Becoming an immortal against the will of heaven

Next, the old man spread out the paper, and after taking out some paints and adding water to the inkstone, he began to grind the ink.

Just then, Chen Tian seemed to think of something and suddenly interjected, "By the way, old man, could you also paint my pageboy in?"

"Of course, painting doesn't take up much space. Young master, please call your pageboy out. I'll paint him in as well," the old man replied without even looking up when he heard Chen Tian's request.

"Young master, is… is this your pageboy?" The old man was trembling with fear at Jia Yan's appearance, and asked Chen Tian in terror.

Chen Tian nodded upon hearing this and said, "That's right, he is my servant. He has served me diligently for the past few years, so I consider it a reward to have him painted together with me this time."

"Young master, if you want to reward him, wouldn't it be better to give him some gold and silver? Why bother having such a person in the same painting as you? To put it bluntly, your servant's appearance is truly repulsive. If he stands behind you, I'm afraid it will tarnish your aura!" The old man seemed unwilling to paint Jia Yan as well, so he stopped grinding the ink.

Chen Tian smiled and shook his head after hearing these words, saying, "You don't understand the reasons behind it. Just give me a straight answer. Are you going to paint or not? If not, then I'll be leaving."

As he spoke, Chen Tian turned around, pretending to leave.

The old man was startled when he saw Chen Tian wanted to leave, and hurriedly stopped him, saying, "Young master, please wait, I'll paint him."

Chen Tian turned back around only after hearing the old man's agreement, but his expression turned serious as he asked in confusion, "Old man, I really can't understand why you're so insistent on painting my portrait?"

"Well…" The old man clearly hadn't expected Chen Tian to ask this suddenly, and he was momentarily speechless. After pondering for a long time, he forced a smile and said, "Hey, didn't I already say it? I see that young master has the face of someone destined for great wealth and status, and I'm sure that young master will definitely achieve something in the future, so I want to keep young master's portrait as a ward against evil."

There has always been a folk custom of using items containing auspicious energy to ward off evil spirits and protect the home, so the old man's words were plausible.

Chen Tian didn't press further after hearing this, but said with a smile, "Alright then, old man, please paint."

Hearing this, the old man breathed a long sigh of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted, and then began to depict Chen Tian and Jia Yan's appearances.

The old man had been painting portraits for decades, and his skills were extremely superb. Every stroke revealed a free and elegant charm.

And Chen Tian stood upright in front of the old man, motionless.

The painting lasted for an hour, and after completing the final stroke, the old man finally finished depicting Chen Tian and Jia Yan's appearances.

The old man's painting was truly exquisite.

On the paper, a man in white robes stood tall and upright. His expression was calm, and he looked up slightly at the sky, as if lost in thought. Behind the man stood a burly and fierce-looking strongman. Although he didn't make any movements, his unkind eyes seemed to be warning the world not to have any improper intentions towards the man in front of him.

In the painting, one person was like an immortal, and the other was like a demon.

The painting perfectly captured the demeanor and temperament of Chen Tian and Jia Yan.

At this moment, the old man wiped the sweat from his forehead, then raised the scroll and handed it to Chen Tian, asking, "Young master, please take a look. Are you satisfied with this portrait?"

Chen Tian carefully examined it and nodded, saying, "Not bad, old man, you really have a magical brush. This painting is excellent."

"Hehe, young master is too kind. Don't worry, I will definitely mount it properly when I get back and then enshrine it, and then wait for the news of young master's success on the Dragon Ranking!" The old man chuckled, and then rolled up the painting.

"Alright, then I'll take my leave now."

Chen Tian smiled, then left with Jia Yan. Before long, their figures were submerged in the turbulent sea of people.

The old man had been smiling as he saw Chen Tian off, but after confirming that Chen Tian had gone far away, the smile on his face instantly disappeared, and his eyes became gloomy.

After pausing for a moment, the old man stuffed the scroll with Chen Tian's portrait into his arms, and without bothering about the stall, he hurriedly walked towards a small path.

The path the old man took was extremely secluded, turning left and right, with more and more people disappearing, and the road began to become rugged.

But the old man seemed not to care about anything, and walked forward firmly, until he entered a desolate forest and disappeared!

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Dingxiang Town is a strange place. During the day, it is bustling with activity, with people coming and going, but at night, it suddenly becomes quiet. As soon as it gets dark, all the shops close, and there is no one walking on the streets.

It's so quiet that you can hear several echoes when you drop a stone.

In fact, there is a reason for this silence, because many wild animals live in the huge forest next to Dingxiang Town. In the past, after dark, they would break into the town and eat people they encountered.

The people in the town were frightened, so they not only built high walls on all sides, but also stayed indoors at night, for fear of encountering those wild animals.

Although there have been no reports of wild animals eating people in the past hundred years, the tradition of staying indoors at night has been passed down by the people of Dingxiang Town.

As a result, as soon as it gets dark, no one comes out to move around on the streets.

But tonight, a series of rapid footsteps broke the silence on the street, and a dozen strong men in jackets and leggings, holding torches, hurried over.

Their movements were extremely fast, and soon they arrived in front of an inn.

"Big brother, is this the place?"

At this time, a burly man with a round waist asked a middle-aged man with a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks who was leading the group.

This rascal is named Lai Shuangquan, and he is a well-known robber in this area.

Hearing the big man's question, Lai Shuangquan's eyes narrowed, and he said sternly, "Bring the torch here!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a person next to him brought the torch in his hand closer to him.

By the light of the fire, Lai Shuangquan unrolled a painting scroll that he was holding in his hand, and there were two people in the painting.

One person was dressed in white, refined and cultured, while the other person looked fierce and terrifying.

It was exactly the portrait that the old man had painted for Chen Tian and Jia Yan during the day.