Chapter 355: Deaf Man Selling Paintings

He was a little uncertain. There were also a few demon-race scholars in the Imperial College. Compared to other sects, the Imperial College was quite unconventional in its recruitment of disciples; anyone who passed its examination could become a scholar.

Consequently, women comprised about half of the Imperial College's student body. After graduating, these women often took up official positions across the land, and many even joined the military, rising to the rank of general.

However, judging by the books the cute little girl carried, they were stacked perfectly, not a single one out of place—a clear sign of Hu Ling'er's meticulous nature.

Yet, Hu Ling'er was illiterate, making it impossible for her to carry a stack of books everywhere she went. This was not typical behavior for the little demon fox.

The little girl didn't notice him. She parted ways with the other scholars and headed down the mountain instead of towards the Divine Arts Residence. Qin Mu waited outside the Array Core Hall for a moment, but no one emerged.

"Yu Xiu said Ling'er was attending a lecture in the Array Core Hall. Since she's not there, it must have been that little girl I just saw. Has she transformed?"

Qin Mu was momentarily stunned. "That Demon Spirit King of the Great Ruins is truly despicable," he thought. "Ling'er is so young, yet he already wants to marry her and make her his chieftain's wife."

He walked down the mountain, puzzled. "If that was Ling'er," he mused, "where would she go if not back to the Divine Arts Residence?"

He quietly followed her, observing the little girl with three tails skipping all the way down the mountain. Suddenly, she cried out and fell flat on the ground. She then crawled forward a couple of steps on all fours, her three tails wagging, before finally standing up. After taking two tentative steps, she stumbled and fell again with another cry.

Qin Mu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He watched as the little girl glanced around, and seeing no one, she began to run forward on all fours, practically prancing on her tiptoes, her small hands and feet barely touching the ground. She continued to skip, her three tails swaying, a look of great pride and triumph on her face.

She must have only recently transformed, as she hadn't yet adapted to walking on two legs and would occasionally trip when trying to walk like a human.

Although she now appeared as a small girl in her transformed state, she was far more agile running on all fours than on two legs.

Hu Ling'er left the Imperial College and headed towards the city. Due to the crowds, she stood up again and skipped along, her three tails twitching behind her to maintain balance.

Thump.

Qin Mu saw the little girl face-plant on the ground once more, only her three tails standing upright before they twitched and drooped.

"Being human is really no fun..."

The little girl grumbled as she got up. She then secretly walked around an old tree, and from the other side, a snow-white little fox emerged, darting forward, dragging its three long, fluffy tails.

This time, her speed was much greater. Before long, she arrived at the Rare Treasures Garden in the capital, having bought some pre-packed wine and dishes and weighed some fruit along the way.

The Rare Treasures Garden was a market for second-hand goods, selling antiques, cultural relics, rare treasures, and even spiritual weapons. It was also a place where impoverished scholars sold calligraphy, paintings, and ancient books.

"Is Ling'er here to sell books?"

Qin Mu was puzzled. He watched as Hu Ling'er transformed back into the three-tailed little girl upon reaching the Rare Treasures Garden. She carefully wove through the pedestrians, using magic to float her books as she moved deeper into the market.

Upon reaching the calligraphy and painting street, the little girl breathed a sigh of relief. She looked around, her eyes suddenly lighting up, and then hurried towards a street stall.

Behind the stall sat a down-and-out old scholar with a full beard. He squatted silently in a corner, hands tucked into his sleeves, his head bowed, revealing two shiny silver iron ears.

Several pieces of calligraphy and paintings hung behind him, while on the stall in front, several scrolls were displayed. The corners of the stall were weighted with stones to prevent them from blowing away in the wind.

"Deaf Grandpa, have you sold any calligraphy or paintings?"

Hu Ling'er went behind the stall, set down the wine, dishes, and fruit, and asked the old man.

The deaf man quickly began to eat, not lifting his head. "I haven't met anyone who recognizes true value," he said. "You came just in time; I'm practically starving to death."

"Deaf Grandpa should sell his paintings in front of the Imperial Preceptor's mansion," Hu Ling'er suggested. "Imperial Preceptor Yan Kang would surely buy them for a high price."

At this point, Hu Ling'er suddenly remembered, saying with annoyance, "Imperial Preceptor Yan Kang doesn't have money either. His wife gave birth to a son, and he sent Elder Fu to deliver an invitation to Young Master. Since Young Master wasn't home, I went. Imperial Preceptor Yan Kang wasn't there either, and the celebratory feast was very meager, just clear soup and watery dishes. The mother and child looked so hungry they were pale. They said the Imperial Preceptor was at war, and the national treasury was low on funds, so he donated all his personal savings. I felt soft-hearted and gave a large red envelope to his wife, who then pestered me to have her son recognize Young Master as his godfather... Later, when the Emperor heard about it, he managed to save some money through palace frugality, and only then could the mother and child eat their fill."

The deaf man commented, "A true gentleman remains steadfast in poverty, while a petty person becomes reckless when poor. Imperial Preceptor Yan Kang is truly a kindred spirit."

Hu Ling'er pouted.

The deaf man took out some paper and said, "I've written some characters using dotted lines; you can just trace them."

The little girl spread the paper on the ground, intending to pick up the brush and dip it in ink. The deaf man quickly interjected, "Don't use ink; just write along the dotted lines with the brush. That way, you can practice more times. Let me look at these books of yours first; I'll explain them to you later."

Hu Ling'er knelt on the ground, meticulously tracing the deaf man's characters.

"I want to buy a painting."

Hu Ling'er heard the voice and, both surprised and delighted, quickly looked up to see a young man standing in front of the stall!

