Chapter 73 Chapter 73: The Melon
Chapter 73: The Melon
"Miss Ling? And this one...?"
Fiammetta wasn't quite sure.
Sitting cross-legged beside Ling was a woman with smoky eyes and painted brows, a waterfall of black hair cascading over her shoulders. Two branch-like, jade-green dragon horns grew from her forehead. A blue-green landscape-patterned qipao perfectly accentuated her alluring figure.
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"So you two were the instigators."
Kevin crossed his arms, a hint of faint surprise in his eyes.
Perhaps they should be grateful he hadn't adopted his true combat stance when facing an enemy just now.
Otherwise, what would have been torn apart wouldn't have been just that "painting."
He glanced at the long scroll on the ground, which looked as if it had been shredded into pieces by some unknown creature. Faint traces of ink could still be seen dispersing, rippling, and blurring into a mess.
"You, this person, are just as troublesome as that old fellow, though your methods are a bit cruder."
Xi didn't seem to mind the ruined painting on the ground. After all, it was something she had been goaded into by Ling and couldn't resist actively testing out.
Now that it had been torn apart, there was nothing to say. Having holed up in Huiqi Mountain for so long, if nothing else, she had plenty of paintings to spare.
Xi was a shut-in, not some unreasonable person. Unreasonable things naturally wouldn't happen to her.
Oh, perhaps there was also the main reason: she couldn't win. Unnecessarily increasing physical activity? She wanted no part of that.
"Sorry, sorry, haha. This is my younger sister, named Xi. Earlier, while tipsy, we made a bet. I didn't expect her to take it so seriously..."
Ling stroked her gourd, then suddenly had an idea.
Her long dragon tail dipped into the inkstone beside her, then with a flourish of the brush, she added sweeping, calligraphic verses to the blank spaces on the two scrolls on the table.
Xi had always disliked this sister who loved scribbling on her blank spaces, but bound by the bet, she could only endure with a sour expression.
"All done! Consider these two paintings as our apology."
"Huh? Mmph... Mmmph!"
Ling covered Xi's mouth, completely ignoring the shocked and questioning look in her eyes. With a flick of her dragon tail, she deftly rolled up the scrolls and handed the two rolled-up scrolls to the pair.
"This... isn't really appropriate, is it?"
Fiammetta felt too embarrassed to accept them, offering an awkward smile instead.
After all, that Miss Xi didn't look willing at all. Her picturesque smoky eyes glared at her elder sister, almost shooting flames.
Muffled sounds came from her mouth; though unclear, they likely contained every "polite phrase" she had learned over the years.
"It's fine, it's fine. Just a small token of appreciation. Please accept them. More importantly, don't hold it against my melon of a sister."
Ling had said all there was to say, both good and bad. Xi was tired; she didn't want to struggle anymore. Just two paintings; if they were given away, so be it.
"Let go of me."
"Alright, alright."
Seeing Xi finally calm down, Ling chuckled sheepishly and released her hand.
"Huff~ Let me make this clear first: my paintings are different from ordinary ones. It's not that I'm stingy with the ink. The other world within is far more captivating than reality. Be careful not to get lost in it accidentally."
Xi took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and offered a rare explanation.
From ancient times to the present, how many people could see through it, leave it behind, and forget it?
"Don't look at me; I'm not talking about you."
Seeing Kevin's handsome face made Xi's anger flare up again. She turned her face away with a cold snort.
Although she hadn't hidden the fact that that world was illusory from the start, judging by his actions just now, he didn't seem like someone who would get lost in it.
"I'm talking about her. She might indeed have some exceptional qualities, but wanting to break free... without ten or twenty years would probably be impossible."
"So it's that dangerous?"
Fiammetta suddenly felt the scroll in her arms grow heavy.
"It's fine."
Kevin reassured her while extending a hand to rest on the scroll. Never mind just two paintings; even if Xi herself were present, she wouldn't be able to cause much trouble in his hands.
The air around them grew heavy. An invincible will and oppressive force abruptly descended into the two rolled-up scrolls.
Within the peculiar artistic conception surrounding him, it was as if a massive boulder had crashed down. Xi stared intently without blinking.
The artistic conception and spiritual energy entwined around the scrolls slowly dissipated. From this moment on, they were merely two ordinary paintings, not extraordinary treasures.
"Feeling heartbroken?"
"No. Once something is given away, how it's handled is their business. It would be a pity if such a large painting couldn't be viewed. This is just right."
In response to Ling's teasing, Xi was indifferent to the matter. On the contrary, compared to the paintings, she was more interested in the power emanating from Kevin.
From him, she caught a scent somewhat similar to that of her siblings.
"Well, it's about time. I plan to go down the mountain and stay for a while. Little Xi, do you want to come along?"
By her reckoning, the visit had lasted some days. Coincidentally, the wine was also finished. She might as well go down the mountain with Kevin and Fiammetta.
Though, it would be nice if she could drag her younger sister along?
Ling understood Xi's personality all too well. She always avoided things this way, believing everyone was merely clinging to life. Over time, she lost interest in the outside world.
Putting it nicely: 'Long days must end; long dreams must fade.' Wasn't it really just holing up and not daring to face reality?
"Don't call me 'Little Xi.' Besides, what difference is there between up or down Gouwu Mountain, between the mountains and the city?"
Xi turned away, speaking wistfully. Bored, she placed her brush on the table, having lost even the desire to paint.
"Perhaps going out for a walk will be different? Moreover, you probably haven't closed your eyes for over a hundred years inside those paintings, right?"
Ling calmly pierced through Xi's last bit of stubbornness. Compared to her, few of her younger siblings could see things clearly.
Although such matters mainly depended on themselves, as the eldest sister, she still had to shoulder some responsibility.
"What? Could it be that you...?!"
Xi was about to retort but suddenly seemed to remember something, her voice halting abruptly.
She had finally discovered this blind spot. Ling drank every day until dead drunk, drinking until her long dreams ceased. Xi had originally thought that was just a pretense.
Now it seemed... it was real?
"So? Going or not?"
A faint smile played on Ling's lips, as if she wasn't worried Xi would make the opposite decision.
"I'll go!"
Xi slapped the table and stood up.
"It really looks like Miss Ling has her completely under control..."
Fiammetta sighed. Was this the elder sister's dominance over the younger sister?
"Let's go. Down the mountain."
The farce was over. He didn't plan to stay in this thatched hut any longer and made the suggestion.
After this incident, Kevin and Pozëmka also lost interest in reaching the summit. The world within the painting was far more wondrous than any mountaintop.
The four of them hastily descended the mountain.
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