“If you don’t come closer, you won’t see what I need for the commission.”
Yino stood at the spiral staircase in the corridor, a bit helpless as he said this.
Sera paused, then gathered her courage and stepped forward.
“A little closer.”
“Ah… okay…”
“Even closer.”
“Ah… w-w-what!”
Seeing Sera hesitate, Yino suddenly grabbed her small hand wrapped in silk, pulling her right in front of him.
“Ahh…”
Sera’s face turned red, and even her mouth shook, making a buzzing sound like an introvert meeting an overly friendly person from the Northeast for the first time, trembling with no idea what was coming next.
But before Sera could speak, Yino took her hand and pointed down the stairs at a white-robed woman who was meditating, a sword in her arms, waiting for something.
“Sister… Yuyan?”
Sera was slightly taken aback, feeling a bit puzzled.
At the same time, Yino snapped his fingers, smiling, “Yep. Can you do a nice portrait of her for me?”
“Huh?”
The bizarre request made Sera forget the awkwardness of holding hands. She leaned over the railing, blinking in confusion.
Yino was really taken aback by her. No matter when, Sera always had this
sneaky
vibe.
Even now that he’d dragged her to the staircase, she was still leaning over the railing like a thief, only revealing her face to peek at the white-robed woman below.
“But… but you paid me so much…”
“Not for some complex array… but for me to draw a portrait of Senior Yuyan that has no real purpose?”
After a long silence, Sera turned around, looking up at Yino with a mix of disbelief and shock.
At this moment, she didn’t mind being so close.
“What do you mean it has no purpose? Do only arrays have meaning? Isn’t the art of painting meaningful!”
Yino suddenly put his hands on his hips, lecturing like a character from a shonen anime.
For a moment, Sera was startled, feeling a wave of guilt, as if compared to Yino, she wasn’t truly passionate about painting.
“Sorry, sorry! Painting is really meaningful. It can capture the beauty in life. That’s what I’ve always thought…”
“That’s right! Next time, I’ll take you to Ranmo Peak, and I’ll have Senior Yuyan pose for you. Just paint her as is.”
Yino smiled, feeling quite pleased.
But just as Sera nodded, he suddenly thought of something else, blurting out:
“By the way, can you make it look a bit… spicy?”
“Hah…?”
Sera blinked, thinking she’d misheard.
But soon, her cute face turned serious.
At some point, Yino felt a chill on his back as if the Frost Chant sword was at his neck. He waved his hand dismissively, “Forget I said anything, I don’t have high expectations. Just make her skirt a bit shorter, her pantyhose a bit more shiny, and touch it up artistically.”
“Oooooh! I get it now!”
After a brief eye contact, Sera seemed to catch onto Yino’s wavelength. She hugged her drawing board tightly, suddenly very seriously addressing him.
For a split second, Yino thought he’d underestimated the girls.
Even Yunjin, that silly girl, could become a pro at understanding hidden meanings. Maybe Sera wasn’t as innocent as she seemed?
“You really get it?”
This time, Yino’s question was full of innuendo.
Sera, under his gaze, gradually realized how embarrassing their conversation was. freёweɓnovel.com
“I… of course, I know how to draw that!”
She nodded repeatedly, her eyes determined as if she were about to join the Immortal Alliance.
But while Yino remained skeptical, Sera stood on her tiptoes, pouting her lips, and motioned for him to lean closer. Yino raised an eyebrow but brought his ear closer.
“Actually… I remember Sister Yuyan’s appearance and figure… so even without going to Ranmo Peak… I can paint her exactly as you described…”
She whispered.
Holy cow! Are you an immortal of forbidden images?!
Yino’s eyes widened in awe, as if he’d just seen a living deity.
“Is that true?!”
“Of course!”
After some time discussing, Sera seemed to have overcome her social anxiety.
The young girl excitedly put her hands on her hips, raised her face, and gave Yino a smile, as if finally finding a customer who could meet her artistic whims. After a brief exchange of looks, Yino took a deep breath and nodded respectfully at Sera.
“So, if I wanted a painting of her without any clothes on…”
He leaned in, covering his mouth with his hand, and whispered into the girl’s ear.
“That… that’s a bit too much…”
Sera blushed intensely, unsure how to respond.
But just as she was struggling internally, her eyes caught sight of a beautiful woman walking up behind Yino…
“Eek!!!”
“What if I wanted her kneeling on a bed, one leg slightly raised, taking off her high heel…?”
“Mr. Yino!!! Please, please don’t say any more!!!”….
….
Heavenly Apparition Hall, Main Chamber.
As the white-haired immortal on the high platform moved her chess piece, the instruments throughout the hall responded with a chorus of chess sounds.
She was addressed as
Celestial Master
by a person and a foxgirl below, seemingly holding great authority.
“So, a being named Yino killed the Child of Prophecy.”
“His actions contradict the prophecy, and he can’t be predicted by the star-gazing device. That’s why the original plan to have Gu Wanglan and Chen Jianxin kill him failed…”
“And by coincidence, whether it’s the Nine-Colored Deer or the innate Sword Dao Holy Body of the Child of Prophecy, all were ultimately inherited by this undefinable existence called Yino…”
The white-haired female spoke softly, not looking up, still gazing at the chaotic chessboard before her.
Thud—!
Another heavy sound of a chess piece dropping made the floor tremble, perhaps indicating divine wrath. Below, the charming foxgirl squinted her eyes in confusion.
This time, she and Yanran had completed their assigned task, yet the Celestial Master seemed unusually angry?
“Celestial Master.”
“Was your intention from the start not to kill Chen Jianxin?”
Jinyue’s sudden question broke the silence in the hall.
But the celestial master on the platform didn’t raise her head, only staring at the board with a self-mockery in her eyes.