The fragrance of roses lingered at the tip of the nose, and a faint blush adorned the edges of Bai Tang’s earlobes. He lowered his head, a thin sheen of sweat forming on his nose, while the deep red rose remained serenely cradled in Su Siyuan’s palm, silently but arrogantly asserting its presence.
Feeling challenged, Bai Tang refused to cower. After all, he was the immortal grass that faced heavenly tribulations without fear. How could he let a mere rose intimidate him?
Of course, he had to reclaim his dignity!
With a trembling hand, the young man reached out, feigning composure as he picked up the rose. Taking a deep breath, he looked straight into the eyes of the man before him. Those eyes were filled with the gentle flow of spring water, reflecting a clear and bright soul amidst the subdued colors.
“So…” The young man imitated the snail babies, placing the rose behind his ear. His ink-black hair and the peach-blossom hues of his features created a burst of splendid red within the muted palette. “So, am I the most beautiful little monster now?”
Su Siyuan stared steadily at Bai Tang. His gaze momentarily softened, and his brown eyes shimmered with delicate warmth. He softly replied, “Yes. You have always been the most beautiful little monster.”
And so, Bai Tang found himself at a loss for words once again, blushing and remaining silent.
The system was caught off guard and choked on the dog food, struggling to speak for a while.
Su Siyuan didn’t tease Bai Tang about his blush. He turned and walked to the cabinet, retrieving a long, flat box.
Holding the box, Su Siyuan approached Bai Tang. He reached out and gently brushed the petals from Bai Tang’s hair. “I thought long hair might be inconvenient for you, so I prepared a headband.”
He opened the box, revealing a snow-white headband inside. It shimmered with a soft, water-like glow, and the end of the silk was embroidered with emerald green patterns.
The pattern on the headband matched exactly with the cuff of Bai Tang’s sleeves.
Bai Tang’s eyes widened in pleasant surprise. He looked at the headband and then at Su Siyuan, expressing his joy.
“I thought it might be a bit monotonous in just plain white, so I added the pattern from your sleeve.” Su Siyuan explained, then asked, “Is this pattern your true form?”
Bai Tang nodded.
“Very beautiful,” Su Siyuan’s fingers traced the patterns on the headband. The abstract and simplified design depicted lush green plants with long, slender leaves curling into elegant curves at the tips. The abundant curling leaves outlined a graceful demeanor, while purple electric arcs surrounded the roots, adding a touch of ethereal charm.
Su Siyuan’s meticulous touch and focused gaze made Bai Tang feel a bit weak in the legs. Feeling rather helpless, Bai Tang found a chair and sat down. Su Siyuan heard the sound of Bai Tang sitting down and looked up, asking, “Can I tie your hair for you?” Although it was a question, his tone carried an assertive quality.
He picked up a wooden comb and approached Bai Tang slowly. Bai Tang, sitting in the chair, tilted his head in confusion. After a few seconds of eye contact with Su Siyuan, Bai Tang nodded.
Just tying the hair.
The inexperienced little monster thought so.
Su Siyuan walked behind Bai Tang, gripping the back of the chair with both hands and turned it to face the dressing mirror.
In the mirror, a deep black armchair reflected the young man with white clothes and black hair sitting on it. His black hair extended down to his ankles, and those silky black strands were lightly lifted by the man, with a wisp escaping through his fingers, maintaining a gentle curve as it hung on the young man’s face.
It was like a grid-like black veil covering half of his face, adding a hint of seductive charm to his peach-blossom eyes. Yet, the young man’s eyes remained clear and innocent.
Su Siyuan shifted his gaze away, picked up the wooden comb, deliberately avoiding the position of the small green seedling on the top of the head, and gently combed Bai Tang’s hair.
The slightly cool black hair was held in the palm, and the wooden comb smoothly passed through the hair. Countless energies spread through the fingertips, touching the scalp, and Bai Tang enjoyed it with narrowed eyes.
“Human proverbs are quite interesting,” the man’s low and gentle voice flowed into Bai Tang’s ears.
“One comb, combed to the end.”
“Two combs, white hair reaching the eyebrows.”
“Three combs, children and grandchildren fill the floor.”
The black hair was gathered strand by strand, and the man lowered his gaze, picking up the hairband. The snow-white hairband hung on a bundle of black hair. Su Siyuan’s gaze fell on Bai Tang’s earlobe. When the covered black hair was lifted, the snow-white earlobe was exposed under Su Siyuan’s eyes.
Su Siyuan held the unfastened hair with one hand and, with the other hand holding the wooden comb, leaned slightly, approaching Bai Tang’s ear, and whispered:
“Four combs, meeting an important person; five combs, in-laws living harmoniously; six combs, husband and wife respecting each other; seven combs, the seventh sister descending to the mortal realm; eight combs, transcending the lotus path for an extraordinary journey; nine combs, having nine children with various talents.”
As the last strand of black hair was secured, Su Siyuan tied it with the hairband and then meticulously combed through the black hair. “Ten combs, husband and wife growing old together.”
He noticed a rosy tint on the crystal-like earlobe, and the smile at the corner of his mouth deepened.
Bending down, the man supported himself on the armrests and almost touched the young man’s left shoulder with his jaw. From behind, it looked like he completely enclosed the young man in his embrace.
With the hair bound, the youth’s childishness was diminished, and without the cover of hair on the side of his face, his picturesque features and clear contours were fully highlighted, making it a bit intimidating to look at directly.
In the mirror, the handsome and gentle man lowered his gaze and softly asked, “How does it feel?”
