The Portal of Wonderland

“Brother, just a moment!” the handsome janitor replied with a smile. There was another janitor behind him. He turned around and walked over to one of the shelves. Then, he took out three blue porcelain bottles from above. He then returned and handed over those bottles to the handsome janitor.

The handsome janitor then gave the three porcelain bottles to Shi Mu. Shi Mu’s right hand moved and hit the bottle’s cap as soon as he received them. He wrinkled his brows as a strange aroma entered his nostrils.

Shi Mu took a quick glance and saw a soybean-sized pill inside. The pill was bright-red in color. It was undoubtedly the same Bone Tempering Pill which was mentioned in the Art of Breeding Heavenly Elephants.

A joyous look flashed through Shi Mu’s eyes as he saw this. He paid the money excitedly and slipped the bottles in his bosom. Suddenly, a vigorous male voice was heard from behind him.

“Brother Bai… it seems that your friend has chosen the Art of Breeding Heavenly Elephants…”

Shi Mu’s complexion changed. He turned around and found two people standing behind him. One of them was a youngster with a sturdy physique and a straightforward appearance. The other person was Bai Shi – the youngster with long hair.

“Brother Shi, this is our senior fellow-disciple Huo Mao. I met him recently. He’s my fellow villager,” Bai Si introduced the youngster with a smile as he saw Shi Mi sizing him up.

Shi Mu felt dumbfounded as he heard these words. Xiao Ming and Fang Tian Xu were also from the same place as Bai Shi. Shi Mu started to get curious about Bai Shi’s hometown.

“Brother Huo, my name is Shi Mu. I didn’t understand how the Senior Brother came to know about my chosen cultivation art.” Shi Mu greeted the youth. He then asked with a puzzled expression.

“Brother Shi doesn’t need to be surprised; it’s just a coincidence. I had chosen the same art when I had entered this Sect. But I gave it up when I realized how expensive a Bone Tempering Pill was,” the straightforward youngster grinned as he said.

Suddenly, a thought popped up in Shi Mu’s mind as he looked at the sturdy body of the youngster.

“Brother Shi, the Bone Tempering Pill deserves this high-price since the bone marrow of an unusual animal is needed to make it. But, it’s too expensive for an ordinary disciple to afford. Besides, the Art of Breeding Heavenly Elephants isn’t as simple and easy as it seems. In fact, it’s rather difficult to endure. Therefore, only a few low-ranked disciples have chosen this art,” the youngster said as he saw the puzzled expression on Shi Mu’s face.

Shi Mu’s face revealed a bitter smile. The physical state of this person was rather special; it was inconceivable to an ordinary person.

“Brother Shi, I’ve invited Brother Huo for a drink. It would be great if you could tag along with us,” Bai Shi said with a smile as he saw them strike a conversation.

A trace of hesitation appeared on Shi Mu’s face. He knew that the newcomers had only one year to escape fights or challenges. Besides, he had obtained the Bone Tempering Pills now. Therefore, he wanted to start his practice as soon as possible. He was about to turn-down the offer when Bai Shi spoke a few words. And these words dispelled his thought-train, “Brother Shi, we’ve just entered this Sect. Therefore, if there’s anything you want to know about… you can ask Brother Huo.”

“Well… I don’t have any other plans. So, I’ll be glad to share Brother Huo’s guidance,” Shi Mu nodded as he said with a faint smile.

“Hehe… When it comes to drinking… the more the merrier!” The youngster’s eyes glittered with excitement. Then, he took the lead and walked outside without even waiting for Shi Mu to finish his reply.

Shi Mu gawked at him. But, Bai Shi blinked at him in a meaningful manner. After that, both of them started to follow Huo Mao. Shi Mu burst out laughing inside his heart as he realized that this Senior Brother seemed to be a wine-crazy person.

They left the Aromatic Pills Pavilion and started to walk merrily towards their destination. They turned two crossroads and arrived at a two-storied restaurant called the Fragrant River Tavern. They reported their names and were quickly directed to a private room on the second floor by a waiter.

Shi Mu saw Xiao Ming – the youngster with curly hair and a wide mouth – sitting by a table as soon as he stepped into the private room. He had already ordered delicious cuisines. The seal of the wine jar was open as well. Its rich fragrance was spreading in all directions. This made Huo Mao’s eyes light-up with excitement.

Huo Mao occupied the main seat in an impolite manner without any greetings. Then, he poured himself a bowl of wine and finished it in one breath.

