Painting of the River

Seven photos were placed in front of the table, and all the dishes which were originally on the table were removed to the side.

Huhu...

All seven people had already stood up.

They looked old, but their complexion was extremely ruddy, the gleam in their eyes continued for a moment, and their mouths continued to inhale. Today's affairs were already confirmed, and everyone was shocked.

"I think our guess is correct." After a long time, Ralph spoke with a low voice, "I think the secret we are looking for may be in China..."

"It should be." The Greek archaeologist nodded, his face solemn.

"No one believed in this matter, and only a few of us believe it. This time I borrowed the Ancient Town antique auction, hoping to find some valuable things here. Those things that were bought at a high price in the past were just sold easily." The Chinese archaeologist said, his voice was revealed his old age but his eyes were bright, unwillingness also appeared in those eyes, he just wanted to prove that he was right.

American archaeologists sighed quietly, but his eyes were full of longing, "Well. That's longevity... If only that secret can be found, it will definitely become the greatest miracle in the world. I just don't know if that person is still alive now."

When he said this, in the private room, the breath seemed to be cold.

Is that person alive?

The seven people, all of them once again set their eyes on the pictures on top of the table.

Those fonts...

Any random Chinese guy could recognize it at a glance.

...Sheng Bei. (A/N: Can be translated to 'Holy North'.)

The word was vigorous and powerful.

Through these photos, they could see the passing of the years and the transformation of the world.

Yes... These two words were exactly the names that Ye Bei used to use. The word Sheng Bei, in those years, he also used another traditional word "Sheng", but then, he felt that the word "Sheng" was too complicated to carve, so he just casually simplified it, and it was actually the same as the modern day's word, this was such a coincidence. (A/N: In here, there was only one 'Sheng', just one is Traditional, another one is Simplified version of the same word.)

...

The night was over.

In the courtyard of the gallery.

When the soft sun rose in the sky again, the bamboo slips that were rearranged yesterday have all disappeared.

In the courtyard, the willow tree sprouts and was full of vitality.

The ground was covered with a layer of bluestone slabs. Except for a small intestine path, the gaps between the other bluestone slabs were covered with turquoise grass buds. The aroma of wine in the air was quietly replaced by the fragrance of grass.

Ye Bei stood calmly.

Looking at the white belly turned up in the sky, for a long time, he murmured softly, "Eighty years have passed. The inadvertent traces have begun to appear again... Sheng Bei, no one has screamed out this word for a long time."

A breeze struck, his white gown danced in the wind.

Then he waved his sleeves and turned around and walked towards the gallery lobby.

In addition to waiting for his deceased, Ye Bei came to the Ancient Town this time to solve some troubles.

After all, he had lived for too long. In the dark, he had been guiding the development of human civilization throughout history and secretly controlling everything, but there were always some trivial things that he did not have time to take care of. Every time in this world, this similar trouble would always come occasionally.

Inside the gallery.

After Ye Bei came in, he sat quietly at the ancient wooden table.

After sitting down, he tapped his fingers on the table with a slight click.

Creak!

The door to the gallery that was originally bolted slowly opened automatically.

In the early morning, the Ancient Street was very lively.

The Spring Equinox was getting closer and closer. It was a southerly location, with a mild climate, gentle sunshine, and fresh air, so that the number of tourists on the streets was increasing.

Wang Xiu and Wang Gu hadn't woken up yet, they were still sleeping soundly. The stimulation of the wine from yesterday was a bit too much.

Ye Bei sat at the table, looking at the pedestrians faintly.

Obviously, people came and went, and it was very noisy, but when Ye Bei was watching, he felt that this world was extremely peaceful and quiet.

Ye Bei watched for a long time.

Whoosh!

With a movement of Ye Bei's wrist, a piece of white paper was spread on the table.

In the early morning, there was no business.

Ye Bei ground with one hand, and with a brush, looking at the scenery outside, stroke by stroke, seemingly random, starting to outline on the white paper, his face was indifferent, and his expression was relaxed.

Ye Bei's movements were sometimes elegant and sometimes focused.

However, on the drawing paper, every stroke and every touch he made was exactly the key point.

Over time, on the white paper, an unparalleled street scene of flourishing age gradually appeared.

In the painting, there were all kinds of visitors, the movements and forms of each person are not similar.

The clear river.

Ships of different sizes.

Houses, bridges, towers.

Just ushered in the Chinese New Year, and took out the new sprouts of wicker.

The small sign at the entrance of the store...

Ye Bei painted very casually, but in this casualness, he revealed a bit of seriousness like never before.

And as the picture on the white paper became clearer, Ye Bei's thoughts, at this moment, drifted away again.

That year, he traveled through mountains and clouds and passed by a small town.

That year, all the people in the world were rushing for life and food... In the small town, it was extremely prosperous. There was also a gallery inside, but business was sluggish.

In the gallery, a young man and an old man stood quietly as if not seeing everyone else in the prosperous world.

The old man was grinding the ink, the young man was painting, and there was no third person present.

One brush, stroke by stroke, he was lightly outlining...

With the passage of time, a scroll of painting quietly took shape. In the painting, the world was revealed, depicting the current life and prosperity of the entire town at that time, but it also revealed an indescribable depression.

"Master, this painting is so long."

The old man was still grinding the ink, after a long time, he turned his head and looked at the painting, his eyes filled with admiration and respect.

"Hmm." The young man responded.

That day, the young man finished his painting and saw that the old man regarded it as a treasure, so he gave the painting to the old man.

Thousands of years have passed...

That painting has become one of the top ten famous paintings of China, and it has also been rated as a national treasure-level cultural relic, hidden in the Forbidden City in Beijing.

As for that old man, he from the Northern Song Dynasty, his name was Zhang Zerui.

That painting also has a name, titled: "Along the River During the Qingming Festival". (A/N: Qingming Festival, sometimes also called Chinese Memorial Day or Ancestor's Day, or Tomb-Sweeping Day in English.)

The gallery and lobby were very quiet, only Ye Bei alone.

Twenty minutes later, the blank sheet of paper was completely filled.

The style of the brushwork was light.

The characters were vivid...

If someone with knowledge was here, seeing this painting, he would definitely be shocked.

Ye Bei's style of painting was clearly the same as the 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival'.

Even the brush and ink, the painting method, or the image of the characters, it was more refined than the 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival', it was far exceeding the original painting.

After drawing on the paper, Ye Bei put down the brush, raised his hand, and threw the drawing paper aside.

He looked up slightly.

Outside the gallery lobby, three heads were moving.

They seemed hesitant, but it didn't take long for the three of them to step into the gallery lobby aggressively.

The person who took the lead looked very familiar to Ye Bei.

"What's the matter?" Ye Bei's eyes were leisurely, he looked at the leader, his voice was faint, and there was no expression in his eyes as if it was the first time he met with that guy.

When the three of them saw Ye Bei sitting at the lobby table, their bodies were shocked automatically, and a chill rose from their hearts, a fear of no origin was born.

But... they didn't have any memory about the person before them in their minds, it's as if a piece of their brain was taken away, it was strange yet familiar.