Chapter 112: Chapter 111: Qingyan Is Indeed My Good Helpmate
The sun came out.
The craftsmen from Cui Mountain Village and the surrounding areas who had come to help washed up, left their quarters, ate, and got to work, one after another. None of them knew that a battle between humans and demons had taken place last night.
They only knew that Young Master Gu of Daluo Palace now had a folding fan in his hand and carried an extra air of scholarly refinement.
"My old man used to carry a folding fan around, calling himself ’the next Adam Cheng’ and trying to act all cultured," Gu Zhao said, fanning himself as he walked out of the small courtyard with Taoist Yan Song. "But you know, it does have a certain feel to it."
"Back when *Chu Liuxiang* and *The Qianlong Emperor* were blockbuster hits, folding fans sold like crazy," said Taoist Yan Song, who had lived through that era. "Adam Cheng’s charisma was far greater than any of these ’little fresh meats’ today."
Gu Zhao asked, "But I’ve heard that today’s fanbases are much crazier than in the past."
Taoist Yan Song scoffed. "Today’s fans are a pitiful bunch. They just don’t know any better."
Gu Zhao was speechless.
The two of them went to the back mountain and took a stroll around the Daluo Palace construction site. When they returned to the small courtyard, they saw a table set up under a tree, where Zhuo Qingyan was teaching the Silk Embroideress how to paint.
Taoist Yan Song clapped Gu Zhao on the back and pushed him into the courtyard. "You go on and get busy. This old Taoist is going to find Yi Hong for a chat."
As Gu Zhao entered, he saw Zhuo Qingyan and the Silk Embroideress turn their heads to look at him in unison.
Zhuo Qingyan nodded with a smile, while the Silk Embroideress said happily, "Young Master, Sister Zhuo is teaching me to paint! She drew me and Xiaobai!"
Gu Zhao smiled and walked over to them. Two faint fragrances drifted to his nose: one was the cool, subtle elegance of jasmine, the other the sweet, bright scent of magnolia.
Although Gu Zhao was standing close, Zhuo Qingyan didn’t move away. Instead, she pointed at the scroll on the table. "What do you think, Brother Gu?"
Gu Zhao looked at the scroll. In the painting, a white fox was curled up under a tree, sleeping with its eyes narrowed. Not far away, a young maiden sat quietly reading a book, a smile playing on her lips. Beside her were a bamboo basket and a low table, and behind her was the wooden wall of a house. The entire scene was clean and tranquil, giving off a sense of warmth.
Although Gu Zhao had never studied painting, he could tell the work was built on a foundation of profound skill. However, he couldn’t quite articulate what exactly made it so good.
"It’s really beautiful." Gu Zhao thought for a moment. ’I can’t just say the painting is "awesome," can I? That would make me sound so uncultured.’
So, he put on a serious expression and commented, "This painting’s composition is ingenious and its brushwork is delicate. It flows like moving clouds and flowing water, its spirit born from nature itself. This must have at least twenty years of Power behind it; no ordinary person could paint this."
Zhuo Qingyan smiled without a word. The Silk Embroideress bit her lip, but couldn’t help reminding him, "Young Master, Sister Zhuo has been living in her old residence, and her painting skills have never faltered."
Gu Zhao blinked. Only then did he remember that Zhuo Qingyan had been dead for thirty years. Adding the time she spent learning to paint before she died, didn’t that mean she had at least forty years of Power?
"AHEM!" Gu Zhao nearly choked on his own spit.
Nearby, a grin spread across Bai Ke’s foxy muzzle. She stretched her front paws in a lazy arch, then slowly got up and hopped onto the Silk Embroideress’s shoulder. "Gu Zhao knows nothing about painting. It’s a miracle he could even string those few words together."
Gu Zhao was indignant. "Who are you calling clueless about painting?"
"I’m talking about you," Bai Ke retorted, twitching her nose. "If you’re so good, why don’t you paint something?"
Gu Zhao pointed at Bai Ke. He really couldn’t paint.
Zhuo Qingyan reached out and smoothed Bai Ke’s fur, saying softly, "Someone who can’t play an instrument can still understand music, and someone who can’t paint can still understand art."
Bai Ke asked, "What do you mean?"
