Chapter 88

"Take it out and have a look," Su Ru said with a smile.

Chu Li opened the box, and a fragrant aroma filled the air, a scent used to prevent decay and dampness, which was unaffordable for ordinary households.

Inside the box, several scrolls were stacked. Chu Li carefully took one out and slowly unrolled it. A white-eyed yellow tiger leaped onto the paper, roaring to the sky.

Chu Li exclaimed in admiration, "Excellent!"

Looking at the painting, it felt as if a real fierce tiger was roaring right in front of him, making his whole body feel cold.

Xue Ling glanced curiously, and her face changed dramatically.

Chu Li turned to look at her and said with a smile, "You need to build up your courage!"

Xue Ling forced herself to look again, and her face changed once more. It felt as if a real tiger was pouncing at her, ready to swallow her whole. The fear came from deep within, uncontrollable and involuntary.

Su Ru said with a smile, "That's enough, don't scare her!"

Chu Li turned and said with a smile, "Xue Ling, you need to build up your courage. Hang this painting on the wall and look at it every day!"

Xue Ling hesitated, "Really hang it up?"

Chu Li pointed to a painting of pines and cranes, "Hang it there!"

The painting of pines and cranes was hung on the north wall, facing the entrance of the hall. As soon as you stepped into the hall, you would see it.

Xue Ling looked at Su Ru helplessly.

Su Ru scolded, "Chu Li, what are you up to!"

Chu Li said, "It will be good for her. With such courage, if she goes out and encounters vicious people, even the strongest martial arts won't help!"

"… That's true," Su Ru thought for a moment and nodded.

The martial artists outside were all fierce and could say the most vicious things. Even if Xue Ling's martial arts were good, if her courage was lacking, she wouldn't be able to use them, which would be very dangerous.

Xue Ling pouted and reluctantly took down the painting of pines and cranes, carefully hanging the tiger painting in its place.

Chu Li stood at the door with his hands behind his back, directing her to adjust it, making sure it was perfectly straight. At first glance, it looked like a tiger standing there.

Su Ru said with a smile, "Xue Ling, how is your martial arts practice going?"

Xue Ling smiled, "Much better."

"That's good," Su Ru said with a smile. "With Chu Li as your teacher, it's a great fortune. You must cherish this opportunity."

Xue Ling glanced at Chu Li and nodded lightly.

Chu Li opened another scroll, the "Tiger Hunting Sheep" painting. The tiger's fur rippled like waves, its teeth sharp like cones, emitting a cold, piercing light. Its eyes were cold and merciless, truly giving the impression that all things were prey.

He shook his head in admiration, worthy of Lu Boyuan.

Lu Boyuan's paintings were not only lifelike but also contained a spiritual force. Chu Li speculated that this master painter might be a divine expert or had entered the Dao through painting, touching upon a trace of Daoic essence.

Having Xue Ling view these paintings regularly would not only boost her courage but also strengthen her spirit, with countless benefits.

A strong spirit would allow for longer-lasting cultivation techniques, faster internal energy circulation, and was crucial for future advancement.

Su Ru sat to one side, seeing his entranced expression, and couldn't help but smile.

The young miss had the same reaction when she saw these paintings, but she couldn't do it. Seeing these paintings made her feel terrified, with no beauty to be found.

Chu Li viewed each painting one by one, looking through all ten scrolls. It was like enjoying a sumptuous feast, and he put them back in the box with satisfaction, saying, "Truly a supreme masterpiece!"

"You're not bad at painting either," Su Ru said with a smile. "I saw you paint spiritual herbs, and your skills are quite deep."

"I'm far from it. Without a great teacher, I haven't grasped the true essence."

"What a pity."

"I must find a great teacher and learn properly if I get the chance!"

"There is a great teacher in the manor."

"Who?" Chu Li asked hurriedly.

"The second miss," Su Ru said with a smile. "The second miss was a disciple of Master Han Xi. You know Master Han Xi, right?"

Chu Li was surprised, "The second miss is a disciple of Master Han Xi?"

Han Xi was one of the top painters of the era, excelling in landscapes. His paintings made people feel as if they were right there, and were highly regarded for cultivating the spirit, pursued by countless people.

"Master Han Xi lived in the manor for five years," Su Ru thought for a moment. "At that time, the second miss was thirteen years old. Later, Master Han Xi said there was nothing more to teach and left."

Chu Li said, "I heard Master Han Xi has a peculiar temperament, never taking disciples or seeing outsiders."

