Chapter 68: Fourth‑Floor Corridor

He wouldn't really want to take on a senior student one‑on‑one, would he?

Luoen widened his eyes and stared at Harry.

Can't rule out that possibility!

Harry said, looking at Dali's retreating back.

At that moment, the scene of Dali pressing Ma Er Fu with a crushing blow flashed before his eyes, and after beating Ma Er Fu, Dali elegantly wiped the blood from his hands, then faced the ensuing situation as if nothing had happened.

Elegant, dignified, indifferent, calm…

Dali in that state truly made Harry feel fear.

He seemed genuinely fearless, or perhaps just indifferent.

"What should we do now? We can't just let him wander around alone; what if something happens?" Luoen said, somewhat worried.

Harry thought for a moment and said, "Let's go back first; it's still early. Dali usually returns around seven or eight, and if he goes out again at night, we'll accompany him."

"Fine," Luoen nodded.

There was no better solution.

Nine o'clock at night.

Most people had already returned to their house's common rooms, and the castle felt much emptier.

Dali arrived at the Fourth Floor, intending to wander around here before heading back.

The reason he was still loitering outside today was to lure senior Slytherin House students into confronting him; to give them a chance, Dali even deliberately strolled over to Slytherin House.

Unfortunately, no one made a move against him.

Perhaps because it was still early, or maybe because a brawl had just broken out recently, everyone was being very cautious.

Even though those Slytherin students became extremely irritated upon seeing Dali, no one attacked him.

That left Dali deeply disappointed.

"The opportunity's been given to you, but you're so ungrateful!"

Dali was angry at their lack of action.

He thought as he walked, and unwittingly arrived at the Fourth‑Floor corridor.

"Here…"

Dali's gaze tightened slightly.

This place is a Forbidden Area of Hogwarts, a location Professor Dengbulido had specifically mentioned before.

Dali had never approached this spot before; it was his first time near here.

"What secret does this place hide?"

Dali couldn't help feeling curious.

He glanced around, confirmed no one was present, activated Spiritual Sight, and looked toward the Forbidden Area.

"There are traces of Magic, and… something seems to be behind the door…"

Dali squinted; Spiritual Sight wasn't very clear, especially since that spot seemed to be under some spell, making it look as if veiled by a thin gauze.

"In this Fourth‑Floor area, a large portion appears off‑limits, and even the floor below is occupied, meaning the Forbidden Area is actually a fairly extensive space."

Dali thought to himself.

Having roamed Hogwarts for a while, Dali knew the castle's layout almost by heart, allowing him to easily construct a three‑dimensional map in his mind.

On this map, he could clearly see that the locations beneath the Fourth‑Floor Forbidden Area were also inaccessible.

In other words, the Forbidden Area isn't just the Fourth Floor; it extends downward, covering the entire area beneath, including the third, second, and first floors, even the basement.

"Did they hide something here?"

Dali thought to himself.

He pondered briefly, using his spiritual intuition to seek a Mysticism‑type revelation.

He now possessed a decent understanding of Hogwarts, and, having received the headmaster's authorization, had become Hogwarts' Law Enforcement Officer, granting him an extraordinary Mysticism‑sensing ability.

"I recall that Dengbulido only banned students from this area this year, meaning there was no such restriction before."

At that thought, a flash of lightning seemed to flicker in Dali's mind.

"Vault 713!"

Dali snapped his eyes open.

He remembered clearly that Hagrid had repeatedly emphasized that Gulingge was the safest place aside from Hogwarts.

So where would the items taken from Vault 713 be hidden?

Moreover, that was a task Dengbulido had given to Hagrid.

At that moment, everything clicked together.

Although Dali lacked any evidence to prove his conjecture, he was almost certain it was correct.

"Only the question remains—what exactly is inside?"

Dali was somewhat curious.

When they were at Gulingge, the goblin La Huan hadn't managed to open the vault door before the man in black killed him, which caused Dali to miss the chance to see Vault 713's secret.

Dali lingered a moment, then walked toward the Forbidden Area.

School rules?

They don't exist.

The Black Emperor Path and the Judicator Path, when taken to their ends, represent the exploitation and distortion of order; even their revered names carry shadows of order, descriptions of the dark side of rules.

Under such circumstances, Dali could not be someone who strictly follows the rules.

Clack.

Suddenly, a rush of footsteps came from the adjacent corridor, and Dali immediately halted his steps.

Immediately after, another footstep also made an Appearance.

"Two people?"

Dali's expression tightened slightly.

He felt that this footstep was somewhat familiar.

Soon, his Extraordinary Ability took effect, and Dali recognized one of the footstep sounds.

"Sineipu!"

The other voice was somewhat familiar; he must have heard it somewhere, but it wasn't as familiar as Sineipu's footstep.

"Don't—let me discover what you're doing, or else..."

That was Sineipu's voice; his speech was always halting, leaping out word by word.

"I... I don't know what you're saying..."

A stammering voice came.

"It's Quirrell!"

Dali finally knew who the other footstep belonged to.

"Could it be that Sineipu discovered Quirrell's problem?"

Dali thought to himself.

From the tone of the conversation, Sineipu seemed to be questioning Quirrell.

"You..."

Sineipu was about to say something else, but suddenly stopped.

In the next moment, his figure made an Appearance at the corridor's corner.

"Dali De Si Li!"

Sineipu's cold gaze fixed on Dali.

"Professor Sineipu."

Dali smiled faintly and greeted.

There was nowhere to hide here, and Dali didn't intend to hide; after all, he had exemption rights and could, to some extent, violate school rules.

"Out of the middle of the night, not in your own dormitory, appearing on the Fourth Floor corridor, what are you doing?"

Sineipu squinted and asked.

"Gryffindor..."

"Professor, I have obtained Professor Dengbulido's permission to walk within the castle and, to a certain extent, violate school rules. I think my current level of rule-breaking falls within the allowed range; if you doubt it, you may ask Professor Dengbulido."

Dali said with a smile.