322 News of a Vacation for the Artis

Zixu told her that he was only able to escape the claws of work by using the disciple selection ceremony as an excuse. Since he figured that he wouldn't be able to see her often, that was another reason for his gift today. The two chatted for half an hour more. As a result of his limited time, that was all they could do before it was time for him to go away.

After Zixu left, life went on as usual.

Yujia spent a few more minutes touching up on her finished painting. Those minutes turned into hours of getting advice and critiques of her work. Those hours turned into days of conducting various painting and sketch studies. Those days turned into weeks of spending time at Lingxin, catching time with Zixu only occasionally.

Within the blink of an eye, the end of summer was approaching. The green leaves on the tree outside her window were beginning to be tinted with edges of gold, hinting at the close arrival of autumn. 

During this time, Yujia had not heard much of Bo Zhizhong. He didn't frequent the shop as much as he did before, and during the few visits where she did catch him, he didn't seem to have time to exchange more than a few words. She understood that he might've been busy, and so, she left him alone.

Yujia made herself busy as well. As the launch for oil paints was just dying down, she was beginning on working for a few smaller inventions. The inventing process did not need much of Zhizhong, so she didn't mind his absence too much.

… 

On a sunny day, Yujia was simply strolling through the Lingxin gardens when she heard of an exciting piece of news. In the midst of trying to find inspiration from the various flowers and grasses— she had been having a bit of an artist's block the past few days— she ran across Ye Yunhe, sitting on a boulder.

Upon greeting each other, her senior brother revealed an interesting piece of news. "Master is thinking of holding a trip," he informed.

"A trip?" Yujia raised her eyebrows, intrigued at the sound of that. "To where?"

"Huangshan."

Her brows raised up even more once she heard that. Huangshan, the Yellow Mountains, was the subject of countless paintings and poems. It was the most iconic mountain range, be it in the past or even modern times. She had always wanted to go visit back when she lived in the modern era, as it was a popular tourist destination, yet she never got the chance to. 

Yujia grinned brightly. "Does Master really intend a trip? Who will be going?"

Yunhe thought for a second, replying, "He only brought it up to me during a casual conversation, so who knows for sure? Usually during these trips, though, any direct disciples that would like to go can get sponsored. That includes you and me."

"We did have a trip around a decade ago to Huangshan. Five or six years ago, we also went to Mount Emei. Those are the two very long-distance trips that I can think of. Between those, we also had a few trips to closer mountains. So, even though going to Huangshan is only a possibility, it's about time that we go on a trip," Yunhe explained.

"That's good to hear." This news made her eyes light up again.

He smiled slightly. "So, you'll be going on a trip for sure? You're not afraid of how long the trip is? They usually take months."

"If we go on a trip within the next week or so, we'll be able to make it back by the Winter Month, right?"

Yunhe agreed. He noted that the trip would take around two months.

Yujia clasped her hands together. "Then, all is well. I've been having a lack of creativity lately. A trip to Huangshan would be wonderful."

"I think so too. Let's hope that Master will decide on a trip soon!" he cheered.

…

Sure enough, when a day or so passed, Yunhe's father, the head of the school, made an announcement that all direct disciples could join a trip to Huangshan, if they desired. It turned out that her master's babbling wasn't all just careless drunken words after all.

All fees for the trip would be covered by the school, which had plenty of funds. Besides that, simply because it was an opportunity to visit such a scenic location, most of the disciples decided on joining. With Yujia in the mix, around fifteen or so individuals were going.

Neither of the two main leaders— the head and Yujia's master— were going on the trip. Ye Xuanhe had to take care of the school's matters, and when Yujia asked her master, the old man waved his hand and grunted. He told her something along the lines of visiting Huangshan tens of times in his lifetime already, and that an old body like what he had wasn't suitable for traveling. Most of the other masters in the school had similar reasons, be it work or personal, that prevented them from going on the trip. 

Thus, it really was a trip of mostly Yujia and her fellow disciples. 

Yujia also had the chance to ask Xie Yufeng if she, too, wanted to go on the trip. Yufeng had replied, in her typical nonchalant manner, "It sounds fun."

Yujia had responded enthusiastically. "It will be fun!" She paused for a second before adding on, "So you'll be going?"

Yufeng ended up agreeing.

As the other disciples all came from fairly decent families, some also brought a servant or companion. Yufeng wouldn't stick out much.

And so, it became a trip of Yujia, her fellow disciples, and some servants, with Yufeng thrown into that group.

Originally, Yujia had also been excited to see if Zixu would come along. She wanted to go traveling with him, like they promised earlier on. Yet, disappointingly, he couldn't. Work, yet again, weighed everything down for him. 

When she heard this news, she had nodded understandingly. 

Zixu replied, in turn, with a joke. "You'll be traveling the world without me?"

"Not the world. Just Huangshan. Besides, you had your business trip. Now, I get my vacation," she told him, grinning.

"Will you write to me?" he asked, tilting his head.

"Everyday, if I could bring that many pigeons." She imagined sixty or so pigeons shoved in a cage and shuddered. "I'll be sure to send you a letter at every city that we stop at. How does that sound?" 

"Fine." He reached forward and took her hand. "Stay safe on the trip."

"I will." Yujia's lips curled up into a warm smile. "Don't worry. I'll be back in no time."