Chapter 441 Ink Essence and Wonder
Inside the storeroom, ink sticks lay scattered all over the floor.
In the central open space, a cold-blooded girl in palace attire and a tiny female Taoist priestess, each no bigger than a palm, silently gaze at each other.
“The Ink Essence Huang Xuan?” Rong Zhen nodded.
The young nun corrected in a low voice: "It is the Ink Fairy."
Rong Zhen's lips twitched slightly as he raised the Golden Four-Eyed Fierce Mask once more, calmly putting it on his face.
This forbidden gold mask is related to a mythical creature from ancient times called Fangxiangshi, which was extremely ugly. The name Fangxiangshi means "a fearsome appearance".
Ancient texts say that in late spring, malevolent forces rise up in the world, causing havoc among the people. When the various spirits and demons that wreak havoc on the human world see the ferocious face of the Fangxiangshi, they will flee in terror...
Upon seeing the palace-dressed girl put on the mask, the young female Taoist priest, who called herself the "Ink Fairy," panicked immediately:
"What is the fairy doing?"
"Try using your real name."
Rongzhen said leisurely:
"I have heard that the true name is the greatest taboo of every spirit, and is of utmost importance. If you can recognize and call out their names, you can trigger a certain power, avoid being harmed by them, and instead control the spirits to do your bidding."
"It's rare that you're so obedient and revealed your real name. I'll naturally give it a try. Besides, the effect will be even better if you try it on with this mask on."
The young female Taoist priest's expression changed.
"Fairy... Fairy, please wait."
Rong Zhen paused slightly in her action of putting on the mask: "What's wrong?"
"It suddenly occurred to me, it seems... it doesn't seem to be this name, I'm used to calling it that..."
"Toying with me?"
"No, no! It's just that I haven't mentioned my real name in a long time. I didn't expect you to ask about this. I thought it was my lay name, haha..."
Rong Zhen looked at her coldly and interrupted, "Real name."
"I'll talk, I'll talk..."
The young nun sighed and, under duress, uttered a brief name in an ancient dialect that Rongzhen had never heard before—it was unclear whether it was a fairy language or not.
Rongzhen wasn't surprised; this was her true name, unlike the common name she used.
She vaguely felt that the dialect phrase, with its two syllables, sounded like a word, and tried asking:
"Brilliant idea? Instant death?"
"Oh, it's not 'instant death,' it's 'wonderful thought.'" The little nun corrected earnestly, "People who know each other call me that, it's almost like my real name."
Having noted down the ancient name of this spirit, Rong Zhen was no longer in a hurry and nodded:
"Then I'll call you Miaosi."
Miao Si asked timidly, "Okay, fairy, could you please not reveal my real name?"
Rong Zhen remained noncommittal, lowering his eyes to scrutinize her strange attire, a mixture of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, before speaking:
"How about bargaining?"
She whispered, "It's just a suggestion, a suggestion..."
Rong Zhen nodded and sneered, "Alright, do you have any other good suggestions? Let's hear them all."
Miao Si's eyes lit up, and she actually believed it. She immediately said, "There's one thing, Fairy, please, please don't call me by my real name when you're wearing this mask."
"Oh, what if I accidentally shout it?"
The young female Taoist priest looked distressed: "Then I'm sure I won't feel good, I might even lose half my life..."
"Understood, then we'll do it this way."
"..."
Rong Zhen looked at her and suddenly said:
"However, if you can do me a favor, I will release you afterwards and promise not to hand over this real name to the Imperial Observatory."
"I...I have no money." Miao Si raised her small, fingertip-sized face, on the verge of tears: "The people I know are all penniless, and they are even poorer...I have to go out and beg for alms to earn money myself."
As she spoke, she turned the small golden alms bowl upside down and shook it vigorously in front of Rongzhen, revealing that there wasn't a single drop of ink.
Rong Zhen interrupted: "I've heard that you ink spirits can see through literary energy? Not just the grand literary energy of a city or region, but also the unique literary energy of an individual?"
Miao Si was taken aback: "Ah... umm, it does have this kind of useless skill. Wait, could it be that the fairy came here for this?"
Rong Zhen's eyelashes drooped slightly. "How far can you see the range of literary energy?"
"Anyone in Xunyang City will do, especially those scholars and literati who like to use Hanlei ink. I can see their literary talent. Luckily, there is this Hanlei ink. Many people use it, otherwise, how can we get full just by eating dead ink? It's like eating vegetables; how can we eat without oil and salt?"
