Mu Yunhu gave a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth and continued, "My gift is not only far superior to yours in value, but I am certain that the moment I present it to Grandmaster Luan, he will be unable to put it down and will gladly agree to take me as his disciple."
"Take you as his disciple?"
Mu Yunlong stared at him in utter astonishment. "Little Hu, are you drunk and talking nonsense? Who on earth is Grandmaster Luan? Would he take you as a disciple just because of a painting?"
Luan Hongyi sat expressionless, staring silently at Mu Yunhu.
"That's my business," Mu Yunhu said with absolute confidence. "Just tell me if you dare to take the bet!"
"This is a guaranteed win. Why wouldn't I dare?" Mu Yunlong replied dismissively.
"Very well!"
Mu Yunhu nodded. "If I win this wager, I want that Ning Wuque to kneel before everyone, kowtow in apology, and crawl between my legs."
Both of them represented the Southern Suppression Prince's Estate. Naturally, he could not propose an excessively outrageous demand, or else the Southern Suppression Prince would punish him severely upon his return. But if he directed the punishment at Ning Wuque, it would be foolproof. It would allow him to vent his pent-up anger, humiliate Ning Wuque thoroughly, and at the same time cause Mu Yunlong—the one shielding Ning Wuque—to lose all his dignity.
It was killing multiple birds with one stone!
Mu Yunlong knitted his dark eyebrows together and glanced at Ning Wuque in the crowd. Seeing Ning Wuque nod in agreement, he finally spoke up, "And if you lose?"
"If I lose, I will publicly apologize to Ning Wuque. How about that?" Mu Yunhu said.
"What a joke! If you lose, all you do is issue an apology, but if we lose, my brother-in-law has to kowtow to you and crawl between your legs? Where is the logic in that?" Mu Yunlong said, laughing in disbelief.
Mu Yunhu frowned. "Then what do you want? You can't possibly expect me to kneel to him, can you?"
Naturally, Mu Yunlong would not propose such a thing. His gaze shifted slightly toward Ouyang Jingcheng standing nearby. "If you lose, you will have Ouyang Jingcheng kneel in your place, kowtow to apologize to my brother-in-law, and crawl between his legs. How about that?"
Ouyang Jingcheng's expression shifted slightly. Although he was well aware that once Mu Yunhu produced that masterpiece, it would surely captivate Luan Hongyi and compel him to accept Mu Yunhu as a disciple, there were exceptions to every rule. One could never be too careful! If they actually lost the bet, both he and the Ouyang Family would lose all face.
However...
Overconfident to the point of blindness, Mu Yunhu agreed without a second thought. "It's a deal!"
"A word once spoken cannot be called back even by a team of four horses!" Mu Yunlong declared.
"Hahaha, Mu Yunlong, you've fallen right into my trap!"
Seeing that the other had agreed to his terms, Mu Yunhu burst into triumphant laughter. He snapped his fingers, and two burly men stepped forward carrying a golden brocade box. Mu Yunhu retrieved an antique scroll from within, swept his gaze across the crowd, and announced in a ringing voice, "Everyone, open your eyes and look closely! This masterpiece of mine is none of other than the legendary—Empress—Painting!"
Chapter 27: You Lost!
"The Empress Painting?"
"What is Mu Yunhu saying? H-his gift is actually the Empress Painting?"
"How is that possible? Setting aside the fact that the Empress Painting was lost ages ago, even if it were real, who on earth would be willing to give it away as a gift?"
Gasps of astonishment instantly erupted across the banquet hall.Mu Yunshang could not help stretching her neck to look at the scroll, her face etched with shock. "Ouyang Jing'er actually gave away the Empress Painting as a gift? Where on earth did she get this scroll? If this Empress Painting is genuine, won't the *Myriad Miles Rivers and Mountains Map* prepared by Mother be completely overshadowed? We'll lose this bet for sure!"
Even though she knew Luan Hongyi was Ning Wuque's disciple and would not intentionally favor Mu Yunhu, she still dared not guarantee that Luan Hongyi could resist the temptation of the Empress Painting!
