99 portraits
He only believes in mutual affection.
In response, Du Zhijin simply said that the time was not yet right.
"Once the great demon appears and the map reacts, I will naturally go."
Mu Xiao chimed in, "That's fine. Take this time to rest a bit more, Senior Sister. You haven't been back for several years. If this continues, we'll all be compared to lazy pigs."
This is true. During the years Du Zhijin was away from the mountain, many of his disciples, including Mu Xiao, were lectured to varying degrees: "Look at Huaizhou, that child," "At the same age, he's doing this and that, and you're doing that and that," "If you were half as hardworking as her, you wouldn't have made no progress at all"...
They had heard such words countless times, but none of them harbored resentment or dissatisfaction towards Du Zhijin because of it. After all, she was the only disciple of the Venerable Gu Zhang! The Venerable had already ascended to immortality, so her disciple must not be any less talented. Why should we mortals compare ourselves to a genius?
In any case, Mu Xiao was completely laid down, and her only current pursuit was to drag her senior sister down with her, so they could keep each other company outside the lecture hall. Unfortunately, ever since she brought back a Daoist partner, her senior sister had stopped going to class, which made her extremely regretful.
The meal ended amidst laughter and conversation. As it grew late, Mu Xiao let out a satisfied burp and said sheepishly, "Hehe, thank you for your hospitality, Senior Sister and Brother-in-law. I'll be going now."
Du Zhijin offered, "I'll take you."
She quickly waved her hand to refuse, "No need, no need. I'm just having a walk-up with Xuanxing, so it's no trouble for you." Then, as if remembering something, her face immediately fell. "Oh right, there's an exam in ten days. I need to cram in the library, otherwise I'll get scolded again. So I can't come here for meals for the next few days."
These words sounded pitiful, as if the sky had fallen. Du Zhijin couldn't help but poke her forehead: "You've clearly been fasting, why are you still so greedy?"
Ying Jianhua looked at her with a half-smile, and she instantly understood the meaning behind it.
Aren't you one of those people who still crave food even after fasting?
She scratched her face, finding it quite thick, and then shamelessly defended herself: "That's different! I'm... returning to simplicity, breaking through a certain realm to rediscover the original state of life, in order to achieve unity of body and mind..."
"Oh, really?" He glanced at her, the corners of his lips curving upwards almost imperceptibly. "Since we're going to return to simplicity, why not go all the way? I've heard that people in the time of Yao, Shun, and Yu hunted and gathered fruit for food. Let's eat wild fruit tonight."
It's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality, so Du Zhijin was naturally unwilling. After a long while, she admitted dryly, "Okay, actually I just wanted to eat the food you cook, Amo. Your cooking is so good, I've even gained weight from eating so much."
As she spoke, she suddenly laughed to herself: "No wonder people say that having a virtuous husband brings happiness everywhere. I'm so lucky."
The moment the words "virtuous husband" were uttered, his face flushed crimson, as if it had been singed by charcoal, a bright, radiant red. Even though she had seen him many times, her gaze was still involuntarily drawn to him, fixed on him.
Whose Daoist couple, after being married for a long time, would still blush over a single sentence?
Oh, it's hers.
Although he was sometimes incredibly bored, Ying Jianhua was the one who couldn't stand her gaze the most, as if she might be ignited at any moment. He hurriedly got up, picked something up from the seat Mu Xiao had been sitting on, and said hastily, "Junior Sister left something behind, I'll take it to her."
Du Zhijin was about to suggest that she come, but then he remembered that he had recently been learning sword control, and this would be a good opportunity for him to practice, so he agreed.
The cultivation methods of demons and humans are largely the same, essentially involving absorbing the essence of the sun and moon and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for one's own use. Originally, Ying Jianhua was at an age when enlightenment was expected, but now it was too late for him to cultivate. However, he possessed a fully formed demon core, and the two complemented each other, achieving a certain balance. She had only taught him for a few days, and he had actually learned to draw qi into his body. The next step was to utilize spiritual energy, and sword control was the simplest way to do so.
The term "sword control," or "weapon control," doesn't limit the weapon to a sword; anything can be used. After much deliberation, Ying Jianhua chose the jade hairpin left by his mother.
It must be said that Master Jun's modifications were quite visionary. Not only did he hollow out the hairpin to make it able to conceal poison, but he also made some minor alterations, making it very smooth and light when riding the wind. Ying Jianhua rode on his hairpin and soon encountered a person and a lion leisurely walking and digesting their meal.
Mu Xiao was surprised to see him. She looked behind her and, seeing that her senior sister was not there, asked curiously, "Young Master Ying, is there something you need from me?"
When Du Zhijin was not around, she never called him "brother-in-law," but only "Young Master Ying."
Ying Jianhua didn't pay attention to these details. If he had chased after her earlier to avoid blushing, then another thought arose in his mind when he saw Mu Xiao.
He asked, "Junior Sister Mu, where is the sect's library? Is it permissible to enter and leave freely?"
Mu Xiao replied, "The library is located by Lingyun Lake and is open to all disciples. But Young Master Ying, why are you asking this?" And why did you specifically come to ask her? Surely Senior Sister Huaizhou knew about such a trivial matter?
