Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Li Nianfan put down the cup and suddenly said in a sentimental tone. “It’s been a while since we’ve been on this trip.”
The Holy Emperor noticed what Li Nianfan meant and hurriedly said, “Mr. Li, our matters have been settled. We can go back anytime now.”
“Oh?” Li Nianfan raised his eyebrow slightly. “Can we leave today?”
Zhou Dacheng nodded. “Yes, we can, Mr. Li.”
“Mr. Li, how about staying for a few more days? I shall do my best as a host,” offered Gu Changqing.
“No, thanks, Lord Gu.” Li Nianfan shook his head. “Blackie’s still waiting for me back home. I wonder how Blackie’s doing.”
Gu Changqing said, “Since you’ve made up your mind, I won’t force you to stay.”
The Holy Emperor and Zhou Dacheng got up and said, “We should get packing, Mr. Li.”
The expert had already made up his mind so naturally, they would not disagree with him.
Gu Changqing walked out of the yard and headed straight to the palace.
The Gu siblings were there. They welcomed him, “Father.”
Gu Changqing quickly asked, “Ziyao, how’s the progress on that task I gave you?”
“Father, it’s done!” Gu Ziyao nodded. She hesitated and said, “Father, the expert was interested in the Divine Bead, so I gave it away.”
Gu Changqing asked, “Did the expert accept it?”
“Yeah, he did. He seems to like it,” answered Gu Ziyao.
“Good! Good job!” Gu Changqing was cheerful. No wonder the expert was so nice to him. Maybe that was the reason. He laughed out loud. “Exchanging the Divine Bead for the expert’s favor was worth it. Good job, Ziyao!”
Gu Ziyao laughed. She took out a bracelet from her storage and said, “Father, the expert also looked at this for more than five seconds.”
Gu Changqing took the bracelet and frowned. “Just this?”
Gu Ziyao looked distressed. “The expert glanced at a lot of things, but he was mostly just watching the view.”
Gu Changqing sighed softly. “The expert is interested in too few items. Be prepared. Mr. Li’s about to leave. Follow me to bid Mr. Li goodbye.”
Li Nianfan and Daji were done packing. They walked out of the yard. The others were waiting for them at the door.
They went to the Azure Ville palace. Gu Changqing brought the Gu siblings along with the three elders and waited for them.
“Mr. Li.” Gu Changqing stepped forward. He took out the bracelet and said, “A small gift for a guest in Azure Ville. We can’t let you go back empty-handed. Please, accept this small token.”
Li Nianfan laughed and said, “Lord Gu, you’re too generous. I’m just an ordinary man. How could you give this to me?”
Gu Changqing said, smiling, “This is just crafted art. It isn’t a treasure.”
Crafted art?
Li Nianfan was slightly curious. He looked and noticed that the bracelet bore the images of the three paintings on it. The black jewel seemed to be an antique statue.
The replication of the paintings was alright. The statue got his attention, though. It was well-made and quirky—a worthy collection.
Gu Changqing was clearly a collector of arts. He could have crafted a better bracelet but it was nice of him to give him a gift. Suddenly, Li Nianfan felt a bond form between two art lovers.
Li Nianfan accepted it and said, “I appreciate it, Lord Gu.”
Gu Changqing smiled and said, “As long as you like it, Mr. Li.”
Li Nianfan pondered for a moment. Sigh, it would be shameless of him to just take things and leave!
Moreover, he also accepted the compressor!
He did not have any treasure on him. However, he had to do something in return.
He asked, “Lord Gu, you’re a fan of art. How about I make you a painting?”
Dead silence!
Everyone stopped breathing at that moment.
If one were to watch them closely, one would notice that everyone aside from Li Nianfan was trembling slightly. They were all stiff.
They were screaming internally.
‘What’s happening? Painting?! He’s on the move! The expert’s on the move!’
‘Lucky! Azure Ville got lucky! The expert’s blessing them with paintings!’
‘Don’t scream, don’t scream! Stay calm, stay calm! Oh no, I can’t do this anymore!’
They clenched their fists until their fingernails clawed into their flesh. They were enduring it so they would not blow their tops off.
They looked calm on the surface, but in reality, they were going through a lot.
Especially Gu Changqing. He almost fainted.
He was on cloud nine.
He asked with a trembling voice, “Rea—really? Mr—Mr. Li?’
“Why not? It’s just a painting. I’ll just simply paint it,” said Li Nianfan.
Just simply paint it?
Everyone twitched at the same time.
Yeah. Like the time he simply pierced a hole in the sky!
Yeah, right! What would happen if the expert was serious?
Li Nianfan asked, “Do you have a brush and paper?”
“Yes, yes!” Gu Changqing nodded continuously. He did not even need to request it. Azure Ville was working at full speed. They brought him the best painting tools in their treasure vault.
They had obtained a lot of unique treasures over the years.
The paper was not unique but it was of high quality. The brush was obtained from a secret border, so it was considered rare. No one had used it before.
Li Nianfan tried the brush and said, “This brush is nice. Quite decent.”
Then, he squinted and wondered for a moment.
What should he paint?
He thought of the three paintings in Azure Ville.
They represented Immortals, Demons, and Creatures.
Immortals looked human. Li Nianfan did not want to paint that. Demons were too depressing. He did not want to paint that either.
He should paint an awesome creature!
He was not sure whether this creature existed or not.
Whatever. Paintings could be abstract anyway. Nobody cared if it was realistic or not.
He opened his eyes and started painting!
Everyone watched him without blinking. Li Nianfan was overpoweringly amazing!
Bam!
The tip of the brush touched the paper. Li Nianfan had a golden halo around him. The light started from the tip of the brush. Then, it surrounded Li Nianfan.
It was like sunlight.
It was blinding. They could not look at him directly.
Then, the temperature began to rise as if they were in a large furnace. Thankfully, the heat was harmless. Otherwise, they would have undoubtedly evaporated into thin air!
This…
Everyone had goosebumps.
The way that he was painting could destroy this realm!
How scary and terrifying!
Li Nianfan finally stopped painting. The others were still in utter shock. The golden light started to fade!
Everyone sighed in relief and looked at the painting excitedly.
They saw a painting of a black, three-legged crow. It was squatting in a halo, and it seemed to be looking at them.