Hogwarts: This Dark Lord is so evil.

Chapter 575 Magic really is a matter of the mind! Finally, it's my turn to have an epiphany!
With the teacher's return, the four future giants were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

"What's wrong with you guys?" When Li Weide came to his senses, he realized that his four students were surrounding him and looking him over.

“Let me check if you are injured,” Ravenclaw replied.

Li Weide laughed and said, "You all seem to have far too little faith in your teacher."

“We were all very worried about you being gone for so long. Salazar was so worried that he even forgot to bring bait when he went fishing,” Ravenclaw laughed.

Slytherin coughed twice, signaling Ravenclaw to stop talking, as it would damage his usual image of intelligence in front of his teacher.

Li Weide sighed softly, "Do you all think I'm going to do something dangerous?"

“Yeah, otherwise why don’t you take us with you? You’d only do something really dangerous without bringing us along as a burden.” Ravenclaw blinked.

"I'm sorry, I didn't explain things clearly enough and made you all worry," Li Weide said with a smile. "I'm not going out to do anything dangerous this time."

"Then why not take us with you?" Gryffindor asked curiously.

“Hehe, Godric, in this world, besides some dangerous things, there are many other things that are inconvenient to do with other people,” Li Weide chuckled.

“Ha! Like, dating a lover?” Ravenclaw exclaimed.

Gryffindor rubbed his red hair vigorously. "Teacher definitely isn't him, he's too old... Waaah!"

Before he could finish speaking, Slytherin covered his mouth.

"You stupid lion, you really say whatever comes to mind!"

Li Weide's eye twitched slightly. Was he implying I was too old and incapable? My precious sword hadn't even been unsheathed yet! He should apologize properly!
"Oh... Teacher isn't old at all, still as vigorous as ever!" Gryffindor pulled Slytherin's hand away and quickly tried to make amends.

Slytherin slapped his forehead. "You might as well not have explained at all!"

"Oh, it's great that the teacher is alright!" Hufflepuff smoothed things over, grabbing Levi's arm. "I've just come up with some new dishes that they haven't tried yet, and I want the teacher to be the first to taste them!"

Surrounded by the four people as they returned to the camp, Li Weide suddenly felt a warmth in his heart.

Although their worries were somewhat unnecessary,... the feeling was surprisingly good.

Could it be... that this is why Death sent him back?
Li Weide suddenly felt like he remembered what "love" was...

It must be said that "love" is indeed a very broad emotion.

Because you are always the one experiencing this emotion, the "love" you experience is never the only answer.

A thousand people will experience "love" in a thousand different ways...

Oh no, my head is itching. Am I going to have an epiphany like Tom?
Hey! It's finally my turn!

……

Li Weide's previous spellcasting relied entirely on numerical values.

Therefore, there's absolutely no need to enhance your magic with emotions like Dumbledore and Tom did...

Therefore, although he guided Tom to learn the magic of love, he himself did not pay much attention to it, because it was unnecessary.

It's like a weapon that only requires pressing a button to fire; there's no need to learn any other complicated firing techniques.

But now... he gradually feels that his magical philosophy is somewhat narrow-minded and utilitarian.

Those seemingly complicated operations are actually beneficial!
Hufflepuff's food never disappoints.

After dinner, everyone was in a very good mood.

They pulled Li Weide along, and sat down around the campfire outside the carriage, chatting about the future...

No worries, no troubles, only a beautiful, imaginative future.

Laughter and cheerful voices drifted from afar, startling a flock of waterbirds on the lake...

Li Weide listened quietly, watched quietly, and quietly savored the feeling at that moment.

Time seemed to stand still at this beautiful moment...

Perhaps... I should temporarily put aside many worries and truly appreciate the beauty of the present moment. Maybe... I can come to understand something new, something that my former self and another version of myself would have disregarded, but which is indispensable...

……

Magic is idealistic; this was a truth that Li Wade understood as soon as he came into this world.

If that's the case, then if I want to become stronger, I can't just keep calculating how to increase my stats...

So, after realizing what was happening, Li Weide decided to try his hand at some idealistic practices as well.

Starting the next day, Li Weide completely let go of the heavy burden in his heart and fully immersed himself in his current role as a teacher.

