Chapter 68 What Day Shall the Morrow Be?

Chen Zhian had stayed up all night, yet he felt no fatigue at all. Instead, his mind was exceptionally active and full of vitality, as if something was brewing and condensing within his thoughts.

Early in the morning, the Imperial Household Department delivered a large quantity of pigments. Chen Zhian opened the specially made pigment boxes to inspect them closely, only to discover that these pigments prepared by the Imperial Household Department were remarkably fine in texture, with seven or eight additional shades, which somewhat surprised him.

The efficiency of the Imperial Household Department was unexpectedly high.

Thus, he set up a canvas in the backyard, fetched four different brushes, and began to paint the artificial rockery and flowing stream in the courtyard.

By now, oil painting seemed to have become one of his foundational skills for making a living. Although the status of a court painter could not be considered lofty, it granted Chen Zhian a firm foothold in this Hanging Capital.

Therefore, Chen Zhian was also willing to explore the memories of his past life residing in his mind and carefully study this craft.

Painting landscapes with oils was actually much simpler than painting portraits; a portrait's expression, skin tone, and details were of the utmost importance, where nothing could be omitted.

Scenery, on the other hand, could be rendered more boldly, without the need for an overwhelming number of meticulous details.

Furthermore, with the wide variety of oil pigments and their vibrant colors, the resulting scenery was entirely different from ink-wash paintings—losing a touch of grand magnificence, perhaps, but gaining a much richer multicolored vibrancy.

In truth, Chen Zhian preferred landscape paintings, ink-wash paintings, and portraits of court ladies, but there were countless talented individuals in this world. Even if Chen Zhian whipped a fast horse, he could never catch up to them in traditional landscape and ink-wash painting. It was far wiser to switch tracks—into oil painting, a domain where he was currently the sole competitor.

He painted for a long time until the rockery and stream were finally reflected upon the canvas. He lowered his brush, took a careful look, and could not help nodding lightly.

Having reached the realm of divine essence—even if he had merely constructed the Muddy Pill Palace and had yet to cultivate a true divine essence—his subtle control over the brush and his sensitivity to details had improved vastly, making his painting increasingly effortless and smooth.

"This... painting is exceedingly strange."

At the noon hour, just as Chen Zhian was about to pack away his canvas and go have lunch, a voice dropped into his ear. Chen Zhian's brows twitched slightly, and he turned his head to look.

That young sword lord from the Old Sword Mountain was, as expected, peering over the wall, gazing from afar at the painting before him with a look of incomprehension and astonishment in his eyes.

After a few breaths, the young sword lord seemed to finally realize that he had been discovered by Chen Zhian once again.

He initially wanted to slip away, but suddenly remembered that he had already given Chen Zhian two taels of silver.

That was half of his entire fortune.

In the eleven or twelve years on Old Sword Mountain, he had only managed to save four taels of silver plus a little over six hundred copper coins.

To make amends, he had parted with two taels of silver all at once... and this thought made him righteous and bold again.

"This... Senior Brother, is this your home?"

The youth leaned over the wall, his eyes remarkably large, his Daoist hair bun somewhat disheveled, and his address rather peculiar. "I live in the house next to the next house, but such a massive courtyard is inhabited by just me alone, which is truly rather dull."

"Yesterday, I saw you practicing and breaking through your cultivation barrier, and for a moment I felt curious, so I vaulted over two courtyards just to see who on earth could construct the Muddy Pill Palace with such ease."

Chen Zhian grew somewhat surprised and asked, "You live two houses away, and yet you were able to perceive me constructing the Muddy Pill Palace?"

The youth nodded, pointing quite candidly to the center of his brow: "I have a sword right here. This sword is like my eyes, helping me see things that are rather far away."

Chen Zhian pondered for a moment and asked further, "Right now, can you perceive my cultivation level?"

The youth simply leaped onto the wall, formed sword fingers with his right hand, and gently swiped across his forehead.

In an instant, a short-sword mark flickered in and out of view on his forehead.

