Chapter Summaries

Zhang Xiao examined Lady's Glove's notebook and learned that she had once struggled to create a corporeal Patronus. After Lady's Glove warned him away from Tom's Diary, Zhang Xiao suspected the Room of Requirement might be a Horcrux and asked Tom what he knew about the room before turning to the Patronus Charm.

• Zhang Xiao inspected Lady's Glove's notebook and read her account of failing to create a painting-like Patronus amid grief over a gravestone.
• Zhang Xiao took out Tom's Diary to ask Tom about the Patronus Charm, but Lady's Glove warned him that the Diary was an evil object.
• Zhang Xiao told Lady's Glove that the Diary was a safely handled Horcrux, then wondered whether the Room of Requirement could also be a Horcrux.
• Zhang Xiao left the Room of Requirement and questioned Tom about the room through the Diary.
• Tom said the Room of Requirement was mysterious, immensely powerful, and seemed alive, but he had failed to uncover its origins.
• Zhang Xiao considered whether Dumbledore knew about the room and then asked Tom to explain the Patronus Charm.

Zhang Xiao read Tom’s notes on reverse-engineering the Patronus Charm into the Dark Mark and Morsmordre, then continued trying to understand how to make a corporeal Patronus. When Malfoy suggested drawing the bones first, Zhang Xiao realized the advice might unlock his approach.

• Tom described his failed attempt to create a grim reaper from Dark Magic and encouraged Zhang Xiao to become a feared Dark Lord.
• Tom explained that the Dark Mark and Morsmordre used fear and negative emotions as opposites to the Patronus’s happiness and joy.
• Zhang Xiao considered how spells were created, then decided to keep drawing while working on his Patronus.
• Professor McGonagall told the students they would have to choose subjects for third year, and Hermione confronted Ron after he mocked anyone who wanted to take every subject.
• Malfoy and Harry planned to choose the same subjects as Zhang Xiao, while Zhang Xiao sketched Professor McGonagall’s Animagus form.
• Malfoy advised Zhang Xiao to draw bones first, and Zhang Xiao was struck by the idea.

Zhang Xiao used memories of beauty, hope, and happiness to master a vivid, lifelike Dragon Carp Patronus and taught the other students how to begin practicing the spell. He then captured Peter Pettigrew in his rat form and prepared to take him to Dumbledore.

• Zhang Xiao used Rainwater's joy while fishing and memories in his Mind Cottage to cast a corporeal Dragon Carp Patronus.
• Dumbledore, Flitwick, McGonagall, Snape, and other Hogwarts staff saw the Patronus, while Zhang Xiao demonstrated it to the students and explained how to gather happy memories.
• Zhang Xiao decided to capture Peter Pettigrew and used the Marauder's Map to find him in Gryffindor Tower.
• Zhang Xiao, Harry, and Ron approached Scabbers, and Zhang Xiao seized Peter when he tried to flee.
• Zhang Xiao gave Peter a Draught of Living Death, secured him in a cage, and told Ron he was borrowing Scabbers before setting out to find Dumbledore.

Zhang Xiao exposed Peter Pettigrew as an Animagus hiding as Scabbers, and Dumbledore confirmed that Sirius Black had been innocent all along. After explaining why he had left Black in Azkaban, Dumbledore prepared to act now that Peter had been caught, and Zhang asked to go with him.

• Zhang Xiao brought the unconscious Scabbers to Dumbledore and revealed that the rat was Peter Pettigrew.
• Dumbledore used magic to restore Peter to human form, and Zhang explained how the Marauder's Map and his Dharma Eye had helped him find the rat.
• Dumbledore recounted how Peter had betrayed James and Lily Potter and their friends, leading to Sirius Black's wrongful conviction.
• Dumbledore admitted he had known Black was innocent but had left him in Azkaban because Black was consumed by guilt and believed he deserved punishment.
• Dumbledore prepared to act now that Peter had been captured, and Zhang Xiao insisted on going with him.

Dumbledore took Zhang Xiao to the Ministry of Magic to meet Minister Cornelius Fudge, where Zhang Xiao saw the Ministry and donated Galleons to St Mungo's. As they completed the security check, Zhang Xiao's wand sparked and buzzed angrily on the inspection machine.

