Ning Xuan’s face, however, collapsed completely. Heaven knew he had only fabricated that excuse at random. Heaven knew he merely wanted ink and brushes so he could hurry back and repair the mess he had made. He had never expected disaster to descend from the heavens and add yet another troublesome assignment to his workload!
The room contained thousands—perhaps tens of thousands—of books! An idle person who knew how to write and had nothing else to do might manage to sit there and copy frantically all day. But Ning Xuan already had more work than he could finish every day. Was this not simply adding chaos to chaos?!
Without even stopping to eat, he hugged the inkstone, paper, and brushes against his chest and ran all the way back to the library. Looking at the pages filled with twisting, winding characters, Ning Xuan could only feel that ancient people were terribly troublesome. Why had they transformed perfectly good simplified characters into something so abstract? Not only were there far too many strokes, but the characters were difficult to remember and even more difficult to write!
What forced Ning Xuan to marvel, however, was that although this was his first time seeing these objects that resembled ghostly talismans, and while he could vaguely identify the wisdom modern people had extracted from them, the writing itself remained fundamentally different. Yet he could still understand most of it, as though it were not entirely unfamiliar. He had originally resented the tangled, crooked strokes and intended to practice first. But the instant he picked up the brush, his movements somehow became perfectly convincing, and writing felt unexpectedly effortless.
Could it be that I possess extraordinary natural talent? As expected, I truly am a genius! Ning Xuan immediately sank into blissful self-admiration and could not free himself.
When Qing Zhu and Mo Qi eventually arrived with leftover food hidden beneath their clothes to make offerings to his “temple of the five organs,” what they saw was the temple’s master staring blankly with a lovestruck expression, drool running from the corner of his mouth like an idiot.
Wisely choosing not to disturb him, they placed the food nearby and returned to their own work.
From noon onward, Ning Xuan did not move so much as half a step away from the little table and chair in the library. Bent over with his head lowered, his brush flew across the pages. Both lunch and dinner depended upon the scraps brought by the two friends whose loyalty had been proven through hardship, allowing him to make a small offering to his stomach. He did not even have time to visit the latrine. In Ning Xuan’s words, “Rather than wasting time getting lost while searching for the latrine, I might as well endure it and finish copying this first…”
When lantern-lighting time arrived, everyone had no choice but to disperse. Watching Mo Qi and Qing Zhu’s figures recede into the distance, Ning Xuan tearfully shouted one final plea. “Brothers, couldn’t you help me copy at least a little…?”
The two turned back with carefree ease, shrugged, and displayed matching innocent expressions. “We can’t read.”
Damn it! Ning Xuan nearly ground his teeth to pieces. As though I can read! These things all look like ghostly scribbles. I’m merely copying their shapes! Neither of you possesses the slightest artistic talent!
Ning Xuan continued muttering resentfully, but it accomplished nothing.
Had he only needed to update the monthly catalogue, the task would not have been so troublesome. It would have involved nothing more than writing several book titles and adding a few marks. Unfortunately, Ning Xuan had earnestly aired the books and, with equal earnestness, smeared page after page. The writing inside was small and densely arranged. Although he had damaged only a few books, copying all those characters was essentially no different from reproducing an entire volume—especially for a complete beginner…
“Oh, bed, though you are rather hard… Oh, blanket, though you smell somewhat strange… How deeply I miss your hardness and your softness at this moment!” Ning Xuan released a mournful sigh toward the window in the empty room and even raised a hand to wipe the corner of an eye that contained not a single tear.
Knock, knock, knock.
Before he could finish lamenting, several quiet knocks sounded at the door. The night was silent except for the wind, the chirping of insects, and the occasional crackle of the candle flame. The unexpected knocking made Ning Xuan shudder. I heard that ghosts and monsters were extremely common in ancient times. My luck couldn’t possibly be so terrible that I’ve encountered one, could it?… Amitabha, how virtuous, how virtuous. Although I’m an atheist, I’m willing to follow local customs and worship you. It may be a little late, but I promise I’ll make up for it in the future! Merciful Guanyin Bodhisattva, Tathagata Buddha, please hurry and subdue every real or imaginary thing outside that door…
Ning Xuan prayed fervently, while the person outside gradually lost patience.
“There is someone inside.” It was not a question but a statement. The deep, magnetic voice carried unquestionable authority. Ning Xuan froze. He seemed to have heard that voice somewhere before. He racked his brain, but could not remember…
Then realization struck him. If the figure outside truly was human, he was still doomed! The residence’s rules required all servants from every section to return to their rooms and sleep after the lamps were lit. Naturally, the attendants serving the masters, madams, and young gentlemen in the various wings were exceptions. Ning Xuan, however, had remained behind to work through the night and had only managed to escape because Mo Qi was covering for him back in their room. If he were discovered here, he would not only suffer himself but also implicate Mo Qi. What should he do?
“I know you’re inside. Open the door quickly. It will be troublesome if someone sees me,” the man outside said.
Ning Xuan instantly became alert.
He was afraid of being seen. A supervisor conducting an inspection would never fear that, and a master from one of the wings would care even less. Such people came and went wherever they pleased. The person outside must also be a servant who had secretly slipped out at night. Remembering his own experience sneaking out to find food only to become lost, Ning Xuan’s sympathy immediately overflowed, accompanied by malicious satisfaction. At last, someone else possesses as terrible a sense of direction as I do!
He tiptoed to the door, removed the bar, and opened a narrow gap to let the visitor inside. While closing it again, he did not forget to peer left and right like a thief and check whether anyone had seen them.
“Don’t worry. There is no one nearby. I checked before coming over. Otherwise, I would hardly have dared knock so openly.” The visitor calmly sat upon the empty wooden chair at the opposite end of the table.
Only then did Ning Xuan collect himself and turn around. Was this not the guard who had laughed at his painted face that morning and told him to wash before going outside?
Ning Xuan was not some thoroughly wicked person. Deep down, he was warmhearted and loyal. But neither was he particularly easy to deal with. As the saying went, a gentleman who failed to avenge a grievance was no gentleman, and a man who accepted a loss without retaliation was no true man. Ning Xuan was someone who repaid even the smallest offense.
Seeing the visitor sitting there with perfect composure and wearing that irritating half-smile made Ning Xuan furious. What a joke! They were inside the library now—Ning Xuan’s territory! He had kindly taken in this poor, homeless wanderer who had gotten lost. His caution had been for both their benefit, yet this bastard still dared laugh at him!
In three quick steps, Ning Xuan marched forward and unceremoniously kicked the man in the shin. He knew how painful a sudden blow there could be. Even without experiencing it himself, he could estimate from the man’s twisted, twitching expression.
“Hey, you must be new. Show a little awareness, would you? That’s my seat!” As he spoke, Ning Xuan stepped forward and shoved the still-stunned man, whose eyes had widened in astonishment, out of the chair with his backside.
There was more than one chair, and that had not even been Ning Xuan’s original seat. He simply could not tolerate the amused curve in the stranger’s narrow eyes, the smile upon his sensual thin lips, or the way his entire handsome and upright face seemed perpetually on the verge of laughter—especially when Ning Xuan himself was the object of that amusement!
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