London, 1991.
The rare sunny day had everyone in good spirits. Today was graduation day for the sixth-year pupils at the local primary school.
Clearly, all these children could think about was the approaching summer holiday. They did not yet understand what it meant to part ways, and simply cheered as they rushed toward their parents.
Among the crowd, a black-haired Asian boy with a bag slung over one shoulder headed out with a spring in his step.
Everyone who saw him along the way moved aside. Some waved and called out greetings.
"Hey, Zhang!"
"Zhang! Which secondary school are you going to? Make sure you tell me! I definitely won't pick yours!"
"Zhang Xiao! You're a FXXKing bastard! I'm not scared of you!
"Just you wait! My dad hired a boxing coach for me. I swear, once summer's over, I'm going to kick your arse with my trainers!"
The girls reacted very differently. Most watched him with eager eyes. Clearly, the boy's looks were devastatingly effective on them.
Zhang Xiao paid none of it any mind. He simply reached lazily over his shoulder with one hand, holding his bag as he strolled through the school grounds.
Outside the gates, he narrowed his eyes slightly and looked up at the clear sky. It stretched overhead, an unbroken, pristine blue.
He had seen skies like this countless times in his previous life. Since being reborn in Britain, however, they had become a much rarer sight.
"Phew... ten years already!" Countless thoughts ran through Zhang Xiao's mind. During the first year after his rebirth, he had still been an infant, barely conscious of anything.
Only when his mind cleared had he realized that he had actually been reborn-and in Britain in 1980, no less!
Zhang Xiao no longer had much tying him to his previous life. His family had been reasonably well-off, and even with him gone, the inheritance he left behind would be enough for them to live comfortably.
Talking about money might have been vulgar, but he had to admit that, in the face of death, money was precisely what offered the greatest comfort.
"Zhang! What're you thinking about?" A voice with a slight stutter interrupted his thoughts.
Zhang Xiao turned his head and said with a smile:
"Nothing much. I was wondering whether I should go beat up that brat Adams over the summer. He just said he was going to kick my arse with his trainers!"
The boy who had come over was his friend, Chubby, a Mexican immigrant. How they had become friends was very simple.
Chinese people sat at the very bottom of Britain's racial pecking order. On his first day at school, Zhang Xiao had been subjected to insults and bullying.
After all, he had been thirty in his previous life-a "rational, mature" middle-aged man.
How could Zhang Xiao possibly stoop to arguing with children?
He had merely pinned them to the ground and beaten the hell out of them.
For children, winning a fight really came down to not fearing pain and being willing to hit hard.
He had the advantage of a greater mental age, which made everyone look like little brats to him. He had also dabbled in sanda in his previous life and thoroughly understood the principles of guerrilla warfare and protracted war.
Zhang Xiao had fought his way through the whole school without a single defeat. His greatest feat had been taking on several opponents with a mop from the toilets, sending them fleeing in disarray and picking them off one by one. That battle had made his name.
In the end, he had "beaten his way into the crowd" of white children and successfully fitted in at school. The other children facing discrimination also came to idolize him, and Chubby was one of them.
He had even earned himself a resounding nickname-"Crazy Zhang."
A translation that captured the spirit: Zhang the swaggering menace!
Chubby clearly did not take Zhang Xiao's words seriously. He laughed theatrically, glanced around, and then asked:
"Isn't anyone coming to pick you up? Where's Unca Zhang? Your dad?"
Zhang Xiao shrugged.
"They went to the City of Westminster. An elderly person passed away, so they won't be back today."
Chubby's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly:
"Helping the dead cross over again? Wow, your mum and dad have such cool jobs!
"Oh, do you have any more of those little yellow slips of paper you gave me last time? I want one for my aunt Fanny too! Mate, that thing really works!"
Huh? It actually worked? Zhang Xiao was a little surprised. After being bullied for so long, Chubby had been plagued by nightmares.
So he had taken a Calming Talisman from his father. He had meant it to act as a placebo, but to his surprise, it had actually helped.
At this point, something had to be said about Zhang Xiao's parents in this life.
For some unknown reason, the couple had stayed illegally in Britain. In the nearby Chinese neighborhood, they practiced a highly skilled profession with a long history-telling fortunes from a street stall.
Their main business was feng shui, with funeral services on the side. Well... they also read birth charts to predict good and bad fortune, and offered naming services and name assessments.
The couple worked in perfect harmony: one drew talismans while the other ground cinnabar; one performed rites while the other played the suona. Money was not exactly plentiful, but their love for him had never diminished in the slightest.
Zhang Xiao did not care much about material comforts either. He had already been reborn-why worry that he would not have a good life in the future?
After saying goodbye to Chubby, Zhang Xiao headed home with light steps. Thanks to London's dreadful urban planning, the slums rarely saw expansion or renovation. Dilapidated buildings and street-front properties formed a maze of seldom-used alleys.
Zhang Xiao made his way through the alleys with practiced ease. For some reason, there were unusually few people around today.
