The dawn breeze brushed his face, carrying the peculiar coolness of spring. After eating a bowl of tofu pudding from a street vendor at the mouth of the alley, An Le walked at an unhurried pace, bathed in the spring breeze as he read, making his way toward West Lake.
"The shimmering waters were lovely on a clear day; the hazy mountains were wondrous in the rain."
West Lake on rainy days and clear days offered two different vistas. Sunlight spilled from behind the clouds, illuminating the rippling lake surface like sifted gold dust tumbling in one's palm.
As always, scholars and poets gathered along the embankment. Flower boats swayed upon the lake like tender blades of grass, stirring the softest places in the hearts of those men of letters.
An Le walked to the edge of the embankment and looked at the lake water lapping against the shore, feeling quite pleased.
He strolled and read, waiting for the Female Sword Immortal Flower Queen aboard the flower boat in the middle of the lake. Yet Fairy Yun Rou had not appeared these past few days, and An Le Now did not know whether he would see her today.
Still, coming to the shores of West Lake every day—whether to read or admire the view—had its own unique flavor.
Yet the atmosphere along the embankment today was somewhat different from usual.
The scholars and poets huddled together, whispering among themselves, their eyes brimming with gossip.
"Have you all heard of Great Master An, who won the Minor Sacred Token at Sixth Mountain yesterday?!"
"We study at the Literature Academy—how could we not know Great Master An? Her Ink Bamboo painting differs greatly from the meticulous Gongbi bamboo paintings of the ancients. It truly leaves one dazzled and astonished."
"I was fortunate enough to glimpse a copy of the Ink Bamboo painting that circulated from the Literature Academy. The scorched ink and pale ink echoed one another; it was indeed exquisitely inventive."
The scholars and poets discussed with great enthusiasm, calling him Great Master An in every other sentence.
Only after listening for a while did An Le realize that this Great Master An... was actually him.
His interest piqued, An Le stopped walking and joined the crowd at the embankment, listening to the scholars and poets praise him. From time to time, he even chimed in with a few observations on the Ink Bamboo painting.
"Brother, have you seen the Ink Bamboo painting as well?"
A scholar was immediately astonished by An Le's incisive remarks. He cupped his hands in greeting and asked.
An Le returned the salute modestly. "I was lucky enough to see it a few times."
"Oh? Brother, do you study at the Literature Academy as well?" Quite a few scholars asked curiously, for An Le looked unfamiliar to them.
"Not quite. I work as a painter at Lin Manor, drawing paintings for the young masters there in their leisure time."
An Le replied with a smile. He truly had never been to the Literature Academy.
Many of the scholars were highly interested and began conversing with An Le. After chatting for a while, An Le saw that Fairy Yun Rou had not appeared today either, so he took his leave and headed to Lin Manor for work.
Though he had won the Minor Sacred Token, though one painting had astonished all of Lin'an,
none of it changed his life much. He still went to work at Lin Manor, still had to study diligently and prepare for the Spring Imperial Examination.
An Le trod along the Bluestone Slab Road, with Qing Shan and Ink Pool tucked at his waist, and vanished from the long embankment.
Many scholars withdrew their gazes, finding An Le an interesting fellow. They recognized that he came to West Lake every day to watch the young woman upon the flower boats.
Suddenly, a Literature Academy scholar let out a cry.
Looking in the direction An Le had departed, his eyes glimmered with excitement.
"As far as I know, Lin Manor recruited a painter some time ago. Great Master An stood out from the crowd, entered Lin Manor, and became its painter..."
"Do you think that brother just now might have been Great Master An?"
The scholars and poets froze, repeatedly looking in the direction An Le had gone. Then they all burst into laughter, finding the notion utterly absurd. "What kind of person is Great Master An? Why would she come to West Lake every day to look at those worldly girls in the flower boats?"
"Would someone as detached from the mundane world as Great Master An share our tastes?"
Laughter rose again and again by the embankment.
An Le did not know what happened by West Lake after he left. Even if he had known, he would merely have smiled.
Following the bustling streets, basking in the warm spring sunlight, he stepped onto Quiet Street. Passing through the Stone Tablet Jade Workshop, where all civil and military officials of the court had to dismount and proceed on foot, he caught sight of Lin Manor's iconic Eight-Treasure Double-Eave Dripping Tianbo Tower.
The one who opened the door was still the shy maid Liu Xiang. At the sight of the handsome yet bewitchingly elegant An Le, Liu Xiang pressed her lips together, her face full of bashfulness.
Yesterday, An Le had overwhelmed numerous geniuses at Sixth Mountain and won the Minor Sacred Token. After Lin Zhuifeng returned to the manor, she began loudly spreading the news, so most people in the household already knew of An Le's deeds.
Now, seeing An Le, bolstered by those tales, Liu Xiang felt that Young Master An was like an immortal banished from heaven, as refined as jade.
An Le smiled gently and entered Lin Manor under Liu Xiang's guidance.
Originally, An Le had wanted to see Madam Hua and inquire about the Minor Saint Ranking. However, Liu Xiang informed him that Madam Hua had not yet returned, so An Le went straight to the Training Hall.
"Great Master An."
Upon seeing An Le, Lin Zhuifeng and Lin Qingyin smiled and teased him.
Hearing This, An Le waved his hand. "How would I dare call myself a great master?"
