Huoxuan had clearly realized the consequences of traveling to Britain on her own, so she didn't bring up the idea of returning with Arthur and the others again.
Thinking about how she was about to return to the cold and quiet Mount Shu sect, Huoxuan's mood sank visibly.
Without Arthur and the others around, she wouldn't even have anyone to go out and have fun with anymore.
Seeing her dejected expression, Arthur spoke up to comfort her.
"We're only parting for now, not saying goodbye forever. There's no need to be this down.
Besides, isn't there still an entrance to the Zen Garden in Kunlun? You can come visit us anytime through that entrance."
Huoxuan rolled her eyes.
"You know perfectly well that every time I leave the sect, two elders have to accompany me. Where would I get the chance to move around on my own?"
Arthur almost forgot about that detail—after all, Huoxuan had snuck out alone this time.
Still, it wasn't an unsolvable problem.
Arthur took out the Zen Garden key and placed a spatial mark on Huoxuan's arm.
Huoxuan didn't resist, only asked curiously, "What's this?"
"A spatial imprint of the Zen Garden. With this mark, you can freely enter and exit the Zen Garden.
However, only you can enter—no bringing other people or living creatures along," Arthur explained.
Huoxuan touched the mark on her arm, her whole demeanor instantly returning to its usual lively state.
Her eyes lit up.
"This is good. I like this! You should've brought this out earlier."
Arthur rolled his eyes at her.
"This thing is tied directly to my Zen Garden—most of my assets are in there. How could I hand it out so casually?
So far, only Hermione and Ranni have one. You should be satisfied you even got it."
"Oh?" Huoxuan grinned mischievously. "So that means I'm one of your women now?"
Arthur sighed. "Where did you even get that conclusion?"
"Well, think about it," she said confidently.
"You yourself said this imprint was only given to Hermione and Ranni. Both of them are your women. Now you gave one to me too—doesn't that mean you see me as one of your women as well?"
Her logic sounded convincing at first glance—but it was complete nonsense.
After spending time together, Arthur knew very well that if he followed this shameless woman's train of thought, he'd be the one losing in the end.
So he cut it off at the source.
"If you don't want it, I can take the imprint back."
Huoxuan instantly dropped her teasing expression.
"Ahem—forget I said anything. Let's get going."
They had just left the Zen Garden and were preparing to head toward Mount Shu.
Since Huoxuan had come out with them, and Arthur technically held the title of a Mount Shu guest elder, he at least had to escort her back safely.
There was no need to stop in cities along the way, so Arthur took out his flying carpet, planning to fly straight back.
Since they were in the sky and wouldn't be seen, Arthur also let Rya and Ifrit out so they could enjoy the scenery of the Eastern lands.
After several hours of continuous flight, they arrived at the small Daoist temple along the mountain path—the entrance to Mount Shu.
"Let's part ways here," Huoxuan said, putting on a heavy expression.
"Do you really have to make it sound so serious?" Arthur replied helplessly.
"It's not like we'll never see each other again."
He was confident that within a day, Huoxuan would show up in his Zen Garden.
After learning she could enter freely, she'd already made Arthur reserve a room for her in the villa—and had moved all her alchemy and forging equipment in, claiming there was no better working environment anywhere else.
"Alright, enough messing around," Huoxuan said, dropping the act and smiling.
"I'll head back now. I'll come find you guys tomorrow.
By the way, how are you getting back?"
"Then see you tomorrow," Arthur replied.
"As for getting back—it's simple. Just like this."
He raised his left hand, snapped his fingers, and Apparated, disappearing from the spot.
Huoxuan stared at the empty space and cursed,
"Damn it! Being strong really lets you do whatever you want!"
Britain — the Granger household.
Arthur and the others reappeared here, having vanished from Mount Shu moments earlier.
Hermione looked around at her home—untouched after two months—and asked in disbelief,
"We're… home already?"
Arthur smiled.
"Of course. Wasn't it you who asked that we Apparate straight back on the return trip?"
