When Li Xin pushed open the door to Script & Brush Pavilion, the heavy wooden door creaked as it opened. At the same time, a faint scent of ink tickled his nose—not strong, but deep. A scent born from brushes and ink seeping in over long years—literally, the ‘smell of time.’

  Li Xin passed through the doorway as if indifferent, slowly turning his gaze inward. The interior was not particularly spacious, but the layout was surprisingly neat. The floor was firmly laid with pale gray stone slabs, and bookshelves filled both walls. The shelves were neatly packed with bamboo slips and documents, and below them, brushes were lined up in orderly rows.

  At the very back, near a window stood a work desk. On top of it lay half-ground ink and several dried brushes. Behind the desk was a long bench. There, an old man with a stubborn look leaned back against it.

  “Who are you?”

  Sharp eyes stretched long, traces of years carved between the wrinkles. His jaw was long and firm, and his white beard split neatly at the tip of his chin. This man was Xu Renlu. The owner of Script & Brush Pavilion.

  Xu Renlu looked Li Xin up and down.

  “Stage 1, Layer 2.”

  One eyebrow twitched upward.

  “If you’re here to buy a brush, the way out is over there. A cheap brush sold at the market would be more than enough for your hands.”

  There were thorns in his tone. No courtesy, no concern for saving face—blunt words laid bare, but Li Xin was not shaken in the slightest. Rather, he was intrigued. If someone could lace his words with such barbs, confident in his brushes. It meant he had that much confidence in his wares.

  Li Xin pretended not to hear and walked toward the display case. Then he picked up a brush.

  “Goat hair, I see.”

  The brush tip flowed with fine white hairs, and the handle had been carefully carved from sandalwood. Li Xin lightly smiled as he checked the brush’s balance with his fingertips.

  “It holds ink well, so its ink retention is excellent, and its durability is stable. The hairs are slightly translucent—looks like it was made from the nape hair of a male goat.”

  Knowledge about brushes surfaced automatically in his mind. Perhaps memories belonging to the original owner of this body. Soon, he picked up another brush. This one carried a dark yellow-brown hue.

  “Weasel hair has great elasticity and brings out strong lines. It’s hard to handle, but for drawing short strokes precisely, there’s hardly a better brush.”

  And lastly. He picked up a small brush with short, soft hairs densely gathered together. Li Xin’s eyes brightened slightly.

  “Rabbit-hair brushes really show their delicate nature here. This one’s specialized for drawing precise talismans.”

  Li Xin examined the brushes, letting admiration slip out repeatedly. Form, texture, weight, elasticity… Every element was on a different level from mass-produced goods.

  Is this what a masterpiece feels like.

  The form was simple, yet the dignity within it was anything but light. At a glance, one could tell these were works born from a master’s fingertips. Watching him, Xu Renlu’s eyebrows moved slightly.

  At first, he had thought the boy was just a vain beginner, but the way he handled the brushes was familiar, and his eye for discerning their nature was precise.

  More than anything, his praise was not empty. Not the usual hollow words of “good” or “impressive.” He looked at each one sincerely, speaking with an understanding of its characteristics. Who would take issue with someone praising their own creations.

  Xu Renlu folded his arms and silently watched Li Xin for a while, before finally opening his mouth.

  “…I don’t recognize your face. Whose disciple are you?”

  “I don’t have a master I follow.”

  “How many strokes can you draw?”

  “For now, only the Warm Heart Talisman.”

  Hearing that, Xu Renlu’s expression immediately darkened. His brow furrowed deeply, blatant dissatisfaction surfacing in his eyes.

  “Hmph. You only draw two-stroke talismans, yet you dare reach for my brush?”

  It looked as if he might swing a club down on Li Xin’s hand the moment it reached out. To him, brushes were not mere tools.

  But Li Xin did not retreat even before that momentum. Instead, he spoke calmly.

  “I’m looking for a horse-hair brush to draw the Concealing Fragrance Talisman.”

  Xu Renlu did not hide his sneer.

  “You’re drawing the Concealing Fragrance Talisman? Fine, then answer me this. Tell me exactly what the Concealing Fragrance Talisman is.”

  The words were phrased as a question, but his gaze was closer to an interrogation. If the answer displeased him, he would have an excuse to throw him out.

  At that moment, Li Xin’s eyes shone with calm light. From the moment he stepped into this brush shop, all of Li Xin’s actions had been meant to draw out this very question. After taking a short breath, he slowly began to speak.

  “The Concealing Fragrance Talisman is a talisman that hides qi and presence through scent.”

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  Xu Renlu neither nodded nor interrupted. He merely narrowed his eyes and stared at Li Xin.

  “It doesn’t simply mask smell. Its purpose is to naturally blur qi, traces, and all forms of detectable sensation.”

  Li Xin recalled his memories from the Archive Pavilion. The young man’s offhand explanation resurfaced from his own mouth, now reborn as clear words.

  “‘Concealment’ doesn’t just mean covering something up. It means making it undetectable, unnoticed. Something exists, but is not perceived. That’s the core of the Concealing Fragrance Talisman.”

  After finishing, Li Xin paused and waited for Xu Renlu’s reaction.

  The old man still said nothing, but there was a definite change in his gaze. The watching eyes had sunk deep. What he had just heard was not mere theory. It was words that pierced through a talisman hand’s senses, experience, and even ‘intent.’ What was needed to recognize a true talisman hand was not cultivation stage, nor flashy brushwork. It was this—eyes that could pierce the true meaning contained within a talisman. That was precisely the qualification this old man had been waiting for.

  “Ha…”

  A short sigh escaped. Without a word, Xu Renlu reached under the desk.

