Chapter 191: Ten Thousand Gullies Pine Wind Painting

Duan Rong had eaten his fill, so he prepared to return to the Yuanshun Escort Agency to take a short nap and rest before starting his Standing Stake training.

But just as he reached the entrance of the Escort Agency, he was stopped by Ma Wentao, who smiled and said, "Escort Duan, here is a calling card for you."

"A calling card? A calling card from where?" Duan Rong asked.

"Guyue Studio."

Duan Rong's heart stirred; he took the card and opened it to look. It turned out to be the Manager of Guyue Studio, Tang Wanhong, inviting him over to appraise an ancient painting.

While it was called an appraisal, in reality, it was just asking him to help take a look.

Thirty taels for one time—to the Duan Rong of a few months ago, this would certainly have been a not-insignificant sum of money. But the current Duan Rong didn't really care for this bit of silver anymore.

However, Duan Rong decided to make the trip anyway. Firstly, it was something already agreed upon, and he did not want to break his word; secondly, this Guyue Studio seemed to have some connection with Shen Yanliu, so it was not good to offend them.

Duan Rong folded the card and asked, "When was this calling card delivered?"

"Not long ago? About a quarter of an hour," Ma Wentao replied.

Duan Rong tucked the calling card into his sleeve, turned his steps, and headed toward Antique Street.

Duan Rong hadn't come for a few months, but those stall owners still recognized him at a glance and greeted him affectionately by his nickname, "Touch-it."

Duan Rong just smiled sheepishly in response and walked past quickly.

Duan Rong slipped into Guyue Studio, where the clerk Guan Kui was holding a feather duster, lightly dusting the counter.

As Duan Rong entered, Guan Kui saw him and was slightly stunned, not daring to recognize him for a moment.

Duan Rong's general appearance hadn't changed, but his physique was much more robust than a few months ago, he was quite a bit taller, and he had changed into an Escort's attire; his aura had also changed drastically!

"What? Don't recognize me?" Duan Rong smiled.

Guan Kui came to his senses and said with an embarrassed smile, "Mr. Duan's physique has become much more imposing, and your bearing has changed too. Forgive my dull eyes for almost failing to recognize you."

Duan Rong smiled: "That's not your fault; I should have come around more often. Where is Manager Tang?"

Duan Rong asked, his gaze sweeping around.

Guan Kui said: "Manager Tang is in the back hall. He gave instructions that if Mr. Duan came, you should go straight in."

Duan Rong nodded, strode through the front hall, lifted the thick cloth curtain, and slipped inside.

This back hall was originally a place for antique trade negotiations; as soon as Duan Rong stepped in, he saw Tang Wanhong standing before a desk, smiling at him.

And on that desk, an eight-foot full-spread large painting was already laid out.

As soon as Tang Wanhong saw Duan Rong, he said: "Mr. Duan, you truly have the transformation of a leopard! This old man almost didn't dare to recognize you."

Duan Rong sighed inwardly; he was a manager after all—the same sentence, when spoken by him, was just more cultured than when spoken by the clerk.

Duan Rong smiled: "I just grew a bit taller; how could that be called a leopard's transformation? Manager Tang, you flatter me!"

"Mr. Duan, please sit!" Tang Wanhong gestured and said.

Duan Rong sat down before the desk, and Tang Wanhong brought a cup of tea and placed it by his hand. Duan Rong took a sip and went straight to the point: "Manager Tang, is this on the desk the ancient painting mentioned in your card?"

Tang Wanhong said solemnly: "Exactly. Mr. Duan, this painting is the Ten Thousand Gullies Pine Wind Painting."

"It is the work of Master Juran. Master Juran was a wandering monk, and there are only two of his paintings left in the world; this is one of them."

As Tang Wanhong spoke, he looked at the eight-foot full-spread large painting on the desk, a flash of obsession crossing his eyes, and said: "This old man believes this painting should be an authentic work without a doubt, but this painting is precious, so to be safe, I must trouble Mr. Duan to help take a look so that this old man can be at ease."

Duan Rong smiled: "Manager Tang's eye for things is naturally not bad. If I were to look again, wouldn't it be like adding a dog's tail to a sable?"

