Top-tier Unruly Master

"Elder Mu still has work to attend to, so I'll let my granddaughter accompany young Master Ding to have a good tour around Yanjing and fulfill the duties of a host." After leaving the secret warehouse, Mu Wuhui said.

Ding Fan nodded. "Thank you, Elder Mu."

Mu Zi, who was standing beside them, spoke with great excitement. "Brother Fan, I know many fun places in Yanjing, let me take you and Sister Mei Li to have some fun…"

Seeing Mu Zi's excited and playful demeanor, Ding Fan actually smiled. Having obtained the Telepathic Stone and Iron Essence, he was already in a good mood, so he didn't decline her offer right away.

With the matter of the secret warehouse concluded, Mu Wuhui didn't stay any longer and left directly with Xiao Wu, Xue Gang, and a few others. At this time, Mei Li did not go out to play with Ding Fan and the others either.

Mei Li handled matters with composure, and although she didn't say anything, Ding Fan felt reassured by her, so naturally, he did not inquire further.

The place Ding Fan most wanted to visit in Yanjing was naturally Antique City, and the most renowned Antique City in Yanjing was, of course, the Liuli Factory.

After all, Yanjing is the capital of Huaxia Country, the city with the most prosperous economy and culture. Ding Fan was hoping to try his luck to see if he could find one or two Magic Artifacts, or even Spiritual Energy, in the local antique market.

Mu Zi was very familiar with the lay of the land in Yanjing and immediately drove Ding Fan directly to the Liuli Factory.

Liuli Factory Street, located outside the Peace Gate of Yanjing, is a famous cultural street with its origins in the Qing Dynasty. In those times, Scholars who came to the capital to take the imperial examinations mostly resided in this area, thus, shops selling books, brushes, ink sticks, and inkstones were numerous, creating a strong cultural atmosphere.

The moment Ding Fan got out of the car, he felt the cultural atmosphere that had settled in here. The shops on both sides of the street had an ancient charm, and according to what Mu Zi said, many of these shops had a heritage of over a hundred years.

Mu Zi then naturally assumed the role of a free commentator, narrating the history of the Liuli Factory and some legends associated with it as they walked.

Just as Ding Fan and Mu Zi had walked away, two young men dressed in extravagant clothes, with an air of dandyism, appeared behind them.

"Dongzi, that woman should be Elder Mu's granddaughter, Mu Zi, right?"

The speaker was a young man of medium height among the two.

The one called Dongzi was a young man about the same age as the previous speaker.

"It's Mu Zi. Damn it, Lao Xi, who is that man with her?"

The medium-sized man called Lao Xi shook his head. "I've never seen him before."

"Our boss, Wang Zeting, has been pursuing Mu Zi for a long time. Who is this idiot popping out of nowhere, daring to vie with Brother Ting for a woman?" said Dongzi with disgust as he spat fiercely.

"Has Mu Zi got something wrong with her eyes? Brother Ting comes from a powerful family background, rich, and is also handsome. She's not with Brother Ting but together with some bumpkin," said Lao Xi, shaking his head.

At that moment, Dongzi seemed to have suddenly thought of something. "Lao Xi, if we teach that idiot a lesson today for daring to compete with Brother Ting for a woman, Brother Ting will definitely reward us well."

Lao Xi's eyes lit up at the idea. "Right, if we help Brother Ting vent such a big grievance, wouldn't he at least treat us to a yacht party with some celebrities for us to enjoy…"

Dongzi's mouth curled up slightly. "Brother Ting is always generous, that's for sure."

Lao Xi glanced at Ding Fan up ahead and then snapped his fingers. "Let's take him down!"

"But Lao Xi, no matter what, we cannot offend Mu Zi. Let's find a chance when Mu Zi is not around…"

After listening to Dongzi's plan, Lao Xi nodded in agreement, acknowledging that Mu Zi's fighting skills were well known in the social circles and such a violent lady wasn't to be trifled with lightly.

After discussing for a while, the two men disappeared into the surrounding crowd.

...

Despite the covert discussion from the two men behind him, Ding Fan was far from unaware.

Ding Fan didn't show any sign of it; if the other party came seeking trouble, he wouldn't mind teaching them how to behave.

However, it seemed the Wang Family's influence was quite significant in Yanjing.

"What's wrong, Brother Fan?" Mu Zi noticed something was off with Ding Fan's expression, so she asked.

Ding Fan merely smiled faintly. "Nothing much. This store sells paintings and calligraphy, let's go in and have a look."

Mu Zi nodded and immediately entered an antique shop on the nearby street with Ding Fan.

The antique shop was quite large, a hundred or so square meters in size, and the walls were filled with paintings and calligraphy.

Cultivation is all about Mind Cultivation, and it is fair to say that every Cultivator studies painting and calligraphy. Ding Fan scanned the room and found very few genuine works.

Some things, although they may imitate the shape, cannot grasp the spirit. Hence, those imitated paintings and calligraphy couldn't escape Ding Fan's Inferno Vision.

However, in the end, Ding Fan's gaze settled on a painting in a corner.

"The author of this painting isn't very famous, so it shouldn't be worth much," Mu Zi said, noticing Ding Fan fixated on the painting.

