bookbashuk Chapter 217 Scarface's Sudden Understanding of Water Movement
Chapter 217 Scarface's Sudden Understanding of Water Movement
Chapter 217 Scarface's Sudden Understanding of Water Movement
Picking up where we left off, the scarred man neither chanted incantations nor took any medicine; he simply thrust his body into the black lake.
The jump was so sudden that Ludo, the commentator on the platform, let out a strange cry, leaned half his body over the railing, and almost fell headfirst.
The more than a thousand students in the stands stared wide-eyed and gaped, truly dazzled and shaken, their souls nearly leaving their bodies.
Nassimus panicked and grabbed Ron by the collar, shaking him frantically while yelling incoherently.
"Ron! Didn't you say Harry had a way?!"
Neville, pale with fright, nodded repeatedly and stammered, "But Harry didn't do anything—did he use the way Muggles breathe underwater?"
The surrounding area was filled with a cacophony of noise, like a boiling cauldron.
Ron was initially stunned, his eyes fixed on the spot where Harry had fallen into the water. After a long while, his eyes lit up again, and he said confidently, "Don't worry, Harry must have been prepared all along!"
"He's not the reckless type like me."
These words were spoken with absolute certainty, which reassured everyone somewhat. Indeed: The Dragon Pool has always been fraught with danger, yet heroes have always braved its waves.
Do you think what Ron said is right or wrong? It turns out that it is both right and wrong.
Harry hadn't prepared any spells or potions; he plunged into the depths of the dragon's pool with only his inner energy.
Listen carefully, dear reader: It turns out that there was a hero in Liangshan Marsh who was skilled in swimming. This person was none other than Zhang Shun, the White Streak in the Waves, also known as the Star of Misfortune.
Zhang Shunsheng grew up on the banks of the Xunyang River, amidst its turbulent waves. When he entered the water, he was like a brocade scale entering the sea, or a swimming dragon returning to the abyss. He could submerge forty or fifty miles of water and remain submerged for seven days and seven nights. Even the Dragon King, feeling cooped up for such a long time, would need to come ashore for some fresh air.
Back when Harry settled in Jiangzhou, he often asked Zhang Shun to buy some fresh fish to go with his drinks. Over time, the two became friends.
Later, when they joined the Liangshan bandits, they spent every day together. Zhang Shun was delighted to see that Hali was clever and eager to learn, and he wanted to teach him all his skills on the water.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Later, due to the case involving Li Qiaonu, the two had a falling out. In addition, Zhang Shun left a message in blood on the whitewashed wall, but he also fabricated it, truly tarnishing Wu Song's good name.
Harry couldn't stand it, and the two parted on bad terms. Therefore, only half of the water skills were passed down, and Harry only learned about 50%.
Even so, Harry can now lie hidden at the bottom of the Black Lake for two days and two nights without showing his face.
Look at him as he enters the water; with a push of his feet, his body leaps like an arrow released from a bow; his arms part the water, like white leaps in the waves.
Harry swam in the water while secretly observing his surroundings.
As for the surface of this Black Lake, it truly lives up to its name. It is as smooth as a mirror, just like ink in an inkstone.
But diving underwater revealed a completely different world. A deep, dark blue light flickered, and a dense, verdant mist rose. All around was a chaotic blur, making it impossible to distinguish north from south, or east from west.
When Harry looked closely, he found that everything around him was shrouded in a dark green haze, indistinct and making it difficult to discern the path.
Especially since the ground beneath one's feet is bottomless and unfathomable, who wouldn't feel terrified upon seeing it?
One might think that in this bottomless abyss, some ancient water monster or ten-thousand-foot-tall demon might be hiding, ready to swallow people whole! The truth is: the surface of the lake is as dark as a mirror, but beneath the abyss lies a deadly intent.
Harry, accustomed to traveling by water, showed no fear whatsoever upon seeing this sight. He thought to himself:
I have never found the method of chanting incantations underwater, and I cannot use my fists and feet underwater. If those mermaids come to bother me, I will be hampered by them.
It would be better to hide in that deeper place and avoid his sharp edge for now.
Having made up his mind, he pulled a wrist-splitting knife from behind his shorts and bit the handle.
Then he suddenly sank down, like a weight falling into a well, plummeting straight to the bottom of the abyss.
After about half an incense stick's time, his feet finally touched solid ground.
Looking around, I saw: dark, dense water plants like a net, intertwined like a thicket of thorns. Jagged rocks hid in the shadows, and scattered mud and sand created a maze-like passage.
Harry spat out the knife, holding it in his left hand and using his right to slice it apart like a skilled butcher dissecting an ox. With a flash of light, the two- or three-zhang-long, tangling water plants were severed.
Before long, Cedric and Fleur, who were at the top, both caught a glimpse of a dark shadow in the deep water, flashing past like a ghost through the dense reeds.
The two looked at each other in astonishment and both stopped what they were doing.
Cedric widened his eyes, his lips moving slightly as he silently asked, "Did you see what just passed by?"