• Dumbledore brought Peter, transformed back into Scabbers, and took Zhang Xiao through the visitor entrance to the Ministry of Magic.
• Dumbledore and Zhang Xiao entered the Ministry's Entrance Hall, where Zhang Xiao admired the fountain and asked Dumbledore about Britain's wizard population.
• Zhang Xiao tossed a large handful of Galleons into the Fountain of Magical Brethren after Dumbledore confirmed its proceeds went to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
• Dumbledore greeted Eric at the security desk, and Eric recalled his dream of becoming an Auror after Dumbledore encouraged him.
• Eric inspected Zhang Xiao and placed his Thunderstruck Wood Wand on a brass machine, which erupted in electrical sparks and an angry buzz.

Zhang Xiao accompanied Dumbledore to the Ministry of Magic, where Dumbledore forced Cornelius Fudge to arrange Sirius Black’s release from Azkaban for trial. At the prison, Zhang Xiao discovered that his Golden Light Spell could physically strike a Dementor, and the chapter ended with the enraged creature calling for reinforcements as Dumbledore urged him to use his Patronus.

• Zhang Xiao’s wand shocked Eric during a Ministry scan, and Dumbledore advised Zhang Xiao to seek Snape’s guidance about creating spells.
• Dumbledore confronted Cornelius Fudge over Peter Pettigrew’s survival and demanded that Sirius Black be brought out of Azkaban for trial; Fudge ordered a Portkey arranged.
• On the journey to Azkaban, Dumbledore taught Zhang Xiao a protective use of the Patronus Charm, and Zhang Xiao used it alongside his Golden Light Spell to resist the Dementors’ influence.
• A Dementor attacked Zhang Xiao, who charged forward and slapped it with the Golden Light Spell, stunning the Prison Warden and Dumbledore.
• The wounded Dementor howled to summon its companions, and Dumbledore told Zhang Xiao he might now see his Patronus.

Zhang Xiao and Dumbledore entered Azkaban to retrieve Sirius Black, and Zhang’s animated corporeal Patronus drove off a swarm of hungry Dementors. They found Black in a ruined state, but after learning Peter had been captured, he erupted in fury, leaving his release to a future trial.

• A swarm of hungry Dementors attacked Zhang Xiao, but his animated carp Patronus repelled and trapped them while he confronted one with a golden spear.
• Zhang Xiao, Dumbledore, and the warden entered Azkaban and passed the prisoners, including Antonin Dolohov and Rabastan Lestrange, before reaching Black’s cell.
• Zhang Xiao cleaned Black’s cell, warmed it, and gave him clean clothes and several bowls of vegetable congee.
• Black asked whether Harry was all right, and Zhang Xiao reassured him that Harry was doing well.
• Dumbledore showed Black the captured Scabbers and revealed that Peter had been caught, prompting Black to rage and beg to kill him.
• Dumbledore subdued Black and told Zhang Xiao that Black would have to take part in a trial.

After returning to Hogwarts, Zhang Xiao learned from Snape how wizards created original spells and fainted after entering a deeply focused state. Recovering in the Hospital Wing, he realized his Thunder Talisman might offer a different path to spell creation.

• Dumbledore Apparated Zhang Xiao to Hogsmeade, where McGonagall asked him to keep Sirius Black’s condition and the truth about Peter secret from Harry.
• McGonagall praised Zhang Xiao for his work, and the students returned to preparing for exams while Percy and Penelope strictly tutored Ginny.
• Zhang Xiao asked Snape about creating original spells, and Snape taught him the theory behind spell creation and demonstrated Sectumsempra.
• Zhang Xiao absorbed Snape’s explanation in a focused state, exhausted himself, and collapsed before Snape could finish the lesson.
• After waking in the Hospital Wing, Zhang Xiao understood the difficulty of precisely anchoring a spell’s effect and considered using his Thunder Talisman as the basis for his own approach.

After Sirius Black was declared innocent, Zhang Xiao told Harry that Black was his godfather and explained how Peter Pettigrew had betrayed the Potters and framed Black. Harry summoned a corporeal stag Patronus, which recalled his father James.