Inside the Training Hall, the young masters of Lin Manor were all dressed in fitted martial attire today, looking spirited and energetic. They seemed to be heading out, yet also appeared to be specifically waiting for An Le.
Naturally, they had gone to Sixth Mountain yesterday as well, hoping to try their luck and see whether they could become Mountain Guardians. Instead, they had unexpectedly witnessed the splendor of An Le, the Lin Manor painter they knew well.
Eighth Young Master Lin Ye eagerly came forward. "Great Master An, you finally came. Your Ink Bamboo painting is now famous throughout Lin'an. Not only is the Literature Academy talking about it—even many people in the Martial Temple are praising it."
"We are about to head to the Martial Temple for the spring martial examination. Afterward, many of us will march to the Cambang River front and restore Lin Manor's former glory."
"We stayed behind today specifically to see Great Master An."
The other young masters of Lin Manor also smiled in turn.
An Le had become familiar with them, and much of the initial strangeness between them had faded. Those young masters of Lin Manor who appeared difficult to get along with were actually quite easygoing.
"I promised Madam Hua that I would paint portraits for all of you young masters. Those paintings are not yet finished, and there will be plenty of time in the future."
An Le spoke earnestly.
Marching to the frontier meant that life and death were unknown, but An Le hoped that they would return safely.
Everyone chuckled and continued their conversation.
During the conversation, An Le drew Time Qi from the young masters.
Each person still yielded three wisps. He could draw from five people, for a total of fifteen wisps.
After this time, Eighth Young Master Lin Ye had been completely drained by An Le, with no Time Qi left on him.
The young masters of Lin Manor would not be able to supply An Le for much longer.
With the fifteen wisps of Time Qi, An Le did not hesitate much this time. He divided them into three portions and evenly bestowed them upon the Dao Fruits that required Time Qi.
As for cultivation methods, the "Five Animal Body Tempering Technique" and the "Sword Waterfall Diagram" had already been greatly enhanced before, so there was no need to improve them further for the time being.
Once the enhancement was complete, An Le felt a slight tremor in his mind, as though some subtle change had occurred within him.
The improvement was not obvious, but it was quietly and imperceptibly changing An Le.
The young masters of Lin Manor chatted with An Le for a while longer. When the time was right, they left Lin Manor together and headed for the Martial Temple. Lin Zhuifeng also had to participate in the Martial Temple's martial examination, leaving only Ninth Sister Lin Qingyin alone with An Le.
Of course, it was not truly just the two of them. Servants from the manor waited in the distance, ready to be summoned.
The two arrived at Tianbo Water Pavilion and sat within a quiet gazebo.
The spring breeze swept in, stirring ripples across the jade-green water of the pond until they stretched to the horizon.
"Teacher, will you still teach painting today?"
Lin Qingyin asked softly.
An Le smiled. "Today, I'll teach you still-life sketching."
He then asked the maid Liu Xiang for an apple, placing it atop a table covered with deliberately rumpled cloth. He taught Lin Qingyin how to control and render light and shadow when sketching an apple and fabric.
Lin Qingyin studied earnestly, and An Le taught just as earnestly.
The soft rustling of charcoal against paper was like cicadas singing in summer, bringing tranquility to the heart.
Suddenly, Xi Xiang, Madam Hua's personal maid, came walking gracefully across the white jade arch bridge of the pavilion.
"Young Master An, Ninth Miss."
Xi Xiang curtsied in greeting.
"Madam has just sent word that she has returned. If Young Master An comes to the manor, you may go see Fourth Master. Madam has entrusted Fourth Master to tell you about the Minor Saint Ranking."
Hearing This, An Le immediately returned the salute with cupped hands. "Thank Madam for keeping me in mind."
"Teacher, go ahead. I can paint by myself in the hall. Once I'm done, Teacher can critique it tomorrow." Lin Qingyin rose and said with a gentle smile.
Hearing This, An Le no longer hesitated. After nodding, he cupped his hands to bid Lin Qingyin farewell, then headed toward Qingfeng Garden with Xi Xiang.
Before they even entered the garden, they heard a horse neighing outside.
"Fourth Master lived in the Yuan Meng Empire for many years and gradually picked up their customs. He is quite fond of raising and training horses. I hear that Fourth Master keeps a Daoli Horse in his courtyard. It runs like black lightning and has a fierce temperament."
Xi Xiang spoke softly, then knocked upon Qingfeng Garden's gate.
"Fourth Master, Madam asked me to bring Young Master An to see you," Xi Xiang said.
"Enter." A calm voice came from within the garden, and the gate opened beneath the brush of spiritual consciousness.
Qingfeng Garden was unexpectedly spacious, with a small grassy field within it. Fourth Master Lin wore a scholar's robe, and a desk stood before him with rice paper spread across it.
Fourth Master Lin frowned, his face full of sorrow as he painted the Daoli Horse lazily basking in the spring sunlight on the grassy field.
When he saw An Le, Fourth Master Lin gave a slight nod and smiled. "Since our last parting, I must now call you Great Master when we meet again."
An Le waved his hand, his expression modest. "I would not dare. Fourth Master may still call me An Le."
Fourth Master Lin seemed to recall something. His eyes brightened slightly as he looked at An Le. "I wish to paint my Daoli Horse, but my painting skills are poor..."
"I wonder, besides painting bamboo, can Great Master An paint anything else?"
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