120 5.9 What Else Is New? We are both a Ronin and Hitokiri! (1/2)

Hiko-sama looked at me either in awe, surprise, shock, disbelief in his eyes and I related to him how I managed to kill 3 assassins or Ninjas back then. He had a permanent frown on his face so it's hard to predict what he was thinking at this present moment.

”During the first opening moves, those I had never seen before. Who taught you that?”

”No one, Sensei. Once I stood like that and lost myself with Mother Nature, I became one with it. My foot became rooted to the ground and my arms would sway like the branches of a tree blown in the wind.”

”I still cannot believe that you had no Master and the Master you earlier mentioned only taught you the basics.”

”That is true Sensei, he taught me the art of meditation and breathing at first. After that, he taught me Chi Breathing as I progressed on. He also had opened up my Third Eye which was able to sense wandering spirits as well as increase my awareness.”

”I have never heard of Chi Breathing before. Tell me more because maybe it has different meanings of a similar practice.”

”Chi Breathing is a way to unlock the next stage if you level up in strength and skills. Once in a meditative state, a kind of powerful energy would move all around you and can be unlocked with a certain breathing technique. As one level up, the Chi Breathing becomes more and more complex to unlock. A single mistake could deal with damage to your vital organs.”

”So tell me about the levels, I'm curious to know.”

”Each level comprises of 12 Chengs or sub-levels. If one practises his martial arts, meditates regularly and also engage in battles or spiritual activities, one would be able to surpass each Cheng until he reaches the 12th Cheng and would require one to perform Chi Breathing in order to surpass and move to the next level.”

”So you said earlier you had a Monk accessed your skill's capability, so what level are you right now?”

”When he assessed me the last time, I was already an Elemental Crown level, which means I had surpassed 8th levels of 12 Chengs each and now am at the 9th level. I am not sure which Cheng I am in but I think it's on the 2nd or 3rd Cheng.”

”How about your combat capability? Every level makes you more powerful or knowledgeable?”

”I am not sure about my combat capability since I am unable to utilise it that time only for the occasions of killing those 3 ninjas. And during that time I think I was at level 3 I guess. So far, I managed to increase my levels through spiritual contacts such as healing and the uses of certain hand seals.”

”What kind of hand seals? Do you have a set of examples?”

”These hand seals were shown by the Monk that assessed me. There are 12 hand seals altogether but I only used one specific one and another on that that was not categorised. These hand seals are followed by the Chinese Horoscope.”

I made all the 12 consecutive hand seals for Hiko-sama to see and he recognised all those from Ninjutsu. He told me a series of these hand seals could be made into several uses.

”Yes that's what the Monk told me and I only use one hand seal to make a Fire Release.”

I made the handseal and then I release a short stream of fire from it.

”Ara ma...! That's Fire Release? It looks from one glance you might be even called a mage that could conjure up casts and spells... But this different altogether! How do you manage to do that?!?”

”Yes Sensei, this is Fire Release. I unlocked this skill when I was invoked by several meditation exercises and visualisation techniques. I was able to light a candle with its smouldering wick, then a candle with a dry wick and lastly a Fire Release by using a cane light as its base. Now I don't need to have a fire to make a Fire Release. It's all released from my chakra points as well as the gathering of energies around us.”

I explained slowly and carefully so that every morsel of information that I conveyed would successfully be absorbed by Hiko-sama as he learnt more and new exciting things about me.

I thoroughly explained that I only use this Fire Release if I am faced with the supernatural but I told him that I even used a small percentage earlier to heat up my bath instead of using the furnace. Saves firewood and protects the environment, I bullshitted to him. Who cares about the ozone layer in this era?

”Come with me inside. There is something I need to show to you and hope you would appreciate it.”

”Yes, Sensei...” I replied to him and took off my zori and placed them at the foot of the terrace and entered. He led me to his storage room and asked me to wait a while outside. After a short while he gestured me inside and what I saw was a sight to behold!

Rows and rows of pottery of all sorts of sizes lined the shelves of the wall. An oil lantern was lit in the corner and it cast light upon the lined pottery. All the pottery that was on display had intricate designs on it and was some were glazed with a thin lacquer while some were left uncoated.

My eyes were in awe as I looked at the designs and the intricity of the pottery. I wondered how long does one make a collection of all these pottery that amounted slightly over a dozen of them.

”This is my profession! I made this pottery myself before I joined and being a Samurai. It's a dream that I had before I turned it into a desire and profession. Here take a look at this...”

Hiko-sama picked one pottery and proudly showed it to me. It was adorned with a design of a phoenix that had risen from the ashes with the background of the sun and a few clouds above it.

I place it in my hands and felt the design. It was etched into the pottery while it was slightly damp before it was dried in a furnace. I felt the design and it was well made and do not find any flaw since I was such a layman in such arts.

”Wow, you really made this row of pottery? You must have such passion, Sensei. Do you intend to make some more? Are these for sale or just for your personal collection?”

I asked out of curiosity as his eyes gleamed with delight as the latest pottery he had made years ago was being appreciated by his own apprentice.

”Yes, Himura... I really made this. It was one of my closely guarded secrets that no one knows about except for you. Even my comrades do not know about it. I wonder if they'd laugh at me if they knew that I made these pottery before even becoming a Samurai?”

”Oh, then why did you stop being a Potter, Sensei? Was it a switch of profession or are you simply tired of making these?”