Chapter 745 The Master Painter's Brush
Yuan Huaimin is the painter responsible for depicting the magnificent scene today, an opportunity that Yi Qianqiu secured for him.
However, Yuan Huaimin had already realized a few days ago that Yi Qianqiu had paid a price for the opportunity he had secured for him.
Or rather, an exchange.
It was a complete exchange of interests.
Even though Yuan Huaimin strongly disapproved of the exchange, and even felt ashamed and embarrassed for the Yuan family, and was ashamed to be associated with them.
Just as he had recently learned from Mr. Wu, it was the same secret exchange that Qiu Niang and her father made on behalf of the Yuan clan of Jingzhao with the Great Zhou court.
Yuan Huaimin did not go up the mountain alone. He was actually followed by a team of White Tiger Guards, who were sent by Yi Qianqiu to protect him before they parted ways in the morning. However, Yuan Huaimin did not let them get too close, nor did he hand over the scrolls, paper, and brushes he had brought with him.
As the morning sun gradually rose, the white mist that permeated both inside and outside the Twin Peaks showed no signs of dissipating.
Between the north and south peaks, white mist stretches across the river.
Yuan Huaimin, leaning on a jade cane and carrying a small book box resembling that of a scholar taking the imperial examination, slowly climbed the hill.
The book box on his back was equipped with a protective umbrella, and inside it was a bundle of paintings and painting tools.
Some of the scrolls were wrapped in cloth, making it impossible to see the material of the scroll rods.
When Yuan Huaimin arrived, Yi Qianqiu brought him in. No one checked him, since he wasn't boarding a ship to go to the main grotto on the north bank.
Besides, even if he did get checked, it wouldn't have mattered. Mr. Wu had already prepared for this when he left home this morning.
Thinking of all this, Yuan Huaimin sighed softly and couldn't help but look back at the bundle of paintings behind him.
He still vividly remembers the scene that occurred this morning before leaving Chengtian Temple.
Yuan Huaimin looked down at the jade staff. Lady Rong said that it was made by Brother Lianghan for her when she was injured and had difficulty walking. This time, she gave it to him to climb the mountain.
Perhaps because she knew that Brother Lianghan was good to her and had a good relationship with him, this Lady Rongzhen was quite cold on the outside but warm on the inside towards him.
The thought that this lady would most likely defend the Buddha statue to the death made Yuan Huaimin feel somewhat guilty.
After all, he still brought this Peach Blossom Spring painting with him.
Yuan Huaimin has never really been interested in things like the Buddha statue, just as he said not long ago when he begged Wu Daozi not to harm Ouyang Lianghan:
In the entire city of Xunyang, aside from the innocent civilians, he only cared about Ouyang Rong, Qiu Niang, and, at most, the life and death of "Ma Dongmei." As for the rest, he really didn't care.
Yuan Huaimin had arrived at Shuangfengjian much earlier this morning, but he didn't go in. Instead, he waited at the entrance for a while, wanting to see Lianghan one last time before he entered the grotto and give him a few words of advice.
However, Brother Lianghan was late in arriving, and Yi Qianqiu was urging him on from the side. After waiting for a while, he gave up and hurriedly climbed the mountain.
Lost in thought, Yuan Huaimin climbed to the top of the mountain.
He breathed a sigh of relief, found the best spot on the mountaintop, and took down his book box.
He turned his head and addressed the White Tiger Guards behind him;
"I'd like some peace and quiet."
The White Tiger Guard squad leader clasped his hands in a fist salute and led his men back a little further away, but still kept watching Yuan Huaimin's location from a distance.
Yuan Huaimin hesitated for a moment, then took out a bronze scroll from the book box.
His expression was somewhat complicated. With his back to the White Tiger Guards behind him, he was about to open the cloth bag when it slipped from his hand.
In the next instant, the bronze scroll unfurled silently in the mountain wind.
A picture of a paradise on earth is displayed in the air.
In the painting, there is a small courtyard with peach blossoms, and under a peach tree, an old man sits cross-legged.
As the scroll unfurled, the little old man nimbly looked up, glanced at the ceiling, and in the next instant, stood up, smiled, and walked out of the courtyard, and out of the scroll.
Even though it wasn't the first time they'd met, and they'd only seen each other that morning, Yuan Huaimin still stared wide-eyed.
Wu Daozi stepped out of the painting with his hands behind his back, walked to Yuan Huaimin's side, looked at him with a smile, and casually patted his shoulder as if to encourage him.
Yuan Huaimin remembered that before leaving home that morning, Mr. Wu did the same thing, giving him a few instructions before unrolling the scroll, walking in with his hands behind his back. The scroll then closed naturally and fell into his hands...
At this moment, Yuan Huaimin turned around with a bit of fear and looked at the group of White Tiger Guards not far away.
He noticed that they seemed completely still, staring at him expressionlessly as before, as if ignoring Mr. Wu who had stepped out of the painting, and turning a deaf ear to the extra people around Yuan Huaimin.
