Chapter 147: Interim Summary (Fourth Update)

Ma Jun’s appearance caused the Chamber of Secrets incident to end with something of an anticlimax.

From beginning to end, the only victim was a cat that had been petrified. Apart from that, the students were merely curious about the legend of the Chamber and felt no real fear.

During the remaining days of the term, the students busied themselves preparing for their final examinations. At the same time, many of them were discussing Ma Jun. Dumbledore’s public account was that Ma Jun had located the Chamber and joined him in defeating the basilisk.

As a result, Ma Jun became the object of admiration for many students.

After all, Ma Jun looked remarkably young, and everyone liked having a teacher like him. Some of the older girls were especially bold, even going so far as to send him love letters.

Even the younger female students made no attempt to hide their admiration. They often sought opportunities to approach Ma Jun after class, asking him all sorts of questions as an excuse to spend time with him.

Hermione was among them, of course. As the top student in her year, she genuinely did have plenty of questions.

Among all the subjects, Ma Jun’s examination was probably the easiest. He required the students to cast every spell they had learned during the term. If they managed that, they would receive high marks.

For the honor of their houses, the students had privately studied those spells with great dedication. Consequently, even Neville Longbottom earned a respectable score in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

During the latter half of the term, Ma Jun spent most of his time studying potions, since he had essentially finished learning the spells and had already acquired a great many skills.

To research potions, Ma Jun had no choice but to seek out Snape for frequent conversations.

This thoroughly irritated Snape. He had never shown Ma Jun the slightest warmth, and in an effort to keep him away, he even challenged him to a duel.

Naturally, the outcome of that duel need hardly be mentioned. Afterward, whenever Ma Jun came looking for him, Snape could only answer every question swiftly and precisely, so that he could send Ma Jun away as quickly as possible.

Compared with spells, potions were rather dull for Ma Jun. Brewing them required precise control over the amounts of various ingredients, as well as constant attention to the cauldron.

Ma Jun had no patience for such things. He had no choice but to record all the recipes, intending to have Old Qian and the others mass-produce some useful potions later. A potion that inspired happiness, one capable of treating severe injuries, and Polyjuice Potion, which allowed the drinker to assume another person’s appearance, were all excellent creations.

With Gryffindor’s victory in the Quidditch match, the term came to an end.

At the closing feast, Dumbledore once again praised Ma Jun publicly.

“Let us give Professor Ma Jun a round of applause. He resolved the Chamber of Secrets incident and protected the safety of every student. As things stand, appointing him as our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was an excellent decision! And there is another reason for us to celebrate: he will remain your teacher next term!”

The students applauded enthusiastically, and most of the Slytherins were no exception.

Ma Jun rose with a broad smile. “I was merely doing what any professor should do. I have also confirmed one thing: the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is not cursed. At least, I will still be here next term. Little ones, I hope that when we meet again, you will not have grown tired of me!”

The students applauded once more, then enjoyed a hearty meal, gathered their luggage, and set off for home.

The holidays were not at all pleasant for Harry. When he said goodbye to Ma Jun, Ron, and the others at the station, he made no attempt to conceal that fact.

“Professor, Ron, Hermione—you must remember to write to me! I won’t let my aunt hide my letters again!” Harry declared confidently, waving as he said goodbye to everyone.

“Professor, do you live in London too? May I visit you during the holidays?” Hermione looked up at Ma Jun expectantly. “Oh, I mean, so I can ask you some questions!”

Ma Jun smiled and nodded. He could not bring himself to refuse a girl just beginning to experience the stirrings of affection.

“Of course. Write to me and let me know before you come.”

At last, after saying goodbye to a crowd of enthusiastic students, Ma Jun walked out of the station. Not far away, Qian Xuduo stood before a line of cars in a suit that made him look every inch the successful gentleman, waving at Ma Jun with a broad grin. He hurried over.

“Boss, you’re back! So, how did it go? Did you charm a few female students? Don’t worry, I won’t tell Young Mistress Mu Jianping!”

