Ming Qi was a meticulous person. He knew he'd been having the same unchanging dream for a long time, which wasn't normal at all.
Why did that woman, that enchanting figure in white, her beauty as white as snow, like a celestial fairy, keep appearing in his mind for no apparent reason?
After pondering for a moment, he couldn't figure it out. Suddenly, his interest piqued, he grabbed a nearby pen and paper and began to paint the woman from his dream again.
Brushstrokes and strokes, the painting was finished in a flash.
This was his second attempt at a painting, and his speed and technique were much brighter and more vibrant. Although he used only one color of ink and one brush, the result was a truly breathtaking masterpiece.
After finishing, Ming Qi wrote a large "dream" in the upper right corner of the painting.
Snap!
Putting his brush aside, Ming Qi stood by the window, his brow furrowed.
That person, that girl, he was convinced they had truly appeared!
"That was definitely not a dream!"
Based on Ming Qi's intuition, he knew it was definitely not a simple dream!
However, Ming Qi also knew that since the girl was able to transfer such vast amounts of knowledge into his mind, she was undoubtedly no mortal. And since he was just a mere ant, there was probably no chance they would ever meet in this lifetime.
This morning, Ming Qi was deeply troubled.
At noon, Ouna brought lunch on time again.
Seeing each meal so unique, Ming Qi felt a warm feeling in his heart. It brought him back a sense of home. In his previous life, he had no home, no family, no friends, and was completely alone in his care. Although he was a world-class assassin, how many people knew that Qisha, a killer renowned in the dark world, would often squat alone in the park eating instant noodles?
"Sister Ouna, thank you."
Ming Qi thanked her sincerely and began to eat.
After a few bites, Ming Qi suddenly looked up and said apologetically, "Senior Sister Oona, I'm so sorry about yesterday. I didn't know you never drank."
Oona smiled and said softly, "I never used to drink, but yesterday I had a few and I felt pretty good." After saying this, she even cracked a playful smile, a rare sight.
Ming Qi chuckled and lowered his head to eat. Oona stood up and paced around Ming Qi's room.
Soon, she spotted the painting on Ming Qi's desk and her beautiful eyes widened in surprise.
"This..."
Oona's eyes widened in astonishment. The brushwork, the forceful strokes, the level of layering and rendering were undoubtedly masterful. The painting, in particular, held a unique charm. Although she had never seen the girl in the painting before, the moment she looked at it, it felt as if she were standing right before her.
"Hmm?"
Hearing Ouna's surprised cry, Ming Qi, a piece of vegetable in his mouth, turned his head and saw Ouna, examining the drawing paper with great care.
After a quick glance, Ming Qi said nothing and continued eating.
"This is definitely the work of a painting master!"
Ouna thought to herself, turning the painting over and over in her hands, as if it contained infinite mystery and joy.
Although Ouna had entered the world of monks, she was deeply fascinated by art, especially painting. In her spare time, she would carefully appreciate the masterpieces of today's renowned artists. In her opinion, appreciating art was a rare state of mind.
"Huh? Whose work is this? Why doesn't it have any markings or other identifiable marks?"
After completing a masterpiece, painters usually choose a suitable place to leave their names; it's a must.
But Ouna saw nothing on this exquisite work, full of spirit and charm, only the word "dream" written in a flowing, serpentine brushstroke.
After examining it for a moment, Ouna asked, "Junior Brother Ming, where did you get this painting?"
Ming Qi, still chewing his food, mumbled, "I just had some free time, so I just drew it."
"What! You drew it?"
Ouna's hand trembled, and she almost lost her grip. Thinking she'd misheard, she subconsciously asked again.
Ming Qi, oblivious to Ouna's reaction, swallowed his food and repeated his words clearly.
This time, Ouna heard it clearly. This painting, it turned out, was Ming Qi's!
Ouna's emotions swirled, and it took a long time for her to calm down. She immediately ran over to Ming Qi with a strange expression on her face, eyes wide open, and asked, "Did you really draw that?"
"Yes!"
Ming Qi was a little bewildered.
He had already finished his meal and was looking at Ouna, who looked at him with a surprised expression, his wine glass in hand, completely baffled. He could easily draw something like this; it was nothing new to him. But what he didn't know was that, in Ouna's eyes, this painting looked completely different. This painting was clearly the work of a grandmaster!
"Senior Sister Ouna, what's wrong with you?"
Seeing Ouna standing there, somewhat dazed, twisting the drawing paper in her hand and looking at him as if he were a monster, Ming Qi became even more puzzled.
He waved his hand in front of her eyes, and Ouna finally came to her senses.
"Junior Brother Ming, you are a genius among painters!"
Ouna, having regained her composure, exclaimed in sincere admiration, unable to let go of Ming Qi's painting.
Seeing this, Ming Qi naturally understood. Seeing Ouna's engrossed expression, he said, "Senior Sister, you're joking. It was just a casual drawing. If you like it, take it."
Ouna happily put the painting away, then chatted with Ming Qi about some interesting anecdotes about painters before leaving.
Ming Qi still walked her out the door.
