Chapter 1: The Ink-Scented Abyss
Shen Mobai's fingertips brushed the edge of the tattered page, his touch as gentle as a caress on a lover's cheek. The air was filled with the distinctive scent of old paper, plant paste, and the faint pine-soot aroma of an ink stick. It was the unchanging atmosphere of his world.
Shou Zhuo Studio was utterly quiet. The only sounds were the faint swish of his goat-hair brush across the paper now and then, and the steady beating of his own heart. He was restoring a damaged copy of Splendid Valley of a Thousand Flowers from the Southern Song dynasty, slowly bringing its worn pages back to life with his hands. The work required a nearly meditative concentration, immersing himself completely in