Furong's face had long since lost its color. She simply shook her head slightly, her red lips moving as she mouthed, "It's a bit like a human, but humans aren't that fast."
After they finished speaking, a deathly silence fell once more. They looked at each other speechlessly, each harboring their own anxieties.
H.P. Lovecraft said: "The oldest and strongest fear of mankind is the fear of the unknown." If Cedric and his companion had known the origins of that underwater creature, things would have been different.
But the Black Lake's waters were turbulent and murky, with tangled weeds obscuring the view. The ghostly figure flashed by in an instant, making it difficult to discern whether it was a demon or a monster. How could the two of them not be afraid?
Hibiscus took a deep breath and reached out to Cedric.
"Digori, let's form an alliance."
.
Cedric's face was ashen, his gaze like a knife piercing into the depths of the swaying water plants, when suddenly he struck Furong's palm again.
The two men, wanting to avoid being seen, only floated a few feet above the water and slowed their pace to keep their distance from Harry.
This scarred man, however, was bold and daring. He paid no heed and strode forward, parting the water.
After swimming about an arrow's length, they suddenly heard a gurgling sound from the water ahead.
Looking up, I saw a giant shark-headed man showing off his power, while three or five jellyfish-like monsters were flying around wildly.
Harry looked closer and saw that it was Krum fighting with a Grindylow monster.
He had gleaming white fangs and claws like cattails, and he was locked in battle with the water monsters. Around them, a dozen or so water snakes, drawn by the scent of blood, lurked and slithered.
Upon seeing the water snake, Harry was momentarily distracted and suddenly began to recite Nagini's name.
He thought to himself: A few months ago, my sister suddenly wanted to drink the water of the rivers and lakes. I suppose she was going to transform into a dragon by water.
But the meaning behind the phrase "walking on water" remains a mystery to me.
He pondered for a long time, but still couldn't figure it out, so he left Krum behind and continued on his way.
After swimming for about half a mile, they suddenly heard a "whoosh" sound in the water, and a rapid current broke through the waves.
Good job, Harry! He's truly sharp-eyed and quick-witted, showing real skill by remaining calm in the face of danger. With a powerful push of his feet, he spun around like a dragon swinging its tail, suddenly dodging more than three feet to the side.
No sooner said than done. Just moments before, a stone spear, seemingly impervious to the water's force, grazed the pendant box around his neck as if piercing rotten wood, and embedded itself in the mud.
"Excellent hiding skills, Mr. Potter."
"My companion and I have been looking for you for a long time."
Harry looked up sharply and saw more than ten fishmen, each wielding a spear, halberd, or trident, standing on the seaweed. Their eyes were wide open and their teeth were bared, like demons patrolling the sea.
The one in the lead was none other than the fellow who had clashed with him twice before.
When their eyes met, Harry cursed inwardly. He wanted to unleash a torrent of abuse, but he held his breath and couldn't utter a single word.
The fish-man, knowing this was coming, deliberately coughed twice, put his hands on his hips, and glared with his bulging eyes like copper bells, shouting, "Arrogant Mr. Harry Potter!"
"You tricked the mermaid with corn kernels made from waste paper, and bewitched her with the song inside the golden egg!"
"Now! I hereby formally sentence you to the crime of racial discrimination!"
Upon hearing this, Harry suddenly realized what was going on.
It turns out that the reason this guy was so furious that day was because he ate all the scraps of paper that he had used to fish with corn made from letter paper!
The leading mermaid suddenly swung his steel fork, and more than ten of his men immediately surrounded Harry.
The air crackled with the clashing of weapons, a chilling aura of killing intent seeping into the water. Each figure bared their teeth, resembling a vengeful ghost before the gates of hell.
One of them, a coward, glanced at Harry for a moment, but finally couldn't resist and turned to the merman to whisper his message.
"Can we really make fun of Harry Potter like this? He's the savior of the wizarding world."
The leader didn't care at all and said disdainfully, "But he is also a warrior in the Three Kingdoms Tournament."
"Don't forget the agreement between the chief and the wizards; stopping the warriors was one of our missions."
Having said that, the timid mermaid said no more. She could only take a deep breath of murky water, steel herself, and raise her steel fork to slap Harry's thigh.
Before the steel fork even touched his clothes, Harry slightly turned his body, tucked the fork handle under his arm for leverage, and thrust the sharp knife in his right hand towards the mermaid's heart.
The mermaid was already timid, and was startled. She hurriedly dropped the fork and tumbled backward.
Alas! This mixed iron steel fork, once in the hands of Scarface, is truly like a tiger with wings.
But we see:
Holding the fork handle firmly, it turns like a wheel, parting the blue waves to reveal its spirit.
It resembles a scorpion with two tails wagging its tail, or a snake with two heads spitting its tongue.
At first, the merfolk treated it as a game and didn't care. But after fighting Harry for a while, their expressions turned serious.
Seeing that they could not break through after a long siege, they all exerted all their strength and used their best skills.
