Morning light trickled through the mottled carriage windows, casting a soft glow on Lin Shu's face. She sat in the quaint railway carriage, leaning against a dark brown wooden window frame that bore the wear of passing years.
The train clacked forward, the rhythmic sound of iron wheels striking the tracks echoing steadily. Resting her chin in her hand, Lin Shu gazed out at the flying fields and mountains. Her eyes carried a mixture of yearning for the distant unknown and quiet bewilderment, her thoughts drifting with the train into the vast unknown.
It was no wonder her mind was racing; this journey was truly a first for her.
Even now, she still had no idea why her sect's elders had specifically named her to be an exchange student.
She was even more baffled as to why an Eastern Cultivation sect felt any need to send someone to a Western magic school. Sure, both leaned toward the metaphysical, but they were entirely different systems!
The mountain roads twisted and turned, and the two things had nothing in common—how on earth did they end up connected?
She had been getting along just fine back in her sect, studying Qimen divination and arts, along with introductory alchemy and talisman craft. Her future had been bright and full of promise, so why on earth had she been chosen?
Could it just be because she learned foreign languages quickly?
She regretted it! She regretted it from the bottom of her heart, feeling a pain so sharp it tore her guts to pieces.
The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to break down. The sky truly felt like it was falling.
After wearing a deeply wronged and miserable expression for a long time, letting out one wretched, sorrowful sigh after another, she finally consoled herself with the thought that since she was already here, she might as well make the best of it!
Besides, this would give her a chance to see what Western magic was all about and how it compared to her own Dongxuan arts!
Just then, the door to the compartment slid open, and a neat-looking boy wearing glasses stepped inside.
"Excuse me, do you mind if I sit here? All the other carriages are full, and I couldn't find anywhere else."
As soon as the boy squeezed in, he was struck dumb by Lin Shu looking up at him, utterly captivated.
Lin Shu's hair was a natural deep brown, glowing softly in the sunlight as it fell loosely over her shoulders, swaying gently in the slight breeze. Her eyes were clear and bright, like two brilliant gemstones flashing with the light of wisdom.
As her gaze shifted, a playful cleverness intertwined with innocent ignorance; a single glance was enough to pluck at one's heartstrings. Her long, thick eyelashes curled slightly, fluttering like a butterfly's wings with every blink and stirring a gentle breeze.
Sitting quietly there, she made all the surrounding noise fade into the background. The entire world seemed to brighten and come alive because of this fleeting glimpse of her.
At that exact moment, Lin Shu offered up a perfectly timed, brilliant smile. She had no idea why the boy in front of her had frozen in a daze, but it didn't dampen her appreciation of his exceptionally high looks in the slightest.
She thought to herself that people of Western descent really were good-looking; both boys and girls looked just like porcelain dolls, which greatly pleased her inner aesthetics-obsessed soul.
A moment later, having had her fill of appreciation, Lin Shu spoke up directly:
"Hi~ I'm the only one in this compartment, go ahead and sit down. Are you also a student heading to Hogwarts?"
Lin Shu's friendliness felt deeply endearing, naturally closing the distance between them. Once the boy sat down, his bashful hesitation vanished, and he introduced himself quite openly.
"Yeah, I'm Harry, Harry Potter."
"Nice to meet you, Harry. I'm Lin Shu, I'm from the East, and I'm here as an exchange student. It's really nice to meet you."
Hearing this, Harry opposite her widened his eyes noticeably. Clearly, the East felt worlds away to him, and he knew next to nothing about Eastern metaphysics. Hearing it mentioned out of the blue filled him with curiosity.
"That is so cool! I've never heard of a magical world existing in the East. Do you guys have a lot of witches over there?"
Lin Shu was completely thrown by the question. She pressed her lips together, frowned, and shook her head with uncertainty.
"I don't think we study magic over there, and we don't have witches—at least, I've never seen any."
"What? Really? No magic? Then how did you get enrolled? I don't mean to pry, I just mean... since Hogwarts sent you an admission letter, you must have magic inside you, maybe you just don't know it yet."
Lin Shu smiled, finding Harry's way of speaking quite interesting. Unlike the fellow disciples back in her sect, he had a completely different vibe.
"Harry, honestly, I don't really know how to explain the differences between our two sides to you. But in the East, people with talent who enter the path of practice are called cultivators. Once they join a sect, their spiritual root affinity is tested—like Wood Spiritual Root, Water Spiritual Root, Fire Spiritual Root... which helps guide the general direction of their future training. Does that make sense?"
Harry listened raptly, his face plastered with interest—very intense interest. He looked at her with a pleading, lingering expression, hoping Lin Shu would tell him a bit more.
"Wow! That is so cool! Is there more? It sounds out-of-this-world amazing. It's so great that you could come to Hogwarts, I guess we're friends now, right? Can I come to you to learn more about the cultivation world later?"
"Sure!"
Lin Shu was never stingy with what she had seen and heard. Since Harry wanted to know, she would pick out the interesting bits to share. Besides, when all was said and done, Harry was the first friend she had made in this foreign land, and the fact that he was interested in Dongxuan gave her a great sense of pride!
Look at that! Their Dongxuan world had plenty of profound and wonderful things.
As the two chatted away, the atmosphere reached a little high point. Lin Shu suddenly spoke up, pointing at Harry's glasses.
She had noticed for a while that Harry's glasses seemed damaged. At first, she hadn't mentioned it for fear of being rude, but now that they were closer friends, she could no longer suppress her urge to point it out:
"Harry, your glasses seem broken. They have cracks on them. Is that some kind of trend around here? I've been meaning to ask."
Harry shrugged, a blush creeping up his cheeks.
