[Ding!]
[Detected soone bragging nearby. Congratulations, Host, you have gained Mana 2,666!]
"To be honest, I co from the Jingxuan Pavilion lineage of the East Sea!"
Wang Xiu uttered an astonished "Oh?" and then said, "Jingxuan Pavilion? Could it be *that* Jingxuan Pavilion?"
"You've heard of it?"
"Of course! It's the Jingxuan Pavilion, after all!"
Zhao Zhonghe was surprised by Wang Xiu's reaction. His lineage had only beco renowned within the last millennium and wasn't widely known. He never expected its fa to have spread all the way to White Jade City!
His fondness for Wang Xiu imdiately grew.
Little did he know, Wang Xiu had absolutely no idea what that place was. He was just habitually playing along with the man's bragging.
In any case, this guy before is a Saint Manifestation-phase chive. Even in the Nine Heavens, you don't just run into one of those every day!
Wang Xiu clicked his tongue in admiration. "Indeed. I knew I wasn't mistaken. I could tell at a glance that you co from an extraordinary background!"
Zhao Zhonghe, feeling imnsely flattered, hastily replied, "Not at all, not at all. Brother Wang, you also carry yourself with such grace. You're no less dashing than I was in my younger days!"
[Ding!]
[Detected soone bragging nearby. Congratulations, Host, you have gained Mana 2,666!]
After so idle chat, Zhao Zhonghe found that Wang Xiu was a man after his own heart—handso and a smooth talker.
He imdiately declared, "I feel as if we're old friends. If you don't mind, how about we address each other as brothers?"
Wang Xiu quickly clasped his hands and replied, "I would ask for nothing better!"
"Brother Wang!"
"Big Brother Zhao!"
"Aye!"
...
Behind them, Nie Linglan and Yan Ji were both dumbfounded.
They've only exchanged a few sentences, and now they're sworn brothers?
Yan Ji blinked her large eyes, shooting frantic glances at Nie Linglan. "What's going on?"
Nie Linglan smacked her lips twice before sending a Divine Sense Transmission, "The Young Master has always been skilled at making friends. I thought that after nearly twenty years in the forbidden land, this talent would have waned sowhat... but unexpectedly, it seems to have grown even sharper!"
"Brother Wang, I saw you painting a portrait for the Sixth Miss of the Lin Family just now?"
"Yes! I'm afraid it wasn't very good. I've made a fool of myself in front of Big Brother Zhao!"
"Brother Wang, you're too modest. For soone so young, your painting skills are on par with my own. Truly remarkable!"
[Ding!]
[Detected soone bragging nearby. Congratulations, Host, you have gained Mana 2,666!]
"You're too kind, Big Brother Zhao. My art is just a casual hobby, not fit for any grand occasion! It certainly can't compare to your skills!"
"You're too humble, far too humble!" Zhao Zhonghe chuckled, then gave Wang Xiu a look that all n understand. "When Miss Lin left just now, the way she looked at you, Brother Wang... that was quite telling, wouldn't you say?"
Wang Xiu feigned ignorance. "Was it?"
Zhao Zhonghe stated confidently, "Brother, I'm not just bragging, but back in the East Sea, they call the one 'who passes through a thousand flowers without a single leaf clinging to him!' In all eight hundred cities of the East Sea, is there a single one that doesn't have a beautiful confidante of mine? When it cos to won, your big brother here is an expert! That look Miss Lin gave you just now was definitely not an ordinary one!"
[Ding!]
[Detected soone bragging nearby. Congratulations, Host, you have gained Mana 2,666!]
Wang Xiu paused. "Then... what kind of look was it?"
Zhao Zhonghe said with utter conviction, "It was the look a woman gives a man!"
Wang Xiu: "..."
Yan Ji: "..."
Nie Linglan: "..."
The corner of Wang Xiu's mouth twitched. "Big Brother Zhao... you truly have keen insight!"
"But of course..." Zhao Zhonghe lifted his chin smugly before continuing, "Brother, this Lin Family... they're a major clan here in White Jade City, with a long history and extrely high status! If Miss Lin has taken a fancy to you, your chances of entering Cold Mountain Tower are sky-high! When that ti cos, don't forget to give your brother a leg up!"
"Of course, of course, hahaha!"
He said this not because he actually expected Wang Xiu to bring him along if recomnded by the Lin Family. Per the rules, each family only had a single recomndation slot. Rather, he wanted to befriend Wang Xiu because anyone capable of entering Cold Mountain Tower had already been filtered from a massive pool of candidates and had a real chance of eventually reaching Cold Mountain City. If Wang Xiu were to be favored by the Painting Immortal, it would be a teoric rise, an ascent to the heavens in a single step.
At that mont, a woman in an elegant palace dress, possessing a regal bearing and a generous bosom, appeared before Wang Xiu's painting stall.
Instantly, the noisy atmosphere quieted considerably.
"Hiss, isn't that the Fourth Miss of the Zhou Family? She's here too?"
"Why that stall again? Who is that kid?"
"Everyone in White Jade City knows that the Fourth Miss of the Zhou Family and the Sixth Miss of the Lin Family can't stand each other..."
"This is going to be a good show!"
Zhou Yui's beautiful eyes appraised Wang Xiu with curiosity. "I heard you just painted a portrait for the Sixth Miss of the Lin Family?"
Wang Xiu nodded. "That is correct."
Zhou Yui lifted her swan-like neck, puffed out her magnificent chest, and said in a commanding tone, "Paint one for , too. As long as you make it more beautiful than the one you did for that woman, Lin Yuyan, I will not only guarantee you the Zhou Family's recomndation slot, but I'll also give you a large sum of Spirit Stones!"
As soon as she spoke, the crowd erupted in an uproar.
A recomndation slot, promised just like that?
Heavens!
All the painters here were struggling with all their might, and for what? Why did this Wang Xiu, who had already earned the Lin Family's approval, now have another slot simply fall into his lap from the heavens?
Just because he's handso?
I won't accept this!
Unexpectedly, upon hearing Zhou Yui's offer, Wang Xiu's expression remained calm as he said, "I won't paint."
Instantly, the entire area fell deathly silent.
Countless eyes turned toward Wang Xiu, filled with disbelief.
Zhou Yui was also stunned. Staring at him, she asked, "You're refusing ?"
Wang Xiu nodded. "Yes."
Zhou Yui took a deep breath, the rolling waves of her chest becoming even more spectacular. She laughed in exasperation, "Do you think you're all set just because you have Lin Yuyan's promise? Let tell you, although she was tasked by her family to select a suitable painter, the Lin Family gave that sa order to three different people!"
User Comments
0 comments from readers