"The... locations of the Horcruxes?"
Dumbledore, who had remained calm throughout, finally looked shaken, his blue eyes fixed on Zhang Xiao.
The sheer force of his presence almost made it difficult for Zhang Xiao to breathe, but fortunately, Dumbledore soon realized what he was doing.
He reined in his emotions and said softly:
"Zhang, do you mean the locations of the Horcruxes?"
Zhang Xiao nodded and drew a deep breath. Everything before this had been minor, but this time was different. Once he spoke, everything would change.
What he was about to reveal had cost Dumbledore his life-and Professor Snape his, too.
It was Dumbledore's death that had finally driven Voldemort into complete madness. The Wizarding World had paid a terrible price to destroy him.
But now, all of that would change if he spoke. Besides... the Daoist Order really could use one soul fragment to divine the locations of the others!
"Of course. It will take time, but it can definitely be done!"
If learning the number of Horcruxes had merely parted the clouds a little for Dumbledore, now he felt as though he were basking in brilliant sunshine. Even if Tom appeared before him right now, he thought he could greet him with a smile.
"This is truly... wonderful..."
In excellent spirits, Dumbledore actually produced a bottle of liquor with a chuckle, poured himself a glass, and began sipping it contentedly.
"No wonder your grandfather told me to leave the Diary with you. He said it was destined to come into your hands-that it shared 'yuan' with you."
Dumbledore savored the word "yuan." It seemed to encompass so much, to convey so many different meanings.
He even found himself considering learning Chinese. As a gifted linguist, surely he would not find it too difficult?
Zhang Xiao put away