"Oh—Shu! Can I call you that? Sorry to make a fool of myself. These glasses broke at the worst possible time, and I just haven't had a chance to fix them."
"Ah, I see. But that's no big deal at all, I think I can help you. Do you want to know what it feels like not to wear glasses?"
"What do you mean?"
As she spoke, Lin Shu reached into her backpack and pulled out a stack of yellow Talisman Paper, followed by a box of cinnabar and a writing brush.
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and quietly sensed the energy flowing through the air around her. Then, swift as lightning, her arm moved with steady strength. The tip of her brush danced across the yellow paper, leaving behind fluid, intricate lines.
With each stroke of her brush, faint electrical currents seemed to leap through the air, and the cinnabar ink on the talisman paper seemed to spring to life, glowing with a soft red light.
Harry stared in utter amazement. In his understanding, magic was the coolest thing in existence, but the shock Lin Shu was giving him right now was something entirely different.
His mouth fell open as he tried hard to control his breathing, terrified that even a heavy breath might interrupt Lin Shu's work.
As Lin Shu finished her final stroke, the entire piece of talisman paper suddenly burst into a dazzling light before slowly fading, leaving behind only a faint, warm aura.
Lin Shu put down her brush, gently blew on the talisman paper to make sure the ink was dry, and then pinched the paper between two fingers.
"Harry, are you ready?"
Harry took a deep breath, feeling as though he were about to take part in some mysterious ritual. His whole body was filled with fear and nervousness of the unknown, but he still nodded.
"Harry, if it feels hot, you can close your eyes."
With that, Lin Shu flicked the talisman paper twice. The paper was quickly consumed by flames, and before it turned entirely to ash, Lin Shu waved it across Harry's eyes. Harry did indeed feel a hot, stinging sensation, but it was nothing he couldn't bear.
"Ow! That's hot!"
"Bright sun and scorching yang, rising in the Eastern sky. Heavenly physician's envoy, healing officer's hand. Stubborn ailments and maladies, be instantly at peace. Obey the law in haste!"
Harry only heard a string of strange chants coming from Lin Shu's mouth. He didn't understand the words, but that didn't stop him from thinking the trick was fiercely impressive.
When he finally snapped out of his dazed state, he felt a wave of dizziness—caused by the overly strong prescription of his glasses—and hurriedly took them off.
The next second, he was utterly stunned!
Because he really wasn't nearsighted anymore!
Everything in front of him was startlingly clear.
Oh, gods! This was incredible; she was practically a divine doctor.
He had never seen things this clearly without his glasses.
Overwhelmed with excitement, he didn't know what to say for a moment:
"Shu! I can see it, I can see clearly, I can really see! You are amazing, you're the most incredible wizard I've ever met, thank you!"
"It's nothing. We're friends now anyway! When we go to the same school later, remember to look out for each other."
"Yeah, yeah! Shu, you're the best."
The two of them chatted happily, making the journey feel much less lonely, until the compartment door was pushed open once more.
This time, the boy who walked in had a mop of red hair. His name was Ron Weasley, and he was also looking for an empty compartment after failing to find anywhere else. Lin Shu and Harry generously welcomed him in.
Looking at Ron, Lin Shu thought he looked utterly adorable and had a fierce urge to ruffle his hair.
It was just a pity he wasn't her junior sect brother; otherwise, she could have tousled that golden hair every single day. Just thinking about it was satisfying.
The three of them introduced themselves, but the moment Ron heard Harry's full name, his expression changed completely. When he realized who Harry was, his face morphed through a dizzying variety of expressions—so rich and colorful that Lin Shu had never seen a single person pull off so many faces at once. Her curiosity was instantly piqued.
She probed Ron tentatively:
"Is there something wrong with Harry's name? Why are you making that face?"
Seeing that Lin Shu knew nothing at all, Ron was hit with an overwhelming urge to spill everything. He was dying to dump this monumental piece of gossip onto Lin Shu all at once, but remembering that it involved a certain He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, he had to force his excitement back down.
He pressed his lips together, wore an expression that looked like he was severely constipated, and turned to Harry to confirm:
"You really are Harry Potter? Then you really have..."
"Have what?"
"That scar, you know!"
Harry smiled knowingly, then pushed back his bangs to reveal a lightning-bolt-shaped scar. Meeting Ron's flickering gaze, he openly admitted his identity.
Lin Shu, meanwhile, stood off to the side, completely bewildered.
What on earth was going on here?
It was just a lightning scar—why get this excited?
She asked, baffled:
"Harry, that scar of yours is really unique. Was it tattooed on on purpose? Or is it your family crest? Why would you get a tattoo on your forehead?"
Faced with these questions, neither Harry nor Ron knew how to respond. Finally, Ron spoke up:
"Shu, in the wizarding world, that's a taboo topic people don't like to bring up. Anyway, Harry is the Savior, the only one who survived He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."
"Oh~ So that's how it is..."
Lin Shu put on an understanding look, but the very next second, her expression vanished as she continued:
"Wait, what does that even mean? I didn't get a word of that. What's with 'this person' and 'that person'? Is this topic too hot to handle or something? Why can't we talk about the details?"
Ron looked as though he wanted to rush over and cover Lin Shu's mouth. She was simply too bold and reckless with her words. He glanced around in terror, and only after making sure there was no one else around did he speak:
"Shush! Shu, you really can't talk about things related to him. He's terrifying—in the whole wizarding world, nobody dares to bring him up."
"Oh, come on! How strange is that? You can whisper it, can't you? Is the person you're talking about going to hear you? If he were really that amazing, he wouldn't be lingering down in the mortal realm; he'd have ascended ages ago."