Chapter 6 Who sold him off as Chu Shu...?
"Senior sister, I—"
Xu Zangyu tried to argue and make excuses, but Chu Shu cut him off first, "Shh, the art exhibition is about to start."
Suddenly, a zither melody rang out, and a scroll of paintings poured down from the sky, including poems by literati and beautiful landscape paintings.
The flowing water and the sound of the zither continued uninterrupted, and the last painting of a beautiful woman slowly fell down; the zither music came from the painting.
Xu Zangyu, who had never seen anything like this before, was stunned.
Elegant, so elegant.
The painting depicts a beautiful woman playing the zither, her eyes sparkling with affection. The surrounding noise has long since faded away. Xu Zangyu stares intently, only to find the beauty winking at him before stepping out of the painting, still holding her zither.
Xu Zangyu was still wondering if there was something wrong with his eyes when the beautiful woman in pink walked towards him.
He walked past him and stood in front of Chu Shu, his voice a little rougher than a man's, "How can we let our distinguished guest stand downstairs? There is a private room upstairs. If you don't mind, you can rest for a while."
Xu Zangyu awkwardly withdrew his hand that was about to greet her. Luckily, he almost mistook her for a beautiful woman.
It's no wonder his eyesight is poor; he had never seen such a charming man before. Even his walk exuded a captivating and alluring air, not to mention his smile. The men and women in the audience stared in disbelief, their exclamations rising and falling.
The person reflecting the light reacted calmly, as if they were already used to it.
Xu Zangyu admired him quite a bit; he remained calm and composed in the face of so many pairs of fierce eyes.
Chu Shu: "If I don't come, how will I know what kind of show you've prepared for me this time?"
Xu Zangyu listened to the two speaking in cryptic language.
"My beauty, don't be angry. I'm just here to apologize to you."
Xu Cangyu didn't understand what Chu Shu meant, but thanks to Chu Shu, he was able to go to the private room on the second floor. The view was better and it was quieter there. It was not as crowded and noisy as the first floor, and he could observe the precious beauty paintings of Chun Ci Fang up close.
These paintings depict figures from the "Records of Beauties of the Nine Provinces," each with their own unique charm. In the past, he could only admire them from afar; he was never fortunate enough to get up close and see them in person.
"You could see the shopkeeper's eyes were wide open just now. He wasn't looking for you. Were you disappointed?"
Unexpectedly, even this small movement did not escape Chu Shu's eyes. At that time, everyone was staring at the shop owner. Could it be that Chu Shu was the only one staring at him?
"Senior sister, please don't misunderstand. I'm just surprised that the sect leader is a man."
Chu Shu suddenly stopped and turned her eyes away from people, which she never used to look directly at. "How do you feel when you find out he's a man? Disappointment, or the annoyance of being deceived?"
She then replied to herself, "I think you must be disappointed."
“No, I don’t like him, so why would I be disappointed or upset?” Xu Zangyu thought for a moment and then added, “Besides, if you really like someone and then stop liking them just because they don’t meet your expectations, then that so-called liking is just a false one-sided wishful thinking.”
Xu Cangyu didn't know what kind of relationship Chu Shu had with the shop owner, so he kept focusing on Chu Shu's reaction earlier. Surely Chu Shu wasn't interested in the shop owner, and that's why he was unhappy because Chu Shu was staring at him.
It's all his fault for not reading the plot carefully. He's been working for Chu Shu for so many years, yet his status hasn't improved at all.
"Senior sister, are you very familiar with the sect leader?"
He thought Chu Shu hated that he was recorded in Chun Ci Fang's "Record of Beauties of the Nine Provinces" and was disgusted by Chun Ci Fang, but the way he was familiar with the owner of the shop made it seem like the two of them were not mortal enemies.
Chu Shu chuckled and walked to a painting on the inner side of the second floor. "Someone once provided a painting to Chun Ci Fang."
Looking in the direction before him, Xu Zangyu's lips parted slightly but he couldn't utter a word for a long time.
The special paintings in the cultivation world are different from those depicted with brush and ink. Instead, they are engraved on special scrolls with magical power. Their clarity is no less than that of modern photographs, and they even have a more dynamic and three-dimensional feel, almost as if a living person is standing in front of you.
The boy in the painting still has a touch of immaturity in his eyes and brows, but his expression is spirited and his youthful vigor is truly eye-catching.
His swordplay was sharp and beautiful; few people could be so skilled at swordsmanship at such a young age, so the boy's face was filled with pride.
He was wearing only a thin shirt, soaked with sweat, and the grooves of his abdominal muscles were visible through the fabric, more alluring than anything else.
Is this still the same old-fashioned, ascetic senior brother he always was?
"Because of this painting, the shop owner has been fond of Xiao Mingxin for several years."
Xu Cangyu was startled again and again, and cautiously probed, "Could it be that Senior Sister provided this painting to the workshop master?"
Chu Shu glanced at him sideways, "Is that how you see me?"
Suppressed by her tyranny, Xu Cangyu shook her head and denied it, "Senior sister, I was wrong. I shouldn't have thought of you like that."
Chu Shu's lips curled slightly, her eyes still displaying the haughtiness of a young lady.
His head was tapped by the fan. "I don't blame you for thinking that way. After all, the shop owner bought this painting for ten thousand taels of silver."
"How much? Ten thousand taels!!!"
Is filming Xiao Mingxin really that profitable?
The entire village only managed to scrape together a dozen taels of silver to support his path to immortality, yet this one painting is worth ten thousand taels!
He'd never seen so much money in his life, and he really wanted to take the job!
The coolness on his forehead snapped him out of his excitement. "Don't get any bad ideas. Xiao Mingxin's temper is even worse than your senior sister's. If he catches you, he'll give you a good spanking."
