Constructors: New Beginning

Chapter 9 The Acupuncturist Pt. 1

The next day, I set out to find Head Mistress' friend in the city of Lucks Heart, below the academy. I could already tell that I was gonna have a hard time finding him. Unlike Rocksteady, which was fairly small, Lucks Heart had to be ten times bigger, and all the streets were confusing me. Also, to top it all off, this was the mage capital of Seraphim. So, there were mages and other affiliations walking around or flying over me. But even with all this confusion, I couldn't help but be awed at the sight of Lucks Heart. The mixture of modern civilization and whimsical touch of magic; it all shows how far we have come from what we as a civilization have learned as Early Men from the Archangels. 

Once I had had enough of the view, I went around to see if anyone could point me the way to the acupuncturist. Eventually, I found a busy, open café that was at the corner of a four-way intersection. The cafés have always been the modern-day inns. Someone working here might know enough information to know where I could find the acupuncturist. I went and took a seat and waited for someone to come and serve me. A minute passed, and a waitress came over and gave me a complimentary biscuit. "Hey there, honey, what can I get for ya?" she asked with her notebook ready. 

"Actually, I hoping you knew where I could find this guy who's an acupuncturist?" I asked the waitress. She thought for a second, and then it came to her. 

"Oh, you're talking about Old Man Feng! He's a regular here. He's told us that if anyone is ever looking for him, to give them this." The waitress handed me a tiny slip of paper that had an address on it. "Just get one of the taxis above us, and they'll take you straight to him. Good luck, honey." 

"Thanks, miss." I jumped off my seat and whistled down one of the taxis. They flew down and parked beside me. The driver swung the door opened and waved for me to come in. 

"Alright, kid, where do you want to go?" the driver spoke through his chewing gum. 

"I need to go here." I handed him the paper slip with the address, at which he nodded. 

"I'll get you to Old Man Feng, real quick kid, buckle up!" The driver floored it. He got us back in the air so fast I had barely any time to actually buckle up. 

Ouch...Head Mistress' friend must be very well known in Lucks Heart, what kind of acupuncturist is this guy to be so popular? 

In a couple of minutes, the driver brought me to my destination. I paid him as I got off, and he took off just as fast as before. Ignoring the driver, I looked up at the front of Old Man Feng's shop; it looked like any regular magical store on the outside, complete with a wooden sign hanging above the door. "'Renewal Acupuncture' hm? Well, this must be the place." 

There were a lot of things that were going through my head as I stepped closer to the door. What kind of man was this Old Man Feng? He must be like Head Mistress if they're good friends. What will an acupuncturist teach me how to help people's pain? There was a lot more I had buzzing in my head, but I won't get any answers unless I don't open the door, so that's what I did. 

The moment I opened the door, I got a whiff of scented sticks and sound chimes swaying from the wind coming into the store. Inside, there were shelves full of herbal medicines and healing crystals. On the ceiling was drapery hanging in a 'U' shape with short ends containing a vibrant collection of colors, mainly purple. I could tell from looking that this store has been here for quite a while. The aesthetic of it felt like I was back in the past, and I found it pleasing. 

I got to the front desk and rang the bell that was there. A couple of seconds passed, and I got no response. I rang the bell again and waited a little longer, and once again, I got no response. Confused, I leaned over to see the other side, and there was no one to be seen. I had no idea what to do. "Uh, excuse me; I heard that I would find an acupuncturist that goes by Feng here. I'm here to ask if you could be my teacher." I called out, but once again, I got nothing back. Sighing, I assumed that he wasn't here, and I would just leave and come back later, but I was stopped by someone's foot stopping mine from turning and looked down to see a short old man hunched down.