Chapter 98

The final round—the deciding round—was a drinking contest.

It was divided into three stages: the Elegant Challenge, Ink and Wash Painting, and Poetry and Prose. In short, it was a test of talent through wine.

Each of the two wine houses would send three contestants: one for the Elegant Challenge, one for painting, and one for poetry and prose.

There happened to be six wine judges present, divided into pairs, with each pair responsible for setting the questions for one of the three stages.

With their final honor and disgrace on the line, both Cup Immortal and Dukang Pavilion had settled down. An invisible cloud of tension filled the air!

Yun Yaoyao watched from between the folds of the screen with even greater interest, chatting idly with Tu Shanjin. “Who do you think will win in the end?”

Tu Shanjin set down his wine cup. “Cup Immortal will win.”

Yun Yaoyao was puzzled. “Why?”

Tu Shanjin shot her a glance, the corners of his lips curling slightly. “Take a guess.”

Yun Yaoyao: “…”

Well, well. The tyrant was surprisingly petty!

By now, the competition onstage was in full swing. The contestants from both wine houses displayed their quick wits and literary talents, and in the end, Cup Immortal narrowly came out ahead.

The second stage was ink and wash painting. The judges would set a random subject related to wine, and the painters had to create their works on the spot.

As soon as the two painters appeared, the watching townspeople burst into excited chatter and cheers.

From the conversations around her, Yun Yaoyao learned roughly what was going on. It was all because of the painter representing Dukang Pavilion: Zhuang Xun.

Zhuang Xun had begun studying painting when he was very young. Before he had even reached twenty, he was already said to have “mastered the mysteries of ink and color.” Now past the age of thirty, he had been honored by the world as the Sage of Painting—a man who possessed both immense talent and countless accolades.

The reason someone of his stature had been invited was that he and Gao Dexiang had been friends for many years. He had come at Gao Dexiang’s request.

Yun Yaoyao shook her head. “Looks like Cup Immortal is going to lose this round.”

Before long, both painters completed their works according to the assigned subject.

Master Zhuang had painted a scene of a talented scholar leaning against a railing and drinking wine. The figure in the painting was so lifelike, with such vivid features and eyes, that it seemed he might step right out of the scroll.

Once the two paintings were placed side by side, the difference in quality was immediately clear, and the winner was obvious.

The surrounding townspeople could not help marveling at the lifelike figure in the painting. Then one of the judges let out a cry of astonishment.

“This… This is what I looked like when I was young!”

Master Zhuang stood with his hands behind his back and nodded slightly. “The figure in this painting was inspired by Judge Tong.”

Once everyone had considered the implications of his words, they looked at Master Zhuang with such astonishment that they were left speechless.

Judge Tong was more than thirty years older than Master Zhuang. When Judge Tong had been young, Master Zhuang had not even been born yet. And yet Master Zhuang had managed to recreate the man’s younger appearance based on the real person!

He truly deserved to be called the Sage of Painting of his generation!

Judge Tong could not stop shaking his head in amazement. “I had heard that Master Zhuang excels at portraits. Seeing it with my own eyes is even more astonishing.”

“Would Master Zhuang be willing to part with this painting and give it to me? I would gladly offer a thousand pieces of gold!”

Master Zhuang smiled calmly. “Gold and silver have long since become nothing more than worldly possessions to me. If you like it, Judge Tong, take it. Consider it a gesture of goodwill.”

“Then I thank you, Master Zhuang!”

Judge Tong threw back his head and laughed heartily as he accepted the painting.

The crowd erupted into another round of exclamations over Master Zhuang’s skill and generosity. Only Yun Yaoyao was thinking a step further.

Good heavens. He was so good at painting portraits that he could even recreate what a person had looked like at different ages based on experience.

Wasn’t he the heaven-sent talent for drawing wanted posters?

If they brought him into the Ministry of Justice, how much would that boost their KPIs?

Beside her, Tu Shanjin saw the predatory gleam beginning to shine in Yun Yaoyao’s eyes and immediately knew that her old habit of luring talented people into the government had flared up again.

Master Zhuang returned to Gao Dexiang’s side and lightly patted him on the shoulder. “My old friend, I’ve done all I can. From here on, it’s all up to you.”

Gao Dexiang’s heart tightened once more as the pressure descended upon him.

Master Zhuang was just about to take his seat when he suddenly heard a voice.

“As expected of the Sage of Painting of our age. Your skill is truly impressive! However, although this painting is excellent, it is missing one final layer of artistic depth.”

Master Zhuang turned toward the voice. Seeing that it came from the mysterious person behind the screen, he was not offended. Instead, he humbly asked, “And what does Your Excellency mean by that?”

Yun Yaoyao said, “Master Zhuang, have you recently been feeling short of inspiration? Do your paintings often fail to reach the level you desire, leaving you trapped in a period of stagnation?”

Master Zhuang nodded, rather surprised. “Yes. Is this related to the final layer of artistic depth you mentioned?”

Yun Yaoyao smiled. “Of course.”

Not really.

For anyone involved in art, a lack of inspiration was the norm. Bursts of inspiration were the exception. And for someone like Master Zhuang, who had already reached such a high level and was trying to break through to an even greater one, it was only natural that progress would become increasingly difficult.

“I know someone who once experienced the same bottleneck as Master Zhuang. Later, he broke through his confusion, comprehended a great truth, and ultimately reached the highest realm. He then passed this truth on to me.”

Everyone present held their breath and pricked up their ears, curious to hear more.

