Chapter Eight: Matt Joins

"If you don't believe my words, then what about the Old Stick Master's?"

At these words, Matt's expression changed yet again. In an instant, his lifeless eyes swept toward Gu Zhongyan, making him feel as though he were being studied.

"Who are you, really?" Matt asked once more.

Knowing his identity, his abilities—these things were shocking, but if one were determined to investigate, there would always be some trace to follow.

But the Old Stick Master was different. He came and went like a shadow, and even Matt’s own understanding of him was pitifully scarce, aside from the memories of childhood training.

Yet Gu Zhongyan even knew of the Old Stick Master’s existence; this revelation struck Matt with a force greater than the previous two secrets.

"I have told you," Gu Zhongyan replied, "I am a wizard. Due to certain circumstances, I cannot presently prove my identity as a wizard to you, but that does not mean I am not one."

Gu Zhongyan couldn't help but feel a little helpless—at present, the only magic he could perform was the Mind Blank and the Patronus Charm.

The former was confined to his own mind, the latter could in theory be seen by ordinary people, but Matt happened to be blind, so there was no way to prove it to him.

Otherwise, a simple Levitation Charm or Disarming Spell would be more convincing than any words.

A wand, a wand—he needed to get a wand as soon as possible. What use is a wizard who cannot cast spells?

Suppressing his frustration, Gu Zhongyan continued, "As I said before, the Hand worships a demon known as the Beast. But they are not without enemies. For example, the organization your old friend the Old Stick Master belongs to—the Pure Truth Society—they are the mortal foes of the Hand."

"The Hand is attempting to summon the Beast in New York, and the Pure Truth Society is already aware. Before long, the Old Stick Master will return to New York. He knows even more about the Beast than I do."

"If you don’t trust me, you can ask the Old Stick Master when the time comes."

Listening to Gu Zhongyan’s steady heartbeat, Matt’s brow furrowed deeply.

If he had not been specially trained to control his heartbeat, then everything he said would be true.

But a wizard? Magic? Demons? How could that be possible?

Sensing Matt’s inner struggle, Gu Zhongyan said, "I understand that hearing all of this at once is difficult to accept."

"I don't expect you to believe me right away. You can remain skeptical about the Hand and the Beast for now, but the fact that Fisk controls Hell’s Kitchen is undeniable."

"If you don’t believe me, you can find out for yourself."

"No matter what you think about the Hand, at the very least, we can agree on one thing: we both want to bring down Fisk."

"I will return here in three days. In that time, you can think carefully about whether you want to help me. Regardless of your decision, since I saved your life, let’s meet here in three days."

With that, and without waiting for Matt’s response, Gu Zhongyan turned and left the ruined building.

As the sound of his footsteps faded into the night, Matt stood lost in thought.

Leaving Matt to his contemplation, Gu Zhongyan retraced his steps and, without alerting anyone, returned to his own room.

Although he had not succeeded in persuading Daredevil to join his team today, Gu Zhongyan knew these heroes well enough to be confident. As long as Matt could confirm information about Fisk, it was highly likely he would agree in three days.

Besides that, the effects of the potion had exceeded his expectations.

Although it was far inferior to those true “life-restoring, flesh-regenerating” potions from the world of Harry Potter, this crude potion was still far more effective than ordinary medicines.

For Gu Zhongyan, this was absolutely good news.

After all, deprived of magic, he was only marginally stronger than normal people—apart from his foresight and slightly enhanced physique.

Until he acquired a wand, potions would be his bargaining chip when dealing with these superheroes.

Especially since, as he knew, in the Marvel world, powerful superhuman abilities abounded, but healing powers were rare.

Even if he could only act as support, it would still ensure him a place in his future plans.

Moreover, the efficacy of his potions also proved that, while unable to perform magic, he could still wield magical energy.

This was crucial to his ultimate goal—when confronting supernatural forces, would he be able to infuse their essence into a wand?

Judging by today’s results, this was indeed good news; it allowed him to let go of his last lingering doubt.

All that was left was to wait for Matt’s decision, and then he could formally set his plans in motion.

For the next three days, he decided to brew as many potions as possible. Aside from healing potions, he would try his hand at other varieties as well.

However, most potions required special magical ingredients, and with his current resources, he could hardly make anything besides healing draughts.

Three days passed quickly. Looking at the mess of scattered ingredients, Gu Zhongyan had to admit: without magical materials, potion-making was too difficult.

Aside from the simplest healing potions, all other attempts had failed.

It seemed he would not be able to rely on potions to sweep through his enemies any time soon. Until he acquired a wand, he would have to be content with supporting from behind the scenes.

Late at night, after confirming that Father Landon was asleep, Gu Zhongyan quietly opened the window and once again leapt from the second floor.

Landing with a perfect forward roll that absorbed all the impact, he vanished silently into the darkness.

When he reached the abandoned building, Matt was already standing in the center of the room, just as he had left him three days before, as if he had never moved.

In fact, thanks to the Patronus monitoring Hell’s Kitchen, Gu Zhongyan knew that Daredevil had been far more active these past three days—many local criminals had either had their arms or legs broken.

Clearly, Matt was even more determined than Gu Zhongyan had imagined in his search for information on Fisk.

Of course, this was not without cost. Smelling the persistent scent of blood on Matt, Gu Zhongyan could tell he had suffered his share of hardships.

Frowning, Gu Zhongyan took out one of his few remaining healing potions and tossed it over.

"Drink it. I honestly don’t know how you’ve survived this long with your reckless ways."

Matt caught the bottle in one hand and, without hesitation, drank it all. His voice, though stronger than three days before, was now tinged with exhaustion.

"Thanks. You were right—Fisk is indeed the one controlling Hell’s Kitchen."

"But as for the Hand and the Beast, I found nothing."

"You couldn’t have," Gu Zhongyan replied. "Even Fisk himself may not know who he’s working with."

"So what do we do next? Take down Fisk first, then go after the Hand?" Matt asked in a low voice.

Hearing the implication in Matt’s question, Gu Zhongyan broke into a bright smile, knowing that the future Daredevil had finally joined his team.