He only had to turn the corner and pass through one more alley to reach home when a nervous voice suddenly came from ahead.
"Jason, why did you hide the 'female ghost' here? Have you gone mad?"
Zhang Xiao abruptly slowed his steps. Then another voice spoke, low and gloomy.
"Relax, Wilbur. I cast a Muggle-Repelling Charm around the area.
"My friend, the female ghost needs to feed! I tortured a Muggle, and he told me this was a slum. Even the Muggle government won't care if a few Muggles die here.
"As long as we quietly, secretly catch a few Muggles and feed them to her, I guarantee there won't be any trouble."
"But..."
"Shut up, Wilbur! For the Dark Lord's sake, can't you act like a real Death Eater?
"Think about it. Once the female ghost matures, a single wail will be enough to kill large numbers of wizards!
"All we have to do is threaten the Ministry of Magic: release our brothers and sisters from Azkaban, or we'll pick places at random and unleash her... wait... it seems we have a guest."
Zhang Xiao had started carefully backing away the moment he heard them mention torturing a Muggle. Although he could not immediately remember what the word "Muggle" meant, it certainly did not sound good.
At that last sentence, he broke into a run. Barely two steps later, a chill swept down his back, and an overwhelming terror surged through him.
Driven by instinct, Zhang Xiao threw himself forward onto the ground.
Almost the instant he fell, a dazzling streak of green light flashed through the air above him.
Still shaken, Zhang Xiao raised his head and saw a strangely dressed, middle-aged white man standing at the mouth of the alley.
His eyes were deeply sunken, his lips pressed tightly together beneath a hooked nose. His gaze was cold and sinister.
He also held a slightly crooked brown wooden stick.
The green light, the little wooden stick, and that familiar word, "Muggle," finally stirred Zhang Xiao's hazy memories. Was that... Avada Kedavra? A wand? Muggles??
Was this the world of Harry Potter?
This was the world of Harry Potter!
A storm erupted in Zhang Xiao's mind. He forced down his shock. This was no time to let his thoughts run wild.
A dangerous man who looked like a Death Eater was still standing before him. Whatever questions he had would have to wait until he survived!
Jason was a little surprised. He had not expected this lowly Muggle to dodge the Killing Curse.
He waved off his companion, who had hurried up beside him, indicating that he would handle it himself. Then he swung his wand.
Crackle! Another streak of green light shot toward him.
Zhang Xiao rolled awkwardly aside, dodging the green light. Shocked and furious, he instinctively cursed in the language most familiar to him.
"Fuck you! You think you can walk all over me?"
The middle-aged man heard Zhang Xiao shouting in a language he did not understand. Although he could not make out the words, the tone certainly did not sound polite.
Failing to kill a Muggle child with two consecutive Killing Curses had bruised the mysterious wizard's pride. His gaze grew even more vicious.
He decided to stop playing around and turned to his companion.
"Wilbur, together. Use the Stunning Spell. I'm going to feed him to my female ghost!"
While the two were talking, Zhang Xiao sprinted desperately behind a nearby rubbish bin and rummaged through his bag with both hands.
He had always considered himself someone with a simple sense of justice. Otherwise, when a criminal had fired a modified nail gun at kindergarten children, he would never have rushed forward to shield them with his own body.
His thinking was similar to that of a great leader: leave me alone, and I'll leave you alone. Come after me, and I'll beat you to death!
Zhang Xiao slowly raised his head. His expression was calm, but a fire seemed to burn in his dark brown eyes!
As the two men drew closer, Zhang Xiao kicked over the rubbish bin.
He whipped his hands out of his schoolbag, raised a silver revolver, and pulled the trigger without hesitation!
His death in his previous life had taught him one thing.
Beyond seven paces, a gun was fast. Within seven paces, a gun was both accurate and fast!
Bang!
With a blank stare, Jason slowly lowered his head to look at his chest. Blood was welling steadily from a small hole.
Weakness was never what threatened survival. Arrogance was.
His lips twitched feebly twice before he crumpled to the ground like a torn sack.
Wilbur stared in horror at Jason, who lay twitching on the ground. His mind went blank.
This was Jason-the powerful Death Eater he looked up to!
How could he suddenly fall to the ground?
Was it that thing in the Muggle's hand? What was it? Was it a gun, like the ones he had heard about?
Terror battered Wilbur's resolve like a raging tide. Then he saw the Muggle raise that strange silver weapon and point it at him.
He could take no more. Letting out a shrill scream, he flung several spells wildly at Zhang Xiao, then grabbed Jason. His body stretched and spun rapidly before he vanished with a loud crack.
Zhang Xiao paid him no attention and slowly lowered his head.
One of those spells had still struck him, but a thin, eggshell-like barrier of light had blocked it.
With relief at having survived mingling with bewilderment, he looked down at his chest, where the barrier had originated.
A jade pendant carved with dragon and tiger motifs-the pendant his father, Zhang Chengdao, had given him.
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