Strange Painting

As time passed, the believers outside showed no sign of dwindling. On the contrary, as word of the matter spread, even more believers poured in.

As these believers bowed to worship Earth Venerable, they also paid Feng Zhihao a salute in passing.

Chu Zhiyuan kept his eyes on Feng Zhihao while recalling Feng Zhihao's every prior movement—his incantations, his hand seals.

At the same time, he examined the Earth Venerable statue and a Quiet Room behind Earthly Soil Hall.

That Quiet Room was simply furnished, containing only a couch and a desk.

A Landscape Painting hung upon the north wall.

Under Super Sensation, he could clearly see that another painting lay beneath the Landscape Painting.

The figure in that painting was Earth Venerable, identical to the image of Earth Venerable in the main hall.

The Earth Venerable in the painting stood atop a steep mountain peak, his feet planted on a massive boulder, golden light blooming all around him.

The golden light formed a round mirror behind him. Within the Golden Mirror were rolling mountains and rivers, vast open land, strange patterns, and strange writing.

Nine characters in all were embedded along the edge of the golden light.

Chu Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow.

He suddenly discovered that he could not remember this image.

It had traits much like the Phoenix Pattern—he could see it clearly, yet could not retain it in memory.

Looking at the painting again, it appeared newly painted at first glance. Yet upon closer inspection of its material, he could faintly sense the weight of ages. It was an ancient painting.

His Super Sensation focused fiercely upon the painting.

At once, he felt a strange force cutting off his probing.

He could not detect the material of the painting.

Time continued to pass. People came and went through Earthly Soil Hall. Some noticed him, but they were in too much of a hurry to pay him much attention.

Chu Zhiyuan stood with his hands behind his back before a withered flowerbed, his expression tranquil.

Zou Fang stood beside him, still silent.

Guo Chi, however, glared toward the main hall from time to time. He wished he could storm in, drag Feng Zhihao out, and give him a few slaps to teach him what respect meant.

Chu Zhiyuan continued studying that strange painting, scrutinizing it down to the finest detail in search of more clues, then attempted to copy it by hand.

Unfortunately, he still failed.

This painting could not be copied. The moment his hand moved and the thought of drawing it arose, his mind turned utterly blank, leaving him at a complete loss.

He found it increasingly marvelous, so he focused on the nine strange characters.

Comparing them with the ancient scripts and strange writings he had read in Tongtian Pavilion, he quickly found these nine characters in his memories: Suppress, All, Sever, mountain, River, River, River, Boundless.

These nine characters could be written down.

An hour later, Feng Zhihao emerged from the main hall. He glanced at Chu Zhiyuan's group of three, then turned toward the rear courtyard without any intention of meeting them.

"You..." Seeing this, Guo Chi flew into a rage. Unable to endure it any longer, he was about to launch into a furious tirade when Chu Zhiyuan raised a hand to stop him.

Guo Chi held back his anger and glared fiercely at Feng Zhihao as he watched him stroll away, his figure disappearing through the moon gate on the eastern side.

He turned to look at Chu Zhiyuan.

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head. "Let's wait a little longer."

"He... he..." Guo Chi found it utterly absurd.

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head. "We've already waited this long. We might as well wait to the end."

"Young Master..."

Kind people were bullied, good horses were ridden. Young Master was simply too easygoing.

Chu Zhiyuan laughed. "There's no need for this. I'm the one who wants to see him, not the other way around."

"There'll come a day when he wants to see Young Master!" Guo Chi sneered.

He glanced at Zou Fang.

There was no expression on Zou Fang's faintly luminous face.

Clearly, she was angry as well.

They both felt that no matter how arrogant Feng Zhihao was, there had to be a limit. Treating an Heir Apparent this way was going too far.

Chu Zhiyuan merely smiled.

As a martial artist, it was normal to have a bit of temper. Feng Zhihao had not cursed him, merely put on airs and struck a pose. There was no need to fly into a towering rage.

Though anger had already risen in his heart, he still maintained an air of clouds drifting lightly and wind blowing gently.

His attention remained on that painting.

When Feng Zhihao came out again, he walked straight up to Chu Zhiyuan, clasped his fists, and said blandly, "I have kept the Heir Apparent waiting for so long. My apologies."

Chu Zhiyuan smiled. "Young Sect Master Feng, I have long heard of your great name. Just now, I witnessed with my own eyes how you saved someone from peril and delivered him from distress, so I wished to seek your guidance in person."

"I would not dare claim to offer guidance. It was only a trifling skill." Feng Zhihao's tone was neither warm nor cold. "The Heir Apparent is a golden branch and jade leaf. You should not have come to a place like this."

"Why can't I come here?" Chu Zhiyuan asked with a smile.

"This crude and humble place truly sullies the Heir Apparent's noble purity."

"No matter how noble, I'm not so delicate," Chu Zhiyuan said, shaking his head. "If I had not come here, how could I have personally witnessed Young Sect Master's heroic bearing as you rescued someone from danger and saved him from suffering?"

The corner of Feng Zhihao's mouth twitched.

He felt that Chu Zhiyuan's words dripped with veiled mockery, making them extremely unpleasant to hear.