The young female Taoist priest, dressed in a black Confucian robe and holding a golden alms bowl, shook her head and spoke with a hint of smugness:
"They foolishly use Hanlei Ink. I am the goddess of ink, and I can also use it to nourish my literary cultivation. They're working for me for free, hehe. As for those who don't use Hanlei Ink, I can see their literary energy when I get close."
After a pause, Miao Si tried to ask:
"Is the fairy looking for a good match, perhaps wanting to meet a young man with outstanding literary talent? Hmm, isn't it a bit too hasty for the fairy at such a young age?"
Rong Zhen's expression was icy, and she didn't bother to speak. She simply took out a piece of red paper, wrapped it with a few scraps of paper, and tossed it onto Miao Si's little head, which was sticking out with its lotus crown.
"I am not interested in romantic poetry, but the person I am looking for is skilled in poetry, and he even uses Hanlei ink. This is a poem he wrote called 'Butterfly Loves Flowers,' which has his literary flair. Follow the clues and find this person for me. If you succeed, I will not only release you, but I will also reward you handsomely."
"Wha...what kind of generous reward?"
Rongzhen glanced around at the messy inner warehouse:
"The inksticks on the ground are all yours."
"really?"
"I never speak lightly."
Miao Si carefully took the red paper and scraps of paper, closed her eyes, sniffed the scent of literature, and muttered:
"This fairy maiden will give it a try... Let's make it clear first, there are a total of one hundred and nine ink sticks on the field, and the number cannot be less than that..."
Rong Zhen was speechless and waved her hand to interrupt: "What harm is there in giving you another hundred?"
"Hehe, two hundred and nine items, the fairy is so generous! However, I need a few days to find specific people with literary talent, which will take quite a while. I need to wander around the city a few times."
Rong Zhen waved the golden mask in his hand:
"Sure, but if you don't find it, you'll be eating in the dungeon of the Luodu Astronomical Bureau."
Miao Si waved her hands frantically, "I'm not going to Luoyang, I'm not going to Luoyang."
Rong Zhen asked curiously, "Are you afraid of Luoyang, or the Imperial Observatory?"
"I'm afraid of everything." She shrank back. "Xunyang is great. It has a literary atmosphere, famous calligraphers, and a prosperous and peaceful era. If it weren't for that giant Buddha statue, it would be even better..."
"Luoyang also has a literary atmosphere."
"But it lacks the prosperous scene of the Meiji era; the emperor's murderous aura is too heavy." Miao Si said stubbornly.
Rong Zhen smiled slightly: "You little ink spirit, you have quite the discerning taste."
"She's the Ink Fairy!" she emphasized, shaking her little fist.
Rong Zhen ignored her, put away the poems, red paper, and other items, leaving only a small scrap of paper for the unreliable ink spirit. Before leaving, she suddenly stopped:
"I overestimated your abilities before. I'm a little curious, how do you leave every time you sneak in through the ventilation hole, finish a stick of ink, and then leave?"
"Actually... I ate a total of one hundred. Each time I came, I ate two small ink sticks to feel full."
Rongzhen raised an eyebrow, and Miaosi counted them one by one on her fingers:
"One is the innermost one, and one is the outermost one. Then I disguise it as the outermost one, put it in the box to sleep, and wait for them to take it away to sell during the day. When it arrives at the customer's house, I sneak back home. Not only is it safe, but no one will suspect anything, hehe..."
"Oh."
Rong Zhen suddenly smiled, then stepped out with her sleeves tucked in, casually tossing out a sentence:
"Three days."
"What three days?"
"Three days from now, at this time, come to see me. Do not let me call you by your real name."
Before Miao Si could even complain or bargain, the cold, palace-dressed girl vanished, the inner vault door swung open, and the evening breeze rushed into the room.
The young female Taoist priest, dressed in black Confucian robes, shivered.
He glanced down at the scraps of paper, then at the inksticks scattered on the floor, and sighed in distress:
"With that sour face, like this fairy owes you an ink stick, and now you're looking for the owner of the Butterfly Love Flower? Hmm, let's rule out any favors first, you're probably grudged against me, I wonder if it's a love-hate relationship or not, this unlucky fellow..."
"Miao Si, Miao Si, you still have the nerve to say others are unlucky? You're even more unlucky tonight, your real name was revealed. I should have listened to Huang Xuan. You're the dumbest, without a doubt, and you'll die of stupidity someday..."
The young woman in Confucian robes left the inner treasury dejectedly, and soon returned to a dilapidated courtyard west of Xingzifang.
