Chapter 788: Fate or Misfortune

Ji Yuan closed the monastery door and led Li Feng to a small table inside. Under the table, soft cotton pads, not traditional futons, were arranged in a circle, serving as comfortable, warm seats. Ji Yuan had also placed two old cotton quilts around the table, keeping their feet warm as they sat.

"Sit down; I'll light a hand warmer for you."

Ji Yuan told Li Feng to sit, then gently wiped the tear stains from his face before going to the corner of the room to tend to the charcoal fire and prepare the hand warmer.

The hand warmer, made of pure copper, was a gift from the Li family. Most ordinary families would not only lack such an item but also hesitate to use charcoal so freely for heating.

Ji Yuan spread some charcoal ash, added broken charcoal pieces, and used a small twig to ignite them. With a subtle thought, the charcoal inside the hand warmer lit up one by one. As he carried the warmed device to Li Feng, the boy had just finished wiping his face and blowing his nose with the handkerchief he had used earlier to clean his snack crumbs.

Seeing Ji Yuan approach with the warm hand warmer, Li Feng quickly tucked away his handkerchief and offered a wide, toothy smile.

"Sir, I promise I didn't use this handkerchief to blow my nose earlier."

"Hold it; it will warm up soon."

Ji Yuan handed the hand warmer to Li Feng and sat opposite him. Li Feng, however, hesitated after taking it and asked very softly,

"Sir, could you... could you sit beside me?"

Without a word, Ji Yuan stood and moved to sit beside Li Feng. He reached out to gently rub the back of the boy's small hand, then opened a book.

"I'm sitting here, so when I test you on your lessons later, you can't sneak a peek at the book."

"Okay!"

Li Feng seemed very happy. He preferred coming to Mud Dust Temple, especially to this monastic cell, over being at home. Today, he particularly wished to escape the festive, yet personally irrelevant, atmosphere of his house.

"Sir, I've already memorized 'On Modesty' completely. I'll recite it for you!"

Before Ji Yuan could respond, Li Feng began his recitation. Ji Yuan quickly flipped through the first few pages of the text, then rested his hand on the book, listening quietly.

Even on a day that could be considered a personal setback, Li Feng recited with complete confidence. Of all the children Ji Yuan had encountered, Li Feng was arguably the most independent. He rarely needed to be told what to do, preferring to follow his own path, whether right or wrong.

While such a personality is beneficial for an adult, for a three-year-old child, it requires careful consideration. Ji Yuan was likely the only one who could truly influence Li Feng.

"Sir, sir, I'm done reciting!"

Li Feng finished the entire recitation. Noticing Mr. Ji seemed lost in thought, he tugged on his sleeve.

Ji Yuan looked down at Li Feng and nodded slightly.

"Very good, you've made significant progress."

Li Feng smiled happily. He then noticed the little paper crane landing on the table and couldn't help but ask softly,

"Sir, when will you teach me magic?"

Li Feng was certainly not unintelligent; he knew Ji Yuan was no ordinary person. He had even learned from his father that Mr. Ji was likely very powerful. It was ironic that his father's main interest now lay in using him to query Mr. Ji.

"You want to learn magic?"

Ji Yuan frowned before continuing, "I do know a few minor tricks, insignificant as they may be. But as the saying goes, true wisdom is not easily imparted, and it's not appropriate to casually teach such things. You are still young; don't dwell on it."

"Oh..."

Li Feng looked at the small paper crane preening its feathers on the table, answering somewhat distractedly. However, Ji Yuan's next words completely transformed his mood.

"However, you possess some inherent talent. While I won't teach you specific magic, I can teach you how to guide and control your abilities. Practicing more will be beneficial."

Knowing it was better to guide than to suppress, Ji Yuan simply changed the day's lesson.

"Today, I will teach you the method of quiet meditation, which can help you calm your mind and cultivate your character."

"Calm my mind and cultivate my character... Sir, what's the use of that?"

"Of course, it's useful. Like this."

Ji Yuan knew that for children, practical demonstrations were more effective than grand explanations. He reached out and touched the hand warmer Li Feng was holding, then made a small upward pulling motion with his finger.

The next moment, numerous sparks erupted from the hand warmer's vents, dancing along the path of Ji Yuan's finger. They followed his movements, drawing circles in the air, transforming into a snake, then a butterfly, before slowly dissipating with the gentle flutter of wings.

"Wow, it's so beautiful! I want to learn!"

"Yes, if you can control your mind, you can achieve these things with your mental power."

Ji Yuan explained plainly that this was simply mental power influencing a trace of spiritual energy, not even enough to be considered drawing spiritual energy into the body. Yet, it thrilled the child as if he had discovered a new toy.

"Let me try!"

Li Feng took a few deep breaths, then held his breath, concentrating intently on the hand warmer. He reached out, tapped the warmer, and attempted an upward hooking motion.