• Zhang Xiao realized he could use talisman paper as the incantation framework for creating spells, then left the Hospital Wing after Madam Pomfrey cleared him to go.
• Zhang Xiao read that the Wizengamot had declared Sirius Black innocent and told Malfoy the verdict would become clear the next day.
• Zhang Xiao told Harry that Black was his godfather and explained how Peter Pettigrew had betrayed the Potters, framed Black, and left him imprisoned in Azkaban.
• Harry drew strength from his friends and his new knowledge of Black, then cast a brilliant stag Patronus that affectionately nuzzled him.

Zhang Chengdao and Zhang Xiao flew from London to Huaxia after Zhang Chengdao taught his son the Daoist Order’s prohibition against extending the life of public officials. When their deliberately chosen unlucky flight plunged into violent turbulence, the chief flight attendant discovered something was wrong in the cockpit.

• Zhang Chengdao told Zhang Xiao they would fly to Huaxia and explained that teleportation over such a distance would be too dangerous for him.
• Zhang Chengdao divined that one flight might have an accident, booked it anyway, and taught Zhang Xiao that Daoist travelers must never extend the life of anyone holding public office.
• Zhang Chengdao and Zhang Xiao boarded the flight and began discussing how to combine Daoist talismans with spells while they waited for danger to appear.
• The aircraft jolted violently, plunged through sudden drops, and sent unsecured objects flying through the cabin, injuring passengers.
• The chief flight attendant received no response from the cockpit and saw through its door window that something had happened inside.

Zhang Chengdao and Zhang Xiao stopped a cult sacrifice aboard a plane, revived the co-pilot, and repaired the cockpit controls. After the plane was safe, they discussed how rituals and collective belief could give rise to dangerous supernatural forces, and Zhang Xiao asked what his father knew about the Church.

• Zhang Chengdao and Zhang Xiao approached the locked cockpit after the crew appeared to have died, and Zhang Xiao unlocked the door with Alohomora.
• Inside the cockpit, they found the captain and observer dead and the co-pilot badly injured; Zhang Chengdao revived the co-pilot while Zhang Xiao cleaned the blood and repaired the smashed controls with magic.
• The co-pilot woke, explained that Captain John had drugged him and the observer with chewing gum before attempting a sacrifice, and resumed checking the plane's systems.
• Zhang Chengdao explained that long-held beliefs and rituals could make objects or cults develop sinister supernatural power, and described a cursed deity statue that had been destroyed during mining.
• Zhang Xiao asked Zhang Chengdao how much he knew about the Church.

Zhang Xiao and Zhang Chengdao discussed how the Church’s recruitment of young wizards may have created a divine spell system and how Hogwarts and other wizarding schools might have drained Europe of potential Church recruits. As their plane arrived in China, Zhang Xiao felt an immense supernatural pressure that made his soul tremble.

• Zhang Xiao asked Zhang Chengdao whether the Church had people with supernatural powers, and Zhang Chengdao explained how faith could produce power and how the Church had once been formidable.
• Zhang Xiao suspected the Church had taken in young witches and wizards, while Zhang Chengdao described the Church’s past strength and its unexplained decline.
• Zhang Xiao connected the Church’s decline to Hogwarts’s founding, arguing that the Book of Admittance and the Quill of Acceptance had monopolized Britain’s magical children.
• Zhang Xiao realized that the wizarding schools may have cut off the Church’s supply of recruits and wondered why the Old Celestial Master had arranged for him to be born in Britain.
• As the plane descended into China, Zhang Xiao felt an immense pressure that broke his silencing spell, and a flight attendant announced their arrival.

Zhang Xiao landed in Huaxia and learned from Zhang Chengdao that the oppressive presence he had felt was the Heavenly Court, while Zhao Yuanxu discussed a possible company to handle supernatural affairs. The chapter also showed Dobby settling into life on Dragon-Tiger Mountain and ended with the Old Celestial Master calling Zhou of Wudang.

• Zhang Xiao landed safely, and Zhang Chengdao teleported him outside the plane, where the Heavenly Court’s gazes overwhelmed him until his Golden Light Spell drove them away.
• Zhang Chengdao told Zhang Xiao that the presence was the Heavenly Court and introduced him to Zhao Yuanxu, who explained that the authorities were considering forming a company to oversee supernatural matters.
• Zhao Yuanxu drove Zhang Chengdao and Zhang Xiao to a quiet guesthouse and described the recent supernatural incidents and the proposed company; Zhang Chengdao agreed to discuss the idea with his father.
• Dobby happily followed his routine on Dragon-Tiger Mountain, fetched water, and brought breakfast to the Longbottom family.
• The Old Celestial Master reached a mountain peak and sent a message talisman calling Zhou of Wudang to answer.

