Inside the study.
Chen Yi glanced out the window.
The blazing sun shone like fire, and Shui Hetong strode out of Chunhe Garden, his figure tall and straight in the brilliant light.
He knew that Shui Hetong leaving now likely meant that One Finger had already come.
If the people in the Disciplinary Hall had discovered Liu Lang and Zhang Dabao, there would have been a commotion long ago.
"I wonder if we can find the person behind One Finger this time..."
Lin Zhong stood by the window, also watching Shui Hetong.
For some reason, he found something odd.
This proprietor, "Chen Yu," was shrouded in mystery. He had arrived without the slightest hurry, yet seemed somewhat rushed as he left.
What could be more important than the Old Marquis's banquet?
Another thought suddenly occurred to him—where had the two guards who accompanied "Chen Yu" gone?
Realizing this, Lin Zhong was about to follow and investigate when Chen Yunfan spoke beside him.
"Younger Brother Yi, have you taken up painting as well? What realm have you reached?"
Chen Yi withdrew his gaze, glanced at Lin Zhong by the window out of the corner of his eye, then naturally turned to Chen Yunfan.
"I know a little."
"A little?"
Chen Yunfan studied the landscape painting in his hands. He could naturally tell that it contained no Heaven and Earth Spirit Qi.
Yet its brushwork and artistic charm alone already made it a work of the highest caliber.
He turned toward Chen Yi and sighed softly. "Younger Brother Yi, these days... one can hardly help envying you."
He envied both Chen Yi's talent and his free, untrammeled life.
Back when Chen Yunfan had cultivated and studied in Jiangnan Prefecture, he had imagined his future more than once.
He wanted to become a