44 Selecting the Cauldron (1/2)
Lu Fengyi stepped out of the alleyway, walking towards the cauldron shop he had seen earlier. While other cauldron stores had displayed their goods outright, desperate for attention, this shop seemed unappealing and unnoticeable in front of the other stalls. While others would be most likely walk towards the more attracting stores, Lu Fengyi wanted to take his chances with this inconspicuous store. After all, who knew if it would be a gem in disguise.
As Lu Fengyi arrived before the entrance, he was met with a small sign hung upon the doorway.
[ Kin's Cauldrons ]
[ The oldest establishment in the city ]
A simple, yet direct announcement that did not flaunt of any excessive information. The crumpled edges of the paper and the worn down state of the store only served to prove the point of the small sign. Licking his lips in anticipation, Lu Fengyi stepped into the store.
As the door swung open, a bell attached to the door rung, notifying whoever was inside of his entrance. While Lu Fengyi had expected the interior to be dusty and old in appearance, that was not the case at all. In fact, tens of customers were inspecting cauldrons, peering carefully at the measurements and information notices on each individual cauldron.
From the outside, the shop seemed to be rather small and gave off the aura of a pawn store, however the interior told a different story. The originally compact store front expanded to become so spacious that only a supermarket would be able to compare to the sheer size of the area. Not only that, rows and columns of cauldrons were lined up throughout the store, each organised under specific signs that indicated their uses.
”Hi, are you a new customer around here? If you require it, I can show you around to what you want to purchase.”
Lu Fengyi turned around to see a young man dressed in a robe with flowing sides and a logo pinned upon the chest area, 'Ahh, he must be a shop assistant.'
”Ahh, I require something that is easy for beginner's use, has thick walls and a large chamber which will decrease the risk of a cauldron explosion.” Lu Fengyi listed out the main qualities of his ideal cauldron.
Mentally noting down the points, the attendant nodded before smiling at Lu Fengyi, ”I believe that I'll be able to show you to the perfect cauldron today. Follow me.”
Lu Fengyi followed behind the attendant, walking across the store while staring at each passing cauldron. The simple arrangement, yet diverse amount of cauldrons had its own beauty, seemingly radiating the pride of a blacksmith. Even though Lu Fengyi had felt the aura of cultivation release before, the aura that the shop gave off was more profound, infused with the emotions of the creator of all the cauldrons.
”From your requirements, I assume that you've just become an apprentice apothecary, am I right?”
Turning towards the young man in front of him, Lu Fengyi answered, ”Oh? What's your reasoning.”
”Haha, since you wanted a beginner cauldron that had many protective measures, I simply assumed that it would be your first time forging a pill and hence, you would most likely have to be an apprentice apothecary. While some do try and forge pills by themselves, individual of the apothecary guild, they are few and far between.” the attendant responded.
Lu Fengyi grinned, ”That's quite the good eye you have there, however you are incorrect.”
This time, the attendant turned around to face Lu Fengyi, ”Is that so? That's quite surprising as I have never gotten anything of the sort wrong before. Could you please enlighten me on the truth?”