Wu Daozi patted Yuan Huaimin on the shoulder again:
"Stop looking. In their eyes, you're laying out paper and drawing right now."
Yuan Huaimin couldn't help but ask:
"Mr. Wu, are you a human or a ghost? How did you get into the painting?"
"I am neither a ghost nor a human. Guess what I am? If you guess right, I'll tell you."
The old man blinked.
Yuan Huaimin hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
Wu Daozi turned around, walked to the edge of the cliff with his hands behind his back, squinted at the scenery below, and nodded slightly with some satisfaction:
“Aside from the annoying white mist on the river, this place is indeed beautiful and suitable for painting.”
Yuan Huaimin didn't listen; it was only then that he noticed a terrifying detail.
Despite the fierce mountain wind, Wu Daozi's robes remained perfectly still, as if they were fixed to a wooden board.
Yuan Huaimin was sweating even more.
Wu Daozi turned around and saw Yuan Huaimin's expression. He seemed to have also noticed what Yuan Huaimin had realized. The old man smiled embarrassedly, walked to the book box, took out an ink brush, dipped it lightly in ink, and casually drew a few strokes in the air.
In the next instant, Yuan Huaimin noticed that Wu Daozi's robes were fluttering in the wind, giving the impression of floating freely, subtly matching the painting master's renowned "Wu's flowing robes" technique.
But after watching for a while, Yuan Huaimin noticed that although Wu Daozi's clothes were moving, his body, which was standing with his hands behind his back, was somewhat distorted, as if it were the effect of the space around him being distorted... Yuan Huaimin rubbed his eyes, his face becoming more and more horrified.
"Okay, I'm not teasing you anymore."
Wu Daozi smiled and waved his hand. His body stopped twisting, his clothes stopped fluttering, and the mountain wind could no longer "blow" on him.
The old man continued to stand with his hands behind his back, squinting as he surveyed the opposite bank.
He pointed to the golden Buddha head, its tip faintly visible high on the opposite cliff, and smiled at the sweat-drenched Yuan Huaimin:
"Sure enough, it was only here that we could see it clearly. Little Yuanzi, look, isn't this Buddha already built? The Buddha's head is golden, but as long as you get a little distance away, it looks like a headless Buddha, as if it's not fully completed... This illusion created by the white mist is really boring."
Yuan Huaimin then glanced to the side and found that the Buddha statue was indeed completed. Although he had vaguely guessed it before, when Shuangfengjian suddenly closed and Brother Lianghan and Lady Historian went into seclusion, he had roughly guessed it. But it was only now that he had completely confirmed it.
Yuan Huaimin had been staying in Xunyang City and had no interest in the large Buddha statue.
He quickly looked away and couldn't help but ask:
"Mr. Wu, did you use the same method to infiltrate Xunyang City before?"
Wu Daozi did not answer, but continued:
"I will grant your request. I will protect your mistress and cousin, as well as your friend Ouyang Lianghan. I will also put in a good word for you with Jianze. If I pass it on, it should be quite satisfactory."
Yuan Huaimin lowered his head and remained silent, his eyes fixed on the bronze scroll floating in front of him.
In the howling mountain wind, although the bronze scroll was fixed in its general position, the paper swayed in the wind, like water plants in a stream, with undulating waves.
Yuan Huaimin suddenly noticed that the wave pattern of the scroll paper was somewhat similar to the distortion pattern of the air around Mr. Wu. He wondered if it was a coincidence, and he frowned as he examined it closely.
"You want to learn?" Wu Daozi suddenly spoke without turning his head, and said with a smile, "I will teach you."
Yuan Huaimin shook his head like a rattle-drum.
Wu Daozi said with a smile:
"Then don't look at it too much. You have too much talent for painting. What if you accidentally learn it? You won't be able to repay me. Who will you complain to?"
Yuan Huaimin didn't respond to the old man's joke, but instead cautiously asked:
"Mr. Wu, are there any other people in this painting besides you?"
Wu Daozi blinked and asked teasingly:
"What, you think it's not crowded with just me? Do you want a few more?"
Yuan Huaimin's face showed an indescribable expression.
He had a vague idea of what Mr. Wu was planning to do. It was not just Mr. Wu who had come today; perhaps he was the one who wanted to break through to today's important matter.
Yuan Huaimin couldn't help but feel like he had made a huge mistake, but for some reason, this feeling was quite familiar to him, and he wasn't too flustered. Maybe it was because he had made too many mistakes in the past and had become a professional... When he occasionally drank and acted like a slacker, he would recall it and wonder how one person could make such a big mistake.
However, having been in Xunyang City for so long, he felt quite at ease, probably because Lianghan was there to cover for him whenever he was about to get into trouble. But this time, without Lianghan, he felt a long-lost sense of unease.