Aside from teaching students, he spends his days in a leisurely manner.

Li Weide was enjoying himself, enjoying the service of his students, enjoying the peace of the era, enjoying everything he could enjoy.

"This is life... There's a fundamental difference between just being alive and living. Why didn't I understand this before? Oh... I used to be a beast of burden, never mind."

Li Weide sat by the lake fishing, breathing in the clean air of this era, and said contentedly.

"Teacher, are you fishing?" Hufflepuff ran over and looked at the wooden bucket of fish next to Levi.

However, apart from a bucket of water, there wasn't a single fish.

"Huh? Where's the fish?" Hufflepuff asked, blinking.

Li Weide rubbed his nose. "If I told you I cast a disillusionment spell on the fish I caught, would you believe me?"

“I believe you.” Hufflepuff nodded firmly.

"Hey... silly kid, who would cast a magic spell on a fish for no reason? I just didn't catch any fish," Li Weide said helplessly.

This kind of life is good, but it would be even better if I weren't in the Air Force.

Hufflepuff wanted to laugh, but she held it in. She felt it would be really bad to laugh out loud at a time like this.

"You're sure you can catch fish, but I came here to ask you if you could let me handle the fish after you catch it?" Hufflepuff seemed a little hesitant.

"Hmm? Is it because my cooking skills aren't good enough?" Li Weide asked.

"Um... Teacher, the fish you made is delicious, but... it just looks a little weird," Hufflepuff said carefully, choosing her words carefully.

"Well, I thought my stargazing was pretty good," Li Weide said disappointedly.

Hufflepuff quickly waved his hands and said, "No, it tastes really good, it's just... it's just... um..."

Whenever she thinks of the stargazing scene her teacher created, she recalls the eerie glint in the eyes of those fish.

She always felt that those fish died somewhat unwillingly...

Just as Li Weide was about to speak, he suddenly felt the fishing rod sink!
"Hey! The fish's here!"

A moment later, Li Weide frowned as he looked at the long sword on the fishhook.

“Teacher! You… fished up a sword!” Hufflepuff exclaimed.

Li Weide took off his longsword and scratched his head. "Sure enough... fishermen can catch anything except fish..."

He looked at the spot where the fishhook was caught and felt that it was neither scientific nor magical.

Logically speaking, there's no way you could hook a sword up like that...

And why does this sword look so familiar? "Gulp..."

Suddenly, a bubble appeared on the surface of the lake...

"What kind of monster is this!" Li Weide grabbed forward casually.

The water surface exploded with a roar, and then Li Weide grabbed a large clump of water and pulled it up!

But there's another person wrapped in the water...

Li Weide looked closely and realized, "Isn't that Gryffindor guy?"
The water burst open, and Gryffindor fell down.

"Uh... Teacher's magic is indeed terrifying..."

Gryffindor stood up, soaking wet, holding a fish in one hand, his face full of embarrassment...

"Godrick, what are you doing?" Li Weide looked at him in shock.

“I saw that you hadn’t been able to catch any fish for a long time, so I…” Gryffindor said cautiously.

"So you dived down and hooked a fish for me, right? And then I accidentally hooked your sword up, right?" Li Weide laughed in exasperation.

"Hehe..." Gryffindor scratched his head and chuckled foolishly.

"Tsk... Get lost, I thought there really was a fairy in the lake giving me a sword, but it turns out it was you, you idiot," Li Weide said dejectedly.

Suddenly, his gaze sharpened. "Wait... I had a great haul yesterday, it couldn't all be from you..."

"Hey..."

"Heh heh my ass! Your punishment is to copy 'Elementary Theory of the Magic Swordsman' ten times!" Li Weide was furious.

Hanging fish on a fisherman? That's the ultimate humiliation for a fisherman! And what's worse, this guy actually gave himself away!
"No!"

Gryffindor's exclamation echoed throughout the camp, drawing the attention of the horses grazing nearby.

……

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

Li Weide spent this month doing whatever made him feel comfortable, and he even stopped his previous persistent practice of using ancient magic to break through the outer cloak of his soul.

But to his surprise, when a month had passed and he glanced at his soul, he discovered that it had undergone a tremendous change...

