Mang Shusheng's Ink Painting Practice

Chapter 45: Painting the Dead, Painting the Dead

"Brother, we..."

Song Jie couldn't help feeling a little nervous.

Zhao Yifu thought it was okay, after all, he was just a thug wearing a Confucian robe.

He patted Song Jie's arm and whispered, "Don't worry, it's within expectations."

Then he turned to face Mr. Xu.

The old scholar clasped his fists towards Zhao Yifu and said, "Young Master Zhao, I only ask for the truth about my son's death. If you are willing to reveal it, I will definitely offer you a generous gift to make amends."

Zhao Yi Fu smiled slightly, suddenly turned around and opened the bookcase, then spread out paper and pen and placed the inkstone.

He placed a piece of ink in his hand, then used two fingers to pinch it into two pieces.

Then, with a twist of his wrist, a stream of clear water shot out from the water tank in the yard. Then, the five fingers of his left hand quickly kneaded the ink block at an angle that was impossible for an ordinary person to achieve...

After a while, the clear water mixed with the ink to become ink for writing.

And the ink did not fall, but actually spun and danced in front of Zhao Yi Fu like a silk ribbon... A month ago, Zhao Yi Fu was playing with ink all over his body and was enjoying it. I am afraid he himself did not know that he would be able to do this level a month later.

"So beautiful……"

Song Jie was a little dizzy.

He just felt full of envy, this was what he had once longed for.

Perhaps he was so close to Zhao Yifu because he hoped to see what he had once expected come true in Zhao Yifu.

Mr. Xu stood there in shock. Perhaps Zhao Yifu's performance had opened his eyes to a whole new world...

At this moment, the spread-out paper was blown by the wind and curled up.

A dark mass jumped out from his sleeve...

Yiyi helped him press the corners of the paper like a paperweight, and was very conscientious.

Zhao Yifu smiled, and the originally tense atmosphere immediately became full of warmth.

In other words, the strong servants around were no longer enough to affect the atmosphere here. The atmosphere in the yard was completely controlled by Zhao Yi Fu.

The ink ball wrapped around the tip of his pen like a silk ribbon, and then his soft pen tip pierced into the ink ball and suddenly pulled it down onto the paper.

The ball of ink was dancing, and every time his pen tip drew a line, more ink would fall down and quickly make it fuller.

Just like inkjet printing, a detailed character image is already on the paper.

He was a young man holding scriptures in his hands.

As soon as the appearance appeared, Mr. Xu's eyes became red... This was his son Xu Shida.

Zhao Yifu put down his brush, and the remaining ink fell into his inkstone without being wasted.

He took out his letter seal and pressed it on the scroll, then tapped the scroll with one hand...

The scroll flew into the air and fell into the hands of Mr. Xu.

It was originally going to be colored, but he was too lazy to bother. After all, it was a painting of the deceased, so black and white seemed just right.

He didn't say much, quietly put away his food and said, "Well, the obligation of the same period has ended, so let's say goodbye."

Having said that, he continued walking forward.

The servants were frightened and no one dared to stop him.

Who among normal people has ever seen such a scene of dancing ink?
This is really dancing with ink.

The Southern Dynasty had always respected scholars, and when Zhao Yifu performed this ink dance again... it felt a bit magical.

Who dares to offend this?

Before leaving, Zhao Yifu glanced at a shadowy corner of the room, nodded slightly, and then left. There was a vague figure there. It was the spirit of Xu Shida, who had lingered near his body during the first seven days of mourning.

Before Zhao Yifu painted the picture, the soul had a hole in its chest and was covered in blood.

But after Zhao Yifu painted the picture, the soul returned to its normal form.

Zhao Yifu saluted it with his eyes, and it actually responded.

It seems that Zhao Yifu's painting resolved some of the obsessions of the deceased.

Zhao Yifu led Song Jie out of the Xu residence. Song Jie breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank goodness I managed to scare him off. I never thought you, Jun Xin, could use the ink-splashing technique to this degree."

Zhao Yifu laughed and said, "Brother Zitai, you have accumulated more than ten years of experience than me. I don't believe you don't have any unique skills."

Song Jie scratched his head awkwardly and said, "Don't mention it. My martial arts skills have long been completely destroyed by your sister-in-law."

Zhao Yifu wisely avoided the topic, then apologized, "It was my own willfulness that caused my brother to not get the job."

Song Jie shook his head and said, "It doesn't matter. This is the character of a scholar. I just envy you for having such character."

Indeed, what Zhao Yifu just showed was the integrity of a scholar, which is very popular in the literary circle.

In fact, Zhao Yifu didn't want to act like a fool, but there was nothing he could do. This was the way society was.

He said, "But there should be a chance for things to turn around. It all depends on when Mr. Xu comes to his senses."

"By the way, does my classmate, Brother Xu, have any brothers or children?"

Song Jie was a veteran in Moyang City. He thought for a moment and nodded, "Xu Shida is indeed the only son of the Xu family, but some time ago, I heard that a servant girl in the Xu family was pregnant. At that time, people on the streets speculated that it was the father and son's offspring."

"It was a scandal for the Xu family at the time, but they were busy covering it up, and it was left unresolved."

"Now it looks like maybe it's a good thing again?"

Zhao Yifu nodded and was about to say something else when he suddenly felt a strong yang and spiritual energy coming from his letter seal, causing the entire letter seal to vibrate as if it had an 'electric motor' installed.

Zhao Yifu was a little surprised. This old man from the Xu family had such a good mining output? He already had the instant mining rate of his two fathers.

Then he came to his senses.

This old man Xu was a juren himself, which was considered a scholar-official in the Southern Dynasties. The social resources he could mobilize were not necessarily worse than those of Zhao Yifu's father.

More importantly, this old man Xu has personal knowledge and accomplishment!

Normally, this kind of person would never appreciate Zhao Yifu's work, but Zhao Yifu painted portraits of deceased people...

If his guess was correct, the portrait of the deceased that he completed with the ink-splashing technique might become the carrier of Xu Shida's soul because of its own short-lived spirituality.

Maybe Mr. Xu discovered something?
Zhao Yifu felt that he had acted too hastily just now, otherwise this would have been a very suitable research topic.

He is now particularly interested in matters related to spiritual practice.

Seeing that Song Jie still looked a little worried, he patted his shoulder and said, "Don't worry, Brother Zitai. I think it won't be long before the Xu family comes looking for you to write a memorial again."

Song Jie asked curiously, "Why do you think so?"

Zhao Yifu asked, "Do you believe that I can tell fortunes?"

Song Jie replied with a smile: "Yes, I believe it."

Then he said, "I still have to go back to the street to set up a stall, but according to my brother's temper..."

Zhao Yifu waved his hand and said, "Of course I won't go. I'll go home early today, just in time for a half-day rest."

Isn’t it nice to pet cats and dogs at home?
I just happened to be frightened yesterday and needed to rest and calm down.

He feels at ease.

(End of this chapter)