Thump! Thump! Thump!
The soft sound of hammer hitting wood echoed into the whole courtyard, though it doesn't seem to look like a courtyard. More like a workplace by all the resources gathered neatly outside the hall, and the dozen or so people coming in and out like on a busy day at the firm.
Zhi Ruo marveled at the buff macho man that looked like gym rats that greeted them as they walked in. Immediately as they stepped into the building, the stench of saw dust, and some oddly weird ointment waft into their noses greeting them with utmost manlyness.
"This is?" Zhi Ruo ventured aloud.
"The workplace for the craftmaster." Kohaku nodded his head to a direction. "Please follow me, I will be leading you to who is in charge of this place." He walked as he talked to Zhi Ruo whow as avidly paying attention like a kid on a class tour.
Qing Qing gave Zhi Ruo a peculiar look when she saw how Zhi Ruo was acting. Eventually, she even wonders, in Kohaku's words. By normal standards, he meant this right? Like how Zhi Ruo was acting like she was taking a tour? Qing Qing doesn't know how to feel, rather she's reluctant to even comment or act on her thoughts.
"The craftmaster that we are visiting will be the one who is going to provide us with your plaque for your new pavilion." Kohaku informed as the light of the sun seeped through the cracks of the windows illuminating his handsome face.
Zhi Ruo was half listening to what her senior brother was saying, far to busy on appreciating the work of art that is Kohaku's face. But she still nodded here and there to show that she heard what Kohaku was yapping on about....mostly.
But she indeed got the affirmation that their is more than one craftmaster in the Ye clan, they also even have blacksmiths that was formed into a sub-division inside the Ye clan.
"We're here." Qing Qing called out, interrupting Zhi Ruo's thoughts.
When Zhi Ruo looked up, she was met with a man who was holding up a string. In what Zhi Ruo could assume, he was using the string as a ruler of some sort. Zhi Ruo wonders what would happen if she gave the man a ruler tape. Having a string for a ruler seems so inconvenient in her terms.
"Brother Biān Fú!" Kohaku called out, the man who he had addressed as Biān Fú looked up and smiled when he saw Kohaku walking towards him.
Zhi Ruo blinked when she heard Kohaku call the elder man 'brother', surely this Middle aged looking man could not be the same age as this handsome senior brother of hers.
"Aa! You are here!" Biān Fú let's out a hearty laughter. "Just in time, I had just finished my lessons for the day and was just waiting for you to come." The man said with a smile. His eyes shifted to the masked lady that was beside the quiet Qing Qing. Naturally it was Zhi Ruo.
Upon noticing Biān Fú's gaze Zhi Ruo turned her head and cupped her hands in greeting to the older gentleman. Biān Fú smiled when he noticed Zhi Ruo's quiet nature.
"Young miss." Biān Fú copied Zhi Ruo's greetings. "Please follow me, you will be the one to personally choose what kind of material that you can have as your plaque." Biān Fú said as he motioned his eyes to a room.
"Please lead the way brother Biān." Zhi Ruo nodded and followed the man.
Qing Qing and Kohaku then informed Zhi Ruo that they will be taking their leave. As they still have something to do.
"Young miss, please do note that someone will be coming to your pavilion to tutor you in reading and writing." Qing Qing stated, as she filled in Zhi Ruo as to what would happen next.
Zhi Ruo frowned at Qing Qing's words. "Thought I have said before that I do not need such things. I can handle that problem myself." Zhi Ruo stated as she faced her senior sister. "I appreciate the gesture, but please send the scholar; whomever he or she may be, back. I work best if I'm teaching myself. Have faith in me and I will bring you results. " Zhi Ruo ended.
Kohaku hummed, as his eyes dimmed a bit in doubt and reluctance. "I see." He said voice rumbling in deep hesitance. "I will take your word.... But please do not over estimate yourself. It would not be too late to change your mind in this matter, please reach out to any of your senior brothers or sisters if ever— you do change your mind."
Zhi Ruo merely nodded as she watched Kohaku and Qing Qing leave the hall. Her attention was back to Biān Fú who was patiently waiting to the side.
"Excuse the scene that I have created." Zhi Ruo said.
"No worries Young miss," Biān Fú laughed as he walked. "Brother Kohaku and sister Qing may be like that, but I promise you they mean you good." His voice told Zhi Ruo that he was very fond of Qing Qing and Kohaku.
"Yes of course," Zhi Ruo agreed with Biān Fú's sentiments. "But even I can tell that they are not that fond of me. And I can't guarantee that they will ever be fond of me." She mused, Biān Fú heard what she said but did not comment on it.
"I recon they only want you to learn the Ye clan's cultivation method as fast as they can." Biān Fú hummed. "As the young miss is late in doing so, it would be bad in our image if our heiress cannot even learn the basics of basics just because she was held back in reading and writing."