Feeling like it wasn’t just his hair being combed but also his teenage heart, Bai Tang, his neck a bit stiff, stammered, “It’s, it’s okay.”
Su Siyuan’s eyes curved, “Then I’ll help you with this hairstyle again tomorrow.”
Bai Tang: “…?!”
Your initiative seems a bit too skilled!
Before Bai Tang could object, Su Siyuan continued with a smile, “It’s late now; I need to rest. You should go to sleep early too.” After saying this, he reached out and touched the small green seedling, “You should rest early too so you can grow quickly.”
Bai Tang and his small green seedling: “…”
The next day, when Bai Tang went to school, his new hairstyle earned admiration from classmates. Qing Dai encouraged himself and approached, saying, “Bai Tang, can I sketch your appearance? Please?” He asked carefully, and Bai Tang couldn’t bear to refuse.
“Do I need to stay still?” Bai Tang asked.
“No need,” Qing Dai quickly shook his head. “Just maintain your usual look; no need to be too deliberate.”
Bai Tang attended classes as usual, while Qing Dai seized every available moment to draw. His method was unique; he didn’t need a brush. Instead, he placed his fingers on rice paper, and the patterns flowed from his fingertips.
This was Qing Dai’s innate ability. Thanks to this talent, he could quietly draw during classes. He placed the paper in the drawer, hid one hand in the darkness for drawing, and used the other to take notes, appearing as if he was attentively listening.
Bai Tang watched in amazement throughout.
Qing Dai neglected his studies for the entire day, finally completing the painting.
The painting depicted Bai Tang’s profile. Qing Dai’s strokes were delicate, almost capturing the pores on the skin. The faint light and shadows outlined Bai Tang’s facial features. Drawing Bai Tang’s exquisite bone structure was challenging, but Qing Dai managed to capture some essence.
Unfortunately, it was only a fraction of the essence.
Only those who had seen Bai Tang in person would know how beautiful his nose was—elevated and delicate. If his eyes and eyebrows were like a painting, his nose could shatter that notion with its three-dimensional beauty and impactful presence, something a thin painting couldn’t fully convey.
“Not well-drawn,” Qing Dai frowned, gazing at the painting for a long time. “It didn’t capture even one-tenth of how handsome you are.”
“Not at all. It looks great,” Bai Tang sincerely said. “If you don’t want it, then give it to me.” Bai Tang had never kept a photo or portrait of himself. This was the first time he saw his own face being recorded, and a sense of novelty overwhelmed him.
Qing Dai lowered his gaze to the painting, and his fingers moved beneath the desk. He seemed reluctant.
Even though he only captured one-tenth of the beauty, the painting was incredibly stunning. It was a breathtaking beauty that ordinary people couldn’t imagine, the kind of beauty only nature could create.
“May I take a photo as a keepsake?” Qing Dai asked.
After receiving permission, he took out his phone and snapped a picture of the painting. After finishing, Qing Dai was about to put away his phone when he looked up at Bai Tang’s profile.
The sunlight was brilliant at that moment, flowing beneath the light gray curtains. Penetrating through the fabric, it cast an incredibly soft glow on Bai Tang. It was so gentle that it made people want to shed tears in the sunlight.
As if driven by some unseen force, Qing Dai raised his phone and captured this scene. After taking the photo, he hesitated to look at the result, opening the gallery with a feeling almost akin to a pilgrimage. He trembled as he viewed the picture.
A moment of blankness filled his mind.
“Can I publish your photo and portrait on my Monster Network account? I won’t use it for profit; I just feel… like I’ve created the best work of my life, no, the best work ever! I want to share it.”
Bai Tang heard Qing Dai ask him this before school ended.
“How did you get a Monster Network account without a Spirit Certification?” Bai Tang’s focus seemed a bit different from the others.
“Our race is all artists, so I applied for a special account for monsters. I am the heir of Qing family in this generation, so I have the right to use the account.” Qing Dai explained.
If a monster had a certain lineage dedicated to a specific field and had a high reputation and status in that field, they could apply for a Monster Network account in the name of their race. This account represented not an individual but the glory of an entire race.
Qing Dai was the most outstanding heir of the Qing family in his generation. Now, he would publish a work on the account every month, allowing everyone to witness his growth on Monster Network.
The account was named “Painter Stone Spirit,” and it had sixty million followers.
In the monster community, with a total population of only three hundred million, this number of followers was a terrifying figure.
The account documented the artistic journey of successive heirs from their green days to maturity.
Fans knew that the current controller of the account was a highly talented genius from the Qing family, with almost no flaws except for the low frequency of posting works.
Due to the perfectionist nature of this heir, each work was consistently released at the end of the month.
Ma Shangyou, who suddenly felt like checking out the master’s artwork, opened the account “Painter Stone Spirit” and prepared to browse through the previous works.
“Wow, a new piece is released so early this month?” Ma Shangyou exclaimed. He clicked on the latest work and first saw the accompanying text.
“For the first time, I feel my brushwork is insufficient, unable to capture even a tenth of the beauty before me.”
Ma Shangyou pursed his lips, saying, “Tsk, being too modest is no fun.” He then scrolled down, revealing the first image – a profile of a person.
Ma Shangyou’s mouth opened wide, “Wow, this painting is too good, the light and shadow! The pores! The colors! I’m dead!” He carefully admired it for three minutes, “The painting is really amazing.”
While marveling, Ma Shangyou continued to scroll down the page and saw a photo—
The phone slipped from his palm.
Author’s note:
Many thanks to the secret whispers from Xing & Yue for providing the character design for Ma Shangyou~
