Resplendent – Chapter 433

Chapter 433: Conveying Feelings Through a Painting

He stubbornly didn’t tell those three fools that Xiao Bai was, in a way, half his sister’s pet. Besides, it was a pet he had raised himself; even if it got hurt, it would never hurt his sister.

Gu Ming suddenly felt that the shared memories he had with his sister over the past dozen years surpassed any bond she could have with the Chu brothers, no matter how close they were.

Once Xiao Bai entered the boundaries of Mingzhu Pavilion, all the arrows flying through the air vanished. The little white falcon joyfully flew toward its mistress—the safe harbor that was its owner.

“AHHHH—” A sharp, piercing scream startled Xiao Bai, making its wings suddenly go limp, almost causing it to plummet from the sky. It was only because Gu Ye stretched out her hand and grabbed one of its legs that it didn’t crash to the ground in a split-falcon fall.

The three brothers, who had already rushed outside Mingzhu Pavilion, heard this pitiful cry. Their faces changed drastically, and they sprinted with all their strength toward the source of the sound: “Don’t be afraid, sister, we’re coming to save you!”

“Cousin Li, can you stop screaming? My head hurts!” The deafeningly sharp scream sounded right beside Gu Ye’s ears. She almost couldn’t hold back and nearly kicked the source of the noise into the water.

“Cousin, where’s the hawk? That fierce white hawk—where is it? I clearly saw it charging at us… it didn’t hurt you, did it?” Jun Li opened her eyes and carefully glanced up at the sky. Huh? It’s gone? Has it flown away?

Gu Ye suddenly played a trick. She brought the little white falcon in her hands close to Jun Li’s face, almost brushing her nose, and placed it in front of her. She said, “Cousin, is this the one you mean?”

Jun Li’s eyes widened as she locked eyes with Xiao Bai at close range. She even felt as if the falcon’s beak could peck her eyeball the next moment. She was so terrified that her face was drained of color. She stumbled backward several steps, and if Ding Fang hadn’t caught her in time, she would have fallen into the lake. 

Jun Li flailed her arms, clawing at the air, and screamed, “Ahhhh… don’t come closer, don’t come closer!”

Ding Fang hurriedly reassured her, “Cousin Li, don’t be afraid. That falcon is safely in Miss Ye’s hands!”

“Ah… ah?” Jun Li’s scream abruptly stopped as she focused her gaze. Gu Ye was now holding Xiao Bai in her hands, checking to see if it had been injured.

Xiao Bai, like a spoiled child, showed its wings to its mistress. It had been grazed by a feathered arrow, losing a single feather and drawing a tiny streak of blood. It seemed to say: I’m hurt! Comfort me! Hug me!

Gu Ye took out the golden sore ointment she always carried and applied it to Xiao Bai’s injury. 

Xiao Bai happily rubbed its head against Gu Ye’s cheek—My mistress is so good! So gentle! Her medicine is amazing! The wound didn’t hurt anymore. Oh yeah!

“Be careful, little sister!” The three Chu brothers had already reached the plank bridge. At the front, Chu Mubai suddenly stopped, and the two behind him, Chu Musong and Chu Mushan, had to brake hard to avoid colliding with him and falling into the water.

Chu Musong shouted in frustration, “Why are you standing there like an idiot? Go check if our sister is frightened!”

“You… look!” Chu Mubai said dazedly, pointing toward their sister. 

The three brothers turned to look in the direction of their sister. Gu Ye, dressed in a goose-yellow smoky silk dress, held a pure white bird of prey gently in her hands, softly stroking its feathers.

The falcon, which had narrowly avoided countless arrows from the three brothers, glanced at them with disdain, squinting its eyes as it enjoyed the caress from the beautiful girl. 

Around them, the lake reflected the late sunset, turning the water crimson—everything looked unreal, almost otherworldly. The girl in the center of the water seemed like a water fairy—pure, flawless, impossible to look away from.

“Wow—our sister must be a fairy descended from the heavens, right?” Chu Mubai blurted out thoughtlessly. 

Gu Ming, who was trailing behind them, cast a disdainful glance at him, walked past, and went straight to their sister’s side.

“Has Brother Ling sent you another message?” Gu Ming said, looking at the bamboo tube tied to Xiao Bai’s leg, which the bird was holding tightly. This time, it seemed to be more than just a letter—there was something else inside.

Gu Ye had her brother hold Xiao Bai so she could unfasten the bamboo tube from its leg. Like Shitian, Xiao Bai didn’t like anyone touching it except its masters. It flapped its wings a few times and broke free from Gu Ming’s hands. Seeing the three ‘enemies’ approaching, the usually gentle bird now flashed a fierce glint in its eyes.

Gu Ye took a scroll from the bamboo tube, wondering in her heart—Could it be an expensive ancient painting that Brother Chen had collected? This girl really only thinks about money!

Gently unrolling the scroll, a delicate gongbi painting of a court lady appeared before her—Uh, isn’t that her? 

The last time she had used her phone stand in the space to take a few timed selfies, selecting the one she thought was best to send to Brother Chen. The girl in the painting wore the exact same outfit she had on that day.

The lady in the painting looked incredibly lifelike—the smile on her lips was even more vivid than the Mona Lisa, and the playful sparkle in her eyes was perfectly captured. Around her were flowers, some dense, some sparse, with petals drifting from above her head, almost seeming to float out of the scroll.

“Wow! The painting is amazing! It captures my cousin’s spirit perfectly! This is even better than the works of Feng’an Jushi, who specializes in painting court ladies! Cousin, who helped you paint this? Can they paint one for me too?” Jun Li said, her eyes sparkling as she admired the lively girl on the scroll.

Gu Ye quickly rolled up the painting. This was definitely painted by Brother Chen. Only he could capture her features and spirit so perfectly. A painting that Brother Chen had meticulously made for her was not something she wanted to share with so many people. 

As for letting him paint one for her cousin, absolutely not! Brother Chen’s portraits were only for her!

“Cousin, I’m afraid that won’t work! That artist has a peculiar temperament. If he’s willing, he might do it for free,” she said—after all, Brother Chen would gladly paint for her her entire life, “but if he’s unwilling, even if you offered him a fortune, he wouldn’t care!”

Brother Chen wasn’t short of money, was he? The business of the Hidden Soul Palace, both overt and covert, spreads across the entire country! If there were a billionaire ranking in this world, Brother Chen would definitely be at the very top of the list!

Jun Li sighed in slight disappointment and said, “Talented people always have their quirks. Cousin, you’re so lucky to have him paint a portrait for you. It’s truly something worth treasuring!”

Just as Gu Ye finished putting away the painting, she saw Xiao Bai, perched silently on her brother’s shoulder, suddenly dart toward the three brothers who were getting closer. With its sharp beak, Xiao Bai pecked fiercely at the heads of the three Chu brothers—You tried to shoot me? This falcon holds grudges! I’m going to crack your heads for revenge!

Fortunately, the Chu brothers were skilled enough to dodge, though rather clumsily, the revenge of the white eagle. They realized that this falcon was probably used by their sister to deliver messages and letters. They had almost shot their sister’s messenger falcon. Feeling guilty, the three brothers only dodged without resisting, yet they were forced into a thoroughly embarrassing situation by this little feathered fury.