Chapter 88: Practicing Calligraphy

Back in Juhua City, Li Xie enjoyed a comfortable hot bath and had a good sleep on his golden bed. He couldn't help but sigh with contentment—there's no place like home.

The next day, Li Xie ordered his study to be equipped with calligraphy supplies, including brushes, paper, and ink, and called Lily over to help grind the ink.

The study was occupied only by Li Xie and Lily.

His frequent companions, Van De Seel, Kano, Zainard, and Meow Meow, were not around. The two beasts had gone to drink wine by the garden pond, thanks to the fine wines Li Xie had brought back.

As for Van De Seel and Kano, they had been summoned to the military camp by Jack.

Jack had established a simple military camp on a flat area near a mountain valley to the west of Juhua City as the main base for the Evil Army of Juhua City.

These days, almost all military affairs were handled solely by Jack, who had no capable assistants. Whenever they were free, Van De Seel and Kano were pulled in to help—Kano managed the daily drills at the camp, while Van De Seel taught the soldiers how to use combat energy.

It must be noted that the five billion gold coins Li Xie had given Jack a few days ago had now been almost completely spent. This made Li Xie laugh bitterly for quite a while, realizing that he wasn't just spending money like water; it was more like a flood.

Had he not acquired the magical beasts for free this time, Li Xie feared he would soon be facing a financial crisis. Compared to the massive costs of building a city, his mere ten billion in assets was really insufficient.

This made Li Xie wonder: the major cities of the Tudor dynasty could collect over ten billion in taxes annually. He didn't know if a small city like Juhua City could generate at least one billion in tax revenue. Otherwise, he would be in for a big loss.

Of course, lacking money, Li Xie thought about ways to gather it. It was impossible to fleece the citizens, and developing the city's commerce wasn't something that could be done overnight. So, Li Xie decided to focus on his own resources—his calligraphy.

He was quite keen on the one hundred billion gold coins promised by Sandor Cochis.

Picking up a new calligraphy brush and dipping it in the ink ground by Lily, Li Xie tightly gripped the brush with his five fingers, shakily writing his own name on the paper—Li Xie.

Li Xie quickly finished writing his name with a few brush strokes, feeling a sense of relief as he completed the final stroke.

Writing calligraphy for the first time was no easy task, especially when one aimed to capture the essence of true calligraphy on the first attempt.

Looking at his name, Li Xie flicked the paper and proudly asked Lily, "How does it look?"

Lily blinked her big eyes and exclaimed, "Master, your drawing of the Piglet Pig is so realistic!"

...

Piglet Pig? Li Xie suddenly felt a bit crushed.

Girl, can't you see this is supposed to be my name, 'Li Xie'?

It looks nothing like a pig, and besides, it's writing, not a drawing.

Li Xie felt a surge of frustration. Annoyed, he threw down the brush and said, "Go tell someone to bring Xiao An here."

Currently, Xiao An was in charge of all the administrative affairs in Juhua City. Aside from the city lord's seal, Xiao An was practically the true ruler of Juhua City. Li Xie wanted to ask her to discreetly find a calligraphy teacher.

For the sake of a hundred billion, he at least needed to be able to write legibly.

Xiao An was in the city lord's mansion and came to the study quickly. She sat down at Li Xie's desk and asked, "Brother Xie, what do you need? I was just about to find you for something."

"Oh? What do you need me for?"

"Some official appointments need your seal, and there are a few documents that require your signature."

"Oh." Li Xie handed the seal directly to Xiao An. "You can stamp it yourself. For signatures, just use the seal. Keep it with you, and have another stamp made with my name. I trust you and your brother completely."

Xiao An had to accept the seal. Over the past few days, she had come to understand that Li Xie barely handled any affairs himself and delegated almost everything to others. Not only did he give away a lot of power, but he also never doubted those who carried out tasks for him.

To Xiao An, Li Xie's leadership wasn't about doing nothing; it was about trusting others to get things done. This way of delegating authority and trusting his people was a mark of Li Xie's wisdom.

Of course, Xiao An couldn't fathom that Li Xie simply didn't understand these matters and was more than happy to have others handle them. As long as things were done well and profitably, he didn't care about the details.

"Brother Xie, what did you call me for?" Xiao An asked, her tone relaxed now that the official business was out of the way. She glanced at the writing on the table and smiled. "I didn't know you could draw. With your talent for poetry, your calligraphy and drawing skills must be exceptional. This Piglet Pig looks lifelike with just a few strokes."

Uh...

Girl, this... this is not Piglet Pig.

Li Xie's face twitched slightly, and he forced a smile. "That pig was just a casual drawing, nothing impressive. Xiao An, go ask the local noble families if there are any calligraphy masters in Juhua City and bring them here."

"No need to search, sir," Xiao An replied. "I enjoy calligraphy myself, and I discussed it with Master Van De Sa. However, the only person in Juhua City who knew calligraphy was killed by you, Brother Xie."

"I killed them." Li Xie pondered for a moment. He had indeed killed some nobles when he arrived in Juhua City. Reflecting on it, he realized that calligraphy wasn't something commoners could easily learn. Paper, ink, and brushes weren't cheap, and it was likely that only nobles would pursue calligraphy. "You said you like calligraphy. Do you know how to write?"

