boyutpedia Chapter 224 Special Envoy Liu Taozhen's Intentions
Chapter 224 Special Envoy Liu Taozhen's Intentions
Chapter 224 Special Envoy Liu Taozhen's Intentions
Now, upon seeing Grindelwald, Liu Tao felt a surge of rage rising within him, and immediately drew a Type 54 pistol.
In the blink of an eye, there was no time to speak. A series of loud "bangs" were heard, like a string of firecrackers being set off on New Year's Eve, which shook the candles in the hall and scattered them in all directions.
The bullets flew with the speed of a shooting star. Before anyone could react, they saw eight bloody holes suddenly appear on Grindelwald's body, leaving it open from front to back, like a honeycomb.
The eight bullets hit the body, emptying the magazine.
Grindelwald initially felt a numbness throughout his body, and his vital energy seemed to drain away like a tide. His legs felt like they were standing on a pile of cotton, and he could hardly stand up.
With a "thud," he fell straight backward.
Only then did the wound begin to burn. It was as if my liver and intestines were being torn apart and my internal organs were being burned, as if a terrible curse was afflicting me.
As Grindelwald's spirit drifted away, just before dissipating, only one sentence flashed through his mind.
This mad dog.
Grindelwald could only exhale, not inhale, and it was clear that his soul was about to leave his body.
He stared at the dome, which was originally clearly visible but now seemed to be shrouded in a thick fog, like looking at flowers through a mist.
Blood gushed from the eight holes, and in no time, a pool of scarlet blood appeared beneath him, gradually congealing.
The people on the professors' panel were terrified, their eyes wide with anger, shouting repeatedly.
Barty Crouch's face tightened, and he hurriedly took several steps back, frantically tapping his wand to create three or four protective barriers, making himself as solid as an iron barrel.
Dumbledore then used his wand to cast a spell on Grindelwald, temporarily quelling the injury.
He immediately gave a command, summoned his house-elves, and they carried the person to the school hospital in a flash.
The students stood there dumbfounded, staring blankly at the chaotic scene in front of the professor's desk, their souls seemingly lost somewhere.
Seeing this, Harry's eyes shone brightly, and he couldn't help but clap his hands in praise, exclaiming loudly, "What a fine old swordsman! Truly courageous and chivalrous, valuing righteousness over life!"
"In his youth, he must have been a renowned and valiant hero!"
After saying this, he parted the stunned crowd and went to meet Liu Tao.
Ron and Hermione both knew perfectly well that Liu Tao's eight shots were meant to kill the Dark Lord Grindelwald.
However, what the other students saw was that the underground professor administrator, "Mr. Green," had been murdered for no reason.
Everyone looked at each other, completely bewildered, utterly unable to understand what Harry meant by those words.
"What is Harry talking about? Isn't that premeditated murder?"
"Perhaps—he and Mr. Green have an old grudge?"
"Harry wouldn't applaud a murderer. He must have another reason for saying that. I'm more curious about why Chinese wizards can cast spells silently."
Someone in the crowd raised their voice and immediately changed the subject.
The students were all amazed and discussed Liu Tao's method of silently casting eight consecutive spells.
Meanwhile, on the professor's table, the house-elves carried Grindelwald away, and Dumbledore quickly flicked his wand, casting a calming spell on Liu Tao.
He then stepped forward, gently patted his back, and said softly, "Calm down, old friend."
"Grindelwald didn't infiltrate the school; he was imprisoned."
"You should have seen the news about the Death Eaters attacking Nurmengard."
Dumbledore offered some words of reassurance before Liu Tao finally calmed down. However, he furrowed his brow, rubbed his temples, and remained silent for a long while before suddenly saying in a deep voice, "When you captured Grindelwald, you should have executed him."
"I still can't understand why you want to abolish the death penalty."
Upon hearing this, Dumbledore could only smile wryly and shake his head, saying, "Our situations are different."
He knew that Liu Tao was not to blame for this, so he first found an excuse to appease the students, and then went to appease the old man, fearing that this trouble would escalate into a diplomatic conflict.
After dispersing the crowd, he flicked his sleeves and went straight to the school hospital to visit Grindelwald.
Just as Liu Tao was about to leave, he breathed a sigh of relief when Harry strode up to him, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "Seeing is believing, and meeting is even better than hearing! I've heard Professor Dumbledore speak of you before, sir, as a master of talismans and a hero of our time who is always ready to fight injustice."
"Having witnessed their skills firsthand today, they truly live up to their reputation!"
"The East and England are separated by thousands of miles. Sir, you have come from afar. You must be tired from your journey and have not yet had a proper rest."
.
"If you would not mind, sir, I have prepared a simple meal and wine at my humble abode. I would be honored if you would like to come and have a chat with me."