Zhang Cunyi persuaded Sect Leader Zhou to take Neville Longbottom as a Wudang lay practitioner, while Zhang Chengdao brought Zhang Xiao on a long journey home to Dragon-Tiger Mountain. Zhang Xiao began returning to his true self during the trek, which ended with a call from Zhao Yuanxu.

• Zhang Cunyi convinced Sect Leader Zhou to accept Neville Longbottom first as a lay practitioner, with the possibility of making him a Disciple by Name later.
• Zhang Chengdao explained to Zhang Xiao that the [Heavenly Court] suppressed him more than it did neighboring countries, then set off with him on foot for Dragon-Tiger Mountain.
• Zhang Chengdao and Zhang Xiao traveled unseen across the country for more than half a month, with Zhang Chengdao forbidding magic except when necessary.
• Zhang Xiao grew leaner and more vigorous on the journey, and Zhang Chengdao recognized that he was beginning to return to his true self.
• Zhang Xiao and Zhang Chengdao each tried to trick the other with foul water and sour fruit, then received a phone call from Zhao Yuanxu.

Zhang Chengdao and Zhang Xiao traveled to Wangjiang after Zhao Yuanxu asked them to investigate a haunting tied to missing opera performer Leng Qianyu. They learned that Leng Qianyu’s disabled younger brother had starved to death, and after reaching the deserted town, they began asking about the deaths and nighttime opera sightings.

• Zhang Chengdao told Zhang Xiao that Zhao Yuanxu had identified them from reports of two unusually fast figures and had called them to help with a case in Wangjiang.
• Xiao Song met Zhang Chengdao and Zhang Xiao and took them toward the bureau, where Zhang Chengdao requested the case files and a meal at the canteen.
• Zhang Chengdao explained that Leng Qianyu had vanished months earlier and that her younger brother had starved to death after the neighbors ignored his cries.
• Zhang Chengdao and Zhang Xiao arrived in a village where homes were shuttered and marked with talismans, then decided to wait until dusk before investigating further.
• Zhang Chengdao questioned a shopkeeper, who said several residents had died and many people had fled because of the ghost rumors, but claimed he had nothing to fear because he had done nothing wrong.

Zhang Xiao and Zhang Chengdao investigated Leng Qianyu’s haunting and discovered that a genuine Daoist was performing a ritual to confront her. When Leng Qianyu appeared and attacked, Zhang Xiao restrained her, while Zhang Chengdao revealed he had been searching for a hidden mastermind.

• A shopkeeper told Zhang Chengdao and Zhang Xiao that Leng Qianyu had rejected extravagant gifts and that villagers had once looked after Gouwa, leaving questions about the accusations against her.
• Zhang Chengdao suggested they ask Leng Qianyu directly after dark, and he and Zhang Xiao rested beneath a tree before following villagers to a ritual.
• A group of young men arrived with a middle-aged Daoist, who began a ceremony in a courtyard as Zhang Chengdao recognized him as genuine.
• Leng Qianyu’s ghostly aura appeared, her opera singing froze the crowd, and the Daoist’s incense and candles reacted to her presence.
• Zhang Chengdao announced that he had found the mastermind as Zhang Xiao seized Leng Qianyu and subdued her with golden light and a spell.
• The middle-aged Daoist called Zhang Xiao a Celestial Immortal, and a bolt of lightning descended from the sky.

Zhang Chengdao uncovered how Leng Qianyu had been tormented for being a Spirit Child, then confronted Zhang Guangzheng, the mastermind behind the case. Zhang Guangzheng revealed his resentment toward orthodox sects before Zhang Chengdao cut off his rant.

