Ink-Dyed Floating Life

Inner City, Qingya Pavilion.

Su Yuan sought out Gao Mian at her residence.

Since Yun Xu had been moved out of the Inner City, Gao Mian found the Shan Estate dull. Furthermore, as she needed to frequently instruct Su Yuan, she simply set up this small courtyard outside.

Gao Mian was still dressed in her red silk martial attire today, lounging lazily on a rocking chair while reading a book.

This chair had been specially designed by Su Yuan to fit her physique.

Her body was stretched out, sinking into the chair; the curves of her waist rose and fell slightly with the gentle swaying of the seat, and her long legs were crossed, outlining a smooth, full silhouette.

"Sister Mian!" Su Yuan leaped into the courtyard carrying a food box.

Inside were the pastries he had just bought: snow-white cloud-flake cakes, amber-colored osmanthus lotus root, and delicate lotus-shaped pastries.

Sensing Su Yuan approaching, Gao Mian suddenly rose, sweeping a leg toward the food box in his hand!

Su Yuan reacted with lightning speed, sinking his knees and bracing his leg horizontally to take the hit head-on.

Bang!

Their legs collided, and the burst of force made the lid of the food box jump.

Gao Mian used the momentum to spin around and immediately reclined back into her chair.

Su Yuan hurriedly opened the food box and picked up a piece of pastry, offering it to her lips.

Gao Mian tapped the armrest, taking the pastry herself.

Su Yuan understood, climbing onto her firm, elastic calves to carefully massage and knead the tendons.

Gao Mian let out an involuntary, soft "Mmm," her body relaxing even deeper into the back of the chair.

Ever since Su Yuan began massaging her, the blood energy within Gao Mian had been flowing much more smoothly.

The hidden injuries left behind from her breakthroughs in earlier years, combined with the filthy business of Shan Xiongqing, had left her agitated and even caused her menstrual cycle to become irregular.

Yet, under Su Yuan's fingers, these issues were all improving, and even her cultivation, which had been stagnant for a long time, felt as though it were loosening.

She simply assumed that Su Yuan's massage technique possessed some profound mystery. Although she didn't know why, and it wasn't something easily spoken of, she was happy to enjoy it and had since required him to press on her for a while every day.

As she savored the delicate sweetness of the pastry, she lowered her eyes to watch Su Yuan's hands working on her legs—kneading and pressing with distinct knuckles and steady movements.

Su Yuan spoke out of the blue: "Sister Mian, I've become a martial artist."

Pfft—

Caught off guard, Gao Mian spat out a mouthful of pastry crumbs, which flew straight toward Su Yuan's face.

Su Yuan hurriedly leaned back to dodge.

Gao Mian, however, had already reached out, gripping his wrist like lightning and pulling him back in front of her.

Su Yuan had no choice but to circulate the Cloud-Veiling Art, quietly dampening his blood energy.

"You really did it..." Gao Mian's force penetrated his body, carefully probing.

"Sister Mian, am I impressive? I didn't let you down. Once the Wolf God Festival—" Su Yuan was about to boast, but was interrupted by Gao Mian.

"Did you take a large amount of Blood Origin Pills? I warned you long ago that this medicine boosts blood energy but damages one's foundation, making future breakthroughs even harder! Why didn't you listen?!" Gao Mian's tone turned heavy, tinged with anger.

The Chai Family's Blood Origin Pills were not only sold at their own martial academy but had also flowed into other academies in the city.

Their drawbacks were gradually becoming apparent.

"Sister Mian, I'm fine." Su Yuan couldn't speak plainly about his destiny trait, the lack of bottlenecks, or the fact that his traits could mend his foundation, so he could only argue softly.

"Sigh, why are you in such a rush? Even if you didn't participate in this year's Wolf God Festival, what would it matter? You got lucky this time, but what about the next?" Gao Mian felt a sense of frustration that he wouldn't live up to his potential; this younger brother of hers had ultimately followed in her footsteps.

She raised her hand to pat his head, but Su Yuan ducked, and her hand merely landed on his hair, rubbing it gently: "Sigh, since things have reached this point, you and Tie Niu should fight for the top spot at the Wolf God Festival. Take that great medicine to lay a foundation for your future breakthroughs. If you can reach the Savage Strength realm, that wouldn't be bad; it's not half-bad..."

She had been mocked by her clan since childhood for having inferior bone structure, and she hoped that someone with inferior bone structure could go further.

But bone structure was not a register one could change; improving it was as difficult as ascending to heaven, and those rare, precious medicines would never fall to her.

She stood up and pulled a thick volume from the bookshelf nearby.

"I will now explain the Beast Hunting Illustrated Guide to you. In a few days, we'll see if we can find an opportunity to take you out of the city to gain some experience," she arranged.

Ever since the incident at the Cloud-Striding Martial Hall, the inspections at the city gates had become increasingly strict. Even with her status, coming and going was quite inconvenient.

Su Yuan stood to the side, motionless, nodding obediently, completely devoid of the spirit he showed at the academy.

Just as Gao Mian was imparting her teachings to Su Yuan at the Qingya Pavilion.

Inside the Shan Estate, Shan Xiongqing was embracing a petite woman with his left hand while flipping through the recent movements of the Cloud-Striding Martial Hall and the Jiguang Society with his right.

Han Gui hurried in: "Young Master, urgent report!"

