their noses, their faces turning green under everyone's varied gazes.

Fortunately, the first-years soon shifted their attention elsewhere. After all, the upcoming Sorting Ceremony would determine how they lived for the next seven years. The crowd gradually fell silent, everyone trying hard to calm their nerves, though clearly, they all failed.

A few people discussed the method of Sorting in whispers as faint as mosquito buzzes, while most were too nervous and frightened to speak—Hermione Granger was the exception. She was still chattering nonstop to the people around her about the magic she knew, as though that could give her a little more confidence. But not many people listened to her.

The atmosphere grew increasingly tense, until even Li Mu felt a little nervous. Then, "Aaaah—"

Several shrieks suddenly rang out, nearly making Li Mu and the others jump.

"What happened?"

"Look over there!"

The first-years erupted into commotion, talking all at once, and soon learned the reason for those screams.

A group of pearl-white ghosts passed through a wall from somewhere and now floated above them. Most of the first-years wore frightened expressions, but Li Mu's eyes lit up.

He had finally seen real wandering souls!

Ancient Daoist texts of the Celestial Empire said: "After death, a person's soul rises to Heaven and their corporeal spirit enters the earth. Only the Three Corpses wander on, and these are called ghosts." Between Heaven and Earth, ghosts also had a place to dwell: the Netherworld. Yet some ghosts were possessed by resentment in life and lingered in the mortal realm after death, their yin malice and violent aura especially heavy. Even the underworld's constables of impermanence could not seize them, and they became vengeful ghosts and wandering souls.

Over the years, these vengeful ghosts and wandering souls might even cultivate themselves into wicked demons, causing great harm in the mortal world. Thus, righteous and virtuous people in the mortal realm answered Heaven's will, learning Daoist spells and immortal arts specifically to deal with these vengeful ghosts and wandering souls, demons, monsters, and spirits...

But these were only legends. Li Mu had once asked Li Jianmin about them, and whether Heaven and the underworld truly existed was hard to say. Even whether these vengeful ghosts and wandering souls were really formed from yin malice and violent aura was hard to say.

At least, the wandering souls Li Mu saw now looked perfectly peaceful. Besides, in the "history books," they did more good than evil.

The figures floating in the air before them were the ghosts who had lived in Hogwarts Castle for a long time. As they drifted along, the ghosts argued about something, only noticing the first-years below them after a moment.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" asked a plump ghost who looked like a monk.

Almost all the first-years held their breath, not daring to make a sound.

So Li Mu's instinctive reply drew particular attention. "Hello, Fat... Mr. Ghost. We're this year's new students, waiting for the Sorting Ceremony."

"Oh, new students." The ghostly Fat Friar nodded and gave Li Mu a gentle smile. "Welcome to Hufflepuff, the House I attended... Ah, those were the days."

The other ghosts also examined Li Mu with interest. Even most of the first-years curiously watched the student who dared speak to ghosts. Thick-skinned as Li Mu was, he still blushed for once.

Fortunately, Professor McGonagall entered just then and rescued him. In her distinctive high voice, she called loudly to the students, "First-years, line up! Follow me now."

The Sorting Ceremony was about to begin.

End of Chapter