Ying Jianhua naturally came up with a reason: "I have some minor ailments and want to go to the library to look through some medical books. It's nothing serious, so please don't tell her."
The "she" she was referring to was, of course, Du Zhijin. Upon hearing his words, Mu Xiao immediately lowered her guard and expressed her understanding. After all, she knew that her senior sister had asked a senior medical practitioner to treat him, and considering the context, she assumed he simply didn't want her senior sister to worry. She readily agreed, "Of course, I'll definitely keep it a secret."
"Thank you." He thanked her and urged the jade hairpin back. After their casual chat, the time was neither too early nor too late, so Du Zhijin didn't suspect anything when he returned, assuming that Mu Xiao had indeed left something behind.
Seeing her holding the map, he asked in surprise, "We just talked about it today, could a powerful demon have appeared so soon?"
She shook her head, rolled up the map, and tucked it into her sleeve. "No, I just check on it occasionally because I'm worried. With Tu Nan gone, Monkey Mountain is finally a bit calmer. I'm thinking of planting peach trees all over the mountain. That way, we can provide food for the monkeys and prevent them from fighting over food everywhere. In spring, we can also enjoy the pink blossoms all over the mountain. Amo, what do you think? Or do you prefer other flowers and plants?"
Yingjianhua showed no particular fondness or dislike for these flowers and grasses, indicating that it was up to her. Du Zhijin believed in "doing today's work today" and never procrastinated. He immediately went into the storeroom left by his master and found a bag of unknown seeds inside.
"What are these?" he asked curiously, fiddling with the black, pill-like seeds.
Du Zhijin: "It is said that the seeds can grow into any flower or tree. As long as you bury it in the soil and show it a picture of the flower or tree you want, it will grow out exactly as pictured."
He exclaimed in surprise, "Such a strange thing exists in the world?" Then he thought that if even ordinary mountains could be seen as mirages, then there was probably nothing else impossible in the world.
The portrait was simple. He pondered for a moment, then spread out the paper and wielded his brush in one stroke, completing a peach grove painting an hour later. Du Zhijin picked out a seed and planted it at the foot of the back mountain. Then he unfolded the portrait, muttered something to the seed, and urged it to grow quickly.
At first, he thought she was just rambling on, but unexpectedly, a quarter of an hour later, the seed sprouted. Half an hour later, a sapling reaching waist-high had grown. Two hours later, a sea of peach-red snow rose up on Monkey Mountain, fluttering in the wind.
The monkeys excitedly climbed up and down, nimbly weaving among the branches. The blossoms trembled slightly with their movements, scattering a shower of vibrant sunlight. Perhaps finding it amusing, she reached out and caught a fallen petal, a smile playing on her lips. Ying Jianhua, watching the person standing amidst the sea of flowers, was suddenly moved by the scene, recalling something.
Back when they were still at the Marquis of Jianchang's residence, he had promised to paint her portrait. Now, he felt that this scene was perfect.
Upon hearing this, Du Zhijin became somewhat nervous: "Right here? Is this outfit alright? Should I go back and change into something less plain?"
Paper and pens were kept in her Qiankun sleeve, ready to be used at any time. He gently shook his head and said, "It's fine as it is now."
He insisted on this, and she had no choice but to comply.
He dipped his brush in ink and began to paint, and gradually an outline appeared on the snow-white Xuan paper, followed by clothing and movements. Ying Jianhua emphasized Du Zhijin's eyebrows and eyes, because in his heart, these were her irreplaceable features.
When she looked over, all the noise in the world subsided.
How he wished that the sun and moon would stop turning at this moment.
————
The painting was eventually framed by Du Zhijin and hung in their bedroom, so that it could be seen whenever they looked up. Ying Jianhua secretly added several more paintings, all of them depicting her in various ways.
Some were practicing swordsmanship, some were brewing medicine, some were fast asleep, some were overjoyed, some were sullen, and some exuded an aura of authority.
He carefully put the scrolls away, hid them in a brocade box, and stored them away properly.
After doing all this, he left Dongliu Mountain under the pretext of gathering inspiration, carrying paper and pen. However, his actual destination was the library.
Du Zhijin and Mu Xiao had mentioned many times that the Venerable Zhang had ascended to heaven and was no longer in this world. He couldn't help but wonder if Du Zhijin would also ascend to heaven? Would she ascend to the upper realm after she completed the task assigned by her master and killed the seven great demons on the map?
What happens after they ascend to immortality? Will they... ever meet again?
He didn't know.
He had never considered this question before; it was too painful and too powerless, because a mortal body simply could not shake the will of Heaven. The prophecy in his mind came true time and time again. If it was the incarnation of Heaven or some deity, then his and Du Zhijin's fate was sealed.
Does the phrase "never to meet again in this life" necessarily mean that this will never happen again?
Perhaps they are separated by life and death, or perhaps they are separated by the mortal realm and the upper realm.
However, they had gone through so much to be together, so were all their past affections just a lie? No, he would not give up easily, absolutely not.
This was not the first time Ying Jianhua had defied fate. He had already begun defying destiny ten years ago when his parents died.
Whether it was fate or divine will, he only believed in mutual affection.
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