Chapter 120: Yin and Yang Transform the Sun and Moon, Helping the Saintess Restore the Painting
“Sect Master, the Saintess… took the Crown Prince to the treasure vault.” An elder immediately reported the situation to Mo Haitian.
Unexpectedly, Mo Haitian stroked his beard and smiled with satisfaction, “They must be going to look at the Mountain and River Sun and Moon Scripture.”
“The Mountain and River Sun and Moon Scripture? That sacred weapon we’ve never been able to activate? We’ve studied it for hundreds of years and still haven’t made any progress,” the elder frowned.
Mo Haitian shook his head, “Qiu’er’s goal isn’t to repair that treasure; she’s trying to use this as an opportunity to get closer to the Crown Prince.”
“Ah, I see…”
The esteemed Crown Prince of Beiyang wouldn’t be interested in a mere treasure or two from Yunmo Dao Palace.
…
“The Crown Prince went out with the Yunmo Saintess earlier,” the three maids whispered among themselves.
Ran Yuwei tilted her head, puzzled. “What are they doing out so late?”
Suddenly, as if realizing something, she hesitated, “Could it be…? No way! If that were the case, wouldn’t it be easier to do it in their chambers? Why go somewhere else?”
Zi Lianyou’s cheeks turned red, and she softly replied, “Actually, the Crown Prince quite enjoys being outside…”
Su Xueni chuckled softly, “It seems it won’t be long before another courtyard is added in the Lotus Realm.”
“I have a question. Why did the princess’s cultivation suddenly skyrocket, but ours didn’t?”
“Who knows? If the Crown Prince doesn’t explain, we shouldn’t ask too much,” Su Xueni said with a smile. “Come on, the Crown Prince gave me the Lptus Realm, let’s go play there.”
“Wow, he even gave you the Lotus Realm?”
“Sister Xueni, the Crown Prince treats you so well!”
Enjoying the admiring gazes of the two younger maids, Su Xueni’s mood lifted.
This is the benefit of being the first.
…
Mo Shuiqiu led Lin Qi’an to Yunmo Dao Palace’s treasure vault.
This wasn’t a place suitable for bringing along maids, as it was a sacred location of the sect. The path was heavily guarded.
When they finally reached the deepest part of the vault, Mo Shuiqiu placed her palm on the stone door, and with a loud rumble, the door opened.
“No one is to enter without my command,” Mo Shuiqiu ordered the two guards.
“As you command!”
With the door closed, only Lin Qi’an and Mo Shuiqiu were left in the stone chamber. Alone, a man and a woman.
Mo Shuiqiu wore the elegant Daoist robes of Yunmo Dao Palace. Though her robes were loose, her graceful and beautiful curves would occasionally reveal themselves with her movements.
Despite being modestly dressed, there was a unique allure to her appearance. It made one curious—what would she look like if her robes were removed?
Mo Shuiqiu’s heart was racing, her face turning red. She knew her intentions weren’t pure. She had pretended to show the Crown Prince the treasure, but in reality, she was simply trying to get closer to him.
As for the Mountain and River Sun and Moon Scripture, it couldn’t be repaired. The sect had studied it for hundreds of years without success.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing! Crown Prince, please take a look.” Mo Shuiqiu pointed to the painting on the wall.
It was indeed a beautiful landscape painting. Although only two colors were used, the night scene within was vividly portrayed, with the vast, silent night sky full of stars.
“This is the Mountain and River Sun and Moon Scripture, a sacred relic passed down from long ago. Unfortunately, we’ve never been able to activate it successfully. The painting changes with time, shifting every hour. Right now, it shows the night scene.”
Lin Qi’an nodded.
A painting that could change with time was indeed magical. He wasn’t well-versed in the mysteries of artwork, and he had only come along to see what tricks the Saintess had up her sleeve.
Wait a moment…
In the Essays of the Wenqu Emperor, wasn’t there a mention of this painting as well? No wonder it looked somewhat familiar. So, it was like this.
In the original storyline, the protagonist Ji Bai would have shone during the cultural exchange and then stayed as a guest at Yunmo Dao Palace. He would have been the one invited to view the painting.
Although Mo Shuiqiu wasn’t a “fated heroine,” it wouldn’t have been strange for the protagonist to attract more women to his side. This was clearly part of the storyline where Ji Bai would win over Mo Shuiqiu.
But Ji Bai was already dead, and his destiny had been claimed by Lin Qi’an.
Lin Qi’an quickly compared his notes. He realized that while the painting at Yunmo Dao Palace had both day and night scenes, it lacked a moon during the night! There was no moon in the night sky.
“Why don’t you try adding a moon?” Lin Qi’an suggested.
“I don’t think that’s possible…” Mo Shuiqiu shook her head. “This painting wasn’t drawn directly. The images within are generated from the painting itself.”
