Soon, Jiang Hanxing finished reciting his poem. He looked at Li Hao with a pleased expression and asked, "How do you like my poem, Young Master Li?"
"Very wet," Li Hao replied casually, not really paying attention.
Jiang Hanxing laughed, "Although your poem might not fit the beautiful scenery in front of us, it's still not bad."
You really have some nerve… Li Hao thought, giving him a sideways glance. Your poem is considered good? You really have a big face.
"Shall we try another one?" Li Hao, being a fan of literature, couldn’t let an original work be insulted. He wanted to show him something better.
"Oh?" Jiang Hanxing's expression changed slightly, feeling a bit nervous. "What should we write about this time?"
"You choose."
"How about... a waterfall?"
"A waterfall?" Li Hao chuckled. You really are coming at me with a tough topic.
"Alright." Li Hao agreed and then stopped writing. He looked up and began to recite "Viewing the Waterfall at Mount Lu."
As he reached the lines "The waterfall cascades down three thousand feet, seeming like the Milky Way falling from the heavens," Jiang Hanxing was already stunned, his eyes wide in disbelief.
He hadn’t thought much of the previous poem, but this one hit the mark perfectly. He could almost see a picture of the waterfall rushing down in his mind. The phrase about the Milky Way was so elegant and powerful!
Seeing Jiang Hanxing speechless, Li Hao smiled lightly. There are countless poems about waterfalls by ancient poets, and while he initially thought of using one by Du Fu, it was better to let the poetry genius show his own skill.
Jiang Hanxing wanted to try again, but suddenly felt he couldn't come up with anything. It seemed like this poem had exhausted all possibilities for writing about waterfalls. Even if this poem wasn't freshly composed by Li Hao, but rather one he had prepared earlier, it still showcased his talent.
Writing poetry on the spot was just for fun; after all, they were martial artists, not scholars who spent all day searching for elegant phrases in books!
"Young Master Li, I am convinced by this poem," Jiang Hanxing said, bowing slightly.
"That's good to hear." Li Hao smiled and picked up his brush to continue painting.
"Young Master Li, you come from a prestigious family of generals, yet you have such deep skills in poetry and painting. Don’t your elders mind?" Jiang Hanxing asked curiously.
"Of course they do."
"Then why…"
"They just couldn't keep me under control."
"…"
Jiang Hanxing was left speechless and suddenly couldn't help but laugh, feeling he had met a truly interesting person. This was the first conversation between Jiang Hanxing and Li Hao, and many years later, he would still remember it clearly.
Li Hao ignored Jiang Hanxing and continued painting. Seeing Li Hao focused, Jiang Hanxing decided not to disturb him further and quietly left.
The next day, before Li Hao could go to the Cold Pool to find the Water Qilin to paint, he was called to the Sand Palace by Shen Yunqing.
When he heard the two conditions from Song Yufeng, Li Hao was a bit surprised but didn’t hesitate much and chose to become a named teacher.
A year was too long.
However, he had one condition: all the elders in the Sand Palace, including Song Yufeng, had to cooperate with him for one thing.
That was to let him paint.
In modern terms, it meant being a model.
Song Yufeng was a bit taken aback by Li Hao's unusual request, but he thought it was a minor issue and agreed without hesitation, considering it just a quirk of this talented young man from the Li family.
As a named teacher, he would need to teach three classes each year, and if he missed a year, the classes would accumulate to the next year.
The term for a named teacher was ten years.
That meant thirty classes, which was quite manageable.
Seemingly anticipating Li Hao's choice, Song Yufeng also informed him that the students he would teach were not from the A Academy but from the Black and White Hall.
Li Hao didn’t mind; he was only responsible for teaching, and it didn’t matter who attended.
Seeing Li Hao agree so readily, Song Yufeng smiled. Both of them got what they wanted, and the cooperation was very pleasant.
After leaving the Sand Palace, Li Hao was about to head to the Cold Pool when he suddenly saw Li Yuanzhao approaching.
"Brother Hao, Sister Wushuang is back."
Li Yuanzhao said to Li Hao, "Aunt said there will be a family banquet tonight to welcome Sister Wushuang back, so we should return early."
"Ah?" Li Hao was momentarily confused. After thinking for a moment, a lively little girl appeared in his mind.
Many years ago, Fifth Aunt had tearfully watched her leave with an old man who looked youthful despite his gray hair.
Now, had that little girl returned after her studies?
Thinking of this, Li Hao couldn’t help but remember the little tail from the Sword Cottage nine thousand miles to the south.
Shaking his head, Li Hao replied to Li Yuanzhao, "It's still early, I'll just take a stroll and arrive on time."
He didn’t have much feeling for that little girl, especially since the Li Yun siblings had deliberately distanced themselves from him over the years, and he had seen Fifth Aunt less often.
"Uh, should we prepare any gifts in advance?" Li Yuanzhao asked.
He only had a vague impression of Sister Wushuang, but he had heard many stories about her in the house over the years, knowing she was one of the best among their generation. Of course, she couldn’t be compared to the current Li Hao.
"That's true." After all, she was his cousin whom he hadn’t seen in years. He should prepare a small gift. Li Hao thought for a moment and said, "I don’t know what she likes, but it should be food. You go to Hongxiang Tower and buy a crispy roast goose, and then get some bamboo-scented ink dragon liver from Cuihu Courtyard… make sure it’s warm for the banquet later."