"Don't worry!Ning Wuque gently patted the back of Mu Yunshang's hand. He narrowed his eyes into slits, wearing a playful expression as he stared at the scroll and smiled faintly, "Let's watch and see first!"
He was a hundred percent certain that the real Empress Painting was in his possession. However, he was in no rush to expose the truth.Seeing that Ning Wuque remained as calm and breezy as ever, the anxiety in Mu Yunshang's heart subsided somewhat, and she sat quietly by his side. Only her two delicate little fists remained tightly clenched.
At that moment, Luan Hongyi had also recovered his senses. He stared intently at the scroll in Mu Yunhu's hands, which depicted a breathtaking, lifelike, and majestic Empress. Both the composition and the subject matter were identical to the legends.
Thump! Thump!
Luan Hongyi felt his heartbeat quicken by several beats. He cast a sideways glance at Mu Yunhu. "I-is this truly the Empress Painting?"
The surrounding crowd also turned their gazes toward Mu Yunhu. This was the Empress Painting that rulers through the ages had desperately sought! Legend had it that whoever obtained the Empress Painting would also inherit the hidden treasures left behind by the Great Zhou Dynasty. How could anyone ever bear to give away such a supreme treasure?
Mu Yunhu cast a provocative glance at the grim-faced Mu Yunlong nearby and said smugly, "That's right, this is the genuine Empress Painting." Pausing for a moment, he continued, "Grandmaster Luan may not know this, but this Empress Painting was actually acquired by my grandfather by chance over fifty years ago. Hearing that Grandmaster Luan was holding a master-initiation banquet, my mother specifically begged my grandfather for this painting to present to you!"
"The Ouyang Family has possessed this painting for over fifty years. They must have thoroughly studied it long ago, yet failing to find any clues to the treasure, they were finally willing to hand it over."
"Even so, what of it? If we were the ones who owned the Empress Painting, we probably wouldn't be willing to part with it even if we knew we couldn't find the treasure."
"Mu Yunlong has lost this bet!"
Whispers rippled through the crowd, causing Mu Yunlong's expression to grow increasingly dark. This was the Empress Painting! It was no exaggeration to call it the most precious artwork in the history of Southern Province. How could the *Myriad Miles Rivers and Mountains Map* ever compare to it?
Right now, he could only place his hopes in Luan Hongyi, praying that he could resist the temptation and refuse to take Mu Yunhu as his disciple.
Yet...
Even Mu Yunlong himself held zero confidence in that outcome.
The smile on Mu Yunhu's face grew even more radiant. He raised the scroll with both hands, presenting it right before Luan Hongyi, and said in a loud voice, "Grandmaster Luan, I wish to take you as my master. I humbly ask that you accept this painting and take me under your tutelage!"
As he spoke, Mu Yunhu kept shooting provocative glances back and forth between Mu Yunlong and Ning Wuque.
With a smile playing on his lips, Ouyang Jingcheng slowly rose from his seat. He clapped his fair hands together, producing a crisp sound, and smiled as he said, "Grandmaster Luan, Yunhu has spared no effort in his desire to become your disciple. Knowing that you appreciate antiques and paintings, he specifically begged this priceless Empress Painting from my grandfather. We sincerely hope Grandmaster Luan will accept him."
"Indeed, Grandmaster Luan, I can see he is entirely sincere about becoming your disciple."
"To be willing to part with a supreme treasure like the Empress Painting shows utmost sincerity!"
The onlookers chimed in one after another.
Pressing his advantage, Mu Yunhu added, "I earnestly beg Grandmaster Luan to accept me as your disciple!"
All eyes fell upon Luan Hongyi.
"Hahaha, I never imagined that I, Luan Hongyi, would actually have the fortune to lay eyes on such a supreme treasure as the Empress Painting. I must admit that after seeing it, every other painting in this world has lost its luster."
