Gringotts, a towering structure of snowy white marble, stood out among the whimsical, leaning shops of Diagon Alley like a fortress of cold logic. Its bronze doors, burnished to a high shine and guarded by a pair of uniformed Goblins, presented a solemn and formidable appearance. To the wizards passing by, it was a temple of wealth; to Li Gang, it was merely a cave where small creatures hoarded shiny pebbles.
"Welcome to Gringotts, the Wizarding bank," Hagrid whispered to Harry and Li Gang. His voice was uncharacteristically soft, filled with a deep seated reverence for the institution.
Pushing open the heavy bronze doors, a blast of cool, stagnant air greeted them. It felt like stepping into a tomb. Harry and Li Gang entered the vast marble hall, where rows of high counters were manned by dozens of Goblins. These creatures possessed sharp, calculating eyes and pointed beards that twitched as they worked. Their expressions were universally serious. Some were weighing golden Galleons on delicate brass scales; others were scratching with long quills on parchment ledgers or passing cylinders of documents through complex pneumatic tubes.
The hall echoed with the rhythmic clinking of coins and the hushed, secretive whispers of business. The air carried a distinct metallic scent, a mixture of copper, silver, and ancient dust. The Goblins' sharp eyes swept over the visitors in the hall, scrutinizing every movement with a gaze that was both vigilant and suspicious.
As the Goblins' collective gaze swept over Li Gang, a strange phenomenon occurred. Several of the tellers stiffened. Their pens hesitated mid stroke. They sensed an oppressive, predatory aura emanating from the young man, a density of life force that surpassed that of any Wizard they had ever encountered. The Goblin bloodline, forged in the depths of the earth where they had to be keenly aware of structural pressure and hidden dangers, instinctively feared this kind of physical weight.
They withdrew their gazes quickly, returning to their work with forced intensity. However, the Goblins nearest to Li Gang gripped their quills so tightly that their knuckles turned a translucent white.
"Are we supposed to exchange money first?" Li Gang asked, his voice cutting through the quiet like a blade. He walked towards an empty counter, his massive physique providing a stark, almost comical contrast to the Goblins' small, hunched statures.
The Goblin behind the counter looked up, its eyes flickering with a momentary flash of impatience. "How can I help you, humans?" its voice grated, sounding like metal sliding over stone.
Li Gang reached into a pouch and pulled out several chunks of raw, unrefined gold. He placed them on the counter with a heavy thud. The gold chunks varied in size, jagged and unpolished, yet each one was remarkably heavy. The Gringotts hall was dimly lit by flickering chandeliers, yet the gold gleamed with a pure, inner light. "Exchange money," he commanded.
The Goblin's eyes widened, its jaw nearly dropping. It picked up a piece of the gold with trembling fingers, examining its purity with an eyeglass and even testing its density with its teeth. An expression of utter disbelief spread across its wrinkled face. This was not the standard gold used in the mortal world; it was of a purity so high it felt unnatural, its weight far exceeding ordinary bullion.
"This... this is too much!" Hagrid was dumbfounded. He stared at the piles of gold, then at Li Gang, his voice stammering. "Li, where did you get this? Hogwarts provides assistance for orphans who have nothing. Harry, he has his vault, but you..."
Li Gang waved a dismissive hand, interrupting Hagrid mid sentence. His tone remained calm and detached. "Mere worldly possessions acquired by chance. Since I am an orphan in the eyes of this world, I should not accept charity from strangers. I advocate for taking from the unjust and using for those in need. There are rich and poor in this world; balance lies in the circulation of resources, not the hoarding of them."
Hagrid scratched his head, remaining silent. He found the words profound, yet his simple mind struggled to grasp the philosophical implications of a child talking like an ancient sage.
The Goblin's attitude underwent a sudden, radical shift toward respect as it finished weighing the gold. It carefully put away the raw chunks and pulled out stacks of Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts from a deep drawer, pushing them towards Li Gang.
