"I understand," Zhao Xing nodded; he trusted Old Chen, which is why he said it—if it had been anyone else, he might not even bother finding a reason at all.
Otherwise, what if someone felt that Mountain Cat was extraordinary and wanted to borrow it to use? How would that be handled?
Thus, Zhao Xing didn’t speak in absolutes, his choice of words included "seemingly" and "possibly."
Old Chen’s attitude was also good, knowing to consider his interests.
He wasn’t concerned about taking credit right now; he believed Old Chen would certainly take care of removing him from this matter.
As for whether he believed it or not, and how he would use this information if he did—that, Zhao Xing didn’t think too much about.
His own stature was too young and tender; big matters still needed Old Chen to take the lead.
The day after returning to the city, which was also the last day of September, good news came from Zong Shichang’s side: They had found the Preaching Paintings.
Zhao Xing hurried to Zong Mansion, where he met both Zong Shichang and Steward Tang.
"Mr. Zong, have the Preaching Paintings been settled?"
Zong Shichang waved his hand, "Anything that can be bought with money, can I not handle it? It’s already here! Uncle Tang."
Steward Tang moved several long boxes over.
Zong Shichang patted the boxes, "In total, there are four Preaching Paintings."
"One of them is the one we agreed upon; you don’t have to pay extra."
"Another two were found by Lu Qian for you, and they’ve been paid for."
"Only this last one needs payment."
Zhao Xing wasted no time, "How much?"
Zong Shichang said, "This fourth-rank top-grade painting from the Earth Advantage Sect was acquired from the Cao Family, untouched, with four opportunities left to comprehend. I’m not making any profit off you, the original price is 3,200 taels; you can just give me 3,200 taels."
"Alright." Zhao Xing felt the price was expensive but still worthwhile. After liquidating some treasures, he had nearly four thousand taels in liquid assets and promptly paid the money.
As for the other three paintings, they were exchanged for battle songs and battle tunes, so there was no need to spend any extra money.
Steward Tang accepted the silver note, bowed, and took his leave, leaving Zong Shichang and Zhao Xing for a private conversation.
"Lu Qian asked me to pass on a message; she says these two paintings aren’t enough to repay your favor. She will find another fourth-rank painting for you later. Mr. Zhao, teach me, how did you manage to handle that fierce girl so well?"
"When she talks to me about you, her eyes go all soft and tender, heh heh heh."
At this time, Zong Shichang deeply admired Zhao Xing. Being able to handle Lu Qian, that was nothing short of miraculous!
"Don’t guess wildly," Zhao Xing said, "Finding kindred spirits amid high mountains and flowing waters, she’s paying for the sake of art!"
"So that’s how it is, seems like I need to learn some proper art myself in the future," Zong Shichang mused thoughtfully.
"Enough about that, let me use your precious place to comprehend the paintings."
"Of course, you can pick any room in Tingshui Pavilion," Zong Shichang pointed at Mountain Cat, "May I borrow this little fella for a cuddle?"
"Sure, just give it something to eat."
"No problem, I’ve prepared plenty of yellow croakers, enough to feed it well!"
Zhao Xing rolled up the boxes and found a secluded room in Zong Mansion, then set the boxes down.
"Fourth-rank Preaching Paintings... I’ve seen one at my teacher’s place before, just a copy of ’All Things Growth Map’ with just one opportunity let me comprehend [Savage Growth] and [Earth Vein Comprehensive Element]."
"At that time, all my Spells were still very rough, now, most of them are ninth revolution, even some are maxed out." Zhao Xing’s eyes held some expectation.
Preaching Paintings present different realizations depending on when you study them.
The less you’ve accumulated, the less you will gain.
The more you’ve accumulated, the greater the reward!
"Hope I can make a breakthrough this time."
Zhao Xing took a deep breath, opened the first box, and pulled the painting from its scroll.