Li Hao listed seven or eight famous dishes from Qingzhou City that he had personally tasted and enjoyed.
Li Yuanzhao was surprised. "Is that it? But these aren’t expensive; together they don’t cost much silver."
"Our family isn’t short on money. A small gift carries great meaning. She must have missed these delicacies while traveling. She probably doesn’t lack for other things," Li Hao said.
Li Yuanzhao thought about it and agreed.
Sister Wushuang had studied under the Thousand Mechanisms Sect, with a renowned master teaching her. What could she possibly lack?
Cultivation techniques? She could choose from the Listening Rain Tower.
Weapons? She could find her own in the storeroom.
As for gold, silver, and other mundane items, she probably wouldn’t even bother to look at them.
"Alright, I’ll go buy according to Brother Hao’s suggestions."
Li Yuanzhao agreed.
After he left, Li Hao picked up his drawing board and headed back to the Cold Pool.
He set up the drawing board and reached into the water. Sure enough, a shadow suddenly surged up, splashing water everywhere.
Li Hao quickly returned to the drawing board and said, "Senior Qiumo, please hold that pose."
Song Qiumo revealed her true form as a Water Qilin, looking quite majestic. She had intended to change shape, but upon hearing Li Hao's words, she stopped and froze the surrounding splashes in mid-air.
Li Hao quickly began to paint, and soon, a painting of the Water Qilin emerging from the water was completed.
"Done."
As Li Hao finished speaking, Song Qiumo controlled the water splashes to retract back into the pool. She stepped forward, her figure transforming into a human shape, moving gracefully with bare feet to stand in front of Li Hao's drawing board.
"Not bad."
Seeing the image on the drawing board, Song Qiumo's eyes sparkled with joy. Was her pose really that beautiful?
She tilted her head to look at Li Hao and smiled, "How do you like my outfit today?"
Li Hao looked over and saw she was wearing a water-blue dress, the same one from yesterday, but with noticeable silver chains on her hands and feet, making her look sparkling.
Do all women like shiny things? Li Hao chuckled and said, "It looks great."
Song Qiumo rolled her eyes at him and said, "Then you should start painting."
"Okay."
Li Hao immediately began to paint seriously.
To be honest, today, with the accessories enhancing her appearance, Song Qiumo looked even more stunning, with an ethereal beauty that sparkled.
After finishing the painting, he surprisingly gained over a hundred points of painting experience.
Clearly, these accessories were not ordinary items.
"Yes, very nice."
Song Qiumo nodded gently, but her eyes couldn’t hide her delight and satisfaction.
Li Hao smiled and then asked her to change poses for another painting.
Time passed slowly.
By the edge of the Cold Pool, Li Hao had painted Song Qiumo over a dozen times. Among them, he had also had her change into her true form for seven or eight paintings.
In total, he gained over four thousand points of experience, and combined with yesterday's, he was close to twenty thousand.
Li Hao had discovered yesterday that painting Song Qiumo actually gave him more experience than painting the Second Master and the others.
Of course, he didn’t think it was because the Second Master and the others were inferior to Song Qiumo. It was likely because they usually restrained their auras, so he couldn’t capture the essence while painting.
In contrast, Song Qiumo was open and vibrant, making his paintings quite powerful.
It seemed he would need to find the Second Master and the others to paint again… Li Hao thought to himself.
One person at the fourth stage could yield over twenty thousand experience points. The combined experience from the Second Master, Wind Master, and Fifth Master was sixty thousand.
Previously, he had only gained less than five thousand experience points from each of them, thinking he had reached the limit.
It seemed he would need to discuss with them about revealing their true strength… Li Hao mused, but he knew the Second Master was a bit hard to please, so he would have to prepare his favorite dish, chicken stew with mushrooms.
"Let’s call it a day," Li Hao said, glancing at the sky. It was getting late, and he spoke to Song Qiumo.
Song Qiumo, holding a stack of paintings, was overjoyed. She smiled and said, "If you ever have difficulties, feel free to come find me. As long as I’m not leaving the Sand Palace, I can help you with almost anything."
"Senior Qiumo, are you trapped here?" Li Hao asked in surprise.
Song Qiumo shook her head slightly, not elaborating. "Then I’ll see you next time."
With that, she gracefully dove back into the Cold Pool.
Seeing this, Li Hao also packed up his drawing board and headed back home.
As Li Hao passed by the A Academy on his way down the mountain, he noticed that the Li Yun siblings were no longer there. The other disciples were still practicing, and when someone saw Li Hao, they immediately shouted in surprise.
Soon, everyone else noticed Li Hao and turned to look at him.
Li Hao smiled and waved his hand as a greeting, then quickly slipped away to avoid being surrounded with questions.
At the foot of the mountain, Li Hao rode back home.
As he reached the entrance of the estate, he felt the atmosphere inside was lively today. The guards at the entrance were all smiling.
Seeing Li Hao, the guards bowed their heads in greeting.
Li Hao returned to the Shanhua Courtyard and learned from Uncle Zhao that Uncle Fu had sent word from Cangyu City that his injury was healing quickly and he would be returning the next day.
At the same time, Uncle Zhao handed Li Hao a gift box and said, "Young Master, Miss Li Wushuang from the Snowfall Courtyard has returned to the estate today. The Madam has prepared a family banquet to welcome her, and this is a gift I prepared on my own. You can take it with you to the banquet later."
(End of Chapter)