"Master Han Xi lived in the deep mountains. Once, while out gathering herbs, he was bitten by a venomous snake. The second miss happened to pass by and saved him, so he taught her for five years to repay the favor."

Chu Li was surprised and said with a smile, "The second miss has had quite a bit of luck!"

"The second miss indeed has good luck," Su Ru sighed. "Unfortunately, she can't practice martial arts."

"Why?"

"Her body is weak and can't withstand internal energy," Su Ru shook her head. "It's a congenital condition, and she often falls ill."

"What a pity."

"You have little hope of learning painting from the second miss. Focus on your martial arts practice first!"

Chu Li said with a smile, "That's true."

"Let's go," Su Ru waved her hand and left gracefully.

---

The moonlight was like water.

The night wind rustled through the green bamboo.

Chu Li sat motionless in the small pavilion, like a statue.

In the void of his mind, a silver-white tiger came to life, roaring and practicing the postures from the White Tiger Yang Cultivation Chart.

His thoughts stirred, and the ten tiger paintings he had seen during the day appeared in his mind.

The white tiger leaped into one of the paintings, like a drop of water falling into a puddle. The tiger disappeared into the painting, and after a moment, the painting shattered and disappeared. The tiger reappeared, with an added touch of spirit.

The white tiger shattered all ten paintings in sequence, undergoing a transformation, becoming as lively as a real tiger.

Chu Li's mind entered the tiger, feeling calm and cold, fearless.

He directed a thread of his spirit to observe his body, feeling the power from the void changing his body, as if he were immersed in medicinal liquid, constantly transforming.

When he came to his senses, the sky was bright.

Unconsciously, a whole night had passed. His body felt more compact and strong. He clenched his fist, feeling the increase in strength, with significant results.

He got up and practiced the Vajra Tribulation-Resisting Divine Technique, his breath flowing, making great progress.

Xue Ling was practicing the Eight Yin Techniques, and after finishing, she started preparing breakfast.

Chu Li ate breakfast in the hall, facing away from the door. Xue Ling stood beside him, facing the north wall, directly in front of the tiger painting.

She knew Chu Li had done this on purpose and looked helpless. By the time Chu Li finished eating, she was drenched in sweat, almost soaking through her clothes.

She tidied up the dishes and hurried back to her room to take a bath.

In the following days, Chu Li stayed in the courtyard, as if he had never returned. He didn't leave the courtyard, and any matters were handled by Xue Ling. He focused on practicing the Vajra Tribulation-Resisting Divine Technique, aiming to complete the third level within a month.

Since viewing Lu Boyuan's paintings, the power of the White Tiger Yang Cultivation Chart had greatly increased, and the progress of the Vajra Tribulation-Resisting Divine Technique had also accelerated. However, he also sensed a significant hidden danger in practicing both techniques together.

After practicing the White Tiger Yang Cultivation Chart, practicing the Vajra Tribulation-Resisting Divine Technique became faster, but his state of mind subtly changed. He couldn't detach from the tiger's state of mind, and when practicing the Vajra Tribulation-Resisting Divine Technique, it felt like throwing a torch into a pot of oil, making his killing intent boil uncontrollably.

During cultivation, he relied on the Great Mirror Wisdom to suppress and calm the killing intent, preventing it from affecting him.

However, this was a forced suppression, not elimination. Once the Great Mirror Wisdom stopped, the killing intent would boil up again.

Xue Ling began reciting Buddhist scriptures to eliminate the killing intent with the power of the Dharma. When Chu Li practiced, she recited the scriptures beside him.

Chu Li used the Dharma recited by Xue Ling to eliminate the killing intent and restore his state of mind.

However, after each day of cultivation, he had to recite the Dharma to eliminate the killing intent, which took up a lot of time, making him quite anxious. Unfortunately, he couldn't practice the Great Sun Tathagata Demon Subduing Sutra.

The Great Sun Tathagata Demon Subduing Sutra was transmitted through empowerment, and he couldn't learn it on his own, so he had to use a clumsy method, which was time-consuming.

Fortunately, he had the Great Mirror Wisdom. When he felt it was not going well, he would activate the Great Mirror Wisdom, immediately restoring calm, preventing the killing intent from controlling him. Otherwise, he wouldn't dare to continue practicing.

---

One day, Su Ru came to check the growth of the Heavenly Spirit Tree and other spiritual herbs. Chu Li took the opportunity to ask, "Head Steward, the manor still has many paintings, right?"

"Um," Su Ru, wearing a light yellow silk robe, moved her gaze from the Heavenly Spirit Tree and looked up at him. "What, you want to see more paintings?"

