Martial Saint through Reading-Chapter 65: Strange Challenge! Painter? Brother Chu?!
Chu Ming looked over in confusion, only to see Liang Yuan shaking his head, his gaze seeming to say: Don’t make a fool of yourself, will you?
Su Zhe, the Rain Paint Tower lady, Chu Yu...
His confusion only lasted a moment. Chu Ming’s attention remained fixed on Chu Yu of the Chu Family.
"Heh, you sure know how to pick your timing, kid. Today is a rare opportunity—make sure you perform well."
"Uncle Yuan, do you mean...?" Su Zhe’s face flashed with delight as he glanced toward the depths of the gallery.
"Go." Yuan Zhong waved his hand.
"Thank you, Uncle Yuan."
Su Zhe stepped into the gallery.
Su Qian hesitated, her gaze shifting off the scholar Chu Ming, and then followed after Su Zhe.
Chu Yu offered Yuan Zhong another bow, then followed toward the gallery’s interior.
Seeing this, everyone’s faces showed surprise.
From the sound of it, are they about to challenge that painting?
Before Su Zhe and the others had even left, many people followed closely behind.
Watching Su Zhe challenge a painting seemed even more interesting than admiring the True Map of Mountains and Rivers.
Even Yann Xuan and the others, who were copying landscape paintings, put away their brushes and ink, saluted Yuan Zhong, and headed for the back of the gallery.
For a moment, this place turned strangely quiet, like birds and beasts scattering.
Yuan Zhong shook his head and shifted his steps as if he too planned to head over for a look.
But after just a few steps, he suddenly stopped, remembering something, and turned toward Chu Ming’s table.
"Where’s the painting?" Yuan Zhong, seeing the empty desk, actually asked with a trace of urgency.
The painting?
The landscape painting was still hanging there—they hadn’t touched it.
Liang Yuan and Ning Hao were momentarily dazed, not quite understanding what painting Yuan Zhong was asking about.
"Where’s the painting you just copied?" Yuan Zhong asked again.
The one just copied?
Liang Yuan, realizing, relaxed: "Master Yuan, I’ve already put away my copied painting..."
"Not yours," Yuan Zhong looked at Chu Ming, "yours."
Chu Ming glanced toward the depths of the gallery and said, "I put it away as well."
Yuan Zhong looked at the bundle slung on the burly Ning Hao’s back, frowning deeply. "May I see it again?"
Ning Hao and Liang Yuan felt both surprised and uncertain.
Why did this famed painter from the workshop insist on seeing Brother Chu’s copy?
Brother Chu’s copy looked fine, but surely couldn’t catch this painter’s eye?
"Sir..." Ning Hao gazed at Chu Ming, seeking approval.
After Chu Ming nodded, Scholar Liang Yuan took out two already-creased scrolls from the bundle.
But as the scrolls were unfurled, Yuan Zhong’s expression turned even uglier.
The ink wasn’t dry; the painting was smudged...
Liang Yuan’s old face flushed; he dared not raise his head.
It was just an unfinished copy—he’d carelessly rolled it up like scrap paper, not expecting that Master Yuan would want another look.
"Sir, you’re not a painter from Baiyuan County, are you?"
Yuan Zhong paused, his expression far from pleasant as he asked this question.
A painter?
Who?
Brother Chu?
The shock in the depths of Ning Hao and Liang Yuan’s eyes instantly solidified.
Master Yuan actually thinks Brother Chu is a painter?
Just from that half-finished copied painting?
Just as the two were reeling, a commotion came from the back of the gallery, as if something had happened.
Yuan Zhong glanced at Scholar Chu Ming, cupped his hands in a salute, and hurriedly dashed into the gallery’s interior.
After he’d gone, only Chu Ming and the other two remained here.
The burly Ning Hao and Liang Yuan stood frozen on the spot.
Master Yuan not only called Brother Chu a painter, but even saluted him?
On what grounds?
Liang Yuan and Ning Hao snapped to their senses and carefully spread Chu Ming’s copy flat on the table, pressing and smoothing the creases again and again.
"Brother Chu, just what did you paint?"
