A Word Worth a Thousand Gold? Grand Hua Daoist and Su Changyu Were Shocked; New Book, Please Support

Grand Hua Daoist was genuinely astonished.

Not to mention him—even Su Changyu was somewhat surprised.

The painting in his hands was worth more than the entire Qingyun Dao Sect's savings?

Was that real?

"Ah? You two didn't know? This is Xuyang Xuan Paper, one gold per foot. This scroll looks to be roughly eight feet in total, so it should be worth at least eight taels of gold."

Ten Taels of Gold fell silent for a moment.

So these two didn't even know what this was?

"Eight taels of gold?"

Grand Hua Daoist and Su Changyu's eyes went wide at those words.

"However, if there is a painting on it, that is another matter. Unused Xuan paper can sell for that price, but once ink has touched it, the value depends on the painting itself."

Ten Taels of Gold continued.

The moment he said that, Su Changyu's expression darkened.

"How much would it be worth if it has a painting on it?"

Su Changyu asked anxiously.

Grand Hua Daoist's expression also became somewhat unpleasant.

"That depends on the painting. Generally speaking, even if it is painted well, if the artist is unknown, it likely will not fetch much. The key is who painted it. You two understand that, right?"

Ten Taels of Gold was not deceiving them on this point.

A painting being good did not necessarily mean it would sell for a high price. What mattered was who had painted it.

If the current Grand Tutor painted it, even a picture of chicks pecking at grain could sell for ten thousand taels of gold. But if it was an unknown painter, no matter how good the work was, it would not fetch much.

"We're finished."

Upon hearing this, Su Changyu felt that they were completely done for.

Because Ye Ping happened to be an unknown painter.

If he had known this earlier, he would not have let Ye Ping paint it.

"Immortals, may I take a look?"

Still, out of professional ethics, Ten Taels of Gold wanted to inspect it. What if it was a pearl lost in the vast sea, and these two simply did not recognize its worth? Wouldn't that be a windfall?

"Fine."

Su Changyu had not held out any hope to begin with, so he directly handed the scroll over.

Meanwhile, Grand Hua Daoist began to ponder.

He knew who had given them this scroll, and he also remembered that Ye Ping had indeed carried a large bundle when he came up the mountain. He just had not expected it to be worth so much.

But at that moment, Ten Taels of Gold took the scroll and slowly spread it open across the table.

Very soon, the entire scroll was unfurled, and Ten Taels of Gold let out a cry of surprise.

"Gasp! A painting by Hermit Qinglian?"

That startled cry instantly drew both their attention.

"Hermit Qinglian? Who is that? Is he famous?"

Grand Hua Daoist asked instinctively.

Su Changyu, however, knew who Hermit Qinglian was. He said nothing, merely looking at Ten Taels of Gold with curiosity in his eyes.

"Gasp! Please wait a moment, immortals."

Ten Taels of Gold did not answer. Instead, he immediately called for an attendant and had him summon the pawnshop's appraiser.

Before long, the old man returned.

However, his attitude was clearly much colder than before.

But the instant he approached, his gaze fell upon the painting.

With just one glance, he could tell that this painting was extraordinary. Anyone who dared use Xuyang Xuan Paper to paint was either terrible beyond measure or exceptionally brilliant.

In an instant, the old man stepped before the painting, and a look of astonishment appeared on his face.

"This is a painting by Hermit Qinglian?"

The old man carefully examined it several times, then looked at Ten Taels of Gold in surprise.

"It should be. Both the brushwork and the seal match, but the ink seems not to have fully dried yet. It looks as though it was painted only recently."

Ten Taels of Gold suppressed the excitement in his heart and spoke as calmly as he could.

"I never imagined it would be a painting by Hermit Qinglian, and one painted only recently at that. Has Hermit Qinglian come to Baiguo City?"

The old man was also extremely excited. He scrutinized the scroll closely, and the longer he looked, the more shaken he became.

Within the Jin Kingdom, Hermit Qinglian was hailed as the foremost talent of the realm. He excelled at the qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting alike. Countless women across the Jin Kingdom were enamored with a single one of his poems, while countless scholars worshipped everything about him.

Even the Emperor of the Jin Kingdom greatly loved Hermit Qinglian's calligraphy.

Unfortunately, Hermit Qinglian was indifferent to fame and fortune. He did not participate in the imperial examinations, and this year he had vanished without a trace. No one knew what he had gone off to do. Yet because of this, scholars admired him all the more.

