Mythical Scroll Artist: Starting with the God of Wealth, Zhao Gongming

Chapter 1: How can I learn to draw if I don't have money?
Another graduation season.

Outside the Dengfeng Art Studio in Yaoyang City, students and their parents from all over the country gathered.

In the sky, jagged dimensional rifts crisscrossed, and although separated by a thin layer of energy light, they could not conceal the terrifying sense of oppression. However, people seemed to have long been accustomed to this sight.

"Don't worry, Mom and Dad, my teacher said I have excellent grades and I'll definitely get in!"

A well-dressed young man took a sip of premium mineral water, looking confident and composed.

His parents stood on either side of him, one fanning him and the other holding an umbrella, saying, "Go son, you're the best!"

"Just focus on your studies, don't worry about the money. Dad has already listed our house online."

The boy nodded in satisfaction, as if it were all to be expected.

He immediately tossed the mineral water bottle aside and, escorted by his parents, went to the registration area to queue up.

Wu Xian silently walked forward, uncapped the bottle, crushed it, stuffed it into his worn-out backpack, shook his head and sighed, "The hearts of parents are truly selfless!"

Once upon a time, he was also an art student whose parents sold everything they owned to support him, but in the end, he still ended up working like a beast of burden.
In his previous life, he was an old graphic designer who was laid off at the age of thirty-five and then went to work as a slave in an art outsourcing company.

He ultimately died suddenly late at night while working overtime to meet a deadline, arriving in this world where artists are revered.

Yes, this is a world where the contents of a painting can come to life.

Putting aside the terrifying extradimensional invasion, this place is undoubtedly a utopia for art students!

Even so, Wu Xian still felt that it wasn't worth selling everything he owned to learn to paint.

If you have the means, that's great, but if you don't, there's really no need to force it.

Like many of his peers, Wu Xian naturally aspired to become a distinguished scroll painter and reach the pinnacle of life.

Although he possesses solid artistic skills and a splendid cultural background from his previous life, being a scroll painter is not simply about drawing things.

The first step to becoming a scroll painter is to be admitted to an art studio.

Dengfeng Art Studio, the best art studio in Yaoyang City, is backed by Dengfeng Martial Arts Hall. It is said that as long as you can pass the exam, it is equivalent to having one foot in the door of becoming a scroll painter.

However, the high registration fee made him hesitate.

Before they knew it, there were only a few registration lines left, and only parents were left eagerly waiting.

This is the registration portal.

The refined middle-aged man, finally relieved to have finished the registration work, stood up to stretch his limbs and tidy up the materials on his desk in preparation for leaving get off work.

But then a poorly dressed boy walked over hesitantly, his bag stuffed full of plastic bottles.

The refined middle-aged man was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized and handed over the mineral water bottle on the corner of the table, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, young man."

"Hello, teacher," Wu Xian said awkwardly as he took the water bottle. "Actually, I'm here to register."

Upon hearing this, the surrounding crowd fell silent for a moment, and many parents cast surprised glances at him.

The refined middle-aged man was also taken aback, but his strong composure still made him sit down with a smile. "You're registering, right? Fill out the form first. The registration fee is 3,280 yuan. You can pay by scanning the QR code here."

Unexpectedly, the young man in front of us once again uttered something surprising.

"Eight hundred...is that alright?"

Wu Xian looked slightly embarrassed and awkward; this was all the wealth he had.

The refined middle-aged man had a blank expression, and the surrounding parents laughed.

"Don't misunderstand... I mean, are there any odd jobs in the studio? Like, the kind where I can sit in on things occasionally?" Wu Xian quickly added, which was also his main purpose for coming to join in the fun.

With the foundation from their previous life, as long as they have the opportunity to become auditors, they will be able to quickly integrate the knowledge from both sides.

"I have loved painting since I was a child, and I have many creative ideas. This is my graduation report card, you can take a look."

The refined middle-aged man took the report card and glanced at it. His expression softened a bit. "Child, becoming a scroll artist is very expensive. You can't even afford the registration fee. Why bother?"

As for attending a hearing, forget about it; no amount of money could buy that kind of access.

Wu Xian sighed softly, "Thank you for your trouble."

All I could hear were the sarcastic and cynical voices of parents.

"It's true what they say, 'A big forest has all kinds of birds,' right? All sorts of people want to be scroll painters now."

"Want to be a scroll painter even without money?"

"Exactly~ 800 isn't even enough for a box of paints. Art studios aren't places for charity."

"Alright, young man, go do what you need to do. I still have half a bottle of water left, consider it a donation to you."

“I think I’ve seen him before. He goes to the same school as my child and has always had excellent grades.”

"Really? That's a real shame."

The laughter around them noticeably decreased, but some parents still remained dismissive.

"Tch~ What's the use of good grades? You don't look at academic performance when you're a scroll artist."

The refined middle-aged man glanced coldly at the group of parents and said softly, "With your grades, most universities would welcome you. If you really think you have the potential to become a scroll painter, you can go to university first, become a spirit master, and save up some money before considering anything else."

"A spirit master?" Wu Xian murmured to himself.

Compared to the scroll artists who create the scrolls, there are more spirit masters in this world, who are the ones who control various scroll spirits in battle.

It's like the difference between a swordsmith and a swordsman.

Wu Xian was well aware that this was a good choice, but the problem was that university tuition was not cheap.

His reason for wanting to become a scroll painter was to make money as quickly as possible.

In this life, his family was extremely poor. His parents died in an interdimensional riot shortly after he was born, and he grew up relying on his elderly grandfather.

"If only we could have come a few hundred years earlier."

Wu Xian looked up at the "scarred" sky and sighed bitterly.

