He Jiaqing gave Liu Jinbao a check. Liu Jinbao looked at the amount, packed the painting, and made the deal on the spot.

After He Jiaqing left the studio, Liu Jinbao called a worker: "Send word to Boss Feng, He Jiaqing came by and bought Mu Yuejuan’s painting."

...

Back at his residence, He Jiaqing hung the painting in his bedroom and stared at the scroll for ten minutes; the mansion in the painting became increasingly vivid.

The bricks on the walls turned red, the tiles on the roof turned green, willow catkins floated from the trees, and the girl’s eyebrows moved.

He Jiaqing first bowed to the girl, lifted the hem of his long robe, and voluntarily entered the scroll.

The woman who was doing her hair was startled for a moment, then laughed.

"Young Master He, how dare you come to find me?" This woman was indeed Mu Yuejuan of the Hundred Flowers Fine Painting.

Just before, Mu Yuejuan was still searching everywhere for He Jiaqing’s whereabouts, never expecting him to deliver himself to her doorstep.

He Jiaqing sighed: "If I don’t come looking for you, Sister, who else can I turn to? Others want to take everything from me and even my life, but at least you might leave me a bowl of soup."

Mu Yuejuan put down her eyebrow pencil, walked from the chamber to the courtyard, and flicked He Jiaqing’s hair with her finger: "Oh, young master, that’s not what you said when I was looking for you. You even hurt my face."

He Jiaqing pinched Mu Yuejuan’s hand and laughed: "Put yourself in my shoes, Sister. I just left Green Flower’s place, and you came to my door asking for the contract book without a second word, you scared me to death."

Mu Yuejuan teased: "You’re afraid of me? Do you think I could eat you up?"

He Jiaqing sighed: "With your cultivation level and skills, Sister, no matter how many lives I have, you’d consume them all. Today, I’ve come to your territory voluntarily, telling you word for word the truth. Green Flower’s contract book is truly not with me!"

Mu Yuejuan’s eye twitched, leaving a mark of ink across He Jiaqing’s face: "Young Master He, are you so used to toying with other women that you also take me for a clueless girl?"

He Jiaqing dared not move: "Sister Mu, if I dared to utter even half a lie, I wouldn’t have dared to visit you today."

This was the truth, as entering Mu Yuejuan’s territory almost meant cutting off his retreat.

Mu Yuejuan asked: "Are you saying you didn’t enter Green Flower’s home?"

He Jiaqing replied: "I did enter his home, but I couldn’t get his contract book!"

Mu Yuejuan glanced at the rouge box on the table.

This rouge box was a De Xiu Talisman, the rouge inside had not changed color, proving He Jiaqing was telling the truth.

Mu Yuejuan asked again: "Why couldn’t you take it?" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"When I entered, Green Flower was waiting at home, how could I take his contract book?"

Mu Yuejuan frowned slightly: "You’re saying Green Flower is still alive?"

"Whether he’s alive or not, I don’t know, but I indeed saw him when I entered."

Mu Yuejuan glanced at the rouge box again, the rouge inside still hadn’t changed color.

This rouge box was beyond the level of Above the Clouds, He Jiaqing surely couldn’t deceive this Magical Treasure.

He was telling the truth.

Mu Yuejuan tapped He Jiaqing’s nose: "Since Green Flower is still alive, why did you come to me?"

He Jiaqing explained: "I bear a grudge against Green Flower, Sister, you should know, I want to kill him, but I can’t do it myself."

Mu Yuejuan chuckled: "You want my help?"

He Jiaqing said: "If we can kill him, my hatred would be gone, and you’d obtain the contract book, isn’t that a good thing too?"

"It is a good thing," Mu Yuejuan nodded, "but I don’t trust you."

He Jiaqing said: "If you don’t trust me, Sister, let’s head to Green Flower’s place right now to see if I’m deceiving you."

Mu Yuejuan turned back to the chamber, picked up the rouge box, and flicked it a couple of times, the rouge inside remained unchanged.

"Since Green Flower is alive, I can’t touch him. That’s a rule set by the Peddler, and I don’t have a death wish. Young Master He, you’d better go, I can’t help you."

He Jiaqing stood by the window, looking at Mu Yuejuan: "It won’t be you moving against Green Flower, it’ll be me. You’re just assisting from the shadows, so it shouldn’t break any rules."

Mu Yuejuan sneered: "You want me to cut corners? Do you think I could deceive the Peddler?"

"I believe you have the ability, Sister. This is such a great deal, you’ll regret missing it." He Jiaqing touched his cheek, and a row of rashes appeared.

Seeing the rashes on He Jiaqing’s face, Mu Yuejuan believed Green Flower was indeed not dead.

She tucked the rouge box into her bosom: "I do have dealings with Green Flower, since you’ve requested my help, it wouldn’t hurt to check his home."

He Jiaqing bowed: "Sister, please!"

The two stepped out of the scroll and went together to Longmen Road.

Upon reaching a street lamp, He Jiaqing turned his ring, rubbing up and down the lamppost.

Mu Yuejuan waited for a long time, her brow slightly furrowed: "How long will it take to open this door of yours?"

"Honestly, I don’t know if I can even open this door. I suspect Green Flower deliberately let me in before."

Mu Yuejuan casually looked at the rouge in her hand, He Jiaqing was still telling the truth.

"I’ll wait for you another quarter of an hour, if the door won’t open, then let it be." Mu Yuejuan looked around, constantly feeling something was off.

Why should she believe He Jiaqing?

Even if everything he said was true, she shouldn’t get involved in such a mess.

The situation today felt odd, she couldn’t pinpoint exactly why, but Mu Yuejuan felt out of sorts.

After conflicting with herself for ten minutes, Mu Yuejuan shook her head: "You’ll have to figure this out on your own, I still..."

He Jiaqing was gone.

When had he left?

Thief Cultivation Technique, Tread Snow Without Trace!

Mu Yuejuan realized she was tricked, turned around, and left.

Just after leaving Longmen Road, turning into Qingji Alley, she suddenly heard a man say: "Miss Mu, I have a business proposal I’d like to discuss with you."

"Feng Chongli?" Mu Yuejuan turned to see the merchant Feng Chongli standing behind her.

"What business do you want to discuss with me? Looking to buy a painting?" Mu Yuejuan smiled charmingly.

Feng Chongli shook his head: "I’m looking to buy the contract book for Greenwater Bay."

Mu Yuejuan shook her head: "You got the wrong person, I don’t have the Greenwater Beggar’s contract book. I’ve cultivated past Above the Clouds, naturally I wouldn’t be targeting Greenwater Beggar."

Feng Chongli took out a Silver Yuan, rubbing the snowflake on its back: "Miss Mu, I’m approaching this sincerely, and it’s not just my own sincerity I’m bringing."

Snowflake Beach?

Mu Yuejuan bit her lip!

I’ve been tricked by He Jiaqing.

PS: Every word He Jiaqing said was true, so how did he still deceive Mu Yuejuan?