The mastermind behind Hogwarts

Chapter 283 Vegetative State

Just as Moriarty and his party stepped into the magic institute, changes were quietly taking place in China, another major magical power in Asia.

Longhu Mountain, Zhangjia.

One of the most powerful wizarding families in the Chinese magical world.

The Zhang family, which originated from "Zhang Daoling" two thousand years ago, has continued to this day with countless descendants, including some exceptionally talented sorcerers.

Together with their long family history, they have sustained the Zhang family, making it respected by Chinese wizards and giving it considerable influence in the entire Chinese magical community.

However, today is a day that all members of the Zhang family will never forget.

Zhang Ye, the patriarch of the Zhang family and a pillar of the family, rang the bell at the top of Longhu Mountain at exactly seven o'clock in the morning.

"Clang~ Clang~ Clang~"

"Clang~ Clang~ Clang~"

As the six bells rang, the Zhang family members, who had already rushed back and were waiting at the foot of the mountain, went up the mountain one after another according to their seniority.

"I wish I had a magic camera; the spectacular sight of tens of thousands of people climbing the mountain together is a rare treat."

A bald, bearded wizard, speaking with a London accent, stared greedily at the wizards climbing the mountain.

He was a short, stout wizard with Caucasian skin, short, bow-legged legs, long, messy ginger-yellow hair, and swollen, bloodshot eyes that darted around.

The thief-like look in his eyes made the two Chinese wizards who were guarding him, or rather, monitoring him, very uncomfortable.

One of the short-haired wizards said softly, "Mr. Mundungus, please don't try to steal from Longhu Mountain. You can't steal it."

“That’s right,” another Chinese wizard said. “We hope that Mr. Mundungus can temporarily change your habits so that we can have more time to rest.”

You must understand that Longhu Mountain is vast, and returning your stolen items to their rightful owner is truly exhausting for us every time.

Their fluent English made Mundungust dare not underestimate them.

"Ah, ah, I understand, I understand."

Mundungus remained unfazed, a broad smile on his face.

He knew about his flaws, but he didn't care; he even made stealing his profession.

He had seen this scene far too many times; the Chinese wizard's approach was relatively gentle.

So Mundungus became even more audacious, putting on a pained expression: "Take a picture of this scene and sell it to those face-saving pure-blood families; you'll definitely get a good price for it."

"Come on, give me a break."

The two Chinese wizards snorted disdainfully and exchanged a glance.

Since Mundungus arrived at Longhu Mountain at the end of last year, they have come to deeply understand what it means to "never leave empty-handed," "steal something while it's going," and "fish in troubled waters"...

Chinese culture is indeed profound and extensive, and its idioms are apt and natural.

They even wondered if their ancestors created these idioms based on Mundungust.

Although the items Mundungus took were nothing more than bamboo slips, porcelain vases, and other worthless trinkets.

But can we sort out that feeling?

Hold your head high and be a wizard with dignity!

You're supposed to be a representative sent by Dumbledore, after all.

The two often joked that Dumbledore of the European wizarding world was hailed as the greatest wizard of his time.

They actually sent a wizard like Mundungus to represent the European magical community in establishing diplomatic relations with the Zhang family.

That's incredibly disrespectful.

Who are you trying to disgust!

Many members of the Zhang family shared this attitude, and several of the pillars of the Zhang family's wizarding community also had reservations about Dumbledore sending Mundungus to visit the Zhang family.

However, all the voices were suppressed by Old Master Zhang Ye. He seemed to know that Mundungust's visit to China was not specifically to establish diplomatic relations with the Zhang family.

In fact, the Zhang family has always advocated opening the country's doors and making contact with the magical world in Asia and Europe, but the results have not been good.

However, as the 1990s approached, more and more Chinese shamans realized that it was essential to get to know and connect with shamans from other countries.

It's probably no one who would have guessed that the reason the Chinese wizard had such an idea was actually a Muggle!

In 1990, the Muggle world's economy began to take off, and the most obvious change brought about by economic development was the frequent trade between countries.

The Muggle world is ready for economic globalization.

The Chinese wizarding community has always maintained close ties with the Chinese Muggle world. They were among the first wizards to experience the tremendous changes and benefits brought about by the integration of East and West.

The Zhang family is a prime example.

Dumbledore is very well-known in the wizarding world.

Just like the sun in the solar system, which is visible to everyone, the Zhang family easily sent a letter to Dumbledore.

The letter expressed the intention to cooperate.

At that time, Dumbledore was puzzled by Moriarty's relationship with Lockhart.

He was determined to find out what Moriarty and Lockhart had experienced in eastern Tibet, China.

then……

The Zhang family and Dumbledore hit it off immediately and reached a preliminary consensus.

Mundungus was sent to China ostensibly to visit the Zhang family, but his real purpose was to investigate Moriarty and Lockhart.

Dumbledore was well aware that Mundungus's image and actions would offend the Zhang family.

But he still used Mundungus, entrusting him with important responsibilities.

Dumbledore deduced that Moriarty and Lockhart's route from China to Tibet and back to England was not the proper one.

Since it's not a formal, official channel, it falls into a gray area.

Having spent years mingling at the very bottom of the magical world, Mundungus knew many swindlers and petty thieves in the magical realm.

Most importantly, Mundungus could obtain information that ordinary people couldn't.

As it turns out, Dumbledore was a very accurate judge of character.

Within days of arriving in China, Mundungus had already learned that there was a shaman in eastern Tibet nicknamed "Wild Dog" who controlled all transportation to and from eastern Tibet.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a local bigwig in the Chinese magic world.

