But very soon.
The shock vanished from Chen Xun's eyes, returning to their usual calm. He gazed leisurely at the painting and said, "Qing Yan, so you had known all along."
This painting...
It was identical to Gu Qingyan's final work on the Chaos Ancient Road.
And this painting was far more than merely a painting. Nor did it merely prove that Gu Qingyan was that person from back then. What mattered was the meaning behind it—why Gu Qingyan had given him this painting in the first place.
It showed little animals laughing beneath shifting tree shadows, their figures vividly leaping from the paper.
Heaven and earth fell into a terrifying silence.
The atmosphere was so heavy it was suffocating, utterly at odds with Gu Qingyan's temperament as she painted.
Gu Qingyan's brushstrokes also grew incomparably heavy. She had sensed the subtle shift in Chen Xun's expression. She would rather he had stared in shock and cried out than become so quietly oppressive.
Suddenly.
Chen Xun smiled faintly. "Qing Yan, you actually kept this from me for so many years. You're still just like before—so... considerate. I don't know if that's the right word. Were you afraid I'd mind? I wouldn't."
"...This painting is not bad. Quite good."
Chen Xun seemed to have fallen into memories. His eyes were vacant as he began talking to himself, and he simply would not stop.
"Chen Xun!"
"Hehe, this painting has certainly weathered the hardships of time. Judging by the eye of me, the Painting Saint..."
"Chen Xun!"
"...it is still perhaps three parts inferior to mine."
"...Chen Xun!"
"Qing Yan, but after you painted this, I..."
Buzz—
Whoosh!
The river of stars hung like a waterfall, pouring down in a boundless torrent of flowing radiance. It spilled across Gu Qingyan's temples