"I thought we'd do it in stages and eventually get home," Hermione said, puzzled.
"This isn't what I imagined at all. How did you solve the accuracy problem with long-distance Apparition?"
Historically, cross-continental Apparition attempts had either ended in severe splinching or wildly inaccurate destinations.
When Hermione suggested Apparating home, she hadn't expected it to be done in a single step.
"It's simple," Arthur replied. "You just need sufficient spatial affinity."
He explained the effect of the Erdtree's newly produced droplet.
Immediately, Hermione stared at him with sparkling eyes. Even Ranni looked interested.
"The Erdtree only produces droplets once every hundred years," Arthur said calmly.
"Wait a while, and I'll give each of you one."
"You're the best, Cousin!"
Hermione cheered and threw herself into Arthur's arms.
"Ahem—what's got you so happy? Care to share so we can be happy too?"
A voice came from behind Hermione.
She turned around to see Mr. and Mrs. Granger, just returning from work.
"Dad! Mom!"
Hermione let go of Arthur and rushed into her parents' arms.
Two months apart hadn't felt like much during the journey—but seeing her parents again made all the suppressed longing surge out at once.
Arthur watched Hermione animatedly recount their travels to her parents, exchanged a smile with Ranni, then turned and walked into the kitchen.
Looks like he was cooking dinner again tonight.
After dinner, Hermione continued chatting enthusiastically with her parents.
She was a natural storyteller—her descriptions vivid and expressive, even using projection magic to recreate what she'd seen. Far more vivid than photographs.
Perhaps drawn by the noise—or sensing the magical fluctuations from Hermione's spells—
Snape rang the Grangers' doorbell.
After entering and seeing that Arthur had returned, Snape didn't bother with pleasantries.
"The Quidditch World Cup was attacked by Death Eaters.
The entire wizard camp was burned to the ground.
It nearly caused conflict between the British Ministry and foreign Ministries.
The International Magical Cooperation Department is still arguing over it.
This is what you meant by 'something unexpected might happen'?"
"Yes," Arthur replied calmly. "What's the problem?"
"Don't you think that's a bit more than 'unexpected'?" Snape asked dryly.
"Is it?" Arthur waved it off.
"There weren't any casualties, were there?"
Indeed, Death Eaters liked to torment Muggle-born wizards before killing them.
Because of Barty Crouch Jr., the incident was loud but resulted in no actual deaths.
That was also why the Ministry managed to hold off foreign pressure and keep stalling.
"How do you know?" Snape asked sharply.
"You just got back—how do you already know the casualty situation?"
For a moment, he even wondered if Arthur had prophetic abilities.
If so, why hadn't he taken Divination last year?
Did he look down on Trelawney because he knew she lacked true talent?
"The World Cup incident was just a guess," Arthur said casually.
"You know—sometimes a wizard's intuition is surprisingly sharp."
He certainly couldn't say it was because he'd read the script.
"As for how I know the casualties," Arthur added, pointing at the table,
"I went on vacation, not into isolation."
On the table lay The Daily Prophet, its headline detailing the World Cup attack.
Snape realized he'd asked a foolish question and changed topics.
"I was there. I saw someone who should have been dead long ago. He—"
Before he could finish, Arthur interrupted.
"Barty Crouch Jr."
Snape: "???"
"…How do you know that?"
This definitely wasn't something reported in the Daily Prophet.
"Let's just say I have my own information channels," Arthur replied casually.
"Then do you know why he's still alive?" Snape pressed.
"Could it be like him—turning himself into a Horcrux and reviving successfully?"
It wasn't an unreasonable suspicion.
Barty Crouch Jr. was one of Voldemort's most fanatical followers. It wasn't impossible that Voldemort had taught him the secret of Horcruxes.
Snape was deeply concerned—but had no idea where to investigate.
After all, this involved the head of the International Magical Cooperation Department—Barty Crouch Sr.
The Ministry had sealed their lips tightly, and Snape couldn't pry out a single scrap of information.
patreon.com/WhiteDevil7554