The 5th Dragons Dojo - 30 years before Kiss of The Dragon 3D Render, Digital Artwork by dwindt

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The 5th Dragon's Dojo - 30 years before Kiss of The Dragon

3D Render by dwindt

The 5th Dragon's Dojo - 30 years before The Kiss of The Dragon

Shai Lung's grandfather, Shun Lung Wu Xing, 2 horn 5 claw Emperor of all clans west of the Eastern seas, had naturally undertaken the role of Shai Lung's sensei, coaching him towards his birthright, the successor to his grandfather and ultimately, the ruler of China.

His grandfather had told Shai Lung of their journey to Kunlun Mountain. As legend has it, no one has ever returned from the mountain, as it is a place where the gods and goddesses live, under the protection of a dragon and a phoenix. Little did the subjects know, that for generations, emperors had safely been guided to and from Kunlun Mountain, under the guidance of The Jade Emperor but this was strictly the emperor's concern, alone.

Shai Lung's grandfather had also told him that on his 30th birthday, he would have visited, under mysterious circumstances, the 5th Dragon's dojo, somewhere high, overlooking all of China, the Eastern seas and beyond. He told of a mysterious, majestic place, where the rising sun shines low through the eastern windows, filling the dojo with the first morning light of all days, without cease. Filtered only by the high-altitude cirrocumulus clouds and the ice crystals in the clouds that cause peculiar caustic patterns to dance across the ancient carvings on the dojo walls, as the crystal particles refract the light passing through them. A combination of the shadows cast by the clouds, the caustic light and the light rays, owe to the illusion of ever-changing figures and shapes, moving down the isle on either side of the dojo shrine. This is referred to as the march of ages. Where all that has, is and shall be, infinitely pass down the isle and through the dojo, exposing perils to the gods. This enables the gods to act upon and remedy them, should they choose to do so. Such actions would be dependent upon the faith of the worshipping masses.

In the southeast isle, stands the sacred Chinese Gong. The beacon of power and loyalty. Since the creation of the universe, it's sound echoes through time and space, bringing peace and grounding in presence and stirs the infinite potential within all, bringing fortune and good luck to those who listen for it. The striking of the gong is defined by the subject's will and intention and their actions in shaping the universe. The echo of the gong is paused only by the resonating ring of the King of Bells.

In the northeast isle, stands the King of Bells, the Diyi Yongle Bell. It represents China's history and longevity of the world. It amplifies a state of harmony, happiness and peace for China. The bell tone resonates with the body and soothes and heals the sick. It is inscribed with the sacred scriptures and when it rings out, it echoes throughout the land of China below and enlightens and soothes those listening for it. When the righteous resonating note of the King of Bells subsides and reaches its last decibel, the sacred Chinese Gong resounds again with a reverberating DONG., until that to, reaches its quietest decibel and The King of Bells will ring again. This respective resounding shall continue, as it has since the beginning of creation and will continue on, through existence and beyond, until the end of times.

Shai Lung's grandfather told him that he would become conscious of his surroundings, when he found himself disoriented and standing Infront of the 5th Dragon's ceremonial table. He emphasized to Shai Lung that he must ignore the distractions of the march of ages, proceeding left and right of him, projected in the rays of light and focus on the table and the shrine enclosure before him.

"In the center of the table is an ancient plate of pure gold," said his grandfather. "To measure your worth. Left of the plate is your personal scroll of thanksgiving, attached to which are your chop sticks, (for it is not important what goes in compared to what comes out). Inscribed on the scroll, is your daily prayer of appreciation for the natural, worldly necessities that are provided for yourself and those that you may or may not rule. The decider of this statement is whether you pass the grade on this fateful day. This will be confirmed if the 5th Dragon presents you with your hongbao. The red envelope placed on the right of the golden plate, so, do not open it until it is presented to you!"

"Your disorientation should be clearing to a feeling of euphoria. It could stem from the Joss sticks burning in the scared dragon incense holders, on either side of the table. One stick is made from the resin and cent of the King of Flowers, the Peony petal and the other, from the nectarine of a peach of immortality, taken from the Jade Emperor's extravagant banquette table, during the Feast of Peaches. Whether from narcotic principles or not, the incense smoke dances and twirls before you, intertwining with the surrounding enclosure, portraying illusions of dragons dancing mesmerizingly about the shrine enclosure before you."

His grandfather continued, "The Dragon's presence is constantly around you and although it can be sensed, you cannot lay your eyes upon it."

"You will drink rice wine from the ceramic cup of all emperors, and tea from the spirit of tea ceremony."

