"The 'Plum Blossoms in the Snow Painting' by Xiao Chen," Gao Ziyi's gaze fixed on the unfolded painting, love is the best teacher, and although Gao Ziyi, who loved ancient painting, had no formal teacher, he was self-taught with considerable expertise. So, he merely glanced once and was sure that this painting was not a replica.

Thus, Gao Ziyi's interest was piqued, he took the painting from Tang Wan's hands to carefully examine it, and a smile of astonishment gradually appeared on his face because he was certain that this painting was indeed an authentic Qing Dynasty work by Xiao Chen.

"Giving it to me...," as Gao Ziyi's face showed a receding surprise like a tide, he reluctantly and decisively rolled up the scroll and handed it back to Tang Wan, "How could I possibly accept this?"

Tang Wan naturally did not take the painting, smiling as she said, "No other intentions, I just felt that Mayor Gao is an expert who knows his stuff, so I thought of gifting it..."

"I hear you are also a fan of ancient paintings," Gao Ziyi said, "I...I might be taking something you love."

With that, Gao Ziyi shook his head and waved his hands, indicating decisively that he refused to take the gift.

Wang Xiaoqiang, seeing his feigned nobility, felt even more annoyed.

Damn, he really knows how to play the part, clearly dying to have it yet putting on airs of integrity, do you think you appear to be an incorrupt official by acting like this?

Gao Ziyi, of course, was not an incorrupt official. He had previously received plenty of benefits from the Yao Family, and now with the old town's redevelopment, his preferred investor was the White Dove Group, such that he could receive a hefty "offering" from the Yao Family again. And this so-called offering naturally couldn't compare to a painting worth about a million; his taste in ancient paintings was intense, and although he liked this 'Plum Blossoms in the Snow Painting' by Xiao Chen, it was not enough to tempt him.

"Ah, Mayor Gao, you wouldn't deny me this respect now, would you?" Tang Wan refused to give up. She knew she did not have the financial power of the Yao Family, nor the generosity of their gestures, and since the Yao Family had established a strong relationship with Gao Ziyi before her, even giving more money might not capture Gao Ziyi's interest, so she tried to impress him with this painting.

"Alright, young Gao, I must continue painting, so I won't see you two out," Gao Ziyi unexpectedly issued an eviction order.

At that moment, Tang Wan bit her lower lip, revealing a demeanor of disheartened frustration, making eye contact with Wang Xiaoqiang as a signal for them to leave.

But Wang Xiaoqiang stood still. His eyes fixed on Gao Ziyi, he sneered, "Mayor Gao must think this painting is too cheap, and therefore refuses to accept it."

Wang Xiaoqiang's remark startled Tang Wan, who thought, you really don't know how to speak; if this doesn't offend him, nothing will. She anxiously watched Gao Ziyi, fearing he might get angry. To her surprise, the astute Gao Ziyi chuckled and said, "On the contrary, it's because this painting is too precious that I dare not accept it."

"So, what you mean is, if it were a worthless painting, you would accept it," Wang coldly asked.

Gao Ziyi turned and stared at Wang, surprised that Wang was so oblivious. He had already made his eviction clear, yet here Wang was, adamant about staying and even starting to argue with him, which visibly irritated him. With a stern face, he said, "Just assume you are correct!"

Tang Wan, unclear about what Wang Xiaoqiang intended to do, seemed intent on confronting Gao Ziyi. She felt a sinking feeling and urgently gestured to Wang, hinting they should leave. After all, one could not afford to offend the magistrate of River City.

Wang Xiaoqiang ignored her, turning to Gao Ziyi, "Well then, I'll paint a picture worth nothing right now and present it to you!"

Having said this, Wang Xiaoqiang, regardless of Gao Ziyi's reaction, stepped up to the drawing table, pulled out a sheet of rice paper, spread it over the painting, and started to paint.

"Heh, do as you wish, I guess you can only draw those worthless things," Gao Ziyi scoffed repeatedly, indifferent to Wang Xiaoqiang's reckless behavior. He then crossed his arms, smirking as he watched, curious to see how this naive young man would embarrass himself. It was rare to find even three people in River City who would dare to paint in the host's study without permission. Unless you are truly talented and can produce a decent painting, but Gao Ziyi certainly didn't think highly of Wang Xiaoqiang—considering him just an underling of Tang Wan, wondering just what antics he would come up with.

As Wang began to paint in Gao Ziyi's study, Tang Wan panicked, her hesitation too late to stop Wang Xiaoqiang; the gift had failed, and now they had offended Mayor Gao, she feared the repercussions that would follow!

Wang Xiaoqiang didn't care and began to scribble on the rice paper, drawing a tree that looked somewhat like a telephone pole, and then a crow on the tree, which, somewhat impressively, resembled a person... the figure that looked like both a crow and a person had a arrogantly tilted head, a portrait of defiant pride...

While Wang Xiaoqiang scribbled carelessly...

"Haha, Tang Wan, you found yourself a pretty-boy assistant; I couldn't believe it, but now it seems true that all that glitters is not gold. With such amateur painting skills, he dares to paint at my place? He's not embarrassed, but I certainly feel disgraced!"