“What do you mean?”
“The creator of the painting drew it from *within* the painting.”
“From *within* the painting?”
This was getting a bit mysterious.
Lin Qi’an pondered for a moment. “Are you saying we can enter the painting?”
“Yes, would you like to take a look, Crown Prince?”
“Sure.”
Mo Shuiqiu approached the painting, touched it with her hand, and her entire body was drawn inside.
Instantly, the painting gained the figure of a breathtakingly beautiful woman in Daoist robes.
“Crown Prince, you can come in now.”
How fascinating!
Lin Qi’an followed her lead and entered the painting.
The world inside the painting was incredibly vivid, almost like a real, miniature world of its own. The world within the painting was mostly black and white. Compared to the Lotus Realm, which was a true miniature world, this place seemed lifeless.
“I feel like there’s no vitality here, everything seems dead,” Lin Qi’an said, frowning.
“Yes, it’s always been like this. We’ve tried adding plants and trees before, but nothing worked,” Mo Shuiqiu replied.
At that moment, dawn broke. However, there was no sun in the sky! There was no moon at night, and no sun during the day.
Lin Qi’an seemed to have found the problem.
“I think if we can add the sun and moon into the painting, it might come to life again. Can you do that?”
“Sun and moon…” Mo Shuiqiu touched her snow-white chin, pondering. “It’s not hard to paint them, but to make them come alive, we would need to inject the energy of Yin and Yang.”
“How do we inject the energy of Yin and Yang?”
“Usually, we would use items of extreme cold or extreme heat. But there’s also…”
As she spoke, Mo Shuiqiu’s face suddenly turned red, her tone softening to a barely audible whisper.
“What else?” Lin Qi’an asked.
“Well… it’s possible for men and women to represent Yin and Yang. When Yin and Yang merge, life can be created continuously,” she muttered, her head slightly lowered.
She bit her lip gently, her fingers nervously tugging at her robe. “That’s why I’ve never tried to paint the sun and moon… it’s too troublesome.”
“Listening to you, it doesn’t sound that troublesome.”
“Crown Prince?”
“We’re already here, so let’s give it a try.”
…
On the first day, the Yin and Yang energies emerged. On the second day, the sun and moon took shape. On the third day, the sun and moon were fully formed, and the painting was brimming with life.
…
Outside the stone chamber, the two guards were perplexed. The Saintess and the Crown Prince had been inside for three whole days and nights, with no sound coming from within. What were they doing?
“Sect Master!”
“The Crown Prince and the Saintess have been inside for three full days and nights!”
When Mo Sheng learned this, he laughed heartily. “Haha, wonderful! It seems that our Yunmo Dao Palace has a stroke of good fortune after all.”
The maids were even more shocked.
“Three days? That’s a full three days!”
“The Crown Prince is truly remarkable…”
“Have you experienced something like that before, Sister Xueni?” one asked.
Su Xueni’s beautiful eyes narrowed slightly. She thought to herself, *I’m not made of iron! How could anyone withstand that?*
That Yunmo Saintess, though… she must be impressive!
When Lu Miaoyin heard the news, her reaction was even stronger.
“What! They spent three days studying an ancient painting together?”
At first, Lu Miaoyin didn’t think much of it. But her maid softly reminded her, “Perhaps they weren’t just studying the painting…”
The realization suddenly hit her, and her eyes widened in shock. Three days! That was beyond her imagination!
…
Inside the stone chamber, Lin Qi’an and Mo Shuiqiu had already emerged some time ago.
Mo Shuiqiu’s face was flushed like a peach blossom, her eyes glistening with moisture, completely unlike the elegant and pure Saintess she once was.
Leaning against Lin Qi’an’s chest, she whispered softly, “Crown Prince, from now on, Shuiqiu is your woman. Whenever you need anything, just let me know…”
She hadn’t expected such an unexpected surprise. Her cultivation had risen by four whole small realms!
Moreover, her spiritual apertures had expanded by ten! Becoming the Crown Prince’s woman not only boosted her cultivation but also led to the restoration of the ancient painting.
Who would’ve thought that such a wonderful thing existed in the world? At this moment, she felt like the happiest woman on earth.
Lu Miaoyin? Compete with me?
Lin Qi’an, never one to be overly modest, accepted it with ease. After all, could he call himself a proper villain if he didn’t have many wives and concubines?
“If you need anything, you can come to Beiyang’s Tianjian City to find me,” Lin Qi’an said casually.
Mo Shuiqiu’s heart soared with joy. With the Crown Prince’s support, anyone who wanted to harm Yunmo Dao Palace would have to think twice!
“Understood,” she replied with a soft smile.
Their three days and nights of effort had not been in vain.