242 The Yellow Mud Inkstone and the Snow White Ground (2/2)

Ning Que thought she might misunderstand him, so he hurriedly explained. ”Vice versa. I can drag this strong enemy, and you escape. Then the other would still not dare to kill me, the core disciple of Headmaster of Academy. So it's just a small game where we each become witnesses. I don't want to make you a scapegoat.”

Hope and disappointment ensued. And in particular, this heart-wrenching expectation would make every young girl feel ashamed and annoyed.

Although Mo Shanshan was not an ordinary girl, she was a young girl after all.

Just as Ning Que was not normally shameless, he was shameless after all.

Mo Shanshan stared at his eyes. The burning flames in her eyes gradually tapered down and turned into indifferent coldness until they were about to exhaust the virtuous and quiet temperature of the legendary Calligraphy Addict. She said slowly, ”In the face of strong enemies, you just want to flee... Don't you think you look too weak and shameless?”

Her calm and indifferent words revealed an apparent sense of contempt and disdain. Although Ning Que was used to this young Talisman Master indifference and quietness along the journey, it was totally different from contempt. He was somewhat annoyed and said, ”I'm going to be beaten into a dead dog. Why not escape?”

Mo Shanshan looked at his self-satisfied face and thought he was actually shameless to express dissatisfaction. Her hands in her sleeves slightly trembled, as if they might be clenched into a fist and hit out at any time.

She stared at him for a long time, just like studying a piece of inkstone. She seemed to see clearly whether this was a precious yellowstone, or a cheap and worthless yellow mud inkstone.

A long time went by.

The girl looked at him and asked disappointedly, ”Headmaster of Academy... how could he accept you as a student?”

Ning Que stretched both hands before him and honestly replied. ”Because he himself didn't know he had a student like me. Sometimes I also think whether he would regret after knowing I'm such a person.”

Mo Shanshan looked at his sincere look and did not know what to say. This time she understood that her original view was correct and judging a person by his calligraphy was a very stupid thing.

Reality and imagination were two different things. She has been psychologically prepared for this. As she got to know him better, she just did not understand how a person writing those sections could be so shameless. Why was the man in real life so different from the man on the Ink Lake surface?

”Come here.”

Mo Shanshan suddenly spoke up and went to the side of a table, spreading a reel

of bud paper made in Xuanzhou.

Ning Que did not understand why, but walked over and sat down. He looked at the thickness of the slightly yellowish paper and those soft floccules on them. Then he loudly praised. ”Good paper. I have only seen such good paper in His Majesty's imperial study.”

Mo Shanshan ignored his praise and poured water into an ink stone expressionlessly. She lifted up an ink stick lightly and ground it for a short moment. Then she pointed at those curtain-like brushes on a pen holder and said, ”Pick one.”

Ning Que vaguely guessed what she wanted him to do and could not help but feel a little nervous. After a short moment of silence, he very carefully picked a purple brush he usually used and then began to adjust his breath.

Sure enough, Mo Shanshan said without any facial expression, ”Write.”

She did not mention any reason for the request, but just a single word, concise and straightforward.

Ning Que asked honestly, ”What should I write?”

After a short moment of silence, Mo Shanshan said, ”Write a memo.”

Ning Que shook his head and said, ”I don't need to leave a message to anyone right now. Why should I write a memo?”

As soon as he finished his words, he adjusted his breathing and calmed down slightly. He slightly stilled his wrist and the sharp brush tip fully dipped in ink fell on the bud paper made in Xuanzhou.

He was now a famous Calligraphy writer in Chang'an City. However, the girl he faced was a world-famous Calligraphy Addict. Of course, he did not dare to slight it. Contrarily, he wanted to show his respect by performing at his highest level.

Within a short moment, he raised his brush and moved back his wrist. Then a cursive Calligraphy was done.

His force was vigorous and his craft was changeable. The characters were round as well as significantly steep.

Ning Que put down his brush and looked at them for a short moment, very satisfied.

Then he looked at Mo Shanshan and felt somewhat worried, for he did not know if she was satisfied.

Mo Shanshan turned to the opposite side of the table and pushed him aside. She leaned into the ink paper and carefully read it for a long time, not showing any emotions on her face or eyes.

She looked at those flying cursive characters on the paper and silently thought it was indeed an expensive Huangzhou Clay inkstone.

Her own inkstone was a Huangzhou Clay inkstone.

Twilight had faded away and night came. Unnoticedly there were several lights ignited in the tent. A dim yellowish light shone on Ning Que's side face and clearly reflected his quirky expression combined with uneasiness and confidence.

Mo Shanshan looked at his side profile and suddenly remembered that side profile by a carriage window on the journey. She recalled the young man with a dark and poisonous mind who taught people to kill. Then she gradually understood something.

Whether it was an expensive Huangzhou Clay inkstone or cheap yellow mud inkstone, it was a good inkstone as long as one could use it to write good characters.

At that time, he was the same man and the man she liked very much. Why else would she be in a hurry to say that there was already someone she liked when he told her that he kind of liked her?

Mo Shanshan understood her own mind and could not help feeling shy and lowered her head, revealing a silent smile. This smile was so unspeakably beautiful under the glow of a dim light.

When her eyes fell on the ink paper, the smile on her face became a bit reluctant. She thought these characters were indeed good, but unfortunately not the words she wanted. She did not want a wide scroll but just wanted a small memo.

”When will you write a memo for me?”

”I like your calligraphy.”

Mo Shanshan looked up at Ning Que and calmly said. There was no pause or unnaturalness in this sentence.

...

...

In a corner of a camp at night, the young female Talisman Master held the piece of paper and quietly looked at it. No one knew what she was thinking of.

Cat Girl looked over and furrowed her thin brow tips. Her bright eyes were full of dissatisfaction. She said indignantly, ”There are so many ungrateful men in the world. I never expected that Senior Brother Ning was also such a person.”

Zhuo Zhihua startled slightly and thought she really should not tell these things to this little girl. Then Zhuo Zhihua said with a smile, ”Since Mr.Thirteen doesn't know about Hill Master's affection for him, how could you call him ungrateful?”

Cat Girl put a milk piece into her mouth and chewed it hard, saying with a grunt, ”Not knowing is worse.”

Zhuo Zhihua said with a smile, ”It's not your business. Hill Master isn't a normal girl who doesn't dare tell him.”

...

...

The cold wind was rustling and snow was drifting. There was still a long way to go, so they stopped to rest.

In the depths of the Wilderness, almost near to Desolate Man tribes, it was pure white between heaven and earth. Occasionally one could see a few trees in the snowfields and some footprints left by beasts.

Just before entering this piece of the snowfield, Ning Que received the last intelligence report sent by Imperial Center Administration and secret guards, confirming that the caravan from Tuyang City did not stay in the palace for too long and turned north at a mountain mouth in front and then disappeared.

He picked up a branch and sketched a map in the snow and his own route thereafter.

”I want to see your characters.”

Mo Shanshan picked off her snow-capped hat. She watched him and calmly said.

Ning Que said painfully, ”I've written all journey. We're about to see Desolate Man. Should I still write?”

Mo Shanshan pointed at the flat snow field in front and said, ”Hurry up. I like to see your characters.”