A pair of snow-white, smooth jade legs were exposed to the air, looking like the most perfect masterpiece in this world.
Luyun looked straight ahead, keeping himself full of positive energy at all times.
However, the next second, Ye Qingcheng suddenly widened her eyes and said, "Little Luyun, on your face..."
On Luyun's left cheek, a bright red kiss mark still remained, which he had forgotten to wipe off.
Luyun said with a guilty conscience, "Hehe, Sister, I'm going to take a shower first."
Ye Qingcheng understood in an instant, her gaze turning somewhat resentful, as if a jar of vinegar had been spilled.
"To be fair, bring your right cheek over here yourself, and don't force me to do it myself."
Ye Qingcheng was utterly domineering.
...
The next day, the sisters all went to work.
Luyun made a phone call.
The matter from last night was certainly not over; Luyun had to make those self-righteous fellows apologize to Sister Yan'er from the bottom of their hearts.
Soon, an exciting piece of news quickly spread through Jiangcheng.
This Tuesday, the Dongzheng Auction House would open, and at that time, a new artwork by Master Yunlu would be unveiled to the public.
As soon as this news came out, the entire collection circle of Jiangcheng was completely sent into a frenzy.
A new work by Master Yunlu!
As everyone knew, Master Yunlu had not released any new works for many years, and coupled with his secretive whereabouts, countless people speculated whether he had already passed away.
Now, a new work was appearing.
This showed that Master Yunlu was still alive.
One could imagine how shocking this news was to people in the calligraphy and painting circles.
Elder Han, Zhu Hongyuan and his son, as well as Hu Weiping and others, were wild with joy and immediately ordered admission tickets for the Dongzheng Auction House online.
Not only Jiangcheng, but famous collectors in other cities were also frantically snapping them up, and the tickets were soon sold out.
Because Liu Yan'er happened to be busy with social engagements, by the time she saw this news, the tickets were already sold out.
She had been depressed about this for a long time.
Until she returned to Luyin Villa in the evening, when Luyun suddenly pulled her into a small room with a mysterious air.
"Sister Yan'er, look what this is?"
"Dongzheng Auction House admission tickets! Ah, ah, ah! Little Luyun, I love you to death!!"
Liu Yan'er completely turned into an obsessive fan, her queen-like aura entirely gone, as she pinned down Luyun's cheek and planted another kiss on it.
By sheer coincidence, this scene was just seen by Ye Qingcheng again.
Thus, two symmetrical kiss marks appeared on both of Luyun's cheeks once more.
"..."
Luyun actually wanted to say, Sisters, I am all grown up now, you can't just casually kiss my face like you used to anymore!
So annoying!
Chapter 22: Master Yunlu's New Work
Tuesday.
Dongzheng Auction House.
At a single glance, the crowd was bustling and every seat was taken.
Such a grand spectacle probably only happened at the concerts of top superstars.
Master Yunlu was the top superstar of the calligraphy and painting world.
Flattered and surprised, Liu Yan'er said, "Little Luyun, how on earth did you manage to grab this seat?"
When she got the ticket yesterday, Liu Yan'er was too excited to notice the seat number.
It was only today when she arrived at the scene that she realized this was an absolute C-position.
Whether it was the lighting, the view, or the comfort of the seat, everything had been adjusted to the optimum.
People who used to sit in this seat were all world-renowned collection masters of the calligraphy and painting world, and ordinary people simply didn't qualify to sit here.
Liu Yan'er could already feel countless gazes turning toward her, seemingly wondering which master collector she actually was.
Luyun, however, said calmly, "Maybe I just got lucky!"
"Who are you trying to fool?"
Liu Yan'er gave him a sideways look. "With luck like yours, you could go buy a lottery ticket."
She simply didn't believe his luck was good enough to win two consecutive best seats, and she had heard that this entire row of seats was reserved by the auction house internally and not for sale at all.
Luyun was definitely lying.
Yet facing Liu Yan'er's question, Luyun only smiled and said nothing.
Liu Yan'er could do nothing with him either, and decided she would just have to drag him to bed for a thorough interrogation after the auction ended.
At this moment, in the very back row of seats, several gloomy gazes were staring at the backs of the two.
They were precisely the people who had attended Elder Han's collection exhibition the night before last and had been offended by Luyun.
Zhu Rong snorted and said, "Sitting in a seat like that, aren't they worried their ass will burn? Humph!"
As he spoke, he shifted his backside with some pain.
What kind of piece of junk stool was this, did it even have long nails sticking out of it?
"Everyone..."
