Chapter 14: Difficult to Capture the Essence of a Tiger

While Zhou You was sleeping soundly at home, something was also happening in the Inner Courtyard of the Jianxiong Martial Arts Hall.

Wang Jianxiong was wearing loose, comfortable loungewear, holding a covered tea bowl in both hands.

Although he was lean, his muscles and bones were robust, and he walked with the vigor of a tiger.

His eyes were narrow and sharp; when he looked at people, it was like a Meng Hu Quan master eyeing prey, flashing with a piercing light from time to time.

It is said that this was a change in aura after practicing the Tiger-Subduing Fist; his aura was fierce and cold, making his Disciples both respect and fear him.

"Master, this is a gift sent by Commander Chen; it is said to be a famous painting seized after wiping out a mountain stronghold."

Two Disciples held the scroll, one on each side, and slowly unfurled a painting of a fierce tiger before him.

The painting depicted a fierce tiger descending from the mountain, a scene where the mountains and forests trembled and all beasts submitted.

That large tiger was extremely ferocious, its bristling fur like steel needles, and even the barbs on its bright red tongue were drawn clearly and visibly.

Staring at this painting, one could even feel a fishy wind blowing in one's face—the scent unique to a man-eating tiger.

The two Disciples holding the scroll instantly broke out in goosebumps.

"It truly is the work of a master."

A tall and handsome youth, Qi Fengzhang, was Wang Jianxiong's second Disciple.

He cupped his hands toward Wang Jianxiong, "Congratulations, Master, on obtaining such a treasure."

Commander Chen was a close friend of Wang Jianxiong from his youth, stationed at a military stronghold outside Gongliang City, guarding the region.

Times were hard, and bandits in the mountains had increased sharply, frequently harassing passing merchants.

Commander Chen led his thousand elite soldiers to encircle and suppress them everywhere, leaving heads rolling and streams changing color.

While auditing the stolen goods, he accidentally obtained this painting, which matched the path of Wang Jianxiong's cultivation, and ordered a fast rider to deliver it to the city overnight.

The gift was heavy, and the sentiment was heavy too!

Wang Jianxiong stroked his beard lightly, "Old Chen still keeps me, this old friend, in his heart."

He beckoned to his Disciples, "Fengzhang, you were born into a prestigious family and have quite an insight into the way of painting and calligraphy; come over and take a look together."

Qi Fengzhang was a direct descendant of the Qi Family, a major clan in the city, and had the best background and the best talent among Wang Jianxiong's Disciples.

Not yet thirty years old, he had already practiced the advanced technique of the Tiger-Subduing Fist, the Jade Tiger Art, to the point of being about to break through to the Copper Tiger level.

This achievement was unique in the Inner Courtyard, taking the top spot.

One must know that the eldest Disciple Lu Qiang, who managed the Outer Courtyard, was a trusted aide whom Jianxiong Laoye had raised since childhood, yet he was still only at the Iron Tiger realm.

Unfortunately, given his status and family background, he was destined not to inherit the martial arts hall's mantle and would surely return to his family in the future.

"Master, the eight universally recognized masters of painting and calligraphy are divided into the Southern Four Masters and the Northern Four Masters."

"The Southern Four Masters excel at flowers, birds, insects, and fish, while the Northern Four Masters excel at landscapes and rare beasts; each has their own strengths, and all have reached the pinnacle."

"As far as I know, Hanyusou among the Northern Four Masters is the most skilled at painting tigers. I see this fierce tiger in the painting has quite a spirit; could it be from his brush?"

Qi Fengzhang looked at the signature again and nodded, "Indeed, I am eighty percent sure."

But he heard Wang Jianxiong laugh heartily, "You have guessed wrong."

Hanyusou was a legendary figure in the world of painting and calligraphy.

In his early years, he excelled at all kinds of rare and exotic beasts, his painting skills so pure and exquisite that his works were worth a thousand pieces of gold.

In his middle age, he encountered an accident; while traveling alone in the deep mountains to gather inspiration, he slipped and fell into an abyss.

Unexpectedly, at the bottom of the abyss was a tiger's den, where a pregnant tigress was suffering from extreme Hunger.

He held a sharp stone and confronted the tigress for three days and three nights, only finding a chance to escape after he was completely exhausted.

