He led Han Zhi and Su Zhen around the gilded incense burner and into the quiet room behind the statue of Guanyin Delivering Children. The room was fragrant with simmering sandalwood incense, a scroll depicting "Guanyin Delivering Children" hung on the wall, and an inkstone, brush, paper, and ink block were neatly arranged on the desk.
The elderly monk gestured for Han Zhi and Su Zhen to take a seat, then paced over to the desk and gently unfurled a sheet of rustic, yellowed Xuan paper. He picked up a writing brush and slowly dipped it into the inkstone.
"I ground this pine soot ink myself," the elderly monk said, suspending the tip of the brush three inches above the Xuan paper before slowly beginning to write.
Chapter 269