[Fix it? Like that little runt can do anything like that!] Feeling disheartened and filled with contempt, clenched his teeth and asked in the most respecting tone he could currently muster out, “Could you pass me my balance scale back?”
*Un…* Shi Yan slowly nods and took the weighing scale to place it beside Pot Head. Just when the balance scale was within his reach, Pot Head quickly tried to grab it to his side with a stern expression. As though he was trying to protect it from the evil predators around.
Unfortunately, before he could even feel the balance scale touch his hand, it had already vanished. When Pot Head finally realised the emptiness in his hand, it was already too late. His precious wooden scale was already in the hands of the old witch.
With eyes filled with rage, he stared at the witch. However, his fear still overwhelmed his senses and restricted him.
“Wah! Li En, how did you move so fast? Teach me?” Shi Yan asked with eyes dazzling with anticipation. However, the old woman gave a weary smile while shaking her head. “Young Master… don’t you wish to learn pottery first? I will teach you this technique when you grow older. How about that?”
Shi Yan closed his eyes in contemplation before nodding. “*Un!* I will focus on pottery first. Then I will learn that cool move in the future. *Un!*” the cute little boy tried striking a cool fighting pose but due to his adorable appearance, it was simply not threatening at all.
Meanwhile, the tiger experiencing the entire scene play out was in shock. [Why is she able to use the gentle fist technique?!] With his jaws gaping open, he pondered. [It is impossible for a mere human to be able to master the gentle fist technique to such a degree. Her mastery of the technique far surpasses that of a regular martial artist. From the gentleness of the movements to the swiftness of that strike. This woman… just what is she…?] Byakko’s brows furrowed as he thought about the list of possibilities in his mind.
[It’s no use. There are way too many family servants that have an opportunity to learn such a basic Qi Attack…] The white tiger was curious enough to genuinely wish to consult Lumu about this matter. Unfortunately, it was impossible to get in contact with him as long as the boy is awake. Likewise, if that man was willing to speak in the first place, it would be equivalent to the heaven falling into hell. Thus, Byakko started taking deep breaths and focused back onto the scenery in front of him. He understood that only he could unravel the questions in his head.
*pfft* Li En’s lips were tightly clamped down as she fought the urge to laugh.
“Do I look strong?” Shi Yan cheekily asked.
*Em em* Li En nods.
“Hee Hee” Shi Yan puffed out his chest in triumph! But was quick to recall the task at hand. “Li En, Li En. Can we start making vases now?” the little boy asked in a hurried fashion, obviously impatient to try out pottery.
“Young *ahem* Master… *ahem* I don’t think we can start without fixing this weighing machine first.” Li En opened her hand out to display the poorly made wooden scale in her hands. The stand of the scale was partially rotten. [As expected from wood that seemed to be made from scrap…] the string at the ends of the wooden pole on top of the stand were already worn out, as though it was about to snap. Likewise, the pair of bases had chips at the side of it. [Just how much of a rogue must he be to handle his tools like this…]
Having such thoughts, Li En turned to the pathetic old man in front of her and asked, “I will fix up this thing. In the meantime, you, the other servant of my Young Master. Start teaching him about the theories of pottery.” Her stern words immediately turned gentle when she faced her little darling. “Young Master, make sure you pay attention. If there are any sharp objects that you see, be careful. When that kiln is Lit up, make sure to keep your distance away. There are some-.”
“*Un!* I know! I know!” Shi Yan hastily interrupted before the lecture turned into an hour of monologue. Quickly changing the topic, The adorable little boy turned his head over to the pathetic old man, “Mister, how do we start?”
The old thing’s eyes rapidly moved around to check Li En’s mood. When he saw the old lady growing with impatience, he panicky muttered out, “there's no way to start unless you return me my balance scale.” After he said his piece, he covered his head as though he was ready to take a blow but out of his anticipation, nothing happened. Instead, Li En’s brows furrowed once she saw her little angel turning his head towards her with an adorable expression of ‘what do we do now?’
“Tell me, can't you start with the basic theories or ideas instead of practising?”
Old man became hesitate to speak, “yes…” he closed his eyes yet again with his arms up as his body curled into a defensive position.
“Li En, is this something I need to do?” Seeing old man’s strange reaction caused the innocent little boy to mimic.
Li En hastily shook her head, “No, Young Master. There is no need to do something so silly.”
“Sure?”
“Yes. I’m absolutely sure. And you!” Pot Head’s whole back automatically straightened in attention, “Hurry up and greet my Young Master. Then start the class.”