Chu Li smiled, "I want to see some that can cultivate the spirit and temper the mind."

Su Ru said, "Cultivate the spirit and temper the mind?"

Chu Li said, "Practicing the Vajra Tribulation-Resisting Divine Technique generates too much malevolent energy. I want to balance it."

Su Ru stopped smiling, "What, is there a problem?"

Chu Li waved his hand and smiled, "Not a big problem. Just need to adjust the state of mind. Do you have any paintings by Master Han Xi?"

"Um, a few," Su Ru said. "But they belong to the second miss… I'll go ask her to lend them to you!"

"Thank you, Head Steward," Chu Li said with a bow and a smile.

Su Ru glanced at him, seeing that he didn't seem to be affected by the state of mind, but still felt worried.

Chu Li sighed, "It's a pity I can't learn painting from the second miss."

"Forget it!" Su Ru said. "The second miss is different from the young miss. The young miss is cold on the outside but warm on the inside, easy to talk to. The second miss is warm on the outside but cold on the inside, no one can get close to her. She rarely leaves her room and doesn't see outsiders… I'll go ask if I can borrow the paintings."

She got up and left gracefully.

After a while, she returned with a long white wooden box and handed it to Chu Li, "I borrowed them. These are all Master Han Xi's paintings, a total of eight. Be careful!"

Chu Li hurriedly opened the box and carefully took out a scroll. A landscape painting came into view, with green mountains and a glimpse of a courtyard.

Chu Li felt a sudden sense of ease, a smile appeared on his face, and the agitation in his heart dissipated completely.

"How is it?"

"Truly a masterpiece!" Chu Li praised.

"One month, don't damage them!" Su Ru warned.

Chu Li smiled, "Don't worry, Head Steward!"

Su Ru said with concern, "These are the second miss's treasures. If you damage them, who knows what might happen!"

Chu Li smiled, "The second miss is quite generous."

"That's because of her relationship with the young miss," Su Ru gave him a look and left gracefully.

---

The moonlight was like water.

The night wind rustled through the green bamboo.

Chu Li sat motionless in the small pavilion, like a statue.

In the void of his mind, a silver-white tiger came to life, roaring and practicing the postures from the White Tiger Yang Cultivation Chart.

His thoughts stirred, and the ten tiger paintings he had seen during the day appeared in his mind.

The white tiger leaped into one of the paintings, like a drop of water falling into a puddle. The tiger disappeared into the painting, and after a moment, the painting shattered and disappeared. The tiger reappeared, with an added touch of spirit.

The white tiger shattered all ten paintings in sequence, undergoing a transformation, becoming as lively as a real tiger.

Chu Li's mind entered the tiger, feeling calm and cold, fearless.

He directed a thread of his spirit to observe his body, feeling the power from the void changing his body, as if he were immersed in medicinal liquid, constantly transforming.

When he came to his senses, the sky was bright.

Unconsciously, a whole night had passed. His body felt more compact and strong. He clenched his fist, feeling the increase in strength, with significant results.

He got up and practiced the Vajra Tribulation-Resisting Divine Technique, his breath flowing, making great progress.

Xue Ling was practicing the Eight Yin Techniques, and after finishing, she started preparing breakfast.

Chu Li ate breakfast in the hall, facing away from the door. Xue Ling stood beside him, facing the north wall, directly in front of the tiger painting.

She knew Chu Li had done this on purpose and looked helpless. By the time Chu Li finished eating, she was drenched in sweat, almost soaking through her clothes.

She tidied up the dishes and hurried back to her room to take a bath.

In the following days, Chu Li stayed in the courtyard, as if he had never returned. He didn't leave the courtyard, and any matters were handled by Xue Ling. He focused on practicing the Vajra Tribulation-Resisting Divine Technique, aiming to complete the third level within a month.

Since viewing Lu Boyuan's paintings, the power of the White Tiger Yang Cultivation Chart had greatly increased, and the progress of the Vajra Tribulation-Resisting Divine Technique had also accelerated. However, he also sensed a significant hidden danger in practicing both techniques together.

After practicing the White Tiger Yang Cultivation Chart, practicing the Vajra Tribulation-Resisting Divine Technique became faster, but his state of mind subtly changed. He couldn't detach from the tiger's state of mind, and when practicing the Vajra Tribulation-Resisting Divine Technique, it felt like throwing a torch into a pot of oil, making his killing intent boil uncontrollably.

During cultivation, he relied on the Great Mirror Wisdom to suppress and calm the killing intent, preventing it from affecting him.

However, this was a forced suppression