Liu Tao did not answer, his expression showing a hint of surprise.
After a long silence, he finally said thoughtfully, "Your way of speaking—it's not just your average old-fashioned way."
Harry laughed, "Everyone has their own style, why must everyone be the same? Why should my mannerisms be the same as everyone else's?"
"That makes sense."
Liu Tao muttered something to himself, but his hands didn't stop moving.
With swift movements of his fingers, he pressed eight yellow bullets into the iron box, clicked the chamber shut, locked it, and then tucked it back into his waistband.
"Please lead the way, Mr. Potter. I would really like to have a drink with you."
Harry was overjoyed upon hearing this and hurriedly led the way.
The two, accompanied by a group of students, headed straight for the secret room.
After walking only a few steps, Lockhart left Durmstrang's students behind and rushed over, squeezing right up to Liu Tao's side and taking his hand with a big smile.
"Welcome, Mr. Liu, welcome to Hogwarts!"
As the saying goes, "One doesn't hit a smiling face." Although Liu Tao didn't recognize him, he still greeted him and asked, "Who are you?"
Lockhart responded to the question as if he had received a royal decree.
He puffed out his chest, cleared his throat, straightened his gold-embroidered robes, and swayed his head as he said, "Assistant in Defense Against the Dark Arts, holder of the Order of Merlin, third-class medal, honorary member of the Anti-Dark Magic League, and five-time winner of the Wizarding Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award —"
"If you don't know these things, that's okay. I'm also the author of the bestselling Harry Potter series and one of Harry's collaborators."
Harry had been listening impatiently for a while, and before he could finish speaking, he spread his five fingers to block the attack and then flicked it to the side.
Nalohart stumbled a few steps and nearly fell headfirst.
"Professor, stop your rambling. Can't you see I'm having a conversation with you?"
Lockhart was taken aback but dared not speak. He hurriedly straightened his clothes, retreated behind the two men, and pricked up his prominent ears as if listening intently.
Harry didn't turn back, but walked side by side with Liu Tao toward the secret chamber.
Liu Tao followed Harry into the underground passageway. Seeing that the paths were winding and interconnected, he couldn't help but nod in admiration and exclaim, "This place is exceptionally suitable for guerrilla warfare!"
Harry cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Sir, you have excellent eyesight."
"Oh, it's nothing, I've just seen a lot of them."
As they chatted and laughed, they arrived at the round stone door carved with snake patterns. Harry pushed hard, and the stone door swung open with a crash.
Upon looking up, Liu Tao's smile instantly froze. He saw:
Inside, eighteen kinds of weapons were lined up in a solemn array, their cold light piercing the sky, with Guan Yu, the God of War, standing tall and imposing in the center.
A few wisps of smoke rise from the bronze incense burner, three sticks of incense transforming into a dragon. Most captivating is the vermilion banner hanging behind the image, the twelve-foot-tall character for "righteousness" thundering like lightning, its strokes powerful and sharp.
Liu Tao stood frozen in front of the door, like a clay or wooden sculpture, his eyes glazed over, his soul seemingly lost in thought.
His lips parted slightly, his throat bobbed, and he seemed to be possessed by a nightmare, unable to move for a long time.
After a long while, his neck stiffened, and he slowly turned to Harry, pointing to the statue, and said, "You worship Guan Yu?"
Harry, upon hearing this, exclaimed in surprise, "A true hero of this era must possess all six virtues: loyalty, righteousness, trustworthiness, wisdom, benevolence, and courage. Among all the heroes throughout history, only Guan Yu possesses all six."
"If we don't worship Guan Yu, who should we worship?"
Upon hearing these words, Liu Tao felt his face twitch, and a sense of absurdity and strangeness welled up in his heart.
What's even more remarkable than Harry's worship of Guan Gong is that this person has such a profound understanding of the six characters "loyalty, righteousness, faith, wisdom, benevolence, and courage".
Is this really a British person?
Even Chinese people might not know as much as he does, right?
Although Liu Tao's heart was churning with emotions, he swallowed all his words and simply sat down with Harry as host and guest, respectively.
After the two of them sat down, the students in the room also took their seats. Large bowls were filled with wine, large chunks of meat were cut, and the sounds of shouting and laughing were endless. Liu Tao glanced at this scene and felt his eyelids twitching.
This sounds a bit like the behavior of bandits.
Is the British bandit leader Zuo Shan Diao?
Harry had already filled a glass with flaming whiskey and presented it to Liu Tao with both hands, saying, "Today, witnessing your heroic act of slaying evil with eight spears, I regret not having met you sooner. It is truly a case of meeting too late!"
'
"Please accept my bow!"
