[Once, without meaning to, you saved Chong Heihu, turning blades into jade and forming a bond of life and death.]
[His elder brother—one of the Four Great Marquises, Chong Houhu—sends a gift by messenger: a Red-Sandalwood Fragrant Carriage. This carriage can travel a thousand li in a day, gliding through cloud and mist; in the mortal world it is a rare and precious treasure.]
[Though merely a mortal lord, Chong Houhu rose to stand among the Four Great Marquises and, even when the Investiture Calamity loomed, still knew to bribe sycophants at court and help King Zhou build the Deer Terrace. His instinct for pursuing benefit and avoiding harm is nearly innate.]
[You and Chong Houhu have reached Casual Acquaintance. You gain the talent — Keen Sense for Profit and Peril. When opportunity or danger lies ahead, you will feel a vague premonition.]
The glowing System text faded, and Theodore rubbed at his forehead, half laughing, half exasperated.
"So the Nimbus Two Thousand turned into a Red-Sandalwood Fragrant Carriage," he muttered. "I mean… fine. That's at least thematically appropriate."
"But Draco Malfoy as Chong Heihu and Lucius Malfoy as Chong Houhu?"
"System, your family tree is a disaster."
Still—set the seniority aside, and it did fit.
Lucius was a very solid Chong Houhu analogue: sensing which way the wind blew, dodging danger, clinging to influence, slipping neatly from side to side as power shifted.
Keen Sense for Profit and Peril might not help in a duel, but at the right moment, it could be priceless.
He turned the slip of parchment over in his hands—the Restricted Section permit Lucius had arranged through the Board of Governors.
New text glimmered over it.
[This is, in fact, a Chan Sect token that Chong Houhu once acquired by chance. It may grant access to one of the Chan Sect's forbidden grounds: the Demon Grotto beneath Jade Void Palace.]
[WARNING: All demons suppressed beneath Jade Void Palace are rare, fearsome monsters steeped in killing aura. With your current cultivation, entering the Demon Grotto would mean certain death.]
Theodore's mouth twitched.
Then he set his shoulders, tucked the permit away, and headed for the library anyway.
The System's warnings grew increasingly melodramatic as he walked.
By the time he reached the main hall—the area where ordinary students could browse shelves freely—the scarlet lettering on the interface looked almost frantic.
[You have approached the outer fringe of the Chan Sect forbidden ground known as the Demon Grotto.]
[From within the grotto, cold and murderous qi seeps out—icy, ruthless, echoing with the wails of immortals. TURN BACK AT ONCE!]
Theodore rolled his eyes and ignored it.
A moment later, a figure stepped into his path.
Madam Pince, the librarian, stood in front of the rope cordoning off the Restricted Section, eyeing him with deep suspicion.
"Stop right there," she said.
"That's the Restricted Section. First-year students don't belong anywhere near it. You'll need a signed note from a professor to even think about going in."
The System obligingly translated.
[Outside the Demon Grotto, a stern figure stands tall, radiating a killing aura that blocks your path.]
[This is the Immortal who Guards the Demon Grotto, a Chan Sect cultivator tasked with its defence. His temper is eccentric; he has spent ages standing watch to prevent the monsters below from rioting.]
[Seeing a junior disciple blithely approach the Grotto, unaware of its horrors, he moves to bar your way.]
Theodore suppressed a snort and produced Lucius's permit instead, holding it out.
"I don't have a professor's note," he said politely, "but I do have a permit, issued by the Board of Governors."
Madam Pince's eyes flickered.
The Board of Governors?
Apart from payday—and the occasional meddling—she almost never heard from them. That they'd taken the trouble to grant a student special access to the Restricted Section…
Unless this was some absurd forgery cooked up by those daredevil Gryffindor lions.
She took the parchment, examining it from every angle—checking seals, signatures, even the texture of the paper.
Finally, her expression shifted from suspicion to reluctant surprise.
It was genuine.
Theodore tilted his head.
"Does that mean I can go in?"
Madam Pince pursed her lips, clearly unhappy, but nodded anyway.
"Very well.
"But I warn you, many of the books in there are… alive. Some are bound with very advanced magic. They can be extremely dangerous.
