"See? That's very good!" the girl encouraged him. "Try drawing the other one yourself."
This time Pei Ye was quick. A lift and flick of his brush copied what he had drawn over his left eye onto the other side, exactly.
Even the flaws and crooked lines matched perfectly, laying his exquisite control bare beyond all doubt.
"..." Li Piaoqing felt a little discouraged. Such skill would be perfectly adequate for simply applying makeup, but disguise required designing a cover on the spot to suit different circumstances. Such a rigid approach clearly would not do. "You seem so inspired when you practice swordsmanship."
"What fate denies us cannot be forced," Pei Ye sighed softly. "I think I conduct myself openly and honorably. I probably won't have much use for disguise."
"Then why did you disguise yourself before?" The girl rejected his request.
"Because Disguise wasn't open and honorable. He couldn't beat his opponent, so he could only plot a sneak attack."
"If you could beat them, why did you still let him disguise you?"
"No, I couldn't beat them even in disguise."
"...Wipe it clean and try again." Li Piaoqing handed him a handkerchief. "These are the kinds of methods you're bound to encounter in Jianghu. You don't have to master them, but you should at least understand a little."
Pei Ye sighed.
The boy seemed to lack perseverance when it came to things that neither interested him nor were essential, but Li Piaoqing knew that was not true. He had always possessed ample patience. Besides, this really was useful knowledge; he ought not to keep thinking about "deserting the battlefield."
In fact, she had noticed something was wrong first thing that morning-when she called the boy over after he rose early, he had clearly been somewhat reluctant.
After she