Selection Tournament
Hermione returned, shivering from the cold. Tomorrow was the Miao Village's annual selection competition; the chosen children would learn Gu Arts and become Gu masters.
Although Ayi Duo did not become a Gu Master, her natural affinity led her to acquire her own Little White Snake and Haha at a young age. However, they could only perform some simple attacks, and Ayi Duo did not know Gu Arts.
Hermione shook the snow off her and went through the portal. She had gone to find Hagrid early in the morning, intending to help him prepare for his lessons, because Professor Grubbly-Plank was indeed a very good teacher. Currently, 95% of the students at the Hogwarts Academy preferred Professor Grubbly-Plank to Hagrid, and even Harry was somewhat skeptical.
So Hermione, fearing that Hagrid would return and teach her dangerous Fantastic Beasts indiscriminately, planned to ask Hagrid about it. However, she knocked on the door for a full half hour before Hagrid finally returned from the forest.
Even though Hermione kept reminding him, Hagrid, that big guy, stubbornly insisted on giving his student a surprise and had no intention of listening to Hermione.
Hermione was so angry that she had no choice but to puff out her cheeks and huff back to the Miao Village.
"Miss Granger, you should be more open-minded. As the chief said, everyone has their own destiny, and you can't force it. Respect other people's fates and let go of your desire to help others."
Theodore sat by the window, closed the spellbook in his hand, adjusted his glasses, and slowly began to speak.
Hermione is actually a very kind-hearted person. If you are someone she considers a friend, she will want to help you in every way possible. She was seriously considering Theodore's words, but Malfoy's words immediately angered Hermione.
"Is that big idiot still alive? I thought he was dead when I saw how badly he was injured. He's really lucky to be alive. Trying to reason with a Giant? Ha! I'd rather bang my head against a wall; at least that wall might collapse."
"Shut up, Malfoy! Hagrid won't die!"
Malfoy's words, though crude, were not without merit. That's just how he talks. As a Pure-blood member of the Twenty-Eighths Noble Family, he was already incredibly arrogant. Hagrid, a Half-blood- Giant, was beneath Malfoy's notice. The fact that he cared enough to keep him alive was already a sign of Malfoy's conscience; what more could he ask for?
It's a wonder Malfoy didn't curse him a few times, calling him a damned filthy Giant, that he was in a good mood today. Hagrid isn't even the Chief's subordinate, so why should Malfoy respect him?
"Alright, Malfoy, shut your mouth. Hermione, it's alright."
In the end, it was Daphne who put her arm around Hermione's shoulder to comfort her, glaring at the speechless Malfoy, Malfoy then chuckled awkwardly and left.
crackling and popping--
With the sound of firecrackers, the Miao Village was exceptionally lively today. Red lanterns hung under the eaves of the stilted houses, and the bluestone paths were bustling with activity.
At the entrance of the village, a girl dressed in an embroidered dress and wearing a silver crown greeted guests with a horn-shaped wine cup, the silver pendants jingling crisply with each movement of her hand.
In the village's central Lusheng field, young men played Lusheng with great enthusiasm, while men, women, and children formed a circle and danced to the beat of drums. The sound of their footsteps mingled with the deep, resonant sound of bronze drums, echoing through the valley.
Long wooden tables stretched along the streets and alleys, steam rising from sour fish soup, five-colored glutinous rice, and smoked meat. Adults were busy adding wine and serving dishes, while children ran around playing. The wooden mallets used to pound glutinous rice cakes thumped down, and laughter, Miao songs, and toasts mingled together, immersing the entire village in a vibrant and lively atmosphere.
Early in the morning, Ayi Duo sat with Goyle at the long wooden table, with Crabbe and Kurama by their side. The three of them ate with great relish.
"Where's the chief? Have any of you seen him arrive?"
Blaise, holding Callis's little hand, asked as they passed Goyle and the others that Callis was also wearing Miao People clothing today, with a silver crown on her head that jingled from time to time.
"No, eat your Goyle slowly! Don't steal my chicken leg!"
Kurama replied vaguely to Blaise, while scrambling with Goyle for the chicken leg.
"Forget it, just let them eat in peace. What can you possibly get out of them like this?"
Pansy came over, followed by a sleepy Malfoy, and even Astoria had secretly skipped class to come along.
However, she is currently with Daphne, shopping with Phoebe and the other girls. Many vendors have come to the Miao Village today, and newcomers from other Miao Village in the surrounding area have also come. They can find many good things.
"Just wait and see. I heard the chief is planning to let Neville participate this time too. I wonder how that idiot Neville is doing now. But they'll definitely be back before the selection starts, right?"
Callis touched the silver bracelet on her wrist and said that she loved the gift Blaise had prepared for her so much that she planned to wear it as her wedding dress! Seeing Pansy's obvious jealousy, Callis became even more smug, her silvery laughter ringing out.
"Draco! I'm really angry right now, what should I do?"
Malfoy, still in a daze, suddenly snapped awake and became completely alert.
Ding ding ding--
As the gong sounded, more and more young Miao People people gathered around the square, waiting for Elder Li to deliver his message.
Ayi Duo grabbed Goyle's hand and hurriedly squeezed into the crowd. She was alright, but Goyle's massive frame drew complaints from passersby, who, upon seeing the burly man, swallowed back the curses they were about to utter...
Kurama stood on Crabbe's head, craning her neck to look inside, urging him to squeeze in quickly. She felt that the higher she stood, the farther she could see, and since Crabbe was the tallest person there, Kurama chose to stand on Crabbe's head.
However, Kurama's urging almost made the honest Crabbe impatient enough to activate his Little Fireman form. There were girls in front of him; how was he supposed to squeeze in...?
Actually, Elder Li had already prepared seats for everyone from the Hogwarts Academy, but Kurama had only returned this morning and didn't know. Goyle and Crabbe were so busy eating that they didn't hear anything...
It was young Master Malfoy who, seeing that his two henchmen hadn't arrived, realized they probably hadn't heard him at all. He stood up and looked around to see if he could find them.
"What's wrong, young master? Are you standing up and looking around at beautiful women?"
Goyle, you two better pray for the future. Malfoy is in a tough spot right now. Just because Callis wore that Miao People costume, Pansy has been speaking veiledly all day, practically wanting to devour him. Malfoy can't afford to offend her, so he might as well just sit back and wait for the festival to begin...
"Why is Malfoy being so well-behaved today? It's unlike you."
Just then, Su Yu came out from behind with Neville. Seeing Malfoy constantly winking at him, Su Yu realized that he had probably been dealt with by Pansy.
But what surprised everyone even more was Neville, who was following behind the chief.
"He... he's been taking protein powder?"
"No... I think it's the legendary drug-resistant king..."