Due to the spirit qi gathering over, the entire book store lit up.
The facula of spirit qi was like the light of fireflies during midsummer. The brilliance of their glow covered the glow of the candles.
“This…so this is Wondrous Blossom?”
Lu Zhiruo covered her mouth with her tiny hands. Her face was filled with shock, and she didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly like she was afraid of disturbing Sun Mo.
“For sure, look at the colors of the painting.”
The old servant also spoke in a very low voice. His voice was even lower than the buzzing of a mosquito. He was also afraid of disturbing Sun Mo.
One must know that even for a famous artist, entering such a state couldn’t be actively sought after and could only be encountered by chance. If Sun Mo was cut off half-way, this Sanzang’s drawing would be destroyed.
At that time, let alone the old master blaming him, even he would want nothing more than to slam his head to commit suicide.
The Nine Provinces of Middle-Earth was the same as the ancient eras of China. Their production capability was extremely low. They lacked color pigments; hence, all their literary works and paintings were done on white xuan paper and using black ink. These were all considered mainstream.
These characteristics were also that of traditional chinese paintings.
When a painter entered the Wondrous Blossom state and began their creation, everything would be different.
Spirit qi would gather at the end of the brush. As the painter waved their brush to draw their creation, the strokes they made would also be filled with beautiful colors.
The famous painter would move the brush with their thoughts and will. They would control the spirit qi and draw out the colors they wished to paint. The painting would no longer be a painting of black and white.
During the evening, the glow of the sunset cast its red shade downward.
The towering mountains and precipitous ridges that were overflowing with greenery seemed a little gloomy under twilight. Reverend Sanzang, who was covered in dust, held a rope as he led his horse climbing over a giant piece of wood that was struck by lightning.
Due to the Wondrous Blossom, each of the details like the soil on Reverend Sanzang’s robes, the dirt-covered fur of the white dragon horse, the shiny nine-ringed monk staff despite being covered in dust, were filled with perfect colors.
Zhang Qingfang and the other two no longer spoke. Despite them being so curious that they wanted to die, all chose to take a few steps back carefully rather than watching the painting closely.
At this moment, none of them dared to disturb Sun Mo. They were afraid of preventing the birth of a famous painting.
That was right, once a painting reached the Wondrous Blossom realm and was filled with colors, they could already be considered publicly acknowledged paintings. Even the strictest judges wouldn’t be able to deny it.
Even if there was a famous artist on the scene now, they could say that Sun Mo’s painting techniques were not skilled enough and that the creative concept behind this painting was still lacking. But no matter what, they wouldn’t dare to say that this painting was not considered a famous painting.
Because Wondrous Blossom was the absolute criterion for a famous painting!
If this painting was sold, it would definitely be able to fetch a high price. Even if those nobles and wealthy merchants, who were fond of traditional chinese paintings, didn’t understand how to appreciate a painting, they would still want to collect this piece. They didn’t need to be worried about being swindled because the vibrant colors of the painting could already prove its value.
After a long time, Sun Mo retreated and put down the brush. He placed his hands before his chest as he stared at this painting.
At this moment, the atmosphere in the bookstore suddenly lightened.
Only then did Zheng Qingfang and the other two dare to breathe loudly. Only then did they dare to applaud and issue their own opinions.
It was then the time to appreciate the painting.
Clap, clap, clap!
Zheng Qingfang excitedly applauded. As he walked over, he kept singing praises.
“Good painting!”
“Good painting!”
“It’s a really good painting!”
Zheng Qingfang stared at the Sanzang’s painting as he praised it thrice.
The colors of this painting were not that vibrant since the hues of grey were needed to denote the dust. Hence, one would feel a sense of struggle when looking at it. The tense atmosphere in the painting would weigh heavily in one’s heart, causing discomfort. But all the discomfort would melt like ice in summer the moment one turned their focus onto Reverend Sanzang.
The gaze of Sanzang was determined and bright, staring into the distance!
The steps of Sanzang were light, filled with force, capable of trudging through all calamities!
