Junior Sister is skilled in subduing demons.

Chapter 34 Inheritance of Craftsmanship
Ancient kiln site.

This is the earliest birthplace of Jingdezhen porcelain, where kilns were already in operation over a thousand years ago.

Liu Yulin has always held the opening ceremony for each batch of trainees here, and the purpose and significance of this are self-evident.

As the time for ignition drew closer, in addition to the forty newly recruited trainees, eight highly respected figures from Jingdezhen also arrived, and even officials from the government offices came, demonstrating Liu Yulin's immense prestige in Jingdezhen.

Seeing that all the important people from Jingdezhen had arrived, and that she herself was under tight protection, Kui Ran nudged An Zhi with her elbow and said, "Don't do anything reckless, I don't want to die."

Kui Ran could imagine that if the two of them were to do something to Liu Yulin here today, it might cause some trouble.

Anzhi looked up at the several burly men surrounding him, his heart already trembling with fear.

Si hour.

As everyone gradually took their seats, Liu Yulin walked to the front of the stage, surrounded by everyone.

She is dignified and poised, without being pretentious, and exudes a noble and elegant air in every gesture.

Although Liu Yulin's appearance won enthusiastic applause from everyone, she still turned her attention to Kui Ran and An Zhi in the crowd.

"Dear fellow villagers and students, today we are celebrating a very important and special moment – ​​the kiln opening ceremony. Opening the kiln is a crucial step in porcelain making and a traditional ceremony that symbolizes respect for and cherishment of traditional craftsmanship."

"In this ceremony, we will show you how to combine fire and clay, and how to create exquisite ceramic works through the craftsmanship and wisdom of artisans."

"Next, we will witness the exquisite skills and teamwork of the ceramic artisans. They will work together around the kiln to complete the entire firing process in the most efficient way, presenting everyone with perfect ceramic works."

After Liu Yulin's brief opening remarks, the craftsmen began to work together closely...

In previous years, Liu Yulin's opening remarks were perfect and highly artistic, but today, seeing the two demon hunters in the audience, she felt uneasy, so her opening remarks could only end so hastily...

Next, the forty trainees began to witness the art of clay and fire—the process of porcelain firing.

"A good piece of ceramic can only be fired and shaped because the craftsman has mastered various aspects, including the construction of the shape, the prediction of the glaze, and the estimation of tension and shrinkage. Only through all these factors can a piece of ceramic that touches people's hearts be created."

"The porcelain making process in Jingdezhen is very complicated, involving tasks such as clay preparation, throwing, molding, spinning, painting, mortar mixing, glazing, and glazing. Each step is interconnected, and you can't skip any of them."

……

With Liu Yulin's detailed explanation, the craftsmen began the collaborative production process.

Washing mud.

The clay used for making porcelain isn't actually mud, but rather a product derived from porcelain ore. The process involves more than just washing; it also includes sieving. The fine clay particles that are sieved are washed again to obtain a slurry. This slurry is then settled, dehydrated, and dried to obtain porcelain clay.
Throwing on a potter's wheel.

This is the process of shaping porcelain clay into the initial form of a vessel, using hands and scrapers to pull the clay into the desired round shape, such as a bowl, plate, cup, or saucer.

Printing blanks.

The initial mold is adjusted by placing the semi-dry blank onto the pre-made mold and pressing it to make the blank shaped and uniform.

The blank is also called a rotating blank.

By using a knife to further refine the semi-dry porcelain blank, the porcelain blank is basically shaped.

To draw a blank.

The design is painted on the unglazed body using underglaze blue and underglaze red pigments. All blue and white porcelain, regardless of whether it is a round or shaped piece, large or small, must undergo this painting process.

Apply glaze.

It involves applying a layer of vitreous glaze to both the inside and outside of the vessel blank to make it smooth and lustrous.

