Chapter 103: Perseverance

Yan Chixia overheard the conversation and realized that She Mei'er had finished drawing her swan and was showing it to Bai Xiaoyue, Tu Xiaomeng, and Songta'er. Judging by the tone of Tu Xiaomeng's voice, Yan Chixia knew the drawing must be abysmal. Curious to see the result, he said to Daoist Qingxu:

"Master, please proceed with refining the Nine-Yang Golden Elixir; I am going to see how She Mei'er's painting is coming along."

"Go ahead," Daoist Qingxu reminded him, "but Danzi, if She Mei'er's work is poor, do not mock her. You must offer your guidance with patience."

Yan Chixia replied, "I understand," and stepped out of the alchemy chamber. Upon arriving outside, he saw Bai Xiaoyue, Tu Xiaomeng, and Songta'er gathered around She Mei'er, pointing at the swan she had just completed. The usually arrogant and haughty She Mei'er now stood there like a scolded schoolchild, her face flushed with shame, not daring to utter a word.

"Haha," Yan Chixia chuckled, "finished already, She Mei'er? Let me see how you did."

She Mei'er replied, her face burning, "Yan Chixia, you may look... but you are not allowed to make fun of me!"

"I wouldn't dream of it!" Yan Chixia said solemnly. He walked directly between Bai Xiaoyue and She Mei'er, both of whom shifted to make room for him.

Yan Chixia leaned in for a closer look and nearly burst into laughter, though he managed to suppress it. He thought to himself that it was no wonder Tu Xiaomeng had criticized the drawing so harshly; the reality was indeed dire. The swan had a massive head, a tiny tail, and a thick neck. Its two wings looked as if they had been hacked off and then crudely "stuck" onto a round, bloated body. It was truly hideous and painful to behold. It was no surprise that Bai Xiaoyue had remained silent; such a "swan" truly left one speechless.

After viewing it, Yan Chixia let out a wry smile, unsure of what to say. She Mei'er asked timidly, "Yan Chixia, how... how is it?"

"Well, it's not bad," Yan Chixia forced himself to lie. "She Mei'er, this 'swan' of yours is quite decent. You've included the head, tail, wings, feet, and body. Since this is your first attempt, it’s really not bad at all. Although it looks a bit like an ugly duckling, it is, after all, a 'swan'!"

"Really?" She Mei'er’s eyes brightened. Even though not a single word of his critique was truly complimentary, she interpreted every syllable as praise. Encouraged, she said, "Yan Chixia, you say such kind things! Hearing you say that makes me feel a bit more confident. Miss Bai, you’ve just been looking at my drawing without saying a word—tell me, is Yan Chixia right?"

"Indeed!" Bai Xiaoyue offered a forced smile and said vaguely, "Miss She, for a first attempt, to be able to draw this... is truly quite an achievement!"

"Hee hee hee," Tu Xiaomeng suddenly chirped with feigned sweetness, "Brother Yan, Sister Bai, hearing you both say that, I suddenly feel that Sister Mei'er's drawing is quite good as well. What do you think, Songta'er?"

"Heh heh heh," Songta'er laughed naively, "Xiaomeng, is that even a question? Sister She’s drawing is much better than anything I could do! If I tried to draw a swan, I’d probably hack it to pieces!"

Hearing their words, She Mei'er was deeply moved. "Yan Chixia, Miss Bai, Tu Xiaomeng, Songta'er, you are all so kind! Now that I hear your words, I feel much better. Actually, I know this swan isn't very good... just as Xiaomeng said, it’s not really a swan, it’s clearly an ugly duckling. But I believe that I will continue to improve!"

With that, she set the "ugly duckling" aside, picked up a piece of talisman paper, took up her ink brush, and began to draw again, her heart calm and steady.

Seeing this, Yan Chixia praised her: "Good! Perseverance can carve through stone. Go ahead and draw, She Mei'er, I will guide you from the side."

Bai Xiaoyue, Tu Xiaomeng, and Songta'er stopped hovering. After offering a few words of encouragement, they walked away to practice how to store items in their own storage rings.

She Mei'er was truly remarkable. With Yan Chixia’s enthusiastic guidance, her drawings improved rapidly. By the time she finished the tenth "swan" with total focus, Bai Xiaoyue had mastered the use of the storage ring. When she finished the fifteenth, Tu Xiaomeng had also learned the technique. When she finished the twentieth, Songta'er suddenly began to tear up.

"Brother Yan, Sister Bai, Xiaomeng, you all know how to use the storage rings, but I still can't... what should I do?"

Bai Xiaoyue immediately comforted him: "Songta'er, don't worry! As the Master said, while the incantation for the storage ring is simple, it takes time to truly grasp it. Mastering it within three days is considered very fast."

"That's right!" Tu Xiaomeng added, "Songta'er, take it slow, don't rush!"

"How can I not rush?" Songta'er said, eyes brimming with tears. "Xiaomeng, if I can't even learn such a simple method from the Master, how will I ever cultivate the Dao in the future?"

"Oh! Songta'er, I didn't realize you were so ambitious!" Tu Xiaomeng laughed, "But really, you don't need to worry. Even if you knew how to use the storage ring now, we don't have any magical artifacts to store anyway!"

"Heh heh," Songta'er chuckled, "Xiaomeng, you really know how to comfort people! Hearing that makes me feel much more at ease. Alright, I'll listen to you—I won't rush, I'll take my time."

Before Songta'er could finish, Yan Chixia’s voice rang out: "Good! She Mei'er, keep drawing just like that."

Bai Xiaoyue, Tu Xiaomeng, and Songta'er immediately rushed over to see. Sure enough, her drawing had improved significantly; the swan she had just finished was very close to the one Bai Xiaoyue had drawn.

Bai Xiaoyue cheered for her from the bottom of her heart: "Excellent! Miss She, as they say, 'an intelligent person needs no long explanation, a good drum needs no heavy strike'—in just half a day, your painting has shown such obvious progress. This is truly worth celebrating!"

Tu Xiaomeng and Songta'er also joined in the applause. She Mei'er was overjoyed and said, "Thank you! Miss Bai, Xiaomeng, Songta'er, thank you all for your encouragement!"

She set down her ink brush, recited an incantation, and suddenly, five white jade bottles appeared on the table, summoned from her storage ring. Bai Xiaoyue, Tu Xiaomeng, and Songta'er’s eyes lit up.

"Sister Mei'er, there are so many bottles! What is inside them?" Tu Xiaomeng asked immediately.

Before She Mei'er could answer, Yan Chixia blurted out, "Nectar? She Mei'er, didn't I drink all of your nectar yesterday? How do you have so much today?"