In translation 'please do not be so arrogant and let them cater you for the best so we don't lose our face.'
Zhi Ruo kept silent at the jab and just quietly smiled. "Of course, I agree. But when I say something, I really do mean it." Zhi Ruo and Biān Fú stopped at an another door.
Biān Fú quirked his lips and pushed open the door to reveal rows of planks of wood, and numerous other steel bars. "Alright, I won't pry. But it is time for the Young miss to choose the material for your plaque." He shook his head in the end and motioned his heads to the items in the room.
Zhi Ruo's smile dropped from her face, and although Biān Fú could not see her smile disappear. Her indifference to him did not.
Walking around, she found various good stuff in the room. Some, though, did not meet Zhi Ruo's taste and she overlooked those stuff. In the end, after all she scanned everything inside the room. She chose a relatively simple wood.
"Please use that brother Biān." Zhi Ruo's voice echoed inside the room and Biān Fú looked up from his place and walked towards her. His eyes settled to the wood that she chose. His brows raised in surprise when he laid eyes at the rather simple wood. His eyes looked at Zhi Ruo, to the eye catching metal and jaded wood that was beside the wood that Zhi Ruo chose.
"Are you sure?" Biān Fú knocked on the chosen wood as he asked Zhi Ruo. "There are other good stuff in here you know." Is what he said but he was hefting the wood already to his shoulders.
"I'm sure brother Biān knows what is the name of this wood." Zhi Ruo said as she followed Biān Fú out of the room.
"Hmm that's right, it's Chalcedony wood isn't it? Chalcedony meaning stability and balance." Biān Fú uttered his thoughts aloud. Though the wood was different from the gem in turns of value, it was still a very popular wood for array masters. The unique ability of the wood keeps the array balanced, making some array very stable and would not likely blow on your face.
The wood is also known for the fact that it can hold up numerous arrays despite it being wood, in fact, it holds up more than some metals that array masters often use.
"It's quite an ostentatious wood isn't?" Zhi Ruo hummed. Her eyes glazed over Biān Fú's passed figure.
"Yes, it's quiet a good choice. Although I have expected for the Young miss to choose one of the more extravagant pieces." Biān Fú chucked, his voice rumbling deep in his diaphragm. Though his eyes were fixated at Zhi Ruo, silently wondering if the young miss knew what the wood was. "Young ladies nowadays often choose some rather expensive looking pieces you see." He offered.
Zhi Ruo merely nodded in understanding, waiting for Biān Fú to finish packing his things.
Not long after. They arrived at Biān Fú's workshop where he set his things up, he then looked up to Zhi Ruo whow as silently following after him thus far and asked. "What does the young miss have in mind for your pavilion's name?" Holding up a carving tool he waited for Zhi Ruo's reply.
Zhi Ruo thought for a bit, before she recalled a little insect that flied and flickered with light. She did not give much thought, and replied.
"The wood means stability and balance," Zhi Ruo began. "I want my pavilion's name to be firefly." She said. "A little ray of flickering light symbolizing hope, to lead people in my pavilion in promise of stability and balance."
"Firefly pavilion, how clever of the young miss to say of that." Biān Fú thought aloud, very thoughtful by Zhi Ruo's words. He could not help but blink in surprise when he realized that the word was really pleasing the more he thought about it.
"Thank you, but I'm afraid only some few people would get the name and the correlation on their own." Zhi Ruo chuckled, her laugh twinkling as it left her lips. "It was quite a random thought per-se." She explained.
"Well, it's just up to them to really know what the actual value of the name and the wood it was carved at. It is only their loss if they do not get such a pleasing name." Biān Fú laughed, he did not spare his complements on the name.
"I'm glad that you liked the name." Zhi Ruo nodded in appreciation.
Biān Fú and Zhi Ruo talked some more before the craftmaster started to craft the piece of wood. Zhi Ruo did not want to stay any longer, and decided that she would go roam around for a bit. Biān Fú did not stop her of course and told her that he would deliver the plaque to her pavilion the moment he was done with it.
Zhi Ruo thanked the older man once again and left. She was already quite familiar with her surroundings, so she lets her feet walk to the place where numerous people were training; the Huā Tián.
The surge of Qi that was surrounding the platform was being continually stirred and Zhi Ruo doubt that she was the only one the noticed. The people on the platform was diligently performing their training with a focused mind. Zhi Ruo was quite happy when she could silently observe the people that was training.
Occasionally, she would see some cultivators that was not much older than her already toppling around the ranks of Gathering; Concentration rank 5. This made Zhi Ruo smile at herself in a wary way.
"And here I thought that was fine leveling up this fast in a few days, hmm, should I break through another rank? Or would I be rushing considering my standing here currently." Zhi Ruo muttered in her heart.