The ritual of three refusals and three offers is a ceremonial courtesy reserved for emperors.
Yun Qi felt that since he had already declined twice, there was no need to refuse again.
He reached out and took the bracelet strung with Taixu Cave Stone, saying, "This single item is already more than enough. I dare not accept the golden seal as well."
Jiang Nanjing grew anxious, "Could it be that you, my benefactor, find this golden seal less valuable than the cave stone?"
Yun Qi quickly waved his hands in denial.
He didn't hold such a thought, but he genuinely felt the gift was too generous.
Obtaining a single cave stone was already an unexpected delight, and he had even resorted to some cunning to get it.
How could he be greedy for more?
Jiang Nanjing continued, "The cave stone was a gift from an elder, while the golden seal is a token of my own gratitude. It's not something of great value, so please, benefactor, do not refuse again!"
He then produced the golden seal himself.
The seal was small but exquisitely crafted.
The body was golden, while the knob on top was white.
Even with Yun Qi's discerning eye, he couldn't tell if it was made of a single piece of dual-colored gold or two rare metals fused together.
However, judging from its luster, it was undoubtedly some kind of fine metal, neither jade nor stone.
The seal face was only about six fen square, with a border height of one and a half inches.
It was a new seal, without any inscriptions on the sides or bottom.
The knob was shaped like a beast, resembling a dragon crouching on the seal body.
Its front claws rested on the edge of the seal, its head raised and extending beyond the seal body, while its hind claws pressed against the seal, its back arched and belly tucked in, as if ready to leap into the air.
Its slender, long tail hung down from the top of the seal, wrapping around most of the seal body.
This dragon was covered in white scales, with eyes and horns inlaid with crimson gold.
White scales, red eyes, a long tail, and fiery horns—this was the appearance of the dragon son, Fuxi.
The dragon's belly was poised to leap, with a white silk ribbon passing through it, like a cloud following the dragon.
This was the ribbon.
The young hero held the dragon son knob seal upside down in his left hand, while his right hand flipped over, producing a carving knife out of thin air.
It seemed he must also possess a cave stone.
He looked at Yun Qi, "Yesterday, I heard you say that you have not yet registered your life, meaning you likely have no Daoist name. I dare not carve your given name on the seal, so please, benefactor, tell me your nickname or the name of your studio, and I will inscribe it on the bottom."
Yun Qi smiled and shook his head, "I am but a country bumpkin who was fortunate enough to join a sect. I have no nickname or studio."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Nanjing's eyes lit up, "Then why not choose one now? To name a studio upon seeing a seal—wouldn't that be a delightful tale?"
Yun Qi looked into Jiang Nanjing's eyes and found himself relenting.
He thought this was probably just a beautifully crafted seal, not some rare treasure, so he might as well accept it.
After some thought, he finally said, "Let's name the studio 'Humble Caution Studio.'"
Yun Qi felt that since he began his cultivation journey, things had gone relatively smoothly, which could easily lead to arrogance.
Perhaps there were moments when he had already become arrogant without realizing it.
Thus, he chose the words "Humble Caution" as a reminder to himself.
Jiang Nanjing was momentarily stunned, then said, "Benefactor, you are no ordinary person. To name your studio 'Humble Caution' at such a young age is truly rare."
Yun Qi smiled, "Pride leads to loss, humility brings gain. It's never wrong to remind oneself often. Please, Jiang Nan, carve this seal for me."
Jiang Nanjing nodded, looked at the seal, thought for a moment, and then smiled, "Fuxi loves to climb high and gaze far. This Fuxi knob seal with the inscription 'Humble Caution Studio' is quite fitting, perfectly embodying the principle of acting with confidence while remaining humble."
Since it carries a reminder, let's carve the inscription in the ancient Han mountain script.
What do you think, benefactor?
"Yun Qi nodded in agreement, finding it quite thoughtful. He sat back in his chair, with Yun Qi sitting beside him. Without any draft, Jiang Nanjing began carving the seal bottom with his knife, stroke by stroke, slowly and steadily.
He seemed to truly enjoy engraving, completely immersed in the task. As golden flakes fell, Yun Qi took the opportunity to put the bracelet on his right hand. He rubbed the beads with his left hand—the Taixu Cave Stone.
