Chapter 25: A-Yuan's Gift

[Page 1/3]
【Master of Peach Blossom Spring, congratulations on collecting another 10 points of Literary Vigor!】
Is this Li Tinggui’s ink ingot?
Su Ze took out the ink ingot he was carrying and led the attendant, who nodded repeatedly, to say:
【It is indeed this ink ingot; this is the Eight-Treasure Five-Gall Medicinal Ink!】
“Eight-Treasure Five-Gall Medicinal Ink?”
【Yes. It is crafted from the soot of burnt pine wood as a base, infused with eight traditional Chinese medicinal herbs, and mixed with the gallbladders of five creatures—ox, bear, snake, pig, and fish—refined through nine processes. This ink can be used as medicine, and when used for calligraphy, it emits a fragrant medicinal scent; the writing remains unfaded for a long time.】
This thing is edible?
Su Ze didn't dare to eat it, but smelling the faint medicinal fragrance, he realized that for Li Tinggui's ink to have remained famous from the Southern Tang Dynasty to the present day, it truly had some merit.
The guiding attendant added:
【Ah Zhi loves stationery and scholarly items; perhaps he will like it.】
Ah Zhi likes it? Is this also a gift that can increase affection?
Then, the guiding attendant sniffed the air and said:
【Such a fragrance! Is this top-quality fine wine!?】
Only then did Su Ze remember that when he entered Peach Blossom Spring, he was still carrying the wine gourd left behind by Ouyang Xiu.
The guiding attendant said:
【Ah Yuan loves fine wine. If you give it to him, there will be a surprise!】
Su Ze looked over at Ah Yuan, who was packing his bags in the “Traveler’s Pavilion.” Is he a drunkard?
Su Ze summoned the two spirit-imbued attendants and presented them with the ink ingot and the Shoumei wine.
He saw the Traveler’s Cap on Ah Yuan’s head bobbing as he impatiently opened the gourd, took a sip, and immediately sighed:
“Excellent wine!”
Meanwhile, Ah Zhi, the Artisan Attendant, carefully held the ink ingot, examining it with great focus.
Suddenly, Ah Yuan pulled a scroll from his satchel and handed it to Su Ze, saying:
“Master of Peach Blossom Spring, this is for you!”
Su Ze took the scroll and opened it. To his surprise, it was a painting similar to “Along the River During the Qingming Festival,” depicting the various aspects of life among the common people in Bianjing.
“What is this?”
“This is what I painted when I traveled to Bianjing in the past!”
Su Ze unfurled the scroll. It was a long piece of work, arguably on par with the famous masterpiece. The figures within were lifelike—a vibrant and lively scene of the common folk.
Knowing such a painting must be extremely valuable, Su Ze happily accepted it.

[Page 2/3]
As expected of an orange-quality spirit-imbued attendant! They truly have the best things!
Su Ze looked at Ah Zhi, only to see this honest and simple attendant also pull a scroll from his robes.
“These are the blueprints I designed for an ink-making workshop. Please accept them, Master of Peach Blossom Spring.”
New building blueprints?
Su Ze took the blueprints.
【Ah Zhi’s Ink-Making Workshop】 (Blue)
“Tears fall incessantly by the window, grinding ink upon the inkstone.”
Price: 10 points of Literary Vigor.
Functions:
【Fragrant Ink】: Can produce high-quality ink ingots with a pleasant scent. (Requires pine wood, spices, and medicinal herbs.)
【Volunteer】: The spirit-imbued attendant Ah Zhi loves making ink; he can work in this workshop while also tending to the paper mill.
This building is great!
Although it is a blue-tier building, it has two special functions. While neither is particularly high-level, they are very practical for Su Ze right now.
Fragrant ink is a very popular item among scholars in Bianjing; high-quality ink ingots can sell for tens or even hundreds of strings of cash!
Exchanging precious ink ingots among scholars is also a refined way to build friendships and give gifts.
Giving away one precious Li Tinggui ink ingot in exchange for a building that can continuously produce top-tier ink is a profitable trade.
Furthermore, the 【Volunteer】 function saves the cost of recruiting another artisan attendant, which is very cost-effective for Su Ze, who is currently short on Literary Vigor.
Looking at his remaining fifteen points of Literary Vigor, Su Ze decisively chose to build 【Ah Zhi’s Ink-Making Workshop】.
【Construction task issued. It will be completed by tomorrow!】
Su Ze then asked:
“How can I obtain the spices and medicinal herbs?”
Ah Zhi touched the ink ingot in his hand and said:
“The spices needed for ink-making are things like musk and borneol. Musk can be obtained by building a 【Musk Deer Park】 in Peach Blossom Spring, and borneol can be obtained by planting medicinal herbs in the fertile fields.”
“If you don’t have them, Master, you can purchase them from the outside world first.”
Su Ze asked again: “And the pine wood?”
Ah Zhi replied:
“There is pine wood on the North Mountain of Peach Blossom Spring. You can recruit a Woodcutter Attendant to go to the North Mountain and fell trees.”
Well, it seems the last five points of Literary Vigor cannot be saved after all.

