The figure sitting opposite the man was Liu Qingyan, the painter who had not been chosen and had left the Lin Residence.
At this moment, Liu Qingyan lowered his head, looking uneasy.
Hearing the man's words, he hesitated for a moment before reaching out and grabbing the teacup with trembling hands. The tea in the cup almost spilled out. Just as it was about to reach his mouth, the man spoke again.
"You took my five Origin Spirit Coins and said that you would definitely be chosen by the Lin Residence to paint for the young masters of the Lin Residence. But now… the one chosen is that youth. You still have the cheek to drink tea in front of me?"
The man drank the tea in his cup and said coldly.
Liu Qingyan pouted and froze. He did not know whether to drink the tea or not.
Putting down his teacup, Liu Qingyan said helplessly, "There was no helping it…"
"If it was a normal painting, with my decades of experience, I would naturally be able to easily take it down. However, that young man used an unorthodox painting method and happened to hit Madam Hua's weakness. I… am also depressed."
"I don't care about that. I only care about the outcome." The man said, "Now, I'll give you two choices. One, you took five Origin Spirit Coins from me but failed to do anything. Return 500 now."
Liu Qingyan shuddered when he heard that. "How can I take out 500 Origin Spirit Coins?!"
The man finished his tea and placed the cup on the table. He shook his head. "What does it have to do with me whether you can take it out or not? We agreed back then that you would take the money to do the job. If it succeeds, everyone will be happy. If it doesn't, you will return it double."
"This isn't doubling, this is 100 times!" Liu Qingyan's expression was as uncomfortable as if he had eaten sh*t.
"I'm just working for someone else. This Origin Spirit Coin was paid by the young master of the Qin family… How dare you take it? Are you not afraid?" The man said calmly.
When Liu Qingyan heard this, fear spread throughout his body. For some reason, cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
The Qin Residence was the residence of the Prime Minister of Great Zhao. Everyone in Lin'an knew about it.
Liu Qingyan had long heard of the young master of the Qin Residence. He was an unreachable existence!
Since he was unattainable, he naturally could not afford to offend him.
"Young… Young Master Qin… What…" Liu Qingyan was so shocked that he could not even speak clearly.
Perhaps he dared to put on airs in the Lin Residence because they had been loyal for generations and were famous for being easy to talk to. However, in front of the Qin Residence, he did not dare to act recklessly, especially Young Master Qin. Everyone in the Lin'an Prefecture knew that he was temperamental.
"There are a lot of things at stake. You don't need to know."
"The second choice is that I don't need you to return the money, but I need you to contribute."
The man tapped his fingers lightly on the table. The crisp sound echoed in the car, making Liu Qingyan even more nervous.
"Tell me, if I can do it, I'll do my best!" Liu Qingyan hurriedly said.
"You monopolized the painting business of the girls on the pleasure boats and earned a lot of money. I also know that you specially raised many hired thugs to deal with some painters who threatened your business."
"So …"
"Because you weren't chosen by the Lin Residence, you were jealous and held a grudge. You sent thugs to break this young painter's hands and made him unable to paint."
The sound of his fingertips colliding with the table suddenly stopped.
The man looked at Liu Qingyan and said calmly without any fluctuations in his voice.
It was as if breaking the young man's hands was as common as breaking two dead branches.
When Liu Qingyan heard this, he let out a long breath like a relaxed balloon.
...
...
An Le was in a good mood as he walked along the bustling streets. After all, he had gained a lot from this trip.
When he returned to the inn, the waiter was slightly surprised to see An Le. After all, very few people who had been taken away by the constable of the Black Office had returned in one piece.
"Young Master An, are you alright?"
The waiter came over and asked.
An Le smiled. "I've done nothing wrong. What can they do to me? Prepare some good dishes and wine and send them to my room."
"Alright!" The waiter's face was filled with enthusiasm.
When he returned to his room, the room in the inn was not big. It was even a little narrow. After all, the money he earned from selling paintings was not enough for him to rent a good spacious room.
