Chen only smiled wordlessly as Shi Mingwei yelled at him. He wouldn't be so relaxed if he did not have his secret weapon with him. After that, Mu looked for a driver to get the authentic painting with Chen. Inside the car, Chen played with his cellphone without showing any sense of insecurity and anxiety. This made Mu feel really surprised.
He was thinking, "This kid looks so calm. Was he telling the truth?"
Of course, Chen actually did not own the painting but he knew the artist; Tang Bohu.
Ding!
Joy filled Chen's face when his cellphone vibrated.
Tang Bohu: Good day, my God! Is there anything that I can do for you today?
This guy was the leader of the Jiangnan Four prodigies. The way he spoke was very poetic and full of intelligence.
Chen: Erm… Why am I suddenly a God now?
Tang: The Prime of Tongtian announced that he took you in as his apprentice. Although you are not yet a God, officially, you'll be one, soon enough.
Chen: I see. Actually, I need you to do me a favor today. Can you draw me a Frosty Autumn Spring Tree painting?
Tang: It is not necessary to draw one. If my god needs one, I can send it over right now.
Chen: You actually have a ready-made one with you? (Sweating emoji)
Tang: Sigh. I have trained in hell for thousands of years. At times, when I get bored, I will re-draw the artwork that I created when I was still alive. I have drawn the Frosty Autumn Spring Tree so many times that my storage room is full of it.
This Tang Bohu was just like Xiangyu. Both of them trained in hell for thousands of years. Yet, they were still not Gods yet. They had it pretty rough.
Ding!
[You have received Tang Bohu's Red Envelope.]
Tap!
The Red Envelope opened when Chen pressed on it. Inside the Red Envelope was a painting scroll.
Ding!
[Congratulation on snatching Tang Bohu's Red Envelope! You have received a Frosty Autumn Spring Tree painting. It has been stored in your treasure chest. Do you want to withdraw it?]
Chen saw clearly that the golden "Qi" was all around the painting scroll through the Netherspirit Battlescouter. Chen knew that this painting was definitely a real deal. Also, its rarity was impeccable. His problem should be able solved by showing this painting to others.
"The Shi family is going to cry in front of me later. Of course, I can't retrieve the painting right now because Mu is sitting right beside me," Chen thought.
He had to wait until he arrived at the dorm to withdraw it. He had to play it cool. There was great joy within him. Suddenly, Chen was shocked.
Ding!
[You have made a deal with a spirit in hell. 10 Triple Realms Merit points have been deducted from you. You have 90 points left. Your level is Ordinary People.]
"What the f*ck! I had no f*cking idea that asking for a spare painting from Tang is consider as a trade!" Chen was kind of upset.
"I get downgraded back down to "Mundane Mortal" without me noticing it! This is a pain in the ass!"
Ding!
Tang: Thank you so much for your Triple Realms Merit Points. I'm one step closer to becoming a God!" (Three surprise emojis)
Chen quickly calmed down, realizing that it was not easy to live as a spirit in hell. It was totally fine to give him ten points.
Chen: You are most welcome! (Three Gambateh emojis)
Tang: I just want to say, thank you again! You are certainly the most friendly and polite God that I ever met. (Three crying emojis)
Chen smiled when he started to imagine the face of Tang being so grateful to him. Then, he thought again, it was actually a good thing to help out the spirits in hell. This made Chen really happy.
After that, Chen brought Mu to his dorm and he acted as if he was grabbing the painting from beneath his blanket.
Mu was very puzzled and thought, "I can't believe that this kid put a national treasure under his blanket. This getting ridiculous!"
Mu wasn't easily fazed. He did not say a word to Chen, even though he found the whole thing very peculiar. Without saying a word, Mu brought Chen back to his villa.
"I'm sorry for the long wait. I'm back!" Chen entered the villa with all eyes on him.
"You son of the b*tch! You can't fool me with a replica! You are going to return me my money today!" Shi DaFeng yelled.
"Hehe…."
Chen smiled and said, "Everyone here knows an antique when they see one. Also, experts like Mr. Wang Jianjun are here to examine the painting that I brought here. He would know."
Shi Dafeng said condescendingly, "Hmph! You will know the pain when I put a coffin in front of you! Get ready to die, bitch! I already told Mr. Wang to expose your dirty trick! You lying motherf*cker!"
"Hehe… Mr. Wang, please have a look at the painting that I have brought here."
Chen opened the painting scroll and lay it flat on the table confidently. Wang adjusted his glasses and started to examine the painting carefully. At the same time, everyone around him stretched out their necks, opened their eyes wide and anticipated the final result from Wang.
"Great! This is just great!"
A second later, Wang said in a very surprised tone, "The mountain looks so lively! The water from the stream flows like silk! The height of the mountains can be distinguished clearly! The accumulated snow on the tree is quite an artistic touch! The drawing is just magical and impeccable! There are no words to describe this piece of magnificent artwork!"
Shi Dafeng started to get really nervous and asked in fear, "Mr. Wang, can you please clarify with me right now...? Is this the real deal?"
"Of course, this is the real deal!"
Wang's reply was quick and definite, "I am going to put my reputation on the line to guarantee that this is the real deal! This Frosty Autumn Spring Tree definitely came from Tang Bohu himself!"
"How… How is this even possible?"
Shi Dafeng was stunned. He felt like he had just been stuck by lightning. His mind went blank and he moved back a few steps. Finally, he fell to the ground. In the end, Mr. Wang had proved that Chen's painting was the real deal. In other words, the painting that Chen tore just now was a replica! It also meant that Shi Dafeng paid two hundred million to buy a replica. This was a huge blow to the Shi family.
"Dad! Uncle! Master!"
Shi Mingwei, Yao Bingbing, and Jing Fei quickly rushed to Shi Dafeng to help him get up on the ground.
"You son of a bitch! This must be your dirty trick! You can't get away from this! Pay us back the two hundred million!" Shi Mingwei said in extreme anger.
"Idiot!"
Chen rolled his eyes on him and said condescendingly, "You are embarrassing your family. Everyone here, including Mr. Wang and Master Tian know that my painting is the real deal."
"I..." Shi Mingwei was speechless and his face tuned red.
Mr. Wang was just an examiner but Mu was the kind of person that no one would mess with.
"The truth had been revealed, Shi Mingwei. My condolences on your family for paying two hundred million for a replica. However, this is not Mr. Chen's fault."
"If you demand to be compensated for your loss, according to the price of your replica, I think one thousand Yuan is more than enough."
"What?!! One thousand?!!" Shi Mingwei almost cried when he heard that.
Chen was ecstatic. He took a stack of cash and put it on the table.
"I'm going to give you two thousand! You are welcome!"