Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 209 Masterpiece
The two chatted in low voices in the living room for a while, and vaguely heard footsteps approaching from afar.

After a while, several people came over.

In the front was an old man in brocade clothes, with gray hair, and looked to be over fifty years old.

When Lu Zheng and Zhang Bo saw the old man, they both stood up and bowed.

"Lu Zheng, nice to meet you, Senior Zheng."

"Zhang Bo, meet Master Zheng."

Zheng Yu narrowed his eyes and looked at the two young men.

He had some impression of Zhang Bo, so he turned to look at Lu Zheng and asked, "You have a letter for me, who's it from?"

Lu Zheng took out the letter, handed it to Zheng Yu, and whispered, "A letter from Dean Xiao in Kaiyang County."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Yu took the letter and slowly opened it, muttering, "Xiaoshan, it's not far from here, why would a scholar like you be the one delivering the letter... Please sit down, standing is inappropriate. If word gets out, people will think I, Zheng, am not hospitable enough!"

Zheng Yu sat down, asked Lu Zheng and the other man to sit down, and asked someone to make a pot of new tea.

After opening the envelope, Zheng Yu slowly checked the contents, looking at Lu Zheng from time to time, with a hint of strangeness in his eyes.

It was because when Xiaoshan introduced Lu Zheng in the letter, he referred to him as a friend regardless of age difference.

He thought Lu Zheng was Xiao Shan's junior or student...

After a while, Zheng Yu finished reading the letter and put it into his sleeve.

He looked at Lu Zheng with a smile, "Xiao Shan, I haven't seen him for a long time. How is he doing now?"

Lu Zheng replied, "Dean Xiao is doing well. He has made some progress in his Confucian and Taoist practice recently, and he looks more energetic than before."

"Really?" Zheng Yu said quietly, "I'd like to see what he looks like now. He's not like me, who ages faster every day."

Zheng Yu sighed and said, "Young people want my paintings, what kind of paintings do they want?"

Lu Zheng said, "Pastoral paintings can be placed in the Sea of Consciousness's Palace to create houses, which can be used to place items and provide a place for people to rest."

"Ok?"

Zheng Yu stroked his beard and said, "You scholars have the Wen Palace. When your realm reaches a higher level, you will be able to achieve the Wen Palace transformation. Why do you need such a painting?"

Lu Zheng explained: "My Wen Palace is a little special, so I want to decorate an extra place."

"Is that so?" Zheng Yu didn't want to ask too much about Wen Gong's private matters.

He then said, "I do know a little bit about pastoral painting, but my level is not up to the level of being completely realistic. I can only be considered to have barely reached the realm of reality."

"Nowadays, at my age, it's hard for me to paint good pastoral paintings. I do have some works from the past. How about I take you to see them?"

Lu Zheng heard this and said, "I'm very happy to do so."

Zheng Yu stood up with a smile and slowly led the way.

Lu Zheng and Zhang Bo followed behind slowly.

The three of them walked for a while and came to a pavilion.

Zheng Yu raised his hand and pointed, "This is my painting studio. All the good paintings are kept in there."

Zheng Yu brought the two of them to the front of the pavilion and took out the key to open the door.

Before entering the pavilion, Lu Zheng smelled the fragrance of ink and felt a lot of spiritual energy wafting out from it.

The heavy wooden door opened, and a bright pearl illuminated the room.

Scrolls of paintings are hung everywhere, displayed before our eyes.

Each painting has a spirit and is different, showing its extraordinary qualities.

Lu Zheng took a quick glance and was overwhelmed. He thought they were all good works.

Zheng Yu put his hands behind his back and said leisurely, "The paintings on this floor are just casual works, they can't be considered good. Let's go upstairs."

Although he said so, there was a hint of pride and arrogance in Zheng Yu's eyes.

After saying that, Zheng Yu went straight upstairs.

Lu Zheng and the other man also followed him upstairs.

The paintings on the second floor have a stronger spiritual charm.

But Zheng Yu did not stop and took the two of them directly to the third floor.

The third floor is the top floor, and is laid out as a studio, with only a few paintings fully displayed.

But every painting is real, full of spirit and vitality.

People, birds and beasts, plants and trees, mountains and rivers...

Each work has a completely different style and exudes a different atmosphere.

These are not ordinary paintings. The fact that he can depict so many things to the point of realism shows Zheng Yu's painting skills, making him worthy of being a master of painting.

After the two of them admired it for a while, Zheng Yu took another wooden box from a shelf.

The wooden box slowly opened, and a breath of air emanated from it.

The scroll unfolds to reveal a pastoral scene.

There is a small farmyard in the painting, with a bluestone tile house, a vegetable patch with fruits and vegetables planted, and a flower bed with blooming flowers.

There are also two large trees with lush branches and leaves, one is a peach tree and the other is a plum tree, with some fruits.

There are several birds on the tree, each with different expressions, vivid and lifelike.

Zheng Yu simply pointed at the scroll with his finger, and ripples appeared on the entire scroll, and the scenery in the painting suddenly fluctuated.

The fragrance of fruits and flowers wafted out from the painting.

The birds on the branches were jumping and chirping.

Although the objects in the painting do not appear in the outside world, they have become extremely real, like a realistic animation.

Zheng Yu reached out his hand and touched the painting again. With a light grab, he actually took out two green and yellow plums from the painting.

"Try it!" Zheng Yu handed two plums to Lu Zheng and the other man.

Lu Zheng took the plum in the painting out of curiosity. It felt real and he could smell a hint of plum fruit fragrance.

