Chapter 832 A Place Only She Knew Well
After finishing his words, Hou Xiaoyong turned to Ye Xuanyue, making exaggerated facial expressions. He meant for her to back down, not be so bold, and just let the matter slide.
It was fortunate that she hadn’t actually destroyed the painting.
But Ye Xuanyue stood there, showing no intention of apologizing. Seeing her determined look, Hou Xiaoyong felt his vision darken.
Was this little girl spoiled rotten? Why did she have so little awareness?
Then Ye Xuanyue spoke. What she said made Hou Xiaoyong freeze.
She raised her head, her gaze calm, the corners of her lips lifting slightly.
“I did not want to destroy this painting. I only wanted to complete it, because I could see it was incomplete.”
Her voice was clear and cool.
Hou Xiaoyong felt like he was about to collapse. What kind of nonsense was that? A perfectly fine landscape painting by someone else—and she called it incomplete? Wasn’t she just asking for trouble?
This old man clearly wasn’t someone easy to deal with. He probably couldn’t be defeated. What to do—should they run?
Hou Xiaoyong’s heart was in turmoil, faint sweat appearing on his forehead.
The elder in the gray robe raised his head and looked at Ye Xuanyue. His gaze grew intricate. He studied her face, hesitated for a moment, then spoke.
“You said this painting is incomplete? Where exactly is it incomplete?”
Ye Xuanyue paused, then slowly traced her finger through the air along the mountain range in the painting. Her voice was calm and rational.
“Here, here… and here.”
As her finger pointed out each spot, the elder’s expression grew more peculiar. He scrutinized her face back and forth, as if trying to see something extraordinary in her.
Leng Moran coughed beside her and spoke.
“If it’s not acceptable, we can just leave.”
Ye Xuanyue knew Leng Moran was playing along. She held back a smile, intending to turn and leave immediately. But before her foot could step past the threshold, she heard the elder’s voice.
“Wait! Since you think this painting is incomplete, then complete it for me to see.”
After hearing these words, Ye Xuanyue turned her head, a hint of a smile glimmering in her eyes.
She said softly,
“Alright.”
This turn of events came too quickly, almost catching Hou Xiaoyong completely off guard. The key point was—he felt that this girl and that young man seemed to know something, while he was completely in the dark.
He honestly couldn’t see any profound mystery in the painting at all.
Hou Xiaoyong scratched his head, a trace of a bitter smile in his eyes. Never mind, he thought, he would just follow this girl for now. But honestly—the way she held herself while painting actually looked quite impressive.
Ye Xuanyue gripped the brush. She earnestly traced stroke by stroke, following the original painting.
Her painting skill wasn’t actually that great; after all, she wasn’t a painter by training. But her spiritual power was extremely refined, allowing her to completely control the force of the brush tip. Besides, this wasn’t creating from nothing.
Ye Xuanyue recalled something in her mind, and her brushstrokes were sure. One could almost say her brush was guided by divine inspiration.
A few strokes from her, and the painting wasn’t ruined at all. Instead, it gained an even more vivid aura. The original painting, after Ye Xuanyue’s additions—with rivers and mountains corresponding to each other—seemed increasingly full of vitality.
Ye Xuanyue placed her final stroke. She raised her head, her eyes perfectly clear. Her voice was pleasant as she spoke directly.
“It’s done.”
The elder looked at the painting Ye Xuanyue had completed, his expression growing more peculiar. After a long while, he spoke in a low voice.
“So that’s how it is…”
He hesitated, then said,
“Come upstairs with me for a moment.”
Where was any trace of his earlier furious anger now? This nearly made Hou Xiaoyong’s eyes pop out in shock.
Ye Xuanyue, however, showed no surprise. She nodded and spoke to Leng Moran.
“I’ll be upstairs for a while.”
Leng Moran nodded. He was usually extremely protective of Ye Xuanyue, but right now, his expression held no worry at all. Instead, there was a faint hint of a smile.
Hou Xiaoyong glanced hesitantly at Leng Moran a couple of times, then leaned close to his ear and whispered,
“Do you know this elder?”
Leng Moran shook his head.
Hou Xiaoyong became even more confused. But the young man across from him merely wore a faint, teasing smile, clearly having no intention of explaining anything. It left Hou Xiaoyong scratching his head alone.
Meanwhile, Leng Moran’s gaze lingered on the painting Ye Xuanyue had completed.
This painting…
He hadn’t been very sure at first. But after Ye Xuanyue completed it, he recognized it immediately.
What it depicted was simply a map.
And—the reason Ye Xuanyue knew it so well was because this map depicted none other than the Secret Realm of the Yuling Sect on the Spirit Martial Continent.
It was only natural she was familiar with it.
The Secret Realm of the Yuling Sect was vast, containing mountains, rivers, everything. This map had indeed been incomplete. But Ye Xuanyue had stayed in the Yuling Sect for so long that she knew it very well, and thus completed it easily.
This place… it truly had some connection to the Yuling Sect.
So of course Leng Moran wasn’t the least bit worried. Xuanyue was a disciple of the Yuling Sect.
Even if the Yuling Sect on the Lingtian Continent hadn’t been in contact with the one on the Spirit Martial Continent for a long time, they shared the same roots. Presumably, they wouldn’t harm her.
But this painting…
Leng Moran pursed his lips.
Hmm, Xuanyue’s painting skill was actually this good? Perhaps… His gaze fell on the blank paper and ink nearby, and he suddenly felt a spark of interest.
Xuanyue would probably talk with that elder for quite a while. So Leng Moran simply picked up the brush Ye Xuanyue had left aside, dipped it in ink, looked at the blank paper before him, hesitated for a moment, and also began to paint.
This left Hou Xiaoyong absolutely bewildered.
These people… Why were they suddenly all starting to paint?
Ye Xuanyue followed the elder up the stairs. She was already ninety percent sure in her heart, so she wasn’t flustered. She walked up. The elder pushed open a door and beckoned.
After Ye Xuanyue walked in, she found the room arranged quite elegantly.
The elder said softly,
“Have a seat. Would you like some tea? Let me pour you a cup.”
Ye Xuanyue had actually intended to refuse, but the elder didn’t even wait for her to speak. He simply picked up the teapot on the square table and poured her a cup.
Ye Xuanyue held the teacup, lightly touched it to her lips, and then heard the elder opposite her speak.
“So… where are you from?”