Zanxing (Retranslated)

Extra 21 - Ink Wash Painting (1) — Gui Diaotang x Jiang Yiru

Gui Diaotang didn’t particularly like rainy days.

It rarely rained in Heishi City. When it did, the demons liked to hide in their caves. The human world was different. Mortals always found leisure in everything, and when they encountered the rain in Jiangnan, they took their time to savor it.

A boat draped with autumn-scented gauze slowly drifted across the lake, accompanied by the sound of a courtesan playing the zither. As Gui Diaotang stood on the bridge watching, a head suddenly popped up beside him. A young woman in a goose-yellow long dress was leaning half her body on the railing of the bridge, smiling as she explained, “That’s a courtesan’s pleasure boat. When it rains in the city, they come to sail on the lake.”

Gui Diaotang glanced at her indifferently and turned to leave.

Seeing this, the young woman hurriedly followed behind him, calling out, “Young Master Tang, wait for me—”

Gui Diaotang had met Jiang Yiru while he was cultivating in the mountains. This young lady, who had gone to a temple to offer incense, was being chased by a fierce beast and was on the verge of death when he happened to pass by. With a single strike, he slew the beast and saved the young lady.

Jiang Yiru sat on the ground, suppressing her fear, and looked at the man in green robes in front of her. She spoke, “I am… I am Miss Jiang from the city. Where do you live, Young Master? When I return home, I will certainly reward you handsomely.”

Gui Diaotang said, “There’s no need.” With that, he walked past her.

He didn’t want to get entangled with human women. The only reason he came to this small town was because he had heard that there was a trading hall here, which occasionally sold a certain spirit herb—an essential ingredient for refining a breakthrough pill for demons.

He found a residence in the city to stay in, but a few days later, the young woman showed up at his door.

Jiang Yiru stood at the entrance, with servants behind her carrying wooden chests. She smiled at Gui Diaotang and said, “I finally found you. I can’t let the favor of saving my life go unacknowledged. Young Master, this is the Jiang family’s token of gratitude. You must accept it.”

Gui Diaotang: “…”

Gold and silver meant nothing to demons. Without saying a word, he watched as Jiang Yiru instructed her servants to carry the chests into his courtyard. It seemed that because of this, she felt that her relationship with Gui Diaotang had become a little closer. She would often sneak out to find him, unbeknownst to her family.

“Young Master, are you going to the trading hall today as well? I’ve had people inquire, and there’s been no sign of Lili Grass these past few days. Should we try looking elsewhere?”

“Young Master, aside from Lili Grass, do you need other materials? My family is familiar with all the merchants in the city. If you have any inconvenience, just let me know.”

“Is this your first time here? Would you like me to take you to try our local food and wine?”

She was always so enthusiastic, trying hard to leave some mark on his life. Gui Diaotang coldly observed this human woman with her noisy concern. She was too loud. If it were any other demon with a worse temper, they might have killed her already.

But Gui Diaotang tolerated Jiang Yiru’s approach, not for any particular reason, but because he found this human woman to be incredibly weak—so weak that he didn’t even need to act. Her survival alone was a struggle.

She’d catch a cold and fall ill if she was caught in the rain. She’d turn pale at the sight of insects or mice. After listening to stories about spirits from storytellers, she wouldn’t dare stick her head out from under her blanket at night. Human women were fragile and timid, like a piece of easily shattered porcelain.

Yet, she was also incredibly brave. Even though he spoke to her coldly and had suppressed his demonic aura, the chilling presence around him made the cultivators at the trading hall avoid him. However, this woman seemed completely oblivious and often came to find him.

She believed that Gui Diaotang was a reclusive cultivator from the mountains. Upon learning that the people at the trading hall called him “Young Master Tang,” she began addressing him the same way. Disliking the coldness of his residence, she would go out every few days to gather wildflowers and place them in a green porcelain vase on his table.

Her courage grew day by day. Sometimes when Gui Diaotang went to the trading hall and she couldn’t find him, she would simply push the door open as if she knew her way around. She would place the pastries and wine she had bought on his table and wait for his return. If he didn’t come back for a long time, she would leave on her own.

Human food had no benefits for demons, but since she brought it daily, Gui Diaotang couldn’t help but feel curious. Sometimes when he returned late and saw the delicate pastries on the table, he would eventually give in and try a little.

The moment the food entered his mouth, he frowned slightly—it was far too sweet.

Jiang Yiru was the first human to get this close to him, though this was under the premise that she didn’t know he was a demon. One day, when he returned home, he found Jiang Yiru sitting at the table with a green paper umbrella spread open in front of her. There were brushes and ink on the table, and she was painting on the umbrella.

Gui Diaotang’s pupils shrank abruptly. “What are you doing?”

Jiang Yiru was startled and replied, “I… I noticed your umbrella was a bit plain. In the shops here, the oiled paper umbrellas usually have patterns. I thought I’d help you paint something…” Her voice gradually trailed off.

Gui Diaotang looked at the green paper umbrella with a very unpleasant expression.

Jiang Yiru seemed to realize something was wrong and nervously looked at him. “Did I… cause trouble?”

Gui Diaotang calmed down and said indifferently, “No.”

Jiang Yiru’s expression relaxed, but before she could speak, Gui Diaotang’s cold voice rang out, “From now on, don’t come here anymore.”

She looked at him, puzzled, her eyes slowly reddening. She didn’t say anything, and in silence, she quickly left.

Gui Diaotang turned to look at the green paper umbrella on the table.

This wasn’t just an ordinary paper umbrella, it was actually one of his magical tools. It was crafted from thousand-year-old purple bamboo and qilin ice silkworm threads, capable of resisting part of a lightning tribulation. Now that he was nearing a breakthrough in his cultivation, he expected the lightning tribulation to come any day. The green paper umbrella had been sealed with his demonic power, making it appear like an ordinary umbrella, but Jiang Yiru’s painting on it would weaken its effectiveness.

And it had to happen at this moment.

Gui Diaotang, usually composed and unemotional, found himself feeling a headache.

Yet, this headache didn’t stem entirely from the damaged magical tool, but also from the sight of the woman’s restrained tears as she left.

He shouldn’t have gotten so close to a human. In the stories told by the storytellers in Heishi City, whenever humans and demons became too close, it always ended in tragedy. While most of those stories were fabricated, they weren’t entirely without basis.

He looked at the green paper umbrella on the table. Previously, the umbrella was only covered with a plain layer of pale green, like a light glaze on porcelain. But now, it had become much more vibrant. Jiang Yiru’s painting skills were excellent, and with just a few strokes of ink, she had outlined the misty rain of a small town.

There were orioles singing and swallows dancing, with willows swaying gently by the lake. A stone bridge stretched across the water, and a boat, draped in light curtains, floated downstream. In the light rain, a man in a green robe held an oiled paper umbrella, blending into the scenery between heaven and earth.

That man was him.