“Yes!” Pot Head simply obeyed her command and kowtowed in front of the boy. “You-r servant greets the Young Ma-ster.”
The words from his mouth were full of anguish, which obviously displayed his pure unwillingness to comply. This caused Li En to feel uncomfortable. However, when she noted that the little boy bared no ill feelings, she allowed it to slide. “Alright. Young Master, I will go to that corner to fix this up while you two start discussing...” Li En bent down to give the little boy a peck on the cheek; intentionally, she spoke in a loud voice, “I'll just be next to you.”
*HeeHee* Shi Yan giggle and ran towards the shivering old man. “Mister, how can I address you?” the little boys head tilt to the other side, “how are we starting?”
Taking a glimpse of the old witch that had turned her back on the little devil, Pot Head’s mind loosened up a little. He looked towards the Shi Yan with eyes filled with indignation but he was well aware that now was not the time to express it. He quickly sought for a solution to his current plight and came up with an idea, [As long as this little devil has a favourable impression of me, that old witch will certainly no longer be able to do anything to me.]
His face cracked out a grin as he took a deep breath to calm himself down. “Youn-g Master… let's first start talking about the concept of clay. There are many different types and each one will yield different results." Pot Head slowly limps his way over to the piled up compounds within the vase, "Each compound is to be mixed with another to give a brand new result. The newly formed clay will decide the strength, durability, thickness and overall appearance of any kind of pottery you will need. For example, when you add 20% bone ash, 16% kaolin, 40% standard clay and 24% of this yellow compound over here. When mixing the compounds, simply add a little water, about one-tenth of the total weight and start stirring. The stirring is done when the clay mixture has settled with an even surface. No spec of obvious prints of colour should be visible. Did you get any of that?"
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
*Ohhh!* the little devils' eyes widened with awe, giving Pot Head a sense of pride. [This is just the start you little monster.]
"There are multiple different mixtures that can be formed due to the multiple ingredients that you can use, each with a different ratio. Thus, there are millions of possible combinations you can try and an infinite number of possibilities that can happen after you add glazing into the process."
*Un! Un!* the little devil nods with much enthusiasm, causing Pot Head to further explain.
"Even glazing materials are something that you need to test. I personally would take a tiny bit of clay and place the glazing on top of it. Oh, did I mention that glazing is to colour the vase?"
The little devil shook his head.
"Ok, glazing is a method similar to painting. Each glazing compound will produce it's respective colour when paired with its respective compound. Having a standard mixing compound guide could work for the glazing if the clay is quite close in terms of compound and their ratio. Of course, it's best if you actually test the colour produced from the compound later. Have I talked about firing or the Kiln?"
The little devil shook his head once again. "Mister, what is firing?"
"Well, firing is the process of burning the clay into -"
[Well, aren't they having fun? *Haha*] Li En, who was sitting close by could hear the Old Man's rapid speech about pottery and Shi Yan's enthusiastic nod with the occasional *Ohh* and Wahhh!* inside. [it’s amusing how that old thing is now appearing so happy once he spoke about pottery.]
Li En looked at the weighing scale in her hands, [everything seems okay now… I guess I'll have to wait till they're done talking… it will be suspicious if I manage to fix it up so fast…]
************
~ 2 hours later
************
[… how can they be talking for so long?] Li En stretched her whole body. [It's already mid-afternoon… I have to prepare a meal before the Young Master gets hungry…]
[… Just how long are they going to continue talking?] Byakko’s facial expression became a ‘=.=’ as the tiger tried to pay attention to their speech but could not seem to understand. [Damn it…] Byakko cursed once he was aware that this superficial interest in pottery was caused by his current position within Shi Yan’s mind. It could be counted as a blessing to be able to learn something new. However, for some reason, after the talk had lasted through for an hour, Byakko’s entire brained seemed exhausted. [To think that someone of my level would get so tired of something as simple as this…]
************
~ an hour later
************
“Young master, are you feeling hungry now? “ Li En asked with a hint of worry. She had came over from her seclusion at that corner after realising that the talk was almost never ending.
Shi Yan turned his head towards the old lady with eyes brimming with light. Meanwhile, the old thing sitting opposite of the little angel was now as silent as a tombstone.
[I guess not…] “Young Master, didn’t you say that we would go explore after your lesson? Please don’t forget the importance of a meal! Doesn’t your stomach hurt?”
Shi Yan shook his head, “*ehm…* not so much *heehee* Li En, are we going out now?”
“Young Master… we will come back straight away after we eat so there no need to worry. “ Li En saw a little hesitation in Shi Yan’s eyes and immediately comforted the child. However, his response was something she would have never anticipated.