Shun Lung looked intently at Shai Lung, to make sure he was listening. "On the opposite side of the ceremonial table, stand 9 vessels. They represent the 9 Dings of the King. They reflect the social standing, wealth and power of an individual. One's social status was defined by how many dings they were allowed to possess. The highest allowable amount was 9 and that privilege belong to the king alone. They are recorded in history, as being lost to Chinese people, many centuries ago. The 5th Dragon, however, had become concerned about the materialistic way the present society, at that time, was evolving. The people had begun to neglect the environment and those around them and chose rather to parade around like peacocks, rather than work on priorities. The exterior was decorated splendidly but the core had become rotten, so, at the dead of night, the dragon whisked the dings away, never to be seen again, by any subject lower than the rank of emperor. The vessels were smelted down in turn and cast into replicates, made from the original material of each ding. They were placed upon the ceremonial table as a valid lesson and a reminder to those charged with the authority over their subjects and all of China. The surplus of the smelted dings had been cast into tools for the Chinese people, to encourage the development for all, in China." At this point my grandfather taps his fingertips on the tabletop and points at me, calling "Hey!" in a stern voice, "Stay with me!"

He continued with his explanation. "The shrine beyond the table accommodates two Rooster candle holders. The candles are graduated to confirm the tally of time. To the right is the statue of a mother and child. To the left is your Samurai armor."

"On the center wall hangs the Heirloom Imperial Seal of the Realm of China. The Jade seal was carved out of Heshibi, a sacred piece of Jade. The bearer of the Jade, we'll call him Mr. He had offered the rock to the emperor, in its natural form, as a gift. The emperor had his jeweler examine it. The jeweler claimed it was worthless, hence the emperor ordered that Mr. He's foot be removed. After the change of power, Mr. He again offered the stone to the new emperor and through similar circumstances, he loses his other foot. The story goes on to a point that eventually, the rock was split open. Once opened, the rock revealed a magnificent jewel, the purest Jade ever discovered. The precious mineral stone was fashioned into the Imperial Seal of the Realm of China. Through the ages, this seal was also misplaced and went missing. The 5th Dragon again, appalled with the callous and cruel dealings of Mr. He', and similar actions becoming common under the then, present rule, caused the seal to be removed and placed on the sacred dojo wall, as a lesson and valuable teachings for the future emperors of China."

"Once your lessons are completed, the 5th Dragon will present you with the red hongboa envelope, your birthright to power, over and for the people. This is the dragon's acknowledgement to you being the rightful emperor of China." Even though Shai Lung was a young man at the time, his grandfather still ruffled his hair, drew him close and embraced him. "Take heed Shai Lung. Never let your guard down and always be ready. Your 30th birthday is approaching rapidly."

On the day of Shai Lung's birthday, on a Lunar New Year 30 years after returning from Kunlun Mountain with his grandfather, he awakens at first light, stretches in bed and before opening his eyes, thinks smugly to himself; "Grandfather, you are right about most things but not about my 30th birthday!" He stands up and through sleep filled eyes, sees two Chinese hwamei (melodious laughingthrush birds) pruning themselves and singing on his windowsill. Feeling content, he stretches and yawns. A cricket springs off the curtain and flaps towards him but before it lands, his eyes cloud over and his head begins to spin. There's a distinct humming in his ears. He feels his legs tremble under his weight. Suddenly, it feels as though he has been scooped up in a pendulum like swing, that defies gravity and races him into the air. The sheer g-force causes him to black out.

He slowly regains consciousness. He's in a standing position but supported by his hands resting on a foreign surface before him. His peripheral vision deciphers bright dancing light on either side of him. Before him is a darkened blotch, his vision impaired by afterimage, the result you experience from staring into the sun before entering a dark room. Slowly, he focuses on the surface before him and as he does, his grandfather's words begin ringing in his ears. "Focus on the table and shrine. Do not get distracted by the march of ages!" Eerie shadows grab towards Shai Lung from the march of ages as bright stabs of light amputate the dark tendrils with their shear brilliance. The humming in his head is the resonating of the Chinese Gong and the Diyi Yongle Bell. The incense overcomes the returning consciousness with a giddy haze as dragon images slither and jump at him. Questions are asked, riddles are portrayed, confusion and chaos consume his mind. The Gong sounds again and it grounds Shai Lung with a calming presence which stirs the infinite potential within him. "I am ready!" he shouts.

The grinding, grilling, torturous, monotonous, question and riddles continue for hours, maybe ever weeks.

Suddenly he's in another environment. Startled by the change, he loses balance and falls to his knees, with a loud thud on a wooden floor. The noise startles the two Chinese hwamei thrush birds on the windowsill and they flap away nervously as the cricket lands on his shoulder. Shai Lung is back in his room. Maybe a split second after being swept away. Astonished at what had just transpired, Shai Lung slumps lower on the floor as he realizes that he has no recollection of the 5th Dragon presenting him with the red hongbao envelope. His grandfather will be so disappointed. Just then the door bursts open. His grandfather appears at the doorway. "Are you alright? I heard a" He stops mid-sentence, enters the room wide eyed, kneels next to Shai Lung and takes him in his arms and hugs him tightly. "How could he know?" Shai Lung thinks to himself in defeat His grandfather turns to him and looks proudly into Shai Lung eyes, and then leans over him and picks up the red hongbao off the floor, lying beside Shai Lung Xu Wing, the soon to be Emperor of China.

Grandfather, tears streaming down his face and grinning from ear to ear, lent back and took Shai Lungs face in his rough, strong, old hands and said, "you kept heed Shai Lung! You kept heed my grandson!"