Xu Cangyu thought Chu Shu was jealous, so he lowered his head and suppressed the longing in his eyes for Xiao Mingxin, this gold ingot.
He followed Chu Shu a few steps further inside and stopped in front of a painting.
I've only heard that Chu Shu is on the list of beauties, but I've never seen her in person.
Contrary to his expectations of a captivating smile, this painting was breathtaking at first glance.
The beauty's hair was disheveled, her smile was faint, and the sharp tip of the fan handle in her hand was gleaming, with drops of blood dripping down. The person at her feet lay in a pool of blood, his life hanging in the balance. This painting seemed more like the last video recording of that person before his death.
The strength of the champion from previous disciple competitions is indeed not to be underestimated.
It turned out that the gilded fan in Chu Shu's hand was a deadly weapon. He had thought that Chu Shu used this exquisite and expensive fan to show off.
The thought of that fan being pressed against his forehead just moments before sent a chill down Xu Cangyu's spine.
Just as she was thinking this, her chin was lifted by a gilded fan, and she faced a smiling face. "Why are you so scared? My fan can not only kill, it can also hurt."
Xu Zangyu turned his face away. He couldn't help it; he just thought Chu Shuxiao was a pervert.
I have a feeling that someone is going to die any second now.
At that moment, in a daze, he blurted out, "How can Senior Sister use this fan to hurt Senior Brother?"
Chu Shu's smile froze, and she gave him a strange look. "You really want to know?"
"Ah...no, Senior Sister's art exhibition is about to start, let's take a seat."
Xu Zangyu couldn't quite put his finger on what was off, but his intuition told him to change the subject. Chu Shu seemed to be just trying to scare him, and once the topic was over, it wasn't brought up again.
The so-called art exhibition is to display various rare and beautiful paintings, which can then be purchased by interested parties. As for the collection on the second floor, it is only for viewing with a ticket and is not for sale to the public.
The owner of Chuncifang not only looks like a fox spirit, but is also as shrewd as a fox, making a fortune in a short period of time.
Throughout the process, Chu Shu kept drinking from her wine glass, occasionally glancing over with a bored expression, as if she was waiting for something.
"We also have a special item in our collection today."
The shopkeeper's suspense instantly attracted everyone's attention. Even Chu Shu, who was swirling her wine glass, stopped her idly and leaned against the railing.
Someone asked curiously, "Could it be that another character from the 'Record of Beauties' has been added?"
No.
As he finished speaking, a painting of a beautiful woman unfolded from the sky. The woman lay on her side on the ground, her face obscured by her hair, her hands bound by a belt, looking utterly pitiful.
The thin veil on her body could not conceal her slender waist and the legs that peeked out from under her skirt when she bent her knees.
The beauty was imprisoned, but those watching clearly only wanted him to feel more sorry for her.
Many people had a suspicious blush on their faces, but Xu Zangyu's face was a mixture of pale and ashen.
Who the hell took a picture of him and sold it!
"She is indeed a beautiful woman with a unique charm."
Some people sighed, but the shop owner laughed, "The person in the painting is indeed a beauty. The person who gave me the painting personally assured me that the person in the painting is Chu Shu from the Tianyi Sect."
The audience erupted in uproar.
Xu Zangyu's pale face turned red again from choking.
He heard a cold laugh, and it was indeed Chu Shu, laughing as grotesquely as in the painting.
"If I find out who is spreading rumors behind my back, I will personally skin them alive and use their skin to make a fan."
That's really insane. What's even more insane is that Chu Shu was looking at him as he spoke.
He really didn't do this; he still wants to settle accounts with that person. If this painting gets out, where will he put his face?
He pretended to be unconscious and didn't notice anyone taking pictures. It couldn't possibly be Xiao Mingxin.
Chu Shu had put down his wine cup at some point, picked up a gilded fan, and pressed the tip against his throat. "Junior brother, aren't you going to say anything?"
Xu Zangyu was a little scared. "I really don't know."
Chu Shu moved closer, but Xu Cangyu dared not back down. "I heard a few days ago that Junior Brother was wearing this very garment when he went to exorcise demons?"
People in the sect really are all big mouths. Xu Zangyu had secretly begged them not to tell anyone about this shameful thing, but these people didn't care about their fellow disciples at all and just started gossiping about it.
It's unclear how it reached Chu Shu's ears, but it's probably been distorted by now.
Xu Cangyu's eyes widened, and she looked so wronged that she was about to cry. "Senior sister, I'm really innocent. I wish I could keep this shameful thing a secret. How could I possibly tell anyone?"
"really?"
Xu Zangyu nodded frantically.
"You were thinking about making money just now, but you've changed your mind now? Chuncifang's paintings are always expensive, never cheap. Selling this painting will make you money without damaging your reputation. Isn't that killing two birds with one stone?"
"Who would want to make money without revealing the identity of the person in the painting?"
Xu Zangyu paused. What Chu Shu said made perfect sense; he was indeed the prime suspect. He couldn't figure out whether the person behind it all had a grudge against him or against Chu Shu.
She had unspeakable bitterness in her heart, and even her explanations seemed pale and weak. Only her eyes, which were looking at Chu Shu, were filled with tiny, trembling tears, and her voice was soft and meowing like a cat.
"Senior sister, I dare not."
Who can be so heartless as to continue pressuring us?
Chu Shu softened her questioning tone somewhat.
The only one beaming with joy was the shop owner, who announced the price: "Because the person in the painting has not been verified, the price has been lowered. The starting bid is five thousand taels, and the highest bidder wins."
The apology, which was left unfinished, came to an abrupt end.
He's actually worth five thousand taels of silver!!!
I wish I hadn't worked such a hard job.
A note from the author:
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