At this moment, the host took the stage, gave a clichéd opening speech, and then began displaying the auction items.
The first few items were small matters that didn't interest the crowd much; everyone was waiting for the final grand finale piece.
Finally, after the paving of several rounds of auction items, the host said, "The item to be auctioned next is the one everyone has been eagerly looking forward to: the new work by Master Yunlu."
Whoosh!
The entire audience erupted.
Those fanatical calligraphy and painting collectors were already feeling their hands itch, unable to wait to raise their paddles and place bids.
A sexy girl in skimpy attire walked onto the stage carrying the auction item.
The host deliberately built suspense and said, "I suppose everyone is very curious about what Master Yunlu's new work actually is. I think when you see this artwork, you will definitely be surprised."
"I beg you to stop rambling and display it already!"
The crowd wailed.
The host smiled, delayed a little longer, and seeing that everyone was already anxious and impatient, finally let the sexy girl lift the red cloth.
The auction item finally revealed its true appearance.
However, when the bidders saw this painting, they froze in unison.
The artwork was indeed from the hand of Master Yunlu, but...
"Isn't this 'Eagles Resting in a Tree'?" someone immediately recognized it.
What the sexy girl was displaying was precisely "Eagles Resting in a Tree," which had been out for a long time already.
"Clearly an old work, how can it be called a new work? Has the Dongzheng Auction House started pulling stunts like this?"
"This amounts to fraudulent behavior, it's going too far!"
"Humph, although I'm very unhappy, I've decided to bid on this 'Eagles Resting in a Tree'."
Everyone successively expressed their feelings of dissatisfaction.
They weren't dissatisfied with "Eagles Resting in a Tree," but rather dissatisfied with such fraudulent behavior by the Dongzheng Auction House.
Because even if the auction house hadn't used the gimmick of Master Yunlu's new work, they still would have come to show their support.
Yet after explicitly promising a new work, to bring out an old painting felt a bit like toying with everyone's emotions.
As loyal fans of Master Yunlu, they were bound to feel disappointed.
When Elder Han saw this painting, however, his heart suddenly gave a violent jolt.
Wasn't this "Eagles Resting in a Tree" in his own collection? Why did it appear here?
Could the one he collected be a counterfeit?
Or had his house been burgled?
Elder Han instantly felt a sense of unease.
However, facing the many indignant bidders, the host was not flustered at all, smiling as he said, "Don't be anxious, everyone. This painting is indeed 'Eagles Resting in a Tree,' but it is also truly a new work by Master Yunlu."
"What does that mean?" The crowd was puzzled.
"Didn't any of you notice how this 'Eagles Resting in a Tree' differs from the previous ones?"
The host's words gave the crowd food for thought, and they all opened their eyes wide to look at the painting.
"I see it, the red mark on top of the eagle's head is gone."
Upon hearing this, everyone realized it was indeed the case.
Many photographs of this "Eagles Resting in a Tree" had actually circulated online, so most calligraphy and painting enthusiasts had seen it.
The auction item displayed in the sexy girl's hands at this moment truly differed from what circulated online.
The host said, "As you can see, this painting is actually the corrected version of 'Eagles Resting in a Tree'."
"Because the red mark on the previous work was a mistake, Master Yunlu felt it shouldn't be handled so perfunctorily, so he redrew a version."
With this explanation, the bidders felt much more at ease.
"I said so, Dongzheng Auction House has plenty of confidence; there's no need to hype up gimmicks at all."
"Actually, I always felt the red mark in the previous version was a bit abrupt; as expected, it wasn't Master Yunlu's original intention."
"Master Yunlu is so responsible! To comfort us fans, he specially redrew a version. I'm going to be a fan of Master Yunlu for life."
"Right, right, right, Master Yunlu is like my dad and mom."
Luyun thought: That's really not necessary.
Liu Yan'er excitedly wrapped her arms around Luyun's neck and said, "I really guessed it right, Little Luyun, hurry up and praise Sister."
Luyun smiled and said, "Sister Yan'er is truly amazing."
Yet, forming a sharp contrast with the crowd, the expressions of the few people in the back row could only be described as spectacular.
Especially Zhu Rong, whose complexion was simply uglier than if he had eaten shit.
To think he had gone on a wild analytical rant that night, and even Elder Han had praised him as being the roundworm in Master Yunlu's belly—never had he expected such a heavy slap to the face.
Chapter 23: Blooming, the Roses of a Prosperous Age
The new version of "Eagles Resting in a Tree" was finally secured by a wealthy businessman from the provincial capital for a price of eight million.
Luyun inwardly called it a masterclass.