Seeing Harry's words and actions, Liu Tao felt that he had a strong bandit vibe.
He first shared a drink with him, and after a long pause, he asked in a low voice, "Mr. Potter, do you have a grudge against Grindelwald?"
""
"You seem to be more than just eager for Grindelwald to die."
Harry nodded and then shook his head. "Although we have no blood feud, this fellow is cunning and deceitful, and is certainly not a good person."
He then recounted in detail how Grindelwald had secretly placed his name into the Goblet of Fire.
Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Liu Tao tapped his fingers three times on the table, but instead of asking about Grindelwald, he stared at the remaining note in Harry's hand and said with great interest, "Could you show me the third piece of paper with your name on it?"
Harry, having heard this, readily agreed and immediately took the piece of paper from his pocket and presented it to them.
Liu Tao unfolded the paper and examined it closely for a moment. Suddenly, he pulled out his magic wand and cast a glow spell, shining the paper in the light to examine it repeatedly.
After a long pause, he suddenly frowned and said in a deep voice, "This was definitely not written by a human."
Upon hearing this, Harry's spirits lifted, and he eagerly asked, "I would like to hear the details. How did you discover the flaw, sir?"
'
Liu Tao did not refuse. He spread the paper out on the table and said, "No matter how messy a person's handwriting is, it will always leave traces of the person. This is the habit and muscle memory accumulated from years of writing with human hands."
"However, the handwriting on this paper is a bit strange. The eleven letters, in terms of pen pressure, spacing, and stroke order, all seem inhuman to me."
Harry frowned and pondered for a moment, then said, "If this guy did it on purpose, writing such awful characters, what should I do if I want to hide my handwriting?"
"This possibility is very low. Even if it's deliberately messy writing, there should still be some inherent consistency in personal writing habits."
"However, I can't find any commonality in these eleven letters. I'm more inclined to believe that someone used magic to manipulate animals to write your name."
Upon hearing this explanation, Harry felt as if a veil had been lifted from his head, and most of his confusion was instantly resolved.
He quickly poured another cup of wine, presented it to Liu Tao with both hands, and said respectfully, "Sir, your words are worth more than ten years of study. I never imagined you possessed such keen insight!"
Liu Tao waved his hand casually, "I've just seen it a lot; this kind of practice is very common during wartime."
Harry exchanged a few more jokes with him, poured himself a glass of wine, and ate slowly, wondering to himself who was the one who controlled the beasts.
After pondering for a long time, still without any clue, he thought to himself: Why think about him? Today is a good day to enjoy myself, so I should just drink.
They immediately added more wine and started a feast, eating and drinking to their hearts' content.
Seeing his magnanimity, Liu Tao exclaimed in surprise, "Your carefree attitude is beyond my imagination, Mr. Potter."
Harry, completely disregarding everything, raised his glass and laughed loudly: "As the saying goes, there's always a way out! Since that fellow has written my name on it, we'll see how things turn out in time. There's no need to rush."
"Even if they harbor malicious intentions, they should know that Hogwarts is home to hundreds of brothers and sisters from the Boxer Rebellion. What villain would dare to provoke them!"
Upon hearing the term "Boxer Rebellion," Liu Tao felt as if he had swallowed a piece of hot iron; the wine in his throat choked him, and he bent over, coughing violently.
Finally catching his breath, he coughed and said, "The Boxers?!"
"You're not kidding me, are you!"
Harry was puzzled, but said seriously, "I don't speak in the Bard language."
Upon hearing this, Liu Tao's facial muscles twitched, and his eyelids bulged like war drums.
What kind of mess is this? How come even the Boxers are here!
With many thoughts swirling in his mind, he ate the meal absentmindedly, unable to appreciate the delicious food on the table.
After the banquet, Harry assumed that Liu Tao was leaving like the other referees, so he cupped his hands in farewell and said, "If you are able to come to England again, it will probably be after April when the Triwizard Tournament resumes."
"Please send a message when the time comes, so that I can prepare some wine and wine to show my hospitality."
As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Tao shook his head. "I won't leave, Mr. Potter. I'll stay at the school until the end of this semester."
"Albus invited me to Hogwarts not just to be a referee in the Triwizard Tournament."
Harry, sensing something amiss, quickly asked, "So you're saying this refereeing is just a pretext? What, then, is your real purpose, sir?"
"Investigate Voldemort's plot to kill you during the Triwizard Tournament."
Harry was even more surprised to hear this. "I thought you were a grandmaster of talismans, but it turns out you're also skilled in investigative techniques?"
Liu Tao pointed to the scar on her forehead, "A shell forced me to retreat from the front lines, and I've been working in intelligence ever since."
"I am an underground member of the Communist Party."