Luan Hongyi's words made Mu Yunhu's heart leap with joy. He looked over at Ning Wuque, and the mere thought of being slapped and trampled underfoot by Ning Wuque outside the Luan residence filled his eyes with towering hatred. Gritting his teeth, he thought, *Ning Wuque, I'll be waiting for you to kneel before me, crawl between my legs, and suffer utter humiliation, hahaha...*
However, when Luan Hongyi's next words rang in his ears, the smile on his face froze completely: "However, I am truly sorry—I refuse to take you as my disciple!"
Swish!
An uproar broke out in the banquet hall. Everyone stared at Luan Hongyi in disbelief.
"R-refused?"
"What is going on here? That's the Empress Painting! Grandmaster Luan actually turned it down just like that?"
Mu Yunhu looked at Luan Hongyi in utter disbelief. "W-why? Grandmaster Luan, do you not like this Empress Painting? Why do you refuse to take me?"
Luan Hongyi remained expressionless, not uttering a single word.
"Let me tell you why he refuses to take you!"
Following the voice, the crowd watched as Ning Wuque, seated leisurely off to the side, drained the wine from his cup and slowly rose. He swept his gaze across the assembly and said with a smile, "Grandmaster Luan is refusing you for two reasons!"
"Two reasons?"
"What does that mean?"
Everyone looked utterly bewildered.
Ning Wuque raised a single finger. "Reason number one: You are not worthy!"
"You..." Mu Yunhu's expression shifted drastically.
Before he could speak, Ning Wuque raised a second finger. "Reason number two: This Empress Painting... is a counterfeit!"
Ning Wuque deliberately dragged out the word "counterfeit."
Ouyang Jingcheng was the first to react, shouting angrily, "Nonsense! This Empress Painting was accidentally acquired by my grandfather fifty years ago and verified by dozens of appraisal masters. How could it possibly be fake?"
With bloodshot eyes, Mu Yunhu yelled, "That's right! The Ouyang Family is an appraisal clan on par with the Wen Family, having trained thousands of appraisers. If this Empress Painting were fake, how could fifty whole years pass without a single person noticing? Ning Wuque, you are utterly despicable! Just to help Mu Yunlong win the wager, you actually dare to slander my painting as a fake..."
"The fact that nobody detected its authenticity for fifty years only proves that the Ouyang Family's appraisers are nothing more than frauds with empty reputations!"
Ning Wuque shrugged, a thick layer of mockery hanging on his face. Ignoring the murderous glare of Mu Yunhu and Ouyang Jingcheng, he continued leisurely, "I must admit that whoever crafted this counterfeit is a top-tier master. Both the technique and the artistic conception surpass even the Painting Sage Wu Yuan. He has pushed his mastered techniques to the absolute limit, making it virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. However, there are some things that mere technique cannot make up for..."
"What on earth are you trying to say?" Mu Yunhu demanded with red eyes.
"The canvas material!"
Ning Wuque slowly spat out those few words. Seeing that the crowd still wore blank expressions, he explained, "As everyone knows, the Empress Painting is a portrait of the Empress of the Great Zhou Dynasty. According to historical records, in order to preserve her majestic bearing for eternity, the Empress specifically ordered people to hunt down the last Nine-Transformation Celestial Silkworm in existence and used its silk to weave the canvas. The Nine-Transformation Celestial Silkworm went completely extinct right after the Great Zhou, whereas the canvas of the Empress Painting before us is merely woven from the vastly inferior Seven-Colored Spirit Silkworm silk!"
"The Nine-Transformation Celestial Silkworm—that's a powerful demonic beast comparable to a Celestial Phenomenon Realm expert! It indeed vanished from this world after the Great Zhou!"
"Could everything Ning Wuque said be true? Is this Empress Painting fake?"
The crowd murmured amongst themselves, making Mu Yunhu feel as though needles were pricking his back, as if everyone were staring at him with strange and questioning eyes. His breathing grew shallow, and he gritted his teeth. "How can you be certain it's the Nine-Transformation Celestial Silkworm? What evidence do you have for these claims? And how can you prove that this Empress Painting uses Seven-Colored Spirit Silkworm silk instead of Nine-Transformation Celestial Silkworm silk?"