So things he casually doodled were actually worth this much; he wondered how much the old Daoist master had raked in through this.
Luyun finally believed that he was indeed that one-in-ten-thousand calligraphy and painting genius.
Just as everyone thought the auction was over and prepared to disperse, they heard the host say, "Don't rush, everyone. Today, our auction house has actually prepared a surprise for you all."
A surprise?
Could there be something even more surprising than the new version of "Eagles Resting in a Tree"?
The crowd instantly developed a strong interest.
They watched as the sexy girl on stage wiggled her hips and stepped down, and when she mounted the stage again, she had been replaced by a middle-aged man.
The crowd broke into a commotion.
Because this middle-aged man was none other than Sun Tianlei, the big boss of Dongzheng Auction House.
At this moment, he personally carried an auction item onto the stage.
Now the crowd's interest grew even more intense, wanting to see what on earth could be even more precious than "Eagles Resting in a Tree."
The host smiled and said, "Actually, this is also a new work by Master Yunlu, and it is an unprecedentedly shocking masterpiece."
Whoosh!
cheers erupted across the full house.
So Master Yunlu hadn't only painted one piece.
Those bidders who had felt vexed at failing to snatch up "Eagles Resting in a Tree" rekindled their hope.
"Everyone, watch closely."
This time the speaker was Sun Tianlei; he didn't drag out the suspense, but directly pulled back the red cloth to reveal this new artwork.
Instantly.
Boom!
Everyone was shocked.
Everyone's heart felt as if it had been heavily struck by a giant hammer.
Behold.
On that rice paper, there was strikingly a rose, a tender, budding, peerless rose.
However, this wasn't even the most breathtaking part; the most astonishing thing was that if one stared at this rose for just ten seconds, a bizarre visual transformation would occur.
The rose that originally appeared to be budding seemed to instantly acquire life, blooming in charming splendor!
What an intense visual impact this was!
Everyone's soul seemed to tremble at this moment.
There were many visual masters in this world, and their works often managed to bring unexpected visual effects.
The most famous painting among them was one where, viewed from top to bottom, it was an old woman, but viewed upside down, it turned into a young maiden.
These all required extremely high painting skills to create epoch-making masterpieces.
Yet Master Yunlu's artwork was even more advanced, actually capable of transforming an inherently static painting into a living, vibrant entity.
In the short span of ten seconds, it could make people experience the entire process of a charming and bright rose going from a bud to full bloom.
This was simply a divine work!
One could imagine that after Master Yunlu passed a century, the value of this painting could definitely be measured in hundreds of millions.
Shocking!
Unprecedentedly shocking!
Sun Tianlei introduced, "The name of this painting is 'The Roses of a Prosperous Age'."
As soon as his voice fell.
Immediately, the wealthy businessman who had won "Eagles Resting in a Tree" stood up and said, "No need to call out bids, I'll buy this work for twenty million."
Twenty million!
The crowd was astounded; wealthy people were truly bold, bypassing the starting price and directly smashing twenty million into it.
Another wealthy businessman stood up and said, "I bid thirty million."
Thirty million!
Everyone's eyes split with rage.
Directly basing bids in the tens of millions and adding upwards—such behavior was something they were willing to call madness.
There were actually many multi-millionaires at the scene who hadn't bid during the previous session because although that "Eagles Resting in a Tree" was a new work, there was already a version before it, and its ceiling value was only worth eight million.
Even the collectible significance of the new version wasn't as great as the old version, just like a misprinted monkey stamp held higher value than a normally printed version.
However.
This "The Roses of a Prosperous Age" was different; it was a world-shocking divine work, and twenty million was merely its floor price.
Wealthy businessmen entered the fray one after another, and in the blink of an eye, the price reached eighty million, still climbing upward with a strong momentum to break one hundred million.
The ordinary calligraphy and painting enthusiasts at the scene could only gape in astonishment, completely unable to chime in.
At this moment, Sun Tianlei suddenly pressed his palms downward and said, "This painting is only being displayed to everyone today; it is not an auction item."
"Director Sun, we are all regulars at Dongzheng Auction House, you aren't playing fair like this!"
The crowd expressed dissatisfaction one after another.
How could they not understand the auction house's tactics? They were definitely displaying the work first to whet everyone's appetite, then sitting back waiting for the news to spread, so that before long, famous collectors from all over the country would rush over here.
By that time, this painting would fetch a sky-high price.
Sun Tianlei, however, shook his head with a bitter smile and said, "This isn't our auction house's intention; it's Master Yunlu's intention."
