“Yikes - so it’s your turn with this huh?” when Jason sorted through the pendants from Jianmen’s box and placed the ones specified by Josephine Wong onto the wooden pillars in the back of the inn, he shook his head and said to Thomas and Aimee.
“Yes, I guess so, but what is this?” Aimee asked while scratching her head: “And why do we have to be in swimsuits like this?”
“Don’t ever tell our dad about this.” Thomas chuckled: “I can’t imagine what kind of heart attack he would have if he saw you like this in the open.”
“Yeah well, don’t you ever swim?” Caroline was pulling out the hoses and connecting them to the sprinklers: “It’s not like you’re in bikinis. And what age is this? Why so uptight?”
“Hehe, protective dads are the same.” Thomas stretched and walked into the space enclosed by the wooden pillars: “If there’s a pool here he’d probably be fine with it, you know, our old man is weird like that.”
“Shut up, Thomas.” Aimee rolled her eyes and asked: “Can you tell me what this is?”
“We only knew what it was after we went through it.” Caroline placed the sprinklers in the appropriate angles just like she remembered: “It’s a compression ritual, and you are going to practice all of your moves inside the circle. The circle will create an energy field that applies immense pressure on your body and your meridians, the sprinklers will sprinkle the bath water onto your bodies as you practice.”
“That’s - that’s interesting.” Thomas nodded: “But how much pressure are we talking about?”
“Just remember that you should push through, no matter how hard it is.” Jason nodded and smiled as he placed the last pendant on the last wooden pillar: “The longer you last, the better it will be for you.”
“Hmm, I think I’ve got it. But what is this compression for?” Aimee looked around at the sprinklers around her: “Will it increase the density of our flesh and bones?”
“Yes.” Josephine Wong came to the back of the inn, with a long and thin bamboo stick in her hand just like what Jianmen used to do: “And more importantly, this is the first time you will learn that you will need to condense your power instead of just increasing its flow and quantity. Now that your bodies are more or less getting full with your powers, it would be a perfect time to increase the density of your power, thus creating more ‘room’ in your bodies for your continuous growth.”
“Aaaand Ms. Wong here you come with Boss’s bamboo stick he used to beat us with.” Jason chuckled and tapped the wooden pillars gently and gave Thomas and Aimee a trolly and pitiful look: “Good luck guys. I’m gonna take my break now and call my girlfr - I mean Laura.”
“And I am going to go spend time with my nephew.” Caroline yawned and said: “Good luck.”
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“So there they go - leaving us behind with our own devices and our own fate.” Thomas sighed with a smile and shook his head: “You’re ready there sis?”
“I just feel like we haven’t checked with Dad for a while.” Aimee said: “I hope he’s not bored.”
“It's been a long time for you but only a few days for him, and he’s comfortable here.” Josephine Wong waved the bamboo stick like a conductor’s wand and both Aimee and Thomas instantly felt a heavy pressure from an invisible source mounted on almost every corner of their bodies: “The moves I taught you, start practicing them on my marks. And in accordance with the training plans and tradition laid out by the owner of this inn, I promise you there will be a reward if you are able to finish the whole set.”
“Sure. But how hard is it gonna be?” Aimee stretched along with Thomas - she felt that the initial wave of pressure was not that difficult, but she would still like to adjust herself to be ready.
“You will soon be able to see.” Josephine Wong raised the bamboo stick: “Now, get ready - three - two - ONE!”
As Josephine Wong swung the bamboo stick down, the sprinklers started spinning and spilling the medicinal bath water like what Aimee and Thomas used to bathe in. At the same time, the pressure mounted on their bodies started creeping heavier little by little. And when they started with their moves, they felt that the air around them had suddenly become thicker and stickier, it was as if their bodies were drowned deeply in water, and even the simplest of moves required extra effort to complete.
When they went back into the inn, Jason and Caroline did not do what they claimed they were about to do right away, but stayed at the door and watched over both Aimee and Thomas for a while, out of both concern for the detectives, and curiosity for what this compression ritual looked like from the outside.
“Time flies.” Caroline shook her head then looked Jason in the eye: “I remembered it like it was still yesterday when we were the ones practicing our moves inside that circle.”
“I don’t know, I just feel like there are just too many people who got in contact with this inn ended up becoming magical.” Jason scratched his jaw with a smile on his face: “First us, then Thomas and Aimee, and even Emilia Corin? Like, what the hell?”
“Yeah, I was wondering the same thing.” Caroline chuckled: “But do you think it’s because we came here that we became magical; or was it because that we were somehow destined to become magical, and we were led here?”
“A nice question you just asked, young Caroline.” Jason deliberately made a weird voice like a classic movie character: “But the question you seek, ask Mr. Yu you shall.”
“Oh, come on.” Caroline scoffed and headed towards the stairs.