The outer garment of his soul, which he had previously painstakingly and persistently worked to break through, had quietly peeled away a large chunk of itself during this month of doing nothing!

This is more progress than it did in the previous two months!

Even the power of the laws that had been neglected had increased significantly!

"I clearly didn't do anything..." Li Weide lay on his rocking chair in confusion, his brows slightly furrowed.

However, his thoughts changed when his gaze fell upon several students studying intently beside the bookshelf.

No… how could I have done nothing? I clearly did a lot of things…

Magic... it really is a matter of the mind.

The things you deliberately seek and find hard to obtain, unexpectedly end up in your pocket when you least expect them...

No matter how good a piece of clothing is, if the size is wrong, it will feel awkward even if you manage to wear it. But if the size is right, even if the clothing is not good-looking, it will still be comfortable to wear.

Mood... Circumstances... Desires... Everyone has their own way of doing things.

Only when it is suitable and fits perfectly can the magic work like an extension of one's own arm and be as desired... Forcing it will only lead to failure.

Perhaps this is why practitioners in the East prefer to cultivate their minds?
Li Weide seemed to understand something, slowly stood up from the rocking chair, and quietly left the carriage.

Looking at the dark lake in front of him, he suddenly felt something and slowly raised his right hand.

The magic stone ring on his index finger emitted a faint red glow.

The next second, a series of roars echoed from the lake...

The four people who were reading and studying in the carriage were startled.

They rushed out and then witnessed a scene that utterly shocked them...

Li Weide slowly raised his hand, and the entire dark lake water was lifted up slowly, like jelly!
The lake water remained ten meters above the ground for over a minute before crashing down...

A light drizzle suddenly began to fall from the sky; this was the water from the lake…

Li Weide looked thoughtfully at his right hand, the loss of magic power was negligible.

Magic... it really is a matter of the mind.

Once you're in the right mindset and emotional state, just go for it, and magic will naturally help you achieve your desired goal.

If that's the case... then the strength of magic becomes less important, right?
What is a spell? What is magic? What are emotions?
What is the essence of magic? Is it forcibly changing the environment with magical power? Or is it using magical power to modify the laws of nature, causing the environment to change?

Li Weide seemed to have an epiphany, feeling as if he had grasped something crucial...

When he turned around, he found his students standing at the carriage door, staring at him in disbelief.

The Slytherins already knew their teacher was powerful, but... they could never have imagined that he was this powerful!

With a casual lift, the water of a large lake was raised, yet the teacher seemed to do it with effortless ease, as if it were easier than eating or drinking!
What immense power this is!
Li Weide's face hardened. "Hmm? You've finished your homework?"

Upon hearing this, the four of them immediately ran back to the carriage.

From this moment on, they decided to obey the teacher completely! They would no longer question any of the teacher's instructions!
How fortunate we are! In an era of such limited knowledge, to have found such a teacher! How can we not cherish him?

Li Weide turned to look at the lake surface, which was gradually returning to calm.

Hmm... that's how you practice magic!
……

A week later, the group packed their things and embarked on their journey again.

They've been here long enough.

Although the scenery here is beautiful, we shouldn't miss out on other, even better views.

Study abroad programs require physical activity to broaden one's horizons...

How can one learn herbalism without ever seeing real herbs? How can one understand magical creatures without ever seeing them? How can one improve combat skills without experiencing real battles?

This era possessed many things that later generations lacked, so they had to take action.

The carriage slowly began to move, and Ravenclaw looked longingly at the dark lake.

“We’ll definitely come back,” Hufflepuff said.

“Yes…this place is quite nice.” Ravenclaw nodded. “How about we build a school here someday? Right by this lake! It’s secluded and beautiful!”

“Hmm…this lake is very deep and looks dark, so let’s just call it Black Lake,” Hufflepuff said.

Upon hearing this, Li Weide, sitting on the carriage shaft, turned around and looked at the lake that was gradually disappearing on the horizon.

Good heavens... So this is the Black Lake? Does that mean... this is the site of Hogwarts before it was founded?

Looking around at the scene that gradually overlapped with his memory, Li Weide couldn't help but sigh.

Perhaps, this is fate...

(End of this chapter)