How he wished he could auction off this work so they could make a huge profit just from the commission.
However, when the Prince of Nanjiang handed this painting over to his hands, he had said that this work was to be gifted, not sold, and it was supposedly Master Yunlu's own wish, with the Prince of Nanjiang merely conveying it on his behalf.
Hearing him say this, everyone hung their heads in regret.
Suddenly, Sun Tianlei looked toward Liu Yan'er, smiling as he said, "Miss Liu, please come up to the stage."
"Me?"
Liu Yan'er was stunned for a moment, not understanding why Sun Tianlei was suddenly calling her.
Luyun nodded and said, "Yes, Sister Yan'er, he is calling you. Go on up quickly!"
After reconfirming Sun Tianlei's gaze, Liu Yan'er finally walked onto the stage, her beautiful eyes full of confusion.
The people below were also puzzled.
At this moment, Sun Tianlei said respectfully, "Miss Liu, the Prince of Nanjiang has given instructions: this 'The Roses of a Prosperous Age' was specifically painted by Master Yunlu for you alone. Please accept it."
As he spoke, he presented the painting before Liu Yan'er.
Chapter 24: Nine Revolutions Returning Sun Needle
Silence.
Deathly silence.
Following that, applause erupted like thunder.
In everyone's eyes looking at Liu Yan'er, besides envy, there was respect.
Yes, respect.
Master Yunlu was their idol, while Liu Yan'er was the only person who had obtained a custom-made painting dedicated by Master Yunlu, and moreover, such a world-class divine work.
This showed that in Master Yunlu's eyes, this woman had extraordinary significance.
Therefore, how could they dare not respect Liu Yan'er.
This also explained why someone with such an unfamiliar face as Liu Yan'er was qualified to sit in the VIP seats.
As it turned out, everything was arranged by Master Yunlu.
At this moment, standing on the auction stage, Liu Yan'er held the gifted painting of Master Yunlu in both hands, her delicate body trembling slightly.
She found it hard to believe that Master Yunlu would actually custom-make a painting specifically for her.
What kind of virtue did an insignificant woman like her possess to deserve this!
At this moment, Liu Yan'er was no longer the charming and alluring Rose Queen, nor was she the cold-faced assassin Night Rose; she was simply an ordinary star-chasing girl favored by her idol.
At the same time, she was also Luyun's most respected Third Sister, Liu Yan'er.
All of this was naturally arranged by Luyun.
The night before last, Sister Yan'er had suffered indignities at Elder Han's home, and those pedantic old fellows believed that Sister Yan'er was not qualified to integrate into their circle.
Fine.
Then she wouldn't integrate into your circle.
He would personally craft a grand banquet to let them open their dog eyes wide and see who the true top traffic was.
For a time, countless famous collectors proactively extended goodwill to Liu Yan'er, successively inviting her to visit their calligraphy and painting collections.
Even a wealthy businessman offered a price of hundreds of millions, wanting to purchase "The Roses of a Prosperous Age" in Liu Yan'er's hands, but was rejected by Liu Yan'er.
That wealthy businessman wasn't angry either; he merely handed over his business card with a trace of regret, hoping to make friends with Liu Yan'er.
Their purpose in doing so was none other than to get acquainted with Master Yunlu through Liu Yan'er.
Because in their view, Liu Yan'er must know Master Yunlu, and quite well at that; otherwise, Master Yunlu couldn't possibly have painted exclusively for her.
After today, I'm afraid all calligraphy and painting enthusiasts would remember the name Liu Yan'er and remember that she was a very important person to Master Yunlu.
Elder Han, Hu Weiping, and Zhu Hongyuan and his son could only stand far outside the crowd, watching Liu Yan'er being surrounded by countless collection celebrities, their moods incomparably sour and bitter.
Originally, they had been the ones with the best chance to get acquainted with Master Yunlu, but in the end, they had squandered such a great opportunity in vain.
Thinking of this, figures within this circle cast angry glares toward Zhu Rong.
It was all this dog's fault; if it hadn't been for him targeting Miss Liu that night, we would have already hooked up with Master Yunlu's line.
And calling yourself the roundworm in Master Yunlu's belly—you fucking maggot in a cesspit!
Thud!
Before Zhu Hongyuan could even finish regretting, his body suddenly went into spasms, and he collapsed headfirst to the ground, his entire face turning jujube-red once more.
"Dad!"
Zhu Rong cried out in alarm.
Hu Weiping reacted the very first second, taking out his needle pouch to administer acupuncture to Zhu Hongyuan, using the exact same technique as the night before last.
However.