“Li En, Li En, can Pot Head come with us as well?”
Caught off guard, Li En was stunned for a moment. But, she was exceptionally fast at recovering herself. Her gaze filled with questions landed on the old man, and she asked, “you are Pot Head?”
The silent old man nods his head in absolute obedience.
“…” Li En was at a loss for words. [There is no way a parent would choose that kind of name right?
…
Well, no matter. I can squeeze it out of him once the Young Master sleeps. Let's first get the Young Master to eat something before he faints from his obsessions…]
“Alright. He can come with us. However, only on one condition. He’s paying for the meal.”
[Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!]
**************
~ 2 minutes later
**************
Pot Head was dragging his feet behind a pair of demons. His eyes barely seemed soulless as it just a guise to hide his true emotions. Of course with his skills of acting being perfect in his mind, the arrogant pottery creator was cursing in his heart while secretly looking around. [What are all of you looking at? Is it that funny to see someone from a higher status drop down like this? Is it so fun to watch a man like me, someone that works hard every single day to maintain a living, pulled ever so close to your level?]
His gaze soon turned to the devilish child in front of him and the old demoness next to the child. [At least that devil's interest in pottery is genuine... at least he is bothering to learn something more...]
While dragging his feet, Pot Head's ear suddenly twitched. He was called over by the demoness, "Pot Head, where is the eatery that you have mentioned?"
The old man points to the alleyway at a corner of the main path and spoke with a voice that was gentler than usual. "Madam, it's over there…”
When the three people walked closer to the alleyway, Shi Yan's nose flared as he took light sniffs. "Li En... it stinks..."
"You're right... Pot Head, are you certain this is a shop that sells food?" Li En's frowned.
"Yes..." Pot Head was now hesitant to speak as he felt that he had made a mistake. "I come here every day to eat..."
"Everyday?!" Li En exclaimed while Shi Yan looked a little confused. [Well, if the food is good... then maybe... just maybe... it'll be fine...]
It was fortunate that Li En had braced herself beforehand. The moment a decrepit shop appeared in front of her eyes, her facial expression became frozen. In front of the shop were dumplings lined on top of a table. It was a small shop with only a kitchen and a counter. With the one fat man inside, the whole place seemed ready to burst. Out of her expectations, there were people crowding around the store. [Maybe the food here is genuinely good...]
“tell me, what’s inside those dumplings?” Li En points to those on the counter while asking Pot Head.
Afraid, Pot Head neck shrink back as he muttered, “Madam… I don’t know…”
“What?! You're telling me that you don’t know what kind of meal you’ve been eating all this time?!” [Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous!] “Young Master, I'm afraid that we cannot eat here. Let's find somewhere else to eat.” Li En grabbed onto the little boy's hand and tried to retreat but a familiar voice called out. “Oh, what a coincidence to meet you here.”
Shi Yan turned his head to look and it was the scary middle-aged lady from before. Quickly, the little boy hid behind the old woman from the approaching monster. Meanwhile, the crowd from the store dispersed from sight.
[Wow, that woman is like a walking plague…] Byakko thought to himself.
Madam Cheng was quick to move towards Li En and Pot Head. “Surprising to meet both of you here.” Madam Cheng chuckled. “Aren't you two going to buy some of the dumplings here?” her face warped into a grin.
Her appearance caused Pot Head to bow down and greet, “Madam!” Unlike earlier, his voice was now full of reverence. It was so obvious that even Shi Yan took note of their special relationship. Meanwhile, Madam Cheng did not even bother to reply the old man as all her attention was focused on Li En and Shi Yan.
“Why, hello.” Li En greeted the woman with a smile, “we aren't interested in the food here. We were thinking of another eatery. Do you have any suggestions?”
[What is this woman thinking?! How can you talk so casually with a noble?!] Pot Head ridiculed the demoness while his posture was fixed.
Madam Cheng nods, “I see, there is another place that I frequent to quite often. I'll bring you there later. But, you have to wait for me to do some stuff first.”
“How long would you take?” Li En asked, worried about Shi Yan’s stomach.
“Hahaha. Just some minor business to take care of. I'm pretty sure that the little one will not starve to death by that time.” The middle-aged woman went to talk to the fat shop owner, who was sweating like a pig. His face turned pale while their conversation continued. Finally, his head sank down as though some kind of awful verdict has been passed. Madam Cheng, who seemed as calm as usual walked back to greet the pair, “alright. I'm done with my task. Shall we head somewhere to eat?” this time, her speech was not directed to Li En but the boy hiding behind.
“… *em*…”
“alright. Follow me then.”