The drawing paper on the easel had originally been covered in Zhou Yao's casual doodles.
The disorderly colors were quite a challenge to anyone's sense of aesthetics.
But what Zhou Yao saw now was a painting that took his breath away.
The riot of brilliant colors had blossomed into one gorgeous flower after another.
They filled his entire field of vision.
In a daze, he seemed to catch the scent of flowers drifting through the air.
"...So, so beautiful!"
Zhou Yao murmured.
His eyes were filled with wonder.
The painting had struck Zhou Yao hard.
"Not bad."
The Scholar, however, didn't seem very satisfied.
"You were too careless with your painting before."
"So I could only change it into this."
Zhou Yao blinked.
It took him a long moment to understand what the other meant.
"...What?!"
He cried out.
"Yao Yao, what's wrong?"
The old woman called worriedly from outside the door. "Why did you shout so loudly?"
"Nothing!"
Zhou Yao yelled without thinking.
He had already forgotten to be wary of the inexplicable Scholar who had suddenly appeared before him.
His face was full of shock.
He could barely get the words out.
"Th-this is the painting I just—"
He swallowed. "You changed it?!"
"What you did before didn't count as painting."
The Scholar looked thoroughly disdainful.
Zhou Yao paid no attention to the other's criticism.
After all, the Scholar was telling the truth.
He had just been doodling at random.
He hadn't even been trying to paint anything.
It was more like he was testing out his brush.
So...
To turn something that wasn't even a painting into something this beautiful...
"You're amazing!"
Zhou Yao exclaimed in awe.
"Are you some kind of painting master?"
The Scholar's eyes flickered.
"...I'm not that