Under Zhang Xiao's complicated gaze, the eggshell-like light barrier slowly dissipated, and the jade pendant also dimmed its glow.
In his past life, the questions he had deliberately or unconsciously ignored resurfaced once more.
For instance, a family living in the slums, yet his parents never worried about his safety at all. By the thinking of ordinary Chinese parents, they would have risked everything to keep their child far from danger.
Instead, it was he himself who had been on edge for years, saving money for a long time to get a revolver through the school's black market contact in the Black neighborhood, carrying it on him and practicing often, afraid that when danger came he would be powerless to protect himself.
Another example: on the very first day of school he had beaten up a classmate. He'd thought the parents and school would come after him, yet nothing happened at all.
This also fueled his "arrogant flame," laying the foundation for him to later fight his way through the entire school.
And the most crucial question of all-the three of them were living illegally in Britain, and no one was willing to change nationality. So how had he even gotten into school???
Zhang Xiao packed up his things and headed back home, his head full of questions.
As for calling the police and dealing with the aftermath... that unlucky fellow named Jason had one thing right: even the British government didn't want to bother with the slums, so why should he go to the trouble?
Passing by the apartment mailbox, he carelessly grabbed whatever was inside and continued mulling things over.
He was fairly familiar with the story of Harry Potter. Not a rabid fan, but he'd read the novels and watched the movies-he'd even put 200+ hours into "Hogwarts Legacy."
It was just that ten years had passed, and many details weren't clear anymore. But thinking carefully, he could still recall quite a bit.
Could his parents also be wizards or something similar? And if so, did he have the talent?
After thinking for a while, Zhang Xiao felt deflated. Generally speaking, young wizards with talent showed signs of magical outbursts in childhood.
Like Potter's hair, unconscious teleportation, vanishing glass, and so on. But he had never experienced anything like that.
Was that why his parents had kept it from him? Was he a Squib?
Maybe being an ordinary person who knew nothing was actually fine.
Zhang Xiao thought bitterly. He casually grabbed the newspaper, wanting to distract himself with something.
But he noticed something seemed to be tucked inside the newspaper-a letter, perhaps? A credit card overdue notice?
Zhang Xiao's thoughts wandered as he casually flipped the letter over.
On the back of the envelope was a wax seal, a shield crest, with a capital "H" surrounded by a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake.
Zhang Xiao's eyes flew wide open. His hands gripped tight, trembling as he tore the envelope open and pulled out the letter to read:
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore (President of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock, Order of Merlin, First Class).
Dear Mr. Xiao Zhang: We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31. Yours sincerely, Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress.
An explosive joy spread through his heart.
Zhang Xiao's mouth hung open. He felt as if a balloon were inflating inside his body, making him feel light and dizzy all over.
This was a Hogwarts acceptance letter? He wasn't a Squib? He was going to study at Hogwarts? He was going to learn magic at Hogwarts?
Zhang Xiao wore a wide, unrestrained smile, holding the letter up stiffly, reading it over and over.
Even though he knew every curve and bend of every letter by heart, he still couldn't bear to put the paper down.
It wasn't until the room door was suddenly thrown open that he gave a start, jolted from his reverie. Before Zhang Xiao could react, two figures were already standing before him.
His mother Li Qingshu still had a gleaming suona hanging at her waist-clearly she had come straight from a client's home.
She crouched down, holding Zhang Xiao by the shoulders with both hands, studying him carefully for a long while before letting out a breath of relief.
"Xiao Xiao's fine."
His father Zhang Chengdao, meanwhile, paced back and forth on the spot with his eyes closed and a stern expression. Only after hearing his wife's words did he nod, then huffed indignantly:
"Lucky they ran fast!"
Zhang Xiao had originally wanted to tell his parents about what had happened earlier. But when he actually saw them, he forgot everything.
He held up the letter and shouted excitedly:
"Mom, Dad, look!"
Li Qingshu curiously took the letter. After only a cursory glance, she handed it to Zhang Chengdao with a strange expression on her face.
Huh? That reaction wasn't right. Did that mean his parents really did know about Hogwarts?
The family of three sat down on the sofa. Zhang Chengdao held the letter, deliberated for a moment, then asked, "Son, do you want to go to this... Hogwarts?"
Zhang Xiao nodded hurriedly. Who didn't have a childhood Hogwarts dream?
Zhang Chengdao sighed, fished a fountain pen from his Daoist robe, and scribbled a few lines on the back of the letter.
Zhang Xiao sneakily looked over-still that beautiful cursive English.
Seeming to notice his son peeking, Zhang Chengdao said without looking up:
"Generally, for families not on the registry, Hogwarts sends a professor to prove the existence of the Wizarding World. Just note it on the letter, and the professor won't need to come."
Did he have to be this knowledgeable? Even I didn't know these obscure facts!
Zhang Xiao didn't dare speak out of turn, and could only look pitifully at his dad and mom.
Folding the letter back up and tucking it away, Zhang Chengdao mused for a while, then finally said:
"We never knew how to tell you. You must have a lot of questions too, right?"
Zhang Xiao nodded, pointed at his pendant, and briefly recounted what had happened earlier.
When he mentioned the female ghost, his parents only frowned slightly, not taking it seriously.
But when they heard about the green light fired from the other side, Zhang Xiao noticed his parents' expressions turn noticeably cold.