When I opened my mouth and tasted it, the flesh really tasted like plum, but it quickly turned into a wisp of spiritual energy in my mouth, and I didn't feel like I was swallowing real flesh.

Lu Zheng couldn't help but exclaim in admiration: "Senior, your skills are incredible!"

Zheng Yu said with a smile, "It's nothing. I'm still far from being a true master. I've only been praised by everyone. Over time, I've shamelessly accepted the title of Master Zheng..."

Zheng Yu added, "This is one of my proudest paintings. It's considered my best pastoral painting. Perhaps this is the only one that's barely suitable for you."

Lu Zheng quickly asked, "This painting is very good. I wonder how much it's worth?"

Hearing this, Zheng Yu waved his hand and said, "Take it. What's the use of money? I'm old now. What's the use of so much money?"

"This……"

Seeing this, Lu Zheng felt embarrassed to take the painting.

Zheng Yu smiled again and said, "I owe Xiao Shan a favor. He has already said that I will use the favor in exchange for the painting. You can just keep it with peace of mind."

"Well, but I'm not Dean Xiao." Lu Zheng said.

Zheng Yu said quietly, "Xiao Shan said he owed you a big favor and asked me to help repay it. I won't ask too much about the things between you and Xiao Shan. Anyway, I'm giving you this painting, so I don't owe him anything! If you're not satisfied with this painting, I can't draw a better one."

Lu Zheng didn't expect Xiao Shan to have such a trick, which was beyond his expectation.

I thought it would take a lot of effort to get a painting, but it turned out to be so simple...

Seeing that things had come to this, Lu Zheng couldn't refuse.

He then said, "Thank you very much, Senior."

Zheng Yu waved his hands and said, "What are you thanking me for? I didn't give it to you for free. I'm just repaying a favor. Also, don't call me senior, just call me Old Zheng!"

Lian Xiaoshan and Lu Zheng were of the same generation, so it was not appropriate for him to call himself the senior.

"This..." Lu Zheng looked hesitant.

Zhang Bo, who was standing next to them, was stunned. He wondered how the two of them could become so close just after meeting each other?

Zheng Yu put the scroll into the wooden box and handed it to Lu Zheng. "Hold it well. I gave you this."

Lu Zheng quickly put it away and kept it outside the Wen Palace.

Seeing that Lu Zheng wanted a painting, Zheng Yu smiled and said, "Little Brother Lu, I heard that you have a certain painting skill. Would you mind showing me a few?"

Seeing Zheng Yu's attitude, Lu Zheng didn't feel comfortable refusing.

He nodded and said, "It's not inconvenient. I'm just getting started in painting and I hope Mr. Zheng can give me some pointers."

"You're being too formal, aren't you? Call me Old Zheng, not Mr. Zheng!"

Zheng Yu put his arm around Lu Zheng's shoulders and said with a smile, "Come on, I have some good drawing paper and paints here, let me open my eyes."

As a painter, Zheng Yu was naturally very curious when he learned that Lu Zheng had a new painting technique and wanted to see it for himself.

Zheng Yu brought Lu Zheng to the drawing table, tidied it up, and laid out paper, pens, and paints.

Zhang Bo was also very curious and came closer to take a look.

Lu Zheng didn't waste any time, took out a charcoal pencil and started painting.

When Zheng Yu saw Lu Zheng drawing with charcoal, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, his eyes full of curiosity.

In just a moment, a Qingwan appeared on the paper and then jumped out of the painting.

"what?"

Zheng Yu was greatly surprised, and then stared at the little man for a while.

"This is... a little fairy. I can sense a special spiritual energy. This shouldn't be your imagination, right?"

Lu Zheng smiled slightly and called Qing Wan out.

"I'm new to painting, and I can't draw things from thin air. I can only copy."

Zheng Yu was amazed and exclaimed, "Your technique does look like a novice, but your painting style and skills are extraordinary."

It didn't take long to learn how to draw a fairy like this. It would be impossible without talent.

You should know that ghosts, demons, humans and gods are much more difficult to draw than ordinary plants and trees.

"It's mostly because of the righteous spirit." Lu Zheng said.

Zheng Yu said, "Haoran righteousness is not something that ordinary scholars can cultivate. This is also your ability, it's incredible!"

The distinct black and white Qingwan did not last long before it turned into a pool of charcoal powder.

The real Qing Wan was no longer surprised, but she still stretched out her little finger to poke the pile of powder.

Zheng Yu stroked his beard and said, "It really looks like it... What kind of painting method is this? The painting technique is very authentic, but it also retains the charm?"

Lu Zheng explained, "Sketch, combined with some other painting techniques..."

Zheng Yu listened attentively, nodding and discussing from time to time.

Afterwards, Zheng Yu also picked up the charcoal pencil and tried it.

He looked at Qing Wan who was standing beside him, his eyes sparkling.

When Qing Wan saw the old man looking at her, she also stared back at him with wide eyes.

After a while, Zheng Yu slightly narrowed his gaze, holding the charcoal pencil in one hand and moving quickly, leaving an afterimage.

Lu Zheng was surprised when he saw Zheng Yu's movements. Is this the master's technique? It's too fast.

But after a while, a Qingwan was drawn, and its appearance was even more lively.

Zheng Yu took the charcoal pencil and lightly touched the little man in the painting.

The black and white figure emerged from the drawing paper and changed color at a speed visible to the naked eye, becoming exactly the same color as Qingwan, like a replica.

(End of this chapter)