Hogwarts: A Chinese-Style Professor

Chapter 35 Li Wei's Exploration

"For example, you were once very close to the Dark Lord Grindelwald, and even proposed a dangerous idea—"

Almost as soon as Li Wei uttered the name, Dumbledore's expression subtly changed—and this subtle change, of course, did not escape Li Wei's keen observation.

He stopped talking and didn't say the slogan, as a way of saving face for Deng.

Dumbledore stood there stunned for a moment.

He never expected that after so long, someone would still mention that name.
He quickly realized that he had lost his composure.

"I didn't expect you to know even this kind of thing. Your information network is wider than I thought."

Dumbledore sighed and then frankly admitted it.

"I think this is a good start, allowing us to be open and honest with each other and face the past."

"Keep talking."

His voice remained gentle, yet it had somehow acquired an undeniable power.

Their deep blue pupils met firmly in their black, jade-like eyes, and Li Wei's voice continued.

"In my opinion, the outside world has completely misunderstood you. You are definitely not a person obsessed with power."

Because in the past, if you had chosen to cooperate with Grindelwald, the entire wizarding world would have been within your grasp.

But it was precisely this sense of control that made you feel threatened, causing you to avoid power like the plague.

"Professor, you are undoubtedly a great man."

"But if I may be frank, you are also someone who overcorrects."

The painful lessons you learn can make you subconsciously stick to one place when faced with certain situations, as if...
You personally mentored the second Dark Lord, Tom Riddle, so you must henceforth remain highly wary of all talented wizards, especially those—those from Slytherin.

"."

"."

This time it was Dumbledore's turn to remain silent.

I didn't expect that.

His aged voice was also hoarse.
But unlike Li Wei, he didn't rush to continue speaking.

There was a brief silence between the two.

Before each of them, the still-warm cocoa liquor trembled slightly, rippling gently.

I don’t know when.

Their gazes had already left each other.

"Whether it's the basilisk or your analysis of me, Livy, your insight into things always amazes me."

Dumbledore's voice rang out again at some point, and his expression returned to normal.

"I apologize, Professor, for making some presumptuous remarks."

Li Wei also reflected on his actions—he had been somewhat agitated by Dumbledore's words.

Could it be because deep down, he also felt that avoiding war was a shameful thing? That's why he was so easily defeated by Dumbledore's sudden attack?
Li Wei suddenly realized that perhaps during his long practice of the spell, he had neglected the existence of his 'self'.

“You really said some very harsh things to me. I haven’t heard such sharp criticism in decades.”

However, I accept your apology, as long as—you also tell me some things from the past.

The two met eyes again, and Dumbledore suddenly winked mischievously, his face showing no sign of distress, as if his earlier displeasure had already passed.

Li Wei had no reason to refuse.

Although he had somewhat forgotten why he had initially sat there. Neither the matter of the basilisk nor the discussion of increasing magical power seemed to be making any progress.

With a sigh escaping his lips, Li Wei spoke:
"You've probably already investigated what happened during my student days, so let's start from after I graduated."

Actually, there wasn't anything particularly special about my experience; most of the time, I was practicing spells.

Li Wei downed the hot cocoa in one gulp, and under Dumbledore's approving gaze, continued:

"After graduating from school, I refused offers from the Death Eaters and the Ministry of Magic, and because of this, the Death Eaters have been trying to find me."

To ensure my safety, I moved between the homes of several Muggles, studying magic on my own and occasionally going out to trade for magical items I needed.

During the two years when the Mystic was at his most rampant, I was like a stinking rat in a sewer, constantly hiding, while continuing to study magic diligently in a Muggle house.

Back then, I wasn't strong enough to contend with those veteran Death Eaters—of course, that's just an excuse for selfish people, and there's no point in dwelling on it.

"After the mysterious man fell from power, things became much safer."

Due to various needs, I often didn't have enough Galleons, so I started robbing dark wizards from time to time to solve this problem, which was a good opportunity to test what I had learned.

As my skills improve, the things I need become increasingly rare, and the people who come to me naturally become more and more powerful. Occasionally, I also raid some underground auctions.

Their resources were much richer, and they could satisfy my needs for a long time in one go, so I gradually made fewer trips.

To be honest, some bigwigs behind the black market still have warrants for my arrest, but because my whereabouts are unpredictable and the intervals between my arrests are long, they can't prevent me from doing so.

"So that's it."

Dumbledore couldn't help but chuckle when he heard this.

He had also heard about the experiences of some of these markets.

The reason he could laugh was because he knew that the black market was indeed not clean—or rather, extremely dirty.

Black wizards in the wild are basically swindlers and con artists who will do anything.

What's even more despicable is that their targets are often children who have no power to resist.

Although Li Wei's approach was somewhat inappropriate, it was at least a case of fighting evil with evil.

Dumbledore didn't mind things that happened in the past—in fact, he was glad that Levi told him about them.

This shows that they are becoming more and more open.

“Starting from the second year after graduation, I had a vague realization that relying solely on my own understanding and continuing to work in isolation, while I could continue to improve for a while, would eventually reach a bottleneck.”

Because of the downfall of the mysterious man, the wizarding community became much more stable, and I began to consciously select and train some spiritual wizards as my students.

Jowell was the first student I took on—his talent in magic far surpassed mine; after all, that was the very reason he was auctioned off.
I assign him study tasks every day and guide him during breaks—he always learns quickly and well.

Seven years after graduation, on an ordinary morning, I suddenly had a strong premonition.

I am no longer able to improve myself through any learning.

I spent three months verifying this, integrating all the magic I had learned except for black magic.

Got nothing.

After that, I began taking Jowell around the world to search for and verify the dark creatures that I had only read about in books.

Incidentally, I will also visit wizards in some countries to try to exchange and learn from them.

Unfortunately, they often regard knowledge as their most valuable asset and are extremely xenophobic, unwilling to communicate with outsiders like me.

Those who are willing to open themselves up often have varying levels of skill and rarely achieve anything significant.

(End of this chapter)