159. Shameless Plagiarism

Although the final outcome did not go the way Doggy Pan wanted, no one knew what Gu Fei had said to him, so he stopped pushing the matter. Since his son wanted to study for an official career, he could only do his best, though he still felt quite regretful.

Remembering Gu Fei's kindness, Doggy Pan would always detour past the gate of Gu Fei's courtyard in Wuyi Lane every night while making his rounds as a night watchman, thinking that keeping an extra sharp lookout could only be a good thing.

On this day, Gu Fei had originally intended to stay in, but to her surprise, Zuo Shengshi somehow managed to track down where she was living, driving a carriage in person to pick her up, claiming only that he wanted to take her out to see the world.

Gu Fei did not refuse. Zuo Shengshi was familiar with Great Jing, and with him acting as her guide, she would undoubtedly save a lot of detours.

The place Zuo Shengshi brought her to turned out to be that same exquisite three-story small building in the southern part of the city—the very place where the two of them had first met.

Noticing the faint look of surprise on Gu Fei's face, Zuo Shengshi smiled and explained, "I had intended to tell you that day, Miss, but unfortunately you left in such a hurry."

"This is the residence of Grand Tutor Gu of the current dynasty. He frequently uses it to entertain literati and scholars. The ink gathering last time was actually hosted by Grand Tutor Gu. Hearing that he has recently been searching for a suitable ink pellet, and coupled with the fact that quite a few ink-makers have lately arrived in Great Jing, he came up with this idea." Zuo Shengshi signaled his pageboy to step forward and carry Gu Fei's wheelchair.

"What kind of ink pellets is he looking for?" Gu Fei asked.

Zuo Shengshi shook his head. "Grand Tutor Gu didn't specify. He only said that he would know it when he saw it."

As they spoke, they reached the third floor of the quiet pavilion.

On the third floor, several people had already arrived ahead of them. A single sweep of Gu Fei's gaze told her that these people were different from the ones last time; each of them possessed an aura of nobility. Looking closely at their hands, she saw no calluses, which suggested they were people accustomed to a life of ease and luxury.

Gu Fei looked at Zuo Shengshi, somewhat puzzled as to what he had in mind by bringing her here.

Zuo Shengshi bent down and lowered his voice into Gu Fei's ear. "Everyone who has come here today is a high-ranking official or noble of Great Jing. Grand Tutor Gu expressed a wish to see the ink pellets treasured in everyone's households, so these people have all brought their rare possessions. I thought it would be good for Gu Fei to come and have a look as well."

Gu Fei understood. When she looked at these people again, a smile touched the corners of her mouth. If she performed appropriately today, these people would all become patrons of her Xuanzhu Workshop in the future—though, of course, the premise was making them believe that she truly possessed genuine skill.

Someone stepped forward to greet Zuo Shengshi. While returning the courtesy, Zuo Shengshi did not go out of his way to introduce Gu Fei's identity to others, for an ink gathering of this scale was no longer something one could attend merely with the status of an ink-maker.

Gu Fei was not annoyed. A proper, faint smile hung on her lips as she listened attentively to Zuo Shengshi conversing with others, taking the opportunity to recognize more than half of the people in the hall.

Half an hour later, an elderly man with hair and a beard as white as snow was supported as he walked in. He had a plump figure and wore a dark-colored robe embroidered with the character for fortune. Despite his advanced age, his spine was not hunched in the slightest, and his eyes flashed with sharp brilliance from time to time.

Everyone else, along with Zuo Shengshi, hurried forward to bow and salute, calling out, "Grand Tutor Gu, I trust you are well."

Gu Fei stood at the very back. Naturally, there was no need for her to step forward on such an occasion. Therefore, she focused her attention on the ink boxes displayed on the tables. The ink boxes were few in number, but they excelled in having exceptionally exquisite designs, which inexplicably raised anticipation for the ink pellets housed within them.

"That you gentlemen have honored me by bringing your treasured ink pellets fills me with great delight. To express my gratitude, I have also brought out five ink pellets from my own study today, and I ask you all to be generous with your instruction," Grand Tutor Gu said, following which maidservants filed in carrying trays.

"Put them here," Grand Tutor Gu instructed casually, pointing to an empty table nearby.

Gu Fei's gaze was drawn to the ink box on one of the trays. With her sharp eyes, she obscurely caught sight of the character "Feng" carved onto the box. Had she not been a member of the Feng family, she might well have missed it.

Her heart skipped a beat. She cast another glance at Grand Tutor Gu, full of speculation. The Feng family of Yizhou was the only one renowned for ink-making; it was quite possible that the ink pellet inside that box had been crafted by Feng Puyun in the past.

Since this was an ink gathering meant for appreciation rather than a contest of ink-making techniques, there were few rigid rules. Grand Tutor Gu walked down from the seat of honor and stopped before the first table near the entrance, signaling the beginning.

That ink box was round, the size of a palm, with overlapping bamboo shadows carved on the lid and traced in gold. It was truly exquisite.

