Chapter 20
Daoist Tai Hua was really surprised.
Even Su Changyu was a little appalled too.
‘This painting alone is worth more than the valuable assets of Qingyun Dao Sect?’
‘Really?’
“Huh? Don’t you two know? This is Xuyang rice paper which costs two taels of gold per foot. This scroll is probably about four feet long, that makes it eight taels of gold.”
Shi Liangjin remained silent.
‘Do these two not know what this item is?’
“Eight taels of gold?”
Daoist Tai Hua and Su Changyu were dumbfounded to hear it.
“However, the price may not necessarily be so because it has been painted on. Fresh, unpainted rice paper is worth eight taels of gold, but if it’s been painted on, it will depend on the painting.”
The pawnbroker Shi Liangjin continued.
After he said that, Su Changyu’s face turned even more sullen.
“How much is it worth with the painting on it?”
Su Changyu asked eagerly.
Daoist Tai Hua’s also looked a little angrier.
“That depends on the painting. Generally, even if the painting is good, it won’t be likely to fetch a high price if it isn’t famous enough. It mainly depends on who the painter is. You two should understand this, right?”
Shi Liangjin truly did not lie to the two of them.
A good painting might not fetch a high price and the key deciding factor was the painter.
A painting painted by a master of the current dynasty would be worth tens of thousands of taels of gold even if it had a tiny size. However, an excellent painting painted by an unknown painter would not fetch a good price.
“Oh no.”
Su Changyu felt that it was over for them after hearing those words.
The reason was that Ye Ping happened to be an unknown painter who did not enjoy fame.
Had he known that earlier, he wouldn’t have let Ye Ping paint.
“Exalted Immortals, may I have a look at it?”
However, out of professional ethics, Shi Liangjin still wanted to take a look at it. In case it was a treasure but the two of them failed to recognize it, he would strike a huge fortune.
“Okay.”
Not carrying any hopes at all, Su Changyu handed the painting over to him.
However, Daoist Tai Hua began to ponder again.
He knew who gave Su Changyu that painting and he also remembered that Ye Ping had indeed gone up the mountain with a large bag of items but he didn’t expect them to be worth so much money.
However, at this moment, Shi Liangjin grabbed the scroll of painting and then unrolled it on the table.
Soon, the painting was completely unrolled and Shi Liangjin shrieked in shock.
“Ah! It’s a painting by Householder Qing Lian!?!”
His exclamation immediately caught their attention.
“Householder Qing Lian? Who’s that? Is he very famous?”
Daoist Tai Hua asked subconsciously.
1
On the other hand, Su Changyu knew who Householder Qing Lian was, but he didn’t say much, though his eyes were filled with curiosity as he looked at Shi Liangjin.
“Ah! Exalted Immortals, please wait a moment.”
Shi Liangjin did not answer them and instead immediately instructed the worker of his store to bring the appraiser of the pawnshop again.
Soon, the elderly man arrived again.
However, this time, his attitude was obviously much colder than before.
Nevertheless, the painting caught his eye as soon as he walked over.
He could tell at a glance that the painting was extraordinary. Those who dared to use Xuanyang rice paper for paintings were either a horrible painter or an extraordinarily brilliant one.
In an instant, the elderly man walked towards the painting and a look of astonishment appeared on his face.
“Is this a painting by Householder Qing Lian?”
The elderly man took a few careful glances before looking at Shi Liangjin in shock.
“It should be. The painting techniques and seal tally, but the ink doesn’t seem to have dried completely yet. It seems that it was painted not long ago.”
Shi Liangjin suppressed the excitement within him and tried to make his tone as calm as possible.
“I didn’t expect it to be a painting by Householder Qing Lian, and it seems to have been painted recently. Is Householder Qing Lian in Baiguo City?”
The elderly man also looked very excited as he carefully examined the painting. The more he looked at it, the more astonished he felt.
In Jin Nation, Householder Qing Lian was known as the most talented man who was well-versed in the Four Arts: music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Many women in Jin Nation were infatuated with a stanza of his poem and many literati were huge fans of his.
4
Even the emperor of Jin Nation fancied Householder Qing Lian’s calligraphy.
Unfortunately, Householder Qing Lian was not a pursuer of fame and fortune, nor did he participate in the imperial examinations. This year, he even disappeared without a trace. No one knew where he had gone, but that was also the reason he was revered by the literati.
