Chapter Thirty: The Seal of “The Studio of Modesty and Prudence”

Three refusals and three acceptances are the etiquette befitting an emperor. Yun Qi felt that he had already declined twice, so there was no need to refuse again.

He reached out and took the bracelet strung with a stone from the Great Void Cave and said, “This alone is weighty enough; I dare not accept the golden seal as well.”

Jiang Nan Jing grew anxious, “Could it be that you find my golden seal less precious than the cave stone?”

Yun Qi waved his hand repeatedly. He certainly held no such thought; it was simply that the gift seemed too generous. To obtain a single grain of cave stone was already an unexpected joy, especially since he had played a clever trick to obtain it—how could he be so greedy as to ask for more?

Jiang Nan Jing continued, “The cave stone was given by elders; the golden seal is but a token of my own gratitude. It is not a valuable treasure. I beg you, benefactor, do not refuse!”

He produced the golden seal himself—a small object, yet exquisitely crafted. The seal was golden, but the knob atop it was white. Yun Qi, with his keen eyes, could not discern whether the seal was made from a single dual-colored gold or forged from two rare metals. Judging by the luster alone, it was neither jade nor stone, but undoubtedly some refined gold.

The face of the seal measured just six-tenths of an inch square, with the border standing one and a half inches tall. It was newly made, with no side or base inscriptions.

The knob was shaped as a beast—a dragon sprawled across the seal, its forepaws hooked over the edge, head raised and jutting forward beyond the seal, hindpaws pressed atop, back arched and belly tucked as though poised to leap. Its tail, slender and extremely long, draped from the top, winding around most of the seal's body.

The dragon was cloaked in white scales, but its eyes and horns gleamed with red-gold inlays.

White scales, red eyes, a long tail, and fiery horns—this was the image of the dragon child Fuxi.

The dragon’s belly hovered above, with a strip of white silk threading through it, resembling clouds drawn from the dragon—this was the ribbon.

The young knight grasped the dragon-knobbed seal with his left hand, flipped his right, and produced a carving tool seemingly from thin air, surely a benefit of carrying cave stone.

He looked at Yun Qi, “Yesterday you mentioned you haven’t entered the official register, and thus have no Dao name. I dare not inscribe your name upon the seal. Please, benefactor, provide a courtesy name or the name of your study, and I shall engrave it as the base inscription.”

Yun Qi smiled and shook his head, “I am a rustic from the countryside, fortunate to have entered the mountain gate. I have neither courtesy name nor a study.”

Jiang Nan Jing’s eyes lit up, “Then why not choose one now? To take a name upon receiving a seal—wouldn’t that be a tale worth recounting?”

Yun Qi looked into Jiang Nan Jing’s eyes and could not resist, concluding that this must be a uniquely shaped decorative seal, not a rare treasure, so he might as well accept it.

He pondered for a long moment before saying, “I’ll take a study name then—let it be ‘Studio of Modesty and Prudence.’”

Yun Qi felt that his practice had gone smoothly since the beginning, which bred a subtle pride, or perhaps he had already grown proud without realizing it. Therefore, he chose ‘Modesty and Prudence’ as a reminder to himself.

Jiang Nan Jing was momentarily taken aback, then said, “You are no ordinary person. To choose ‘Modesty and Prudence’ as your study name at such a young age is rare indeed.”

Yun Qi smiled, “Pride brings harm, humility brings benefit. It never hurts to remind oneself. Please, Jiang Nan, inscribe the seal as such.”

Jiang Nan Jing nodded, examined the seal, thought a moment, and smiled as well. “Fuxi loves to ascend heights and gaze afar. This Fuxi-knobbed seal with the inscription ‘Studio of Modesty and Prudence’ is perfectly matched, confirming the principle of confidence in action and humility in repose.”

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“Since the name is meant as a reminder, I shall engrave the base inscription in ancient Han mountain-style script. Does that suit you?”

Yun Qi nodded gladly—such thoughtfulness was most welcome.

He took his seat, and Yun Qi sat beside him, watching as Jiang Nan Jing, without so much as drafting a sketch, began to carve directly onto the base of the seal, stroke by stroke, slow and steady.