Mundungus was a master at gathering intelligence, but getting him to deal with the wild dogs was harder than Voldemort growing a nose.

This is where the importance of the Zhang family becomes apparent. Dumbledore agreed to establish diplomatic relations with the Zhang family precisely so that Mundungus could obtain their assistance during his investigation.

Therefore, Dumbledore's scheming is very deep.

However, even after killing all seven of Voldemort's Horcruxes, Dumbledore could not have imagined that Zhang Ye's choice to cooperate with Dumbledore also had a deeply hidden true purpose.

The ringing of the bell today instinctively made Mundungus feel uneasy.

He had previously asked the two young men beside him, and they said that when the bell of Longhu Mountain rang, something big would happen that would affect the entire family, and the Zhang family members had to be present.

The "Zhang family" here refers to direct descendants, including those from all over the country and overseas Chinese.

There are nearly 20,000 people in total.

And this number is still rising rapidly.

Mundungus was terrified.

He thought to himself, "The Dark Lord has been gathering Death Eaters and controlling the Ministry of Magic for decades, and in the end, all he wants is to become a village chief!"

They can't even compare to a single family.

After most of them had gone up the mountain, Mundungus, as a distinguished guest from Europe, was also invited up.

Mundungus saw a huge open-air square where the Zhang family members were standing on a white marble-paved ground. Old Master Zhang Ye and several other respected members of the Zhang family were standing on a high platform.

There seemed to be a large bed on a high platform, but Mundungus couldn't quite tell whether anyone was lying on it.

Grandpa Zhang Ye cleared his throat, and the entire room fell silent.

Mundungus peered over the high platform. The old man, with white hair and a youthful face, was over 1.8 meters tall and had a completely white beard, but his appearance was quite different from Dumbledore's.

He wore a long black robe, was thin, had a serious expression, and his dark eyes always held a solemnity.

"At the end of October 1987, Zhang Guozhong, the 86th generation direct descendant of my Zhang family, met with misfortune while patrolling in eastern Tibet."

Old Master Zhang Ye spoke slowly, and a dozen or so members of the Zhang family burst into sobs. Mundungus guessed that they were Zhang Guozhong's family members.

Could Zhang Guozhong's corpse be on that big bed?

Grandpa Zhang Ye explained the whole story in detail:

"Our Zhang family tradition dates back to the 'Celestial Masters,' and it has been passed down for two thousand years!"

My grandson, who was originally chosen by me to be the next head of the family, volunteered five years ago to go to Tibet for training and to patrol our borders!

A look of sorrow flashed in Old Master Zhang Ye's eyes. He abruptly turned his head to look at the large bed, and held up his right index finger, saying, "Unfortunately, we were caught in a once-in-a-century Himalayan avalanche, which buried my grandson, who was in middle school, under the snow-capped mountains!"

Mundungus felt that the "Himalayan avalanche" sounded very familiar, but he just couldn't remember where he had seen or heard of it before.

"Thanks to the protection of our ancestors, I, their grandson, have a chance to survive." Old Master Zhang Ye breathed a sigh of relief.

Mundungus nodded, relieved that he wasn't dead.

However, Grandpa Zhang Ye changed the subject: "But yesterday—my grandson in junior high school became a vegetable!"

The crying below grew even louder.

Under the hostile gazes of the two young men, Mundungus asked what a vegetative state was.

He was stunned. The future head of the Zhang family would one day be unconscious and unable to move, lying in bed like a living dead!

With Merlin above, it's no wonder Zhang Ye was furious.

Mundungus could feel the surge of Zhang Ye's magic, his black robes fluttering even without wind.

Zhang Ye then said, "The position of our family head is one of high rank and great power. The next generation inherits the position of the previous generation. If there is a will, we will follow it; otherwise, we will follow the decision of the family meeting."

It is passed down to sons, not brothers; and to brothers, not nephews.

It is passed down to nephews, not uncles; and to uncles, not clansmen.

It is passed down to members of the clan, not to outsiders.

There is a clear distinction between close and distant relatives, and an orderly hierarchy between elders and juniors, with no disorder in the process.

"We must not let our traditions be lost by the time our grandchildren reach middle school!"

"We can't lose it!"

Zhang Guozhong's family members started shouting through their tears, demanding to find the murderer.

There hadn't been an avalanche in the Himalayas for a century, but one happened in 1987, and their child happened to be caught in it.

They didn't believe it; they thought the avalanche was man-made!

"It's hard to say whether there's a culprit..." Zhang Ye's tone suddenly turned somber, "But we must investigate! When my Zhang family and reinforcements arrived at the scene, it was deserted, only endless snow. So we'll start our investigation with the Himalayan avalanche!"

He pulled a book out of his robe. The cover showed a boy riding a flying broomstick, carrying a blond wizard in the sky, with snow waves crashing down behind them.

Zhang Ye waved the book at Mundungus and said meaningfully:

"Coincidentally, the bestselling European novel 'With Slytherin in Eastern Tibet' describes in detail a massive Himalayan avalanche!"

Mr. Mundungus, do you think this is a coincidence?

"brush--"

Tens of thousands of people turned their heads at the same time and looked toward Mundungus.

Mundungus had never seen anything like this before; his legs gave way and he collapsed.

Moriarty and Lockhart, you've really ruined my life!

Who remembers that when Moriarty caused an avalanche that buried the Japanese black wizard, he also buried a Chinese wizard? Now he's back, and he'll introduce a key female character—it's easy to guess.

(End of this chapter)