Chapter 288: Young Master Ji Mo

"Oh? Then let's go take a look!"

Having nothing else to do, Zhang Xuan also wanted to learn how calligraphers and painters were assessed. Following the young servant in blue, he walked toward the direction of the noisy crowd.

In front of the crowd, a dark green table and chairs were set against the wall. An eighteen- or nineteen-year-old youth, dressed in white, sat upright in a chair with his eyes tightly shut.

"Young Master Ji Mo, I love you! I want to bear your children!"

"Shameless! Young Master Ji is mine. Whoever tries to snatch him away, I'll tear her clothes off!"

"Miss, there's a beauty over there who insists on fighting for him. Go tear her clothes off, and we'll cheer you on!"

“……”

The young master Ji Mo ahead was still closing his eyes, while the many women below had already gone mad.

“Although Young Master Ji is not old, he cherishes the fairer sex; most importantly, he has a face like jade and a graceful bearing, and many girls admire him!” the young servant in blue lowered his voice.

Zhang Xuan nodded and looked at this young master Ji Mo. The fellow indeed had fair skin and a rather handsome face. Though his eyes were closed, the corners of his mouth slightly lifted, giving a sense of a smile, quite appealing to girls.

With talent, strength, family background, and most importantly, good looks, no wonder so many women were crazy for him.

“What is he... doing?”

Seeing the other sitting upright, ignoring the surrounding commotion, with eyes tightly shut, Zhang Xuan asked.

“Young Master Ji Mo is going to paint; he should be calming his mind and adjusting his state!” the young servant in blue said.

"Adjust my state? Here?" Zhang Xuan found it strange.

It was just painting; he usually just grabbed his brush and went at it. This thing... needed state adjustment?

Besides, even if he needed to adjust, a quiet place with no one around would be much better. Here, with so many people and all the noise, what was there to adjust?

"Young Master Ji became a master of calligraphy and painting before twenty, a genius of unparalleled talent. Every move he makes has deep meaning—how could a country bumpkin like you understand?"

Hearing his puzzled voice, before the young servant in blue could speak, a girl turned around and glared at him.

"Exactly, some outsider who doesn't know where he popped up from. Get lost, don't defile Young Master Ji's calligraphy and painting here!" another woman snorted.

Clatter!

A space cleared around him, and all the women nearby stared coldly at him, their faces full of disgust.

"Uh?"

Having said nothing and yet being met with such hostility from so many, Zhang Xuan was speechless.

"The Tianwu Kingdom has a Calligraphers and Painters Guild, and many people love calligraphy and painting, pretending to be cultured. Thus, calligraphers and painters hold high status. Young Master Ji Mo is a standout among them, adored by countless people. It's best to say nothing here, or you'll be scolded to death!"

The young servant in blue lowered his voice with a bitter smile.

Zhang Xuan nodded and was about to speak when he saw the young master Ji, who had been sitting with eyes closed, open his eyes and slowly stand up.

"Look, Young Master Ji is about to paint!"

"I wonder what level of painting he'll produce!"

"That goes without saying. Master Ji is a formal painter and calligrapher; he can surely produce works of the second realm."

……

Seeing him open his eyes, the crowd that had been glaring at him before now ignored Zhang Xuan and turned their attention forward again, stars appearing in their eyes one after another.

A formal painter and calligrapher, also known as a master of painting and calligraphy, could, like Lu Chen and Yuan Yu, easily produce paintings of the second or even third realm. Whether they could achieve the "startling beauty" realm depended on luck and state of mind.

The first four realms of painting and calligraphy were: Recording Reality, Liveliness, Meaning Residing, and Startling Beauty.

"I, Ji Mo, will now make a humble display!"

Master Ji Mo stood before the desk. With a flick of his wrist, a folding fan appeared in his hand. He fanned himself a couple of times, his black hair fluttering and his white robes flowing like the wind: "The paintings I create will be auctioned on the spot. However, I will not take a single coin of the proceeds. They will be used to build a painting and calligraphy hall, to recruit apprentices, and to teach, so that more people may come to love and understand painting and calligraphy!"

"Truly worthy of Master Ji—he regards money as dirt!"

"The scholar's spirit is admirable!"

