Chapter 23 – The Demon-Subduing Warrior Painting

With hope in his heart, Mu Lin cultivated through another night, ultimately relying on Hibernation to restore his energy.

The next morning, Mu Lin’s cultivation proceeded as usual.

But at noon, he left early and returned to his own courtyard.

The Dao Palace Cafeteria was divided into an ordinary section and a spiritual energy section, but the truly wealthy individuals never ate here. They had their own spiritual chefs to prepare their meals.

Some kept a low profile; after their food was delivered, they would casually find a spot and eat alone.

Yet others enjoyed being the center of attention, and Yan Yunyu was undoubtedly one of the latter. Therefore, every noon, she would have her servants bring the meal box to the cafeteria, dining in full view of everyone.

At the same time, the dishes she ate were never just one or two. Though not as extravagant as a full Manchu-Han banquet, she had ten to twenty dishes daily.

These delicacies made from spiritual ingredients were each incredibly precious. It could be said that every meal cost her dozens, even nearly a hundred Spirit Stones.

Oh, and one more thing: she rarely dined alone. Those she valued would have the privilege of joining her at the table.

Mu Lin’s friend Zong Xiu had been invited two or three times.

Today, Yan Yunyu was, as usual, enjoying the envious gazes of others while eating with graceful poise.

But halfway through her meal, a commotion arose from the cafeteria entrance.

Soon, everyone’s attention was no longer fixed on her but shifted toward the entrance, causing Yan Yunyu to frown.

Before she could instruct her maid to see what was happening, she noticed the disturbance moving toward her.

Quickly, she saw the source of the commotion.

Four elegantly dressed maids were carrying a luxurious wooden board, upon which rested a scaled-down, exquisitely beautiful palace garden.

Yan Yunyu was already well-traveled and knowledgeable, but even she was dazzled by the refined and elegant Grand View Garden.

Green trees and red pavilions, small bridges over flowing water, winding paths leading to secluded spots—the picturesque scenery made it seem like a distant fairyland.

From afar, the Grand View Garden was captivating.

Upon closer inspection, one could discover delightful surprises everywhere within it.

The Xiaoxiang Pavilion surrounded by emerald bamboo, where phoenixes were said to alight; the Daoxiang Village with its rustic charm; the Hengwu Garden fragrant with herbs; the Qiushuang Studio with its pleasant environment… Each beautiful scene brought increasing joy the longer one looked.

If one observed even more intently, they would notice that not only were the flowers and scenery exquisite, but even the maids inside were lifelike, as if alive.

Moreover, many of the pavilions were inscribed with perfectly suited poetry, adding to the elegance of the place.

All these breathtaking scenes were condensed onto a paper model the size of a door panel, then colored with Master Grade Painting skills. What the four maids carried was no ordinary paper but an artwork that stirred longing.

Of course, if such an artwork were placed before commoners, they would have no time to appreciate it.

But among the Disciples of the Dao Palace, there were not only commoners but also scions of noble families. For them, such an item was a rare treasure worth collecting.

Before Mu Lin could direct the Paper Figure maids to carry the Grand View Garden to Yan Yunyu, someone couldn’t help but step forward and ask him:

“Is this Grand View Garden for sale? I’ll offer thirty… no, eighty Spirit Stones.”

These words left Mu Lin momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected that someone wouldn’t know his large-scale artwork had already been custom-ordered by Yan Yunyu.

‘Not very familiar… This must be a senior sister from the Dao Palace…’

Before he could explain, Yan Yunyu, unable to hold back, stepped forward on her own.

“Hmph, this Grand View Garden is mine!”

This statement startled the senior sister. However, she also recognized this Eldest Young Mistress, so she didn’t argue with Yan Yunyu. Instead, she turned to Mu Lin and asked, “Can I place a custom order?”

“No, I’ve already made an agreement with Junior Brother Mu. His artwork can only be sold to me.”

After saying this, she circled the Grand View Garden several times. The more she looked, the more apparent the delight on her face became.

After a full half-cup of tea’s time, she finally snapped out of her reverie and nodded at Mu Lin with satisfaction. “You’ve done very well. I really like this Grand View Garden. Tell me, what reward do you want?”

He didn’t mind her condescending attitude. As long as she actually paid, it was fine if her attitude wasn’t great.

At the same time, Mu Lin didn’t decline. He quickly stated what he wanted.

“Thank you for your reward, Miss Yan. Recently, my visualization practice has hit a bottleneck. I hope to borrow from you, Eldest Young Mistress, a True Spirit Diagram depicting a Warrior.”

True Spirit Diagrams, crafted using special methods, allowed Mu Lin’s soul spirit to enter the painting, immersing him in Sensing the body and will of the Demon Beast or Warrior within the diagram.

This was the method Mu Lin had thought of to quickly visualize a powerful Warrior.