Immediately, a middle-aged man with a potbelly stepped forward and said, "Grand Tutor Gu, I acquired this ink box fifteen years ago. Please have a look, sir."

With that, the man gently lifted the copper clasp of the ink box and opened it, revealing a fine, yellowish silk wrapper quietly enclosing a cinnabar-red ink pellet—a remarkably rare colored ink.

"This ink is named 'Seeking the Phoenix.' It is said that the original intention of the ink-maker in crafting this pellet was to win the favor of the woman he loved. Later, due to the unpredictability of worldly affairs, his beloved unfortunately passed away before she could receive the ink pellet. This pellet became the artisan's very last creation, and for the rest of his life, he never made ink again," the middle-aged man recounted in detail, a look of profound wistfulness on his face.

Grand Tutor Gu stroked his beard. "The color is deep yet clear, brilliant yet translucent. Looking through this ink pellet against the light, one can see hazy spiral patterns within—an auspicious sign of true ink. It is truly worthy of the name 'Seeking the Phoenix.'"

Having received praise for "Seeking the Phoenix," the middle-aged man beamed with joy. Lately, he had heard that Grand Tutor Gu was searching for a certain kind of ink pellet; if his own piece were chosen, he would naturally present it with both hands.

Pity that Grand Tutor Gu offered only those few words before moving his steps to the second table.

Gu Fei cast another glance at "Seeking the Phoenix." What Grand Tutor Gu said was indeed true, but out of habit, she still wanted to touch it with her own hands to make a more precise judgment.

She raised her head to signal Zuo Shengshi and whispered something into his ear.

Zuo Shengshi hesitated for a moment, then immediately cupped his hands toward the middle-aged man. It was unclear what he said to the man, but the latter paused before gesturing for him to appraise "Seeking the Phoenix" freely.

Zuo Shengshi wheeled Gu Fei closer. The two of them lagged several steps behind the others. Without a shred of politeness, Gu Fei drew back her sleeve and touched the ink pellet, examining it closely. She rubbed a trace of ink powder between her fingertips, and only after looking her fill did she return "Seeking the Phoenix" to its original place.

Since she was in a good mood after getting to see rare ink pellets today, she reminded the middle-aged man, "This ink pellet cannot tolerate the slightest dampness. I suggest, sir, that you replace the fine silk inside the ink box every five days."

The middle-aged man was currently watching Grand Tutor Gu appraise other ink pellets. Hearing Gu Fei's words, it took him a moment to snap out of it, and he cast a skeptical look her way. "Dampness? I have always kept 'Seeking the Phoenix' stored away on a high shelf; where on earth would any dampness come from?"

Gu Fei shook her head and sighed. Casting one last look at the ink pellet with a trace of reluctance in her eyes, she knew from the slightly gritty and moist texture of the powder she had just rubbed that if it were not properly cared for, "Seeking the Phoenix" would lose its color in less than half a year.

However, she had spoken the words of warning; whether the other party chose to listen or not was none of her business.

Zuo Shengshi smiled apologetically at the man, letting the matter pass. The two of them squeezed back toward the tables just in time to hear the surrounding people burst into waves of applause.

Gu Fei fixed her gaze and saw Grand Tutor Gu holding a teardrop-shaped ink pellet. The pellet was as smooth and round as jade, pitch-black throughout, with brocade patterns traced across its four sides, and the two small seal characters "Yuan Crafted" carved on the bottom.

Her black pupils suddenly constricted, a twilight-like, fierce dark glint surfacing within them.

That ink pellet was clearly the one she had crafted a few days ago for that commission from the Xuanzhu Workshop. At the time, she had thought it strange that the customer specifically requested the characters "Yuan Crafted" to be added, but she hadn't expected the other party's scheme to lie right here.

She looked toward the owner who had produced this ink pellet—

He was a thin, tall man of about thirty, wearing a sapphire-blue tunic with a slanted collar. He had prominent cheekbones, triangular eyes that slanted upward, thick lips, and a black mole the size of a soybean on his chin.

She leaned closer to Zuo Shengshi and asked, "What is this man's background?"

Zuo Shengshi frowned, thought for a moment, and shook his head. "I've never seen him. I don't know."

Her pale lips pressed into a straight line, while cold, biting frost crept up from the corners of her mouth and eyes. She heard Grand Tutor Gu saying, "One can tell that this ink was newly made not long ago. The body of the ink is exceptionally fine, showing that the artisan who crafted this pellet had extremely high demands for soot. Furthermore, it is dense yet light—truly exceeding my expectations. It is exceptionally rare, exceptionally rare."

Grand Tutor Gu repeated "exceptionally rare" twice in succession.

Upon hearing this, the owner of the ink pellet, who was standing opposite Grand Tutor Gu, cupped his hands modestly and said, "You flatter me too much, Grand Tutor Gu. I pondered over this ink for several months before finally producing this single piece. To receive such praise from you, Grand Tutor Gu, makes me feel deeply honored."

Hearing that this ink pellet was actually crafted by the person before him, Grand Tutor Gu immediately stepped forward, took the man by the hand, and asked, "Did you truly craft this ink pellet with your own hands?"

