"Constable Huang?" An Le looked at Huang Xian, who was rushing over in the spring rain, and was slightly taken aback.
The other party was in a hurry. It was obvious that he was not here to greet him.
"Young Master An, I just went to the inn and didn't see you. I was informed by the waiter that you were heading towards West Lake, so I rushed over to look for you."
Constable Huang chuckled.
As soon as he finished speaking, he cupped his fists and smiled. "Congratulations, Young Master An, for being chosen by the Lin Residence to paint for those young masters who are about to set off."
"I was just lucky. With the sketch for Madam Hua and the Matriarch, I had the chance to stay in the Lin Residence to work."
"I have to thank Constable Huang for bringing me into the Lin Residence."
An Le held the oil-paper umbrella and bowed slightly to thank him.
"Sigh, it's nothing. Miss Ninth asked me to look for Young Master An. I'm just a guide, hahaha."
Constable Huang was in a good mood after receiving An Le's thanks.
"May I know why Constable Huang is looking for me?" An Le asked.
"Yes, let's get down to business. I really have something to ask of Young Master An. Your drawing is named after its authenticity. I would like to ask Young Master An to make a drawing." Constable Huang said seriously.
"Drawing?" An Le was puzzled. "For who?"
Constable Huang wiped his face and shook off some spring rainwater stains. "Young Master An, I won't hide it from you. I invited you to draw a suspect that the Black Office is pursuing."
"The suspect doesn't have a specific appearance, but there are some people who have described him. We want Young Master An to draw the suspect's appearance with these descriptions. Young Master An's painting is famous for being realistic. Perhaps you can reconstruct more of the suspect's appearance."
An Le could not help but understand. So it was a wanted poster.
This wasn't too difficult. The main thing was that even if the drawing was wrong, it wouldn't have much of an impact because there was no real appearance of the suspect to begin with.
However, if there were characteristic descriptions, An Le was confident that he could draw a 70% to 80% portrait, making it easier for him to be wanted.
An Le didn't refuse. He was indebted to Constable Huang, so he agreed to this request.
"Then after I leave the Lin Residence today, I'll go straight to the Black Office to look for Constable Huang. When the time comes, I'll just draw." An Le said with a smile.
Constable Huang was overjoyed to see An Le agree so readily. He felt that this young man was a good match.
"Oh? Young Master An, you have succeeded in Qi Blood Awakening?" Constable Huang noticed the hidden Qi Blood in An Le's body and couldn't help but exclaim in shock.
This was because he remembered An Le saying that he had just started cultivating and had stepped into the first realm of Body Tempering in just a day.
This talent was a little absurd!
"Yesterday, Madam Hua gave me a cultivation manual and I used it to step into the first realm."
An Le couldn't help but smile. The happiness of breaking through would only be greater if shared with someone.
"From the looks of it, Young Master An's enlightenment was just late. You really began cultivating. Your talent can be said to be excellent, but it's a pity that you started late." Constable Huang felt that it was a pity.
The two of them chatted for a while more before An Le took the last strand of Age Qi from Constable Huang.
Constable Huang, who had received An Le's promise, was still busy with work, so he bade farewell and left.
In the Lin'an Prefecture that was covered in spring rain, amidst the crisscrossing alleys, among the tall buildings with cornices reflecting the sun, people were walking in the mortal world with raincoats and umbrellas.
An Le held the oil-paper umbrella and strode forward.
Stepping on the raindrops, they gradually walked into the depths of the quiet street.
...
...
"An Le, from Chongzhou. Last autumn, he passed the Chongzhou Village Examination. He's good at poetry and painting. He hasn't cultivated. His Body Tempering is untouched. He's not a cultivator."
There was a tall restaurant on the side of the long street. It had six corners and heavy eaves. It was decorated with carved beams and paintings. The decoration was luxurious and noble. It was called Drunken Dragon Pavilion.
There were three famous buildings in Lin'an Prefecture. They were Lake Gazing Building, Falling Flower Pavilion, and Drunken Dragon Pavilion.
As the Drunken Dragon Pavilion was close to the depths of the long street and was adjacent to many benefactor's mansions, its business was quite good, and the people who came and went were all noble. The wine and dishes were all excellent, so the price was also high.
It was rumored that the Drunken Dragon Pavilion had a background in the palace. They could even drink the fine wine that was available in the palace, Rose Dew and Drunken Flowing Clouds.
Liu Qingyan spent a huge sum of money to book a seat by the window on the third floor of the Drunken Dragon Pavilion. There was a plate of pig head meat on the table, a plate of stir-fried beef, and the palace wine, Drunken Flowing Clouds.
In front of Liu Qingyan was a message from An Le.
"This young man is actually a Provincial Scholar? Do they want me to break the hands of a Provincial Scholar? I…"
Liu Qingyan's face darkened. He had mixed feelings.
He originally thought that this young man was just like an ordinary artist and had an ordinary identity. He did not expect him to be a young Provincial Scholar.
"Fortunately, this child is not a cultivator. It will be much easier."
"Mr. Luo also promised me that after I'm done with my dirty work, he'll arrange for me to leave Lin'an Prefecture safely. I… have no choice."
Liu Qingyan sighed. In the battle for the benefactor, any random wave could make them unable to control themselves.