Ning Wuque replied indifferently, "The Nine-Transformation Celestial Silkworm is on par with Celestial Phenomenon Realm existences. The silk it spins contains the power of heaven and earth; if true qi is channeled into it, it will emit a nine-colored radiance. The Seven-Colored Spirit Silkworm, at its strongest, only reaches the Wheel Reincarnation Realm, and the silk it spins lacks the blessing of heaven and earth—channeling true qi into it will produce no reaction whatsoever. If you don't believe me, you are welcome to test it."
"I'll do it!"
Mu Yunlong, who had been bottling up his frustration all this time, immediately stepped forward and channeled his true qi into the scroll.
"..."
The scroll remained completely unchanged.
"Just as Ning Wuque said!"
"This Empress Painting really is a fake!"
Exclamations rang out from the crowd.
The corners of Ning Wuque's mouth curled upward slightly as he stared at the crestfallen Mu Yunhu and said slowly, "You have lost this wager!"
Chapter 28: Killing the Heart While Destroying the Body
"No, impossible, I couldn't have lost..."
Mu Yunhu shook his head, muttering in a daze, "How could I have lost? This Empress Painting is real, how could it be fake? This is utterly impossible!"
"Pull yourself together!"
Ouyang Jingcheng suddenly grabbed Mu Yunhu by both shoulders and shouted in a low voice. A surge of thick true qi accompanied the roar, causing Mu Yunhu to shiver violently.
With bloodshot eyes, he looked at Ouyang Jingcheng. "C-cousin, tell them this can't be fake..."
"Shut your mouth! Leave this to me!"
Ouyang Jingcheng glared fiercely at him before turning toward Ning Wuque with a face as dark as water. "Ning Wuque, I must admit your reasoning sounds quite plausible, but all of this is merely your word alone. The Nine-Transformation Celestial Silkworm went extinct after the Great Zhou. Treasures crafted from its silk surviving in this world are vanishingly rare, and very few people have ever laid eyes on them. How can you prove that your method of identification is correct?"
Ning Wuque raised an eyebrow. This Ouyang Jingcheng was far more troublesome than Mu Yunhu. His argument immediately won the approval of many present.
"Young Master Ouyang is right. The method for identifying Nine-Transformation Celestial Silkworm silk was lost long ago; at least none of us have ever heard of it!"
"Besides, the Empress Painting has existed for so many years. Perhaps the heaven and earth energy within it has simply dissipated over time!"
Just at that moment, a hearty laugh echoed from outside the doorway.
"I can prove that Ning Wuque's method for identifying Nine-Transformation Celestial Silkworm silk is true!"
"Pavilion Master Wan?"
"Wan Sanqian of Qizhen Pavilion?"
Following the voice, the crowd watched as Wan Sanqian walked in from outside.
"Old Wan, why did you only just arrive?" Luan Hongyi asked with a smile.
Wan Sanqian laughed heartily. "I was delayed because a new batch of goods arrived and I had to supervise them entering the warehouse! However, it seems I've arrived right on time."
Ouyang Jingcheng naturally recognized Wan Sanqian. His expression grew even uglier than before, and he asked with a gloomy face, "Pavilion Master Wan, you just said that Ning Wuque's method of identifying Nine-Colored Celestial Silkworm silk is true? Do you have any proof?"
"Proof?"
Wan Sanqian glanced sideways at Ouyang Jingcheng with a half-smile. "Ouyang Jingcheng, are you doubting this pavilion master?"
"Jingcheng wouldn't dare, but this matter is of grave importance and requires the utmost caution!" Ouyang Jingcheng replied.
Wan Sanqian chuckled. "When it comes down to it, you still don't believe me, do you?"
Ouyang Jingcheng did not reply; his chilling, shifting gaze remained locked onto him without a blink.
"Very well. It seems that if I don't produce evidence today, you won't believe it."
