Wanted

Chen Mu suddenly understood a little.

The insights gained while grinding Proficiency had not come from nowhere. They were all knowledge that already existed in this world.

Gray Wall was like a massive database. As his Proficiency increased, Chen Mu continuously obtained information from within it.

Perhaps it even contained knowledge from the world of his previous life.

Otherwise, he could never have mastered three-dimensional realistic painting.

The very thought was rather miraculous.

At the entrance to the County Office, Chen Mu followed Constable Lu inside.

An old man with a bruised and swollen face approached them.

"Master Yan." Constable Lu cupped his hands in greeting.

The old man's eyes were swollen into narrow slits, his chin held high. He gave an arrogant grunt and strutted out of the office with a turtle's gait.

"Master Yan? Someone beat him up?" Chen Mu looked shocked, then immediately filled with righteous indignation. "What has the world come to? To lay such heavy hands on an old man like him! That's far too cruel!"

Constable Lu gave Chen Mu a strange look.

He kept feeling that there was something off about this scholar's expression.

The County Office had Six-Room Clerks, whose workrooms were located in the rooms on either side outside the main hall.

Constable Lu led Chen Mu into one of those rooms.

Brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones had already been prepared.

Five or six completed portraits hung on the wall.

The County Office had also hired other painters.

A Pharmacy Apprentice was in the room as well, describing the thief's appearance to him. He was the only person who had seen the thief's face head-on.

As the apprentice explained, the thief's image rapidly took shape in Chen Mu's mind.

Just as he was about to put brush to paper, he suddenly looked up at the portraits hanging on the wall.

One of them captured both form and spirit, already resembling the image in his mind by sixty or seventy percent.

Chen Mu recognized the brushwork and confirmed that it was Master Yan's work.

As expected of an old master painter. Relying on his many years of experience painting portraits, he had managed to draw someone sixty or seventy percent alike from just a few words by the pharmacy apprentice.

If not for his cheat, Chen Mu truly could not have compared with him.

But if I draw the thief exactly as he looks, won't I outshine Master Yan?

He was an old painter with many years behind him, a man of honored standing. If he were surpassed by a latecomer like Chen Mu, would that not be terribly humiliating?

No, no.

He had already been beaten so badly. It would not be right to further strike at the man's standing in his profession!

Chen Mu wielded his brush in sweeping strokes, and a half-length portrait as lifelike as a photograph sprang onto the paper.

Three-dimensional and realistic, just like a real person—aside from not looking alike, there was nothing wrong with it.

After comparing it with Master Yan's portrait again, Chen Mu nodded in satisfaction and leisurely left the County Office.

Three days later, Chen Mu went to Butcher Zheng to buy meat.

He passed a tavern.

A wanted poster was pasted at its entrance.

The person in the painting had an ordinary face, but his eyes were cold and frightening. He was the true culprit of the Wang Family Massacre Case.

Chen Mu recognized Master Yan's brushwork. As expected, his own portrait had not been selected.

Chen Mu nodded in comfort.

Anyone capable of slaughtering an entire family must be extraordinarily vicious.

Being painted on a wanted poster, the man might very well take revenge on the painter.

Ah, Master Yan, as the senior veteran, truly bore everything upon his shoulders.

That was why one had to respect one's elders and seniors.

Chen Mu was immensely proud of how he had deliberately concealed his abilities and yielded at the County Office.

May the old master painter live a long and peaceful life.

Clang!

Bang!

With a crisp ring, the copper coin hanging in midair abruptly vanished.

Immediately afterward came a muffled explosion, like firecrackers buried beneath the soil going off.

A small crater instantly burst open in the earthen wall.

Chen Mu stepped forward and pried the copper coin, deeply embedded in the mud wall, free.

Looking at the slightly warped coin, Chen Mu let out a breath.

"I can't use copper coins anymore. If I damage one, it'll be a loss."