Thousands of years ago, this planet called Blue Star was invaded by many other dimensions, causing widespread devastation.

It wasn't until the legendary and fantastical things depicted by some artists revealed extraordinary power that humanity was able to struggle out of disaster, eventually forming the world dominated by scroll painters today.

The key point is that this world doesn't have any of the myths and legends from the previous life.

This has always been Wu Xian's source of confidence and strength. But the awkward thing is that, a thousand years later, the structure and social classes of the scroll world have long been solidified.

Even with the support of his brilliant past life's culture and solid artistic skills, he still found it difficult to make any progress.

Both the spiritual drawing paper and the spiritual paint are made from various otherworldly resources and monster materials, and are very expensive.

Pigments, in particular, have even spawned a special profession: pigment artist.

Of course, the industrial production technology of spiritual pigments is now quite advanced, and only high-end painting scrolls require pigment masters to customize high-end pigments.

"No, the first scroll painters from a thousand years ago should have..."

Wu Xian's eyes brightened slightly as he suddenly realized something.

Just then, the surrounding crowd surged toward the exit of the art studio examination room.

"Look, a baby is coming out, and it's a girl!"

"It was approved so quickly? Really?"

"Even failure doesn't happen this quickly, does it?"

"No, no, no, there's always a second chance if you fail. It's impossible to come out so quickly."

"Wow, whose child is so outstanding? Let me take a look."

Parents flocked to join the fun.

The girl walked out of the examination room with her head held high, hands on her hips, and a slightly arrogant gait. Dressed in a red dress, she exuded youthful energy, playfulness, and cuteness, attracting everyone's attention.

Soon, a handsome young man in his early twenties with a dignified air came forward from the crowd with a serious face; he was definitely a promising young talent.

"Jump Jump, how come you're out so quickly?"

The arrogant girl raised her chin and showed off her admission certificate. "Hehe, I thought it would be difficult, but I passed with just a casual draw. I really am a genius."

"?!"

While the young man was pleasantly surprised, he secretly harbored doubts.

He knew very well what kind of person his mischievous younger sister was.

Moreover, as a newly recruited trainee scroll painter, he was well aware of how high the assessment standards of Dengfeng Studio were.

Logically speaking, this shouldn't be the case... Could it be that Father is secretly pulling strings behind the scenes?
When did our family become so powerful?
Or perhaps, my younger sister really has a talent in this area?

Just as I was about to ask about the details, the little girl excitedly ran off to another place.

"Little Xianzi, you're here too?"

The young man followed in surprise, first exchanging pleasantries with the refined middle-aged man at the registration desk, then frowning as he looked at Wu Xian, clearly not expecting his younger sister to know this poor "Aquarius" boy.

"Jump Jump, who is this... a classmate?"

"Yeah, my little brother!" The arrogant girl nodded smugly. "Of all the people who help with homework, he's the one I'm most satisfied with..."

Realizing she had let something slip, the girl quickly shut her mouth, her eyes darting around nervously.

"..."

The young man glared at her, his face full of exasperation.

"Congratulations to Tang for being admitted to Dengfeng Art Studio."

Wu Xian never expected to meet this young tycoon.

This woman's name is Tang Tiaotiao. It's unclear what her family does specifically, but they are very wealthy.

Throughout his three years of high school, this girl was definitely his biggest client on his "work-study" journey. She was righteous and generous.

"Hehe, I never thought I was cut out to be a scroll painter," Tang Tiaotiao said with a smug smile. "But speaking of which, why aren't you going in yet?"

Wu Xian shrugged and smiled with a hint of self-deprecation.

"Oh right," Tang Tiaotiao quickly realized, "Sister Tiao will pay for you. I'm in a good mood today, hehe~!"

He then offered to pay Wu Xian's registration fee.

"No~ I appreciate your kindness, but it's unnecessary," Wu Xian declined with a light laugh. "Even if I pass the exam, I can't afford it. Being a paper illustrator is very expensive."

“That makes sense~” Jump Sister pondered and looked at her older brother Tang Beng, “Could our family sponsor him? I find this little brother very useful.”

"..."

Tang Beng gave her a speechless look, letting her figure it out herself.

The onlookers were amused by the little girl's "innocent and chivalrous" words.

The path to becoming a scroll painter is a bottomless pit. Sponsoring a poor student to become a scroll painter? Are you kidding me?
"Alright," Sister Jump sighed and pouted, "It's okay. Once I become a scroll painter, I'll make you my spirit tamer underling and treat you to all the good food and drink."

Wu Xian nodded and smiled, offered his congratulations again, and then silently left with his backpack full of water bottles.

Before they knew it, the other candidates also walked out of the examination room one after another. Some were excited and overjoyed, while others were dejected.

The Tang siblings then boarded a top-of-the-line luxury car.

"Come on~ let your older brother take a look at my little sister's first piece of work." Tang Beng said expectantly.

"No, I failed the scroll drawing," Tang Tiaotiao said, shrugging. "But the examiner seemed very satisfied and let me pass directly."

"What?!" Tang Beng exclaimed in surprise and disbelief. "The scroll painting failed but it still passed? What did you draw that's so amazing?"

"A cute little white rabbit that can help pound medicine."

"A rabbit?" Tang Beng was puzzled, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper. Could it be that his little sister was truly a prodigy? "By the way, did you not reveal too much information to the examiner?"

"Of course, I'm not stupid," Tang Tiaotiao pouted.

In fact, she hadn't been listening carefully at first, which was the main reason why her scroll painting failed.

No, I'll have to ask Xiao Xianzi later. After all, this is my first scroll painting in my career as a scroll painter, so I have to take it seriously.

……

(End of this chapter)