"Young Master!"

The little girl leaped up and pounced into Qin Mu's embrace. As soon as he held her, she transformed back into a white fox, wriggled out of his arms, and wrapped herself around his neck.

She had jumped up so quickly that she knocked over the deaf man's ink, staining several sheets of paper black. The deaf man quickly tidied up, grumbling, "Ling'er, you're too mischievous. These papers cost money, and now they're ruined..."

"Deaf Grandpa!"

Qin Mu burst into laughter and, without a word, picked up the deaf man and hugged him tightly. The deaf man, somewhat unaccustomed, struggled free and said blandly, "You're here."

"Village Chief Grandpa is here too!" Qin Mu exclaimed excitedly.

The deaf man's face darkened, and he snorted, "He came out too? Is he here to make fun of me?"

Knowing his strong self-esteem, Qin Mu chuckled, "The Village Chief is currently at the Imperial College. Deaf Grandpa, pack up your stall and come with me to the Imperial College."

The deaf man shook his head. "I can make a living by selling paintings; I don't need you to support me. In another two months, I'll start preparing for New Year's goods. I'll paint door gods; they're sure to sell."

Qin Mu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He gently took Hu Ling'er, who was nuzzling him from his neck, and held her in his arms, stroking her small head. He chuckled, "Ling'er, are you learning to read with Deaf Grandpa? Can you recognize all the words in the books?"

Hu Ling'er transformed back into a little girl and smiled sweetly. "I recognize them all," she said, "but the meaning is a bit hard to understand. These days, I often come here to ask Deaf Grandpa to teach me."

Qin Mu put her down, his eyes gleaming. "Deaf Grandpa," he said, "selling calligraphy and paintings like this won't work. After all, few people truly appreciate them. Moreover, there's been war recently—calligraphy and paintings thrive in prosperous times, while gold thrives in chaotic times. The past two years have also seen continuous disasters, so there aren't many wealthy people around. If you want to sell them, you need to employ some clever methods."

He gathered all of the deaf man's calligraphy and paintings, tied them up, and set them aside. Then, he picked up a brush and began to paint.

As he painted, butterflies began to fly off the paper, fluttering around the stall. Then, sparrows also emerged, chirping, drawing the attention of passersby who watched in amazement.

Qin Mu continued to paint, and more and more birds flew off the paper—swallows and sparrows danced in the air. Then, a large swan flapped its wings and flew from the paper, its wingspan seven or eight feet long, drawing gasps of awe from everyone around.

The deaf man sneered, "Show-off! I'm not that flashy Blind Man; I don't need to put on such a display. Those who recognize true art will naturally see it, and I won't sell to those who don't, even if they beg!"

Qin Mu ignored him. Soon, another colorful phoenix flew off the paper, soaring back and forth along the calligraphy and painting street, attracting even more pedestrians.

Qin Mu picked up his brush to draw a deity, creating a door god. To everyone's astonishment, the door god actually leaped out of the painting, its tall, majestic figure forcing the crowd to step back!

"Your skill isn't refined enough yet!"

The deaf man grew increasingly agitated as he watched. He snatched the brush from Qin Mu's hand and immediately began to paint a door god himself. Instantly, a god-like majestic aura erupted, pushing the crowd back on the street. A deity, over a hundred zhang tall, rose from the paper, featuring phoenix eyes, a bushy beard, and a divine saber resting on his bent arm. He radiated an extraordinary divine power, repelling all evil.

"This is what a door god truly looks like!"

The deaf man flicked his brush, and the door god instantly swooped down, landing back on the paper, still lifelike. At the same moment, all the butterflies, birds, phoenixes, and the door god Qin Mu had painted disintegrated into mere inkblots.

The superiority was immediately apparent!

Qin Mu expressed his admiration, and the surrounding crowd also burst into praises. Immediately, someone stepped forward to buy the door god painting, stating a price that utterly stunned the deaf man. He had been selling paintings here for over two months, and if not for Hu Ling'er discovering him, he would have nearly starved to death. He had never expected the first painting he sold to fetch such an astonishing price.

Hu Ling'er was also startled and quickly stepped forward to haggle. The price was many times more expensive than even dragon's saliva, which was astounding.

One painting from the deaf man was enough for a lifetime.

Hu Ling'er sold the door god painting, collected the money, and immediately rolled up the deaf man's other paintings. Qin Mu opened his Gluttony Bag, and the little girl carefully placed all of the deaf man's paintings inside.

The two exchanged a look and a knowing blink, understanding each other tacitly.

Rare goods are valuable; if too many are sold, they lose their worth.

Qin Mu pulled the deaf man and began to walk away, smiling. "Deaf Grandpa," he said, "now that we have money, let's go buy some fine cloth to make you a few new outfits, then have a good meal before returning to see the Village Chief. And there's something else: on the boat to Carefree Village, I saw a completely different painting style from yours. You paint worlds, making things emerge from the canvas, whereas their style creates worlds *within* the painting."

The deaf man was initially reluctant to go with him, but upon hearing this, he was immediately intrigued. "Worlds within paintings?" he asked. "There's such a painting style? Tell me more!"

Qin Mu went to the cloth shop, bought fine fabric, and personally tailored several sets of clothes for the deaf man. He then pulled out his pig-slaughtering knife to shave his beard and trim his hair, dressing the old man neatly and presentably. Only then did he lead them back to the Imperial College, saying, "Deaf Grandpa, if you can integrate the 'worlds within paintings' style, you will surely make another breakthrough. This time, the Imperial Preceptor has asked me to forge the Sun-Shooting Divine Cannon, and I'll need your painting brush to first draw one!"