Zhuo Qingyan explained, "Whether it’s music or painting, both are external manifestations of one’s heart. Someone who understands the heart will naturally understand the art."
Bai Ke didn’t quite get it, but the Silk Embroideress did. "The Young Master is someone who understands Sister Zhuo’s heart."
Gu Zhao raised an eyebrow and gave the Silk Embroideress a mental thumbs-up. Zhuo Qingyan’s pale cheeks flushed slightly before returning to normal. She simply said, "Brother Gu has a kind heart. It is Qingyan’s good fortune."
Gu Zhao said modestly, "You praise me too much. But wouldn’t it be even better if I could learn to play an instrument or paint?"
A smile was in Zhuo Qingyan’s eyes, but she still shook her head. "Music and painting are minor paths. Right now, we must prioritize setting up the Array. Yesterday, I was thinking about how to combine the Great Dragon-locking Array and the Shangqing Great Forbidden Binding Dragon Array. I’ve had some ideas, and I was just hoping to discuss them with you today, Brother Gu."
Gu Zhao blinked. He hadn’t expected Zhuo Qingyan to be such an overachiever. ’And on top of that, is she some kind of Cultivation genius?’
’She came up with the Spirit Gathering Skill on her own, and now she’s helping me research the Array.’
’She’s truly the perfect supportive partner!’
Gu Zhao: (｡･ω･｡)
Hearing that Gu Zhao and Zhuo Qingyan had important business to discuss, the Silk Embroideress naturally slipped into the role of an attendant.
She put away the scroll, went to brew tea for them, and after setting the water to boil, she fetched a few blocks of Small-leafed Purple Sandalwood from a side room to be used as materials. Finally, she brought out a plate of pastries and set it on the table.
Before the two had even begun their discussion, the Silk Embroideress had already taken care of all the logistical preparations.
Bai Ke hopped onto the table and tried to grab a pastry, but her paw was only halfway there when the Silk Embroideress scooped her up by the waist. As she walked away, she pulled an oil-paper packet from her robes. "I saved some for you. Don’t disturb the Young Master and Sister Zhuo."
Bai Ke twitched her nose, then relaxed and settled back onto the Silk Embroideress’s shoulder. "Egg yolk pastries?"
The Silk Embroideress replied, "And red bean cakes."
Watching the Silk Embroideress and Bai Ke leave, Zhuo Qingyan said to Gu Zhao, "The White Wolf King was one of the three Mountain Masters of Three Extremes Mountain. His death will likely alert them very soon."
Gu Zhao nodded. "So we’ll probably be greeting the Black Bear King before long."
The three Mountain Masters of Three Extremes Mountain were the Black Bear, the White Wolf, and the Yellow Dog. He’d known this since killing Xu Kongting in the Deserted Village, but Gu Zhao hadn’t expected to clash with them so soon.
Zhuo Qingyan said, "The Great Dragon-locking Array can only seal off a space. If we add a Dragon-Binding Array, we might be able to suppress their Magical Power."
"Let’s give it a try," Gu Zhao said thoughtfully, recalling the time he dealt with Ren Tianhe of the Golden Wind Sect.
Back then, he had used one Shangqing Great Forbidden Dragon Binding Talisman but couldn’t completely restrain Ren Tianhe. In the end, he had to use a second one to fully suppress him.
In other words, even if the Dragon-Binding Talisman isn’t fully effective, it still has a suppressive effect.
"If it really comes to it, we can just add a few more wooden stakes to the Great Dragon-Binding Array," Gu Zhao said.
Zhuo Qingyan couldn’t help but laugh. "How many stakes would we need then? Besides, it would be difficult to control the array with a single Token."
Gu Zhao thought about it. That was indeed a problem. So, the two of them continued to study the Array.
As the red sun sank in the west, the Silk Embroideress was about to call the pair for dinner but saw them leaning over the table, lost in a fiery back-and-forth discussion. Just as she was wondering whether to interrupt, Taoist Yan Song pulled her back.
"They’re at a critical point. Missing one meal won’t hurt them." Taoist Yan Song pointed to his own stomach. "But this old Taoist’s stomach is growling. If I miss one meal, I’ll be starving."
Taoist Yi Hong stood a short distance away. He nodded, then shook his head, but ultimately said nothing and followed Taoist Yan Song to the Silk Embroideress’s courtyard for dinner.