Yet, however much they worked to flatten the paper, a smudged painting remained a smudged painting; the original image was impossible to make out.
At this moment, Liang Yuan regretted it bitterly.
And Ning Hao glared murderously at Liang Yuan.
Both their eyes were saying the same thing—dozens of taels of silver, gone just like that!
In the gallery, as long as you can be called a painter, any painting you make can fetch at least ten taels of silver.
Chu Ming gazed into the depths of the gallery and calmly replied, "A copied landscape painting."
Liang Yuan’s eyes flickered; he fetched brush, ink, and paper again. "Chu the Painter, would you mind copying another one?"
"..." Ning Hao hesitated, but he, too, looked eagerly toward Chu Ming.
Ning Hao’s family wasn’t lacking money, but because of the Shen Yu dining hall incident, he was quite short of funds this month.
"Seniors, should we go in and have a look at the painting that Junior Brother Liang mentioned earlier?"
"That painting..." Liang Yuan put away the brushes and paper, his expression turning serious, "That’s not merely a painting—it’s a challenge."
"A challenge?" Chu Ming recalled the conversation between Painter Yuan Zhong and that white-clad youth earlier—they’d said they were going to challenge a painting.
"Yes, a challenge. It’s been in the gallery for over a year already. So far, only the County Magistrate of Baiyuan County has succeeded."
"One of the gallery’s authentic works is the magistrate’s successful challenge piece."
"Many have attempted that challenge," Liang Yuan continued, "such as Yann Xuan from Cyan Sun Pavilion, Yann the Painter."
"He didn’t succeed?" Chu Ming asked.
"No," Liang Yuan nodded, "and also Yuan Zhong, the gallery’s curator and master painter."
"He failed too?"
"Yes. Surprised? Even the gallery’s own master painter failed his own challenge."
Liang Yuan smacked his lips, "But what’s harder to understand is that Su Zhe—our Baiyuan Academy’s Upper Academy senior—his painting skills are much higher than mine."
That elegant youth from earlier was an Upper Academy senior?
Chu Ming was a little surprised; no wonder Liang Yuan was in such a hurry to pack away the copy.
"Senior Su Zhe challenged the painting half a year ago—he almost succeeded."
"But, Brother Chu, you know, Su Zhe’s painting skills still aren’t at painter level."
Liang Yuan gazed down the gallery, murmuring, "This time, Senior Su Zhe seems very confident—he must be well-prepared."
"If he succeeds, Senior Su Zhe will instantly become a painter in Baiyuan County’s calligraphy and painting world, on par with the magistrate."
Painter Yuan Zhong and Yann Xuan both failed, but Su Zhe, whose art isn’t yet at painter level, nearly succeeded?
Is the challenge more than just a test of technique?
Chu Ming had originally only wanted to enter the gallery and seek opportunity with Chu Yu, but after hearing Liang Yuan, he really did feel several degrees more interested in the challenge.
"Senior Liang, you’ve never tried it?" He looked at Liang Yuan.
Liang Yuan’s old face flushed and he turned away, "Never tried."
"Junior Brother Liang has tried—and not just once." The burly Ning Hao interjected at the right moment.
"Brother Chu, why not give it a try too?" Liang Yuan, with layers of powder hiding his real expression under disguise technique, looked at Chu Ming with flickering eyes.
"Let’s take a look."
"Let’s go." Liang Yuan instantly grew impatient. "Brother Chu, your talent for painting is high, but this challenge tests more than technique—it’s hard, very hard. If you fail, don’t lose heart."
"If once isn’t enough, try twice; if twice isn’t enough, try three times—just like your senior here, keep at it without giving up."
"Senior Brother Liang, how many times have you tried?"
"Three times."
"But you just said you haven’t tried!"
"..."
The three made their way along the gallery and soon saw a crowd gathered ahead.
Chu Ming focused his gaze and saw that the group who’d earlier been copying landscapes were now seated at desks, painting with somewhat bitter expressions.
And in the center of several desks sat Upper Academy’s Su Zhe, Chu Yu, Wu Tian, and the woman from Rain Paint Tower.
At this moment, all eyes were fixed on Su Zhe’s brush and painting.