The two composed themselves, deliberated, then spoke gently to their son:
"Alright, the matter of the jade pendant can wait. Let's talk about our family first."
Zhang Chengdao said bluntly: "There's a Wizarding World in the West, and naturally a Mystic Order in the East. Among the Mystic Order, Dragon-Tiger Mountain is the foremost.
Your mother and I both come from Dragon-Tiger Mountain, the orthodox Daoist Order. And your dad here-well, I'm one of the candidates to be the next Celestial Master of Dragon-Tiger Mountain.
Because of the domestic turmoil decades ago, the Daoist Order was thrown into panic as well. The Celestial Master cast a divination.
He said your mother and I would have a son in the future, whose opportunity lay in the West. If the fate didn't come, you couldn't cultivate the Dao.
So it was both to serve as a hidden agent and for your sake.
We traveled around Europe, and in the end settled in Britain.
As for this Hogwarts, it's an extremely famous magical school in the West. Seeing today's events, perhaps your opportunity lies with it. Going there to study won't hurt."
Although Zhang Xiao had grown up abroad, his education had never been neglected. His extracurricular reading consisted of textbooks like the Jiangsu Education Press editions or Chinese biographical novels, so Zhang Chengdao wasn't worried his son wouldn't understand.
Zhang Xiao not only understood-his two lifetimes of experience had sent his thoughts veering off in directions the couple could never have predicted.
Dragon-Tiger Mountain! Celestial Masters' Mansion! Was the Celestial Master like Zhang Zhiwei? Or like the ones in cultivation novels?
He had guessed his parents' origins weren't simple, but he hadn't expected them to be this extraordinary!
But then more questions flooded in. Why would domestic turmoil throw the Daoist Order into chaos too? If they were the heirs of the Daoist Order's leader, why were they living so poorly in Britain, scraping by with fortune-telling stalls?
The Daoist Order shouldn't be short on money, right?
And besides-if he could cultivate the Dao, why study magic at all? Flying on swords, moving mountains and filling seas-wasn't that way more powerful than magic!
Hearing their son's questions, the couple laughed until they shook. Li Qingshu stroked Zhang Xiao's head.
"Xiao Xiao, fine clothes and rich food is a life, plain tea and simple meals is also a life. Material desire isn't a bad thing.
But to me these are like floating clouds. Being able to enter the world and also withdraw from it-that is the attitude a cultivator should have toward life.
Of course, you don't need to feel guilty about your own love of luxury. Suppressing all desire goes against human nature. When your cultivation reaches a certain level in the future, you'll naturally understand."
His father, meanwhile, offered a summary of magic and Daoist arts:
"There's no high or low between Daoist arts and magic-it's just that our paths differ. From what I know, magic still has many merits.
As for the flying sword taking an enemy's head from a thousand miles away... Son, when did you read Shushan Swordsmen?"
Zhang Xiao fell silent. His head was full of cultivation novels from later generations, where protagonists casually split the heavens and earth, moved mountains and overturned seas, and even recreated the universe. He'd been preconditioned long ago.
In the end, his dad laid down the verdict: Dao and magic didn't conflict, their cultivation paths were different, and practicing both together was no obstacle!
As for why domestic turmoil had affected the Daoist Order, Zhang Chengdao didn't explain much-only that it was very complicated, and he'd understand when he was older.
Seeing his dad's expression, Zhang Xiao didn't dare press further. That even more outrageous question he simply crushed down in his heart.
"If there really is a cultivation world, and Dad says magic and Daoist arts are evenly matched, then based on the power of magic, killing the little Japanese devils would be a piece of cake. So why not go crush them?" (Note 1)
He was afraid that if he asked, his dad would beat him. Anyway, there was plenty of time-worst case, he'd find the answer himself later.
The family conversation gradually drew to a close. At the very end, Zhang Chengdao hesitated for a long time, as if wanting to say something, but in the end didn't. Instead he patted Zhang Xiao on the shoulder and encouraged him:
"Study hard at Hogwarts. Don't embarrass our Daoist Order!"
Zhang Xiao smacked his lips. Chinese parents through and through-that familiar feeling, passed down in one continuous line!
Li Qingshu glanced at the clock and stood up to give her opinion:
"Alright, it's almost two. Xiao Xiao, hurry up and go to sleep!"
Zhang Chengdao winked at Zhang Xiao and cleared his throat twice:
"Your mom's right. I saw the letter says new students need to prepare some things-should be bought at Diagon Alley. Tomorrow your mom and I will take you to look around. Now hurry up and sleep!"
If Li Qingshu hadn't mentioned it, fine, but once she mentioned the time, Zhang Xiao immediately felt drowsiness surge up. He couldn't help but yawn, feeling like his eyes could barely stay open.
Swaying unsteadily to his small bed, carrying a feeling like the eve of an elementary school field trip, he sank deeply into dreamland.
Li Qingshu quietly came to her son's bedside, tucked in his blanket, and seeing the smile on the child's face, couldn't help but smile too.
It must have been a good dream.
Note 1: Official setting: During World War I, thousands of wizards joined the war, among them Newt Scamander's brother Theseus Scamander, who was called a "war hero" after the war. So the claim that wizards don't participate in national wars doesn't hold.
The question of the Daoist Order joining the war will be addressed later.
Before you continue