……

Hearing this, the crowd erupted again, especially the women, who shrieked in excitement.

"This fellow sure knows how to win people over!" Zhang Xuan shook his head.

This Master Ji Mo, though seemingly young, was deeply versed in the ways of officialdom and knew how to capture people's attention.

It was just like the so-called charity auctions of celebrities in his previous life—in essence, nothing but a gimmick.

If he truly wanted to build a painting and calligraphy hall and let everyone understand and love painting and calligraphy, he could have done it quietly. There was no need to make such a big fuss. Besides... it was already late autumn, and nighttime at that. Standing still, many felt cold, yet he still fanned himself...

“Quiet!”

Folding his fan, Young Master Jimo waved his hand and said, “Alright, I won’t waste words. I’ll begin painting now, and I hope everyone will keep quiet!”

Hearing his words, the crowd that had been screaming fell silent at once.

With a faint smile, Young Master Jimo flicked his sleeve, reached out his hand, and a brush appeared in his palm.

He spread out the rice paper, pressed his left hand on the table, and with a surge of true qi, ink from the inkstone landed on the brush tip. His right hand moved, and the brush touched the paper.

His strokes were vigorous and flowing, majestic and varied.

Swish, swish!

The brush glided across the paper, like a fish swimming in a pond. As time passed, a painting slowly emerged.

It was a landscape painting.

The mountains rose high, with strange trees and grotesque rocks; water meandered through them, striking the stone surfaces as if emitting a "ding-dong" sound, and all the leaves danced in one direction, as if a gentle breeze were passing by.

"This is a work of the second realm, the Numinous Realm!"

Taking a glance, Zhang Xuan nodded to himself.

After studying the Way of Heaven calligraphy and painting at Master Lu Chen's home, I gained a deep understanding of the profession of calligraphy and painting. Even without using the Library of Heaven's Path, I could appreciate some works.

This landscape painting, with its clear waters and lush mountains, makes one feel as if they are seeing a mountain range with their own eyes. The spirit is lively, giving an unusual aesthetic sense, indicating that it has reached the realm of vitality.

However, although it was quite outstanding, the landscape lacked artistic conception and charm—that is, it had not achieved what is called 'meaning resides within.'

"What a pity. If he hadn't flaunted his skills so much and instead painted with a calm and steady hand, he might have truly reached that realm!" After watching for a while, Zhang Xuan sighed.

Although this Young Master Jimo put on a bit of an act, his skill in painting and calligraphy was indeed solid. In principle, as long as he painted with a calm mind, it shouldn't have been difficult for him to produce a work at the third realm, Intent Presence.

Unfortunately, in order to make his movements look good, he exaggerated too much in many places, neglecting the original purpose of painting, and in the end, his work only reached the peak of Liveliness, falling just short of Intent Presence.

He sighed inwardly but said nothing.

He had only come to see how the painting and calligraphy assessment was conducted; he had nothing to do with this Young Master Jimo. Besides, he had just been scolded by the crowd before he could even speak, and he didn't want to be cursed to death by the women in front of him.

Soon, the painting was finished.

Young Master Jimo casually tossed his brush into the brush holder and hung the painting on the wall to one side.

"This is a second-realm peak painting, 'Clear Wind and Mountain Waters.' The auction begins now. You are free to bid. Starting price is one million gold coins, and each bid must increase by at least one hundred thousand gold coins."

With that, the corners of his mouth lifted, and Young Master Jimo revealed a charming smile, waving his fan in his hand to accentuate his elegant demeanor: "Whoever buys this painting, I will accompany her for a free dinner!"

"A dinner? I'll buy this painting!"

"Don't compete with me! I bid 1.1 million!"

"1.1 million for Young Master Jimo's painting? Are you kidding? 1.3 million!"

"I bid two million!"

...

Hearing the auction and the bonus offer, many women became excited, their eyes reddening as they frantically placed bids. Soon, the price skyrocketed.

"Two million four hundred thousand?"

Seeing the price quickly soar past two million, Zhang Xuan's eyes widened.

Earlier, he had sold a fifth-realm painting to Lu Chen, Huang Yu, and the others for only two million gold coins. Yet this second-realm painting, the worst of the worst, had exceeded that price...

What a rip-off!