3
Fame and fortune mattered the most to the literati, and almost all of them wanted to make a name for themselves in the world of literature, in hopes of reaching the level of Confucius, so that they could stand tall and upright.
However, Householder Qing Lian was actually indifferent towards fame and fortune. How could he not be popular and sought after?
In particular, Householder Qing Lian was put on a pedestal by the literati of Jin Nation who admired him even more this year because he didn’t participate in the imperial examinations. The value of his calligraphy pieces were pushed to sky-high prices.
Hence, Shi Liangjin was appalled to see the paintings.
“I’m not sure. Householder Qing Lian has always been spontaneous. He likes to frolic around the mountains and is unfettered by nature. Perhaps, he has really come to Baiguo City, casually painted a painting and then given it to someone.”
Shi Liangjin dared not be certain.
However, at this moment, Su Changyu spoke up.
“How much can this painting be sold for?”
Upon hearing his voice, Shi Liangjin and the appraiser of the pawnshop finally recovered from their shock.
The two of them immediately became extremely enthusiastic and their attitudes were several times better than before.
“Exalted Immortals, the paintings of Householder Qing Lian are priceless. It’s hard for us to come up with a suitable price immediately. May I ask what price you would like to offer?”
Shi Liangjin said with an awkward smile.
That was a half-truth. Indeed, Householder Qing Lian’s paintings were priceless but he could definitely estimate a price. However, he could tell that Daoist Tai Hua and Su Changyu did not know much about paintings and hence decided to ask them to quote a price, thinking that he might get an advantage.
Unfortunately for him, Daoist Tai Hua was smart too.
He extended five fingers and looked at Shi Liangjin. “I want this much.”
He meant 50 taels of gold.
That’s right.
Daoist Tai Hua was no fool. Although he didn’t know how to appreciate paintings and calligraphy, he could tell from the way the two of them behaved that the painting was probably very valuable.
Considering that the cost was eight taels of gold, he gritted his teeth and offered a price of 50 taels of gold.
Shi Liangjin frowned slightly after hearing his words.
‘5,000 taels of gold?’
‘That’s not a high price at all.’
However, the problem was that he still wasn’t entirely sure about the authenticity of the painting. What if it was painted by a master of replicas?
In that case, it would be a huge loss for him.
If it was a painting created by Householder Qing Lian, 5,000 taels of gold wouldn’t be overboard at all.
The paintings of Householder Qing Lian were highly sought after by the high officials of Jin Nation and its value lied beyond money. To some people, the value of this painting would be worth tens of thousands of taels of gold.
Thinking about this, Shi Liangjin couldn’t help but sigh deeply. He then turned to look at Daoist Tai Hua.
“Exalted Immortal, can you wait for two hours while I invite someone over to identify the authenticity of this painting? If it’s authentic, I can definitely give you 5,000 taels of gold, but if it’s a replica, I’ll offer you 500 taels of gold. How does that sound?”
Shi Liangjin said.
However, after he said that, Daoist Tai Hua and Su Changyu were completely astonished.
‘How much?’
‘5,000 taels of gold?’
‘Even if it’s not authentic, he’d pay 500 taels of gold?’
‘Is this thing worth so much money?’
‘Are you lying to me?’
‘Are you fooling us?’
The two of them were completely flabbergasted.
They were even more shocked than they were when they found out that Ye Ping was a genius.
‘Ye Ping may be a genius in the Sword Dao.’
‘But a painting of his is worth so much money too?’
2
‘How is this acceptable?’
At this moment, the two of them even forgot to breathe.
However, after a while, Daoist Tai Hua took a deep breath and looked at Shi Liangjin. “I mean 50,000 taels of gold.”
2
He looked extremely solemn.
Su Changyu, who was beside him, was stunned beyond words.
‘Sect Leader, will you be more humane?’
‘5,000 taels of gold is really enough.’
‘Please, don’t be so greedy.’
However, when he said that, Shi Liangjin did not fly into a rage immediately. Instead, he smiled bitterly and explained helplessly.
“Exalted Immortals, 50,000 taels of gold is impossible, even if this is authentic. A painting alone cannot be sold for such a sky-high price, unless it is marked with Householder Qing Lian’s poem. Besides, it can’t be a portrait of a human. If a painting meets those conditions, 50,000 taels of gold is possible.”
The pawnbroker said.
Su Changyu and Tai Hua Daoist fell completely silent.