Chapter 130: Calligraphy and Painting

  The bustling Pan's Garden was still extraordinarily lively. Xuan Qi stood amidst the crowd, gazing out at the mortal world as he cultivated his spiritual energy and practiced various techniques to temper his mind.

  At this moment, Xuán Qí's mind was transcendent, as if his spirit had escaped and was gazing down at the entire Pān family garden. Here there were joys and sorrows, successes and failures, and here too were individual ambitions stirring, each person seemingly a snail, moving slowly but never stopping in their pursuit of dreams.

  Xuan Qi let out a gentle sigh, as if in an instant he felt the bitter and sweet, the same fate, each with their own methods. Whether shoes fit or not, only the feet know, whether life is good or not, it's like drinking water, one knows the temperature themselves.

  Just now still transcending the world, Xuan Qi immediately got caught up in the crowd again, so unnoticeable, so insignificant. Following the flow of people into the Jade Stone District, Xuan Qi's eyes narrowed slightly as he sized up the shop assistants and owners. The antique business was full of deceitful tricks, but there were also those who rose to fame through honesty. Although honest businessmen developed slowly in the early stages, after enduring for some years, they managed to turn their shops into well-known brands, and that was when the bitterness turned to sweetness.

  He walked to a shop called MJ Fei Zhai and stopped in front of it. The ancient-style facade was not noisy, but the signboard hanging above the door had an air of spirituality about it. Upon closer inspection, this signboard was at least a hundred years old, which should be from the late Qing dynasty or early Republic period.

  As I walked into the store, the diligent shop assistant was indeed wearing a Zhongshan suit and stood in front of me, respectfully asking: "Sir, what can I help you with?"

  Xuan Qi didn't like beating around the bush either, and directly said: "I have a piece of Emperor Green Jade material, I don't know if you'll accept it or not?"

  MJ Jade Store's main business is selling carved jade pendants. Legend has it that their ancestors once made a green jade ring for the emperor, which was favored by the old empress. Overnight, they gained great fame and created such a prestigious signboard.

  The shop assistant heard that Xuán Qí was going to take out a valuable material worth over a million, and his eyes flashed with an unusual color. He said in a low voice, "Is the master's material still on him?" Seeing Xuán Qí nod, the shop assistant went to find the boss. Today, not only was the big boss present, but also the old boss, both of whom came out wearing Zhongshan suits and greeted Xuán Qí.

  Xuan Qi took out the emperor green jade material from his pocket, and the emerald green fabric immediately caught the eyes of the two generations of shopkeepers. The material was excellent, crystal clear and translucent. It had a good moisture content, and the green color was auspicious. Moreover, the size of the material was quite large, enough to cut out several ring faces, and with some leftover, he could even make two pairs of bangles.

  An old and a young shopkeeper looked at each other, the old shopkeeper nodded slightly, and the big shopkeeper asked his assistant to fetch a basin of water. In the house, they put the wool into the basin, and the whole basin of water turned emerald green. They took out the wool, and the water became clear again. After repeated experimentation, they confirmed that this piece of wool was top-grade imperial green wool.

  "After confirming without error, the shopkeeper directly quoted a price: 'Two million.'"

  Xuan Qi took the wet goods and said: "Too low, you all go south and I'll go north. I'm sincere in selling, but you're not sincere in buying. In that case, I can only change to another store."

  The old shopkeeper said: "Business is all about asking for the sky and paying back to the ground. Since you think our price is not good, you can also make an offer."

  Xuan Qi shrugged and didn't name a price, instead pointing to the sign outside: "A hundred-year-old shop, a well-known old brand. Can you say such things without fearing that your ancestors will be ashamed?"

  These words were very heavy, almost a slap in the face. The shopkeeper's face turned red with rage, his neck muscles bulging: "You..."

  The old shopkeeper's eyes flashed with a strange light, first confused and then suddenly enlightened, he stretched out his hand to pull over his son. With a respectful face, he made a bow with his hands clasped together, holding them high above his head, and bowed deeply: "These years, I have gone against the teachings of our ancestors, thanks to my young brother's stern warning, which almost ruined the signboard left by our ancestors. This piece of goods, we will take it in, 35 million."

  This price is outrageous. In Xuan Qi's heart, the price was at 3 million. Now that he had quoted such a price, Xuan Qi smiled slightly: "I also have my own shortcomings, speaking too hastily and impulsively, please forgive me, sir."

  Flower sedan chair carried by people, doing things leaving a thread, good to meet again in the future. After cultivating the mysterious skills and adding the mysterious qi of two lifetimes as a human, I have already grasped the subtleties within, handling matters with eight sides shining brightly, without leaking a single drop of water.

  The goods were appraised again, and in the end, Xuán Qí's account increased by 3.5 million. Xuán Qí clasped his fists together in a gesture of respect to the father and son, then departed with an air of elegance.

  The young shopkeeper looked suspicious and asked the old shopkeeper: "Why give such a high price and still put on such a low attitude?"

  The old shopkeeper looked at his son and said with a sigh, "You just walked through the Ghost Gate, do you know that?" The old shopkeeper saw Xuan Qi take over the material, and his eyes flashed with starlight, and the white jade on his palm shone brightly. Although he tried to restrain himself, he still exposed himself.

