Daoist Taihua was truly astonished.
And it was not just him; Su Changyu was somewhat astonished as well.
This painting in his hands was worth more than the entire wealth of the Qingyun Dao Sect?
Was that for real?
“Huh? You two didn’t know? This is Xuyang xuan paper. One chi costs one tael of gold. By my estimate, this scroll is about eight chi in total. No matter how you put it, it would cost eight taels of gold.”
Shi Liangjin fell a little silent.
So these two had no idea what this thing was?
“Eight taels of gold?”
When Daoist Taihua and Su Changyu heard this, their eyes went wide.
“However, if there’s a painting on it, that’s another matter. Blank xuan paper can sell for that price, but once brush has touched it, it depends on the quality of the painting.”
Shopkeeper Shi Liangjin continued.
The moment he said this, Su Changyu’s expression immediately turned ugly.
“If there’s a painting on it, how much is it worth?”
Su Changyu asked urgently.
Daoist Taihua’s expression also became somewhat unpleasant.
“That depends on the painting. Generally speaking, even if it’s fairly well done, if the painter has no reputation, it probably won’t sell for a good price. The key is who painted it. You two should understand that, right?”
On this point, Shi Liangjin was not fooling them.
A painting was a painting. Being well painted did not necessarily mean it could fetch a high price. The important thing was who had painted it.
If the current dynasty’s Grand Preceptor painted it, even a little chick eating rice could sell for ten thousand taels of gold. But if it was an unknown painter, no matter how well it was painted, it would not sell for much.
“It’s over.”
Hearing this, Su Changyu felt that it was completely over.
Because Ye Ping just so happened to be an unknown painter.
If he had known this earlier, he would not have let Ye Ping paint on it.
“Exalted Immortal, may I have a look?”
However, out of professional ethics, Shi Liangjin still wanted to take a look. What if it was a pearl lost in the sea, and these two did not recognize its value? Wouldn’t that be a huge profit?
“Fine.”
Su Changyu held no hope at all and directly handed the scroll over.
Daoist Taihua, meanwhile, began to ponder.
He knew who had given him this scroll. He also remembered that when Ye Ping had gone up the mountain, he had indeed been carrying a large bundle. He just had not expected it to be worth so much.
But just then, Shi Liangjin accepted the scroll and slowly unfurled it on the table.
Soon, the scroll was fully opened, and Shi Liangjin’s cry of surprise rang out.
“Hiss! A work by Qinglian Jushi?”
That cry instantly drew the attention of the two of them.
“Qinglian Jushi? Who’s that? Is he famous?”
Daoist Taihua asked subconsciously.
Su Changyu, however, knew who Qinglian Jushi was. But he did not say much, merely looking at Shi Liangjin with eyes full of curiosity.
“Hiss! Please wait a moment, Exalted Immortals.”
Shi Liangjin did not answer. Instead, he immediately called for a servant to invite the pawnshop’s treasure appraiser over.
Before long, the old man came again.
However, this time his attitude was clearly much colder than before.
But as soon as the old man walked over, his gaze fell on the painting.
With just one glance, he could tell that this painting was extraordinary. Anyone who dared use Xuyang xuan paper for a painting was either atrocious to the extreme or exceptionally good.
In an instant, the old man arrived before the painting, and shock appeared on his face.
“This is a work by Qinglian Jushi?”
The old man carefully examined it a few times, then looked at Shi Liangjin, somewhat astonished.
“It should be. Whether it’s the brushwork or the seal, everything matches. It’s just that the ink seems not to have fully dried yet. It appears to have been painted not long ago.”
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Shi Liangjin spoke in as calm a tone as possible.
“I didn’t expect it to actually be a work by Qinglian Jushi. And it should have been painted recently. Has Qinglian Jushi come to Baiguo City?”
The old man also seemed extremely excited. He examined the scroll carefully, and the more he looked, the more shocked he became.
Qinglian Jushi, in the State of Jin, was acclaimed as the foremost talent of Jin. He was proficient in the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Who knew how many women in all of Jin were infatuated with a single poem of his, or how many scholars sought after everything related to him?
Even the emperor of Jin was extremely fond of Qinglian Jushi’s calligraphy models.
Unfortunately, Qinglian Jushi was indifferent to fame and profit, and did not participate in the imperial examinations. This year, he had vanished without a trace, and no one knew what he had gone off to do. Yet it was precisely because of this that he was even more sought after by scholars.