The courtyard wall was old and had a rat hole, but Miaosi didn't care and crawled straight in to return home.
She was used to the thunderous snoring in the courtyard; her eyes darted around, and she made no other sound besides the snoring.
He tiptoed back to a bedroom converted from a woodshed, intending to quietly climb up the cabinet.
"You went to steal food again?"
A girl's voice suddenly came from the darkness.
Miao Si was startled and fell to the ground with a cry of "Ouch!"
She got up and timidly asked the small figure sitting quietly at the table inside the room:
"Why...why aren't you asleep yet?"
"I've told you so many times not to steal food, you even made a pinky promise, and now you're going back on your word."
The little girl in the red coat, who had been waiting quietly at the table for most of the night, had a downturned mouth and spoke calmly:
"I brought Mo back. Didn't you always say you were full?"
Miao Si dared not look him in the eye, and instead changed the subject:
"I'm full, but... I just can't sleep, so I'm going out for a walk... When did Xiaoxuan wake up? How long have I been waiting?"
Huang Xuan said quietly, "You didn't wipe your mouth clean."
"..."
A brilliant idea instantly leads to a misunderstanding.
She lowered her head and remained silent, like a child caught doing something wrong.
Huang Xuan sighed, her tone filled with self-reproach: "If only I could afford ink, you and Father wouldn't be hungry and you wouldn't have told me..."
The little girl's heart felt like it was being twisted—if she even had a heart—and the pain was excruciating.
She dared not mention again that she had just been caught red-handed by the fairy.
The atmosphere at the table was somewhat quiet against the backdrop of snoring.
Huang Xuan suddenly got up, went to the bedside, took out a small packet of scraps of Hanlei ink from under the pillow, and silently handed it to Miao Si:
“Take this and eat it. I’ll get some more during the day. You…you shouldn’t steal ink sticks anymore. We may be poor, but we’re not poor in spirit. Stealing is wrong. You can’t expect to be able to get away with it just because you’re good at it and no one can catch you. Once something is done, it’s done. There will always be traces.”
"Besides, what you've done has already attracted a lot of attention. What if they catch you? I don't have the money to ransom you. Even selling myself wouldn't be enough."
Actually, he had already been caught... Miao Si muttered to herself.
She looked up timidly and saw Huang Xuan's hopeful gaze. She had no choice but to nod vigorously and agree.
"A brilliant idea." Huang Xuan frowned.
"Um?"
"You... could you eat less? How about we skip the ink and eat rice instead? Meat is fine too. You're small, so you can't eat much anyway, but some ink is more expensive than gold and silver."
"...?"
Miao Si said sternly, "I am an ink spirit, not a rat spirit. Why don't you raise a rat instead? I'm leaving."
"Never mind, forget I said anything, don't be angry." Huang Xuan waved her hand.
Switch to rice? That's an insult to her "refined character," Miao Si crossed her arms, huffed, turned her face away, and asked rather aloofly:
"Do you have something to ask this fairy? It's strange that you're not sleeping tonight. You usually have things to do during the day and don't stay up late."
Huang Xuan was silent for a moment before speaking: "Do you still remember the two important people I told you about last time?"
Miao Si nodded:
"Hmm. Didn't you take me to Xunyang Tower that day, so I could remember the aura of that young chief secretary and Miss Xie? But looking back, it seems that the young chief secretary doesn't like literature and pursues practical work."
Huang Xuan pursed her lips: "The Xie family's daughter has recently encountered difficulties."
"What difficulties?"
"She seems to be the Confucian Qi cultivator you mentioned. She's currently being promoted and needs literary Qi."
"Huh, is that the person turning the pages?"
"I don't know, but could you go and help her?"
"Forehead……"
Seeing Huang Xuan's expectant expression, Miao Si hesitated for a moment. After all, she was in the wrong tonight, so she nodded and sighed.
"That's fine. Where will this Miss Xie live?"
"Didn't you say you remembered the breath?"
"Well, there has to be a general area. Xunyang City is so big, and it's pitch black outside. Where am I supposed to look? I'm not very tall, and my cultivation is low. I don't have the ability to lock onto the aura of the entire city with just a glance. I have to go to the vicinity to smell the aura."
"Oh, oh." Huang Xuan recalled the words the young man in the felt hat had left behind when he bought the red leaves that day, and tilted her head to say, "He should be staying at the Xunyang Prince's Mansion in Xiushuifang..."
