He seemed to have understood from Fourth Aunt’s words that he, too, could take control of his own life.

With this thought in mind, every step he took seemed incredibly firm.

It wasn’t until the thin figure of Wu Tou disappeared around the corner that Jian Xiu finally turned and left.

… At the yamen.

After a bit of explanation, Mo Shanrui learned that Jian Xiu was the one who had provided the sketch.

When he thought about her speech on filial piety in the court, he could hardly believe it was something a simple rural woman could say, had he not seen it with his own eyes.

Her words seemed simple, but each sentence was exactly right.

And yet, it struck at the heart of the matter.

How could someone like this be an ordinary woman?

When Jian Xiu arrived, she saw Mo Shanrui standing by the door, looking expectantly.

Upon seeing this, Jian Xiu didn’t seem in a hurry.

She didn’t think she was so important that the county magistrate would wait for her.

No matter how slow, it was only a few steps away.

“County Magistrate, are you waiting for someone?” Jian Xiu spoke first.

Before Mo Shanrui could respond, she continued, “If you’re busy, I can wait a bit more. I can draw after you finish your work!”

“Ha ha ha…”

Upon hearing Jian Xiu’s words, Mo Shanrui laughed heartily.

The assistant, Ruan Fengsheng, immediately stepped forward and respectfully said to Jian Xiu, “Miss Jian, our Lord is waiting for you. Please, come in!”

Jian Xiu was startled and quickly said, “How could I trouble the magistrate to wait? What kind of person am I…”

“Alright, alright, come in!” Mo Shanrui directly interrupted Jian Xiu’s words.

Mo Shanrui’s cousin was Mo Shanhuai, and from what his cousin had told him, he had a rough idea of Jian Xiu’s personality.

She was probably someone who didn’t care much for formalities.

Indeed, when Mo Shanrui interrupted her, Jian Xiu didn’t get upset. Instead, she said to him, “County Magistrate, who is it that you want me to draw?”

“Come in first, we’ll talk inside!”

After sitting down, the assistant placed the rice paper and ink tools in front of Jian Xiu.

“Miss Jian, I’ll describe the person, and you just need to draw him, alright?”

“Naturally!” Jian Xiu nodded in agreement.

Earlier, the shopkeeper Wu had told her that they would try to describe the person’s features as accurately as possible. She only needed to draw according to their instructions.

She just needed to do her best, and as long as it was close enough, they wouldn’t hold it against her.

“Alright! I’ll start now.”

“Master Ruan, please describe it. Be sure to mention his facial features and appearance. It would be even better if you can describe his impression and expression as well. Only then can I capture his essence and soul, and the sketch will be much livelier.”

Jian Xiu slowly said to Master Ruan.

Though Master Ruan only understood part of what she said, he still nodded and then began:

“The man is about 45 years old, his face is rectangular, with relatively high cheekbones, making him appear quite fierce. His mouth corners droop, giving him a difficult-to-approach look. He has a high nose bridge, but his nostrils are small, which makes him appear a bit petty. His eyes are deep and often look alert, with a hint of cunning in his gaze…”

“Master Ruan, could you slow down? What did you say about his nose bridge?” Jian Xiu asked again.

She didn’t even raise her head, continuing to focus on the drawing.

Meanwhile, Mo Shanrui sat across from her, leisurely drinking tea. From his angle, he could see Jian Xiu’s drawing.

At first, it seemed like she was just randomly sketching on the rice paper, but by the time he finished his tea, the paper had transformed into a portrait.

That wasn’t all. What shocked him most was that he hadn’t seen her making any careful, deliberate strokes. She was simply moving the charcoal stick across the paper carelessly, almost as if she was just playing around.

Yet, to his astonishment, when he looked at it again, the drawing had undergone a drastic transformation.

If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed it.

“What impression did his eyes give you?” Jian Xiu asked again.

She didn’t notice Mo Shanrui’s surprised gaze.

A sketch might seem simple, but every step requires great care.

To the untrained eye, it looked like a random, messy drawing, but in reality, there was an underlying order within the chaos.

The procedure was still followed, even if it seemed disorganized. She first outlined the face, then gradually worked on the features.

Since she didn’t have a real person in front of her, she was relying on Master Ruan’s descriptions and her own instincts.

But Jian Xiu was confident in her sketching ability. As long as Master Ruan’s description was accurate, she was certain that the portrait would be at least 70-80% accurate.

Compared to the portraits drawn by the local people here, her work would be in a completely different league.

In Jian Xiu’s eyes, the portraits created by the people here were just vague representations, barely resembling anyone.

“The eyes are quite deep and have a sharp, eagle-like quality. When he looks at people, it’s quite intimidating, almost sinister…”

Ruan Fengsheng slowly recalled.

Upon hearing this, Jian Xiu instinctively frowned.

It wasn’t that the features were difficult to draw, but as she sketched this person, Jian Xiu felt an inexplicable sense that this person would somehow become connected to her in the future.

But she didn’t know this person at all, yet as she sketched, she felt a strange premonition that she would encounter him later.

As a highly trained special agent, Jian Xiu had always trusted her instincts.

For people like her, even their sixth sense was far sharper than that of ordinary people.