Chapter 7 Good boy/girl, if you do well, I'll give you a reward...
The fan handle that slapped his face pulled him back to reality. "I guess I was tempted after all."
"Senior sister, even if I had the greatest courage in the world, I would never dare to tarnish your name."
Perhaps it was because the fan handle was too cold, Xu Cangyu became much more sober. "The one who recorded the painting must be my fellow disciples who used to exorcise demons. If we can find out who recently made a fortune, we can definitely find out who is behind it."
Chu Shu closed her fan and snorted coldly, "By the time you find out, rumors will already be flying everywhere."
Xu Zangyu solemnly promised, "I will definitely not let them spread rumors."
The painting below had already reached an astonishing eight thousand taels of silver, but the auctioneer suddenly called a halt, glanced at the second floor, and said, "Everyone, please take a short rest. The auction will continue later."
The shop owner smiled as he entered the private room on the second floor. "What do you want to see me about? Why are you using telepathy to say it so secretly?"
Chu Shu's face was icy cold. "You should know that the person in the painting is not me, yet you still dare to continue using my name for auction."
The shop owner smiled and sat down next to the two of them. "There's no reason not to do business that comes knocking on your door. I knew that wasn't you, so I told you in advance that it hadn't been verified."
His narrow eyes curved upwards. "Besides, she is indeed a beauty, and deserves this price."
"From what the shop owner said, we don't know who the person in the painting is either?" Xu Zangyu said.
The shopkeeper said with distress, "That person is very tight-lipped. No matter how I try to get him to say anything, he won't reveal anything. He insists that he is Chu Shu from the Tianyi Sect."
Chu Shu held up the tip of her fan. "Who sent the painting?"
The shop owner saw through Chu Shu's threat, but his smile remained unchanged. "That person isn't foolish enough to trade with me using their true face. Chun Ci Fang is only interested in business; it doesn't matter who brings the business."
He meant that even if you forced him, it wouldn't work. This person was all smiles but very shrewd. He stirred up trouble and then stayed out of it. The only thing that could move him was profit.
Xu Zangyu had an idea. "Would the shop owner like to do some business with me regarding Xiao Mingxin?"
The slender, fox-like eyes peered at the almond-eyed boy with great interest.
Xu Zangyu knew he had made the right move. After a brief exchange, the master of the chess game returned to the stage.
He apologized to everyone: "Chuncifang has received some information that the person in the painting is not from the Tianyi Sect, so Chuncifang will temporarily recall this painting. We apologize for disturbing everyone's interest and will refund all the ticket prices paid by Chuncifang today."
Few people who come here care about the ticket price, and one of them immediately replied, "I don't care who the person in the painting is, I'm going to have this painting of a beautiful woman."
It was the person who offered the highest price just now.
"I'm sorry, sir, but Chuncifang says that once they've bought it, they can't sell it again."
Although the shop owner apologized, his tone was very harsh. The man was still shouting when a scroll was rolled up and thrown out.
When the shop owner came up, he was holding the painting. "To be honest," he said, "I was also a little reluctant to sell this painting."
Xu Cangyu reached out his hand, but the shop owner had no intention of handing over the painting. "You said you would exchange it with me for Xiao Mingxin's painting, but I haven't seen it yet. How do I know if you're trying to get something for nothing?"
"Let's wait until you get the painting before we exchange them."
Xu Zangyu didn't press the matter further. He knew that getting something from this fox wouldn't be so easy. "I was presumptuous. I hope that when I get the painting in the future, the shop owner will give it to me."
"Of course, I never go back on my word."
After everyone left, Chu Shu looked at him with a half-smile, "You went to secretly take pictures of Xiao Mingxin, you've got some nerve."
Xu Zangyu couldn't tell if he was angry or not. "But we can't let him slander my senior sister, can we?"
His face was suddenly pinched. "Considering how much you care about me, I won't hold it against you this time."
The art exhibition ended late at night, but two figures were squatting on the rooftop. One of them was already impatient and was lying on the roof, almost asleep.
"The moon has already risen, does this mean that perpetrators often return to the crime scene?"
After waiting for two hours, Xu Zangyu was also a little uncertain. "Businessmen only make money and never lose money. That painting can be auctioned for eight thousand taels of silver. The person who provided the painting probably didn't even bid half of that. He must feel unbalanced when he finds out."
"Although the trading house owner agreed readily, he had no intention of cutting off his profitable business. He never said that he would not sell a second painting similar to this one."
Xu Zangyu couldn't bring himself to say that the person in the painting was him. He never imagined that his appearance would be so ambiguous in the eyes of others.
"Hey, you actually have a brain after all. You usually look so silly."
Even if Chu Shu always adds a sarcastic comment when praising someone, it's rare to hear such genuine praise coming from the young lady.
A short while later, Xu Cangyu saw someone come to the backyard of Chuncifang. From a distance, he cursed and muttered, "Damn it, you offered me five hundred, and then turned around and sold it for eight thousand. Do you think I'm easy to fool?"
The man's face was covered, but his voice was recognizable. He and Chu Shu exchanged a glance, both somewhat surprised.
"Liu Yidao's swordsmanship hasn't improved lately, but he's gotten bolder, daring to make fun of me behind my back."
Xu Zangyu breathed a sigh of relief, finally proving his innocence. If Chu Shu held a grudge, he really wouldn't be able to withstand the young lady's wrath.
A heated argument broke out inside the house.
“I know the bid was wrong last time, but you didn’t tell me that the person in the painting isn’t Chu Shu.”