‘This counts as the second method recorded in the Paper Crafting Scripture: forming a Warrior Contract to closely observe their secrets and abilities… I’m just using the True Spirit Diagram to save observation time.’

Here, Mu Lin was requesting the diagram. As he expected, this wealthy Eldest Young Mistress directly fulfilled his request.

“A True Spirit Diagram? That’s quite simple…”

As she spoke, she rummaged through her storage ring. Soon, a yellowed scroll was handed to Mu Lin.

“This is the Demon-Subduing Warrior Painting. It can still be visualized three times. Take your time looking at it.”

After saying this, Yan Yunyu paid no more attention to Mu Lin, focusing instead on examining the Grand View Garden.

Naturally, Mu Lin didn’t disturb her. He took the scroll, clasped his hands in gratitude towards Yan Yunyu, and left.

After he departed, Yan Yunyu looked at the unique and elegant scenery of the Grand View Garden, growing fonder of it the more she gazed. At one point, she even said to her maid beside her, “Xiao Xue, later, find an artist to copy this thing and have it built in the city. From now on, I’ll live in the Grand View Garden.”

“…Yes, Miss.”

This instruction from Yan Yunyu startled her maid Xiao Xue for a moment and shocked quite a few others as well.

Then, hearing Xiao Xue’s agreement, they truly felt the immense wealth of the Yan Family.

To just decide to build an entire palace garden on a whim—this really was treating money as nothing.

Because of this extravagant behavior, many people thought of imitating Mu Lin, currying favor with this Eldest Young Mistress to earn some benefits from her.

However, if they witnessed what happened next, they would realize that not everyone could make money from this seemingly ‘brainless’ Eldest Young Mistress.

If Mu Lin saw this scene, he would feel a chill run down his spine regarding his own actions…

…

After admiring it for a while, Yan Yunyu ultimately chose to bring the Grand View Garden back to her residence.

Upon returning to her quarters, though Yan Yunyu’s arrogance remained, it had diminished considerably. Her demeanor no longer gave off a ‘brainless’ impression; instead, it had grown… profound.

Her maid, Xiao Xue, however, remained as cold as ever.

“Eldest Young Mistress, was it really wise to give him the Demon-Subduing Warrior Painting? Even if it’s just an act, you’ve given him too much.”

“His luck shouldn’t be enough to offset the Demon-Subduing Warrior Painting.”

Hearing this, Yan Yunyu chuckled.

“Heh, consider it a case of ‘a thousand gold for a horse’s bones.’ With his little performance, my brainless act is now deeply ingrained in everyone’s minds. Others who approach me won’t be overly cautious… Go to the family treasury and fetch a few more items. Since they dare to covet the Yan Family’s ‘wealth,’ I’ll give it to them.”

At this, a flicker of pity appeared in the maid Xiao Xue’s eyes.

The Four Seas Pavilion was a top-tier power, its influence spanning several provinces. As one of the pavilion’s ruling families, the Yan Family hadn’t achieved their status through mere goodwill. Borrowing their wealth always came with a price to repay.

As pity stirred within her, Xiao Xue thought of something and said to Yan Yunyu, “Eldest Young Mistress, should we keep an eye on Mu Lin? What if he meets with misfortune and dies…”

“No need to pay too much attention. I didn’t drain too much of his luck…”

Here, she smiled faintly. “That fellow knows his limits. In our first transaction, he didn’t ask for much. And this Grand View Garden truly is an artwork—I quite like it.”

“What a pity his Spirit Root Talent is too low. Otherwise, I could have given him the Six Ding and Six Jia Painting and made him my servant.”

…

Mu Lin would never know that his low talent had allowed him to escape a calamity.

Though, he might not have fallen into the trap anyway.

For instance, after obtaining the painting and returning home, he immediately opened it to examine it.

He soon discovered that the painting contained not only the Daoist guardian—the Yellow Turban Warrior—but also, beneath the True Spirit Diagram, a demonic monster being subdued—a Yaksha.

From the Yaksha’s artistic essence, Mu Lin understood that it, too, could be visualized by the soul spirit.

In fact, a single Yaksha was stronger than a single warrior.

The painting also showed six Yellow Turban Warriors attacking together to subdue the Yaksha.

These six Yellow Turban Warriors were armed differently: one held a shield, another a spear, a third a long-handled saber, a fourth a great hammer, a fifth was entwined with chains, and the last was drawing a bow.

“Six methods—these must represent six types of soldiers. Add the Yaksha, and that makes seven… I owe her a favor.”

Mu Lin could have taken advantage of this, but the values instilled in him from his previous life made him reluctant to exploit others.

“I’ll have to craft the remaining palace gardens carefully as well…”

This very mindset was why he might not have fallen into Yan Yunyu’s trap. Had she truly offered him the Six Ding and Six Jia Painting, Mu Lin would most likely have refused.

Everything comes with a price. Fearful of inviting trouble, he would only accept what he could control and repay.

(End of Chapter)