Tang Wanhong said: "Mr. Duan, do not make such jokes. If you are a dog's tail, then this old man is dog excrement."

Once Tang Wanhong said this, both of them laughed.

Duan Rong stood up and went to the desk to look at the painting. He himself had practiced painting for two months and already had a preliminary understanding of the Artistic Conception and techniques of painting.

Therefore, as soon as Duan Rong looked at this painting, he immediately felt his soul fly away and scatter.

As soon as Tang Wanhong saw Duan Rong's expression, he knew that he, like himself, was shocked by the Artistic Conception of this painting, so he began to speak: "The vigor of the brush and ink in this painting, and the depth of its atmosphere—even if a copyist could achieve the form, how could they achieve the spirit? That is why this old man concludes it is an authentic work."

Duan Rong suppressed the throbbing in his heart, placed his hand lightly on the edge of the painting, and secretly said: "Spirit Reader."

Artifact: Ten Thousand Gullies Pine Wind Painting

Spirit Artifact Tier: Eight Tier

Devour Requirement: Host Mental Power Level 8 (Not met)

Devour Effect: Masterful Brushwork Level 7, Force Through Paper Level 4, Communing with Heaven and Man Primary Level.

Looking at the data appearing before his eyes, Duan Rong could be almost certain that this painting was definitely an authentic work. Just the item "Communing with Heaven and Man Primary Level" in the Devour Effect was something a copyist could never fake.

Duan Rong raised his head, looking at Tang Wanhong with bright eyes, and said: "Manager Tang can rest assured, this painting is definitely an authentic work without a doubt."

Seeing Duan Rong's bright eyes and firm tone, Tang Wanhong finally let go of the last trace of doubt in his heart and smiled: "Mr. Duan, this one sentence has set this old man's heart at ease."

The two chatted for a few more moments, and Tang Wanhong took out a fifty-tael banknote as Duan Rong's travel expenses.

Duan Rong took the banknote and suddenly saw two tea cups placed on the other end of the desk, and the lids were tilted on the cups, clearly indicating someone had drunk from them.

Duan Rong's heart stirred, and he secretly thought: In this back hall, besides Tang Wanhong, I fear there is another person.

Duan Rong's Divine Sense suddenly expanded, and he immediately discovered a person sitting quietly behind a screen not far away, silently holding a bronze piece in their hand.

When Duan Rong's Divine Sense swept over that person, his breathing stalled slightly; the person sitting behind the screen was none other than the Xiangu County Magistrate, Shen Yanliu.

Duan Rong was shocked in his heart, but his face remained calm. After still smiling and saying goodbye to Tang Wanhong, he exited the back hall.

Just as Duan Rong exited the back hall, Shen Yanliu walked out slowly, looked at Tang Wanhong, and said: "This person looks young; is he also an expert in antiques?"

Tang Wanhong looked at Shen Yanliu with a respectful gaze and said: "Master! Although this young Mr. Duan is not old, this child must have a deep family heritage; his attainments in antiques are far higher than mine."

"Is that so?" Shen Yanliu felt a bit surprised. Just now, sitting behind the screen, he had already recognized Duan Rong through the gap in the screen.

At the very beginning, when Ma Chunmin hosted a banquet for Duan Rong, he had doubts in his heart. Duan Rong, an Escort, actually had quite high attainments in painting, and by painting on the street, he could make paper expensive for a time.

However, looking at it now, this person named Duan Rong should be a descendant of a noble family whose family fortunes had declined; whether it was painting skills or antiques, both were inherited from family learning.

Duan Rong walked out of Guyue Studio, and his expression suddenly sank. He walked a few steps quickly and squatted at a stall next to the entrance of Guyue Studio, pretending to look through the antiques on the stall, but the moment Duan Rong squatted down, his Divine Sense was released once again.

With Duan Rong as the center, everything within a hundred-meter radius was completely covered.

Duan Rong focused his Divine Sense on the back hall of Guyue Studio, and he clearly "saw" Shen Yanliu and Tang Wanhong sitting there talking.

(End of chapter)