The cave stone was about the size of a date pit, crystal clear, like a drop of water or frost. He pinched it, finding the cave stone extremely hard. The cave stone was wrapped in a silver net, which held it in place and tied a knot at the top.
A white braided cord passed through the knot, forming the bracelet. Yun Qi sent his thoughts into the stone, wanting to take a look inside."
Huh?
"His thoughts slid past, unable to enter the cave stone's virtual realm. Jiang Nanjing, who was carving nearby, heard his sound and guessed what Yun Qi was trying to do."
Benefactor, attach your thoughts to the silver net outside.
The key is the outer circle of the net's nodes.
Just run your thoughts around the entire circle.
Then, refine the silver net and set a new key.
If someone tries to forcibly break the net's restriction, the cave stone will shatter, and the virtual realm inside will merge back into the greater world.
The items within will then randomly appear anywhere in the greater world.
"Yun Qi nodded, acknowledging the advice. He felt a bit embarrassed, as if he had been too eager, but his curiosity was genuine. Seeing that Jiang Nanjing hadn't even finished carving the first character"Humble,"Yun Qi tried again.
This time, his thoughts attached to the silver net, as if landing on a spider's web, with each node glowing. It wasn't much different from the keys commonly used on jade slips. Yun Qi's thoughts moved the outermost circle of light points, and after completing the circle, all the light points on the silver net went out.
At this point, Yun Qi didn't rush to refine the silver net but directly sent his thoughts into the cave stone— It was a pure, bright space, like entering a sunny alley in winter. The alley had to be spotless, with thick white paint on the walls, and the ground reflecting the winter sun perfectly.
It had to be winter sunlight, giving the impression that the white was soft, seemingly refracting many colorful light spots. It was nothing like the intense, blinding white of summer. This was the feeling Yun Qi experienced.
The space seemed boundless, uniformly bright everywhere. But when he tried to explore with his thoughts, he kept hitting walls. After several attempts, Yun Qi finally determined that it was a space about three zhang square.
Not small at all. Yun Qi withdrew his thoughts, feeling quite pleased. From now on, he wouldn't need to carry a large bag; he could store any valuable or bulky items inside.
This Taixu Cave Stone had another advantage: the virtual realm inside was both attached to and isolated from the greater world. His thoughts entering and exiting were essentially crossing two worlds that were close yet far apart. This was greatly beneficial for his comprehension of the Taixu Dharma and his understanding of the"Guangcheng Decree of the Void and Heart Mantra.
"Just from that single entry and exit, Yun Qi had already gained some insight. By this time, Jiang Nanjing had finished the engraving. After cleaning the seal face, he took out a wooden box from his own cave stone.
The wooden box was placed on the table, taking up almost half of it. Inside, dozens of small jars were neatly arranged, in a dazzling array of colors. He took out a small red persimmon-shaped porcelain jar, with the persimmon calyx as the lid.
Opening it, the jar contained a warm, reddish-yellow inkpad. The fragrance wafted out as soon as the lid was opened. It was unclear what precious materials and intricate processes were used to make this inkpad.
Jiang Nanjing held the persimmon jar in one hand and the seal in the other, gently touching the seal face to the inkpad's round top, then lifting it immediately. He rotated the seal and repeated the process, first reddening the edges before filling in the center. As he did this, he explained:"Benefactor, applying the vermilion ink should not be rushed.
It's better to do it multiple times.
Once the seal absorbs the ink, the vermilion will naturally stay on the seal.
In the future, you won't need to use the inkpad again.
You don't need to worry about it; the ink won't fall off or dry out." After applying the ink for the first time, Jiang Nanjing handed both the golden seal and the inkpad jar to Yun Qi. Yun Qi expressed his sincere thanks.
Jiang Nanjing then put away the carving knife and the wooden box filled with various inkpads, and took out a booklet.
"Please, benefactor, let me keep this first impression as a memento!"
Jiang Nanjing opened the booklet's title page and asked Yun Qi to stamp it. Yun Qi gladly agreed and stamped the page. It was a red background with white characters, in the Han mountain script:"Humble Caution Studio."
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(End of Chapter)