The man's smile remained unchanged. "I would not dare conceal anything from Grand Tutor Gu. I did indeed craft it myself. It was only completed a few days ago, and it took a great deal of effort."

"Good, good, good!" Grand Tutor Gu stroked his beard repeatedly, his gaze growing exceptionally warm as he looked at the man. "What is your esteemed surname and given name, sir? After the ink gathering, would you have time to converse at length with this old man?"

Hearing this, the man trembled slightly, appearing immensely excited. "My surname is Gu, and my given name is Yuan. I certainly have the time."

The people around them offered congratulations one after another. To catch Grand Tutor Gu's eye, even without participating in the selection for tribute ink, meant there was a tremendous possibility of being recommended into the imperial court—truly a step to the skies in a single bound.

Zuo Shengshi looked at the ink-maker named Gu Yuan, a stirring of ambition also visible on his face. After all, he was preparing for an ink duel with Mo Qingge, and the more capable people he had under his command, the better.

Gu Fei let out a cold snort and said in a voice just loud enough for Zuo Shengshi to hear, "Young Master Zuo, could it be that your heart has been moved as well?"

Zuo Shengshi chuckled awkwardly and rubbed his nose. "Please forgive me, Miss Gu. After all, the matter of the ink duel with Mo Qingge concerns my lifelong happiness; I cannot afford not to make ample preparations."

Gu Fei gave him a peculiar look. Keeping in mind that she might still need to leverage Zuo Shengshi's influence in the future, she kindly offered a warning: "The world is easily blinded. Ah-Fei advises Young Master to see things clearly before making any moves."

Zuo Shengshi merely assumed that Gu Fei was simply being a bad loser. As fellow ink-makers, seeing Gu Yuan favored while feeling disgruntled in her own heart was only human nature, so he just smiled and said nothing more.

The group continued walking forward, examining the ink pellets one by one. By this point, however, no matter which ink pellet Grand Tutor Gu looked at, he would pull Gu Yuan over to ask for his opinion first before making his own appraisal.

It had to be said that this Gu Yuan truly possessed some genuine skill. For most of the ink pellets, he was able to hit the nail on the head with his comments, which in turn caused Grand Tutor Gu to hold him in even higher regard.

Gu Fei's brow furrowed slightly. She cast several more glances at Gu Yuan, unable to describe the feeling in her heart. The Xuanzhu Workshop in Great Jing had just opened its doors for business, and this person had immediately placed an order with silver, yet here he was now holding the ink pellet she had crafted and claiming it as his own.

Unless someone was extremely familiar with the Xuanzhu Workshop, they would never dare to be so bold. After all, the ink pellets sold by the ink shop were never limited to just a single piece. Yet, whether it was the Xuanzhu Workshop in Yizhou or the one in Great Jing, Gu Fei had established a rule right from their establishment: any ink pellet customized according to the illustrated catalog would be produced in that single instance alone, with no second piece existing in the world. Even if a customer truly took a fancy to a matching design, when she crafted it, she would make distinctions—either varying the gold-traced patterns on the pellet or changing the style. No matter what, she would never produce a second identical ink pellet.

Originally, she had been operating on the principle that rarity adds value, but she had never expected someone to exploit a loophole right here. Even if she stood up at this moment to declare that the ink pellet was her creation and even produced an identical one on the spot, others would simply take her for an imitator.

Furthermore, since this person was also an ink-maker and had been able to enter and attend Grand Tutor Gu's ink gathering, it was evident that his background was likewise extraordinary. In Great Jing, she was ultimately an outsider and possessed not a shred of geographical advantage.

Because of this, she had held her tongue entirely.

Within half an hour, Grand Tutor Gu had inspected half of the ink pellets. Gu Fei also reined in her wandering thoughts and dedicated herself entirely to observing the ink pellets, for the chance to witness so many ink pellets that had already vanished from the world was truly a rare opportunity.

When it came time for Grand Tutor Gu's own ink pellets, he let out a hearty laugh and immediately reached first for the one whose ink box bore the obscurely carved character "Feng"—

"This ink pellet is an early work of Master Feng Puyun of Yizhou. In my youth, when I was traveling the four seas, I had the good fortune to accompany Grand Master Feng along the way and acquired it by chance, treasuring it ever since. It is only a pity that as the years have passed, though I have always wanted to return to Yizhou to visit my old friend, I have been tied down by all manner of affairs and failed to fulfill that wish. I wonder how my old friend is doing these days, as I haven't heard any news of him for quite a few years now."

Gu Fei sneered inwardly. If they were truly old friends and there was a genuine wish to visit, he wouldn't have gone years without returning, especially since Great Jing was only a four- or five-day carriage ride away from Yizhou.

"Could Grand Tutor Gu be unaware that Old Master Feng passed away a year or two ago?" Touching upon the Feng family, she could no longer remain entirely seated. Besides, she had originally intended to make a splash today, so she spoke up calmly at this moment, drawing the attention of everyone present.