The next day, inside Xiaoxiang Elegant Garden.
Holding the jade plaque given by Aunt Rong, Deng Tianyu passed through the winding corridors and arrived in the courtyard.
Just as he stepped into the courtyard, his footsteps paused, and his gaze fell on the Orchid Pavilion ahead.
Following his line of sight, a mature beauty dressed in a snow-white palace gown, draped in a snow-white sable fur, was leaning against the falling snowflakes, painting something with intense concentration.
At this very moment, this breathtakingly beautiful and elegant silhouette seemed to blend perfectly with the entire snowy scene, as picturesque as a poem or painting.
Unwilling to disturb her, Deng Tianyu softened his steps, making not a single sound as he slowly walked to the Orchid Pavilion.
From his angle, he could see Aunt Rong’s back, only the coiled three thousand strands of black hair and the graceful, alluring curves of her figure.
Deng Tianyu took another step forward and could now see what was being depicted on the rice paper.
Qu Qirong still hadn’t noticed the person behind her, continuing to hold the charcoal pencil with intense concentration, slowly outlining a familiar silhouette.
Following the sketching method Deng Tianyu had taught her, she started from the whole to the parts, then from the parts back to the whole.
Gradually, a handsome young man with a smiling expression leaped onto the paper!
The man in the drawing was stunningly handsome, his features clearly defined like a carved sculpture, his angular face extraordinarily beautiful.
Relying on her memory, a smile touched Qu Qirong’s lips. She didn’t even need to look at the real subject and had already depicted the young man in the painting.
She had actually intended to paint the snowy scene of the courtyard today, but for some reason, when she closed her eyes, that familiar figure appeared.
Perhaps it was a whim, or perhaps because he had painted a portrait of her, she also wanted to personally paint one for him.
After a long while, once Qu Qirong had finished coloring the painting, she put down her brush, gazed at the youth on the rice paper, and sighed softly: “Why does it always feel like something is missing?”
Although she had portrayed Deng Tianyu, and portrayed him vividly, it ultimately lacked that final touch of spirit and charm.
“It’s not a pity at all. For Aunt Rong to reach such a lifelike level in such a short time is already extremely rare!”
Suddenly, a familiar and gentle voice came from behind.
Qu Qirong turned around and saw the very young man from the painting standing before her, looking at her with a smiling expression.
In that moment, she knew what her painting was missing—it was the living spirit and charm of the young man’s every gesture and motion standing right before her eyes.
Qu Qirong’s gaze fell upon the person before her, and she chided him playfully: “Tianyu, why did you come and not even make a sound?”
“Squeak!” Deng Tianyu nodded, following the elder’s request.
Qu Qirong was stunned for a moment, then burst out with a “Pfft” laugh.
This smile was like a flower blooming, a beauty too stunning for words, and like snow clearing after a sunny day, brightening the entire Orchid Pavilion.
“Just now, I saw Aunt Rong focused on her painting and couldn’t bear to disturb you.” After taking a seat, Deng Tianyu asked: “Is Aunt Rong painting me?”
“Mm!” Qu Qirong nodded, poured a cup of fragrant tea, and placed it before him: “What does Tianyu think?”
“It’s perfectly vivid, no different from my real self!” Deng Tianyu took a sip of the fragrant tea and said seriously.
Qu Qirong’s bright, deep, beautiful eyes glanced charmingly, and she gave him a coquettish glare: “You! Always saying nice things to fool Aunt Rong.”
Usually, when she painted other scenery, she always needed to look several times to fully grasp it.
But she didn’t know why, when painting Deng Tianyu, his specific appearance had already appeared in her mind, making her brushstrokes flow smoothly without the slightest pause.
“It’s not just nice words, I’m only telling the truth.” Deng Tianyu shook his head, “Aunt Rong’s progress in sketching is indeed astonishingly fast.”
Being praised so highly by a junior she cherished, Qu Qirong felt quite pleased, though she still had some confusion:
“Actually, the moment I saw Tianyu, I understood what this painting was missing in terms of spirit, but I don’t know how to add it.”
“It’s very simple. To capture a person’s spirit, you must reflect the expression in that person’s eyes.”
Meeting her gaze, Deng Tianyu picked up the charcoal pencil and, on his own portrait, outlined a clear distinction between black and white.
While speaking, he picked up the paintbrush again and lightly applied a bit of pale color to the eyes of his painted self.
Instantly, the eyes of his painted self contained stars within, filled with depth and vastness, fully displaying the spirit and charm.
“So that’s it!” Qu Qirong looked at the portrait now imbued with spirit and immediately understood the principle behind it.
To paint stillness, first paint movement. To paint spirit, one must pay attention to a person’s eyes.
After all, no matter who it is, the eyes are the windows through which one expresses their own emotions.
Whether it is anger, sorrow, calmness, or indifference, all can be perceived from the subtle emotional cues conveyed by the eyes.
Deng Tianyu put down his cup, slightly puzzled: “Aunt Rong, this fragrant tea is no ordinary item?”
The moment he took a sip just now, he felt a fragrance lingering between his lips and teeth, and after it entered his stomach, spiritual energy arose, nourishing the various meridians throughout his body.
“Mister Deng is correct!”
“This fragrant tea is made from Ice Crystal Flowers combined with several spiritual ingredients, steeped in morning dew.”
“It can not only nourish a cultivator’s body but also achieve the effect of dispelling fatigue.”
Just then, the maidservant Qing’er arrived at the Orchid Pavilion carrying several plates of exquisitely fragrant pastries, placing them on the stone table.
“Ice Crystal Flower?” Deng Tianyu pondered for a moment, recalled information about this flower, and was immediately somewhat surprised: “Isn’t that a rare spiritual item that only blooms once every twenty years?”
“Exactly so!” Qing’er picked up the teapot and refilled Qu Qirong’s and Deng Tianyu’s cups, explaining.
“Last night, Madam learned that Mister Deng would be coming today, so she specifically ordered me to go to the medicine garden to pick Ice Crystal Flowers.”
“And these pastries, they were all personally made by Madam!”
Although the words were simple, a warm current flowed through Deng Tianyu’s heart, and he felt Aunt Rong’s doting affection and care for him.
He had always known that Aunt Rong regarded him as her own, but he had never imagined it would be so meticulous.
Just like a mother waiting for her son to return home, once she knows her son is coming back, she carefully prepares everything.
Qu Qirong noticed his change in expression and gave Qing’er a look: “You certainly talk too much!”
Qing’er knew that although Madam meant no reprimand, she also knew her words just now had been somewhat abrupt. She said no more and stood by to attend them.
Qu Qirong withdrew her gaze and looked at Deng Tianyu: “Tianyu, try this plum blossom pastry!”
“Yes, Aunt Rong!” Deng Tianyu smiled slightly, picked up the bamboo chopsticks, and took a piece of plum blossom pastry. A feeling of guilt suddenly arose.
Previously, he had been so busy with sect matters that he had forgotten to inform Aunt Rong. Compared to him, Aunt Rong was constantly thinking of him.
“Qing’er, you try some too.”
Qu Qirong had Qing’er sit down and placed a piece of plum blossom pastry in her bowl.
“Thank you, Madam!” Qing’er responded warmly, opened her small mouth gently, and also tasted a piece.
Qu Qirong’s beautiful eyes shifted, and she asked: “How is the flavor?”
Qing’er: “Madam’s cooking skills are naturally excellent!”
Deng Tianyu: “Sweet but not cloying, delicately fragrant and elegant…”
