The wind in the Water Pavilion became gentler and gentler as if it was the spring breeze that woke everything up. As it brushed past one's face, there was a kind of comfort that made one's pores glow.
In the main hall, the fragrance of ink was strong.
A special gift?
When An Le heard Madam Hua's mysterious smile, he was confused.
In fact, he did not ask for anything in return for giving Madam Hua the ink bamboo painting.
Just Madam Hua pointing out the path for him on the path of cultivation and illuminating the green lamp was enough for the young man to paint without asking for anything in return.
However, Madam Hua was clearly unwilling to accept the young man's gift for nothing.
Madam Hua admired the black bamboo painting on the table. Compared to the sketch, this ink painting clearly made her feel happier.
The reason why Madam Hua admired the sketch was that An Le's sketch was so lifelike that it captured the sadness and sorrow she had when she parted ways with her husband back then.
On the other hand, An Le's ink painting was unique. It could even be said to have created an ink bamboo style. There were many people in Great Zhao who drew bamboo, but there were very few who drew bamboo with ink.
The main hall of the Water Pavilion was rather quiet. There was no sound at all, and only the breathing of a few people lingered.
An Le stood on the spot in his white robe and wide sleeves, waiting for Madam Hua's so-called special gift. However… after waiting for a moment, Madam Hua did not move.
He was puzzled and looked at Madam Hua in confusion.
Lin Zhuifeng and Lin Qingyin were also confused. They were even curious about the special gift First Madam had given An Le.
Cultivation Dharma technique? Or Dharma treasure?
But these were not special.
Madam Hua admired the painting and looked up at An Le. She couldn't help but smile. "What are you looking at? Sit down and drink tea. You'll know in three days."
"I can't give you that now."
When An Le heard this, he did not doubt Madam Hua's words. He believed that Madam Hua would not act mysteriously with him.
Three days later, could it be that Madam Hua's gift was related to the recruitment of the Sixth Mountain's Mountain Guardian?
Madam wanted to help him become the Sixth Mountain Lord's Mountain Guardian?
An Le couldn't figure it out and stopped thinking about it.
For the rest of the time, Madam Hua left An Le in the Water Pavilion to drink tea and discuss paintings.
Miss Xi Xiang's figure was graceful, and she was quite good at making tea. Her tea skills were pleasing to the eye, making An Le's mind calm down.
During this period, Madam Hua explained some of the difficult points in the Sword Waterfall Diagram to An Le, as well as some small techniques during the process of visualizing the sword diagram, which benefited An Le greatly.
The spring rain gradually stopped, and the air was filled with a fragrance that had been washed clean.
The sky gradually darkened, and a faint glow jumped out from behind the sunset clouds, illuminating the sky and sea of clouds.
An Le bade farewell to Madam Hua and left the Lin Residence with Lin Qingyin and Lin Zhuifeng sending him off.
He held an oil-paper umbrella in his hand and a broken bamboo sword at his waist. There was a black and white jade pendant hanging on it.
The young man had a divine disposition, attracting the attention of the pedestrians on the street.
He strolled along the long street and went to Yanchun to get a pot of wine. Then, he took a detour to Dingya Alley. He remembered that the old man of the Imperial Ancestral Temple had once said that the old yellow wine in Yanchun was very good, but the meat was not good. If he wanted to eat meat, he had to go to the beef shop in Dingya Alley.
Therefore, An Le went to Dingya Alley and found the beef shop that the old man from the Imperial Ancestral Temple mentioned. He cut a catty of braised beef and returned to the Imperial Ancestral Temple Alley leisurely.
...
...
In the black-and-white buildings of the Literary Department.
The rays of light from the spring rain sprinkled down from the clouds and shone on the windowsill, causing the water droplets hanging on the windowsill to emit a seven-colored luster.
Luo Qingchen put down the pen in his hand with an ugly expression.
Looking at the Water Ink Bamboo Stone Painting that he had personally drawn on the table, an embarrassed expression flashed across his eyes.
The surrounding scholars from the Literary Department came over and commented on the ink bamboo that Luo Qingchen had depicted.
"Not bad, as expected of Mr. Luo. This ink bamboo is 70 to 80% similar."
"It's a pity that his artistic conception is a little lacking. He doesn't have the character of a gentleman who stands proudly in the human world and allows him to do whatever he wants…"
"No wonder Mr. Luo's Dao heart is covered in dust. He can't understand that feeling."
...
The scholars from the Literary Department had sharp eyes. Luo Qingchen's drawing was not bad. Although his technique was still inferior to An Le's ink bamboo, Luo Qingchen had already done a good job as it was his first time drawing.
The skill was on point, but the intent was too different. When an artist painted, the emphasis was on the intent.
Luo Qingchen was not a professional painter, so no one pursued the matter. In addition, Luo Qingchen had lost to Li You'an, so his back was bent and his Dao heart was covered in dust. There was naturally a gap between him and the gentlemanly integrity revealed in the painting.
However, knowing was one thing, and saying it during the evaluation was another.
Luo Qingchen's expression was terrifyingly dark. He felt as if his face had been pulled out and he was being whipped continuously.