The demeanor of Sanzang emanated determination and stubbornness that he would get the true scriptures no matter what. For this journey to the west, regardless of how tough or how far the roads ahead were, he would never step back!
Already old and grey?
No, when looking at this painting, Zhen Qingfang felt that as long as he continued trudging forward in determination, he could fight for another twenty years?
Lu Zhiruo’s fists were tightly clenched, and perspiration could be seen on her nose. The feelings of inferiority and cowardice in her heart vanished at this moment, being replaced by an intense feeling of persistence.
“I want to become a person that would make my father proud. I must definitely get his recognition one day!”
Lu Zhiruo recalled the vow she made when she left home.
“Old master!”
The old servant involuntarily called out. When he thought of him accompanying Zheng Qingfang as he sank and floated in the vast sea of officialdom for so many years, his tears couldn’t help but fall. “You have not succeeded yet!”
“Yes, I haven’t succeeded!”
Zheng Qingfang shook his head. He blamed his body for being too weak. If he could break through his bottleneck and step into the Longevity Realm, even if the boost in his lifespan was just ten years, it was still better than nothing.
“This is what I drew?”
Gradually, a look of disbelief appeared on Sun Mo’s face.
“Yes!”
The tone of the system was calm. But at this moment, it was also badly shocked.
Although the grandmaster-level character painting technique was bestowed to this young man and it could be used effortlessly, if one wanted to reach the point of perfection when using it, they would definitely need time to temper themselves.
Being able to paint something to this extent despite having just obtained the character painting technique, even managing to enter the realm of Wondrous Blossom, it was sufficient to say that Sun Mo had an outstanding talent in the field of painting.
“Could it be that Sun Mo was an artist in his previous life until he took an arrow to his knee?”
The system guessed.
“This is the Wondrous Blossom!”
Zheng Qingfang exclaimed in admiration. After that, he turned to Sun Mo as he hesitated. “Little Friend Sun, may I be so bold as to ask you for a favor?”
Ding!
Favorable impression points from Zheng Qingfang +30.
Prestige connection with Zheng Qingfang: Neutral (40/100)
“Uncle Zheng is too serious. Please speak!”
Sun Mo didn’t dare to put on airs. He added another sentence in explanation, “This painting was able to reach such a height in terms of mastery due to chance. If you want me to draw another painting of the same level, I’m afraid I won’t be able to do it.”
Zheng Qingfang’s eyes brightened as he laughed. “Hehe, due to chance? You are too humble!”
“Teacher is so awesome!”
Lu Zhiruo finally had a chance to praise her teacher.
Ding!
Favorable impression points from Lu Zhiruo +30.
Prestige connection with Lu Zhiruo: Friendly (213/1,000).
Ding!
Favorable impression points from the old servant +30.
Prestige connection with the old servant unlocked. Current state: Neutral (30/100)
The old servant didn’t speak, but the favorable impression points he gave already showed his admiration toward Sun Mo.
“Little Friend Sun, I wonder if you are willing to part with this painting and give it to me?”
After Zheng Qingfang finished speaking, he hurriedly added, “I won’t let you suffer a disadvantage. As to how much money you want, Little Friend Sun can feel free to state it!”
“Let’s forget about money. If Uncle Zheng likes it, just feel free to take it!”
Sun Mo laughed lightly.
Honestly speaking, this painting was wonderful and it was also the first painting he drew, which made it full of commemoration value. He was truly reluctant to give it away, but when facing his loyal-to-the-death fan, Sun Mo was absolutely willing to part with it.
Who was Zheng Qingfang?
As a retired high official, it was unknown how many talented youths he had met before. Being able to give 30 favorable impression points as gauged by the system indicated that he truly admired Sun Mo a lot.
Also, as for the 1,000 ingots of silver earlier, he didn’t say anything more and simply gifted it to Sun Mo to free him from worries and encourage him to finish writing [Journey to the West].
What sort of person was this? This was the act of an intimate friend!
Sun Mo wasn’t someone petty. Now that he encountered such a situation, he definitely wouldn’t want the other party’s money.