“Nice wine!” The chill liquid gushed down his throat and caused a burst of warm energy inside his body. This stimulated him and made him exclaim.

Bai Shi poured Huo Mao another bowl of wine and joined him in drinking. Shi Mu and Xiao Ming joined them as well.

The delicious dishes had been consumed by the end of three rounds of drinks. Bai Shi and Xiao Ming seized this opportunity and asked a few questions. Huo Mao readily answered every question, and helped the three of them to gain a lot of knowledge.

“Brother Huo, do you know anything about magicians?” Shi Mu saw that Bai Shi and Xiao Ming’s questions were being properly answered. Therefore, he asked a direct question about Young Master Ju and his strange parrot from the General Library.

He had got an opportunity to gain some knowledge about magicians with great difficulty. Therefore, he didn’t want to let this opportunity slip by easily.

“Magicians? You mean Young Master Ju of the General Library?” Huo Mao looked at Shi Mu and said with a faint smile.

Magicians were quite rare; even in the Black Demon Sect. And the only magician that the new disciples had any contact with was Young Master Ju. So, their curiosity was quite normal.

Shi Mu nodded. He yearned to learn about those mystical paper-charms, strange patterns and intriguing text whenever he gave them a thought.

There was a trace of curiosity on the faces of Bai Shi and Xiao Ming as well. They looked towards Huo Mao as they waited for him to answer.

“Well… as you know… we have thousands of disciples in our Sect. But, do you know how many of them are magicians? Honestly speaking… there are just a few hundred. In addition, most of them are mere Scholars. If we talk about the Spirit Grade magicians like Young Master Ju… then there are less than eight of such magicians in our Sect. And the Star Grade magicians of higher level are even fewer in number. Actually… magicians who reach the Spirit Grade can be considered as official magicians. So… this Sect has only ten real magicians even though it’s one of the seven powerful sects in the three Kingdoms.” Huo Mao deliberately stopped speaking and looked at the three people who were gaping with their mouth wide open.

He felt contented with their surprised expressions. He then continued, “Magicians are extremely important for any Sect as nothing can be done without their instruments… such as the door of immortality, charms and even their magic formulas. It can be said that magicians determines the real strength of a Sect to some extent. Unfortunately, if someone wants to be a magician… then he must have an inborn magical talent. If someone has magical talent… then his spiritual power can induce the strength of various elements needed. People who are born with magical talent are rarer than practitioners who are able to comprehend Qi-sensing.”

Huo Mao’s face revealed an envious look as he spoke these words.

“I’ve heard that Young Master Ju is a Spirit Magician. What does that mean?” Shi Mu had an envious look on his face as well. Suddenly, he remembered something and asked this question.

“Hehe… I didn’t expect Brother Shi Mu to know this much… You’ve chosen the right person to ask these questions. Other people wouldn’t have been able to quench your curiosity. Magicians are commonly divided into five elemental categories on the basis of their talent and cultivation practice – wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Those who have specialization in incantation skills are known as the Incantation Masters. People who specialize in charm-making skills are known as the Charm Masters. And, the people who specialize in compounded drugs are known as the Alchemy Masters. There are a small number of magicians who use wind, thunder, ice, darkness or light as well. Some magicians can manipulate puppets and are therefore known as Puppet Masters. The Spirit Grade magicians can communicate with creatures from other strange worlds through their spirit power; they are even rarer than Puppet Masters,” Huo Mao revealed a complacent smile as he looked at Shi Mu. Then, he shook his head and continued to explain.

He then gulped down another bowl of wine. Bai Shi picked up the jar and hastily refilled his bowl again.

Shi Mu had a pensive look on his face. It seemed as if he was pondering over Huo Mao’s words. The term ‘magicians’ had gotten engraved in his heart.

He would later find an opportunity to understand the subject of ‘magicians’ in a thorough manner.

“Brother Shi, it is a well-known fact in the Sect that the fight between you and Qu Kun concluded in a draw. This was a cause for great humiliation for Qu Kun. Don’t blame me for not reminding you… but this person – Qu Kun – is quite ungenerous and not so easy to get along with. You must be careful.” Huo Mao changed the topic of conversation as he gazed at Shi Mu with a meaningful look.

“Brother Huo, thanks a lot for this reminder,” Shi Mu’s heart felt a slight chill. He cupped his hands across his chest in obeisance as he expressed his gratitude.

They continued to discuss some interesting anecdotes. They had finally had enough after finishing three jars of wine. Therefore, they bid their farewells and dispersed.