"Um... how much does a fifth-realm, Transformation Realm painting cost?"

Frustrated, he couldn't help turning to ask the attendant beside him.

"Fifth realm? That's a masterpiece left by a second-star grandmaster-level calligrapher and painter, and it's not something that can be created every time—it requires opportunity and state of mind... Such a painting, even here, is a treasure of the guild. One could say... priceless!"

The blue-clad attendant hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Priceless?" Zhang Xuan swayed.

"Yes. If a price must be set, the starting bid would probably be ten million gold coins. How high it would end up, I don't know. I only know that half a year ago, one was auctioned here, and the final transaction price was thirty-four million gold coins."

The blue-clad attendant said.

Zhang Xuan's mouth twitched, and he felt like crying.

A painting worth over thirty-four million gold coins, and he had sold four for two million... How could this be so unfair?

"The Calligraphy and Painting Guild was established in the royal city less than thirty years ago, and the prices of paintings have been driven up during this time. Thirty years ago, no one cared about them. Even a fifth-realm painting would probably be worth only one or two million." The attendant continued, "Any higher, and no one would buy it!"

"Thirty years ago, one or two million?"

Zhang Xuan was startled.

"Yes!" The attendant nodded.

Seeing his confirmation, Zhang Xuan finally relaxed and felt a bit better.

Tianxuan Kingdom was isolated from news and had no Calligraphy and Painting Guild. It seemed that the price Huang Yu and the others had quoted him was from thirty years ago. Two million... was already quite a lot.

"Does the young master want to buy a fifth-realm painting?" The blue-clad attendant looked at him curiously. "Only the guild master can produce a fifth-realm painting, but he went out half a month ago to seek inspiration and hasn't returned yet..."

"Just asking casually..."

Suppressing his frustration, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

"Then..."

The attendant looked at him. "Why doesn't the young master buy this 'Clear Wind and Mountain Waters' painting by Young Master Jimo? It's a second-realm peak work, produced by Young Master Jimo himself, and it's bound to appreciate in value!"

"Forget it!" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "I didn't come here to buy a painting... Besides, a mere second-realm painting doesn't interest me!"

"Second realm? 'Mere'? Quite the bold claim!"

As soon as he finished speaking, before the blue-clad attendant could respond, a cold snort was heard. Looking up, he saw Young Master Jimo staring coldly at him from the front.

"Uh?"

He hadn't expected that his quiet remark would be overheard. Zhang Xuan felt a bit embarrassed. "Sorry, I was just speaking casually. Please don't take offense!"

The other party had worked hard on the painting, sweating profusely, and it wasn't easy. What he had said was indeed somewhat inappropriate.

"Hmph, you think a simple 'please don't take offense' is enough?"

Young Master Jimo flicked his sleeves and raised an eyebrow. "Interrupting the auction and dismissing my painting—you are insulting the profession of calligraphy and painting and showing contempt for a certified calligrapher and painter!"

"Then... what do you suggest?"

He had only spoken casually and had apologized, yet the other party had escalated it to insulting the profession and showing contempt for a certified painter. Zhang Xuan shook his head helplessly.

"Simple. Buy this painting of mine for five million gold coins!"

Young Master Jimo clasped his hands behind his back and looked at him calmly. "Don't worry, I won't take a single coin. All the money will be donated to build a calligraphy and painting hall, allowing you to make amends!"

"Five million gold coins?"

Zhang Xuan was stunned.

He had just come to take a look and made a casual remark, and now the other party wanted to force a sale? What a joke!

There were so many women here who admired you—why not let them buy it...

"What? Don't want to buy?"

Young Master Jimo sneered coldly and waved his hand. "If you don't want to buy, then apologize immediately and never set foot in the guild again! Our Calligraphy and Painting Guild does not welcome people like you!"

"Never set foot in the guild again?" Zhang Xuan was speechless.

Truly, the weak are bullied, and the meek are ridden.

He had only spoken casually and had apologized, yet the other party was being relentless.

"I can apologize, I can stop setting foot in the Calligraphy and Painting Guild, and I can even buy it for five million gold coins—but only if the work is worth the price!"

Zhang Xuan shook his head. "This thing, which any apprentice could paint, is worthy?"