Chen Zhian could distinctly feel sword qi erupting from the youth's eyes, causing a stinging pain on his skin.

"Eh?" The youth suddenly frowned and said, "Indeed, I can't see it anymore. Your primordial pass and Muddy Pill Palace seem to be shrouded by a bank of clouds and mist; even the sword in my brow cannot see through it. If I wanted to look closer, I would have to activate my divine abilities."

Chen Zhian was quite satisfied with the complete-realm Longevity Peace Art. Seeing the youth squatting on the wall in an awkward posture, he smiled and said, "Come on down. Be careful not to crack the green tiles on the wall."

***

The youth immediately lowered his head to check the tiles on the wall, then hurriedly leaped down into Chen Zhian's backyard.

"These houses are so exquisite, even the wall tops are paved with tiles. Compared to our Old Sword Mountain, it is truly far more luxurious. If I were to break them, it really wouldn't be good."

The youth seemed inexperienced in the worldly ways, and even his speech carried a trace of innocence.

Chen Zhian smiled and said to him, "The people living in this imperial city are all high officials and nobles. If you spend your days peering over other people's walls—well, I'm a solitary person so it doesn't matter, but if there were female family members in the household, having you spy on them would likely cause quite a bit of trouble."

The youth nodded hastily, looking somewhat embarrassed: "I don't have a habit of peeking. It's just that... in that courtyard, which is larger than all the houses on Old Sword Mountain combined, I live all by myself, and it's truly boring. Plus, Senior Brother's cultivation speed was simply jaw-dropping, which is why..."

Stopping midway through his sentence, the youth asked, "I wonder which orthodox Xuanmen sect Senior Brother belongs to? Where do you rank on the Young Tiger Monument?"

Chen Zhian shook his head: "I cultivate alone, with no master's lineage, and my name is not on the Young Tiger Monument."

The youth's eyes widened instantly. He looked Chen Zhian up and down, then shook his head, saying, "I saw that Senior Brother's genuine yuan is like jade, glowing and flowing brilliantly, with wisps of pale gold shimmering within—quite extraordinary. I assumed it must be a supreme wondrous technique, and figured Senior Brother had guidance from some master of the hidden world. Who could have imagined that Senior Brother practices entirely on your own and yet can achieve such mastery?"

Curious, Chen Zhian asked, "Is my speed in constructing the Muddy Pill Palace... fast?"

The youth nodded and said, "I saw Senior Brother swallow a pill refined from acquired vital energy. Yet, even with such a precious pill, among the three disciples on Old Sword Mountain, the fastest one still took over ten days to construct the Muddy Pill Palace. But you..."

"Over ten days?" Chen Zhian's brows twitched slightly.

Old Sword Mountain, which could command General Si Yuanhong of the Rungtian Military to personally extend an invitation, was surely no ordinary place. Yet even the disciples of Old Sword Mountain took more than ten days to construct the Muddy Pill Palace.

This gave Chen Zhian his first clear understanding of his own cultivation speed.

"Although red-core ginger can cleanse the marrow and refine bones, I've only been drinking red-core ginger tea for a mere three or four months. Medicinal ingredients of the crimson grade shouldn't be enough to completely transform my physical constitution and innate talent...

"Could this talent and constitution of mine be inborn?"

Thinking of this, Chen Zhian suddenly recalled Chen Shuijun.

Ever since the Celestial Yujing Map was revealed by Chen Zhian, he had noticed Chen Shuijun repeatedly bringing him meat infused with special spiritual energy. Perhaps she was nourishing him all along, making his inborn constitution increasingly extraordinary?

"But if eating spiritually infused meat could improve one's constitution, then every single young master and young lady of the noble families in this Hanging Capital would surely be able to construct their Muddy Pill Palace in just a few days," Chen Zhian thought silently to himself.

He felt a growing curiosity about the father who had left without saying goodbye.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door outside the courtyard.

Chen Zhian thought for a moment and smiled, "I live alone in this courtyard too, and since it happens to be noon, someone is bringing me meals. Why don't we eat together?"

