CHAPTER THREE

The next day, Li Feng is woken up by a servant before even the sun has risen. This is very unusual, since Li Feng likes to sleep until noon and makes sure all servants know it.

“Young master, you must wake up,” The servant says, shaking Li Feng awake. “Today is the day of your Boiling Cauldron of Nine Transformation ritual. You must not be late for it.”

“I know, Bai,” Li Feng says and sits up. “Just give me five more minutes of sleep.”

“That’s what you said ten minutes ago!” The servant, Lam Bai, yells, seeing Li Feng fall back with his eyes closed. “If you’re late, Lord Wen will have to pay ten thousand coins to the temple!”

Li Feng groans and sits up again. Though he doesn’t want to participate in any ritual with ‘Boiling Cauldron’ in the name, even moreso he doesn’t want to make Lord Wen lose any money. After Li Feng broke a branch off a neighbor’s pear tree, Lord Wen had to pay two thousand coins to the neighbor, and Li Feng received two hundred Goose Beak finger pokes.

Li Feng grudgingly slides out of bed and walks to his closet to choose the outfit of the day. Along his clothes are white tunics, gray tunics, blue tunics, and red tunics. The red tunics are for training in, since the blood earned from working hard won’t stain them. The blue tunics are reserved for formal occasions, and the white and gray tunics are for everyday use. Since a Li Feng knows he’s participating in a ritual today, he wears a blue tunic.

“Excellent choice, young master,” Lam Bai says, bowing and exiting the room so that Li Feng can change in private.

Once the servant closes the door after they leave, Li Feng quickly changes. Because his clothes are tunics, they are easy to change in and out of quickly. After changing tunics, Li Feng opens the door and allows the servant back inside.

“You’re a very handsome young master when you’re in your formal clothes,” Lam Bai says, taking a few steps inside the room and bowing. “Let me make your queue.”

The servant sits Li Feng in a chair in front of a mirror, then beings to braid his long black hair. Like all the martial arts practicing members of the family, Li Feng has never had his hair cut, and it gets braided by a servant several times a week so that it maintains a tight queue behind his head.

“There, we’re ready to go,” Lam Bai says, finishing Li Feng’s queue and taking a step back. Li Feng pulls his hair around to the front of his body and pulls several times on it, testing for loose strands. The hair is tightly braided and hurts his scalp when pulled on, a clear sign of a queue done well.

“Yes, let us depart,” Li Feng says and stands from the chair. After putting on his shoes, Li Feng follows Lam Bai out of the estate.

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At the front of the estate, Lam Bai calls for a ride from a passing rickshaw driver. At the cost of three hundred coins, Lam Bai secures the fast transport to the temple, and she climbs into the passenger seat after Li Feng. The driver puts the coins in a bag tied around his waist, then picks up the rickshaw’s handles and makes his way to the temple, a route he knows yell.

The driver takes Li Feng and Lam Bai along the outer circuit of the city. The road here is larger than anywhere else in the city, specifically to allow carts and rickshaws to quickly pass. As such, being a frequently traveled road, many shops have made this road their home. Along the way, Lam Bai looks at all the interesting products in display windows as the rickshaw passes. Li Feng, however, is unimpressed.

‘A magic enchanter could make something ten times as good as that,’ Li Feng silently rebukes as Lam Bai points out a tool for creating explosions. The tool pales in comparison to what magicians in Li Feng’s time could create if given the right materials and when using the right runes. Unfortunately, since Li Feng never learned runic magics, he cannot enchant objects.

The drives goes from the northeast side of the city to the southeast, finally arriving at the temple. Outside the temple, two monks dressed in bright orange robes are meditating on the stone steps leading to inside the temple, and the driver stops. Li Feng and Lam Bai exit the rickshaw, Lam Bai thanking the driver before he leaves, and they walk up the temple steps and into the temple.

The large entrance way of the temple has no doors and is open day or night, rain or shine. Everyone in the city is welcome there, no matter the situation they find themselves in. For this very reason, the temple is usually packed tight. It’s extremely rare for a monk to be free to assist someone through their Boiling Cauldron of Nine Transformation ritual, but Lord Wen, a landed gentry, a sizable donation of rice helped provide one for each of his sons.

“I am here with young master Li Feng for his Boiling Cauldron of Nine Transformations ritual,” Lam Bai says to a monk standing inside the temple. Though many monks are occupied, this one and the two outside remain free to address recent visitors and emergencies.

“Very well, Brother Zhong will assist you,” The monk says and bows, and points with open hands to a monk standing in front of a door on the left side of the room.

“Thank you, monk,” Lam Bai says and leads Li Feng to the monk who’s waiting for them. The pair walk through the crowded temple to eventually reach the monk standing in front of the door.

“I am waiting for Li Feng,” Zhong says, looking from Li Fend to Lam Bai.

“He is young master Li Feng. We’re here for the Boiling Cauldron of Nine Transformations ritual,” Lam Bai tells the monk.

“Very good, follow me inside,” Zhong says and opens the door to the room behind him, then walks inside.

Li Feng walks in first and is followed by Lam Bai, who closes the door behind herself. Inside the room, Li Feng watches unamused as Zhong walks up to a giant cauldron, about waist height, full of steaming water. The room is illuminated by streaks of light shooting from the ceiling to the floor, several beams passing through the steam rising out of the cauldron. The stone walls of the room are a lime green, reminiscent of a dungeon where moss isn’t cleaned off the walls frequently enough.

“Taken off your clothes and jewelry, then climb into the cauldron,” Zhong says, walking around to stand on the opposite side of the cauldron.