Chapter 446: Lesson

Bai Lang twirled his wand in his hand, "I think it's necessary to correct your perspective, Mr. Draco Draco Malfoy; what do you all think?" Bai Lang smiled as he looked at the Slytherin players and students present, even though some of the upperclassmen were a head or two taller and more heavily built than he was at the moment.

He wasn't afraid of a fight at all, and the weapons and tripping spells that young wizards often use were nothing but jokes to him; if they each knew the Iron Armor spell it might be tolerable, otherwise they'd just be meat heads for him to beat up. It's not that Bai Lang looks down on them—it's just wizard close‑quarters combat, hahahaha.

Draco Draco Malfoy was very nervous, and the Slytherin students were equally tense—Bai Lang had broken the bones of several first‑year Slytherin wizards who crossed him last term, and everyone knew it, many even witnessed it. The mudblood standing before him possessed a formidable amount of force.

Draco Draco Malfoy didn't know what to say—apologize outright? He hadn't called Bai Lang a mudblood; apologize to Hermione Granger? That would be fine, as long as Bai Lang didn't hit him. Or he could grit his teeth, let Bai Lang beat him up, then complain to his father and the headmaster to have Bai Lang expelled. That might be a good plan!

But being hit was extremely painful… so in the end Draco Draco Malfoy said, "Sorry, I shouldn't have called you a mudblood." Though he gritted his teeth, he finally relented. A Slytherin player tried to push Bai Lang, but Bai Lang sidestepped, seized the player's wrist, and the man fell to his knees wailing—Bai Lang had twisted his reverse joint, leaving him immobilized.

"Hahaha, you worthless fools. From now on, when you see me, say hello," Bai Lang said triumphantly as he released his opponent before Professor Severus Snape could notice anything amiss, then walked away gripping his wand. Someone tried to cast a hidden spell at him from behind, but as Bai Lang moved, it seemed he was surrounded by an illusion—perhaps an inadvertent use of magic; the pressure from multiple illusions was so heavy that no one managed to fire a spell in the end.

So far, Bai Lang has unintentionally developed some special applications for spells: "I don't know the principle, I don't know the method, I don't know the effect. This is what I've come up with so far." After returning, Bai Lang fetched a notebook and added another entry; these are the fodder for his magical martial arts theories. For now, without worrying how to treat magic as a form of Qi, he'll just let it obey his will and produce some light and sound effects outside.

Similarly, by using one's own subjective will to affect external objective things, Bai Lang thinks that if the will is strong enough, there's no need to mutter "Mummy Mummy Red," and he can still cast spells. This must be wand‑less, silent casting; anyone with such a strong will would certainly be a master of magic.

Think of how Grindelwald could, with a wave of his hand, summon boundless fierce fire without even picking up a wand, even controlling it so it wouldn't harm anyone. And Dumbledore could, in complete silence, seize thoughts and intentions. Bai Lang envies that level. He imagines that one day in this world, with a single hand gesture, he could raise a raging wind, forming a terrifying black vortex that shreds souls and bones—that would be perfect.

Bai Lang affirmed his status as a bully within Hogwarts, strengthening his deterrence among lower‑year students—he can endure their isolation and fear, but he will not tolerate their offenses. "Occasionally or unpredictably, having no reason but a reason to go mad and commit evil helps build a reputation… Unifying through fear—that's exactly the bird‑like state Voldemort became after shattering so many Horcruxes."

Horcruxes are harmful to body and mind; Bai Lang, with nothing else to do, just idles in the dormitory, and at night goes out to pet cats. Speaking of which, Di'ao grows so fast that Hagrid, in a cheerful tone, said the creature could devour an entire cow by the next day. No wonder Hagrid doesn't make him pay for the food; if it weren't for another part of the Forbidden Forest that raises cattle and sheep to feed its creatures, Hagrid probably couldn't afford it.

Keeping pets on public funds—neither Bai Lang nor Hagrid seemed to think anything was wrong. Di'ao's size is already approaching that of a bull, far larger than an ordinary lion; its horns have thickened, though their length is still reasonable and doesn't hinder it. Bai Lang estimates the creature could grow to the size of an African elephant, which would be terrifying…

When Bai Lang returned to Hogwarts, he noticed lights on the upper floor. "Oh right, Harry and the others are doing service because of that car incident," he thought, turning a corner in the corridor, familiar with the route as he headed for the stairs, when he suddenly sensed something odd. It was a distinct pungent smell, like that of snakes or crocodiles. He frowned, recalling the so‑called Basilisk, "It's said to kill with a glance. I think the Blindfold might work!"

Bai Lang blindfolded himself, flared his nostrils, and tracked by scent. Unfortunately, he found nothing; the alleged dozens‑meter‑long Basilisk was not there, otherwise Bai Lang wouldn't mind sparring with it. A dragon‑tiger duel, but a cat fighting a mere snake is nothing.

After that, Bai Lang's nightly wanderings never again detected that smell, and his nightly outings were no longer just about petting cats—he also had to deal with dogs… or not? Bai Lang vaguely recalled that hyenas are closer to felines. He was bonding with a released hyena, mainly by sparring, which both improved the hyena's combat ability and their rapport.

However, the creature called a dog does indeed smell worse than a cat—the odor on it is rather unpleasant. "Its combat ability is much stronger than when it first recovered," Bai Lang said, panting after subduing this hyena again. Next comes the cat‑vs‑dog battle; each has its own merits.

Cats have slap attacks and flying tricks, and their bodies are agile—though they're larger than water buffaloes now, hardly the nimbleness of a kitten. But a hyena's massive jaws have far greater bite force than a cat's, even outmatching the horned Di'ao in collisions, and its size visibly increases as the fight continues.

This hyena is already larger than a rhinoceros, and not just an ordinary black or white rhino—perhaps it should be likened to an ancient woolly rhino.

The cat‑vs‑dog fight is extremely fierce; dogs have better durability, but Di'ao is more agile than the hyena, having already learned to fly. Moreover, Di'ao's growing mane boosts its resilience. Harry and the others keep petting cats, while Hermione Granger especially enjoys Di'ao's increasingly splendid and fierce appearance—the Di'ao with its newly grown mane.

The weather grows colder, and Halloween approaches.

Bai Lang didn't see Harry and the others at the Halloween banquet, but he never cared much for the holiday anyway. Having left early, he spotted Mrs. Luolisi's pet cat of Fei Erqi pacing the corridor. He stepped over the cat and continued down the hallway. "Why do I feel someone nearby?" he thought, shaking his head. It's a holiday, so students running around is normal, and aren't upper‑classmen of both genders just looking for a chance to sneak off together?

"Poor magical world, where most people find their other half while studying at Hogwarts…" Bai Lang muttered.