  The lowest drawer. Judging by the thick layer of dust, it was a place untouched for quite some time. From there, he carefully took out a single brush—an old, faded brush with a flicker of red hue.

  The brush tip was slightly worn, and the handle was darkened with deep traces of use. Marks of countless years spent in someone’s hand, drawing talismans. The brush itself felt like a piece of history.

  “This is a brush made from a horse’s Heavenly Tail.”

  Xu Renlu spoke in a low voice.

  “It’s made from the tail hair of a variant horse known as the Crimson Blood Steed. Each strand holds qi, maximizing line density and unity.”

  He stared at the brush for a moment, then extended it toward Li Xin.

  “The tip’s a bit worn, but it’s still alive. If your heart aligns with it, this brush will follow your hand.”

  Li Xin carefully accepted the brush. And at that moment, his eyes widened. The sensation flowing through his fingertips was nothing like the cheap brushes he had used until now. The flow of spiritual power connected smoothly through the brush. The stiff resistance he had felt dozens, hundreds of times while drawing talismans vanished as if it had been a lie. As if the brush itself was ready to move.

  “This is really…”

  A gasp of admiration slipped out. But before he could finish, Xu Renlu bluntly cut in.

  “1,500 jeon.”

  “…What?”

  “The price. 1,500 jeon.”

  Li Xin fell silent for a moment, looking down at the brush. Its value was sufficient—no, perhaps even more than that. But reality was cold. Holding the brush in both hands, Li Xin quietly extended it back. Seeing this, Xu Renlu raised an eyebrow.

  “What? Can’t even pay that much?”

  “I’m sorry. It’s not that the brush is expensive. I only have 1,200 jeon right now.”

  Xu Renlu paused. He immediately realized this was not empty haggling. Then he let out a snort and spoke.

  “I won’t lower the price of this brush. 1,500 jeon isn’t just a number—it’s the value this brush holds.”

  “I understand.”

  Li Xin bowed his head. It was a sincere acknowledgment of the brush’s worth. Watching him, Xu Renlu spoke again. One corner of his mouth curling upward.

  “If you don’t have money, then repay it like a talisman hand should.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’ll see how much you really know about the Concealing Fragrance Talisman. You might just be repeating things you picked up somewhere.”

  “Then you mean…”

  “Make up the missing amount by drawing Concealing Fragrance Talismans yourself. Then I’ll hand over the brush.”

  Li Xin silently met his gaze. Three hundred jeon was an amount he could gather in a few days. There was no need to perform talisman crafting in front of Xu Renlu. Perhaps sensing Li Xin’s thoughts, Xu Renlu smiled and added one more line.

  “An opportunity not to be missed.”

  At those words, Li Xin’s eyes wavered slightly.

  “I feel inclined to sell you this brush today… but if not today, I probably never will again.”

  It was an unmistakable threat. If not now, he would never get this brush again. Li Xin understood Xu Renlu’s intent. He had perfectly explained the Concealing Fragrance Talisman. Now, it was time to prove it with skill, not words.

  He wants to see my talisman crafting right now.

  Li Xin closed his eyes. The scale in his mind swayed quietly—Benefit, or loss.

  Even without Script & Brush Pavilion, he could obtain a brush elsewhere. And for drawing two-stroke talismans, a brush this good wasn’t strictly necessary, but that was only true up to now. The talismans he would draw in the future would be three strokes, four strokes, and beyond.

  As stroke count increased, the structure grew finer, and a single brush could determine the outcome. A brush that aided the flow of qi and reduced resistance like this would allow far more stable talisman crafting.

  I need this brush.

  That was as far as the hesitation went.

  “Alright.”

  Li Xin lifted his head and looked at Xu Renlu as he spoke.

  “I’ll draw it myself.”

  Pleased by the straightforward answer, Xu Renlu rose from his seat. Then he opened a cabinet.

  What he took out was a jade bottle, a piece of ink, and ten sheets of White Pine Paper. All the materials needed for the Concealing Fragrance Talisman. Naturally prepared, for Xu Renlu—the owner of Script & Brush Pavilion and an accomplished talisman hand.

  “Make the scented ink yourself.”

  Li Xin nodded and sat down. It was his first time drawing the Concealing Fragrance Talisman. The strokes were unfamiliar. His heart beat quietly, yet distinctly. Even so, Li Xin poured water into the inkstone and began grinding the ink first.

  The ink absorbed the water and was slowly ground down.

  Li Xin said nothing. Kneeling there, he ground the ink as if he were the only one left in the world.

  Grinding ink is grinding the mind.

  In his previous life, and in this one as well. No one had told him that, but it felt naturally true.

  At some point, Li Xin no longer even sensed Xu Renlu before him. The resonance of ink against the stone. The subtle resistance felt at his fingertips. All of it calmed his mind.

  When he felt it was enough, Li Xin opened the jade bottle. Inside was incense powder made from dried Flower Fragrance Grass roots.

  Too much and it scatters. Too little and there’s no scent.

  Li Xin regulated his breathing, focusing his senses on his fingertips.

  Exactly three pinches. The powder floated on the water, then slowly mixed and spread. Li Xin carefully began grinding the ink again.

  Scent and ink. The two energies slowly melted into one. Soon, a faint fragrance filled the room.

  At that moment—Li Xin’s eyes sparkled.

  It’s done.

  He could feel it. The scented ink he had made was more suited to the Concealing Fragrance Talisman than any ink he had encountered before. This was not merely a matter of sensation. It was because he understood the Concealing Fragrance Talisman. A talisman that hid, concealed, and seeped in naturally. The scent that matched such qi could not be excessive.

  Harmony without excess. This scented ink possessed all those qualities. Throughout this entire process, Xu Renlu said nothing. He simply watched Li Xin’s movements in silence, but there was a clear change in his gaze.