"A little."

"That's perfect. I want someone to teach me calligraphy, someone from within the family. That way, I won't be embarrassed if others find out I can't write."

Xiao An was taken aback, her eyes showing disbelief. "Brother Xie, you don't know calligraphy."

"Yeah." Li Xie didn't deny it. Pointing to the paper on the table, he said, "This isn't Piglet Pig; it's actually my name."

...

Xiao An felt a cold sweat on her forehead. Even with these two characters as proof, she still couldn't believe that Li Xie didn't know calligraphy. "Brother Xie, don't joke with me. Your poems are earth-shattering; how could your handwriting be like this?"

Li Xie sighed. "A man should focus on his strengths and diligently study them to achieve excellence. Only then can he advance in the vast ocean of art. I specialize in poetry, but I haven't practiced writing enough, so my handwriting suffers. Come here, you'll be in charge of teaching me calligraphy from now on."

Xiao An walked over to Li Xie, her expression serious and focused when it came to teaching calligraphy. "Brother Xie, to practice calligraphy, you need to start with holding the brush."

"I know how to hold it."

"Not like that. You need to lightly grip it with all five fingers, with the little finger and ring finger supporting the brush, and the thumb, index finger, and middle finger stabilizing it. You need to exert force from your wrist, like this. Before you can practice writing, you need to hold the brush properly. If you can't hold the brush correctly, how can you write?"

Li Xie nodded repeatedly. "Yes, that's right. Holding the brush properly is essential for writing. I'll remember your advice, Teacher An."

"Good. Stand up; sitting down doesn't allow for proper force." Xiao An instructed Li Xie to stand up, then stood behind him, holding his hand from behind. "Hold the brush firmly but relax. I'll demonstrate, and you can feel the pressure."

Li Xie relaxed his whole body, allowing Xiao An to guide his hand on the paper. A refreshing and elegant fragrance wafted over, and Li Xie took a deep breath. "It's the scent of camellia. Did you use camellia flowers for your bath, Xiao An?"

There was no perfume on the Continent of the Gods, so women often used fresh flowers for baths to have a fragrant scent. Which flower to use was a matter of personal preference. Usually, men didn't know what kind of flowers were used—it was a woman's secret.

Being teased about her private affairs, Xiao An's cheeks blushed slightly, but she maintained a serious tone. "Focus, and feel the pressure of my hand."

"Ah, yes." Li Xie quickly focused on his hand, but soon, his attention was drawn to something else.

Xiao An was standing behind Li Xie, pressed against his back, holding his hand. In this position, Li Xie's back naturally pressed against Xiao An's chest.

And most importantly, there was no Western taboo on the Continent of the Gods, so for men, this damn hard and rough thing hadn't defiled the sacred land of the Continent of the Gods.

Even though it was already early winter, even though Xiao An was wearing two or three layers of clothing, it didn't diminish the softness of her chest pressing against his back.

As Xiao An exerted force on Li Xie's hand, he felt the alternating tightness and looseness behind him, causing his heart to flutter. With a smirk on his right corner, he couldn't help but say, "If every day were like this, even the gods would envy."

Li Xie's words were truly heartfelt. After all, which man wouldn't hope for such closeness with a beautiful woman every day?

However, what Li Xie's words conveyed to Xiao An was entirely different.

Xiao An was unaware of the intimate contact between her important parts and Li Xie. She was completely focused on teaching Li Xie how to hold the brush properly. To her, Li Xie's words sounded more like a confession, expressing his desire to be with her every day.

This was practically a confession.

Xiao An's body trembled slightly, and the pressure from her hand ceased. Her face slowly turned red as a myriad of emotions flooded her heart. She felt conflicted about Li Xie's sudden "confession." She didn't know how to respond. Should she reject him outright? That might hurt his feelings. But not rejecting him seemed premature, as her feelings hadn't reached that point yet.

"What's wrong? Why did you stop?" Li Xie felt a slight decrease in pressure on his back and was reluctant to lose it.

Blushing, Xiao An stepped aside and took a deep breath. In a low voice, she said, "Brother Xie, um... let's... let's not talk about these things for now... It's not that you're not good, it's just... I'm not ready yet..."

"What things? What are you ready for?" Li Xie was utterly confused.

"You know, don't bully Xiao An anymore." Xiao An was slightly annoyed.

"What do I know..." Li Xie wondered if this girl had suddenly taken the wrong medicine. But then he remembered that he had just adjusted his position slightly to better enjoy the sensation of her softness against his back. Could she have noticed?

Oh no, how embarrassing.

Blushing, Li Xie laughed awkwardly, "Um... actually, I didn't mean to earlier. It's not entirely my fault. After all, you know, people have feelings, especially men. I promise, it won't happen again."

"I understand." Xiao An lowered her head. "It's just that Xiao An isn't ready yet, Brother Xie. I'm sorry."

Wait... She's the one who felt sorry, even though I was the one taking advantage of her? What a good girl. And what does she mean by not being ready? Could it be... she also realized she was wearing too many clothes? No way, there couldn't be such a perfect girl.

Li Xie looked at Xiao An, feeling a bit dumbfounded.

Just then, Zeen Nad stormed into the study with a big step. "Something's happened at the barracks."