Chapter 134: The Ancient Painting

After resolving the little princess's problems, Fu Bao returned home and scrubbed herself clean; after tossing and turning for a day and a night, she felt truly rank.

"So comfortable. Hehe, there's nothing like lying at home, though it's such a drag that I have to go to the academy tomorrow," Fu Bao muttered with a pout.

"Little Miss, are you not done washing yet? The water has gone cold," Huazhi called out from behind the screen.

"Mmm, just a little longer," Fu Bao mumbled.

"Alright, but don't fall asleep."

"Mmm."

In the end, Fu Bao did fall asleep and had to be carried to bed by Huazhi. As for how Huazhi managed to carry her, it was likely due to all the hearty meals she ate.

The next morning, Fu Bao was dragged out of her blankets by Huazhi early on. She brushed her teeth and washed her face with her eyes closed, wolfed down a few bites of breakfast, and was shoved into the carriage, heading straight for the academy.

She let out a massive yawn. Exhausted, she slumped over her small wooden desk and dozed off, her eyes half-closed.

"What were you doing yesterday? How are you this sleepy?" the young lady from the Chen family asked, setting down her book.

"I went to see the little princess yesterday. The girl’s illness is cured, but it nearly wore me out," Fu Bao yawned and muttered.

"The illness is cured? How did you cure it?" The young lady from the Chen family’s habit of getting to the bottom of everything kicked in again.

"Oh! My dear Miss Chen, I need to sleep, please!" Fu Bao grabbed a book and covered her head with it. She was so tired.

"Uh, alright. You should hurry and get some sleep then."

I do not know how long she dozed, but the painting instructor entered the classroom holding a few scrolls.

"Wake up, the instructor is here," the young lady from the Chen family poked her with an elbow, and Fu Bao woke up.

"Painting class, ugh, how boring." Fu Bao looked up at the instructor, feeling even less energetic. Why couldn't there be a napping class?

"I have a painting here. This lesson, I will test you on the artistic realm and the emotions expressed in this work," the instructor said, hanging the scroll up so the students could observe it.

"You have the time it takes to brew a cup of tea to prepare your paper and ink. Begin." The instructor was concise and direct, wasting no time.

"Fine." Fu Bao squinted at the painting, frowned, and pulled out two sheets of paper to start sketching and writing.

Over in the boys' hall:

"Where did the instructor get this painting? It looks so strange," Gong Shaoyu said, staring at the scroll on the wall.

"It is quite strange," Gu Li agreed, peering closely at the painting. He could only make out a woman dressed in sheer silk, stepping on auspicious clouds, with ribbons fluttering around her. It was a beautiful painting, yet the beauty felt unsettling.

Moreover, the painting looked ancient, covered in dirt and red stains of unknown origin.

"Alright, begin your response. You have the time it takes to brew a cup of tea," the instructor said before stepping out.

Gu Li glanced at the painting and began to write. The first look seemed fine, the second look also seemed fine, but by the third look, he noticed something wrong—the person in the painting seemed to have moved.

Gu Li blinked. Was he seeing ghosts?

He frowned, shook his head to clear his thoughts, and continued writing.

None of the students noticed the slight curl of the lips on the figure in the painting.

At midday, Fu Bao and the young lady from the Chen family went to the academy canteen, where they met Gu Li and Gong Shaoyu, who were also there for lunch. They began discussing the morning's painting class.

"It just felt very strange, but I can't put my finger on why," Gong Shaoyu said with a frown.

"I felt it too. That painting gave me such an uncomfortable feeling," the young lady from the Chen family added. When she looked at it, she felt as if the person in the painting was staring right at her.