Watching Wang Xiaoqiang struggling to scribble a tree and a crow in nearly three minutes, Gao Ziyi sneered continuously, his face showing undisguised contempt for Jiang Feng and mockery toward Tang Wan. However, he was furious about Jiang Feng's actions; had Jiang Feng really painted something surprisingly impressive as he claimed he could, Gao Ziyi would not have been angry but rather appreciative.

Looking at the dismal painting Wang produced, Tang Wan was extraordinarily ashamed, her face flushing and paling by turns, almost unable to show her face. Things had reached this point, and she was unable to salvage the situation, so she just glared resentfully at Wang, finding him foolish.

"Mayor Gao, this is the painting I wanted to give you, it's complete nonsense, worthless. You promised you would accept it, so..." Wang Xiaoqiang said, cautiously picking up the painting he had just scrawled and handing it to Gao Ziyi: "Your word is your bond, don't go back on it now!"

Seeing Wang Xiaoqiang hand over a painting worse than his daughter's random scribbles, it was as if he was being handed a pile of dog feces. He felt both ashamed and disgusted, wrinkling his brow and pursing his lips, his eye muscles even twitching from the revulsion, but considering his own words, he still had to accept it, eventually waving his hand, "Put it on the desk."

"Sure thing," Wang Shuang called out cheerfully, carefully placing the scribble on the corner of the desk, then pulling out a fresh sheet of paper to spread on the drawing table. He addressed the still seething Gao Ziyi: "Well then, Mayor Gao, you just said I was all flash and no substance, admired by President Tang only for my face. You can say what you will, whether I'm talented or not isn't important. Being valued by President Tang and kept by her side is an honor, and I am grateful. Having been favored by President Tang, I have nothing with which to repay her. Today, I will borrow someone else's flowers to make a Buddhist offering, using your pen and paper to paint a picture in her honor. I hope you agree." After speaking, Wang Xiaoqiang gave Gao Ziyi a meaningful smile.

What? He's embarrassed himself once, isn't that enough? He wants to embarrass himself again?

Tang Wan was extremely flustered, her beautiful eyes wide, tears nearly rushing down.

Watching the complex smile on Wang Xiaoqiang's face, Li Ziyi this time did not sneer. He didn't know what trick Wang Xiaoqiang was playing, but his intuition told him that this young man was not so superficial; his smile hid something.

Unwillingly, he nodded his head, speaking disdainfully, "If you want to paint, then paint, suit yourself. But take your painting with you when you leave, don't dirty my study!"

"Thank you."

Wang Xiaoqiang, far from being annoyed, even thanked him and began to paint.

When he started painting again, Wang Xiaoqiang's posture and demeanor had completely changed; he was like a master painter, possessing certain qualities not found in modern artists.

His brush strokes were deep and flowing, his movements without the slightest stiffness, handling the brush like flowing clouds and water, a complete picture formed in one go.

A "Bamboo and Stone Painting" emerged.

The painting depicted bamboo and rocks in a courtyard. The lean rocks stood upright, primarily drawn in white with contour lines depicting the tough, sharp quality of the rock, with light axe-strokes in the creases. In front of the rocks were three new bamboo shoots, strong and graceful. The green bamboo and graceful rocks carried a divine charm!

This painting was created by Wang Xiaoqiang using Divine Sense combined with True Qi.

Gao Ziyi stared at the still-wet ink of the Bamboo and Stone Painting, dumbfounded, as if he had discovered a huge gold ingot. His eyes gleamed; he could not describe the painting in words. He had once seen an original work by Ke Jiusi on a treasure appraisal show, also bamboo, but even that could not compare to the bamboo in this "Bamboo and Stone Painting." Such lifelike bamboo had only been seen in a genuine work by Zheng Banqiao. At that time, one glance was enough for him to feel that no other bamboo could compare and that one glance had made him feel his life was complete. Yet now, he had encountered such a spiritually rich bamboo painting, bizarrely made by a young man he had just dismissed as worthless.

However, between art and prestige, Gao Ziyi chose the former, as any lover of art would make this choice; hence, he made no attempt to hide the astonishment and admiration in his eyes.

By then, Tang Wan was also staring at the just-completed "Bamboo and Stone Painting," speechless, struck as if by a heavenly being.

Tang Wan, as a collector and enthusiast of antique paintings, although her appraisal skills were not as refined as Gao Ziyi's, could still discern the authenticity of some artworks. Wang's painting not only caught her eye but also made her feel the presence of a master's elegance within the painting. At this moment, her gaze shifted between Wang and the artwork, feeling everything seemed a bit surreal.

The painting was not only stunning—it was completed in an incredibly short time. Last time, painting a tree that didn't look like a tree, and a crow that didn't resemble a crow, had taken him over three minutes. This time, Wang Xiaoqiang had painted a lush tree and a vast range of rocks in less than three minutes. To produce such a spiritually rich painting in under two minutes required significant Internal Power. (To be continued. If you enjoy this novel, please vote for it at qidian.com, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)

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