After taking a few steps, Ouna stopped, turned around, and asked with some confusion, "Junior Brother Ming, who is the woman in the painting?"
"Uh." Ming Qi's smile faltered. This was truly difficult to explain.
After a moment of silence, Ming Qi scratched his head, a rare occurrence. He couldn't believe he could pull off such a basic, unsophisticated movement.
"I can't really explain it right now. It seems like I saw it in a dream."
"What?"
Ouna was shocked once again. This, this was clearly a lie.
Forget dreams. Most of what you see in dreams is forgotten upon waking. Even describing it in words is extremely difficult, let alone painting it.
But Ming Qi's painting was not only perfect, but also full of spirit!
Seeing that Ming Qi didn't want to talk, Ouna stopped asking. She smiled and turned away.
Ming Qi naturally didn't lie; he felt there was no need. But he told the truth, and Oona thought he was lying.
Ming Qi naturally noticed Oona's disbelief, but he didn't know how to explain it, so he brushed it off, waiting for a chance later.
But a true explanation would likely only come when the woman in the painting actually appeared.
After seeing Oona off, Ming Qi turned around when he heard a distant commotion, what sounded like an argument.
Seeing the distance was quite far, Ming Qi waved his hand to summon the dire wolf, leading it quickly towards him.
As he approached and saw the man, Ming Qi couldn't help but feel a sense of surprise. It was Ge Chuncheng!
Ge Chuncheng, the little gun master!
Ge Chuncheng, now one-armed, was surrounded by Qiu Ling, Tang Qi, and the others, who were arguing about something.
Sensing an unfamiliar presence, the dire wolf immediately let out a low growl, as if threatening.
The sound startled them.
"Junior Brother Ming?"
"Junior Brother Ming, you've arrived just in time."
Qiu Ling immediately called Ming Qi over and quickly explained Ge Chuncheng's purpose.
At first, Ming Qi thought Ge Chuncheng was seeking revenge, but after hearing Qiu Ling's explanation, it became clear that this was not the case.
Ge Chuncheng was skilled with a spear and possessed exceptional talent, yet he suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Ming Qi, even losing his right arm. This was essentially an irreconcilable conflict. However, this time, Ge Chuncheng's purpose wasn't revenge, but to learn the ropes of spearmanship from Ming Qi.
"Then please." Ming Qi led Ge Chuncheng to his room.
Ge Chuncheng seemed a little reserved, uneasy after the previous argument. Although he was arrogant, he wasn't one to ignore right and wrong. He knew he had been completely defeated by Ming Qi.
This man was able to fight Zhao Fenghua to a draw, so his defeat at his hands was not unfair.
Seeing that Ge Chuncheng seemed to have completely subdued his arrogance, Ming Qi was deeply shocked and greatly admired his character. He had thought that the little spear master Ge Chuncheng would never recover from his defeat, but he hadn't expected him to so quickly recover from his defeat and come to seek advice.
"Senior Brother Ge, I wonder what you would like to know."
Ming Qi was very polite. Since this wasn't a life-and-death duel, the atmosphere was relaxed, and there was no need to make things tense.
Hearing Ming Qi's words, Ge Chuncheng's face suddenly darkened. "I'm defeated by Junior Brother Ming. I only have one question this time. Please feel free to enlighten me."
"Go ahead."
Ming Qi picked up the teacup from the table, poured a cup of tea, and pushed it towards Ge Chuncheng.
Ge Chuncheng didn't touch his teacup. Instead, his expression grave, he said, "I just want to know, in Junior Brother Ming's spearmanship, that wolf..."
He couldn't understand the wolf image in Ming Qi's spear. To him, a spear was just a spear; how could it possibly be anything else?
"This..."
Seeing Ming Qi pause, Ge Chuncheng suddenly grew nervous, fearing Ming Qi wouldn't reveal the secret.
Ming Qi, however, didn't notice the change in Ge Chuncheng's expression. He pondered for a moment, then pointed outside.
Ge Chuncheng followed Ming Qi's finger and saw a dire wolf standing in the open space outside the door, its eyes glaring fiercely. An inexplicable fear flickered in its frightening eyes.
"Dire wolf?"
Ge Chuncheng didn't understand for a moment.
Seeing Ge Chuncheng still didn't understand, Ming Qi said quietly, "Its eyes, its teeth, its claws—they all have guns."
Ge Chuncheng was no fool. As Ming Qi spoke, something seemed to finally dawn on him, his eyes suddenly lighting up as he experienced a sudden realization.
"Thank you!"
Without further ado, Ge Chuncheng stood up, walked out of the attic, and strode away.
"If you tell him your secret, aren't you afraid he'll come after you again?"
Qiu Ling looked at Ge Chuncheng as he left, a hint of worry.
"It doesn't matter. He'll never be my match!" Ming Qi smiled brightly.
Others didn't know, but Ming Qi knew full well that his spearmanship benefited from the profound principles of the Wolf Fist, which Ge Chuncheng lacked. Even if he could grasp even a fraction of the true meaning of wolf nature, he couldn't compare to Ming Qi.