Amidst the chiming of bronze bells at the Yuqing Temple in Chang'an, Master Yuqing's abacus bead slammed with a crisp "clack" against the Royal Dye Certification, the bead bouncing over the characters for "Qingniu Colors" to form the character for "Imperial." "Patron Zhang, the 'Imperial Exclusive' seal requires the blood-crystal of an abacus bead to stamp." Zhang Yifan shook his blue-stained fingertips and chuckled softly, "Already prepared—" The bead vaulted into the cinnabar inkstone, spelling out "Sincerity," and coalesced into a blood-crystal seal paste bearing Huwa's carved insignia.
Moli twirled a wolf-hair brush nearby with a light smile, "My 'Bead-Seal Certification Diagram' was just missing this drop of blood-crystal—" The bead instantly bounced onto her painting, staining Master Yuqing's Daoist robe with Qingniu Cloud Patterns. "Look at this bead-seal, it's got three parts more spirit than the Imperial Jade Seal!"
At three quarters past the eighth hour, Huwa's carved wooden figurine came running over, holding a miniature abacus bead mold. "Brother Fan! The hidden-pattern embroidery mold is carved!" The bead immediately leaped onto the mold, spelling out "Hidden"—the Qingniu pattern on the mold was as fine as a mosquito's foot, and the bead bounced against Huwa's fingertip to form the character for "Ingenious." "Embroider this on the corner of the fabric, and it shows right up under a fabric-inspection lamp!"
Chapter 200