Only a few sparks emerged, not flowing like a stream of stars as they had for Ji Yuan, yet this alone surprised Ji Yuan.

Moreover, the surrounding spiritual energy spontaneously converged towards Li Feng. Had it not been for the protective "Edict Method" he carried, Li Feng's inherent light would likely have grown brighter and brighter, appearing as obvious as a light bulb in the dark to those with higher cultivation.

"That's well done. Good. First, put down the hand warmer and learn to meditate with me. Cross your legs."

"Okay!"

Calming the mind, clearing thoughts, doing nothing, thinking of nothing—this was Ji Yuan's initial meditation instruction for Li Feng. Ji Yuan watched as the child sat cross-legged, eyes closed, focusing his mind.

Li Feng's talent was indeed extraordinary; soon after settling down, his breathing became even and deep, and he immediately entered a state of stillness and calm. Though he wasn't practicing any cultivation technique, his body and mind achieved an ethereal state.

Ji Yuan watched Li Feng and nodded slightly, but soon noticed the boy frowning frequently, his eyelids twitching violently. Sweat beaded on his face, quickly pouring down like rain. Yet, under Ji Yuan's perception, all surrounding energies were isolated from Li Feng; even spiritual energy was deliberately blocked by Ji Yuan.

Without a moment's hesitation, when Ji Yuan saw Li Feng's breathing become erratic and his face contort in pain, he decisively acted, gently touching Li Feng's forehead with his index finger.

"Thump..."

Ji Yuan's finger surprisingly felt a faint rebound force, but his wisp of clear qi had already awakened Li Feng. The boy seemed to collapse onto the floor from the impact, panting heavily, his small belly rising and falling.

"Hoo... hoo... hoo... Sir, I felt so strange just now, so uncomfortable..."

Ji Yuan helped Li Feng up, looking at him seriously.

"What did you feel just now?"

Li Feng just kept shaking his head.

"I wasn't thinking of anything; it was just darkness behind my closed eyes. But it always felt so terrifying, like I was falling, endlessly falling. I couldn't feel my body, and then it felt like I was being twisted into a knot. Sometimes it was so cold, then so hot. I wanted to wake up, but I just couldn't..."

Li Feng shivered as he spoke, somewhat incoherently. He couldn't describe the specific situation clearly, but the terrifying sensation remained vivid in his memory.

"Sir, is learning magic always this scary...?"

"Not necessarily. Move over here, and take off your clothes; they're soaked with sweat. Get under the quilt, and I'll dry them for you. Hmm, and have some sugar water."

Ji Yuan comforted Li Feng, helping him remove his padded jacket and inner shirt. The jacket was fine, but the shirt was drenched. Ji Yuan glanced at where Li Feng had been sitting, told him to move, then pulled the quilt around him. The hand warmer was repurposed as a clothes dryer.

Ji Yuan then poured steaming hot water from the teacup on the table, added a few drops from the honey pot into the cup, which immediately brought a look of joy to the child wrapped in the quilt.

While Li Feng quickly put the recent sensation out of his mind, Ji Yuan remained deeply concerned. He had been observing closely but had felt nothing himself. He wanted to use his dream-traveling technique to investigate further, but he was reluctant to interfere and, moreover, Li Feng's mental state was currently unstable.

Ji Yuan decided not to teach meditation methods for the time being. Instead, he taught Li Feng a few techniques to improve concentration and emotional control. He then redirected the day's lesson back to reading, and soon, the clear sound of recitation filled the room.

Li Feng had arrived in the morning, eaten vegetarian meals with Ji Yuan at the temple, and stayed until the afternoon before preparing to go home.

"Sir, I'll be heading back now!"

The child standing at the doorway bowed to Ji Yuan. He had changed into his dried clothes. Ji Yuan looked at Li Feng's slightly flushed face, frowning as he reached out to touch his forehead. It felt burning hot—the boy had a fever. Yet, judging by Li Feng's demeanor, he seemed entirely unaffected.

"You caught a chill. Go home and have your family make you some ginger soup. Soak your feet before bed tonight."

"Understood, Sir. Feng'er bids you farewell!"

After bowing once more, Li Feng left the monastic cell with his book. His family's servants, who had been resting in the monks' quarters outside the courtyard, had been waiting for him for a long time.

As soon as Li Feng left, Ji Yuan immediately turned and walked to the spot where the boy had been meditating. The cotton pad there was partially covered by a quilt.

Ji Yuan pulled back the quilt, his eyes fixed on the cotton pad. To his surprise, a layer of moldy white had formed on it. When he reached out to touch it, it felt cold at first, then increasingly biting, making Ji Yuan frown slightly.

However, after Ji Yuan's touch, the moldy white slowly dissipated as if melting frost, though Ji Yuan knew it was certainly not frost.

'Is this child a harbinger of destiny or is he intertwined with it? What exactly happened just now?'