“Looks like you’re doing quite well in the Muggle world.” Ma Jun smiled as he took out a cigar.

Qian Xuduo bowed and scraped as he lit it for him, then opened the door of a stretch limousine. The two of them climbed inside.

“I’m doing all right.” Qian Xuduo looked pleased with himself, though his tone remained modest. “We’ve got money and manpower, so everything is easy. It’s all thanks to the resources you provided, Boss! At present, the Junma Group is expanding into—”

“That’s enough.” Ma Jun waved a hand. “You don’t need to report all that to me. Handle things as you see fit. In this regard, I trust your abilities completely. Have you contacted Old Qian and the others? Bring them all over. I have plenty of things to give you.”

The convoy swept through the city center and soon arrived at a manor on the outskirts.

This was the new residence Qian Xuduo had arranged for Ma Jun. It was a castle, and the surrounding grounds were quite pleasant.

“Boss, the interior was built in the style of the rooms on our island in the main world. I guarantee you’ll be comfortable here!” Qian Xuduo opened the car door and welcomed Ma Jun out, introducing the estate as they walked. “Every servant, chef, and security guard on the grounds is one of our own superhuman soldiers. Old Qian and the others even used magic to put another layer of protection around the place, so Muggles can’t see it. And if wizards come inside, we have modern firearms waiting for them as well. No matter what happens, you’ll be completely safe.”

Ma Jun hardly needed to concern himself with such matters. Old Qian and the others had their own procedures. When it came to the details of daily life—clothing, food, lodging, and travel—he never needed to give instructions before receiving the very best.

“Boss, it’s been a long time!”

Qian Moduo, Qian Yaoduo, and Qian Bodo appeared together at the castle entrance. They had clearly received word in advance and hurried back at once.

Ma Jun greeted them before entering the castle with them. He looked around and found that the overall style of the decorations was indeed identical to that of the castle on the island in the main world.

After enjoying a sumptuous lunch, Ma Jun began a meeting with the four gentlemen of the Qian family in a small conference room.

“Here are various rare spells. It’s just like martial arts: even if you have internal power, you still need techniques to use it.” Ma Jun puffed on his cigar, took a thick stack of parchment from his storage ring, and tossed it onto the table. “Study these and enter them all into electronic form for safekeeping.”

“Yes!”

“Also, Old Qian, there are many potion recipes in here.” Ma Jun continued, “Choose the ones suitable for our purposes. Through our connections with the Ministry of Magic, stockpile as many potion ingredients as possible. Once they’re turned into finished products, they may prove useful in other worlds.”

“No problem. I understand, Boss.” Old Qian remained as steady and composed as ever.

“That’s all for now.” Ma Jun exhaled a cloud of smoke. “Everyone should focus on your own duties and do your work well. Before long, that old man Dumbledore may ask me to join the Order of the Phoenix. When that happens, I’ll seize control and arrange the campaign against Voldemort. I’ll become the protagonist of this world. Taking advantage of the opportunity, you can cooperate with me through the Ministry of Magic and gain a few benefits while rising through the ranks.”

After the meeting ended, Ma Jun stopped concerning himself with affairs. The four Qian gentlemen went off to handle their respective tasks, while he leisurely went to the small cinema in the castle to watch a film.

Several days later, a letter arrived from young Hermione.

Unfortunately, Ma Jun had no interest in a barely thirteen-year-old girl who had not yet fully matured, so he could only find an excuse to refuse the bold young student’s visit.

The very next day, a letter from Dumbledore arrived as well, inviting Ma Jun to a gathering.

Thus, Ma Jun, eager to display his abilities, hurried off to accept the invitation.

P.S. That is all for today. Thank you all for subscribing. With the New Year approaching, I have been extremely busy. Starting tomorrow, I will need to save up some chapters to deal with the holiday season, though I will still guarantee at least three updates a day. To be continued.

Tianjin