Chapter 2: Old charlatan, you owe me an explanation
In the confinement room, Jiu pondered over the words "without any personal interpretation" conveyed by the guard.
"Without personal understanding..." She bit the brush handle, her brows furrowed again, "What does that mean? Could it be that... I understood it too well before, and the master is afraid that I'm too smart and will steal his thunder?"
Yes! That must be the case! The master really has good intentions. He wants to punish me, but also secretly remind me not to show off too much!
Ajiu suddenly understood and his eyes sparkled.
"I understand!" She clapped her hands. "Without adding any personal interpretation, I just copy whatever I see without thinking about its meaning! Yes, that's it! This is how I appear to 'not understand'!"
So, Jiu picked up the brush again and started her new round of "creation" based on the manuscript of "Meditation Mantra".
This time, she really did it "without any personal interpretation."
If she saw a character with thicker ink on the manuscript, she would smear a blob of ink on the paper; if she saw a character with a lighter brush tip, she would lightly stroke it, making it almost invisible; if she saw a tea stain accidentally dropped on the manuscript paper, she would solemnly dip her brush in the brush-washing water next to it and spread a small blob on the corresponding position on her own rice paper.
There was even a small crease on the corner of a page of the original manuscript. When Jiu copied that part, he carefully folded his own rice paper and then flattened it, striving to make it "exactly the same, without any misunderstanding."
An hour later, when a new stack of "Meditation Mantras" was presented to Chu Xuanyi again, he only took a look and felt his vision go dark.
How could this be a sutra copy? This was clearly a pile... a pile of waste paper that had been scribbled on, crumpled, and splashed with water by a naughty child! Some of the writing had been completely blurred by the ink she had "stayed true to the original," making it impossible to discern what it was. And those "true to the original" tea stains and creases made the entire thing look even more horrible.
"What... is this?" Chu Xuanyi's voice was no longer cold, but hoarse as if on the verge of exploding.
The guard replied tremblingly, "Your Excellency, Miss Jiu said that she copied this without adding any personal interpretation... She said that she wanted to make sure it was consistent with the original manuscript..."
Chu Xuanyi suddenly closed his eyes, leaned his head back on the chair, and pressed his wildly throbbing solar plexus with one hand.
He felt that his wisdom and determination, which he was proud of, were completely vulnerable in front of this stupid little fortune teller.
Old charlatan... I must pull you down from the observatory and let you also have a taste of this "extraordinary talent"!
"Lin Feng." Chu Xuanyi called weakly.
"I'm here!" Lin Feng suppressed his smile and tried to look serious. But the slight twitch of his mouth still revealed the turbulent waves in his heart.
"Go, pour me... a glass of water." Chu Xuanyi felt he desperately needed a glass of ice water to cool down and clear his foggy mind. He emphasized, "Clean water! Nothing to add, just plain water!"
He was scared, he was really scared, afraid that Jiu would "understand" something new.
"Yes!" Lin Feng took the order and left.
A moment later, Lin Feng came back with a tray with an exquisite white porcelain cup on it.
Chu Xuanyi took it and was about to drink it, but he smelled a... faint, indescribable smell.
He glanced suspiciously at the water in the cup. It was crystal clear and there was nothing unusual about it.
"Where does this water come from?" Chu Xuanyi asked cautiously.
Lin Feng was also bewildered. "It's the water from the kitchen vat. I saw the cook fetch it myself. It's definitely clean water."
Chu Xuanyi frowned and sniffed again. The faint strange smell was still there. He had always had a keen sense of smell and was extremely sensitive to any strange smell.
At this moment, Ah Jiu's cheerful voice came from outside the door: "Sir! Sir! I just went to the kitchen to help! I saw that the cook was working hard to fetch water, so I helped her clean the water tank! I also used my special 'Hundred Flowers Purifying Powder'! I made sure there was no dirt in the water tank, and the water became fragrant!"
Chu Xuanyi: "..."
The white porcelain cup in his hand cracked with a "snap" sound.
Lin Feng: “!!!” The strength of the Imperial Master’s hand… is so terrifying!
Chu Xuanyi placed the cracked cup on the table expressionlessly, and looked towards the door dimly. Ajiu was sticking his little head out with an expression that said "Praise me quickly".
"Hundred Flowers Purifying Powder..." Chu Xuanyi squeezed out a few words from between his teeth, "What kind of 'good stuff' is inside?"
Ah Jiu counted on his fingers, listing off the ingredients like the back of his hand: "There are dried peach petals, pear blossoms, and a little mint leaves for a refreshing touch. Oh, and I also added a little soapnut powder for its powerful cleaning properties! I guarantee the water you drink is cleaner than mountain spring water!"
Chu Xuanyi felt that his internal organs were twitching.
"Baihua Qingjing" tea is brewed with water added with soapnut powder... no, it's water.
Not only did he doubt his life now, he also began to wonder if he had done something wrong in his previous life, which was why he met such a funny guy in this life to save him.
"Lin Feng," Chu Xuanyi's voice was eerily calm. "Send Miss Jiu back to the confinement room. Then, replace all the water tanks in the mansion! Now! Immediately! Immediately!"
He was afraid that if he was a step late, he would be physically liberated by this "Pure Water of Hundred Flowers".
Ah Jiu looked bewildered. "Eh? Sir, isn't my Hundred Flowers Purifying Powder good? It smells really good! And it cleans things really well!"
Chu Xuanyi took a deep breath and waved his hand, indicating that he didn't want to hear another word.
What a fool! What's in her head isn't water, it's paste, or paste mixed with Baihua Qingjing Powder!
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