Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The brush, inkstone, rice paper, ruler, and ink were all prepared. Lin Suxin stood behind the desk and dipped her brush into the ink. She took a deep breath and slowly put down her brush.
Ye Xiu watched from the side and didn’t say anything to disturb her.
He wanted to see what Lin Suxin, who was still a beginner a month ago, would copy.
Of course, as a professional painter, Ye Xiu had already decided that no matter how the painting was, he would at least give her a few words of praise and comfort her. He wanted to help her walk out of the shadow of the death of her own kind as soon as possible and remember some happy memories.
Before she started, Lin Suxin was very nervous. She had already started copying, so she was able to get used to it very quickly.
As the brush moved on the rice paper, she tried her best to show her understanding of the law of time during the month. However, the law of time only took up a small part of it. Most of it was the wood-type magic elements that she had comprehended.
The wood-type magic elements and the law of time didn’t conflict, but they didn’t fuse either. When they came together, they gave off a feeling of separation. They didn’t seem to be in harmony.
Lin Suxin wanted to mediate between the two so that the two wouldn’t be so weird, but the more she drew, the worse it got. At first glance, it looked like a child’s doodle. There wasn’t any beauty to it.
Ye Xiu’s expression was strange and thought, “Could it be that she had seen people burned to death before? Did she experience psychological trauma?”
If she continued to draw, she wouldn’t be able to change anything. Instead, it would look even uglier.
At the very least, she had some unique characteristics. He could grasp that point and praise it. If it was only ugliness left, he wouldn’t even be able to praise it. Lin Suxin herself would be able to sense it.
After all, people would praise a strangely shaped can, but they definitely wouldn’t praise a can with bird poop. They wouldn’t even want to look at it.
Ye Xiu calmly said, “Alright, stop. There’s no need to deliberately paint anymore.”
Lin Suxin put away her brush and stood to the side in disappointment. She said in a low voice. “Senior Ye, I… I thought I would improve. I didn’t think it was just an illusion.”
Ye Xiu shook his head, he comforted her. “I know what you want to paint, but most of the time, we can’t do it just because we want to. There’s a process in between. If you can step over it, then you’ll have some achievements and become a respected master.”
“If you don’t step over it, then you’re a failure. You’re still young and have a lot of time. You can’t be considered a failure. Take it slow.”
“The results of your copying right now haven’t been properly divided between the blank spaces and the ink. You should focus on one aspect and wait until you master it before balancing it. You shouldn’t balance it without any preparation.”
Ye Xiu looked at the messy ink marks on the rice paper and shook his head. “You should stop drawing for now. Take a break.”
“Okay.” Lin Suxin immediately agreed and thought to herself.
“Senior Ye saw through my ambition at a glance. I want to balance the wood-type magic elements and the law of time in the early stages and follow Senior Xu Ziqi’s path. However, the wood-type and time aren’t light and dark which exist in opposition to each other.”
“If I can treat the wood-type and time as light and dark, the path in the future will be even smoother.”
“Senior Ye didn’t deny me. This means that the road can be walked, but it shouldn’t be walked together. It’s just like how a person can’t walk with two legs facing in the same direction at the same time. Both legs will take turns to take new steps. There’s always a sequence. It’s precisely because of the sequence that we can walk ten thousand miles without falling down.”
“So I should first increase the wood-type magic elements and bring along a bit of the law of time so that I can balance it in the future?”
Lin Suxin stood on the spot. Her gaze didn’t have any focus. She was thinking about a lot of things.
After Ye Xiu finished speaking, he saw that Lin Suxin was in such a state. He simply didn’t bother her and didn’t pack his things. He took a book and went to the side to read. As long as she was fine, it would be okay.
Half an hour later, Lin Suxin came back to her senses from her deep thoughts. Her eyes lit up and she immediately began to pack her things. When everything was almost done, Lin Suxin bowed to Ye Xiu.
“Senior Ye, thank you. I’ll visit you next time.”
After saying this, she jogged out of the shop and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Ye Xiu looked up and continued to read. He stroked Xiaobai’s head with one hand and quietly enjoyed the flow of time.
Unknowingly, Ye Xiu had been reading for the entire afternoon. It was already seven o’clock. It was already quite dark outside.