What scholars cared about most was fame and profit. Which scholar did not wish to enter the literary world, become a Great Confucian one day, and nurture a heart full of vast righteous qi?

Yet Hermit Qinglian regarded wealth, fame, and profit as dung. How could he not be admired?

Especially this year, when Hermit Qinglian had not participated in the imperial examinations, the scholars of the Jin Kingdom had elevated him to even greater heights. Every piece of his calligraphy and painting had been driven to astronomical prices.

That was why Ten Taels of Gold had been so stunned upon seeing this painting.

"I'm not sure. Hermit Qinglian has a free-spirited nature and enjoys roaming mountains and rivers. He is a man of temperament. Perhaps he truly has come to Baiguo City, or perhaps he merely painted this on a whim and gifted it to someone."

Ten Taels of Gold did not dare be certain.

But at that moment, Su Changyu's voice rang out.

"How much can this painting sell for?"

At his words, Ten Taels of Gold and the pawnshop's appraiser finally came back to their senses.

At once, the two became incomparably more enthusiastic, their attitude vastly better than before.

"Immortals, Hermit Qinglian's paintings are priceless despite having a market for them. It is difficult to determine a suitable price in such a short time. May I ask what price you two immortals have in mind?"

Ten Taels of Gold said with a flattering smile.

Half of what he said was true, and half was false. Hermit Qinglian's paintings were indeed priceless despite their demand, but it was not impossible for him to appraise one. He could also tell that Grand Hua Daoist and Su Changyu did not understand such matters, so he might as well ask them first. Perhaps he could pick up a bargain.

Unfortunately, Grand Hua Daoist was no fool either.

He directly held up five fingers and looked at Ten Taels of Gold. "I want this much."

Fifty taels of gold.

That was right.

Grand Hua Daoist was not stupid. Though he did not understand how to appreciate calligraphy and painting, he could tell from their reactions that this painting was probably quite valuable.

Considering that the paper alone had cost eight taels of gold, he gritted his teeth and named a price of fifty taels of gold.

At those words, Ten Taels of Gold frowned slightly.

Five thousand taels of gold?

That price was not high. Not high at all.

But the problem was that he still could not be completely certain this painting was authentic. What if it had been made by some master copyist?

If that were the case, he would suffer a catastrophic loss.

If it truly was painted by Hermit Qinglian, five thousand taels of gold would not be excessive in the slightest.

The upper echelons of the Jin Kingdom all coveted Hermit Qinglian's paintings. This was no longer merely a matter of money. To certain people, the value of this scroll exceeded even tens of thousands of taels of gold.

Thinking of this, Ten Taels of Gold could not help taking a deep breath before looking at Grand Hua Daoist.

"Immortal, could you wait one hour while I invite someone to verify its authenticity? If this painting is genuine, I can produce five thousand taels of gold. But if it is a copy, I can still offer five hundred taels of gold. How does that sound?"

Ten Taels of Gold spoke thus.

But the moment he said that—

Grand Hua Daoist and Su Changyu were completely stunned.

How much?

Five thousand taels of gold?

Even a fake would bring five hundred taels?

This thing was worth that much?

Was he bluffing them?

Toying with them?

The two were utterly shocked.

They were even more shocked than when they had learned Ye Ping was a genius.

Ye Ping being a genius in the sword was one thing.

But even a painting he made was worth this much?

Were they supposed to let anyone else live?

At that moment, the two were so stunned that they forgot to breathe.

However, after a long while, Grand Hua Daoist took a deep breath and looked at Ten Taels of Gold. "I said fifty thousand taels of gold."

His face was utterly serious.

Su Changyu, standing beside him, was completely dumbfounded.

Sect Leader, could you please act like a human being?

Five thousand taels of gold is enough. It really is enough.

Please, do not be this greedy.

Yet after hearing this price, Ten Taels of Gold did not fly into a rage. Instead, he revealed a bitter, helpless smile.

"Immortals, fifty thousand taels of gold is impossible. Even if this is an authentic work, a single painting cannot sell for such an astronomical price—unless Hermit Qinglian has inscribed a poem upon it, and there cannot be a portrait on it. In that case, fifty thousand taels of gold would not be impossible."

The shopkeeper spoke.

Su Changyu and Grand Hua Daoist fell completely silent.