The coins clinked together, forming golden towers on the counter. "These are your Galleons, sir," the Goblin said. Its voice trembled slightly, awed by the sheer value of the transaction and the mysterious background of the young man.
Harry looked at the Galleons with wide eyes. They were thicker than any coins he had seen in the Muggle world, with intricate patterns etched into their surfaces. He picked one up, feeling its weight, trying to comprehend the change in his fortunes.
Li Gang's gaze swept over the coins, losing interest almost immediately. To him, these monies were mere tools for the exchange of trivial goods in the mortal world, ultimately worthless. In his previous life's cultivation world, true value lay in spirit stones, celestial herbs, and heavenly treasures that aided in breaking through the shackles of mortality. These mundane metals were empty of spirit.
After the exchange, Hagrid took out two parchment scrolls, one for Harry, and said to the Goblin, "We also need to retrieve something from Vault 713."
The Goblin took the parchment, its eyes glinting with a secret knowledge. It nodded slowly, signaling them to follow.
"We are going to your vault now, Harry!" Hagrid said, trying to regain his cheerfulness.
Li Gang's gaze, however, remained on the scrolls. He noticed that when Hagrid spoke of Vault 713, his eyes momentarily darted away, a clear sign of a secret being kept. The parchment for that specific vault stayed in the Goblin's hand longer than Harry's. When the Goblin took it, its long fingertips caressed the surface of the paper as if verifying a hidden seal.
He said nothing, noting the anomaly in his mind.
The Goblin led them through a stone archway to the entrance of a dark tunnel. A small, Goblin driven cart was parked there, emitting rhythmic metallic sounds. "Please get in," the Goblin instructed.
The cart sped through the underground tunnels like a runaway train. Metallic grinding and the rush of cold wind filled their ears, mingled with Harry's shouts of excitement and Hagrid's groans of nausea.
The cart plunged through the darkness with reckless speed. With each sharp turn, Harry gripped the iron railing, his face turning pale as his stomach churned.
Li Gang, however, remained perfectly steady. His feet were rooted to the cart floor as if he were part of the machine itself. The massive inertial forces acting on the cart were unable to shake his balance even an inch.
The cart tilted violently on a particularly sharp bend, its wheels throwing sparks against the tracks. Harry closed his eyes, and Hagrid let out a muffled groan of distress.
Li Gang frowned, feeling the chaotic jostling. The sense of being out of control made him deeply uncomfortable. He had spent three thousand years mastering every fiber of his being; he despised his body being subjected to the erratic movements of a primitive machine.
He extended his right hand and pushed against the solid rock wall of the tunnel as they passed.
Boom!
A loud, resonant bang drowned out the mechanical noise. The entire cart vibrated, and its speed slowed as if it had hit a patch of invisible molasses.
The Goblin driving the cart was nearly thrown from its seat by the recoil. It looked back in terror and saw a perfect, five fingered palm print embedded deep into the granite rock wall, with cracks radiating outward for several feet.
The metal tracks beneath them were twisted and deformed by the sheer force of the counter pressure, groaning as they settled.
Cold sweat ran down the Goblin's face. Its sharp eyes were now filled with a mixture of fright and deep apprehension. It no longer dared to show off its driving skills, significantly reducing the cart's speed and stealing frequent, nervous glances at the young man.
The cart eventually stopped in front of Harry's vault. The door opened to reveal piles of gold and silver. The golden light was so bright it seemed to dazzle Harry's eyes. He stood there, awestruck by the wealth his parents had left him.
Li Gang's eyes remained unperturbed. In his view, these metals were not as hard as common iron, nor as valuable as a hundred year old spirit herb. They could not be eaten, they carried no energy, and they were not even heavy enough for him to use as training weights for his punches.
Harry took what he needed, but they did not leave. The cart took them deeper, into a tunnel that felt ancient and cold. They stopped at a metal door with no keyhole, only glowing runes. Hagrid produced a golden key, the Goblin touched the door, and the runes flared with a bright blue light.