In the past, he should have gone back to cook long ago. However, at this time, the vegetables sold in the market were not the best. He might as well wait a while and go to the night market to eat later.
“I’ll eat something to fill my stomach first.” Ye Xiu touched his stomach and suddenly saw a plastic bag on the desk. It contained the fruit that Lin Suxin had sent over in the afternoon. He took it out from the bag and prepared to eat it first.
This fruit that was similar to a dragon fruit was quite big. If he ate it all, it would fill his stomach. However, it would digest quickly, and he would still be hungry at night.
“If I had known earlier, I would have asked Lin Suxin how to eat this. Should I peel it?”
Ye Xiu took it and looked back and forth. He took a knife from the shop and cut it in the middle. The flesh inside was the same as dragon fruit, but the color was slightly red and very attractive.
Ye Xiu took out the flesh. He didn’t think too much about it. He opened his mouth and took a bite. The delicious and sweet juice instantly exploded in his mouth. It flowed out from his mouth and into his throat.
Along with the soft and smooth flesh, he felt warm after taking a bite.
“Not bad. Too bad I’m not hungry. I should have eaten all of it in the afternoon.”
After eating half of the fruit, Ye Xiu ate the other half. He restrained himself and stopped eating. He turned his head and saw Xiaobai running out of the room. He immediately smiled and waved his hand.
“Xiaobai, come here.”
Woof! Woof!
Xiaobai whimpered twice. It swung its little tail and ran to the side of Ye Xiu’s pants. It placed its two front legs forward in an attempt to stand up.
“You’ve been quite lively recently.” Ye Xiu chuckled and said. Then, he grabbed the hair on the back of Xiaobai’s neck and lifted it up with one hand.
Xiaobai’s four limbs were suspended in the air. Its tail subconsciously swayed as it looked innocently at Ye Xiu.
“I’ll give you something good to eat. I’ll give you more food when we get back.”
Ye Xiu fixed Xiaobai’s messy hair and placed the remaining half of the fruit on the ground in front of Xiaobai.
After sniffing twice, Xiaobai happily opened its mouth and began chewing. It even ate the skin.
“Hey, you can chew on this skin?” Ye Xiu was a bit surprised. He immediately placed the remaining half of the skin in front of Xiaobai, saving him from having to go to the garbage dump.
In any case, Xiaobai often ate leftovers. It wouldn’t mind eating the fruit skin from his leftovers, right?
After Xiaobai finished eating, Ye Xiu cleaned up the shop and closed the door to go home.
Not too far away, he encountered Ban Feimeng who was walking in his direction. She was holding a picture scroll in her hand, looking left and right as if she was finding something.
“Could it be that she was also looking for me to ask about her painting?”
Ye Xiu felt a bit strange. He couldn’t hide from her, so he immediately went up to her.
Ban Feimeng also noticed Ye Xiu coming over and she smiled. “Senior Ye, I’ve already delivered the item. The Lin family’s situation isn’t too bad. They’re gradually restoring order. It’ll be fine after some time.”
“Yeah.” Ye Xiu lightly nodded his head and then asked, “What’s wrong with you? Are you looking for someone?”
“Yes.”
Ban Feimeng helplessly sighed and said, “I don’t know where did one of my teacher’s elders go. I’m looking for him. I probably won’t be able to visit the shop for a while.”
Ye Xiu slightly paused and said, “It’s fine. You do what you need to do. Do you need my help?”
This little girl had studied painting with him for some time. She could be considered an acquaintance now. She was also a customer. It was only right for him to show some concern.
“Are you willing to help?” Ban Feimeng asked happily.
“I can only help you keep an eye out for him.” Ye Xiu said, “Send me his portrait. If I run into him, I can let you know.”
After all, there were two layers of relationships between them, so it was only right for him to help out. He was just being polite now, but he wouldn’t look for him specifically. Finding that person would depend on his luck.
“Okay. Thank you, Senior. This is the portrait of that elder.” Ban Feimeng opened up the picture scroll in her hand and gave it to Ye Xiu.
On the picture scroll was an old man who looked to be in his sixties. His sideburns were white, and there was a trace of coldness between his brows. His hands were behind his back, and his expression was solemn. He looked very elegant and wore a black leather jacket.
If he saw such a unique old man, he wouldn’t miss him.
Ye Xiu agreed and then said goodbye to Ban Feimeng..