Saving someone was certainly a good deed, but having it repeatedly brought up and exaggerated so extravagantly was deeply uncomfortable.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "May I ask what method Young Sect Master used to cure that old gentleman's heart ailment so thoroughly?"

That old man had displayed a typical heart condition, a myocardial infarction, yet he had rapidly recovered beneath that cluster of strange power. Its effects were almost divine.

This rapid effect upon the body surpassed even Miraculous Pills and Elixirs, making him intensely curious.

If he possessed such power, it would be equivalent to having life-saving spirit pills. He could recover from injuries at any time, whether wounded while fighting others or suffering backlash while practicing martial arts.

It was equivalent to gaining several extra lives.

For that, enduring a little neglect was nothing.

Feng Zhihao's gaze immediately turned wary as he frowned at Chu Zhiyuan.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled. "Young Sect Master needn't force yourself. Every sect under heaven has its secret transmissions. I would not commit such a taboo."

"There is nothing that cannot be said." Feng Zhihao replied blandly, "My Thick Earth Sect acts openly and uprightly, with nothing we cannot say before others. It is the Imperial Heaven Earthly Soil Scripture, which every member of our sect may cultivate."

"The Imperial Heaven Earthly Soil Scripture... it truly is exquisite." Chu Zhiyuan nodded slowly. "I saw that Young Sect Master used Chanting and Seals. That was not a martial arts cultivation method, was it?"

"Our sect's cultivation differs from that of ordinary martial sects," Feng Zhihao said blandly. "Nor do we take competing for strength, victory, slaughter, and killing as our foundation."

Chu Zhiyuan nodded. "The Thick Earth Sect emphasizes Virtue Carries All and Cultivate Virtue and Heart. The Imperial Court greatly approves as well."

Feng Zhihao smiled faintly. "We are already profoundly grateful that the Imperial Court does not suppress us. We would not dare hope for its approval."

Chu Zhiyuan smiled. "The Imperial Court treats the Thick Earth Sect quite well."

"..." Feng Zhihao neither agreed nor disagreed, merely holding a trace of cold laughter at the corner of his mouth.

Chu Zhiyuan secretly shook his head.

Feng Zhihao was self-assured and proud, and did not take him seriously. Was it because Prince Qing's Estate was in decline, or because Prince Huai's Estate, backed by the Thirteenth Prince, stood behind him?

He clasped his fists. "Young Sect Master, how about we exchange a few moves?"

Feng Zhihao froze.

He had originally believed that Chu Zhiyuan, relying on his noble status, would never personally fight. Losing would be far too humiliating.

Especially since Prince Qing's Estate had been confined for thirty years. As the Heir Apparent of Prince Qing's Estate, he ought to keep his tail tucked between his legs and behave himself. He absolutely could not be high-profile or ostentatious. That was why he had become an official in the Ministry of Rites rather than entering the military to earn martial merit.

He had not expected Chu Zhiyuan to truly have the nerve to fight him.

He was a martial arts prodigy, a genius who could stand shoulder to shoulder with the True Disciples of the Four Great Sects. Chu Zhiyuan dared fight him?

Chu Zhiyuan said, "I have long heard of Young Sect Master's reputation as a prodigy. Such an opportunity is rare, so I would like to personally seek instruction. This is also an opportunity for Young Sect Master."

"What opportunity?"

"An opportunity to vent your anger."

Chu Zhiyuan smiled at him.

Of course, he could see that Feng Zhihao was not merely cold toward him, but harbored resentment.

As for where that resentment came from?

They had no other dealings and no personal grudge. It was likely because of his status—Feng Zhihao had taken out his anger on him.

"...The Heir Apparent truly dares fight me?"

Feng Zhihao suppressed his surging emotions and slowly asked.

"Is Young Sect Master afraid?"

Chu Zhiyuan remained smiling, making the anger in Feng Zhihao's heart burn even fiercer.

The believers passing around them also heard their conversation and turned to look.

Feng Zhihao narrowed his eyes, coldly glaring at Chu Zhiyuan as he assessed him.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled back at him.

"...Come with me!" Feng Zhihao turned and left.

Chu Zhiyuan followed, with Zou Fang and Guo Chi following as well.

Passing through the eastern moon gate, they arrived at a courtyard behind it.

The courtyard was empty, with no one inside. A small training ground stood in the middle, with a dilapidated flowerbed on one side and a weapon rack on the other. It was clearly where Feng Zhihao normally practiced martial arts.

Feng Zhihao stood in the center of the courtyard and said blandly, "With too many people around, the Heir Apparent would lose face if you lost. This place is just right."

There was always a chance of the unexpected. What if this Heir Apparent's martial arts were stronger than his?

Winning against him would amount to nothing, but losing would damage his reputation as Young Sect Master.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled. "Good deeds bring good rewards. Young Sect Master's kind intentions have spared you from losing face yourself."

"Let me make this clear first: I will not go easy on you just because you are the Heir Apparent!"

"Then let our hands reveal the truth!"

Chu Zhiyuan turned and walked to the weapon rack, drawing an Ironwood Sword.

Feng Zhihao did not take a weapon. Instead, he raised both palms before his chest.

Seeing this, Chu Zhiyuan tossed the Ironwood Sword back onto the weapon rack and extended both palms. "Please!"