Mu Wuhui also enjoyed playing with these ancient paintings and artifacts, so Mu Zi had come to understand a fair bit about these antiques and paintings from a young age.

Ding Fan actually didn't pay attention to Mu Zi's words. He was still only looking at the calligraphy.

This piece consisted of only two characters.

Stillness and Motion.

True connoisseurs of calligraphy can discern a person's heart through their script.

The calligraphy before him was vigorous and powerful, the strokes clean and decisive. Beyond that, the brushwork was not ordinary, brimming with a state of mind that signified a detached awakening from the mortal world.

Although Ding Fan had not seen the person who wrote this calligraphy, he could tell. The one who wrote it was certainly not mediocre. Their mental cultivation was genuinely profound. If it weren't for considering the scarcity of spiritual energy on Earth, Ding Fan would mostly think that the writer of this script must be a cultivator.

Mu Zi saw that Ding Fan still showed no intention of leaving. Lost in thought as he observed the characters, she didn't make a sound and just quietly watched.

"Friend, how do you find these characters?"

Just as Ding Fan was absorbed in the calligraphy, a refined and ethereal-looking gentleman approached.

This man was not much older than Ding Fan, but there was an air of transcendence and pride between his brows. His eyes, especially, were clear and pure. He stood beside Ding Fan with his hands behind his back, exuding an aura that made even the most ruthless people feel ashamed.

"Stillness cultivates the body, motion brings one's name to all corners, the strokes are robust, the pen carries intent, I see no other in this hall that can surpass these characters," Ding Fan gave a very candid response.

The man's eyes brightened. "This calligraphy doesn't belong to any famous artist and though there are authentic and fake pieces mixed in this hall, there are indeed masterpieces among them. Don't you think your appraisal is too high?"

Ding Fan simply smiled. "The way naturally reflects the intention, the strength of the brush follows the heart; just from this perspective, none of the other brush works in this hall can match up to this calligraphy."

After listening to Ding Fan, the man's spirits lifted. "With such praise from my friend, how then can I, Master Changsong, be worthy!" The man said, bowing with his fist toward Ding Fan.

Ding Fan, seeing the man's gesture, felt a sense of admiration stirring within.

When this man had approached earlier, his demeanour was free from earthly attachments. From this alone, Ding Fan guessed the man was the creator of the calligraphy.

Ding Fan also bowed with his fist toward the man. "Fortunate to meet the sir, a pleasure indeed."

Mu Zi, watching the man at her side, said, "Master Changsong, your name is certainly strange, with an actual surname Chang."

The man couldn't help but laugh at Mu Zi's quirky energy. "My name is Cheng Bufan, my style is Wenyuan, and my sobriquet is Master Changsong, hence I call myself Master Changsong."

After hearing what the man said, Mu Zi blinked, obviously confused by Cheng Bufan's words, finding them utterly bewildering. What a muddle.

"A person could have so many names."

The man smiled and, instead of paying attention to the quirky Mu Zi beside him, he turned to Ding Fan and asked, "Friend, may I have the honor of learning your name?"

"Ding Fan."

Cheng Bufan smiled. "Both our names contain the character 'Fan', indeed we are fated. I am the owner of Changsong Residence. I have fine tea here; would you care to share a cup and rest awhile?"

"In that case, I shall impose," Ding Fan said, feeling quite fond of Cheng Bufan.

"Please…" Cheng Bufan gestured invitingly.

Ding Fan was then ushered to a private room on the second floor. It was a room facing the street where a gentle breeze blew through, a truly comfortable setting.

Cheng Bufan invited Ding Fan to sit, and soon someone went to boil water and prepare the tea. Not much time had passed before a tea set and the boiled water arrived.

"Today, it's lucky to meet a friend like you, like finding a kindred spirit. However, I was in a rush today, so I can only offer Oolong tea to entertain my friend."

After saying this, Cheng Bufan tapped the tea into the cup's infuser and then placed the prepared tea leaves inside it. He poured the boiling water over them, shook the infuser slightly, then lifted and placed it aside on a tea saucer.

Following that, using bamboo tongs, Cheng Bufan picked up the tea cup and slowly poured the tea into the small cups for Ding Fan and Mu Zi.

As the tea was poured out, the fragrance filled the room instantly, and just by smelling the aroma, one could tell it was an exceptional tea.

"It smells so good..." Mu Zi quickly picked up her tea cup and pretended to be intoxicated by the aroma.

Just as Mu Zi was appreciating the scent of the tea, a red blur burst out from her hair.

By the time the others realized what was happening, Xiao Wu had already jumped into Mu Zi's hand, looking pitifully at the fragrant tea in the cup, scratching its head, showing an adorable clumsiness.

Xiao Wu, fond of the scent of tea and close to Mu Zi, poked its head out attracted by the aroma, adopting a begging posture.

By the side, Cheng Bufan's eyes lit up seeing Xiao Wu, but soon his expression returned to normal, as though Xiao Wu was just an ordinary pet.

On the side, Ding Fan found himself even more interested in Cheng Bufan.

A monkey as big as a thumb, surely anyone would find it curious, but Cheng Bufan appeared quite indifferent.

Ding Fan looked at Xiao Wu next to him, and by now Mu Zi was already holding her tea cup, caring for it as it drank the tea...