Chapter 11
The night rain is gurgling, and the gilded incense burner rises to curl up the smoke, and the room is filled with light and light rosin.

The rain hit the eaves and washed away the moss on the stone steps. With a "boom", the tiles on the eaves fell off, startling the birds that had settled down.

The old monk in a yellow robe pressed a white piece on the chessboard, stroked his gray beard, and sighed, "No more, no more, I admit defeat."

On the other side of the chessboard, the young man smiled gently, playing with the sunspots with his slender fingers, "You haven't lost yet."

"I've been forced by you to retreat, how can I go?" The old monk gave him a look, "Mingji, I haven't seen you for a while, you came to see the old monk's joke."

Li Ming didn't answer, just lowered his head and concentrated on playing with the chessboard.

The old monk said quietly: "Ming Ji, I am looking at your recent paintings, but what difficulties have I encountered?"

The old monk is the elder of Ning'an Temple, and his dharma name is Shuyi.After many years of practice, he is obsessed with calligraphy and painting, and the name of painting monk is well-known in the capital.It has been several years since he met Li Mingji. The 16-year-old boy is carrying a wooden board and painting for people in Fangshi. His strokes are calm and majestic, with a maturity that does not match his age.

Afterwards, Li Mingji often came to Ning'an Temple, and he and Elder Shuyi were regarded as masters and apprentices.In just a few years, Li Mingji's attainments in calligraphy and painting have been perfected, and he is highly sought after by literati in the capital, which is hard to find.

And who would have thought that the painter "Qing Yan" who is popular in the capital is no more than the crown now?

"No," Li Mingji smiled, "Master, it's done."

Elder Shuyi took a closer look, the situation on the chessboard has changed, the white pieces surrounded by all sides rushed out of the encirclement, and actually killed a bloody path from the black pieces.

"What a life after death!" He clapped his palms and exclaimed, "Ming Ji, you have learned the old monk's painting skills, and even surpassed the old monk in chess?"

"Ming Ji dare not."

Elder Shuyi was only joking, his eyes moved away from the chess game, and landed on the new paintings that Li Mingji had sent.

Although the young man deliberately concealed it, it is forgivable that an elder knows his painting method, and he can find the difference if he looks closely.Compared with the fine workmanship and hidden edge of the past, the lines of these paintings are loose, but the pictures are majestic and majestic, showing a chilling air.Especially the picture of the yellow sand in the desert, which is vigorous and sharp, as if it has been experienced personally.

Paintings are the reflection of people's hearts. There is such a huge change, and Elder Shu Yi can only attribute it to Li Mingji's encounter with difficulties.

Li Mingji narrowed his eyes slightly, observing Elder Shu Yi calmly.

In the tenth year of Xing'an, there was a great epidemic in the capital. Elder Shu Yi took the lead to go down the mountain to help the patients. Unfortunately, he fell ill and died. He hadn't seen Elder Shu Yi for many years, and he hadn't picked up his paintbrush for many years.

His birth was like a curse, his mother was killed, those close to him left him one after another, and Jiaojiao died in his arms.Probably he should not die, but he has a chance to do it all over again.

"Speaking of which, there will be distinguished guests in the temple tomorrow, and the little princess will go up to the mountain for a short stay again." Mentioning Shu Yao, the elder Shu Yi sighed, and his eyes were a little more compassionate. But every year, the little princess goes up to the mountain alone to pray for blessings, and Qin Yanghou is nowhere to be seen."

Li Mingji said indifferently: "The eldest princess chooses to sleep here, thinking about it, she doesn't like being disturbed by others."

After Jiaojiao's death, he once slaughtered Qin Yanghou's whole family with his own hands.Jiaojiao didn't like his hands covered with blood the most, but he broke the precept in front of her several times and died for her. Is it a kind of relief?

It doesn't matter.This time, he will live the way Jiaojiao likes most.

Sensing the coldness and gloom of the young man, Elder Shu Yi closed his eyes, lightly twisted the beads in his hand: "Amitabha."

*
There was a heavy rain the night before, and the mountain road was muddy and rough.Originally planned to go up the mountain in the morning, and arrived at Ning'an Temple in the afternoon, Shu Yao was helped out of the sedan chair by Chunrui, endured the discomfort and straightened her appearance, supported Mi Li and raised her eyes, "Abbot."

The girl was dressed in plain clothes, no makeup, no matter how delicate she was usually, on such an important day, she didn't complain at all, and her every move was the manner of a royal princess.

"I've seen the princess," the abbot leaned on his long Zhangzhang and cupped his hands, "The princess is exhausted, the temple has prepared a vegetarian meal, please come with the poor monk."

Shu Yao would come to the temple to stay for three days every year, and there was a wing specially prepared for her.The eldest princess didn't like to make public, and the blessing ceremony was also very low-key. Only the Buddhist hall dedicated to the eldest princess and the wing room where Shu Yao lived were cleared out. There were still pilgrims walking around in the temple. Which nobleman came to offer incense, but the abbot came to receive him in person.

The group of people drifted away, and Li Mingxuan, who was wearing a gray robe, hid behind a tree, his eyes closely following the slim figure.

Chunrui looked back and saw pilgrims coming and going, and a few young monks cleaning fallen leaves in front of the door, Shu Yao asked, "What's the matter?"

Chunrui shook her head, "It's nothing."

The eldest princess is buried in the royal tomb, and few people know that her memorial tablet is also enshrined in the Buddhist hall. The princess had a temper with Qin Yanghou in the early years because of praying, and Qin Yanghou's family has never gone up the mountain since then. Woolen cloth?She must be thinking too much.

After eating vegetarian food, the monk brought Shu Yao to the Buddhist hall to offer incense to Princess Yongning.

The ritual of praying for blessings is very simple. Most of the time, Shu Yao kneels and sits in the Buddhist hall alone, chanting scriptures and condolences to the dead.

Shu Yao originally wanted to take this opportunity to come to Ning'an Temple to ask eminent monks about dreams and ghosts.Unexpectedly, after that time, she hadn't had a dream for several days, not to mention weird scenes, she didn't even have the most normal dreams, and she slept until dawn.

Did she think too much?
Shu Yao frowned slightly, rubbed her sore knees, walked out of the Buddhist hall, and found several new paintings hung in the corridor, pine smoke, landscape, desert, magnificent and majestic, signed "Qingyan".

Qingyan...

Although she studied piano, chess, calligraphy and painting since she was a child, Shu Yao has a restless personality and really can't appreciate these things, but her uncle's family likes them very much.Shu Yao remembered that this painter named Qingyan once went to the royal study, and his works were hung on the wall. His uncle said a lot of compliments, saying that although this painter's painting skills are not sophisticated, his style is unique. Let Shu Yao learn a thing or two.

Shu Yao, who is as arrogant as a little princess, is not rare to imitate others, and was beaten so badly that she didn't take a pen for a few days.

Taking a closer look, this painter named Qingyan does have some basic skills, and the paintings are all scenes that Shu Yao has never seen before. The atmosphere is open and shocking.

"Mr. Li Erlang?"

The pine needles called all over, arousing Shu Yao's attention.She turned her head and saw Li Mingji standing behind her, his handsome eyebrows and eyes were stained with a slight smile.

"The county lord."

He is so good looking.

Shu Yao was taken aback by this smile, and only then did she notice that Li Mingji's face had turned a little bloody, and she seemed to have recovered a lot.

No wonder I have the mind to come out and walk around.

She snorted: "I didn't want you to recuperate well, why did you come here?"

"Thanks to the love of the princess, Mingji has improved a lot," Li Mingji said warmly, "Is the princess checking?"

(End of this chapter)

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