Chapter 9: Red Sleeves, Scented Ink

Words : 1694 Updated : Jan 8th, 2026

"Sure, but I don't have a brush or ink." Miranda Thubron smiled. From the desk drawer, she took out an inkstone and a mixed-hair brush-wolf and goat bristles blended for spring and steel. She spread a sheet of fine xuan paper and ground the ink herself. With a beauty attending the ink, Salvatore Casson felt faintly intoxicated. He lifted the brush and wrote: Zhao nobles with loose tassels; the Wu-hook gleamed like frost and snow. Silver saddles lit a white steed, racing like a shooting star. In ten steps he cut down a man; across a thousand miles he left no trace. When the deed was done, he shook his sleeves and went, hiding both himself and his name. His hand carried an ancient, knight-errant air. Between the strokes, sword intent seemed to surge and cut. When he used a ballpoint in the past, his talent showed but never fully. Now, writing with a brush, the chivalrous spirit leaped from the page. Miranda's breath quickened. She couldn't help leaning close, eyes glazed as she drank in the characters, lost to everything else. The tips of her hair tickled his cheek. He turned his face slightly aside and found every guy around staring in disbelief. "What is happening? Why is Miranda getting so close to Salvatore? Her stunning face is practically pressed to him. Damn!" Realizing she had overstepped, Miranda shifted away at once. Her cheeks flushed. "Salvatore, I'm keeping this piece." She lifted the sheet and blew on it, coaxing the ink to dry faster. The bell rang for class. Salvatore spent that period committing everything in the textbook to memory. After class, a commotion rose at the door. Ruby Showyer walked in, pale as paper. Fear clouded her eyes as she murmured, "Salvatore, I withdrew the case. Please, let me go." "I heard you're marrying Harry Hauk. When?" He smiled. The smile made Ruby's heart go cold. "Tonight. I'm getting engaged to him." "Good. I'll be there to congratulate you." Salvatore's tone turned icy. He flicked a finger against her shoulder. "Scram." Ruby clenched her fists. She wanted to speak but didn't dare. She turned and left without a word. Miranda watched her go, then asked, curious, "You two are getting back together?" Salvatore rolled his eyes. "We were never together. She got close to me for another reason." Miranda's imagination ran wild. "I know-she wanted your calligraphy! Your hand could rival the greatest masters in history. Your future is limitless…" Salvatore was speechless. Beauty logic, he thought, really did run on a different circuit. "It's something else. I'll tell you later." Conrad Letherdale returned with a bag of herbs. Salvatore checked them and found no issues, then asked him to decoct them according to his instructions. He skipped the rest of the period and headed home early. His mother, Paulina Yare, was in the yard picking vegetables. His father, Nixon Casson, was at work. Nixon worked at a machinery factory. His pay wasn't high, but he was a key technician and took home a little over $800 each month. In Yanos, that wasn't high, but it wasn't terrible either. Paulina used to do odd jobs. After Salvatore's incident, she had been too heartsick to work and stayed home. Seeing her son come back from school, Paulina smiled. "Salvatore, your father and I talked it over. While apartment prices are low, we want to buy you a place." Salvatore waved it off. "Mom, our house is fine. No need to buy for now." "We live in an urban village," Paulina said. "Your future girlfriend may not want to live here." Salvatore didn't care. With his skills, earning money would not be hard. He went up to the study and threw himself into cultivating the second layer of the Nine Immortal Technique. With Immortal Energy as his foundation, the first three layers posed no difficulty. He broke through in under half an hour. At the second layer, he felt the Sunborn True Energy in his body run like fiery wires, and the energy turned red. He went back to the yard and practiced the Seven Carefree Forms. Samuel Looske created this set at thirty-six and named it the Seven Carefree Forms. Combined with his Flying Immortal Step, he could fight or flee at will. Ordinary martial masters were no match for him. After a while, Paulina called him to eat. Nixon didn't come home at noon, so it was just mother and son, yet Paulina still cooked four dishes and a soup. Salvatore ate eight bowls of rice by himself and nearly cleaned out all four plates. Paulina beamed and kept picking food into his bowl. After dinner, Salvatore wiped his mouth. "Mom, I'm heading to school." He said "school," but he went to buy medicine. In his master's medical legacy, there was a remarkable formula for burns. He believed it could heal Brielle Casson. He went to the largest herb shop in Yanos and bought over a dozen ingredients. He hadn't expected the herbs to be so expensive. He spent more than $5,000. He bought tools to grind them into powder and mixed them into a paste. He worked until dark and managed only half a bowl, then rushed it to Brielle. Brielle lived in the school dorms. She had just finished dinner and was washing clothes. When she answered his call, she laughed. "Salvatore, what's up?" "Come down. I've got something for you." His tone felt mysterious. Her heart skipped. "Okay, I'll be right there." She dried her hands, ran a comb through her hair, and hurried downstairs. Salvatore waited at the entrance with a bowl, tape, and gauze. Brielle blinked. "Salvatore, what is that?" "A burn ointment I prepared," he said, smiling. "Apply it before you sleep and cover it with two layers of gauze. I'll come early tomorrow to check. If it works, I'll make more." Brielle didn't dare hope, but she still accepted it happily. "Thank you. I'll try it tonight." As they spoke, a girl happened to come out. Her makeup was heavy, her clothes fashionable. She had a good figure and a face that could score a seven. She stopped and smirked. "Brielle, you dating? Nice, nice-an ugly girl with a thief. A perfect match." Brielle frowned. "Leilani Hayde, what are you babbling about? Ruby Showyer already posted a notice. Salvatore was framed!" Leilani clicked her tongue. "He's a thief, period." Salvatore sneered. "Ugly girl? Once I heal Brielle's burns, she'll be a hundred times prettier than you." Leilani scoffed. "Heal burns? Keep dreaming." She swayed off. Just then, Salvatore saw a baby crouched on Leilani's shoulder, pitch-black from head to toe. Its eyes brimmed with malice, and it opened its mouth to bite her ear. Leilani touched her ear and frowned slightly. Salvatore froze. What was that thing? Could the corneas his master transplanted let him see filth as well?

Chapter 9: Red Sleeves, Scented Ink

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