"Where has the Cloud-Striding Martial Hall appeared this time?" Shan Xiongqing didn't even lift his eyelids.

"Young Master, it's bad! That Su Yuan has actually become a martial artist!" Han Gui said urgently.

"What are you panicking about? So he became one; he's just one more Blood-Condensation martial artist, what is there to be shocked about? Ever since the Blood Origin Pills appeared, any stray cat or dog can become a martial artist. When the Wolf God Festival comes, they will naturally reveal their true colors." A cold glint flashed through Shan Xiongqing's eyes, but his tone was full of disdain.

Han Gui found it strange: Ever since the Young Master had been living apart from his wife, he seemed to have stopped caring about that Su Yuan?

Yet, he still ordered himself to keep a constant watch.

"You may withdraw." Shan Xiongqing waved his hand; for now, the remnants of the Cloud-Striding Martial Hall were the higher priority.

He would let Su Yuan jump around for a few more days. Since the boy had become a martial artist, he could be rightfully eliminated during the Wolf God Festival.

"Understood." Han Gui bowed and retreated, his heart heavy with gloom.

He had fallen out of favor.

Du Hengfeng was a disciple with superior talent who had joined two months ago; it was understandable that the Young Master valued him.

But those Xu brothers were nothing more than stray cats and dogs who had become martial artists through pills, yet they were now the Young Master's new favorites.

Xu Tian and Xu Di were brothers who looked nearly identical, the very same pair who had passed the martial examination alongside Su Yuan.

As for Du Hengfeng, he was a short, stunted man with the face of a child, though his eyes were exceptionally sinister.

The three entered: "Greetings, Young Master."

Shan Xiongqing commanded: "The three of you are to take men to blockade Xingtai Street, Shangning Street..."

"Your subordinates obey!"

Shan Xiongqing picked up his brush and pressed it heavily onto the paper, the ink bleeding into a dense, dark blot: "There should be a harvest this time."

Above the high walls of the Inner City.

The biting wind whistled, snapping the banners in the air.

Su Yuan lifted his brush from the paper, dipped it into the inkstone, and continued to outline.

"Why the sudden urge to paint this?" Gao Mian stood by his side, draped in a snow-white fox fur cloak.

The scroll was very long; one end faced the streetscape of the Inner City, while the other gazed toward the West City.

Su Yuan was still sketching the draft.

"It's my first time on these Inner City walls; I wanted to leave a memento." Su Yuan focused on his brushwork, the ink flowing freely.

The wind was strong today, whipping Gao Mian's fox fur and making the paper snap loudly.

She reached out to hold down the corner of the paper, and seeing Su Yuan's knuckles reddened by the cold, she unfastened her cloak and draped it over his shoulders.

Below the gate tower, the Inner City was decked in lanterns, the festive atmosphere of the New Year palpable.

Red silk hung along the long streets, pedestrians wore smiles, children chased and played, and the steamed buns shops billowed with heat—a scene of prosperity and bustle.

On the other side of the wall, however, the West City lay like a sleeping beast, shrouded in heavy twilight.

The houses were low and dilapidated, the alleys empty and silent, save for a few wisps of gray-black smoke rising from the direction of the Void Cloud Horse Ranch, drifting into the leaden sky.

Even though he was not at the execution ground now, those tragic sights were Engraved in the Bones. As his brush followed his heart, the harrowing scene seemed to bleed through the back of the paper.

A single wall separated "Heaven" from "Hell."

He painted for several hours, until the sky turned completely black.

Gao Mian stood quietly by his side, her brows knitting as she looked at the scene on the paper.

Whenever the wind grew fierce, she would pull the cloak tighter around him.

[Painting: 2000/2000 (Perfect)]

[Ink-Dyed Floating Life: Splashing ink to observe the world, focusing the spirit to solidify the essence]

[Deeply versed in the principles of painting realms through brushwork and capturing the spirit through form. One remains unperturbed by prosperity and steadfast in heart when facing desolation; the will is calm and restrained, and all manner of chaos cannot invade the inner self.]

Su Yuan, who had been feeling dizzy from the long exposure to the cold and the exhaustion of his spirit, suddenly felt his mind clear.

The irritability, panic, and hesitation born from witnessing the carnage, being mired in infamy, and maneuvering between various factions over the past few days all settled away.

His spirit was stable, clear, and lucid.

He looked toward the west, and several pillars of fire shot into the sky, illuminating half the night!

Su Yuan was slightly stunned.

The Cloud-Striding Martial Hall was making their move now?

They were so impatient that even he hadn't caught wind of it.

Were they trying to catch the Liang People off guard?

After a brief shock, his mind returned to stillness.

"I fear tonight will not be peaceful. Come back with me and rest at my place for the night." Gao Mian looked at the firelight outside the city, pressed against him, and gripped Su Yuan's wrist.

Feeling the warmth and softness of Gao Mian's body, Su Yuan gently pulled away: "Sister Mian, I apologize, but my family is still out there. I must go back and check on them."

With that, he turned and hurried down the wall, vanishing into the shadows of the alleys.

Gao Mian's gaze darkened, and she looked down at the scroll with its still-wet ink.

One side was warm with lamplight, the other suffused with the color of blood.

"Family, going home."

She locked her gaze on Su Yuan's retreating figure, wanting to follow, but ultimately let out a soft sigh and looked up toward the distant north.

She carefully rolled up the scroll and walked toward the bustling, lantern-lit streets deep within the Inner City.