The door opened with a heavy, metallic grinding sound, revealing a small, empty room. In the center, on a stone pedestal, sat a single, nondescript package wrapped in brown paper. Hagrid carefully tucked it into his coat, looking more nervous than ever.
As Hagrid picked up the package, Li Gang's gaze sharpened. He felt a fluctuation. It was not the familiar hum of magic that permeated this alley; it was a Qi mechanism he recognized from his previous life. It was the vibration of a spiritual object containing concentrated vitality and primal energy.
He raised an eyebrow, a flicker of genuine interest in his eyes. This was unexpected. In a world of depleted spiritual energy, the appearance of such an anomaly was a mystery worth solving.
Emerging from Gringotts, the group began their shopping in earnest. First stop was Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.
"Oh, dear, the young man is quite robust!" Madam Malkin's eyes lit up when she saw Li Gang's physique. She pulled out a magical tape measure, muttering, "Let us see the size..."
The tape measure flew toward Li Gang, but as it touched the surface of his chest, it began to tremble violently. The sheer density of the blood and Qi radiating from his skin impacted the magical artifact.
Snap!
The tape measure dropped to the floor, its enchanted body cracked and broken in two.
Madam Malkin's smile froze. She had never seen a wizarding artifact fail so spectacularly. Hagrid tried to smooth things over, his cheeks flushing pink. Eventually, she had Li Gang try on a standard robe.
Li Gang put it on, but he felt restricted. He was a man who lived through his movements. He moved his shoulders to test the fabric, exerting just a fraction of his strength.
Rip!
The back of the robe split open instantly, unable to contain the bulging muscles beneath. Madam Malkin's face turned grim, her mouth twitching in silent horror at the ruined merchandise.
While this happened, a pale boy named Draco Malfoy was being measured nearby. He looked at Harry with disdain, then at Li Gang with a mixture of curiosity and arrogance. He spoke of houses and bloodlines, of Slytherin superiority and Mudbloods.
Li Gang's gaze fell upon the boy. It was a cold, emotionless look.
Malfoy, caught by that gaze, felt a chill run from his tailbone to the top of his head. His back was drenched in cold sweat. He felt as if he were being stared at by a giant, ancient beast. The words caught in his throat.
Li Gang looked away, evaluating the boy to Harry. "Weaker than you. His blood and Qi are thin, his foundation is unstable. A waste of breath."
Leaving the shop, they moved to buy a cauldron. Li Gang picked up a pewter model to test its quality. He squeezed his fingers slightly.
Crunch!
The pewter was crushed into scrap metal, dented and useless. The shopkeeper stood agape while Hagrid covered his face with his hands, reaching for his pouch to pay for yet another piece of destroyed inventory.
As they walked, Li Gang turned to Harry. "Do you see? These tools are fragile. Wizards rely on external objects because they neglect the divine weapon that is their own body. They chase trifles and neglect the essential. My fist is my magical artifact; my body is my dojo."
Harry listened, a fire igniting in his eyes. He looked at his own arms, wondering if he could ever achieve that level of absolute presence.
The final stop was the Magical Menagerie. While Harry chose a snowy owl he named Hedwig, Li Gang's attention was drawn to a corner. In an iron cage sat a young Manticore, a creature of pure aggression and venom.
Li Gang walked over. He did not say a word, but the blood Qi he released was a direct threat to the beast's soul. The Manticore, usually a creature of madness, quieted down instantly. Its eyes were filled with terror and submission.
"I will take it," Li Gang said.
The shopkeeper stammered about Ministry regulations and XXXXX classifications, but a handful of golden Galleons silenced his protests.
"Merlin's beard, Li!" Hagrid exclaimed. "Hogwarts forbids such creatures!"
"It will be obedient," Li Gang said, picking up the cage with one hand. The Manticore inside huddled in the corner, not daring to move.
With their shopping nearly complete, only the wand remained. Hagrid led them toward a narrow, dusty shop with a sign that read: Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands Since 382 B.C.