He seemed to enjoy seal carving deeply, his entire being absorbed in the task.

Gold shavings fell in a gentle shower. Meanwhile, Yun Qi slipped the bracelet onto his right hand, rubbing the beads—the Great Void Cave stone—with his left.

The cave stone was about the size of a date pit, crystal clear, like a drop of water or a bead of dew.

He squeezed it—the stone was exceedingly hard.

Wrapped around the stone was a silver mesh, holding it securely, with a knot at the top through which a white woven cord threaded, forming the bracelet.

Yun Qi extended his intent, wishing to peer inside.

“Hm?”

His mind slid over but did not enter the inner domain of the cave stone.

Carving nearby, Jiang Nan Jing heard his sound and probably guessed what Yun Qi was attempting.

“Benefactor, attach your intent to the outer silver mesh. The access key is the outermost ring of nodes; simply run your intent around the whole ring. Once you refine the silver mesh, you may set your own key. If anyone forcibly breaks the mesh’s seal, the cave stone will shatter, and its inner domain will merge back into the world, with its contents randomly appearing somewhere in the world.”

Yun Qi nodded, accepting the lesson, feeling somewhat embarrassed at his eagerness, but his curiosity was overwhelming.

Seeing that Jiang Nan Jing had not yet finished carving the first character ‘Modesty,’ Yun Qi tried again.

This time, attaching his intent to the silver mesh, it felt like landing on a spiderweb, with each node glowing.

It was much like the keys commonly used in jade slips. Yun Qi swept his intent over the outer ring of nodes; as he completed the circuit, all the mesh’s lights extinguished. He did not rush to refine the mesh, but sent his intent directly into the cave stone—

It was a pure, luminous space, like standing in a sunlit alley on a winter day. The alley was spotless, thickly painted white, the floor pristine, reflecting the winter sun—winter, not summer, for the white was gentle, casting many colorful spots, not harsh and blinding as the summer sun.

That was Yun Qi’s impression.

The space seemed boundless, everywhere equally bright.

But as he explored, he found boundaries at every turn. After several attempts, Yun Qi determined it was a space about three yards square.

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Not small at all.

Yun Qi withdrew his intent, delighted—never again would he need to carry bulky packs. Anything valuable or large could be stored within.

There was another virtue: the cave stone’s inner domain was attached to the world yet isolated from it. Entering and leaving was like crossing the span between two worlds, which greatly aided his understanding of the Great Void arts and the “Guangcheng Edict of Mindful Void Incantation.”

Even from that brief entry and exit, Yun Qi felt faint insights budding.

By then, Jiang Nan Jing had finished his carving. He cleaned the seal’s face, then produced a wooden box from his own cave stone.

He placed the box on the table—it was nearly half the table’s size. Opening it revealed dozens of small jars, arranged neatly in a dazzling array of red, orange, yellow, and green.

He took out a small porcelain jar shaped like a red persimmon, with the stem as the lid. Upon opening it, a rich red ink with a hint of warm yellow shone from within, its fragrance spreading instantly. Who knew what precious materials and intricate craftsmanship went into making such seal paste?

Jiang Nan Jing held the persimmon jar in one hand, the seal in the other. He gently pressed the seal onto the circular glow atop the ink, then rotated it, repeating the process—first reddening the four edges, then covering the center. As he worked, he explained,

“Benefactor, do not rush when applying the ink. Better many times than one fast attempt. Once the seal has absorbed the ink, the red will naturally set. Afterwards, you need not use paste again; the ink will not fall off or dry out.”

He finished the first application, then handed both the golden seal and the persimmon ink jar to Yun Qi.

Yun Qi thanked him sincerely.

Jiang Nan Jing put away his carving tools and the wooden box of inks, then produced a booklet.

“Let me keep the first impression as a memento, benefactor!”

He opened the booklet to the front page, inviting Yun Qi to stamp it.

Yun Qi gladly agreed, pressing the seal.

Red ground, white script, Han mountain-style characters:

“Studio of Modesty and Prudence.”