Chapter 152: Mr. Li Ao

Pulling open the guest bedroom door, Harry saw an Oriental man with a tough face, neat wrinkles, and gray hair, all of which showed the fact that he was not young.

"Zhang Ji, I heard you want to talk to me." He used English with a heavy Yingzhou accent, so it didn't trigger the TARDIS's translation magic, which made Harry feel extremely tortured.

"Just call me Miss." Zhang Qiu leaned on the bed and said lightly.

Professor Doudou walked into the room from behind Li Ao. He winked at Harry, then pulled him to sit a little further away.

Harry guessed something. Perhaps because Zhang Qiu said it was inconvenient for her to stay too long, Professor Doudou returned to a slightly earlier time to invite Mr. Li Ao in advance.

"Can, Miss Zhang." Li Ao pulled over a chair and sat by the bed. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Are you so blunt to everyone?" Zhang Qiu narrowed her eyes and said. "Or do you have any opinions about me or Master Xuanjun?"

"Xuanjun, I do hate him." Li Ao said without any taboo. "No Showa man would like him."

Harry pulled the Professor's sleeve. "What are they talking about?"

"Yingzhou used to be an independent country, but under Xuanjun's operation, it was annexed by the Heavenly Dynasty." The Professor explained in a low voice. "Their last country name was Showa."

"Alright." Harry shrugged helplessly.

"But today I'm not here to talk to you about these. We don't need to dwell on those old Oriental things on British soil." Zhang Qiu shook her head gently. "What I want to know is, why did you come to Neville's house?"

"Just taking refuge." Li Ao snorted coldly. "Ge Xuan is preparing to liquidate the wizards who resisted him, so I left Yingzhou. Now I'm just hiding at a friend's house."

"When you were young, were you friends with Neville's grandmother?" Zhang Qiu asked curiously.

"Indeed." He nodded. "However, I originally only planned to stay here for a short time, but I noticed Neville's affairs, and I think I cannot stand by and watch."

"Why?" Zhang Qiu actually cared about this point very much, but her tone at this time was very casual.

"Voldemort, a dictator a hundred times more cruel than Xuanjun, he will destroy this place, and Neville is one of the two people who can defeat him." Li Ao's calm tone carried a hint of irrepressible excitement. "I will do my best to protect the UK; I have long regarded her as my second hometown."

"The way you speak is very strange..." Zhang Qiu murmured. "Who did you learn this from?"

"I don't need to tell you." This tough-guy-like old man suddenly became restless.

"Your English name is Leo, right? What is your surname? Or if you use it as a surname, what is your given name?" Zhang Qiu searched in her small notebook. "I haven't found your real name yet..."

"Enough!" He angrily stopped Zhang Qiu's movements. "If you want to check, you can check, but don't expect me to tell you!"

"That's fine." After a brief moment of being stunned, Zhang Qiu quickly changed the subject. "Then let's talk about Neville. The current Neville is very excellent. I think this is closely related to your teaching."

"Not entirely." Li Ao's tone softened a bit. "I just taught him the responsibility a man should have, some general knowledge, and combat skills."

"Then," Zhang Qiu asked thoughtfully, "Neville's Ascension Spell, wasn't it taught by you?"

"Hard to say. To be precise, it's a book I saw before." Li Ao said. "It introduced a series of acceleration-related spells, but only those with true talent can learn one of them."

"That's also quite good." Zhang Qiu suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. "So, your main teaching content is that kind of melee magic?"

"You should know very well that most Heavenly Dynasty people fight like this." Li Ao said dismissively. "It's just that British wizards chose wands as the main spellcasting medium, so Neville can only rely on his own fists."

"He also has Gryffindor's sword now." Zhang Qiu added.

"That's right, but the most important thing is not to rely too much on spells." Li Ao said. "I think you should also know that the effect caused by spells is different from the actual situation, so magic spells can only play an auxiliary role. The only thing truly worth trusting is one's own fists."

"The effect caused by magic spells is different from the actual situation?" Under doubt, Harry couldn't help but interject.

"You also know the magical healing effect of Dittany essence, right?" Li Ao was quite kind to Harry. "Then why do so many Muggles die from excessive blood loss every year?"

Harry was stunned. He had never thought about this matter.

"Because Dittany's curative effect is only effective for wounds caused by magic spells. Purely physical wounds cannot be healed by it." Li Ao said. "This world is so magical. Magic belongs to magic, science belongs to science, and the two almost never intersect."

"This is also the philosophy I have always believed in." Li Ao said loudly. "Opponents killed by magic spells will inevitably be resurrected by magic spells, so the most reliable way is always to cut off the enemy's head with your own hands."