"How could I impose like that?" The youth seemed to utterly dislike being alone. Despite saying those words, a glimmer of light appeared in his eyes.

"It's no trouble," Chen Zhian said. "It's just adding another pair of chopsticks."

Chen Zhian went to open the door and brought back several tiers of food boxes. To his surprise, the youth had also retrieved numerous food boxes from somewhere, arranging them neatly inside the octagonal pavilion in the backyard.

"Someone brings me food too," the youth said. "I only arrived last night, and this morning they already sent me a meal once... It was quite lavish; I've never eaten anything that good on the mountain, but there was simply too much, and they just sent over a bunch more..."

As he spoke, he opened the food boxes.

The meals prepared by the Si family for this young sword lord were truly unimaginably lavish, containing many ingredients that Chen Zhian had never even seen before.

Looking at his own provisions provided by the Imperial Household Department—while they could be considered quite lavish—they paled significantly in comparison to the young sword lord's feast.

"It seems I'm taking advantage of someone again?" Chen Zhian smiled inwardly, but he didn't stand on ceremony.

The two of them laid out seven or eight food boxes and devoured every last bit.

***

"By the way, Senior Brother, after talking with you for so long and even sharing a meal, I still don't know your name."

Chen Zhian stated his name, and the youth replied, "My name is Li Xushi, and my master is from Old Sword Mountain."

"Where does Old Sword Mountain rank on the Xuanmen Monument?" Chen Zhian asked casually, taking a sip of tea.

"Seems to be fourth," Li Xushi answered casually while rubbing his round, bulging belly.

Chen Zhian instantly spat out the tea he had just drunk.

"Fourth on the Xuanmen Monument—doesn't that make it the number one power in Great Yu?" Chen Zhian wiped the water droplets off his clothes.

"Old Sword Mountain is not in Great Yu," Li Xushi said. "It's in the southwestern borders of Great Yu."

Chen Zhian looked Li Xushi up and down, feeling deeply amazed in his heart.

This youth appeared to be extremely well-protected by Old Sword Mountain, utterly ignorant of worldly affairs and focused solely on cultivation.

While the two were talking, the eunuch steward arrived at the door once again.

Chen Zhian went to open the gate and brought back a stack of letters.

Princess Shangqiu had actually forwarded the letters sent to her by people requesting paintings directly to Chen Zhian.

Chen Zhian brought the stack of letters inside, and Li Xushi looked at them with curiosity, asking, "These letters..."

"They're all requests for me to paint," Chen Zhian casually placed the letters on the table inside the octagonal pavilion.

Li Xushi looked on with a trace of envy, saying, "Senior Brother not only possesses supreme talent and paints wonderfully, but so many people actually beg Senior Brother for paintings."

Hearing this remark from Li Xushi, Chen Zhian's curiosity flared up again: "Brother Li, what is your cultivation level?"

"I've just cultivated to the Divine Appearance realm. Master always complains that my cultivation is too slow; even when I constructed my Muddy Pill Palace, it took me thirteen days," Li Xushi replied.

"Cultivated to the Divine Appearance realm—isn't that the Jade Que realm?" Chen Zhian's mouth twitched. He always felt that Li Xushi was pulling his leg, yet the young sword lord's eyes were exceptionally clear and innocent.

Realizing he was only frustrating himself, he simply turned his attention back to the stack of letters on the table.

Among the many envelopes, Chen Zhian's eyes suddenly locked onto one, and his expression instantly turned serious.

Written on that envelope were the words...

"Respectfully presented to Madam Li of the Third Rank."

A Lady of State of the Third Rank, and surnamed Li... there were actually very few such people in this Hanging Capital.

"A letter from the Li family."

Chen Zhian remembered the letter he had written and sent toward the Li residence when he was in Sunan Prefecture.

*Respected Mother, reading this letter as if seeing you in person. Please eat on time, take good care of your health, and the day for our reunion will naturally come.*

When would that day be?

Why not, today?