Chapter 107: Yanbi

“Mm… Qing Yi sis,” Yan Liben rubbed his eyes as he walked out of the room, “what time is it now?”

Jiang Ke’er thought for a moment, then said, “It’s the Hai hour.”

She was still not quite used to the ancient way of telling time. The Hai hour was between 9 and 11 at night, which meant Yan Liben had slept for about nine hours.

“Ah, no!” Remembering what had happened during the day, Yan Liben’s face was filled with panic.

“I’m doomed! I made Teacher leave in anger… Oh no, oh no, Father is going to kill me!”

He had been too sleepy during the day, so in his daze he hadn’t realized just how serious the consequences were.

Now that he was fully awake, he was instantly so frightened he didn’t know what to do.

“Don’t be scared. That kind of mediocre Painting Cultivator, it doesn’t matter if he’s gone. Besides, I was the one who beat him up and kicked him out, so it’s got nothing to do with you,” Jiang Ke’er said.

“You’re really bold!” A furious voice suddenly called out from not far away.

Of course, those words weren’t from Yan Liben.

The main gate of the Yan Family opened in response, and a man clad in silver iron armor, clanging as he walked, entered the courtyard.

It was only an illusory projection, but it seemed to possess substance, carrying the awe-inspiring presence of its master.

The moment Yan Liben saw the man, his face fell, and he dropped to his knees with a thud.

“I am Yan Pi. May I ask, what grudge does my Yan Family have with you? Why must you torment my son?” The man glared at Jiang Ke’er.

Jiang Ke’er didn’t feel guilty at all. She cupped her hands to Yan Pi and said, “I am but a lowly girl, not worth mentioning.”

A lowly girl… Not far away, Changsun Qingyue, who had witnessed the scene, curled her lips… The Empress Houtu, calling herself lowly? Who are you trying to fool?

Before Yan Pi could lash out, Jiang Ke’er confessed of her own accord: “It was me who drove away that so-called Qingyang Painting Immortal. He was so useless, and even dared to act arrogantly before the Demon Race, mistreating your son. I couldn’t stand it.”

Yan Pi’s gaze was chilling. “I am fully aware of his skills, but do you realize you have ruined my grand plan!”

Jiang Ke’er’s brow furrowed slightly. “Yin Lord, please explain.”

“My Yan Family has been passing down the tradition of Painting Cultivators for generations. Though our name isn’t widely known, and we are far inferior to the greatest Human Painting Cultivators, we are still somewhat accomplished. You could even call us the number one Painting Dao clan of the Demon Race,” Yan Pi said, waving his hand through the air. At once, swirling spiritual energy took the form of a fierce tiger pouncing at Jiang Ke’er.

Halfway through the leap, the painted tiger faded into the air. Obviously, Yan Pi had no intention of harming Jiang Ke’er. He was simply too angry and wanted to scare her a bit.

So the Yan Family really was a family of Painting Dao… Jiang Ke’er hadn’t expected that.

“Yet, by relying solely on our own exploration, my Yan Family has nearly reached the limit of what the Dao of Painting can offer. That’s why I needed a Human Painting Cultivator to enlighten my son—to let him learn the Dao of Painting from the Human Clan, then combine it with our family’s heritage to Breakthrough Shackle… But now, all my Yan Family’s careful planning has been ruined by you!”

Yan Pi’s furious eyes looked as though they could spit fire.

“So that’s how it is!” Jiang Ke’er said, suddenly understanding and actually looking relieved. “Is that all? I thought you were worried about something serious.”

“Is that all? How dare you say ‘is that all’?” Yan Pi couldn’t believe it—just how ignorant was this little girl?

“That so-called Qingyang Painting Immortal is truly terrible. His understanding of the Dao of Painting is probably stuck thousands of years in the past. If you let your son learn from him, forget about any Breakthrough Shackle… Just not ruining his whole life would be lucky!” Jiang Ke’er showed not the slightest hint of guilt, and smiled.

“Luckily, I discovered it in time. Otherwise, your Yan Family would have been finished.”

Yan Pi’s fists clenched and cracked with rage. If not for the limits of his strength, keeping him from entering the beginner’s realm, he would have already punched Jiang Ke’er in the face.

Jiang Ke’er sensed this, but remained calm and unhurried. “Yin Lord, please, don’t be angry. I understand your feelings. You placed so much hope, only for everything to be thrown into chaos by a Cheng Yaojin barging in unexpectedly. Anyone would be furious.”

Yan Pi paused at her words. “What’s Cheng Yaojin got to do with it? This is related to him? Damn it, that kid needs a beating. I’ll give him a Butt Blossom for sure when I see him…”

Jiang Ke’er was left speechless by this divine conversation.

Come to think of it, Cheng Yaojin really did live in the same era as Emperor Taizong of Tang. She had messed up by mixing up the allusion and accidentally dragged him into it…

Somewhere, the unwitting Cheng Yaojin suddenly felt a chill on his behind.

“Ah, Lord, that’s not what I meant,” Jiang Ke’er quickly explained.

“In any case, if you aren’t in a hurry, just wait a moment and you’ll see for yourself.”

Yan Pi thought about it.

At this moment, he was at the Southern Zhan front line camp, but the fighting had just calmed down.

Besides, Li Yuan, Li Jing, and other Generals were there to guard the place, so there shouldn’t be any urgent matters. It wouldn’t hurt to stay here and see what was going to happen.

“Hmph, I want to see what kind of tricks you have up your sleeve!”

Since he wasn’t in a rush, Yan Pi decided to stay and watch what kind of mischief Jiang Ke’er was up to… though he didn’t have any hopes for this girl who had ruined his plans.

“Lord Yan Pi, you have no idea what kind of suffering Yan Liben has endured while you were gone,” Jiang Ke’er patted Yan Liben’s little head.

“That Qingyang Painting Immortal is cruel and ruthless, extremely harsh to your son, basically abusing him. And now that his reputation has been ruined, he’s even more narrow-minded. He even plans to kill all the Yan Family’s female servants—and your son too.”

“He dares?!” Yan Pi’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“He does dare. You know what Painting Cultivators are capable of. They can kill without leaving a trace. A bit of ink thrown in the river, and there won’t be any evidence left behind. By then, nobody would know it was him.”

Jiang Ke’er sensed the surroundings for a moment, then smiled slightly. “Here they come. Yan Liben, help me prepare paper and ink!”

Even though Yan Liben was terrified under Yan Pi’s ‘overflowing fatherly love’ gaze, he gritted his teeth and obeyed.

—If he wanted to avoid a beating, he’d have to put all his hopes on Qingyi Miss now.

—He didn’t know what she was planning, but, Qing Yi sis, please do your best! Otherwise, we’re both finished!

A gentle breeze rustled the edge of the paper, making the xuan paper whisper softly.

Jiang Ke’er’s long hair fluttered in the wind. She held a brush in her hand, and under the moonlight, stared intently at the paper.

“Jilulu——”

Her ears twitched. From the west came the sound of flowing water—that was the ink being manipulated by a Painting Cultivator, leaving the page and falling to the ground.

Next came the east, the south, and the north.

So they’re all making a move together… how cautious.

With her spiritual sense, Jiang Ke’er already knew what those things were.

Bird, snake, leopard, monkey.

“Yan Liben, this is the First Lesson, Drawing the Bone!”

“The bone is the foundation of form. Without bones, no matter how lifelike a drawing may seem, it’s nothing but a bag of rags that breaks at a poke!”

Jiang Ke’er flicked her brush lightly. In the darkness, four ink creatures leaped forth—shockingly, they were exactly the same: bird, snake, leopard, monkey!