Buying a painting with another painting?!
The guests viewing the exhibition who heard this turned their interest towards this scene. What kind of rule was this?
Li Can snorted coldly, raising his voice, "This gentleman, although our A Country’s Calligraphy and Painting Association isn’t a large organization, it does have a certain reputation, and the artworks of the association are never sold."
Even if you had mountains of gold and silver, they wouldn’t be sold!
Of course, that was a boast. Should someone actually offer a mountain of gold for a painting, Li Can felt he might consider it.
"Seeing how much the gentleman likes this painting, let’s follow the rule and trade painting for painting. A painting worthy of this standard can’t be bought either."
Li Can sneered internally. They were used to being Demonic Cultivators, always taking others’ belongings by force. Now someone dared to attempt to forcefully purchase their painting?
Are you waking up from your dream?
"This gentleman, please." The manager, struggling to hold back a smile, made a welcoming gesture towards Liu Zheng.
Following the direction pointed, one could see the Four Treasures of the Study laid out on a long table not far away.
All the people around took a deep breath of cold air. Were they going to have someone paint live on the spot and then trade the painting?
Who could produce a painting on the spot that could compare to the exhibited Moon Shadow Painting?
Even Liu Zheng, known as a great talent of the Imperial Capital, was taken aback.
This... If this continued, could he really take back his family’s heirloom? Was he really going to be left destitute in a foreign land?
Thinking this, Liu Zheng’s temples throbbed with veins, and he wished he could go back and slap Liu Yuyou a few more times.
Laughing, the manager walked over to the desk and very attentively helped Liu Zheng grind the ink.
Liu Zheng, hailing from a family well-versed in literature, found painting not difficult, but to impromptu paint a masterpiece comparable to the heirloom Moon Shadow Painting, wasn’t this asking too much of someone?
Liu Zheng’s face turned red with both embarrassment and urgency, his tone becoming somewhat hasty, "This... I..."
In fact, he had prepared money before coming, ready to go bankrupt if necessary to buy back the painting, but this move had caught him off guard.
The head of Imperial University’s Art Department squeezed into the crowd, pushing the presbyopic glasses on his nose as he watched the scene unfold. Catching sight of Liu Zheng’s distressed face, he couldn’t help saying, "May I paint on behalf of this young man?"
Li Can glanced over, "You may, you may." Chapters first released on NoveI(F)ire.net
Even if you paint to heaven, if he’s not satisfied, don’t think about buying the painting.
The surrounding audience exclaimed, "He is the head of Imperial University’s Art Department, a specialist in traditional Chinese painting with countless disciples! A master painter!"
"Wow, isn’t he the master who did the serial illustrations for ’Records of the Mountain Moon’ in the style of traditional Chinese paintings? That was the picture book of my childhood, how nostalgic!"
"A real painting bigwig has arrived!"
The department head smiled, pondered for a moment, picked up the brush, and began to paint on the pristine rice paper, creating various images with black ink.
The audience around were riveted, some even took out their phones and started live streaming.
This was a genuine master’s work!
Li Can’s expression grew darker as the day of the exhibition saw someone come to disrupt the event.
About an hour later, the department head set down the brush and smiled at Li Can, "What do you think?"
The crowd was on the verge of screaming, a true master in action!
Looking at the level of this traditional painting, the Snowy Ink Plum under the Moon Shadow, purely a master’s level!
A live streaming host excitedly shouted into the camera, "Today we’ve really witnessed a visual feast!"
Li Can’s expression was impassive, "I don’t think it compares to this Moon Shadow Painting, sorry but our Calligraphy and Painting Association cannot make the sale."
Everyone was shocked. How could it still not be up to standard?
The department head’s graying eyebrows also furrowed involuntarily.
As everyone was filled with righteous indignation, a voice, still smiling, carried over on the cold wind, "Is that so? Then let me paint."