“How can we do that? This is a famous painting. Its value is worth tens of thousands of gold!”
Zheng Qingfang shook his head. Given his status, he also had quite a few paintings as collectibles in his home. But for paintings that reached the level of Wondrous Blossoms, he only had three of them.
There were no solutions for it. For paintings of this level, everyone would snatch it madly once one appeared in the market. It could truly influence the heart state of the admirers.
For example, just like this Sanzang’s painting, when one felt that their life was filled with difficulty or impatience due to work and had lost their ambitions, they would immediately burn with fighting spirit and fervor after glancing at the painting.
This was the charm of a famous painting!
“Uncle Zheng, if you regard me highly, don’t say things like that anymore.”
Sun Mo went back to his seat at the table. “Come, let’s drink up!”
Zheng Qingfang hesitated for a moment before turning to give an order to the old servant. “Go and take my chasing cloud dagger over!”
“Old master!”
The old servant evidently managed to guess Zheng Qingfang’s thoughts. He hurriedly called out.
“Go and take it.”
Zheng Qingfang berated. After that, he returned to the banquet table and drank a cup of wine. He couldn’t control himself and stood up again to admire Sanzang’s painting.
The demeanor of Reverend Sanzang in this painting, who was heading to the west to obtain the true scriptures, was filled with an imposing spirit and immense determination. It would easily influence the heart of those who looked at it.
Very soon, the old servant brought an old box over.
“Little Friend Sun, this is just a small gift for you.”
Zheng Qingfang took the box. He opened it and revealed a dagger within. “This a dagger bestowed to me by King Tang during my early years.”
King Tang was the king of Tang Country.
This dagger looked extremely gorgeous. Rather than a weapon that killed, it looked more like a work of art instead. Its hilt had many valuable gems embedded within. Its body was engraved with beautiful patterns and there was a string of pearls attached to the end of the hilt.
After hearing Zheng Qingfang’s introduction, Sun Mo glanced at the dagger as he activated Divine Sight.
“Chasing Cloud Dagger. Length: 17 cm. It is a superior-grade spirit weapon. This dagger has the summoning effect. If you chant the spell words, you would be able to summon a soul beast.”
Zheng Qingfang touched the dagger, and he was filled with a myriad of emotions.
“This dagger once saved my life!” Zheng Qingfang revealed a fond expression as he recalled his memories. “Back then when I was surrounded by the army of Wu Country, I only managed to escape due to this dagger summoning a divine colt.”
“Use this dagger to slice the skin on your finger and chant the spell words. You will then be able to summon a divine colt with the name ‘Chasing Cloud’. It can travel 1,000 miles per day without feeling fatigued,” the old servant explained. He really felt a sense of reluctance seeing his old master want to give out this dagger, which had accompanied him for over thirty years.
The so-called soul beast meant that it had already had its own intelligence. After the wild beasts died, those who had the spirit qi of heavens and earth in their bodies, in addition to their consciousness being firmly attached to this world, might be able to become soul beasts under a series of fortunate coincidences.
The rate of a soul beast appearing was too low. Hence, the price for each one was invaluable. The value of Sun Mo’s painting couldn’t even compare with it.
The divine colt Chasing Cloud was a Ferghana Horse. It was the mount of the previous generation King Tang and was heavily dotted on. After it died, because of its deep feelings for King Tang, it transformed into a soul beast and was willing to accompany him for as long as he lived.
Because Chasing Cloud was now a soul beast, it wouldn’t know fatigue. It didn’t need to eat or drink. Its body was as light as a swallow and when it galloped, it could even catch up to the fleeting clouds in the sky. Hence, it has the name ‘Chasing Cloud’.
“This dagger is a superior-grade spirit weapon. It hasn’t reached the tier of a saint-weapon because its attack power is too low. But if you are talking about fleeing, this item is absolutely an item of the highest quality.”
Zheng Qingfang passed the dagger to Sun Mo. “As long as you ride it, neither the white clouds in the sky and the gentle breeze on the ground will be able to catch up to you!”
