An inscription was in order

Everyone was entranced by the atmosphere of the painting, yet none could make sense of its meaning.

"It truly is a fine painting!" Duke Wei sighed softly. The young men behind him no longer looked down on it, either.

The young men were all scholars, and naturally could distinguish a good painting from a bad one. In this painting, the brushstrokes carried a keen edge, while the empty spaces were dreamlike. Its atmosphere was fresh and fully realized, though they did not understand what it conveyed. Still, they all knew that the key lay in the child aboard the little boat: his dream was the meaning.

When the onlookers beside them heard Duke Wei call it a fine painting, their eyes immediately lit up.

Some of them knew nothing about painting, of course, but if Duke Wei said it was good, then it had to be excellent.

Who was Duke Wei? The reigning dynasty's Grand Preceptor, the foremost of its scholars. His words naturally carried immense credibility. They also realized that Su Mo had not, in fact, been up to any tricks.

"So it really is a fine painting!" someone sighed.

"Who would have imagined it? We misjudged him just now."

The merchant nearby brightened and immediately wanted to buy the painting. A work praised by Duke Wei was bound to soar in value. Yet he no longer dared name a price carelessly. He had money, but he truly knew nothing about art.

"How should I address you, young friend?" Duke Wei withdrew his gaze from the painting and looked at Su Mo, who had painted it. Inwardly, however, he harbored doubts. Was this painting truly his work? The brushwork was seasoned, hardly something a boy in his teens could produce. He did not know that Su Mo had lived two lives, and that in his previous life, he had come from an ancient nation whose culture had been refined over five thousand years. Su Mo had merely stood on the shoulders of giants and copied their work.

Su Mo cupped his fist. "My surname is Su, my given name Mo, and my courtesy name Jing Yan. I hail from Jiangnan."

"Jing Yan, your painting is lifelike, its artistic conception complete." Duke Wei sighed softly. "It is just a pity..."

A pity?

At those words, everyone pricked up their ears!

Su Mo bowed. "I would be grateful for your guidance, Duke Wei!"

"It is a pity that it lacks an inscription..." Duke Wei continued. "If you could inscribe a fitting poem, it would bring out the painting's meaning even more."

This was a test, or a probe... Su Mo understood.

The young men behind Duke Wei smiled as well. They did not believe Su Mo had painted it, but voicing baseless suspicions would only be a low move, making them look narrow-minded and jealous. With Duke Wei raising the matter now, however, no one would object.

If you painted it, what was wrong with asking you to inscribe it?

"Only..." Duke Wei hesitated again. "If the verse you inscribe fails to match the painting, it will ruin it instead!"

He genuinely loved the painting, and his suggestion had come from the heart. Though he, too, suspected it was not Su Mo's work, he did not want Su Mo to ruin it with a careless inscription.

Su Mo sighed. "It is a painting born of a dream. Where would I find a poem to match it?"

"If you have no suitable verse, brother, I would be willing to compose one for this painting. Should it fall short, however, I hope everyone will forgive me!" The young man behind Duke Wei who had spoken earlier now spoke again, a smile on his face.

A few shrewd spectators immediately understood what was happening and settled in to enjoy the show.

Su Mo's gaze sharpened, and he looked over with a chill in his eyes.

The man was a guest trying to usurp the host's place, plainly showing no regard for Su Mo. He had proposed inscribing Su Mo's painting himself. If the poem was good, the acclaim would naturally belong to him. If it was bad, it would ruin the painting. Either outcome harmed Su Mo; no matter what happened, the painting would become harder for him to sell.

Most importantly, Su Mo found it deeply irritating. The man looked down on him, but Su Mo did not care about that. Everyone had their own life; he could hardly expect everyone to value him.

But the painting clearly belonged to Su Mo, yet the man had said, "Should it fall short, I hope everyone will forgive me," rather than asking Su Mo's forgiveness. The provocation could not have been clearer.

Su Mo could distinctly sense that the man seemed to be targeting him... Was this guy out of his damn mind?

