Chapter 94

On another occasion, when participating in a painting competition, Teacher Xu had already selected his entry, but the higher-ups insisted on designating another student's work. As a result, Teacher Xu had a big argument with the school and even threatened to resign if the school insisted on doing so. The higher-ups were afraid of making a big fuss, and given Teacher Xu's great reputation in the local art scene, they had no choice but to compromise.

Such a teacher would naturally gain the trust of his students. Murong Qing never doubted him from the beginning, nor did she think he needed to apologize. The whole incident was undoubtedly caused by the leader's selfish motives.

However, Teacher Xu sighed heavily and said, "No, in the end I agreed too."

"Huh?"

Murong Qing felt as if she had been punched hard, and immediately lost her balance. She had to hold onto the door of the art room to keep from falling to the ground.

"Why... did the teacher... agree?"

"You'll see when you see it," Teacher Xu said, pointing to the easel covered with a white cloth beside her. "I brought her work with me."

Murong Qing bit her lip, strode forward, and ripped off the white cloth covering her eyes. What appeared before her was a lively and unique painting of birds offering lingzhi mushrooms, quite different from the traditional ones.

The image features winding, spiraling pine branches with mottled bark, and White Eagle standing tall in the center, its wings outstretched as if about to take flight, each feather lifelike. Other elements, such as lingzhi mushrooms, rocks, and flowing water, also possess a strong sense of texture.

Judging solely from the painting technique, it is only slightly better than Murong Qing's, but what is truly special about this painting is its unique style.

The smooth and authentic ink lines, the meticulous layering of washes, and the unparalleled use of color, are distinct from the vivid, brilliant, and rich styles of traditional painting. It is clearly a combination of ancient and modern painting, giving people a refreshing feeling.

Murong Qing had attended many art exhibitions and subscribed to many art magazines, and had seen the works of many famous Painting School, but this was the first time she had ever seen such a style of painting.

Technically speaking, this work may not be considered mature yet, but the very act of breaking with tradition is enough to give it a value that transcends mere painting skills. It would not be an exaggeration to call it a groundbreaking work.

"This... is this the teacher's explanation?"

Teacher Xu nodded, and said bitterly, "I know that from both a moral standpoint and a teacher's perspective, the decision I made is unacceptable, so I don't intend to beg for your forgiveness. However, even if I'm destined never to reach the top in this lifetime, I am someone who loves art and is willing to dedicate my life to it, so I can't lie to art..."

He closed his eyes in anguish, his throat bobbed twice, and he said with difficulty, "Your painting can never compare to this work."

Murong Qing clenched her fists, stood there staring at the painting for a long time.

Just as Teacher Xu was about to offer some words of comfort, she suddenly turned around and said, "Teacher, I want to see Hongdou."

"Why?"

"I don't want to admit defeat without even seeing my opponent... That would be too unfair. I admit that my work is indeed not as good as this one, and I don't object to the school's decision to use this painting in the competition, but I don't want to give up like this."

Seeing that Murong Qing was still full of fighting spirit and had not been discouraged by the situation, Teacher Xu felt gratified. This was precisely why he admired Murong Qing. Normally, he would have given him some words of encouragement, but now he couldn't bring himself to say such things.

I don't want you to see her.

"Why?" Murong Qing asked, puzzled.

Teacher Xu didn't answer. He looked up at the sky outside the window and slowly said, "The path of art is very demanding in terms of talent. When I was young, I thought that as long as I was willing to work hard, I would definitely succeed. But as I grew up, I realized that even success has different standards... After seeing the works of those masters, I knew that I could never reach that level no matter what."

Murong Qing said, "I know all this. Of course, I also admit that Hongdou's talent is definitely higher than mine. At least, I could never have come up with such a creative art style."

After seeing Hongdou's work, Murong Qing felt that even if she were in her teacher's shoes, she would definitely make the same choice; otherwise, it would be a true betrayal of art.

Teacher Xu shook his head. "I'm not belittling your talent. To be honest, your talent surpasses mine, and you're far more mature and understand the importance of diligence than I was at my age. As long as you persevere, you'll definitely become a world-renowned Painting School in the future. I'm very confident in that."

Murong Qing was even more confused. "Then what are you worried about, teacher? Do you think I can't handle setbacks? Since I started learning martial arts, I've lost count of how many times I've lost to others. If my will were that weak, I would have given up martial arts long ago."

"They are different; martial arts and painting are different..."

After hesitating for a while, Teacher Xu realized that Murong Qing had no intention of giving up, so she said, "If you insist on meeting her, you have to promise me one thing: never give up on pursuing your art."

Murong Qing smiled and said, "Of course! Why should I give up on myself because of someone else's achievements? Teacher, you said you couldn't reach the level of a master, but you still love art, don't you?"

"It's different. You and I are different. You're more talented than me, so..."

Teacher Xu didn't continue. He took out a pen and paper, wrote down an address, and handed it to Murong Qing.

When Murong Qing took the note, she noticed that Teacher Xu's hand was trembling, and realized that the other person was filled with pain.

The teacher is not wrong.

Murong Qing thought to herself, and once again felt the other person's devotion to art. In fact, the teacher didn't need to explain everything to her at all. If she wanted to shirk responsibility, she could have just pushed the blame onto the school leaders. In fact, most people in the world would have done that.

But Teacher Xu did not do that. Instead, she confessed everything to herself and said that she would not ask for her own forgiveness, but would silently endure the condemnation of her conscience.

—People like this shouldn't be blamed.

With this thought in mind, Murong Qing glanced at the address on the note and showed a surprised expression.

"It's this place!"

If it were anywhere else, Murong Qing would probably wait until a holiday to visit, since it was already quite late and it would be impolite to make a sudden visit. But since it was a friend's residence, she wasn't going to hold back.

So after leaving school, Murong Qing first called her father to explain things, and then took a bus to the Minggui Orphanage.

"I remember Si Ming also lived here. It's so quiet. It wouldn't be surprising if there were rumors of it being haunted."

Murong Qing believed that this was the feeling of most people when they first saw the Minggui Orphanage.

She went up and rang the doorbell. The door opened quickly, and Si Ming came out of the house, looking quite surprised when he saw her.

"Murong Qing, what brings you here? What brings you here so late?"

"Hongdou lives here too, right? I'd like to meet her."

"You know Hongdou? That makes sense, you both study art."

Following the logic, Si Ming came up with an answer. Although he was curious about Murong Qing's purpose, he didn't ask further and spread his hands, saying, "But she's sleeping right now. Perhaps you can wait a bit; I reckon she'll wake up soon."