The Scholar's Confusion

Duan Rong walked up to the Thin Scholar's desk and deliberately cleared his throat twice.

The Thin Scholar looked up, set the brush in his hand on the brush rest atop the desk, and said in an elegant voice, "Sir, do you need a letter written on your behalf?"

It seemed that most of the people who came to this scholar wanted letters written for them.

But how many coins could that sort of work earn?

"I'd like to look at some paintings. I recently built a new house and was thinking of hanging a painting in the Main Hall as decoration," Duan Rong replied with a smile.

The Thin Scholar immediately came over politely and asked, "Would you like a landscape, sir? Or a Martial Artist Painting?"

The profit from selling a painting was far greater than from writing letters for others.

If he really sold one, he could add a meat dish to the table today.

"I'll take a look first." Duan Rong strolled over to the paintings behind the scholar and examined them carefully.

Having already devoured and digested the artifact spirit of the Ladies' Night Banquet Painting, he now possessed the beginner realm of Exquisite Brushwork.

Once that realm had been digested and absorbed, his eye for paintings naturally came with it.

The moment Duan Rong looked over the paintings, he understood. This scholar's style was entirely different from that of the Exquisite Erotic Brushwork Beauty.

His Martial Artist Paintings were far better than his Portraits of a Lady.

It seemed every scholar had a swordsman's dream in his heart!

"How much for this one?" Duan Rong asked, pointing at one of the paintings.

It depicted a Young Swordsman practicing with his sword, with jagged rocks and a bamboo grove behind him.

It was an ordinary subject, yet the painting possessed considerable artistic conception.

The moment the Thin Scholar saw Duan Rong point to that painting, his eyes lit up. It was the work he was most proud of in his entire life as a painter.

"Three qian of silver for this one," the Thin Scholar said calmly, suppressing the flutter in his heart.

In truth, his paintings usually sold for one qian of silver. Yet for some reason, he instinctively named three.

It was not that he wanted to cheat Duan Rong. He simply could not bear to part with the painting.

"Wrap it up for me," Duan Rong said.

"Ah..." The scholar stared in astonishment.

Duan Rong took out three qian of silver from the inner pocket of his lapel and held them out to the Thin Scholar.

Looking at the silver in Duan Rong's hand, the Thin Scholar suddenly flushed and said, "Ah... no, no, actually... it doesn't cost that much!"

"Didn't you just say three qian?"

"I... this humble scholar... misspoke just now... One qian, one qian will do..."

Duan Rong was slightly taken aback. This man was far too honest.

No wonder they said scholars were poor and shabby. He was even trying to give back money already in hand.

Duan Rong stuffed the three qian of silver into the scholar's hand. "Your finest work, and you can't bear to let it go?"

The scholar froze at Duan Rong's words, then hurriedly said, "Sir chose this painting at a glance. You must be a connoisseur as well. It won't be wasted in your hands."

Duan Rong smiled. "Then why aren't you wrapping it up for me?"

"Please wait a moment, sir."

Seeing Duan Rong dressed in short work clothes, the Thin Scholar had initially thought him some uncultured brute with no knowledge of letters or painting. Yet Duan Rong had exposed his thoughts with a single remark. Clearly, the man truly had an eye for paintings; he had not chosen this work by blindly pointing at random.

The Thin Scholar took down the painting and rolled it up.

During that time, Duan Rong wandered over to the desk and discovered an unfinished landscape painting upon it.

Though only half-complete, Duan Rong had already formed a judgment.

This scholar's brushwork excelled at landscapes and was skilled at martial figures, but he was not refined in painting ladies.

That was probably not an issue of ability, but because his heart was not in it.

It seemed this man was indeed a person of lofty tastes.

Duan Rong suddenly noticed the brush resting on the desk's brush stand.

His gaze shifted. He reached out and picked up the brush, silently reciting, "Read Artifact Spirit."

Item: Wolf Hair Brush

Artifact Spirit Rank: Rank 1

Devouring Requirement: Host Mental Strength Level 1 (Met)

Devouring Effect: Divine Brushwork Proficiency, Beginner

Seeing the data appear before his eyes, Duan Rong smiled faintly and silently recited, "Devour!"

