Yuan Ming carefully sized up the person in front of him and recognized him.

This Commander Fu, named Fu Qing, was one of his father's personal bodyguards, and not only did he hold a military position, but he was also a cultivator.

As for those behind him, Yuan Ming did not recognize them, as they were all unfamiliar faces.

However, it was not hard to guess that General Yuan, in order to prevent his close associates from leaking information, chose his trusted Fu Qing for this mission and replaced the others with new recruits.

"Brother Fu," Yuan Ming chuckled lightly and stepped forward to help Fu Qing up.

"Young Master, I have finally found you," Fu Qing said with red-rimmed eyes.

"I didn't expect Father to send you to meet me. It must have been difficult coming all this way," Yuan Ming said.

"As long as I could find the Young Master, I am prepared to die a thousand deaths," Fu Qing clasped his hands in a fist salute.

It was then that Lord Ba Yin stepped forward and asked, "Do you know each other?"

"This is the person we asked the Lord to help us find, the Young Master of our General Mansion," Fu Qing said.

"Oh... May the Dog God bless your reunion; this is indeed the best arrangement," Lord Ba Yin drew out his words.

After speaking, he called for the stout man who was beaten half to death, revived him with soup medicine, and inquired about the whole story.

"Using your Central Plains people's words, this is what's called 'the flood washed over the Dragon King's temple, one family does not recognize another.' Young Master Yuan, please do not blame us for our rashness," Lord Ba Yin quickly changed to a warm and enthusiastic smile.

"No harm done. I heard that Lord Ba Yin is looking for a painter. I happen to know a bit about painting and calligraphy, so if you don't mind, I could give it a try," Yuan Ming glanced at him, noticing that he was also a Qi Refining Stage Cultivator, and said with a smile.

"Young Master Yuan is an honored guest; how could we possibly trouble an honored guest? Come, come, our banquet has just started, Young Master Yuan and Commander Fu, please take a seat," said Lord Ba Yin as he led Yuan Ming and his party back to the banquet hall.

After everyone was seated in order of priority, the banquet began.

After a round of toasting and drinking, Lord Ba Yin spoke of being deceived, still showing some irritation.

That rascal Wu Liao, with his glib tongue, convinced everyone that he was a court painter, a direct disciple of Wu Daozi. After freeloading and drinking in the mansion for two days, he stole some of the mansion's gold and silver treasures, purporting to go out to seek inspiration and strolled out of the Lord Mansion boldly.

It was precisely because of his "bold and righteous" demeanor that he deceived everyone, causing them to let their guard down. By the time they realized it, he was nowhere to be found.

"Lord Ba Yin, the master of Ming En Building was also deceived by him; please do not blame him further. I am also an old acquaintance of his, and I have come here to help him resolve this matter. May I know what Lord Ba Yin would like to have painted?" Yuan Ming asked.

"This..." Lord Ba Yin hesitated for a moment.

"Lord Ba Yin, if I may be so bold, our Young Master is a genius of Da Jin, proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. He excels especially in painting. If you have such a need, it is indeed fitting to let our Young Master demonstrate his skills," Fu Qing also chimed in.

Yuan Ming smiled and nodded.

"Since that is the case, I will trouble Young Master Yuan then," Lord Ba Yin paused before saying with a smile.

After the meal, Lord Ba Yin led Yuan Ming and Fu Qing through the Lord Mansion to an inner courtyard, stopping in front of a room secured by a large bronze lock.

"This is our family's Ancestor Hall, similar to your Central Plains people's ancestral shrine, though we do not have as many rules, and things inside are rather cluttered," Lord Ba Yin explained while opening the door.

The three entered, and Yuan Ming quickly realized why Lord Ba Yin had described it as cluttered.

The Ancestor Hall was divided into an inner and outer chamber. In the outer chamber, there were three shelves holding a variety of cluttered items, including finely crafted bronze and porcelain wares, various weapons such as bows and swords, and some books and ancient manuscripts.

"These are all treasures beloved by our ancestors. Each person entering the Ancestor Hall leaves one personal belonging here, not necessarily something valuable, but usually a personal favorite. There are also autobiographies of each ancestor," Lord Ba Yin explained with a smile.

The three entered the inner chamber, where a large offering table was set up displaying the ancestral tablets of Ba Yin's family lineage. Behind the offering table, a large ancient painting hung on the wall.

The painting depicted a tall man dressed in Kasi Clan attire, bearing no resemblance to Ba Yin and possessing a drastically different demeanor. His phoenix eyes were bright and piercing, exuding a heroic air.

However, being exposed to incense smoke over the years, the painting was severely yellowed and covered in tiny cracks. Despite being remounted several times, it had already shown signs of damage.

"Young Master Yuan, do you think you can replicate this painting?" Lord Ba Yin asked.

Yuan Ming heard him but did not respond immediately, remaining silent for a long moment.

As he now viewed this ancient painting, the scene appeared vastly different to him than to others. He sensed a thin mist enshrouding the painting, making it unclear.

This mist-like substance was not visible to the naked eye but was perceived through his Divine Sense, a distinct form of spiritual power that was hard to describe.

"Lord Ba Yin, how long has this painting been enshrined here?" Yuan Ming asked.

