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Chapter 485: Too Evil

At Princess Qianyou's mansion, Zhong Shan and Gu Qianyou watched as Mr. Shui Jing was briefed.

"In the coming days, Qianyou will invite Liu Yanyan to stay at the princess's mansion, which means you will be able to see her every day," Zhong Shan said.

"Mm," Mr. Shui Jing nodded.

"Qianyou mentioned that Liu Yanyan is an excellent painter. This is perfect because you play the guqin, correct?" Zhong Shan asked.

"Yes," Mr. Shui Jing nodded, frowning in thought.

"We will arrange for you to have some time alone with her. You don't need to talk much, just persuade her to paint a picture for you," Zhong Shan said.

"Paint a picture?" Mr. Shui Jing was puzzled. How would that help?

"Exactly, based on the mood of the piece you play, she will paint a scene," Zhong Shan explained.

"I play a piece, and she paints a landscape or an object based on the mood of the music?" Mr. Shui Jing nodded.

"Yes, pour the imagery of your past lives into your music, preferably landscapes or objects you both saw. Once she finishes the painting, leave it here in the hall. Neither of you takes it away, so she sees it every time she visits," Zhong Shan said.

"Is it that simple?" Mr. Shui Jing was skeptical. As soon as he questioned it, he seemed to understand and nodded.

Mr. Shui Jing knew that to make someone remember something deeply, it wasn't about constant external reminders but embedding it in their subconscious. Even a tiny, weak impression in the subconscious was stronger than a thousand external reminders.

Soon enough, Liu Yanyan was invited over by Gu Qianyou.

At Princess Qianyou's mansion, she quickly encountered Mr. Shui Jing. With his vast wisdom, Mr. Shui Jing knew how to handle things perfectly. Besides, he was a perfectionist.

A heartfelt melody and a reflective painting.

Liu Yanyan had no reason to refuse painting a scene inspired by the music. She soon completed a serene valley painting. Staring at it, she felt a complex mix of emotions, unsure how to face Zhou Jian. This was a place they had visited during an outing in their past life.

Mr. Shui Jing (Zhou Jian) didn't linger too long, leaving the guqin behind and departing in sorrow.

Liu Yanyan, seeing him off, stood by the painting, touching the guqin with a sigh.

Zhong Shan accompanied Mr. Shui Jing as they left.

"Well done," Zhong Shan said with a smile.

Mr. Shui Jing shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Don't worry, I said it would work, and it will. Continue this daily routine—play a piece each day and have her paint a picture every day," Zhong Shan said.

"What effect will this have? What's the purpose?" Mr. Shui Jing asked. The awkwardness between him and Liu Yanyan was palpable. Painting pictures wouldn't resolve anything or achieve any goal, would it?

"This is all part of the setup. Trust me, women's hearts can't be measured with data," Zhong Shan said.

"Alright, I trust you," Mr. Shui Jing sighed and nodded reluctantly.

From then on, Mr. Shui Jing visited Princess Qianyou's mansion daily. His routine was simple: play a piece on the guqin, and Liu Yanyan would paint a corresponding picture based on the music.

Initially, Liu Yanyan was reserved, but gradually, she became accustomed to the routine, opening up and painting a new ink wash painting each day. Listening to the melodies and creating the paintings brought her an indescribable sense of comfort.

Listening to the guqin became a habit for her. The grand hall, adorned with numerous ink paintings, became a gallery of her heartfelt creations. The scenes, each painted with great effort, were beautiful and satisfying.

Each day, after Mr. Shui Jing left, Liu Yanyan would spend some time admiring the paintings.

"Sister Yanyan, did you paint all these? They're such beautiful places," Gu Qianyou would timely praise, bringing joy to Liu Yanyan's heart.

In the Eastern Mansion, Zhong Shan and Mr. Shui Jing sat together.

"How many pieces have you played in total?" Zhong Shan asked.

"It's been two months, sixty pieces," Mr. Shui Jing replied.

"Sixty pieces? So that's sixty paintings?" Zhong Shan inquired.

"Yes," Mr. Shui Jing nodded.

"Good. For the next three days, don't go there," Zhong Shan instructed.

"Don't go?" Mr. Shui Jing felt a bit reluctant but nodded.

For the next three days, Liu Yanyan waited in the grand hall. From morning until evening, she waited, but Mr. Shui Jing never appeared.

Looking at the guqin, Liu Yanyan's brow furrowed with a mix of reluctance and complexity. She sighed, then turned to look at the sixty paintings she had created over the past two months.

The second day, she came again, but Mr. Shui Jing still didn't show up. She spent the entire day staring at the sixty paintings, her mood growing increasingly dejected.