One throws a spear, another thrusts a lance. You poke with a fork, he stabs with a halberd. Though they are on their home turf in the water, and have used every trick in the book, they are no match for Scarface, this visitor from the land.
Just as the fight reached its climax, a mermaid wielding a trident suddenly slashed down with great force, striking Harry squarely with the steel fork in his hand.
The mermaid exclaimed with delight, "Now's the time! Let's all attack!"
Upon receiving the order, the rest of the group drew their weapons and simultaneously aimed for Harry's vital points.
Seeing that he couldn't drag the steel fork, Harry suddenly ripped off his black gloves and clenched them tightly with all his might.
In an instant, streams of snake venom gushed from his palm, like a black dragon spitting its tongue, and a black lotus bloomed, instantly staining the water with a ghostly, eerie light.
These mermaids, born in the Black Lake, had never been to the castle, but at night they often heard the whispers of wild mandarin ducks by the lake and had long heard the story of Harry cutting off his arm to slay the basilisk.
Upon witnessing the pervasive snake venom, everyone turned ashen-faced with terror and screamed repeatedly.
In the blink of an eye, they retreated more than ten feet away, quickly whirling their weapons like windmills. It was truly a sight to behold: The trident spun, creating a thousand waves; a hundred-foot whirlpool rose from the icy pool.
The water swirls rose up, carrying the snake venom dozens of feet away.
As the vortex dissipated, the poison vanished without a trace.
No matter how potent the snake venom may be, once inside this Black Lake, one must understand that a drop of water cannot withstand the might of a river or the sea.
Seeing this, the fish were finally relieved.
The leader took a deep breath, raised his steel fork, and was about to shout a reprimand.
Without hesitation, Harry's bones crackled and popped as he stretched out his left arm, his fingers trembling slightly. In an instant, five streams of ink flowed from his fingertips, like a black dragon spitting poison.
The timid mermaid, her face turning ashen, advised in a trembling voice, "This guy is crazy. Why don't we apologize to him?"
"What's there to apologize for? Just blow the poison away!"
The leading mermaid gritted his teeth, brandishing his stone spear with ferocious force.
"We absolutely cannot let his poison endanger the village!"
After the fish-man leader finished speaking, all the fish monsters fell silent and simultaneously swung their tridents, piercing the water.
But the lakebed was churning with undercurrents, and whirlpools were like dragons stirring the water, causing the white sand at the bottom of the lake to surge and the water plants to fly everywhere.
Seeing the situation was bad, Harry drew his wand from his waist again. Although he couldn't chant spells underwater, he could still control his magic at will.
He then violently shook his wrist, and the snake venom instantly split into eight streams, attacking the fishmen in all directions.
The leader, seeing this clearly, quickly tore the conch shell from his neck. His cheeks bulged, and he blew it out with a muffled thud.
"Crow"
The deep, resonant sound caused the water to tremble. Before the echo had even faded, more than a dozen whirlpools suddenly merged into one, instantly engulfing the venomous snake and leaving it nowhere to be seen.
Before Harry could react, the water curtain around him suddenly split open, and more than ten thick streams of water shot straight at him, crashing into his chest and abdomen.
As soon as the horn sounded, twenty or thirty mermaids who were patrolling nearby ambushed Harry from all sides, launching a surprise attack.
Harry felt as if his internal organs had shifted after being hit so hard, and a sudden surge of anger welled up inside him.
He tried to struggle to his feet, but the whirlpool continued relentlessly, as if Mount Tai were pressing down on him, suffocating him in the mire.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move an inch.
Seeing that his scheme had succeeded, the leading mermaid felt relieved and grinned, revealing a very smug expression.
Holding a steel fork, he approached and sneered in a voice as sharp as a broken gong, "The wizards' savior isn't all that great."
"Mr. Potter, it seems you're going to lose on the second project."
"Tsk tsk, what a pity about that brown-haired lady. She thought you would come to save her until she fainted—"
Harry showed no reaction to these sarcastic remarks.
It wasn't that he was unmoved; rather, the surrounding water pressure was like a heavy drumbeat, filling his ears with a deafening roar. Not to mention human voices, even the roar of a dragon was hard to hear clearly.
The swirling water pressed against his chest, making Harry feel nauseous and unable to breathe.
But he seemed oblivious, clenching his teeth so tightly that his bones cracked as he struggled in the mud at the bottom of the water.
Seeing that Harry was doomed, the leader of the merfolk tried to persuade him to back down.
Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly saw a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of Harry's mouth.
Coincidentally, in a moment of inspiration, Harry had a sudden realization.
Damn it! This is the true meaning of "fireworks"!
No destruction, no construction; great destruction, great construction—this is the way to a new beginning!
To become an extraordinary person, one must do extraordinary things. To transform into a dragon and roam the waters, one must naturally go against the current, crash into treacherous shoals, and perform acts that defy heaven and destiny!
Harry suddenly widened his eyes, his gaze gleaming, and opened his mouth, exhaling a string of rapid bubbles.
"If not now, sister, when?"
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