The Enigmatic Painting and a Shared Enemy

“So, Elder Song wasn’t after the treasure your father stole?”

Su Hanxing frowned. If he didn’t kill for the treasure, then this matter is far more complicated than it seems.

“Certainly not. If he had come for the treasure, how could I have possibly kept it?” Chai Niang nodded with absolute certainty.

Chi Qiu nodded slightly upon hearing this. Chai Niang’s words held considerable merit.

But why would Elder Song, an Elder of the Heart God Sect, personally kill a Spirit Nourishing cultivator? Was it to silence them?

“After my father’s death, my mother and I lost our protector and were forced to leave our home. Not long after, my mother succumbed to grief, leaving me utterly alone.”

As Chai Niang spoke, her gaze lowered. She continued: “After that, I frequently admired the painting, gradually shedding my mortal shell and simultaneously comprehending the Dao of Ink Wash Painting. I later acquired cultivation methods, trained for over a decade, and finally broke through to the Heart Scripture Realm. I had believed I could avenge my parents, but…”

Chai Niang let out a bitter laugh, leaving the rest unsaid. However, both Chi Qiu and Su Hanxing understood her unspoken meaning. Elder Song of the Heart God Sect was truly powerful, leaving Chai Niang with no hope of vengeance.

“Do not rush the matter of avenging your parents. Since you were able to cultivate to the Heart Scripture Realm without a master’s guidance, your talent is undoubtedly exceptional. Moreover, you are still young with immense potential, while Elder Song is already old and has no chance of breaking through to the Dharma Manifestation Realm. There is no need for haste.” Chi Qiu pondered for a moment before offering her advice.

“I understand your meaning, and I thank you for it. I won’t go seeking death.” Chai Niang forced a smile and nodded towards Su Hanxing.

“You could try finding a sect to join and replace your current cultivation method with a higher-grade one,” Su Hanxing suddenly suggested.

“How could I not know of this method? But those sects willing to take me in merely wish to cultivate me to the God Concealing stage so they can marry me off to an elder within their ranks, simply to bear them an heir.” Chai Niang shook her head.

“Very well, I appreciate your kindness. In the future, I will certainly act only after careful consideration. I only ask that the two of you refrain from divulging this matter to others.” Chai Niang waved her hand, seemingly issuing a polite dismissal.

“Please rest assured. The Heart God Sect is also an enemy of ours, so we will certainly not reveal this matter.” Su Hanxing nodded, giving his word.

Then, as if suddenly recalling something, he pressed further: “Chai Niang, do you recall the name of your father’s sect? I could look into it once I return.”

Why would the Heart God Sect attack a sect without reason, not even sparing a Spirit Nourishing Realm menial disciple? This question greatly piqued Su Hanxing’s curiosity.

“It should be called Qing… Qingyuan Sect. My father said that the sect used to be named Qingyuan Sect, using the ‘yuan’ from ‘far and near,’ but later changed to Qingyuan Sect, using the ‘yuan’ from ‘source of water.'” Chai Niang mused for a long while before finally recalling the name.

“Qingyuan Sect, you say… I understand. Thank you.” Su Hanxing nodded, then rose to his feet.

Chi Qiu rose with Su Hanxing. After bidding Chai Niang farewell, the two turned and departed from the art room.

Inside the art room, Chai Niang stared blankly at the emptiness before her, murmuring words like ‘Heart God Sect’ and ‘God Concealing stage’ to herself. An indeterminate amount of time passed before several tears finally trickled from the corners of her eyes, falling into the dust.

“Since when did the Heart God Sect become my mortal enemy?”

Aboard the flying boat, Chi Qiu and Su Hanxing sat facing each other, chatting idly. Chi Qiu was the first to speak, her expression teasing as she posed the question.

“Ah, Little Chi, given our relationship, your enemy is my enemy, and my enemy… well, naturally, is also your enemy, Little Chi.” Su Hanxing, thick-skinned as ever, declared shamelessly.

“Truly?” Chi Qiu’s expression was skeptical.

“Naturally, it’s true.” Su Hanxing patted his chest with utmost certainty.