"I haven't calculated precisely, but it's been at least three to four hundred years," Lord Ba Yin responded.

"Is it worshipped with incense daily?" Yuan Ming asked again.

"Not every day. We hold a small ceremony on the first and fifteenth of each month, and a major ceremony during the Lantern Festivals of the first and middle terms of the year. The small ceremonies are simple, but the major ones require all family members to attend and worship together for blessings," Lord Ba Yin, although unclear about Yuan Ming's intentions, answered truthfully.

"No wonder, despite its deteriorated condition, the ancestral spirit within the painting remains undamaged. I dare not claim I can replicate it with full accuracy, but preserving seventy to eighty percent of its essence should not be difficult," Yuan Ming, having his suspicions confirmed, said.

"That would be most fortunate; I dare not ask for too much," Lord Ba Yin responded with delight.

Previously, he had sought several painters from the Southern Border, but none even dared to boast such capability.

"I need seven days, during which I will closely observe the painting's essence. It would be best if I could stay indoors without any external disturbances, may I?" Yuan Ming asked.

"Of course, I will have the servants bring in a bed and a desk in a moment," Lord Ba Yin replied.

Afterward, Lord Ba Yin left first to arrange the matters, leaving Yuan Ming and Fu Qing alone in the room.

"Young Master, you have suffered," Fu Qing finally said at this moment.

"It's not much of a hardship. Fortune and misfortune coexist, giving rise to the current situation," Yuan Ming replied with a smile.

"Upon learning that you were here, the general immediately sent me to assist you. Delays could lead to complications; we should actually return as soon as possible," Fu Qing said with slight hesitation.

"No matter, I have my plans," Yuan Ming shook his head, not elaborating further.

Fu Qing hesitated, wanting to say more.

"Did father have any message for me?" Yuan Ming asked.

"The general only said that if we found the Young Master, we must protect you at all costs. He didn't have any specific messages for me to convey," Fu Qing said.

"That's father's style," Yuan Ming said with a laugh.

Soon, servants from the Lord Mansion brought in a small cot and a writing desk.

Later, Lord Ba Yin personally delivered calligraphy brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone, all of which were the finest scholarly materials from the Central Plains.

Once everyone had left, Yuan Ming closed the room's door, first gathering up the incense ashes piled in the incense burner on the altar.

Then, he went to the desk, looked at the thick stack of Luo Pattern Xuan Paper, and with fingers sharp as a knife, swiftly cut through them.

Looking at the neatly cut sheets of Xuan paper, Yuan Ming gave a knowing smile. After grinding the ink himself, he picked up the brush and began drawing on the paper.

With a few simple strokes, an image of a large ship sailing through the waves appeared, with a young man on the bow, his face filled with anger, looking back.

Behind him, a group of fierce and evil robbers wielding swords, axes, bows, and crossbows seemed intent on plundering from him.

After completing one painting, Yuan Ming set it aside to let the ink dry before starting on the second one.

The second painting depicted the youth being hit by an arrow and falling into the water, while his pursuers raised their swords in celebration.

The third depicted the youth lying on the river bank, being robbed by a corpse collector who even stripped off his clothes.

...

Yuan Ming painted quickly, his strokes flowing smoothly and almost divinely guided without much contemplation, as if he had preconceived the designs. In just half a day, he produced dozens of line drawings.

The entire shelf in the Ancestor Hall was nearly filled with his artworks.

Likewise, without a pause, Yuan Ming began to write furiously in small, perfectly aligned characters, delighting the viewer.

"It is said that while the Young Master Sheng was traveling south to the Southern Border and Northern Territory..."

Like his painting, Yuan Ming wrote this preconceived "Young Master Sheng's Southern Journey," his pen as if guided by divine force, his ideas flowing as his pen blossomed.

He infused his experiences in the Southern Border into the stories, blending local flavors of the Southern Border and Northern Territory, making it incredibly vivid and lifelike to readers.

Just three days later, Yuan Ming finished both the manuscript and the illustrations, reviewed them thoroughly, organized them, and packed them away.

Only then did he truly begin copying the portrait of the ancestor Ba Yin.

As he started to paint this time, after a few strokes, Yuan Ming's brush hesitantly stopped, almost unable to continue.

It wasn't that there was a problem with his technique, but something felt off.

He could replicate the form of the painting, but not its essence, that is, the subtle spirit he had noticed before, which was difficult to perceive with the naked eye.

Even if he managed to paint it, it lacked spirit.

Others might not notice anything amiss, but he felt it was not satisfactory. Despite his previous boast that he could capture seven or eight parts of the spirit, now it seemed he could only manage three or four.

After several failed attempts, Yuan Ming did not persist. Instead, he stood up after a short observation and went to the outer hall.

Previously, Lord Ba Yin mentioned that the biographies of the ancestors were stored here. Yuan Ming decided to find the biography of that particular ancestor, thinking it might help with his painting.

After searching the shelf, he indeed found a book at the very bottom.

The book was stored in a square sandalwood box, with camphor for pest control, thus it was very well preserved. Besides some yellowing of the pages, there were no signs of worms or decay.

Yuan Ming immediately took it out and began to flip through it.

Upon closer examination, he found out that Ba Yin's ancestor was also a Cultivator, and specifically one who studied talismans.

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