The Thin Scholar wrapped the painting and handed it to Duan Rong.

Duan Rong set down the brush, accepted the painting, cupped his hands in farewell, and left.

The Thin Scholar watched Duan Rong depart, not knowing whether he would ever again paint a work equal to that Young Martial Artist Painting.

Some things were gifts bestowed by fate's chance, not things one could force into being.

The Thin Scholar secretly shook his head and smiled softly. He returned to the desk, picked up his brush again, and prepared to finish the Landscape Painting before him.

The moment the Thin Scholar set brush to paper, his wrist halted. He gave a soft cry of surprise and looked at the brush in his hand with puzzled eyes.

This Wolf Hair Brush had been bought by his wife and given to him in the year they married.

Because husband and wife loved each other deeply, he had used this brush constantly over the past year or two.

Over time, it had become familiar in his hand. Whenever he held it, it moved like an extension of his arm.

But today, it felt somewhat unfamiliar.

The Thin Scholar held the brush horizontally before his eyes, examined the grain of its handle, and confirmed that it was indeed the original brush.

"Strange. Could it be that I'm restless because I lost the Young Martial Artist Painting?" Thick confusion filled the Thin Scholar's eyes.

He suddenly recalled that when he had been wrapping the painting, that customer seemed to have touched his brush.

"The world is full of strange things. Perhaps..."

The Thin Scholar raised his eyes toward the street corner, but Duan Rong was already nowhere to be seen...

Duan Rong carried the rolled painting past a street corner, then suddenly thought, "Read Artifact Spirit."

Item: Young Martial Artist Painting

Artifact Spirit Rank: Rank 2

Devouring Requirement: Host Mental Strength Level 2 (Not Met)

Devouring Effect: Divine Brushwork Proficiency, Beginner; Serendipitous Skill Proficiency, Beginner

Looking at the data floating before him, Duan Rong was utterly stunned.

"This..."

"I can't devour it!"

"How is it a Rank 2 artifact spirit?!"

Duan Rong had not gone around touching every painting hanging in the scholar's shop. Wouldn't that turn him into someone who had to Touch Once?

Still, he had touched one of the paintings and read its artifact spirit. That one had only been a Rank 1 artifact spirit, with Divine Brushwork Proficiency, Beginner as its sole Devouring Effect.

Looking at Serendipitous Skill Proficiency, Beginner among the Devouring Effects, Duan Rong suddenly understood.

The scholar had performed beyond his usual ability on this painting. That was why it was so outstanding, with an artistic conception all its own.

"No wonder he couldn't bear to sell it. A masterpiece born of serendipitous skill—he probably can't paint another at that level himself."

"But luckily, I devoured the artifact spirit of that Wolf Hair Brush. Otherwise, I'd have to make another trip back there. Wouldn't that make people suspicious?"

Duan Rong had only read the artifact spirit of the Wolf Hair Brush out of momentary curiosity. Once he saw that it was the same as the artifact spirits he had read from the paintings before, he devoured it outright.

Duan Rong went to that Four Treasures of the Study shop again and replenished the Xuan Paper and pigments he had used up yesterday before carrying everything back to the escort agency.

By the time Duan Rong returned to the escort agency, it was only just past three in the afternoon.

As he crossed the Martial Arts Field, he saw quite a few escorts either holding stances or practicing forms. But Duan Rong merely turned toward the dormitory courtyard.

He needed to sleep so he could digest the artifact spirit he had just devoured.

Zhao Mu was holding a stance in the Martial Arts Field. He had stood there for a full two hours and had just finished circulating his power. As he prepared to get some tea and rest, he saw Duan Rong walking by not far away.

Zhao Mu immediately called out warmly, "Rong lad, where are you going?"

"Ah... Escort Zhao Mu. I'm... going to the dormitory to sleep." Duan Rong smiled, then turned and headed for the dormitory.

Zhao Mu's eyes filled with suspicion as he looked up at the sun.

"In broad daylight, at such a fine hour... going to the dormitory to sleep... Has something gone wrong with that kid's head lately..."