"And the dusting alone is a nightmare. No one has been allowed to properly clean that section in nearly a hundred years. Don't make it any worse than it already is."
Theodore agreed solemnly and stepped towards the rope.
The System, of course, refused to let things stay simple.
[The Guardian Immortal recognises the token in your hand. By the laws of the Chan Sect, whosoever holds such a token may enter the Demon Grotto for tempering, regardless of cultivation. Even he cannot bar your way.]
[Before you descend, the Guardian Immortal issues many stern warnings: the inner chambers of the Demon Grotto have not been purged for a century. Some of the greater demons there are drenched in murderous malice. Should they feast upon the flesh and blood of a Chan Sect disciple, their strength would recover swiftly. He urges you to take great care.]
[Though nameless, this Immortal is held in high esteem—even by the Twelve Golden Immortals. To befriend him would bring immense benefit.]
[Yet his temper is strange. He values neither cultivation nor fortune nor rank—only skill in slaying demons and purifying evil. In this life he has devoted himself solely to the Dao of Demon-Slaying.]
[Slay 100 demons in the Grotto to reach Casual Acquaintance and receive the talent — Reversed Demonic Source. This talent will allow you to take the spells and divine arts of demons and wield them as righteous, upright techniques that restrain evil.]
[Slay 1,000 demons to reach Close Friend and receive the reward — Demon-Refining Pill Recipe. This pill is the Guardian Immortal's own creation; refined from twisted demons, it greatly accelerates cultivation.]
[Slay 10,000 demons to reach Life-and-Death Bond and receive the reward — Myriad-Demon Gold Pill Recipe. The Guardian Immortal's ultimate design: a pill refined with a peerless demon king as the main ingredient and infused with the power of ten thousand demons. Even the Twelve Golden Immortals would benefit from it.]
Theodore's foot froze mid-step.
His pulse kicked up.
Making friends with Madam Pince comes with rewards like these?
Reversed Demonic Source sounded… very on-brand. If he could flip "demonic" spells on their heads and wield them as righteous arts, did that mean he could, say, use dark curses like ordinary magic—as long as his intent was pure and his target deserved it?
That was… intriguing.
But what really lit his eyes were the pill recipes that followed.
His Profound Pill Dao talent was practically begging for new formulas to tear apart and improve. Flying Tiger Pills were starting to feel a bit… low-tier.
If he could get his hands on those two pill recipes and refine them here, in the "low-pressure" magical world, his cultivation speed would explode.
The only question was…
How do you "slay demons" in the Restricted Section?
Burn the dangerous books?
He entertained the thought for half a second, then dismissed it with a shudder.
Madam Pince loved books the way dragons loved treasure. If he damaged even one of the rarer volumes, friendship would be off the table—not to mention his continued existence.
So in the System's little metaphor, what exactly counted as demons?
His gaze slid, thoughtful, to the feather duster in Madam Pince's hand.
"Madam Pince," he said gently, "you mentioned just now that the Restricted Section hasn't been cleaned in nearly a hundred years?"
Pain twisted her face.
"Yes," she said. "Even the librarians aren't allowed to stroll in and out of the Restricted Section. Which means no one can properly dust it, either.
"Watching those beautiful, precious books gather grime is agony. But I can't disobey Dumbledore's orders…"
Theodore's expression grew solemn.
"Letting rare books sit forgotten under piles of dust," he said gravely, "is indeed a cruelty no true lover of books can bear.
"How about this, Madam Pince: I have a valid permit for the Restricted Section. Why not let me go in and… help you clean?"
She stared at him.
The change in her eyes was instant and dramatic.
"Truly?"
Before he could blink, she thrust the feather duster into his hands.
"If you really are willing to tidy the Restricted Section for me, I would be immensely grateful."
The System all but howled in delight.
[Who else but I shall slay demons and purge evil?!]
[Your righteous declaration before entering the Demon Grotto greatly moves the Guardian Immortal.]
[He unfastens the Demon-Slaying Sword from his waist and presents it to you, urging you to cut down many demons and uphold the righteous path.]
Theodore looked down at the feather duster now sitting in his palm.
Then he smiled slowly.
"Understood," he thought. "Demon-Slaying Sword acquired."
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