This was Lin'an. Every inch of soil was worth its weight in gold.
Sitting on the chair, An Le poured himself a glass of water and drank it in one gulp. He first took out the money bag that Madam Hua had given him. The money bag contained ten Origin Spirit Coins.
He took one out and placed it in his palm. The Origin Spirit Coin was not big and looked a little like a copper coin. However, it had a glass-like color. After entering Meditation, An Le could even sense some spiritual energy contained in the coin.
There was a coin inside. An Le examined it carefully. It was said that the Origin Spirit Coin contained a special array. Every coin marked the sequence and source, making it difficult to forge.
Ten Origin Spirit Coins were worth 3,000 taels of silver. If one became rich in a day, it would be An Le.
The Lin Residence was indeed a martial arts family. They were indeed extremely rich.
However, the higher the price, the more it showed how much importance Madam Hua placed on this painting. An Le did not dare to be careless in his subsequent painting.
Putting away the money bag, An Le took out two cultivation manuals.
His gaze landed on the Five Animals Body Tempering Technique. This Body Tempering Technique was inferior to the Sword Waterfall Diagram in terms of quality, but it was also quite advanced.
It was all thanks to Madam Hua's favor that An Le was able to obtain such a technique. The painting was deeply loved by her and she was willing to spend a huge sum to exchange for it.
An Le did not immediately flip through the Five Animals Body Tempering Technique. Instead, he closed his eyes and entered Meditation to consolidate his mind.
Stepping into the Meditation Realm of Spirit Refinement made An Le's soul seem to strengthen. His entire mind was calm as if he had endless energy, and his mind was much clearer.
No wonder it was difficult for non-cultivators to enter List A. In comparison, cultivators with Spirit Refinement were extremely energetic and their brains worked faster. It was easier for them to study and they were more competitive than non-cultivators.
After Meditation, he visualized the Sword Waterfall Diagram. There was only a sword on the first page, but it seemed to be soaring through the sky.
He visualized a sword that lay across his mind to strengthen his mind and strive to step into the second realm of Spirit Refinement.
After a while, there was a knock on the door.
An Le slowly opened his eyes, and there seemed to be a sharp glint in his eyes. It was the aftertaste of visualization.
When he opened the door, the waiter brought food over.
There were four good dishes. There was wine and meat.
The waiter held the table and smiled. "Young Master An, this meal money…"
An Le took out an Origin Spirit Coin and handed it to him. "Exchange this Origin Spirit Coin for silver taels and deduct the money for the meal."
Origin Spirit Coin?!
The waiter was dumbfounded. He looked at the glass-like coin and gasped.
One coin could be exchanged for 300 taels of silver!
What did this guest in front of him do?
Yesterday, he could not even afford to pay for the rent. Who would have thought that he would take out an Origin Spirit Coin today? What was he selling?
It had something to do with the constable of the Black Office?
The waiter's heart skipped a beat and he immediately felt reverence. He received the Origin Spirit Coin respectfully and left quickly to exchange it for silver.
An Le closed the door and began to drink and eat. Body Tempering martial arts cultivated the physique, so he naturally had to eat and drink to have strength.
Just as he finished eating, there was another knock on the door. An Le opened the door and saw the innkeeper appear with the waiter.
"Young Master An, this is the money you exchanged for with your Origin Spirit Coin." The shopkeeper was broad-minded and fat. He was all smiles, but he respectfully handed the silver taels to An Le.
An Le smiled and took it. "Thank you, shopkeeper."
"Young Master An, if you have any requests, please let me know." The shopkeeper was very polite. In this day and age, those who could take out the Origin Spirit Coin were all high-ranking officials and nobles.
An Le smiled and nodded. The shopkeeper asked the waiter to clean up the dishes, closed the door, and left respectfully.
After returning to his room, An Le's emotions were calm. Money could boost one's courage and confidence, no matter what world.
After confirming that no one would disturb him, he took out the Five Animals Body Tempering Technique.
An Le let out a breath, his eyes shining with anticipation for martial arts.