This was clearly asking him, Liu Qingyan, to take the blame, but could he refuse?
If he refused, he would probably die faster than the youth.
He picked up the blue-and-white cup and took a sip of the Drunken Flowing Clouds. Five taels of silver were gone.
He picked up two or three pieces of beef and ate them. As he chewed, he looked out of the window.
From this position, he could see the entrance of Jing Street.
If he wanted to go to the Lin Residence, he had to pass through Jing Street. The reason why Jing Street was named Jing was because it happened to be located in the street of a high-ranking official's residence, separated from the bustling main road.
The commoners and vendors did not dare to enter the quiet street for fear of disturbing the benefactor.
The nobles rarely went to Jing Street.
This road was sparsely populated and was the best place to start.
"Young Master An, if you want to blame someone, blame yourself for snatching this old man's opportunity and disrupting the benefactor's plan…"
"What a pity. These hands can draw good art."
Liu Qingyan shook his head. When he thought about how An Le's incredible hands were about to be broken, he couldn't help but feel a little happy. He drank two cups of Drunken Flowing Clouds in a row.
As an artist who could monopolize the painting business of the ladies and courtesans on the floating flower boats, Liu Qingyan naturally had a lot of tricks up his sleeve. Other than his excellent painting skills, there was also the fact that he had colluded with sects and raised some thugs.
Many painters who wanted to snatch business from him suffered. They either broke their hands or tied rocks and sank into the lake. No matter how glamorous the city was, there would always be stinky rats walking around. Liu Qingyan himself was a stinky rat with the identity of a master.
The benefactor looked for him and asked him to make a choice. Should he repay 500 Origin Spirit Coins or break An Le's hands?
To Liu Qingyan, there was not much meaning in making a choice.
Of course, it was to return to his old profession and break An Le's hands!
Although he might offend the Lin Residence because of this, with Young Master Qin protecting him, he could be safe.
After chewing the beef in his mouth, Liu Qingyan picked up his wine cup and glanced at the quiet street. In the continuous spring rain, a figure holding an umbrella appeared.
A green-robed man was holding an oil-paper umbrella. He was like a big flower blooming under the spring rain as he strolled over.
"After entering the Lin Residence to paint and getting close to these nobles, the young man has become so smug."
"But soon, he's going to be so sad."
Liu Qingyan narrowed his eyes and a cold glint flashed across his eyes. He finished the Drunken Flowing Clouds in his cup in one gulp.
There was a snap.
He slammed the wine cup on the table and watched the good show on Jing Street through the drizzle.
...
...
An Le held the umbrella, and the oil-like spring rain converged into a thin stream that flowed between the cracks of the limestone.
The surroundings became quieter and quieter. The pedestrians gradually disappeared, separating them from the noise and clamor. In the depths of Jing Street were the mansions of the nobles. The nobles liked silence, so the noise could not approach.
His green clothes fluttered in the wind, and the sides of his sleeves were slightly wet from the spring rain.
As An Le walked, he was thinking about how to distribute the three wisps of Age Qi that he had just absorbed.
The Cultivation Genius Dao Fruit was enhanced with three wisps, allowing An Le's cultivation talent to increase slightly.
In addition, the Five Animals Body Tempering Technique and the Sword Waterfall Diagram could also be enhanced with Age Qi. An Le had never enhanced them before. As for the Sword Dancer Dao Fruit, An Le had never enhanced it either.
There were too many things to upgrade.
This made him sigh softly. The Age Qi was still too little.
Today, when he entered the Lin Residence, he had to absorb more Age Qi.
However, he could not take advantage of Madam Hua's Age Qi. Every time he took advantage of her, it would enter cooldown. It was too wasteful of an opportunity.
Huh?!
An Le, who was immersed in thinking about how to distribute the Age Qi, was suddenly stunned.
The mental power he cultivated through Meditation made him feel a sense of danger!
He turned his head abruptly.
In an uninhabited alley on Jing Street, three burly men in short coats covered their mouths and noses with various triangular scarves and looked at him with sinister smiles.
Breaking the hand of a weak artist was something that this group of repeat offenders, who were raised by Liu Qingyan, were very familiar with.
They liked to listen to the screams of those arrogant scholars.
"You are An Le?"
The leader, a burly man holding a red triangular scarf, asked.
"Someone wants your hands, tactfully reach out and let us break them. That way, you won't have to suffer a beating."
As the burly man spoke, he suddenly rushed out of the alley.
The spring rain was scattered by his body and vaguely covered in a misty human-shaped mist!
In just a few steps, he rushed to An Le's side.
He punched out with his huge fist. It was the common Zhao Zu's Long Fist. Although he did not have the support of Qi Blood, he fought well. He looked forward to seeing the young man's terrified and despairing face under the oil-paper umbrella and the miserable cry that was about to sound.
And yet.
Under the oil-paper umbrella, the young man's eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the approaching burly man with a red scarf covering his mouth. He tilted his head.
Five Animals - Thirteen Forms of the Tiger!
His Qi Blood circulated and his strength was generated!
There seemed to be the sound of a tiger roaring in the forest!
The spring rain on the young man's body exploded into powder!
The burly man felt that the weak young man in front of him had suddenly turned into a living tiger!