"But you have to break his Iron Shield Charm with magic spells first." Professor Doudou shrugged. "I have no intention of judging your fighting style; I can only say we have different understandings."

"These are all small things." Zhang Qiu smoothed things over. "By the way, Mr. Li Ao, do you know what Neville did at school?"

"Don't know, and I don't care." He pretended to be indifferent. "Men always have times when they have to face enemies alone."

Li Ao had tried his best to pretend not to care, but an elder's concern for a child could not be hidden.

Zhang Qiu nodded with a smile, then took out a golden ring from her storage bag.

"Thank you, Mr. Li Ao." She said. "Although we have slight differences on some historical issues, the past is already in the past. Xuanjun's intention to protect the UK is the same as yours. At least on this land, please accept our kindness."

"A ruby ring in the shape of a lion. You actually investigated it, right?" Li Ao was rarely a bit awkward. "I am already an old man in his twilight years. Xuanjun's kindness should be left to Neville."

"Then, I will continue my journey." Zhang Qiu's tone was more relaxed than ever, even carrying a hint of playfulness. "Thank you for everything you have done for this second hometown."

Before the old man could show an embarrassed expression, Professor Doudou quickly finished a farewell sentence, pulled Harry into the wardrobe, and then, amidst the whistling sound, this wardrobe returned to its original appearance.

"Professor, I wanted to ask just now." Although Harry had many doubts, he still picked a question that Doudou could probably answer. "Why do Heavenly Dynasty people use Dharma swords, while we use wands? Is there any difference?"

"Oh, this." Professor Doudou answered unhurriedly. "The materials used in wands can maximize the transmission of magic power and strengthen the effect of magic spells, which is something Dharma swords cannot do."

"Besides that, when persecuted by the church in the Middle Ages, wizards tended to choose spellcasting media that were easier to hide. Wands were passed down like this." Professor Doudou continued. "As for now, you can freely change secondary weapons while holding a wand in one hand. You can choose a sword or a pistol. There are also colleagues who hold riot shields in their left hand, which is very flexible."

"Indeed, then I'll have to ask Zhang Qiu later why Heavenly Dynasty people like to use Dharma swords." Harry thought for a moment and felt that the wand was a very superior tool, but he didn't quite understand the significance of the Dharma sword.

"As for this, I actually know a little bit." The Professor said. "It is said that because the Undetectable Extension Charm in the Heavenly Dynasty is not popular, and their wizards like to live in steep mountains, in order not to have to carry swords, wands, and brooms at the same time, they invented the Dharma sword that can hack, cast spells, and fly when stepped on. Although each function sacrifices some performance, it provides great convenience after integration, just like a Swiss Army knife."

"Oh, here we are." The Professor stopped the machine, and the screen prompted that it was Valentine's Day in the second year. "Why would Zhang Qiu come here?" As usual, Harry put on the Invisibility Cloak and walked gently toward the door.

Just as he pulled the door open, he suddenly felt a warm body bump into his arms, and then, Zhang Qiu turned around and slammed the door shut.

"Oh, Harry!" She exclaimed belatedly. "I just wanted to find a cupboard to hide, how did you... where is this?"

Harry revealed a head; he looked like a lonely head floating in the air.

"This is Professor Doudou's time machine; it's called the TARDIS." Harry explained. "By the way, how did you know it was me?"

"I know you are tracking my journey." Zhang Qiu shrugged. "And in this school, if I bump into an invisible person about my height, of course I will prioritize suspecting it's you."

"Then what's going on with this stop? Who are you avoiding again?" With a hint of curiosity, Harry looked out through the crack in the door.

He saw his past self holding a fainted Valentine's Day little angel, staring at the bustling corridor with a confused face.

"Oh right, this is the Valentine's Day card you wrote me last year." Harry was stunned for a moment. "Are you here to investigate the culprit who cast the Obliviate spell on the little angel, causing me to fail to finish reading the card?"

"I cast the Obliviate spell." Zhang Qiu said with a flushed face, panting. "That card wasn't written well."

"I think it's pretty good. You don't know what I've experienced this day." Harry recalled Ginny, Ivy, and Colin's cards, and he was still getting goosebumps all over.

"In any case, I will rewrite it, wait until the sixth year or," Zhang Qiu's words were only halfway through when she suddenly flickered, and then a look of terror appeared on her face.

"Oh, it's ruined!" The Professor hurriedly ran to the console. "We have to move quickly; she can't be here—" ===== CHAPTER 153 =====