Mang Shusheng's Ink Painting Practice

Chapter 18 Miss Zhou's Dream

Entering the work discussion, Zhao Yifu first asked, "What is this lady's name?"

The girl in the lake blue dress thought for a moment and said, "My father's last name is Zhou."

It's gone.

It was obvious that she didn't want to reveal her maiden name.

Zhao Yifu didn't mind and introduced himself: "My surname is Zhao."

Miss Zhou nodded and said, "Okay, Mr. Zhao, I'd like to buy a painting from you, but I don't know what you mean by 'personal customization'. Could you give me some advice?"

Zhao Yifu had already made plans for this. He said, "Miss Zhou, please think about it. Is there anything you particularly desire?"

Miss Zhou answered frankly, "Of course I do, but it's not convenient to talk about it."

Yes, if you say it out loud, it's just being too intimate. There's no need for that.

Zhao Yifu asked from a different perspective: "Then what was Miss Zhou's childhood dream?"

Miss Zhou lowered her head and thought for a moment, then she understood and said, "I understand what you mean. I did have a dream when I was a child, and I'm not afraid to tell it now."

"That is, when I was little, I dreamed of becoming a female general who defended my country and led my men to fight against the Northern Tartars at the border."

Zhao Yifu asked curiously, "Miss, do you still have this dream?"

Miss Zhou shook her head and smiled: "It was just a childhood dream. Since it is a dream, it will naturally end when it wakes up."

Zhao Yifu nodded and began to think about it.

Miss Zhou asked, "How about this? Can you make my childhood dream come true again?"

Zhao Yifu came back to his senses and said, "Of course you can. What kind of weapon do you like, young lady?"

Song Jie, who was enjoying the food nearby, almost choked when he heard this familiar process. However, he was a little worried about Zhao Yifu. After all, this young lady from the Zhou family seemed to have a good appreciation of art. Could she be fooled by these tricks?
Miss Zhou smiled and said, "Use the sword. I've practiced some sword techniques at home."

Zhao Yifu asked again, "Miss, have you ever imagined the ending of your childhood dream?"

Miss Zhou asked, "Mr. Zhao, what do you mean?"

She didn't understand.

Zhao Yifu asked, "Exactly. How did Miss's army end?"

"Should I return to the capital in triumph to receive rewards, or die on the battlefield for my country, or continue to guard the frontier and make silent contributions?"

Miss Zhou closed her eyes and pondered for a moment, then sighed, "Since that dream has long ended, I have served my country faithfully."

Zhao Yifu nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

He closed his eyes and thought for a while, then spread out the scroll and began to paint.

He already had a picture in his mind, and all he had to do now was to draw that picture.

As for painting skills?

His strokes at this moment were vigorous and powerful, which was the result of practicing Lingxu Finger Strength for many days.

What he was painting at this time was the battlefield, and this kind of strength could perfectly render the iron-blooded texture of the battlefield.

With just a few strokes, he had outlined a sea of ​​blood and corpses.

He was completely immersed in painting.

Although his technique was still not outstanding, he was able to integrate his own spiritual will into it through complete concentration.

This is somewhat similar to the state when I was painting for Zhao Yehe.

Both Zhao Yehe and Miss Zhou actually have one thing in common, which is that they arouse Zhao Yifu's desire to express himself in certain aspects.

Whether as a joke or out of thought, he wanted to express something in his heart.

This was an expression of his inner brilliance, and it also allowed him to enter a state of oblivion of himself and the world.

And it was in this state that an aura of war and iron cavalry gradually spread across his painting.

Miss Zhou was stunned when she saw Zhao Yifu painting.

Because she felt that the scene depicted by the brush seemed familiar to her, as if she had seen it somewhere?
Then a few more strokes.

This time, the strokes were powerful yet round and soft. The next moment, the image of a female general, both gentle and strong, appeared on the scroll.

She stood in a sea of ​​blood and corpses, holding a sword in both hands, with her face slightly turned to the side, her head tilted back and her eyes closed.

Miss Zhou's pupils suddenly contracted, and she suddenly felt as if she had become the person in the painting. This vaguely seemed to be the scene in her dream.

Zhao Yifu's painting continues.

He still paints quickly because he feels he only needs to depict the feeling he wants.

Soon the black lines were completed, and the next step was to color them.

Zhao Yifu chose red. If it fell into a sea of ​​blood and corpses, it would be like blood. If it fell on a female general, it would be like a battle robe, like rouge... and like a wedding dress.

In short, at this moment, the female general in the painting immediately struck people's hearts. She was so beautiful that people could not look at her with disrespect.

Finally, Zhao Yifu let out a long sigh and put down his pen.

He felt a sense of complete satisfaction, which was the joy of expressing his inner feelings. He felt a warm current rushing through his body, and his whole body was in a state of activity and excitement.

He quickly restrained the heat flow, and then felt another surge of internal energy in his body.

The quality of this increased true qi is still higher than that of Yanghe spiritual energy, and even higher than the true qi he obtained through silent hard practice!

He suddenly realized that perhaps yang and spiritual energy were just incidental, and what Danqing Miaofa really pursued might be the true energy generated by this kind of cultivator in the blissful state after completing the inner expression.

"Good...that's great."

Miss Zhou couldn't help muttering.

Song Jie beside him quickly reminded him, "Brother, don't forget to sign your name!"

The two words "signature" are emphasized.

Zhao Yifu came to his senses immediately.

But after some hesitation, he said, "Miss Zhou, this painting is your dream, so I won't sign it. I'll just leave a private seal as a souvenir."

As he said this, he pressed his letter seal in the blank space at the lower left corner of the scroll.

The moment the seal fell, he felt a strong yang and spiritual energy gathering on the seal.

Wow, the yang and spiritual energy this young lady provided him was actually more than what his father gave him.

Now look at Miss Zhou...

He raised his eyebrows and had a bad feeling. Why did he suddenly look like he was crying?
He didn't do anything excessive, did he?
Miss Zhou seemed a little overwhelmed. She picked up her handkerchief and gently tapped the corner of her eye. "I'm sorry, I lost my composure. How much is this painting?"

Zhao Yifu felt guilty facing the crying woman. He felt that he had already obtained the most important part, so he said, "If the lady likes it, give it to her. It's just an apology for scaring her earlier."

Miss Zhou quickly said, "How can this be..."

Zhao Yifu interrupted, "Dreams are priceless."

He didn't want to continue to get entangled with this sentimental lady. Didn't he see that more and more people were watching around? He didn't want to get into trouble.

Miss Zhou was stunned when she heard this, then nodded seriously and said, "That's right, dreams are priceless."

She bowed slightly to Zhao Yifu and said, "Thank you for the painting, Mr. Zhao. I, Qingzhao, am deeply grateful."

After saying this, he left with the maid.

Zhao Yifu clasped his fists to see him off, but he didn't expect Song Jie's expression to change drastically.

"Brother Junxin, you have met an important person!"

Zhao Yifu asked curiously, "Is this Miss Zhou of extraordinary status?"

Song Jie said, "Her surname is Zhou, and her maiden name is Qingzhao... She is the daughter of Lord Haoran!"

Zhao Yifu's expression changed then.

Zhou Haoran, the cousin of Zhou Su, an academic official in Mozhou.

Zhao Yifu was a student at that time. In theory, he was under the supervision of Zhou Xuezheng and had to call him "Teacher Zhou".

In other words, this Miss Zhou Qingzhao is the daughter of Zhao Yifu's immediate superior.

(End of this chapter)