We speak now of Harry, who had set up an altar at the Burrow, lit sandalwood incense, and prepared fruits and vegetables, all to swear an oath of brotherhood with Ron and Hermione.
These two had faced blades and rolled at the gates of hell with Harry; they would not refuse.
All was ready, save for the three sacrificial animal heads.
At dawn, Fred had gone to the Muggle village, slaughtered a yellow ox and a white sheep, and returned with the heads.
As for the pig's head, there was a sty behind the Burrow with three or five pigs. Arthur, hearing Harry needed a head, rolled up his sleeves and went, knife in hand.
"Harry, leave this to the adults. A young wizard like you would probably faint at such a sight."
Seeing his enthusiasm, Harry didn't stop him. "After you, Director."
Hearing this, Arthur laughed. "Harry, just call me Arthur. There are only two people in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office."
With that, he entered the pigsty with a boning knife. He spotted a fat-headed, blubbery beast and stabbed the knife into the soft flesh of its throat.
The pig let out a monstrous squeal and kicked up a huge clod of mud, splashing Arthur in the eyes.
Fred and George, holding onto the fence, shouted for Arthur to rub his eyes; Percy closed his book and told his father to use his wand; Ginny's heart hammered, fearing her father and brothers would make fools of themselves, causing Harry to look down on the Weasley family.
The noise attracted Mrs. Weasley, who ran out with her wand and a spatula. Seeing Arthur wrestling with a pig, she exploded.
"Arthur Weasley! Isn't it enough that you fiddle with your Muggle junk? Now you're fighting pigs!"
"When will you ever set an example for the children?!"
Arthur, scolded by his wife, turned red. He quickly pulled out his wand and cast a Stunning Spell, finally silencing the beast.
Harry, seeing his sorry state, understood that Arthur did not know how to slaughter an animal. He put on his robe, picked up the knife, and said, "Director, please rest. Let this one handle it."
He remembered his time at Crossroads Slope, where "Mother Nightyaksha" Sun Erniang was an expert at dismembering.
It didn't matter if you were a passing merchant or a penned-in animal. Her blade spun like a wheel of snow, and without a sound, blood was blood, and meat was meat.
At that time, Harry had been her assistant. The Mother Nightyaksha was his sworn sister and had taught him all her skills of "carving the heart and boning the flesh."
Now, though this pig was whole, in Harry's eyes, it was already butchered.
He clearly saw:
The three-inch windpipe at the throat, the two racks of ribs.
The silver line of the spine, the tendons in the four trotters.
He plunged the knife into the neck, letting the blood drain. Then, he guided the blade down.
Where the knife passed, skin was skin, fat was fat. The two shoulder blades were as white as ivory. He removed the backbone, separated the trotters, the ribs, and the loin, all with perfect precision. Even a master butcher would have bowed in defeat.
Wiping the blood from his hands, Harry slammed the knife into a wooden post and took off his robe, which was soaked.
The Weasley family stared, speechless. Harry clasped his hands and smiled. "It has been a long time since this one has butchered a pig. My skills are a bit rusty. My apologies."
Arthur clicked his tongue. Rusty?
If that was rusty, then what he had been doing was being toyed with by the pig.
"Harry..." Hermione said, her expression complex. "You also know how to slaughter pigs?"
Harry joked, "Never mind a pig. This one can butcher a live man just as clearly—how to eat him, how to prepare him, how to sell him, I know it all."
Hermione knew Harry often said strange things, but this talk of a human-flesh business truly terrified her.
"Harry! Don't say such scary things!"
Percy joked, "Harry, did you visit an ogre's den?"
Ginny also laughed. "Harry, do you eat people?"
"Ay, this one only sells the product. I never touch it."
Seeing his serious expression, the others' smiles slowly froze.
Why does that sound more and more like the truth?
With that done, Harry arranged the pig, cow, and sheep heads together. Seeing the three sacrifices and the offerings were ready, he prepared to use this auspicious day to swear an oath with Ron and Hermione.
Ron and Hermione, knowing this was a solemn event, grew serious, pondering the meaning of "Yi Jie Jin Lan."
After a moment, Ron looked at the altar. He saw a majestic statue of a figure with a red face, a green robe, and a golden set of armor, holding a crescent-moon saber. "Harry, who is this?"
Harry was shocked. "Brother, you do not know? Of all the righteous heroes in the world, who does not respect Lord Guan? We must have the Second Lord's red face presiding, and burn incense, to show the sincerity of our oath."
Ron just scratched his head; he had never heard of any of this.
He saw two empty spaces on either side of Lord Guan.
"Harry, isn't it a bit empty on the sides?"
At this, Harry sighed. "Brother, do not mention it. These sides should be for Zhou Cang and Guan Ping, but I could not find them in Chinatown. I had to abandon the idea."
Ron thought for a moment, went inside, and brought out a statue of Merlin, placing it to Lord Guan's left.
"Since there's an empty space, let's have Merlin be a witness for us."
Harry praised, "Wonderful! This one has heard that this Merlin is a powerful wizard, the likes of which are seen once in a thousand years. He is worthy to share a table with the Second Lord."
Hermione, seeing them both presenting deities, wanted to fill the right side. She searched her pockets, but found nothing.
She hesitated, then picked up two twigs from the ground, tied them into a cross with a string, and placed it to Lord Guan's right.
"Ahem. Then I'll have Jesus be a witness. Even though I'm not a Christian."
Harry said, "This one has heard that this Jesus, to save the world, willingly suffered humiliation on the cross. He truly is a hero who fed his body to the tigers, a Buddha who carved his flesh to feed the eagles."
With the cross in place, the three knelt before the altar.
"Lord Guan, above!"
"Merlin, on the left!"
"Jesus, on the right!"
"Today, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley, though of different surnames, wish to become sworn siblings! We will unite our hearts to help those in need!"
"We seek not to be born on the same day, month, and year, but we pledge to die on the same day, month, and year!"
The three lit the incense, dripped their blood into wine, and bowed eight times to the heavens.
The oath finished, they drank the blood-wine in one gulp and smashed the bowls on the ground. With three sharp cracks, the ritual of 'Yi Jie Jin Lan' was complete.
And so it was, the three heroes became sworn siblings, bound not by a magical oath, but by a loyalty that reflected the sun and moon, and a righteousness that tied them together. Their bond was stronger than true gold. If you wish to know what happened next, you must listen to the next chapter.
Join my patreon For Early access to Chapter : patreon.com/TheWorldGod
Tiamat 200 Chapter (Final)
Honkai 580 Chapter
Lobotomy 110 Chapter
MushokuTensei 380 Chapter
'Pure Evil' Simulator Chapter Ending
Crossover Fic Blapterue-Eyes Chapter Ending
Harry want to be Hero 140 Chapter