“There’s a person in the Tianyan Sect named Yan Tianxing. He tried to kill me before. You can help me deal with him, right?” Chi Qiu leaned sideways in her wooden chair, propping her chin in her hand, and looked at Su Hanxing with an amused expression.

“This…” Su Hanxing instantly faltered. His face flushed with embarrassment, unsure how to respond.

“Are you going to investigate the Qingyuan Sect?” Fortunately, Chi Qiu did not leave him in discomfort for long, quickly posing another question. “The destruction of a sect is a grave matter, especially when carried out by the Heart God Sect, which usually keeps a low profile. There must be profound secrets hidden within this incident. I’m just puzzled as to why there’s no news within our sect.”

Su Hanxing nodded, his expression turning serious.

“What do you mean ‘no news within the Tianyan Sect’?” Chi Qiu was puzzled.

“Our Tianyan Sect excels at star-gazing and divination. No major event in the world can escape our calculations. The Heart God Sect’s annihilation of the Qingyuan Sect… it surely involved battles between Dharma Manifestation Realm experts, which is certainly a major event. By rights, there should have been news within the sect.” Su Hanxing explained.

“Could the Heart God Sect possess methods to conceal heavenly secrets?” Chi Qiu, unfamiliar with the Tianyan Sect’s divination arts, could only make wild guesses.

“It’s unlikely. We’ll need to investigate slowly.” Su Hanxing shook his head.

Chi Qiu nodded, falling silent.

“You haven’t yet viewed the painting you received from Chai Niang. Would you like to examine it here?” Su Hanxing retrieved a flask of spirit wine from his storage artifact, took a sip, and then suddenly spoke.

“I almost forgot about that! I’ll take a look now. Would you like to join me?” Chi Qiu tilted her head slightly. She took the painting from her storage artifact, shook it gently towards Su Hanxing, and asked.

“Such a treasure, of course, deserves to be admired.” Su Hanxing’s eyes lit up. He then carried his wine flask and moved closer to Chi Qiu. He forcefully squeezed onto the wooden chair where Chi Qiu was leaning, then brought his face close to hers. An instant later, the scent of alcohol enveloped Chi Qiu.

“There are other wooden chairs available. Why must you insist on crowding onto mine?” Chi Qiu reluctantly shifted to the side, her tone tinged with slight reproach.

“My comprehension talent isn’t great, so naturally, I need to look closely. Little Chi, would you like some wine?” Su Hanxing, grinning, had already claimed half the chair. He offered the wine flask to Chi Qiu, asking.

“It smells quite fragrant, but I don’t drink. You should just enjoy it yourself.” Chi Qiu shook her head, pushed the flask back, and then prepared to unroll the painting.

“That’s a pity. Little Chi, you’re the first rogue cultivator I’ve met who doesn’t drink.” Su Hanxing raised an eyebrow, then took another sip of wine, remarking. “Most rogue cultivators I’ve encountered also enjoy drinking.”

Chi Qiu nodded. She unrolled the painting, laid it flat before them, and then began to examine it closely.

The painting was made of an unknown fabric, yellowish-white and incredibly resilient. The imagery on it was not as complex or ornate as Chi Qiu and Su Hanxing had imagined. Instead, it comprised only a few simple, ordinary lines. These lines, evolving in a sequence of red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple, meandered and intersected, creating an extremely minimalist design.

“Is… is that all?” Su Hanxing wore a puzzled expression. Although he hadn’t been particularly interested in the painting to begin with, and his offer to examine it closely was merely an excuse to get closer to Chi Qiu, he still felt profoundly disappointed. He even briefly wondered if Chai Niang hadn’t handed over the real treasure to them.

Unlike Su Hanxing, Chi Qiu was immediately captivated the moment her eyes fell upon the painting. Seeing Chi Qiu’s reaction, Su Hanxing finally confirmed that Chai Niang had indeed given them the genuine treasure.

Unable to comprehend the painting himself, Su Hanxing simply drank his wine and amused himself by observing Chi Qiu as she studied the artwork.