Miao Si's little face was tense. Like a little adult, she put her hands behind her back, nodded, jumped up, and patted Huang Xuan's head:
"Alright, you go to sleep first, I'll go and give her some spiritual energy."
"Thanks for your hard work!"
A short while later, Huang Xuan fell asleep, and Miao Si finished eating the remaining ink and went out again.
She was only the size of a palm, hiding in the darkness, traveling quietly. If she encountered pedestrians or danger, she would transform into an ink ingot and play dead, which always worked... and she was never discovered along the way.
However, the young female Taoist priest, who was on her way, looked somewhat distressed.
It wasn't Huang Xuan's situation that was troubling her, but rather the instructions from that debt-ridden fairy that made her somewhat conflicted.
Finding the owner of the Butterfly Love Flower is much more difficult than helping Huang Xuan's benefactor with his request.
Huang Xuan's request at least had a general direction, but what about the instructions from that debt-ridden fairy...?
Xunyang City is rich in literary atmosphere and diverse in its details. Without a general direction, if you foolishly search one by one, who knows how long it will take.
In addition, what if this owner of the Butterfly Loves Flowers poem hasn't written any poetry in a long time, apart from this one?
There wasn't a trace of literary flair in it, how was she supposed to find it?
As she just complained to Huang Xuan, if she had the ability to see through the literary atmosphere of the whole city at a glance, Miao Si would have already run away with her bucket, applied for a job at a Confucian academy, become a big spirit with a formal position, and live a life of luxury. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
Unfortunately, she is still young. Not only is it dangerous for her to travel far away, but if she goes to the academy now, she is also vulnerable to being bullied by unscrupulous scholars. After reading extensively, Miao Si summarized the first code of conduct for Mo Jing: be wary of scoundrel scholars who make empty promises and deceive people...
She is an ink spirit, naturally sensitive to literary spirit. She should be frequenting the gatherings of refined scholars and the study rooms of families with a tradition of poetry and etiquette, craving ink sticks and literary spirit. At the same time, she can also assist scholars, inspire their creativity, and produce famous poems, which in turn benefit her, leading to mutual advancement.
This is a gift from a spirit, but unfortunately it's now with a poor young master who doesn't know where its next meal will come from and is starving.
Now look what's happened! She's got another fairy with a debt to her name, and Miao Si is already thinking about running away. All they know how to do is bully Mo Jing, don't they?
They either threaten her to find her enemies, or they try to persuade her to change her nature and eat rice... I may not be human, but you guys are definitely dogs.
Right now, the leak of her real name is causing Miao Si another problem, after all, the monk can run away but the temple can't.
She only has three days.
"Why does everyone like the number three? Can't we change it? Hmm, thirty days would be great. I'll have to ask the fairy next time if we can extend it..."
Lost in thought, Miao Si muttered to herself.
Soon, under the cover of night, they arrived at the Xunyang Prince's Mansion. Following the scent they had noted down at Xunyang Tower that day, the young nun sneaked into a boudoir.
The boudoir was dark, and it seemed deserted tonight, but it was definitely the presence of that noble lady from the Xie family.
It's just right that there's no one around.
Miao Si slipped into her boudoir, looking around curiously.
She jumped onto the desk, took out paper and ink, and prepared to pour them in. At that moment, she caught a glimpse of a basket of familiar red leaves on the desk.
It was Miao Si who guided Huang Xuan in making the red leaf folding fan; the poems on it, as well as the characters Huang Xuan knew, were all taught by her.
"Hmm, this is just right, it saves trouble..." Miao Si nodded, rummaged through the basket, grabbed a red leaf, closed her eyes and infused it with literary energy, preparing to give that noble lady of the Xie family a surprise tomorrow.
Just then, Miaosi wrinkled her little nose, as if she had smelled something, opened her eyes, and turned to look at the oil-paper umbrellas on the table.
She suddenly put down the red leaves, jumped out of the basket, and went to open the oil-paper umbrella.
These oil-paper umbrellas looked like they had been sun-dried not long ago, and still had a fresh, sunny scent, much like sun-dried bedding.
However, Miao Si's focus was not on that, but rather on some... familiar auras above, as if she had seen them before.
The two handwritings are not identical, but the overall literary style is unmistakable.
Miao Si paused for a moment, then took out the scrap of paper that Rong Zhen had given her not long ago.
Then she took another sniff of the robust, scholarly air emanating from the oil-paper umbrella.
In the darkness, the little female Taoist priest's eyes gradually widened:
"Huh? No, no way..."
(End of this chapter)
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