Scraping the blank. After glazing inside and out, the blank can be scraped. Scraping the blank is the same as trimming the blank. After positioning the blank on the "trimming board", first use a scraping knife to cut the bottom of the blank flat. After the bottom blank reaches the specified standard, scrape the blank to create the dam edge, then carve the bottom inner cavity, and finally roll the dam foot round.

Loading blanks.

Place the raw blank (semi-finished product) steadily into the box.

……

With the above processes completed, the most important step begins: firing the kiln.

Liu Yulin, a master of Jingdezhen porcelain and a heroine who has promoted Jingdezhen porcelain throughout the country, has been the one who ignited this fire for the past ten years. This time is no different, with all the highly respected figures standing below.

Liu Yulin stood on the stage as she had in previous years, but her mood was different from always. Her eyes never left the two demon hunters in the crowd, and she was always absent-minded.

As Ding Tianfeng handed the torch to Liu Yulin, she stood at the entrance of the ancient kiln once again.

"Next, it's time to witness the art of fire." With that, Liu Yulin lit the ancient kiln.

……

child time.

A dilapidated temple on the outskirts of Jingdezhen.

Shen Anzhi had just arrived here after his nighttime activities when Kui Ran followed closely behind.

"Hey, little spicy strip, where's your master?" Kui Ran teased the spirit snake beside her when she couldn't find An Zhi.

The snake was furious and flicked its tail, saying, "You're the spicy snack, your whole family is spicy snack!"

"Kui Ran, why are you always haunting me? I see you everywhere." Shen Anzhi complained as he walked out of the dilapidated temple.

Kui Ran took out her wine gourd, took a sip, and said, "She's a good demon. I think we shouldn't make things difficult for her."

This was within Shen Anzhi's expectations, because her ancestor Meng Hong had warned her in a dream that Kui Ran was inconsistent in her words and deeds and might be trying to keep the monster seal for herself.

“I’ve investigated thoroughly. This is a blue-and-white porcelain spirit that has cultivated for five hundred years. Although she is a demon, everyone has a very good reputation for her. She was the one who advocated for the construction of the thirty-eight porcelain-making workshops in Jingdezhen. Even demons can be good demons.” After saying this, Kui Ran continued to drink in silence, completely unaware of Shen Anzhi’s expression.

Seeing this, the spirit snake retorted, "Trash, you call yourself a demon hunter? No wonder you're still a six-coin demon hunter at your age. A demon is a demon, what's this talk of good demons and bad demons?"

"Hey! You spicy strip, how come I'm so old? Do you believe I can put you in my wine gourd and soak you in wine?" Kui Ran grabbed the spirit snake and began to threaten, making a gesture as if she would throw the spirit snake into the wine gourd.

Kui Ran's wine gourd is engraved with ancient and mysterious characters, which can detect all kinds of demonic dangers. It is used to store wine in peacetime and to capture demons and refine pills in wartime.

"Master, master, master!" The spirit snake was shocked; it would be troublesome if it got into the wine gourd.

Seeing this, Shen Anzhi snatched the spirit snake from Kui Ran's hand and said, "If you bully my snake treasure again, I'll turn on you."

These words made Kui Ran feel a little embarrassed, so she could only tactfully leave.

"Master, don't listen to his nonsense. As a demon hunter, you shouldn't have any ulterior motives. To advance to the level of a demon slayer, you must obtain the waist token." The spirit snake looked at the departing Kui Ran and said with some resentment, "That kid wants to keep it all for himself."

Ugly time.

Shen Anzhi returned to Hengfeng Porcelain Shop and, as expected, spotted Kui Ran acting alone again during his investigation.

This confirmed the serpent's suspicions once again: "Master, you see, I wasn't wrong, he just wanted to keep this demon seal all to himself."

Anzhi also saw Kuiran jumping around on the roof. She gritted her teeth and said angrily, "Trying to take it all for yourself? No way."

Shen Anzhi frowned, then leaped lightly and flew onto the roof, following Kui Ran's steps.