  "Are you saying he's a Xuanxiu?" The shopkeeper was only now realizing his fear. A few days ago, the case of the missing large bluestone from Panjiayuan had been all the rage, and while others may not have understood, the father-son duo were crystal clear about it - it was he who had led them to Jigu Xuan. Looking at those mysterious and elusive Xuanxiu, as well as that razor-sharp flying sword capable of cutting through steel anti-theft doors like tofu, the shopkeeper was genuinely terrified from the bottom of his heart.

  The old brand is the old brand, a business that has been passed down for generations, and it's inevitable to have some connections with the three teachings and nine streams. When someone else uses you, it's called "face", and when you're used by others, you also need to do your part. So the big boss rolled his eyes and said: "Do you want me to send a partner to keep an eye on them, and then notify them?"

  The old shopkeeper slowly shook his head and said in a low voice: "This is indeed the affair of gods fighting and affecting ordinary people. We can't get involved, but rather retreat and let them handle it. Just make a phone call, report this person's foreign trade characteristics, and truthfully report any suspicious circumstances, that's all."

  On a small hill in the suburbs of Beijing, an old man wearing a black Taoist robe and with three strands of black whiskers was taking deep breaths, exhaling and inhaling. Between his eyebrows, a golden light flickered in and out. A golden flying sword, about the size of an embroidery needle, flashed around his body. Suddenly, a young boy with a child's hairstyle appeared, knelt down on the ground and said loudly: "Greetings, Old Ancestor! I have come from MJ Fei Zhai to report that someone is selling jade in their store, and the other party is a tough and unyielding Xuan cultivator."

  The old man opened his eyes wide, his pupils gleaming like electricity, with sparks flashing in the center of his eyebrows. The golden flying sword grew rapidly, about three feet long and two inches wide, its entire body a golden yellow color. The old man's body rose into the clouds, stepping onto the flying sword, disappearing in an instant, and reappearing to sit in the main hall of the Mj翡斋 shop.

  "Be careful." Just strolling through the calligraphy and painting market, Xuan Qi suddenly heard Lao Ding's voice: "A cultivator has appeared in Panjia Garden, and it's a true energy liquid sword cultivator. It seems to be looking for you."

  "Is the True Qi Liquid Sword Cultivation?" Xuan Qi didn't show any fear. He still didn't understand the relationship between cultivators and cultivators without a sect or friends, like a rootless reed that would often be trampled by powerful cultivators for no reason. If one had a precious treasure on them, powerful cultivators would even kill to steal it.

  "With my current strength plus your wisdom, can we take him down?" Xuan Qi was thinking of taking down the opponent, and it would be best if he could get his hands on another Ben Ming flying sword.

  "What's in your head, is it all crap?" Old Ding was driven mad and speechless: "Before the liquidation period, you were just a bit stronger than ordinary people, bullets hit you, you would still die. But after the true energy liquefaction, even if you were hit by rockets or grenades, at most you would suffer some internal injuries, do you know how big the gap between you is?"

  Xuan Qi pouted and felt that he was indeed absurd and laughable, like a drunken mouse shouting to kill a cat. Xuan Qi shrugged his shoulders and said: "If even you can't handle him, then let's go, the farther we go, the better."

  "He can't leave, he deliberately released his divine consciousness to let others know he's arrived. Now no matter who leaves, he'll be highly suspicious of them. We not only can't leave but also have to stay in Panjia Garden to pick up the slack."

  Xuan Qi understood and found a place to remove his disguise. He walked on the antique street with his true appearance, using his appraisal technique to examine the calligraphy and paintings on display at the stalls. The stall owners were haggling over prices in a clever and harmonious way. As he looked at the colorful aura, Xuan Qi's eyes suddenly flashed with surprise. He walked up to a stall, where the owner, a man in his early thirties with bright eyes, was dressed neatly but had a sly aura about him. This guy was definitely a thief who could use his cunning hands to steal valuables.

  What really surprised Xuan Qi was the painting on this stall, which had an unusually strange luster. It made Xuan Qi unable to help but open it and examine it carefully, the more he looked at it, the thicker the doubt on his face became.

  This is an ink painting, with three green bamboos on it. The slender bamboo leaves are lively and interesting. The seal is in large red characters, with the inscription "Huang Shaoqiang" engraved inside.

  Huang Shaoqiang was born in 1901 and died at the age of 19. He had a short and bitter life. From an early age, he followed his mother Kong to learn art. Later, he studied Western painting with Liu Boren. At the age of 19, he went to Gao Qifeng's Art Academy to study painting. The next year, he followed Gao Jianfu to study painting. He then studied at Shanghai Art School under Liu Haisu, and his skills improved daily.

  "Xu Beihong praised Huang Shaogang's painting method as: 'Not valuing cleverness, not following the ancients, depicting forms and colors, the people's call.'"

  This painting has a certain artistic value, with a unique composition and atmosphere, and the flavor of its era. It should be an authentic work without doubt.

  Xuan Qi played with the scroll of the painting and found that these two scrolls seemed to be old objects from the Qing Dynasty. The paintings of the Republic of China used the scrolls of the Qing Dynasty, which was such an obvious mistake in the era. Could it be that this painting is a fake? Huang Shaoqiang's works are not expensive, using materials from the Qing Dynasty to make a fake and not very famous painting of the Republic of China, this doesn't add up.