120: A painting is hard to come by

Seeing Xiaorou like this, the young man stepped forward to comfort her, his heart aching.

"Xiaorou, what is meant to be will be; do not force what is not meant to be. Perhaps the Master also has his own difficulties."

Xiaorou forced a smile and said softly, "I know, don't worry about me."

After Xiaorou finished speaking, her gaze once again sank into the painting.

Seeing this, the young man shook his head helplessly.

Then he walked up to Lin Mu and said, "Master, although I know that using money to measure these divine works is a defilement of them."

"But this is all I have right now."

As the young man spoke, he took out an exquisite snakeskin pouch.

He respectfully handed the pouch to Lin Mu with both hands.

Lin Mu did not refuse. After taking the pouch, he opened it without ceremony.

Inside the pouch, a thick stack of banknotes was visible.

Lin Mu took out a banknote and looked at the number on it.

It read, "Huitong Bank, one thousand taels."

Lin Mu roughly estimated that there were twenty to thirty such banknotes.

This was quite a substantial sum.

Although most martial artists used spirit stones as currency,

silver still had considerable purchasing power.

These banknotes were enough to buy a decent manor in Hancheng City.

Seeing Lin Mu fiddling with the banknotes, the young man couldn't help but feel nervous.

If the Master didn't like banknotes, then he would have to ask Xiaorou for help.

After all, Xiaorou came from the Tao Family, so getting some spirit stones shouldn't be a problem for her.

However, he was always disliked by the Tao Family, so he rarely asked Xiaorou to speak to them.

Just then, Lin Mu suddenly spoke, "I'll accept the banknotes. Young Master, pick whichever painting you like."

The young man was stunned, then excitedly said, "Thank you, Master."

With that, he didn't bother with further pleasantries with Lin Mu.

He immediately rushed to the paintings and began to choose carefully.

The young man continuously walked among the many portraits.

After a long while, he still hadn't made a decision.

He would scratch his ears and cheeks at times, and at other times, he would hesitate, at a loss.

Lin Mu walked up to him and asked softly, "Young Master, have none of these paintings caught your eye?"

The young man quickly replied, "No, no, no, I just like them all and don't know how to choose."

He scratched his head sheepishly.

Then his eyes darted around, and he said, "How about I trouble the Master to choose one for me?"

Lin Mu pondered for a moment and said, "Very well."

He paced a few steps in the room, then took a painting and handed it to the young man.

"What do you think of this one?"

The young man took the painting and examined it carefully.

In the painting, a thousand-year-old ancient fir stood proudly and majestically between cliffs and precipices.

This particular painting happened to be one of his most favored ones.

He carefully rolled up the painting and put it away.

Then he asked curiously, "Does the painting the Master chose for me have some deeper meaning?"

Lin Mu smiled calmly and said, "Because I feel you are very much like it."

The young man frowned and asked, "What does that mean?"

Lin Mu continued, "Outwardly flamboyant, inwardly restrained."

The young man was quite shocked by these words.

He and Lin Mu had only met a few times.

Yet, Lin Mu could see through all his disguises.

He came from an ordinary background but married the eldest daughter of Hancheng City's most prominent family.

In the eyes of outsiders, he became a man who climbed the social ladder by relying on a woman, a 'kept man' who rose to prominence through his wife.

And the Tao Family members also sneered at him.

But he never tried to explain or prove anything.

He dedicated all his time and energy to improving himself.

Everyone was unaware that the 'kept man,' the 'pretty boy' in their eyes,

was now a genuine Spirit Building Realm martial artist.

While such a cultivation level might not be astonishing, it was far superior to most of the Tao Family's younger generation.

This secret was unknown even to the person by his side.

Yet Lin Mu could see through it at a glance.

But he clearly hadn't felt a trace of spiritual power from Lin Mu.

And at Lin Mu's age, it was impossible for him to be a profound expert.

He gave a wry smile, covering his shock.

Then he feigned ignorance, saying, "The Master's artistic conception is profound; I cannot grasp it for now."

"I will slowly study and comprehend it when I return."

Seeing this, Lin Mu did not expose him. He nodded, signaling that the young man could leave.

The young man held the painting in his hand, and with his other hand, he supported Xiaorou, who was still lost in contemplation.

As the young man reached the doorway, Lin Mu's voice suddenly entered his ears.

"What you don't care about doesn't mean she doesn't care. Young people should strive and contend."

Upon hearing this, the young man's body suddenly stiffened in place.

"That's right, how could I have not considered Xiaorou's feelings?"

"For my sake, she must have suffered countless snubs in the Tao Family."

The foot he had stepped out of the shop door retreated.

He bowed solemnly to Lin Mu with both hands.

"Thank you, Master, for your guidance. If it weren't for the Master's words, I would have lived my entire life in my own world."

At this moment, Xiaorou also regained some clarity.

She asked in confusion, "Brother Gui, what are you talking about?"

The young man held Xiaorou's hand affectionately and said, "Xiaorou, I made you suffer in the past. From now on, I will never let you suffer even a bit of grievance again."

Xiaorou stared blankly at the young man's appearance, and couldn't help but shed tears of joy.

"Brother Gui, as long as I'm with you, I'm willing to endure any amount of hardship."

After Xiaorou finished speaking, her tears could no longer be held back, and she buried her head in the young man's embrace.

Lin Mu genuinely hadn't expected that his casual remark would make him witness such a large display of affection.

He awkwardly interrupted the young couple, saying, "You two, I still have to open for business."

Xiaorou's face flushed crimson as she pulled away from the young man's embrace, then she scurried away.

Seeing this, the young man cupped his hands to Lin Mu again, then strode off to chase after Xiaorou.

The arrival of these two was merely a brief interlude in Lin Mu's life.

Spring turned to autumn, and ten years passed in the blink of an eye.

During these ten years, people occasionally came to Lin Mu's shop to buy paintings.

Everyone who acquired a painting was ecstatic.

In just a few short years, Lin Mu's paintings not only spread throughout Hancheng City

but also stirred up quite a craze across the entire nation.

For a time, the paintings in Lin Mu's shop were snapped up.

Those who couldn't buy a painting waited daily at Lin Mu's doorstep.

The originally quiet street suddenly became bustling with traffic.

Lin Mu was also greatly annoyed by these people.

Finally, he could only write at the entrance, "Only one painting made per day, for those with destiny."

As for how 'destiny' was determined, it was simply Lin Mu selling to whoever he found pleasing.

For a time, any casual painting of Lin Mu's circulating outside was hyped to exorbitant prices.

Even many high-level cultivators, not hesitating to travel thousands of miles from other regions, came to seek paintings.

This was because it was rumored that someone, after observing Lin Mu's paintings, had directly broken through from the Spirit Roaming Realm to the Flying Heaven Realm.

Although most people were skeptical of this news,

there were still some martial artists who had been stuck in a realm for a long time who rushed over upon hearing the news.

These people initially intended to use their cultivation to force Lin Mu to paint.

But when they saw Lin Mu's paintings, they were immediately awestruck.

They willingly lined up at Lin Mu's door, waiting for the day their destiny would arrive.

On this day, a beautiful figure appeared at the entrance of Lin Mu's shop.

Everyone's gaze involuntarily turned to her.

Some local residents who recognized her couldn't help but exclaim, "Isn't that the Tao Family's Eldest Young Miss? Even she has come."

As soon as these words were uttered, they immediately sparked a buzz of discussion among the crowd.