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"Did I hear that right? Who said this painting isn't even worth fifty taels of silver?"
"Absurd, absolutely absurd! This is an authentic piece by Grandmaster Mu Lan. How could it not be worth fifty taels of silver?"
"Who dares to spout such nonsense? It's laughable."
Even the Crown Prince, though his expression remained unchanged, had a flicker of displeasure in his eyes.
"Who was talking just now?" Second Master Mu's face darkened immediately. Saying this painting wasn't worth fifty taels of silver was essentially saying the Crown Prince had no taste and bought a fake.
Eighth Master Mu, seeing their reactions, awkwardly smiled, realizing his voice had been too loud earlier. Just as he was about to remedy the situation, Mu San Niang loudly proclaimed, "I saw it! It was that young man beside Eighth Master who said it."
Instantly, all eyes turned to Terra Su.
Eighth Master Mu silently blamed himself for being too loose-lipped and quickly laughed, saying, "Third Sister, everyone, I must have misheard. Young Master Su didn't say that."
But at that moment, Terra Su's calm voice rang out, "That's right, I said it. This painting isn't even worth fifty taels of silver."
Immediately, everyone gasped in shock. This young man had some nerve.
"Outrageous!"
A genius under the Crown Prince's command immediately jumped out, accusing, "How dare you say the gift the Crown Prince prepared for Marquis Anyang isn't worth fifty taels of silver? Are you tired of living?"
Terra Su chuckled lightly and said, "I think if your Crown Prince really presents this fake painting as a birthday gift to Marquis Anyang, then he's the one who's tired of living."
A fake painting?
Impossible, right?
Everyone present looked at each other in disbelief, almost thinking they had misheard.
The Crown Prince had gone through great lengths to find this authentic piece by Grandmaster Mu Lan, and this unknown young man dared to call it a fake?
"Nonsense."
At this moment, a cold snort was heard.
The one who snorted was Sun Yaozu, the most trusted genius under the Crown Prince.
Sun Yaozu glanced disdainfully at Terra Su and said, "What makes you say this painting is a fake? It's utterly ridiculous. This painting was painstakingly sought out by the Crown Prince, with much effort and resources. You claim it's fake with just a word. Are you saying your judgment is better than the Crown Prince's?"
"Yeah, kid, are you saying the Crown Prince isn't as good as you?"
"Ridiculous! Calling this authentic piece by Grandmaster Mu Lan a fake. Have you even seen an authentic piece by Grandmaster Mu Lan? What makes you say that?"
"Exactly, if you're going to call it fake, you need to provide evidence!"
The geniuses under the Crown Prince's command immediately ganged up on Terra Su.
"Where did this swarm of flies come from, buzzing around? I have no obligation to answer your questions."
Terra Su chuckled.
"Kid, do you dare speak to us in that tone?"
"Looks like you need a lesson to understand your place."
One of the geniuses at the ninth level of the Condensing Origin Realm rolled up his sleeves and walked towards Terra Su.
However, before he could get close, Terra Su slapped him, sending him flying backward, crashing into a wine table behind him, drenched in wine and food, looking utterly miserable.
"Hiss!~"
"How is this possible?"
"This guy seems to be only at the seventh level of the Condensing Origin Realm. How could he slap back someone at the ninth level?"
Everyone around found it unbelievable.
They didn't know that although Terra Su's cultivation level was at the seventh level of the Condensing Origin Realm, his actual combat strength had long surpassed the ninth level, comparable to the tenth level.
"Bold!"
"Daring to attack the Crown Prince's men, you must be tired of living!"
The geniuses under the Crown Prince's command were furious.
At this moment, Mu San Niang added fuel to the fire, saying, "Terra Su, you dare to attack the Crown Prince's genius? Are you challenging the Crown Prince's authority?"
Her words further enraged the geniuses under the Crown Prince.
"Challenging the Crown Prince's authority? How audacious."
"Let's all go at him and kill him."
Seeing the situation deteriorate, Eighth Master Mu quickly stood up to mediate, "Everyone, calm down. Young Master Su's words may not necessarily be an offense to the Crown Prince. Perhaps he was just speaking his mind."
Eighth Master Mu, being a high-ranking member of the Mu Family, had some influence. His words calmed the geniuses under the Crown Prince to some extent.
However, Mu San Niang remained unmoved, sneering, "Just speaking his mind? Are you saying this authentic piece by Grandmaster Mu Lan is indeed a fake?"
"Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous," Sun Yaozu coldly said, "This painting was personally selected by the Crown Prince. How could it be fake?"
In fact, everyone under the Crown Prince knew that the Sun Family, behind Sun Yaozu, had put in a lot of effort to help the Crown Prince find this painting.
Now someone was calling it fake, and naturally, Sun Yaozu wasn't pleased.
"Exactly, if this painting is fake, I'll eat the table leg right here!" Another genius under the Crown Prince's command said, laughing as if he had told the funniest joke.
"Hahaha, Brother Zhang, you won't be eating today then."
Everyone joined in the laughter.
"Ridiculous."
Terra Su shook his head.
The young man called Brother Zhang couldn't keep his face straight, his expression changing as he said, "Kid, who are you calling ridiculous?"
"You. I didn't expect someone who looks decent to have such a strange hobby. If I don't satisfy your wish, it would seem I'm too heartless."
Terra Su chuckled.
Originally, he and Eighth Master Mu had just casually mentioned it, not intending to make a big deal out of it.
But these guys kept pushing their faces up to be slapped, so he couldn't be blamed.
"Fine." The genius named Zhang got angry, "Then tell us, where is this painting fake? If you can't explain, I'll make you kneel and call me grandpa on the spot!"
"Young Master Su, is this painting really a fake?"
Eighth Master Mu asked curiously. It wasn't that he didn't believe Terra Su, but Terra Su's words were too shocking. The authentic piece that the Crown Prince had painstakingly sought out was actually a fake? That would mean the Crown Prince had no eye for art.
Terra Su smiled and calmly explained, "First, although the paper of this painting appears yellowed, it's actually a deliberate effect created with paint. The paper is thin and brittle, easily damaged. But the real authentic pieces by Grandmaster Mu Lan are made with a special type of bark from his hometown, which is thick and flexible, very hard to damage."
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