On the third day, Mr. Shui Jing remained absent. Liu Yanyan clenched her fists and stayed in the hall all night. Even when Gu Qianyou came to talk to her, Liu Yanyan was disinterested and deeply depressed.

On the fourth day, Mr. Shui Jing, under Zhong Shan's direction, appeared. His arrival seemed so ordinary, so unremarkable, but to Liu Yanyan, it felt like an eternity, like countless lifetimes.

The moment Liu Yanyan saw Mr. Shui Jing, a smile unconsciously bloomed on her face. It was a bright smile, purely from the heart, filled with joy.

Seeing her expression, Mr. Shui Jing felt a surge of happiness, but according to Zhong Shan's script, he had to put on a serious face.

Walking up to Liu Yanyan, he didn't touch the guqin but instead looked into her eyes and sighed.

Seeing Mr. Shui Jing's expression, Liu Yanyan felt a pang of panic.

"I have to leave," Mr. Shui Jing said.

"Leave?" Liu Yanyan was taken aback.

"Yes, I have to leave, to get away from this place of sorrow," Mr. Shui Jing said with a hint of pain.

Liu Yanyan's heart sank. Her earlier joy vanished instantly.

"Where are you going?" Liu Yanyan asked.

"I don't know," Mr. Shui Jing replied.

Biting her lip, Liu Yanyan asked again, "When will you be back?"

"I don't know. Maybe never," Mr. Shui Jing said.

Hearing his words, Liu Yanyan felt a sharp pain in her heart, sinking into a deep sadness.

"Not coming back? He's not coming back?" Liu Yanyan's mind raced as she watched Mr. Shui Jing.

Mr. Shui Jing walked to the edge of the hall and began carefully taking down each of Liu Yanyan's paintings, placing them in a large album.

One by one, until he had taken fifty paintings, Liu Yanyan, holding back her tears, rushed forward to stop him.

"What are you doing?" Liu Yanyan bit her lip.

"I need to take these paintings," Mr. Shui Jing replied.

"No, you can't take them," Liu Yanyan shook her head, her eyes filled with extreme reluctance.

"I must. These are mine; I earned them with sixty pieces of music," Mr. Shui Jing said, continuing to pack up the remaining paintings.

Hearing Mr. Shui Jing's words, Liu Yanyan was momentarily stunned. Yes, he had earned them with his sixty pieces. But why did her heart feel so reluctant? Was it the paintings she couldn't part with, or was it him?

After carefully packing all the paintings into a storage bracelet, Mr. Shui Jing walked to the guqin and took it as well. Without saying another word, he walked out of the hall with a heart full of sorrow, following Zhong Shan's instructions.

Liu Yanyan watched as Mr. Shui Jing left, unable to hold back her tears any longer. She looked around—no paintings, no guqin, and no Mr. Shui Jing. Everything was gone. She felt utterly abandoned, as if she had been cast into the world's farthest corner, where no one could find her.

"Senior sister, what's wrong? Why are you crying? Where did Mr. Shui Jing go?" Princess Qianyou asked as she appeared at the perfect moment.

Shaking her head, Liu Yanyan said, "Qianyou, I need to go back."

With that, Liu Yanyan left, her mood extremely low, and returned to the Great Mysterious King's palace, supported by a group of attendants.

At the Eastern Mansion.

"Why did you take everything—paintings, guqin? Couldn't you leave her something?" Mr. Shui Jing frowned.

"You're too close to see it clearly. The paintings, the guqin, and the person are all interconnected in her heart. Simply leaving would not have had a deep enough impact. The guqin amplifies emotions, and the paintings intensify them, all to highlight your presence. You are the key. Trust me, before the Holy Emperor opens the heavens, you will get your wish," Zhong Shan said with a smile.

"Really?" Mr. Shui Jing asked, surprised.

"You can't see the subtle changes while you're in the middle of it. Just follow my instructions. The first step is complete. Now for the second step—undermining the Great Mysterious King's palace from within," Zhong Shan said with a smile.

"Undermine from within?"

"Fan Xiaoying," Zhong Shan said.

"Fan Xiaoying?"

"Yes, Fan Xiaoying, the sister of the Great Mysterious King's top advisor, Fan Yipin. She is the king's favorite consort and is very protective of him. She also harbors some resentment towards Liu Yanyan. During these two months, I've used some subtle methods to let Fan Xiaoying see your interactions with Liu Yanyan, focusing on 'key' moments. She will now work to undermine the Great Mysterious King's relationship with Liu Yanyan, with 'solid evidence' to back her up," Zhong Shan said confidently, sipping his tea.

Mr. Shui Jing looked at Zhong Shan in amazement. The intricate scheming used by Zhong Shan was truly masterful. "This kind of battlefield cunning, used so subtly by Zhong Shan, is indeed very evil," he thought.