Of course, what made Luo Qingchen most uncomfortable was that he actually couldn't draw An Le's painting. In fact, there was a huge gap between them.
"Master, I'm done with my painting."
Luo Qingchen put down his brush and cupped his fists at the two masters sitting on the main table.
"I have something on at home, so I'll be leaving first today," Luo Qingchen said. Then, he turned around and left the pavilion in a hurry.
Second Headmaster glanced at Third Headmaster. "Why did you drag him out to suffer such humiliation?"
Third Headmaster stroked his beard and smiled. "You know what I mean. Luo Qingchen's talent is not bad, but it's a pity that his state of mind is not good. It's easy for him to suffer setbacks. His Dao heart is too delicate and will be covered in dust at the drop of a hat. If he can calm his heart and sense the artistic conception in the painting, reflect on himself, and comprehend the tenacity and integrity in it, he might still have a chance to wash away the dust on his Dao heart."
"Unfortunately, he didn't grasp it."
"After entering Prime Minister Qin's residence as an advisor, Luo Qingchen's cultivation beliefs were no longer pure. What a pity."
Third Headmaster sighed softly.
Second Headmaster was silent for a moment before saying, "Luo Qingchen should also know this. Therefore, he will go to the foot of the Sixth Mountain in three days to fight for the Mountain Guardian spot. If he can enter the Sacred Mountain, the dust on his Dao heart will naturally fade away and become clear and exquisite."
When Third Headmaster heard that, he smiled without saying a word.
...
...
Luo Qingchen walked down the limestone stairs. After a spring rain, the foothills of the Literary Department were shrouded in smoke, and black-and-white buildings were dotted among them. The clouds were so deep that it was unknown where they were. It was like a paradise.
The burly coachman sat quietly in the shaft of the carriage. Mr. Luo said that he would be back in a moment. Unknowingly, a long time had passed.
Although he was puzzled, the coachman was not dissatisfied at all.
In the distance, Luo Qingchen returned in his luxurious clothes with a gloomy expression. Without saying a word, he entered the carriage.
"To Prime Minister Qin's residence."
Luo Qingchen's tone was cold and seemed to be mixed with anger.
"Yes."
The burly coachman was wearing a bamboo hat and there was still spring rain on it. He did not ask anything and only responded before driving the luxurious carriage towards Prime Minister Qin's residence.
In the carriage, Luo Qingchen sat upright with his eyes closed. There seemed to be a string in his heart that was trembling violently.
The humiliation he suffered today was not inflicted by the youth, but that painting was made by the youth. The contrast in mental state in the painting made Luo Qingchen feel wronged and indignant.
The young man had the integrity of a gentleman when he drew bamboo. His pride stood tall in the world, and the world said that Luo Qingchen did not have this pride and could not draw the charm of ink bamboo…
Those words were either unintentional or sarcastic, but they were indeed like silk bamboo messing with his ears, disturbing his heart.
It was easy for those teachers from the Literary Department to say. If this young man were to face Li You'an, would his Dao heart still be as firm as a rock?! Would he still have the courage to draw his sword?!
Luo Qingchen took a deep breath and exhaled, suppressing his twisted emotions.
He knew that he had lost his composure.
Images kept lingering in front of him. It was a scene of the young man bathing in the spring rain and straightening his back under his pressure.
The young man in the picture was very eye-catching.
Even though it wasn't like the dust that covered his Dao heart, it still lingered incessantly, causing him to feel rather displeased in his heart.
"The Sixth Mountain will be opened in three days. I have to enter the Sacred Mountain. My Dao heart will naturally wash away the dust and restore my past glory. All the mockery and humiliation will eventually disappear like the clouds after the rain."
In the luxurious carriage, Luo Qingchen slowly opened his eyes, and a sharp glint flashed across his eyes.
...
...
As the sun set, dusk fell.
There were fewer and fewer people on Qingbo Street.
An Le carried a pot of old yellow wine and the braised beef from Dingya Alley back to the small courtyard in Imperial Ancestral Temple Alley.
The corpse in the courtyard had long been cleaned up. Coupled with the spring rain that had washed over the day, there was no longer any blood.
The leaves on the old locust tree were stained with the wet spring rain, shining brightly under the light.
An Le took out a small table from the house and placed the old wine and beef on it. Two bamboo stools fell facing each other as he waited for the old man from the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
After waiting for a while, the old man still did not come. An Le sat on the bamboo chair and slowly closed his eyes.
He had a thought.
Today at the Heavenly Wave Water Pavilion, the wisp of Molten Gold Age Qi that he had absorbed from Madam Hua suddenly appeared and emitted a golden light.
An Le had already absorbed a wisp of Molten Gold Age Qi from Madam Hua and condensed the Age Dao Fruit [Sword Dancer].
This was the first time An Le had absorbed a second wisp of Molten Gold Age Qi from the same person.
Time was like flowing gold, condensing into an incense pillar. It curled up and burned, and smoke was ethereal.
There was a scene that was like a stone thrown into a still lake, causing ripples.