Wan Sanqian wiped the smile from his face. With a flick of his hand, a brocade handkerchief appeared in his palm, which he held up for the crowd to see. "This handkerchief was bestowed upon me by an elder of Qizhen Pavilion. It is crafted entirely from Seven-Colored Spirit Silkworm silk. Everyone is welcome to compare this handkerchief with the canvas material of the Empress Painting."
"I'll make the comparison!" Ouyang Jingcheng volunteered.
"Take it." Wan Sanqian handed the handkerchief straight to him.
Ouyang Jingcheng took a deep breath, walked over to the Empress Painting with the handkerchief in hand, and began comparing them meticulously.
As the comparison progressed, Ouyang Jingcheng's face grew increasingly ashen. After a full quarter of an hour, he handed the handkerchief back to Wan Sanqian. A defeated expression surfaced on his face as he forced a bitter smile. "We have lost this wager!"
Mu Yunhu's body swayed violently, his face turning deathly pale. If he had merely failed to take a master, it wouldn't have come to this—after all, they hadn't known beforehand that the painting was a counterfeit, so it wasn't an intentional deception of Luan Hongyi. But he had made a formal wager with Mu Yunlong. Now that they had lost, once he and Ouyang Jingcheng fulfilled the terms of the bet, they would be completely disgraced.
Especially Ouyang Jingcheng—he would have to kneel and apologize to Ning Wuque, suffering the humiliation of crawling between his legs! He would never be able to hold his head high again!
Mu Yunlong, meanwhile, swept away his previous dejection. A brilliant smile hung on his face as he chimed in, "Little Hu, it seems you two lost this wager! A bet is a bet, so we should fulfill our promise now. Time for Ouyang Jingcheng to kneel and apologize to my brother-in-law, and crawl between his legs, yes?"
"Mu Yunlong, you push people too far!" Mu Yunhu abruptly raised his head, glaring with blood-red eyes as he shrieked hysterically.
"Push people too far? Wasn't this wager your own idea?" Mu Yunlong looked at him speechlessly.At that moment, Mu Yunshang also stepped forward, staring expressionlessly at Mu Yunhu and Ouyang Jingcheng. "Which of the two of you is going to honor the promise?Ouyang Jingcheng let out a heavy breath of turbid air and said in a deep voice, "Princess Yunshang, our two families are in-laws after all. Let us show mercy where we can, and I hope the Princess can raise her hand and spare us..."
"Stop right there!Mu Yunshang glanced at him. "If we had lost this wager, would you have shown us mercy?"
Ouyang Jingcheng was left speechless. If they had won the bet, they undoubtedly would have trampled Ning Wuque and Mu Yunlong into the dirt, rubbing their faces in the humiliation. How could they possibly have let them off?
Yet...
To have him, the heir of the Ouyang Family, kneel and apologize to an abandoned son of the Prince Shenwu's Estate and suffer such degradation—how could that ever be possible?
Realizing that Ning Wuque and the others had no intention of letting the matter rest, Ouyang Jingcheng could only shift his target to Luan Hongyi. He cupped his fists toward the latter and said, "Grandmaster Luan, today is your master-initiation banquet after all. If this matter blows up into such a scene, it won't be easy to smooth over, and I fear it might offend your esteemed master. Might we let this matter rest..."
"It can continue just fine... I'm not afraid of being offended!" Ning Wuque suddenly interrupted.
Ouyang Jingcheng frowned at him, his eyes filled with disgust. "Ning Wuque, you come from a prominent background; do you seriously lack even the basic manners not to interrupt when others are speaking?"
Ning Wuque said with an innocent expression, "Weren't you worried about offending me? I'm just telling you directly that I'm not afraid. Is there something wrong with that?"
"Nonsense! When was I worried about offending you? I was talking about—"
Ouyang Jingcheng's words suddenly stuck in his throat. He snapped his head up to stare at Ning Wuque, who wore a half-smile, and his head began to buzz. A terrifying possibility that he found completely unacceptable flashed through his mind, making his voice tremble slightly: "Y-y-you share the surname Ning, and Grandmaster Luan's master also shares the surname Ning... That mysterious expert is you?!"
Swish...
As those words fell, an absolute uproar filled the hall.