After that brush with death, his temperament changed drastically, and he abandoned many techniques to focus solely on painting tigers.

He even changed his name to Hanyusou, meaning: a lonely, cold, and superfluous old man.

By his later years, Hanyusou's skill in painting tigers had reached a state of perfection; it is said that to invite him to paint, the Prime Minister specifically exempted his hometown from three years of taxes.

After the painting of the fierce tiger was finished, it was unfurled before the crowd, and a single roar scared the many guests until their faces turned pale.

That painting still hangs in the Prime Minister's mansion to this day, a treasure of the mansion guarded by heavy troops.

If this painting of a fierce tiger descending from the mountain were truly an authentic work by Hanyusou, valuing it at a thousand pieces of gold would be an underestimate; calling it priceless would not be an exaggeration.

"Unfortunately, it is not!"

Wang Jianxiong said with a hint of regret, "When I was young, I was fortunate enough to be present and see Hanyusou's authentic work."

"The spirit and true meaning in his paintings were profound and unfathomable, like the pale moon in the sky, visible from afar but unreachable."

"Compared to that, this painting is at best a clumsy imitation by a babbling infant; it is not proper."

Qi Fengzhang was still unwilling to give up; the arts of painting, calligraphy, and seal carving were inseparable, and the seal on the painting was clearly Hanyusou's mark.

According to the methods of appraising paintings and calligraphy, looking at the signature and seal accounts for the majority of the process in determining authenticity.

"Hanyusou had a strange temperament; in his later years, he no longer clung to seals, but instead left his name with a few lines of poetry."

"Most of the so-called authentic works circulating on the market are 'entrusted signatures,' where others use his name to carve seals and sign."

Wang Jianxiong looked at it with admiration, sighing at the scroll.

"Although this painting is not an authentic work, it is still from a master's hand and is of great value; hang it on the wall!"

The old man closed his eyes, recalling the aura of the fierce tiger in the painting, and suddenly took two steps forward.

His withered and thin body suddenly erupted with an astonishing aura.

From the coccyx upward, then to the lumbar vertebrae and cervical vertebrae, his entire spine seemed to awaken from being Dormant.

The skin on his body, which looked like withered tree bark, instantly shone as if brushed with a layer of silver lacquer, like a statue cast in pure silver.

As Wang Jianxiong inhaled and channeled his power, mottled, interlaced golden patterns appeared on the surface of his silver skin.

Silver body with golden patterns—this was clearly the process of advancing from a Silver Tiger to a Golden Tiger.

As the master of the hall, Wang Laoye had the highest attainment in the Jade Tiger Art, at the 'Silver Tiger' realm.

Now, inspired by viewing the scroll, he was actually accumulating strength to break through to the Golden Tiger level with decades of cultivation.

How can the affairs of the world always go as one wishes...

The Golden Tiger in the painting seemed to be affected, its fur standing on end in a posture even more ferocious and vicious, but after only a moment, it dimmed once more.

Qi Fengzhang's eyes widened; could one gain enlightenment just by observing a scroll?

In a mere moment, Wang Jianxiong's cultivation level ascended to a higher stage.

While he was marveling, he heard the old man sigh faintly in his ear, "The true intent within the painting still lacks a bit of refinement."

The momentum that had just erupted plummeted, vanishing without a trace in an instant like a receding tide.

The gold and silver colors on his body were also fading at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Wang Jianxiong sighed endlessly, wishing the painting before him were an authentic work by Hanyusou.

That was a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity; he could have surged forward in one breath to return to the Golden Tiger level.

However, the painter's realm was too far from perfection, and the Golden Tiger's momentum was slightly insufficient, causing him to fall short of success.

"This is fate! One cannot force it."

Wang Jianxiong shook his head, appearing dispirited.

"Master, this Disciple will certainly dispatch men to help you find an authentic work by Hanyusou."

Wang Jianxiong thought to himself how much easier said than done; even the Prime Minister, who wields monstrous power, must still lower his status to beg for a painting.

Qi Fengzhang's family may call the wind and summon the rain in Gongliang City, but they count for nothing when placed against the entire nation.

For a renowned master of the present age like Hanyusou, it is no exaggeration to say he truly looks down upon Marquises and kings.