• Zhang Xiao joined Zhang Chengdao after the lightning strike, and Zhang Chengdao sealed Leng Qianyu’s soul away while leaving Zhang Guangzheng immobilized.
• Zhang Chengdao recounted how Old Cat led him to Leng Qianyu’s home, where he discovered evidence of a hidden scheme and learned that Leng Qianyu and her brother were Spirit Children.
• Old Cat produced the child’s tribulation soul, and Zhang Chengdao used Dream Return to learn that Leng Qianyu had suffered because of her unusual birth and Spirit Child status.
• Zhang Chengdao explained that a heterodox technique had magnified people’s lust and jealousy, helping make Leng Qianyu a target while her body remained in the house.
• Zhang Guangzheng regained the ability to speak, accused orthodox sects of hoarding resources, and admitted he had sought to create the seven fiends to become invincible.
• Zhang Chengdao dismissed Zhang Guangzheng’s claims about cultivation and Heaven, leaving him confused about what the man meant.

Zhang Chengdao explained how the Daoist Order selected Spirit Children and how collective belief, Spirit Children, and the [Heavenly Court] shaped the supernatural world. He revealed that Zhang Xiao’s name had been at the top of the Ascension Ranking since birth, recorded by the Good Fortune Jade Disc.

• Zhang Chengdao identified Zhang Guangzheng’s supposed ancient inheritance as a minor Yin Fiend Hundred Ghost Gate technique and explained that ancient techniques were widely available but no longer useful to practice.
• Zhang Chengdao defended the Daoist Order’s limits on cultivation and told Zhang Guangzheng that the [Heavenly Court] represented responsibility, then took him toward the square with Zhang Xiao.
• Zhang Chengdao explained that Spirit Children could cultivate and that shared beliefs gave ordinary objects their supernatural power and shaped how Spirit Children became ghosts.
• Zhang Chengdao said the [Heavenly Court] suppressed supernatural threats in Huaxia and could maintain full effectiveness only while the number of cultivators stayed below its limit.
• Zhang Chengdao revealed that the Good Fortune Jade Disc recorded Spirit Children destined for cultivation and that Zhang Xiao’s name had appeared at the top of the Ascension Ranking since birth.

Zhang Chengdao explained how Dragon-Tiger Mountain's Ascension Ranking had led to the creation of secular sects, then met Shangqing Sect disciple Mao Xuexian after defeating a vicious ghost. Zhang Chengdao guided Mao Xuexian to accept his path in the mortal world, and Mao left with his disciples, convinced that immortals existed.

• Zhang Chengdao told Zhang Xiao and Zhang Guangzheng that secular sects such as Dragon-Tiger Mountain and Wudang Mountain had emerged to preserve independence and provide a place for descendants excluded from the Ascension Ranking.
• Mao Xuexian bowed to Zhang Chengdao as an immortal after witnessing his Golden Light and his defeat of the vicious ghost.
• Zhang Chengdao returned Mao Xuexian's bow as an equal, angering Zhang Guangzheng, who mocked the gesture and called Mao an ant.
• Zhang Chengdao told Mao Xuexian that his path lay in the mortal world, and Mao understood the advice and thanked him.
• Mao Xuexian left with his four disciples in their battered van, repeating Zhang Chengdao's words about being at ease in poverty and prosperity.

After Zhang Chengdao and Zhang Xiao helped resolve the Wangjiang case, they continued their journey toward Dragon-Tiger Mountain. Zhang Xiao speculated about how collective beliefs shaped supernatural phenomena and became eager for his upcoming talisman investiture as the mountain came into view.

• Zhang Chengdao explained to Zhang Xiao why ordinary Daoists like Mao Xuexian risked their lives fighting supernatural beings, while the Daoist Order and the Heavenly Court were stretched thin.
• Zhang Chengdao handed Zhang Guangzheng and the injured spirit cat to Zhao Yuanxu, who took them away for punishment and treatment.
• After a peaceful week of travel, Zhang Xiao asked whether changing people's perceptions could reduce the emergence of supernatural entities, and Zhang Chengdao described efforts to shape public beliefs and develop cultivation for ordinary people.
• Zhang Xiao connected the cultivation project to the nationwide qigong craze and concluded that its many conflicting schools had prevented people from uniting around one system.
• Zhang Chengdao explained that talisman investiture involved tests followed by a ceremony reporting the result to the Heavenly Court, and Zhang Xiao eagerly set off toward Dragon-Tiger Mountain.