Yuan Huaimin confirmed again in a low voice:
"Mr. Wu, is this really true? There's truly no one left in the painting?"
Wu Daozi shrugged helplessly:
"What are you thinking? How could a living person enter a painting? Even the celestial beings of the Divine Land cannot do this. Only immortals in myths and legends have such skill. Do you really think I am an immortal?"
"That immortal... sir, you..."
"I just said, I am not a living person."
Before Yuan Huaimin could even react with alarm, Wu Daozi added:
"Of course, he's not dead. He's just a lousy painter. He's painted a lot, so what's wrong with sitting in the painting for a while? As for the others, they can't paint, so naturally they can't sit in."
Yuan Huaimin boldly asked:
"Mr. Wu, so how are you planning to proceed? Are you going to do it alone? Won't that be a bit too few people..."
"What, you want to lend a hand? This young man has a good eye."
Yuan Huaimin said with a bitter face: "No, lend a hand? It's more like risking your life..."
At this moment, Wu Daozi suddenly turned his head and said something cryptic:
"Oh, so this white mist has this use after all."
Yuan Huaimin followed the old man's gaze with curiosity, turning his head to look, and discovered that the bronze shaft floating in the air had changed.
A layer of green paint-like substance had silently coated the shaft, covering the original dark red bloodstains on the blood bronze.
Yuan Huaimin asked in confusion, "Is this... rusty?"
Wu Daozi, instead of being annoyed, smiled and nodded, saying:
"Blood bronze is prone to rusting when it gets wet, which will cover up the bloodstains. This white mist is designed to prevent that."
Wu Daozi freed a withered hand from behind his back, touched the bronze axle that had developed green patina, and spoke with a hint of appreciation:
"In this way, not only will the speed at which spiritual energy is injected into the Blood Bronze slow down, but the sword energy transmitted remotely by the Blood Bronze, which is connected to the Peach Blossom Sword Formation, will also be greatly reduced, or even completely stopped, thus destroying the sword formation."
The squinty-eyed old man sighed with emotion:
"It seems there are quite a few clever people in this pseudo-Zhou court."
After saying this, Wu Daozi turned around and asked Yuan Huaimin with a curious expression:
"However, don't they know that when it comes to using Blood Bronze, Yunmeng Jianze is their ancestor?"
"Ancestor?"
Yuan Huaimin looked puzzled, and after a moment, asked thoughtfully:
"Mr. Wu, is that Yunmeng Token also made of Blood Bronze?"
"You're quite observant."
Yuan Huaimin then asked, "Doesn't that mean that all Yunmeng Tokens entering the Shuangfengjian area are invalid?"
Wu Daozi asked with interest, "Do you know why Yunmeng Sword Marsh is issuing Yunmeng Orders so widely?"
Yuan Huaimin pondered for a moment and replied:
"According to what Mr. Wu revealed... is it used in the Peach Blossom Spring Sword Formation, just like the 'Humble Scholar' and the 'Peach Blossom Spring Painting'? Is the 'Cloud Dream Token' actually a counterfeit Ding Sword, or a second-rate counterfeit Ding?"
Wu Daozi smiled:
"In Yunmeng Jianze's eyes, Tao Yuanming was a thief with poor skills, let alone these guys who steal from thieves now."
After speaking, Wu Daozi turned around with a calm expression and walked to the side of his book box. He casually took out a blank scroll and spread it out in the air.
This blank scroll is very long. It was originally intended by Yuan Huaimin to depict the scene of the victory celebration, but the old man borrowed it without any politeness.
Wu Daozi glanced at the scenery across the river, then, holding his ink brush, stood before the scroll and began to copy it with great interest.
Yuan Huaimin looked closely and saw that Mr. Wu was rapidly drawing the rivers and mountains on both sides of the river.
However, the twin peaks in the painting are completely free of white mist, and the scenery on both banks is depicted in exquisite detail.
...
Ouyang Rong, Rong Zhen, and Yi Qianqiu crossed the white mist of Hengjiang River and disembarked at a heavily guarded shore outside the main grotto on the north bank.
After Ouyang Rong and Rong Zhen landed, they walked towards the Buddha statue, chatting about old times along the way.
Do you remember the first time we met?
"First time meeting?"
"Yes, it was on the day that Wang Junzhi, the traitor within the Kuangfu Army, attacked the Prince at the Xunyang Prince's Mansion that you came to find Ye Weilai in your women's carriage."
"I remember, Lady Rong almost scared someone to death."
"It's you who has something to hide."
“No, I’m not a ghost. It was you, Lady Rong, who appeared with a cold face, wearing a white dress, with a girlish figure, sitting there coldly… You have no idea how creepy it was, although it was quite memorable.” After a pause, Ouyang Rong added, “But after all, it was the first time I met you, and I don’t know you well yet.”
"And now?"
"You can't scare me now. Why are you interested in bringing up the past, Lady Rong?"
(End of this chapter)
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