Ever since he had been able to hit a Wooden Basin without fail from ten meters away, he had begun gradually reducing the size of his targets.

By now, he had shrunk them down to a single copper coin.

He raised his head to look at the pockmarked wall.

Those holes had all been blasted out by his Flying Locust Stones.

He called up Gray Wall.

Writing: 1043/10000/Second Tier;

Drawing: 157/10000/Second Tier;

Throwing: 9632/10000/Tier 1;

As Throwing drew ever closer to the Second Tier, the Flying Locust Stones were gradually undergoing a qualitative transformation.

Not only could he hit without fail within ten meters, their power was also growing ever greater.

A stone could send a copper coin flying, then still have enough force left to blast a crater into the wall.

Though the wall was made of relatively soft packed earth, its power was still not to be underestimated.

"If that hit a person, it would at least split their skin and tear their flesh."

At last, he had gained some means of protecting himself.

"It's just a little expensive."

Under his day-and-night training, he had consumed enormous amounts of calories.

The little savings he had were almost entirely spent on buying meat to eat.

As a result, his money was nearly exhausted, but he had also trained himself a body full of muscle.

From the outside, he still looked like a frail scholar.

But once he took off his clothes, distinct muscle lines could be seen across his body.

He felt he could knock his former self flat with one punch.

"I need to find a way to make money, or I'll soon be sitting still and eating myself into ruin." Chen Mu frowned in thought.

He had previously wanted to save money to learn martial arts, but he had not expected that merely practicing Flying Locust Stones would already drain his entire fortune.

What a pity Master Yan had found himself two strong and sturdy attendants.

Otherwise, Chen Mu would have sent him another great gift no matter what.

Two days later, Chen Mu sat before a Square Table, carefully counting the copper coins in a Clay Pot.

He was considering whether to try his luck in West Market.

The forces behind Wonderful Painting Workshop were powerful, but they only monopolized the calligraphy and painting trade in East Market.

West Market was still beyond their sphere of influence.

The Second Tier Drawing ability he had painstakingly grinded out could not go to waste.

As for whether he might be suppressed again, it was not something Chen Mu had failed to consider.

But he was so poor he was nearly unable to afford food. No matter what, he had to give it a try.

He had heard that the entertainment houses of West Market were even more refined, that every singer possessed unique talents, and that they were all breathtakingly beautiful.

Chen Mu returned to his room and took out the painting "Xiaoqian" once more.

After earning some money a while ago, Chen Mu had even specially had it mounted.

"With this painting as my calling card, those singers won't fail to recognize quality."

Brimming with confidence, Chen Mu hugged "Xiaoqian" and headed straight for West Market.

Following his old routine, he found an elegant tavern and rented a table, chairs, and a spot outside its entrance.

He opened the Xiaoqian painting and began waiting for business to come to him.

The three-dimensional realistic painting style was simply too unusual. Before long, a crowd had gathered around his table.

"Young Master, my mistress wishes to invite you to paint her portrait. I wonder when you might..."

"I have time right now." Chen Mu happily looked at the beautiful maid before him.

The mistress of such a pretty maid had to be a pretty young lady as well.

His Second Tier Drawing ability had finally found a place to shine!

Chen Mu immediately packed up his things and followed the beautiful maid away.

After twisting and turning through a maze of streets, the two arrived before a grand residence.

Why does this feel strangely familiar?

Suppressing his doubts, Chen Mu followed the beautiful maid into the residence.

They passed through covered corridors and pavilions before entering a tranquil rear garden.

An increasingly familiar sense of déjà vu washed over him.

A bad feeling suddenly rose in Chen Mu's heart.

After rounding an artificial rockery, he saw an energetic old man with a white beard smiling at him.

"Young Master Chen, this portrait of mine is meant to be admired by later generations. Remember to make me look a little more handsome." The old man grinned, revealing his only three remaining teeth.

Chen Mu: "..."

Why can't I get away from funeral portraits?!