Everyone immediately agreed with Li Qingshan's words. Since the alliance was already set in stone, the most important thing was how to obtain as many benefits as possible from the alliance. The best outcome would be for the Demon Slayer to perish together with the daemons they wanted to slay, and everyone could continue cultivating in peace. However, they obviously could not say something like that out loud.
Wang Pushi snorted. He was rather displeased by the two words "old Wang". He knew this was a response to this kid. However, this bastard's words were very much to his liking, and he had some right now, so he did not mind addressing him like that.
After another round of discussion, they finally decided to use Liu Changqing as the leader. Together with the other school leaders, they planned on negotiating with Fu Qingjin. However, they had no idea whether the meeting that was originally scheduled to take place would still go ahead now that Fu Qingjin was injured and the Demon Slayer was heavily injured.
Li Qingshan did not pay too much attention to the meeting. He only felt that Fu Qingjin had chosen a very good location. As a sect, their school should have belonged to the Demon Slayer, but they had taken root in the Clear River prefecture and had always mingled with the academy. They happened to be situated in an ambiguous region between the two. Begonia could be regarded as someone who was smooth and slick with people, so she could deal with them.
When the meeting dispersed, Li Qingshan and Ru Xin bickered secretly as they made their way out.
In the crowd, Liu Chuanfeng glanced at Li Qingshan. He wanted to say something, but Li Qingshan sensed something and turned around. Liu Chuanfeng's heart shrank like a mouse that had seen a cat. He lowered his head and left, which left Li Qingshan rather confused.
Chu Danqing suddenly blocked his way. He bowed towards Li Qingshan first before saying to Ru Xin, "Senior sister, can you please visit my master?"
"Danqing, you've reached Foundation Establishment too. What's wrong with your master?" Li Qingshan saw that he had also cultivated to the Zhuji realm. His face was less immature, no longer as dull as when he first came out of the mountain. Instead, his face was full of anxiety, and it was clearly not because of the demonic race.
"My master isn't feeling well." Chu Danqing forced a smile and looked at Ru Xin.
Ru Xin asked curiously, "Isn't Grandmaster Chu's body being nurtured by my master?"
"Senior Hua Ci said, 'You can't cure an undying disease. Buddha will help those who are fated. Fellow Daoist's life force is at its end, and there's no cure for it. Thus, he won't come again. "Chu Danqing's face was full of worry.
Li Qingshan shook his head. That dark-skinned old man's words were really cold and direct. At the very least, he should have said a few words to comfort him. He did not know if Ru Xin had become like this because of him.
"Since my master said so, then I'm afraid … Alright. I'll go take a look. " Ru Xin was about to refuse, but when she saw the pitiful look on Chu Danqing's face, she changed her mind and agreed.
Chu Danqing thanked her profusely and hurriedly led the way.
Li Qingshan knew that he was just doing his best. He was grateful for his filial piety and could not help but sigh a little. A thought flashed through Zhang Xuan's mind, and he followed suit as well.
Ru Xin said, "What are you doing here?"
Li Qingshan said, "To visit, of course. Grandmaster Chu and I have some fate." He paused. "I have a few pieces of calligraphy that I would like Grandmaster Chu to appraise." He thought of the three scrolls of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy in his hands.
The alliance was imminent and war was about to break out. Improving his strength as a human was a top priority. If he could restore the three scrolls of the Cursive Sword Calligraphy, he might be able to bring out a powerful magic artifact. In the past, he was afraid of getting into trouble because of his treasures, but now he had no such worries. Painting and calligraphy were inseparable, so he could not count on Liu Chuanfeng. This matter still depended on the School of Painting.
Chu Danqing's worried expression eased slightly. He said with a smile, "Thank you, senior apprentice-brother. My master is also very fond of calligraphy. Perhaps he will feel better after appreciating a few masterpieces."
After several years of construction, the School of Painting was already quite impressive. There were carved beams and painted walls, small bridges, and flowing water. The scenery was pleasant.
Although they were always at war. But the School of Painting's ability was mainly focused on painting. It was not practical combat. Therefore, they usually did not carry out dangerous missions. They were mostly responsible for painting on the island and handing them over to the Hundred Schools of Thought to ensure the safety of the other disciples. Therefore, they did not lose many disciples and were very popular.
They were all dressed in white, but it was different from the pure white of the School of Medicine. They were painted with flowers, birds, fish, insects, mountains, and people. The murmuring of the stream and the swimming of fish were full of life.
Under Chu Danqing's lead, Li Qingshan and Ru Xin arrived in front of a house covered by pine and cypress trees. The flowers in front of the door were not afraid of the cold and were in full bloom. Butterflies fluttered among the flowers. It was a beautiful sight.
"Grandmaster Chu's painting skills are indeed marvelous." Li Qingshan held a butterfly in his palm and carefully sensed it with his divine sense. He felt that these butterflies and flowers were not real.
Chu Danqing scratched his head in embarrassment. "These are all my paintings. Senior apprentice-brother, you flatter me. They are not as good as the School of Fiction's wonderful method of deriving all things. Senior apprentice-brother, can you wait outside for a while? "
"The School of Fiction is good, but it has high requirements for the external environment. It is not like the School of Painting, which can be done in isolation. Alright, go ahead! "Li Qingshan nodded with a smile. He had almost forgotten about his identity as the top disciple of the School of Fiction.