[Page 3/3]
Su Ze removed the wooden sign of the Peach Blossom Dock. Moments later, a spirit-imbued attendant carrying a firewood basket appeared on the river.
Unfortunately, there was no stroke of luck this time; this woodcutter attendant was just an ordinary green-quality spirit-imbued attendant with no special abilities.
It didn’t matter, though. Su Ze instructed the woodcutter to head up the mountain to chop pine wood. He watched as the peach-colored mist obscuring the North Mountain parted, revealing a lush, verdant mountain.
Just how large is this Peach Blossom Spring?
He never expected a mountain to be hidden within the thick fog.
It seems there are many secrets hidden here, waiting for him to explore.
Amidst this beautiful scenery, Su Ze idly tried to study poetry and prose, but he soon gave up.
Thinking of those tropes in web novels where one could pass the imperial examinations just by copying a poem, Su Ze couldn't help but chuckle.
The poetry and prose required for the Song Dynasty imperial examinations were not simple quatrains, but long *fu* (rhapsodies).
The *fu* is a literary genre with extremely strict formatting requirements. It requires specific tonal patterns for every line, follows rigid structural rules for paragraphs, and, most importantly, necessitates the use of numerous classical allusions—all while staying strictly on topic.
The examination poems were, naturally, written on assigned topics.
Prodigies like Ouyang Xiu could write *fu* at the age of ten, yet they still had to hone their skills for many years before they could sit for the exams.
For instance, Ouyang Xiu’s early work, “On the Slander of the Zuo Commentary,” began with: “Stones speak in Jin, spirits descend in Shen; inner snakes fight and outer snakes are wounded, new ghosts are great and old ghosts are small.”
Su Ze couldn’t even understand the reading of it, let alone write something similar.
Given his own talent for poetry and prose, Su Ze could only pin his hopes on the imperial examination reforms following the Qingli administration next year.
Although he didn't like studying *fu*, he quite enjoyed the collection of books left by the original owner.
Printing and publishing were highly developed in the Song Dynasty, and Su Ze found many books that had been lost in later ages, reading them with great interest.
Reading under the eastern fence, leisurely gazing at the northern mountain.
Sitting before the Peach Blossom Dock, evening soon arrived.
Su Ze silently whispered “Return,” and found himself back in his small room.
Yanzhixue (Rouge Snow) immediately leapt down from the rafters, meowing incessantly at him.
Su Ze stroked the kitten’s head; it seemed the little one was famished. He took some dried fish from the shelf.
After grabbing a quick meal from the street vendor at the entrance of the alley, Su Ze climbed into bed for a nap. By the time the hour of the Pig (9 PM to 11 PM) arrived, there was a light knock at the courtyard gate.
Su Ze changed his clothes. One fat and one thin agent from the Imperial City Guard stood respectfully at the gate, and a black carriage waited at the alley entrance.
Su Ze was quite satisfied with Chief Li. It was just past the first lunar month, and the spring air at night was still chilly. Su Ze boarded the carriage. Chief Li climbed in as well, while the thin guard drove the carriage toward the Cao Market District.