"How about this: you tell me who the person in the painting is, and I'll give you eight thousand taels of silver."
A brief silence fell over the crowd.
"No, no, absolutely not. Who knows what kind of bad ideas you have in mind?"
"Oh, you've kept it so well hidden. I'm curious, what's so special about this person?"
A crack was lifted from the rubble, and the scroll inside the house tightly gripped Liu Yidao. "It's alright, I have plenty of time to wait for you to speak. I just don't know how long your hand holding the knife can hold on."
Before long, Liu Yidao lost feeling in his right hand, which was tantamount to taking his life for a martial arts fanatic.
"Stop, I'll talk."
The blade sliced through the scroll and headed towards the shopkeeper. By the time the shopkeeper dodged, Liu Yidao had already vanished.
The shopkeeper, enraged, laughed instead, "Interesting, it's been a long time since I've encountered something interesting."
Liu Yidao was just feeling relieved to have escaped when he saw who had rescued him, and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
"Senior Sister Chu, Third Junior Brother."
Xu Zangyu's clenched fist cracked, Chu Shu smiled and took out a fan, Liu Yidao looked left and right, then knelt down with a thud and kowtowed loudly.
"Please don't blame me, I was really forced into this situation! You know I come from a poor place. A few days ago, I saw a piece of black iron and thought I could make my sword look nicer. It was all a moment of confusion, a moment of confusion."
Everyone in the sect knows that Liu Yidao loves his sword as much as his own life. He practically treats the sword in his hand like his wife, and all the money he has spent over the years has been spent on the sword. He would rather suffer hardship than let his sword suffer.
Xu Zangyu was at a loss with this martial arts fanatic, since the man's apology was so sincere that his kowtow was even louder than the day he became a disciple.
"If you're angry, then beat me up. Senior Sister Chu, you came in first place in the last competition. I can fight you, but... can you beat me up?"
His eyes lit up as he spoke, and Chu Shu's lips twitched. She swatted him away with her fan, afraid he would lick her lips and then turn away. Xu Cangyu also ran very fast, afraid of falling behind.
Being entangled with this martial arts fanatic is truly deadly. If you manage to beat him to your heart's content, you might keep him around, squatting at your door every day to spar with him.
Most people were deceived and harmed by Liu Yidao's honest appearance.
Xu Zangyu thought Chu Shu was going back, but he didn't expect her to find an inn to stay in. He didn't think much of it and assumed that Chu Shu was going to stay at the foot of the mountain for a few days. It wasn't until the next day that Chu Shu called him to her room.
"Senior sister, are you... sure?"
Xu Zangyu looked at the dress thrown in front of her, feeling helpless and speechless.
"If you don't show yourself, how can you prove that the person in the painting is me? You always call me 'good senior sister,' so why don't you want to take responsibility for the trouble you've caused?"
If he hadn't succumbed to Xiao Mingxin's tyranny last time, he wouldn't have worn those two tattered pieces of cloth. What grown man would wear such revealing skirts every day?
Xu Zangyu was extremely unwilling. It was so unreasonable. How could they target him alone to bully him?
"Senior sister..."
Xu Zangyu pleaded, but Chu Shu handed him a veil instead, saying, "Be good, no one will know it's you if you wear this. How about I give you a reward if you do this well?"
He looked up, a hint of anticipation in his eyes. "What reward?"
Chu Shu rarely rubbed his head, "Be good, I'll tell you after you've done this."
Xu Zangyu thought that going shopping with Chu Shu would be fine, but the reality was much more agonizing than he imagined. Chu Shu had many admirers, and in the short distance, he had already seen countless glances from people who pretended to be indifferent but secretly looked at him.
Even hiding behind Chu Shu, he couldn't escape her direct gaze.
The deliberately hushed whispers reached his ears clearly: "That painting of a beauty in Chun Ci Fang really isn't Chu Shu! But the person in the painting actually knows Chu Shu!"
"Wow, her waist is just as thin as in the painting."
Xu Zangyu's waist immediately stiffened like a board.
"I really want to lick those legs—"
Xu Zangyu's legs stiffened as well. Suddenly, a cloak was draped over his body, and a gust of wind swept through the crowd, causing it to disperse like a tide. Chu Shu closed her fan and led him onto the flower boat.
A flower boat is literally a flower boat; it is a pleasure boat decorated with all kinds of flowers, as if it were cast in flowers.
You can enjoy the scenery on both sides of the river as you travel downstream.
However, Chu Shu wasn't looking at the scenery; she was looking at him.
"I never imagined that my junior brother could attract so many people."
Those people originally came for Chu Shu, but in the end they all focused their attention on him. Perhaps out of curiosity, their gazes became more direct, which was agonizing for him.
"Senior sister, please stop making fun of me."
Xu Zangyu was bored and had no heart to appreciate the beauty of the scenery and the beautiful women, even though Chu Shu was lounging on the couch, looking lazy and alluring.
Now he was more like a beauty being admired. He had already noticed several pleasure boats that pretended to casually glide by and come over to look, their eyes going straight past Chu Shu and staring at him. Xu Cangyu had to check every now and then to make sure his veil was secure before he could feel at ease.
"I heard that Xiao Mingxin, that good-for-nothing, failed to protect you last time, and you suffered some injustice?"
Xu Cangyu looked up groggily, thinking he had misheard. Chu Shu liked Xiao Mingxin, so why was she calling him a good-for-nothing? Are arrogant people prone to insulting others when pursuing someone?
A note from the author:
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