However, when he looked inside his body, he found that the Divine Talisman of Great Creation had unknowingly accumulated a lot of power of wish. He could not help but feel slightly delighted. "This is the benefit of the School of Fiction. Even if I cast it to the back of my mind, it is still accumulating power endlessly."
Although Liu Chuanfeng was rather pessimistic, as the true leader of the Cloudwisp Society, Sun Fubai had never stopped working hard. His persistence played a huge part in the accumulation of so much power of wish. If he used spiritual energy to refine the Divine Talisman of Great Creation again, he would be able to reach a whole new realm. He would not need to rely on the items in the books and could directly turn the false into the real, turning the illusory into the real. He would be a great help.
Thinking of Liu Chuanfeng's appearance, it seemed that he should return to Cloudwisp Island to take a look and plan his future plans. He had a vague premonition that this power would become extremely important at some point in the future.
"Since you're here, come in!"
Chu Shidao's old and weak voice came from within the abode. Even though Li Qingshan did not know medicine, he could tell that Chu Shidao's breathing was weak, as if he was about to die.
"Please." Chu Danqing could only offer his hand. Li Qingshan and Ru Xin stepped inside and saw that the abode was decorated very simply and elegantly.
Chu Danqing followed closely behind, but his expression was slightly gloomy. This place was decorated exactly the same as the place where he learned painting in the mountains. That was the place where he had enjoyed the most warmth in his life. To a child beggar who lived on the streets in a precarious situation, it was like the legendary Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. However, looking at it now, he felt even more dejected.
"Danqing, you're back." A mortal woman in a cotton dress came out from the back of the hall to welcome him.
Chu Danqing greeted her respectfully, "Mistress, this is Senior Sister Ru Xin and Senior Brother Li."
"Are you the Li Qingshan who won the Heavenly Maiden Scattering Blossoms Painting? I've heard a lot about you. "The woman bowed gracefully. She did not have any makeup on her face as she sized up Li Qingshan curiously.
Li Qingshan was surprised. He had long heard that Chu Shidao took painting as his wife. Could it be this woman before him? However, she was not as breathtakingly beautiful as the rumors made her out to be. At best, she could only be considered a pretty daughter of a humble family. Even now, he could not sense a trace of falsehood from her. That lively life force and those eyes that were filled with emotion were no different from a real person.
This was truly a miraculous skill!
"This way please," said the woman.
They arrived at the inner chamber together. Chu Shidao was lying on the couch. He propped himself up and cupped his hands. "This old man is not feeling well. Please forgive me for not being able to come out to welcome you." His white hair was disheveled. Although he looked weak, he still retained his strength of character. The woman silently came to his back and combed his hair. She hummed an unknown tune softly with a relaxed expression.
"You're too kind, senior. Please allow me to take your pulse." Ru Xin went forward, but Chu Shidao waved his hand. "There's no need. Although I'm not a doctor, I can still calculate my own life and death. Danqing, you're doing something so useless again."
"Danqing is just being filial. You don't appreciate it." The woman patted Chu Shidao's head lightly.
Chu Shidao flew into a rage. "I'm teaching my disciple a lesson. There's no need for you to meddle. Get out!"
The woman walked towards the wall without saying a word. There was a blank, yellowed painting hanging there. She walked straight into it and turned into a painting. She looked at Chu Shidao with a calm expression.
Li Qingshan thought, 'Even someone with Chu Shidao's temperament can't control his temper at a moment of life and death. But it's no wonder.' Even at such a time, this' mistress' still showed no signs of grief. She was just a painting after all. No matter how much she looked like a person, she would not be able to understand human emotions.
Chu Shidao pointed at the painting and shouted, "Danqing, roll up the painting. Don't let me see her."
Chu Danqing looked like he was in a difficult position, but he did not dare to disobey his master's order. He bowed towards the painting and said, "Mistress, master is not in a good mood. You …" Before he could finish, the 'mistress' turned around. Chu Danqing rolled up the painting and passed it to Chu Shidao.
Chu Shidao let out a long breath. The anger on his face melted like snow. He smiled and said, "I've made a fool of myself."
Li Qingshan said, "Senior's health is more important. Why are you angry over a painting? If you don't like it, you can just change it to something else. "
Chu Danqing frowned. She was not just a painting. She was a gentle lady who looked after him as he grew up. She was like his mother.
Chu Shidao smiled and said, "I don't have that much time. I won't be able to paint her again even if I have another hundred years."
His gaze turned deep as he gently stroked the scroll. "When I painted her, I was still a little Qi Practitioner who had just joined the sect. Not to mention the lack of charm in the painting, I couldn't even draw her face well. I wanted to paint a peerless beauty, but the result was a little out of shape. She barely left the painting scroll, but there was no life in her. She spoke like a parrot, and she was dumb. When I asked her to grind the ink for me, she would always knock over the inkstone.
"Later on, later on, I don't know why, but I became more and more … Actually, I'm the same as Danqing. Although I like painting, I really don't plan on marrying a painting. Life is unpredictable!" Chu Shidao sighed with a smile. He held the scroll as if he was holding a peerless treasure. He was filled with longing and reluctance.
Li Qingshan and Ru Xin looked at each other, speechless. What he had poured into the painting was not pen and ink, but the feelings of his entire life. He had turned this clumsy painting of an apprentice into a living being that understood joy, anger, sorrow, and joy. ((m) No pop-up window)
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