Hogwarts

Ever since he discovered that the old man was filthy rich, Li Mu had begun fantasizing and even plotting out a whole series of strategic moves.

A black-and-white television would cost at least four or five thousand yuan at this time. If he sold it and scraped together a little more, it would be enough to buy a small house in this era. Hold onto that house for ten or twenty years, and its value would increase by dozens of times at the very least... Besides, since the old man could afford a television and use a rotary phone, he definitely had plenty more assets on hand—a standard Ten Thousand Yuan Household. No, perhaps even a Hundred Thousand Yuan Household!

Once the old man, who looked as though he could keel over at any moment, finally passed on, Li Mu could use the inheritance to start a business, invest, and build himself a Yi Da, a Heng Da, or an Ali Mama Group. From then on, he would transform into a business tycoon, the nation's dream husband, marry a rich, beautiful woman, and reach the pinnacle of life...

For quite a while, Li Mu practically laughed himself awake from his dreams every night.

Unfortunately, before that dream had even truly begun, reality stunned him all over again around his second birthday.

That day, the old man solemnly called Li Mu over and said, "You're nearly two years old now, old enough to remember things. You're gifted and intelligent, more outstanding than other children. So I think it's time."

Time for what? Was he in such a hurry to hand over the inheritance? Li Mu chuckled to himself, only to see the old man snap his fingers.

The newspapers and magazines, teacups and porcelain bowls, dinner knives and fruit... all floated into the air, slowly spinning in midair.

"What the fuck?!" Li Mu immediately forgot all about maintaining the image of a two-year-old child or the dignity of a university graduate, blurting out a curse of habit.

Eight years had passed since then, but he still remembered that scene and the old man's words afterward. "I can see that you have an extraordinary imagination and exceptional talent. You're suited to cultivating immortality and learning magic. Want to learn spells? Join my Shushan Taoist Academy and cultivate. I'll teach you."

Li Mu also remembered his answer back then.

"It's clearly 'unconventional imagination'... pfft, no, it should be 'exceptional spiritual bones,' shouldn't it?!"

*********

And so, Li Mu began cultivating under the old man's guidance.

They called it cultivating the Dao and seeking immortality, but it was far more tedious than he had imagined. The old man said he needed to lay a solid foundation in the early stages, so Li Mu rose at dawn every day, ran around the mountain, carried water with weights, plowed fields and tilled farmland...

At the end of the day, he soaked in medicinal baths and meditated under the moon. At first, he felt that the old man was simply using him as free labor. Chopping firewood, growing vegetables, diving into water and the like—could that really count as cultivation? And he was only two years old.

Hiring child labor was illegal!

Still, after keeping at it for four years, the results were astonishing. By the time Li Mu was "six," his small body had become remarkably sturdy. He could sprint from the mountaintop to the foot of the mountain without even panting, and carrying two buckets of spring water totaling twenty kilograms did not feel heavy at all.

Before his transmigration, he could never have imagined such things.

Encouraged by these miraculous changes, Li Mu became even more driven.

It was also during the year he turned "six" that the old man somehow dug out a bundle of bamboo slips and tossed them to him, saying only three words: "Memorize them."

Large characters were written on the bamboo slips in thick ink. When Li Mu looked closely, the characters were neat and square—traditional Chinese. Fortunately, they were not written in some more unusual script like small seal script, so he could still recognize them.

At the top were three large words: "Banish Evil Incantation." Below them were dense lines of smaller text: "Do not take the thirteen fundamental forms lightly; force qi through the body and let it condense. Keep the intent of every form in your heart; within the abdomen, relax into stillness, and qi will naturally rise..."

Before Li Mu could read much more, the old man added, "Memorize every word without error. Recite it backward as smoothly as forward, and you'll be able to sense qi. Then you can enroll in school."

Li Mu gave a noncommittal hum and read through it. It was entirely a long seven-character poem. That small bundle of bamboo slips contained no more than a thousand characters, and he recognized almost every one of them, but when strung together, their meaning was extremely obscure.

He even drew on the effort he had once put into studying texts in his previous life, working until his head spun and his vision blurred before he barely managed to memorize it.

Several more years passed in a blur. After giving him that long seven-character mnemonic poem, the old man only occasionally taught him a few talismanic spells. In the blink of an eye, Li Mu had reached the age of "ten."

The year had also become 1991.

Finally, three days earlier, the old man had called him over and handed him a sheet of parchment.

"It's time. Your age and abilities are sufficient for you to enter a magic academy. Where do you want to go?"

Over the years, he had learned that this unremarkable old man, Li Jianmin, was one of the current consultants of Shushan Taoist Academy and also served as the Sword Immortal Department Director there.

It seemed that Li Jianmin had quite a reputation in the magic world—though for some reason, he was so idle that he spent most of his time at home and never went out.

Li Jianmin naturally meant for him to join Shushan Taoist Academy. Li Mu had not had any other plans, either. His foundational training was rooted in orthodox Daoist arts, so embarking on the path of cultivation from there was only natural.

The key point was... ever since Li Jianmin had picked him up, he had spent the past ten years living day and night with this old geezer alone. He had once tried sneaking down the mountain, charging left and right along the roads in every direction.

Whenever he felt he was about to reach the foot of the mountain, though, he would find the roads surrounded by lush greenery and shrouded in mist. Either he would somehow wander in circles and return to the hut, or he would lose his way until Li Jianmin came to retrieve him.

The entire mountain was covered in formations; no clever boy could escape. After ten years of living in the wilderness, if not for the television, telephone, and newspapers—and if not for the novelty of cultivation—Li Mu feared he would have turned into some long-haired wild man himself.

"Then of course I'll choose..." Li Mu said, his gaze continuing down the list.

To his surprise, there were quite a few magic academies in this world. Below Shushan Taoist Academy were Kunlun Taoist Academy, South Sea Putuo Academy, Songshan Buddhist Academy, and more, filling an entire page.

When he flipped the sheet over, there was even more on the back—magic academies outside China.

They included Yingzhou Yin Yang Spirit Academy, Shanyue Sorcery Academy, Tianzhú Brahman Academy, Roman Christian Academy, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...

Huh?!... Hogwarts!

Li Mu's eyes lit up. He had been a fan of the book Harry Potter, and the moment he saw that name, his thoughts began to race. Could it be that Hogwarts?!...

If it was that Hogwarts, and it was now 1991, then didn't that mean...

The words Li Mu had been about to say were swallowed back down. He took a deep breath, then asked, "Um... does England have someone called Voldemort...?"

The old man before him froze as well. Raising an eyebrow, he said, "You mean that dark lord... How do you know about him?"

It really was...!

The old man continued, "That fellow used to be quite notorious, but he was subdued ten years ago. Don't mention him. He has nothing to do with us."

Sure enough, ten years ago...

That meant England in the distant West was developing exactly as described in the Harry Potter books. That also meant that if he chose to attend Hogwarts, he could become classmates with Harry Potter and the others in the same year.

Li Mu set down the thin sheet of paper, furrowed his brows, and took another deep breath.

"Let me think about it... Give me three days," he said.

Three days later, Li Mu took the initiative to challenge Li Jianmin to a game of chess. Halfway through their battle, he told the old man his decision.

He had decided to go to Hogwarts!

(End of Chapter)