Yun Yaoyao continued, “There are five levels to a person’s realm. The first is the physiological level, which means satisfying one’s most basic needs for food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and so on. For example… blah, blah, blah…”

“The second level is the level of safety, which means… The third is the level of belonging and love… The fourth is the level of esteem, in which one possesses a certain status, and one’s abilities and accomplishments have earned recognition from both oneself and the people… blah, blah, blah…”

“Master Zhuang is currently at the fourth level. Through his exquisite painting skills, he has gained status and earned recognition and respect. As for the final level…” Yun Yaoyao deliberately paused for effect.

This was the first time Master Zhuang had ever heard such a theory. He was both amazed by its novelty and desperate to know more. “What exactly is the final level?”

Yun Yaoyao smiled. “The final level is self-actualization. It is the highest realm a person can attain.”

“To reach this realm, one must bring one’s ideals, ambitions, and abilities into full play. Master Zhuang is currently trapped in a bottleneck. To break through this confusion, you must realize the greater self through the lesser self!”

“Master Zhuang’s greatest talent lies in painting portraits. You could go to the Ministry of Justice and draw wanted posters for criminals.”

“Most wanted criminals are vicious lawbreakers who have destroyed countless families and left the people living in fear, posing a grave threat to the realm and its people. Yet the Ministry of Justice suffers from a lack of an artist like you—someone capable of rendering wanted criminals with lifelike accuracy!”

“For every extra bit of resemblance you capture, perhaps the criminal can be apprehended that much sooner, saving one more family!”

“Besides, how many people in the world possess your ability to recreate what someone looked like at different ages? Not only could this help the authorities capture fugitives who have been wanted for years, it could also help parents whose young children have been abducted find them and reunite their families!”

“When the countless common people you have helped spontaneously give thanks, build shrines in your honor, and offer you a place among the gods, boundless merit will gather upon you. Your virtue will be immeasurable, and your name will be recorded in the annals of history!”

“The name Zhuang Xun, along with your deeds, will be passed down through the ages and endure for all time!”

“At that point, Master Zhuang, you will have reached the highest realm. You will have achieved true self-actualization!”

Her impassioned speech not only stirred the blood of the surrounding townspeople, but also moved them to shout from the sidelines:

“Master Zhuang is a man of great righteousness!”

“Master Zhuang will wipe out evil and uphold justice!”

“Master Zhuang will save countless broken families!”

Even Zhuang Xun himself was stirred to the depths of his soul by her words. A blazing sense of purpose gathered in his chest, and the mission in his eyes was practically about to burst forth!

He felt as though a succession of pitiful victims had appeared before him: people whose families had been destroyed by fugitives, parents whose young children had been abducted by traffickers. They were all gazing at him through misty, tear-filled eyes brimming with hope.

And he could save them all!

Zhuang Xun breathed heavily, doing his best to calm himself.

Behind the screen, Yun Yaoyao hurriedly took two gulps of tea to soothe her throat, which was nearly smoking dry.

Beside her, Tu Shanjin chuckled and refilled her cup. “This person you mentioned—is he real, or did you make him up?”

Yun Yaoyao took two more gulps. “Of course he’s real! He was a famous psychologist… Oh, no, a scholar of realms—Maslow!”

Tu Shanjin raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Was he also from the Netherworld?”

“Sort of. He kicked the bucket ages ago, after all.”

“What does ‘kicked the bucket’ mean?” Tu Shanjin asked curiously upon hearing the new expression.

Yun Yaoyao held back her laughter and explained with a perfectly serious expression, “The word ‘gā’ has different meanings depending on the context. For example, ‘gā le’ means someone died; ‘gā-gā handsome’ or ‘gā-gā fierce’ means extremely handsome or extremely fierce; ‘gā-gā slaughtering’ means killing everything in sight. There are also expressions like ‘crisp as a snap,’ ‘gā the eggs,’ ‘gā the kidneys,’ ‘sou gā,’ ‘Thunderous Gāba,’ and so on. You don’t understand any of this, do you~?”

Tu Shanjin: “…”

He really didn’t. The Netherworld had far too many sayings, and they were so complicated. He suddenly felt that he and the Book of Life and Death had a generation gap.

No matter. He would commit them all to memory and secretly dazzle her with them someday!

Outside the screen, Zhuang Xun had already calmed down. He approached Yun Yaoyao and solemnly cupped his hands. “Your words have truly enlightened me. Thank you!”

“I, Zhuang Xun, will now go in search of that final realm!”

With that, he threw back his head and laughed heartily before leaving, leaving everyone in the Dukang Pavilion standing there in disarray.

Gao Dexiang: Wait! His one and only close friend had said that all he wanted in this life was to be a carefree recluse. And just like that, he had abandoned him?!

Why did this scene feel so familiar somehow?!

Gao Dexiang stared intently at the screen. He felt that a certain thought in his heart was just about to burst into the open!

Behind the screen, Yun Yaoyao also glanced cheerfully in Gao Dexiang’s direction, the corners of her lips curving upward.

Just wait. You’ll be next soon.

Gao Dexiang inexplicably shuddered. He had no time to think about it, because the final outcome of the drinking contest now rested entirely on his shoulders!

Returning to the matter at hand, Gao Dexiang looked toward the man seated opposite him among the Cup Immortals and said, “Let’s begin the final round.”

The man gave a slight shake of his head and smiled as he waved his folding fan. “I’m not a contestant. I’m only here for appearances.”

“The true competitor is that honored guest.”

Gao Dexiang’s heart gave a sudden lurch.

Not far away, Pei Qianhuo respectfully ushered someone inside.

The newcomer was tall and slender, with an elegant bearing. His voice rang out like bamboo striking jade. “My duties kept me occupied, and I was delayed in arriving. Please forgive me, everyone.”

The instant they saw who it was, the Gao father and son both cried out in shock.

And the heart Gao Dexiang had kept suspended all this time finally died.