Chapter 108: Riding the Whale in Search of the Deer, Deep in the Forest Where the Deer Reside
The girl sitting beside Lin Shenlu first gently removed the handcrafted silver bracelet of Miao ethnic style from her wrist and placed it into her backpack; it was quite heavy. Painting with her own hands was tiring, and she was quite reluctant to get any paint stains on herself.
She carefully poured clean water into the nearby cup.
Taking a deep breath, the girl realized it had been a long time since she last painted.
Her gaze swept around, eventually resting on Lin Shenlu’s canvas.
It was covered in a rich layer of blue.
Hmm?
She noticed something extraordinary about this person; the blue was so refined, so advanced.
Sure enough, the Ancient Weir Painting Village truly lived up to its reputation as a land of art.
She never imagined she would meet a painter capable of mixing such a sophisticated blue here.
For a girl who also loved blue, such a high-level blue was rare.
Even though she had formal training, in all these years, only that rogue she once met in the ancient town of Fenghuang in Western Hunan could mix such an advanced blue.
Of course, long ago, that rogue had taught her this advanced blue in Zhangjiajie.
Today, by coincidence, she encountered the same refined blue here.
Yet she wasn’t sure whether this pleasantly striking blue was more outstanding, or the ambiguous blue she mastered shone brighter.
A sense of rivalry unexpectedly arose in her heart.
On her palette, the blue was being mixed with the right proportion of pink.
Since the moment she sat down, Lin Shenlu had been watching closely.
When the colors slowly began to take shape on her palette, Lin Shenlu was stunned.
That was…
How could it be?
The “Goodnight Blue” she had encountered before—why did it appear under this girl’s hands?
Who was she?
…
Lin Shenlu suppressed his doubts.
The greatest taboo in creating art was distraction.
It would compromise the integrity of the work.
He had planned the content of this piece several days ago precisely to paint it live today.
Of course, Lin Shenlu was not aiming to compete.
He intended to dedicate this work to Hailanjing.
In a way, it was a fulfillment of his own sentiment.
This grand Whale-Deer Inn, to which he had poured his heart and soul, would always have a permanent artwork hanging here, which Lin Shenlu was more than willing to see.
Delicate brushstrokes outlined on a canvas of blue.
It depicted a gigantic whale.
The whale occupied two-thirds of the canvas.
Against the background of “Forget-Worry Blue,” the whale was perfectly portrayed within it.
Lin Shenlu shifted his style and began sketching a human figure on the whale’s body.
It was a boy.
The boy was riding atop the whale.
Hissing softly, Lin Shenlu glanced around cautiously.
At this moment, he hoped Hailanjing would not come over.
If she saw him painting a boy riding a whale… what would she think?
His mind began to wander.
Once the position and shape of the boy riding the whale were set, Lin Shenlu started sketching on the lower third of the canvas.
Soon, a girl riding a deer was gazing up at the whale in the sky.
The scene was breathtaking.
A whale drifting through the sky, a deer running across the sea surface…
Riding the whale in search of the deer.
…
While Lin Shenlu was engrossed in his painting, Hailanjing and Lu Zhaoxi were weaving through the crowd, delivering water to the painters and replenishing their paints, busy yet joyful.
Hailanjing hadn’t expected so many people to arrive before ten o’clock.
From the empty space at the entrance, looking into the forest and at the distant mountains, there were already seventy or eighty painters seated.
Inside the inn’s courtyard, over thirty painters were busily creating.
Even the second-floor corridor was packed with more than a dozen artists at work.
Hailanjing summarized the reason.
Lin Shenlu’s success in organizing this event was largely because of the excellent choice of location.
At least these painters had something to paint.
After walking around a few times, Hailanjing noticed many were painting the terraced fields facing them, the distant peaks, or the inn itself…
All the beauty was here.
Of course, Lu Zhaoxi beside Hailanjing was equally stunned.
This self-important designer never imagined that his ideas were in a completely different realm from Lin Shenlu’s.
Since they met, Lu Zhaoxi had been eager to understand where Lin Shenlu’s deep feelings for the inn truly lay…
After all, he was familiar with the wish pool of the Dali Whale-Deer Hotel.
Though Lu Zhaoxi admitted that the wish pool idea was indeed perfect, it was still something anyone might come up with.
If it had been him, it wouldn't have been much worse.
Moreover, Dali’s wish pool benefited from the perfect timing, location, and harmony of people.
Its success relied in part on external factors.
But this time was different.
Without the external charm of Santorini, without the constant tourist promotions and the romantic sentiment of Dali, redesigning an inn from scratch…
Lu Zhaoxi was very proud of the inn he had just renovated.
It was already at its peak.
But Lin Shenlu had yet to make his move, always delaying the reveal until the event itself.
Lu Zhaoxi had always assumed that Lin Shenlu hadn’t thought of a good plan.
Yet today, fully understanding Lin Shenlu’s concept and truly witnessing over a hundred painters scattered across the hillsides creating their works, Lu Zhaoxi was deeply shocked.
When Lu Zhaoxi learned from Hailanjing that Lin Shenlu chose not to alter the inn but instead to preserve the finest works from this exhibition permanently within it—and that the inn would become the most renowned art museum in the Ancient Weir Painting Village—Lu Zhaoxi knew he had lost.
Not in design skill or ability.
He had lost in the realm of thought, in mastery.
If he could still claim that he might have done no worse at Dali’s wish pool, then here in Lishui, he believed he could never replicate this feat, no matter how many years he had.
The Whale-Deer Inn’s future was clear… it would become an artistic sanctuary belonging to the Lishui village.
Lu Zhaoxi was prepared for this.
Just moments ago, while delivering water, they had seen no fewer than twenty elder painters.
Many of these old masters’ portraits were even displayed on posters outside art studios they had passed by during their travels in Lishui over the past few days.
Their works were created on-site… and all would remain in the inn.
Lu Zhaoxi could only say that Lin Shenlu truly understood human nature.
Among the young painters, there would always be outstanding ones whose ideas were fresh and avant-garde; they enjoyed participating in lively events like this.
Although many older painters disliked such gatherings, there were always a few veteran artists willing to pave the way for youth.
They came here without any gain, simply to lend their presence and prestige to the Ancient Weir Painting Village’s exhibition.
Lin Shenlu had perfectly balanced these elements to create today’s spectacle.
Where had Lin Shenlu gone?
Hailanjing and Lu Zhaoxi had walked around but could not find him anywhere…
…
Chengdu.
An Muxi looked at herself in the mirror and smiled.
Indeed, this new self was more beautiful.
She was ready to head to the airport!