He was the man Duke Wei had rebuked earlier. His name seemed to be Liu Feng.

Dressed in red, Gu Yu drifted up outside the Riverboat Pavilion. Just as he was wondering which painting the dean had asked him to buy, he saw a crowd gathered around Su Mo.

This kid could paint, too?

One look at the scroll Su Mo had unrolled, even from a distance, told him which painting the dean wanted him to buy!

He could play the flute, paint, and he was handsome, too... What a pity he was an ordinary person... Otherwise, how wonderful it would be to trick him into coming back to the Academy!

But someone seemed to be targeting him... Gu Yu glanced at Liu Feng, who had spoken against Su Mo, and curled his lip. A dagger hidden behind a smile, a sanctimonious facade-definitely no decent sort...

Gu Yu had always thought himself an excellent judge of people... Little Su was still better-looking.

Oh, Little Su meant Su Mo... He had just heard Su Mo introduce himself and come up with the affectionate nickname on the spot.

After all... he still had to buy the painting from him shortly, so for now, he could count as one of their own.

Liu Feng had come with Duke Wei, yet was behaving so rudely... Su Mo could not help looking toward Duke Wei.

Duke Wei had lowered his head to study the painting, as though he had heard nothing...

The two of us, master and servant, had traveled a thousand miles to the Capital City to take an exam and, while we were at it, swindle... earn a little traveling money. Yet someone wanted to stick his foot in. Cutting off a man's livelihood was like murdering his parents. Uncle might stand for it, but Auntie wouldn't... Su Mo shook his head with a laugh, as though mocking someone else, or perhaps himself.

What a pile of shit this world really was...

Seeing Su Mo shake his head and laugh mockingly, Liu Feng's expression chilled, hostility showing on his face.

"I had no words to inscribe, but since Duke Wei has spoken, I shall compose a verse myself! If it ruins the painting... then let it be ruined!" Su Mo threw back his head and laughed. "Who has brush and ink?"

Gu Yu, who had been quietly watching the show nearby, suddenly saw a bold, heroic spirit in Su Mo. At that moment, Su Mo seemed less like a scholar than a swordsman.

The little girl tilted her head up, gazing at her big brother with admiration written all over her face.

"The Riverboat Pavilion has them!" A voice gentle as jade reached them. Everyone turned to see Luo Yin step out of the Riverboat Pavilion in a cloud-white embroidered dress.

"Luo Yin... Even the River Goddess has come out!" the onlookers exclaimed.

"Interesting... Interesting..."

"The River Goddess truly is a peerless beauty."

"At a moment like this... there ought to be wine!"

Su Mo looked toward the voice and saw Luo Yin, a beauty who could topple cities and kingdoms. She smiled and nodded to him, and he returned a slight nod.

Luo Yin was exceptionally beautiful, her features exquisite, her bearing ethereal and untouched by worldly dust. She was the most beautiful woman Su Mo had seen in this life-oh... there was also the fairy lady from last night. The two were evenly matched.

"There are brushes and ink inside the Riverboat Pavilion!" Luo Yin approached, and the onlookers automatically cleared a path.

Luo Yin was not someone people like them could regard as an equal. She was the reincarnation of the River Goddess, had entered the Dao through music, and was a Core Formation expert.

Luo Yin lowered her head to look at the unfurled painting and adored it. She had greatly disliked Liu Feng's words earlier, then silently approved of Su Mo's response. Without quite knowing why, she had spoken up.

Su Mo sensed goodwill in Luo Yin's eyes.

"Then pardon the intrusion!" Su Mo nodded to Luo Yin.

"Jing Yan..." Duke Wei began, somewhat regretting that he had not stopped Liu Feng's reckless words. "Your painting is a masterpiece that will endure through the ages. Since it was born of a chance inspiration and would be difficult to recreate, you should treat it with care. Would it not be a pity to ruin it over a moment's heated rivalry...?"

"Since this painting came from my hand, even if I destroy it, its destruction is mine to decide." Su Mo smiled freely, his gaze flicking casually toward Liu Feng, as though he had never taken him seriously at all.