Chapter 23 - Test of Skills
We laughed in unison and the gregarious vibes eradicated the tension in the air.
Sian looked at Kelly’s cup of tea and raised his right hand. Smiling, he moved his pointer and middle finger in a circular motion. The next moment, the tea in Kelly’s cup began to stir. It gained momentum and suddenly the motion stopped, causing some of the tea to fly towards Kelly.
However, Kelly confidently raised her hands, created a shield with her Qi, and deflected the water harmlessly onto the floor.
Not to be outdone, she flicked her fingers and bubbles rose from the cup of tea and floated towards Sian. Before he could react, the bubbles burst in front of him.
For a moment, I was worried he would be furious.
In disbelief, he was at a loss initially before flashing a smile.
“I am sorry for my act. Please do not be offended. It is just that I don't meet spirit masters and people with special powers regularly. I just want to pit my Qi powers against a practitioner.”
“No worries, I had the same habit,” Kelly said and flashed a smile.
"We all enjoy a friendly test of skills." I remarked, "I have had many encounters in Japan and China during my assignments."
“When did you discover you had Qi.” I continued to ask.
“When I was seven. My grandpa had wanted to cane me because I skipped school. When he had me cornered and about to raise the cane, it flew off his hands and ended up in the far corner of the room. My powers had manifested themselves.”
“Fear was the catalyst.” I observed. It always is. I thought.
“Yes, Master Adam, you made a valid point. From that moment onwards, my father began to train me in the application of my Qi. He wanted to develop my skills so that I could use it in the task of subduing evil spirits.”
“You must have a lot of experience to build up that level of skill that we saw earlier,” Kelly remarked
“That was nothing. Do you have a similar exorcism experience?”
Kelly nodded
“When driven to desperation, our potential are stretched to the maximum.” She said "Like using high-temperature heat
and pressure to mould a useful object from raw steel."
"I agreed." Sian smiled and drank from his cup of tea. “What other special skills do you have? “
“I have an unusual level of agility which allowed me to scale high buildings and move from building to
building with ease.”
“That saves the transport costs.” Sian joked but nobody laughed. “Sorry, cold joke.”
"She is also modest. She can summon purple lightning with her Qi."
Sian clapped.
"I am impressed."
“This is like an interview.” Kelly remarked wryly.
“What about you, Adam?” Sian asked.
“I discovered it when I was twelve. My master had come to Singapore to visit me. During one of our outings, he discovered I have the ability to control the movement of electricity and summon thunder.”
“Electricty? Lightning and thunder?"
I looked at the lamp above Sian and blinked
“Instantly, the lamp flickered before coming to normal.”
“ I heard about this before. You can summon lightning?” Sian asked.
“ 雷明咒 or Kaminari Matra.” I nodded. "Have you heard of that?"
Sian nodded
“Yes, I heard of that. There's a version in Japan and a similar mantra in mainland China with Wudang. I have not seen any Chinese practitioners execute it, but I have heard its powers. It was rumoured to be able to illuminate the skies.”
I smiled coyly and did not mention that recently I have ability to summon my powers.
“I seldom use the mantra.”
“We are all unique exorcists. I have long heard about the Onmyojis but never really exchange blows with one. You are my first.” Sian explained.
"And it is a privilege." He commented with a smile.
“Why Flamingo?” Kelly asked.
Sian was stunned before emptying his cup of tea.
“Flamingo was an old nickname that I adopted during a multi-national operation to quell an invasion from the supernatural realms.”
“When was this?”
“Almost twenty-five years ago.”
“You are talking about the Chaos of the Fresh Decade 世纪之乱。”
He nodded “I am surprised when you mentioned that name. How did you know about it?”
“I learn it from one of the Masters Onmyoji. It was a story told to us.”
"That's a very good curriculum you have. Learning from the past helps our learning journey."
“What can I do for you?”
“Two days ago, we faced an unprovoked attack. Kelly was abducted and one of our sect’s artifacts was stolen in the process. The people who attacked us are from Kuroi.”
“黑袍？Black Robes.” Sian said
“Yes, you heard of them.”
“They are like international terrorists in the Onmyoji fraternity. Many in our circles know them.”
“Have they looked for you?”
Sian shook his head " I hope not. I have nothing of value to them. However, I am aware they are in town. They have been looking for lodgings. I knew because they have been asking around and some of these contacts are my friends.”
“Have you heard about their purpose?"
"They are looking for something but I do not know specifically."
"They must be after the Orange Rabbit?” I nodded
"What's that? Another code name or really it is a soft toy?"
“The rabbit is just a soft toy. The important thing is what lies beneath.” I explained
"Have you heard about the secret inside?"
Kelly and I exchanged looks.
"Now, we know something," I explained. "With loss comes knowledge." I remarked.
Do you know the specific reason for the artifact?” Kelly asked
“You mean you are not aware?” Sian queried.
I shook my head, now feeling embarrassed at my ignorance.
Sian stood up with a heavy frown. He stroked his beard and began to pace the room. With each step he took, I could feel the strength of his powers.
I turned to watch him.
"Your intel will be of great value for us."
Sian nodded
"I trust you." He said and then continued, “I heard the instructions came from Japan.”
“Their headquarters in Tokyo?"
Sian nodded.
“According to my sources, there was a meeting amongst the elders of Black Robes. It was a meeting held in haste and took place in the Kanda area where the Black Robes owned a building. It was confidential but pieces of the news flowed out. It reached some sects in parts of China, Hong Kong and Thailand."
"They have regular meetings. Why is this different?" Kelly asked.