Chapter 408: Don’t Be Impulsive

The next day, Master Yun found his way to the inn.

Gu Fei was at the counter, working an abacus, when she saw Master Yun arrive and quickly rose to her feet.

Master Yun smiled. "Miss Gu, I knew I’d find you here. I wonder if you have a moment? I have a few questions I’d like to ask you."

Gu Fei smiled. "You’re too kind. Master Yun, right this way."

The two of them walked to a table in the corner and sat down. Master Yun got straight to the point. "I was wondering, what tool did you use for that drawing? Was it really charcoal?"

Gu Fei nodded. "More or less."

"Actually, this style of art is called sketching. It isn’t limited to any particular tool—you can even use an ink brush. The key is to use a single color to represent an object’s light and shadow."

Master Yun heard several new terms. "Wait, wait, I need to get some paper and a brush to write this down."

Gu Fei gestured for Lian’er to bring them paper and a brush. As Gu Fei spoke, Master Yun listened and took notes, jotting down terms like perspective, light and shadow, highlights, viewpoint, composition, and proportion.

Listening to her explanation, Master Yun felt like the clouds had parted, revealing the sun.

Gu Fei spoke enthusiastically, "For example, to draw the human body, you first need to understand the structure of the skeleton, the placement of the joints, the distribution and flow of the muscles, and the proportions of each body part. If possible, it’s best to study a bit of anatomy. That way, the figures you draw will be more accurate and realistic."

Master Yun froze. "Anatomy? Do you mean... cutting a person open to observe their internal structure?"

Gu Fei nodded. "More or less."

Master Yun had a flash of insight. "So that’s it! Miss Gu, you truly are brilliant. Ordinary people can only see the surface, but you have mastered what lies within. No wonder your work is so incredibly lifelike."

He cupped his chin. "I recall... there’s a chaotic burial mound outside the city—"

Gu Fei was horrified. "Master Yun, you—you can’t be serious! Don’t do anything rash! You can’t just go digging up graves. Besides, the bodies will have already decomposed. You could get sick from touching them. You absolutely must not do it."

Master Yun nodded and tugged at his beard. "Now, where was that Yizhuang again? The bodies there ought to be fresh, shouldn’t they?"

Gu Fei put her head in her hand. "Master Yun, I’m begging you, don’t."

’The Yizhuang might be full of unclaimed bodies, but that doesn’t mean he can just go dissect them. If he actually did it, he’d probably be captured as some kind of monster who flays people and digs out their hearts.’

She said resignedly, "Master Yun, how about this? I’ll spend some time over the next few days drawing a diagram of the human skeleton for you. Please, stop thinking about digging up graves and such."

Master Yun’s eyes lit up. "Excellent! So, should I come back in a few days to pick it up?"

Gu Fei replied with a sigh, "Fine. Three days from now, you can just send someone to pick it up."

"I’ll also organize my notes on the principles of perspective and give them to you at the same time."

Master Yun left, thoroughly satisfied.

When lunchtime arrived, a customer came in and began staring at Gu Fei, who was behind the counter.

His staring made Gu Fei frown. He was a regular customer, though, and wasn’t usually so rude. Gu Fei forced a smile. "Is there something I can help you with, Sir?"

The man said sheepishly, "There was a Fairy at the Lotus Festival yesterday. From a distance, I thought she looked just like you."

"But now that I see you up close, you don’t look that much like her."

Gu Fei quickly waved her hands in dismissal. "You’re mistaken, Sir. It really wasn’t me. You must have seen someone else."

The man nodded, then sat down to order his meal.

Throughout the day, customers in the shop were all buzzing about the Fairy from the Lotus Festival. Quite a few of them, just like that man, came over to stare at Gu Fei, looking her up and down.

Gu Fei finally retreated to the backyard to hide, where she started drawing human anatomy diagrams, recalling them from a middle school health textbook.

Just as they were about to close up for the night, Lian’er ran in, calling for her. "Miss, the Young Master Heir is here! He’s right outside the door."