What scholars cared about most was fame and profit. What scholar did not wish to enter the literary world and, in the future, become a great Confucian master, nurturing a breath of vast righteous qi?
But Qinglian Jushi alone regarded wealth, fame, and status as dirt. How could he not be admired?
Especially this year, when Qinglian Jushi did not participate in the imperial examinations, the scholars of Jin elevated him to an even greater height. All of his calligraphy, writings, and paintings had been bid up to astronomical prices.
That was why Shi Liangjin had been so shocked after seeing this painting.
“I’m not sure. Qinglian Jushi has a free and unrestrained temperament and enjoys traveling among mountains and rivers. He is a man of feeling. Perhaps he really did come to Baiguo City. Or perhaps he merely painted it casually and gave it to someone.”
Shi Liangjin did not dare be certain.
But just then, Su Changyu’s voice rang out.
“How much can this painting sell for?”
At the sound of his voice, Shi Liangjin and the pawnshop’s treasure appraiser finally came back to their senses.
Immediately, the attitude of the two became incomparably warm, far better than before by who knew how many times.
“Exalted Immortals, Qinglian Jushi’s paintings are priceless and sought after. It is difficult to determine a suitable price in such a short time. May I ask what price you two Exalted Immortals have in mind?”
Shi Liangjin said with an apologetic smile.
His words were half true and half false. Qinglian Jushi’s paintings were indeed priceless and sought after, but if he had to estimate a price, that would not be a problem. It was just that he could also tell Daoist Taihua and Su Changyu did not understand much, so he might as well ask them. Perhaps he could pick up a bargain.
Unfortunately, Daoist Taihua was also a shrewd man.
He directly held up five fingers and looked at Shi Liangjin. “I want this number.”
Fifty taels of gold.
That’s right.
Daoist Taihua was not stupid. Although he did not know how to appreciate calligraphy and paintings, from the reactions of these two, he could tell that this painting was probably quite valuable.
Considering that the cost alone was eight taels of gold, he gritted his teeth and named a price of fifty taels of gold.
As soon as these words were spoken, Shi Liangjin frowned slightly.
Five thousand taels of gold?
This price was not high. Not high at all.
But the problem was that he still could not be completely certain this painting was genuine. What if it was the work of some master imitator?
If that was the case, he would suffer a huge loss.
If this truly was painted by Qinglian Jushi, then five thousand taels of gold was not excessive in the slightest.
The upper circles of Jin all sought after Qinglian Jushi’s paintings. This was no longer a matter of silver or gold. To certain people, the value of this scroll was greater than tens of thousands of taels of gold.
Thinking of this, Shi Liangjin could not help but take a deep breath. Then he looked at Daoist Taihua.
“Exalted Immortal, could you wait for one shichen while I invite someone to come and verify its authenticity? If this painting is genuine, it is not that I cannot take out five thousand taels of gold. But if it is a copy, I will still offer five hundred taels of gold. How about it?”
Shi Liangjin said this.
But the moment he spoke,
Daoist Taihua and Su Changyu were utterly shocked.
How much?
Five thousand taels of gold?
Even if it was fake, he would give five hundred taels?
This thing was worth that much?
Were you bluffing me?
Toying with us?
The two of them were completely shocked.
Even more shocked than when they found out Ye Ping was a genius.
It was one thing for Ye Ping to be a genius of the sword path.
But even his paintings were worth this much?
Were they supposed to keep living?
At this moment, the two were so shocked they even forgot to breathe.
However, after a full while, Daoist Taihua took a deep breath, looked at Shi Liangjin, and said, “What I meant was fifty thousand taels of gold.”
His face was completely serious.
Su Changyu, standing off to the side, was utterly stunned.
Sect Master, can you please be human?
Five thousand taels of gold is enough. It really is enough.
I’m begging you, don’t be so greedy.
Only, after he named this price, Shi Liangjin did not fly into a rage. Instead, he revealed a bitter, helpless smile and said,
“Exalted Immortals, fifty thousand taels of gold is impossible. Even if this is genuine, a single painting alone could not sell for such a sky-high price. Unless there were a poem personally inscribed by Qinglian Jushi on it, and there could not be any human figure in the painting. In that case, fifty thousand taels of gold would not be entirely impossible.”
The shopkeeper spoke.
Su Changyu and Daoist Taihua fell completely silent.