Only after he finished writing did Chen Yi come back to his senses.
He looked at the lyrics on the Yunsong Paper. Characters large and small, simplified and joined in cursive, stretched across the page like a painting, all blending into one.
"So this can be done too."
"Minor accomplishment in the Way of Calligraphy does not merely guide the improvement of calligraphy—it is also Calligraphy Artistic Conception. I simply had not discovered it before."
"And not only can I raise my realm through fortune and gain mysterious wonders; I can also make progress through my own insights."
Just like this time: the Qi produced within him by the Great Spear Stance Cultivation had unexpectedly connected with the will of heaven and earth as he wrote, lending his characters a trace of divine charm.
With that thought, Chen Yi read through the lyrics once more, then picked up his brush and wrote the tune title Qing Chun Ze - Graceful Spirit Ode on the right side. On the left, he added the inscription: "Chen Qingzhou, Spring of Year 21 of Anhe, Notes from a Night Excursion."
He did not feel there was anything wrong with writing lyrics for a woman other than his wife.
After all, a graceful maiden was what every gentleman sought. He was merely a common man, so naturally he felt nothing in particular.
On the contrary, Chen Yi was greatly pleased as he looked at the lyrics, written with such effortless abandon.
"First there was the Ode to the Luo River Goddess, then there is the Graceful Spirit Ode. That means Cao Zijian and I split eighty percent of the world's literary talent between us."
Of course, that was nothing more than his own wishful thinking.
Cao Zhi could compose a poem in seven steps through his own learning and talent.
The reason Chen Yi had been able to write the Graceful Spirit Ode, aside from its neat tonal patterns and parallel phrasing, was mostly because his heart had been stirred.
If he were asked to write another similar piece, he would probably only be able to serve as a porter for the Three Hundred Tang Poems and Song Lyrics.
Yet beyond its "beauty," the most outstanding aspect of this piece was still his calligraphy.
"My attainments in Wei Qing script should now place me among the renowned masters of this age."
"It is time to study other scripts as well. Running script, cursive script..."
Just as Chen Yi was pondering this, a gentle knock came from outside the door.
Then Wang Lixing's voice followed. "Son-in-law, the hour of the Ox is more than halfway over. It is time for you to practice your Stake Training."
Without realizing it, it was already four in the morning.
Chen Yi answered, placed the Graceful Spirit Ode on the table, then rose and walked out.
"Brother Wang, did you stand guard outside the garden all night?"
"Military duties bind me. I hope Son-in-law will forgive me."
"No matter, no matter. I was just asking. Let us go..."
Hearing the sounds, Xiao Die instantly woke up and hurriedly got out of bed to dress herself.
When she saw that Chen Yi and Wang Lixing had already gone far away, she could not help but slap her own face in self-reproach.
"Xiao Die, Xiao Die, Son-in-law is already up, and you are still sleeping in."
"As punishment, you will prepare Son-in-law's breakfast. And after he practices martial arts, he will surely be sweaty, so you must also prepare bathwater and clean clothes."
As Xiao Die made her plans, she tidied the brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone on the desk.
When she saw the poems and lyrics on the scattered sheets, she looked through them one by one. Her bright, lively eyes came to rest on the Graceful Spirit Ode.
Though she had only studied alongside Xiao Wan'er for five years and was not especially learned, she could already understand the meaning of lyrics.
Otherwise, after reading Chen Yi's Marrying into the Xiao Family, she would not have understood that its meaning was "Son-in-law still wants to escape the Xiao Family."
Thus, after Xiao Die read the Qing Chun Ze - Graceful Spirit Ode word by word, surprise immediately appeared on her little face.
"...Jade steps, jade trees, like you—rare in the human world. Once I marveled that the Guye immortal had grown old; I sighed that the Luo River had only empty odes, that Chishui had vain ballads... Even with pigments, one could hardly paint those bones; through a thousand autumns, she alone illuminated the desolate Chu sky."
"Graceful Spirit Ode, graceful... Could it be that Son-in-law saw Eldest Miss last night?"
In certain respects, Xiao Die was still quite clever.
Especially when she recalled Chen Yi appearing by the outer wall of Jiaxing Garden, and combined that with the words "graceful spirit" in the lyrics, Xiao Wan'er's figure appeared in her mind.
And in her heart, the only person whose beauty could match the description in these lyrics was Eldest Miss.
As for Second Miss Xiao Jinghong... well, she was only evenly matched.
Thinking this, Xiao Die nearly threw the lyrics away. Her little heart thumped wildly as she felt she had discovered an earth-shattering secret.
"Heavens, Son-in-law and Eldest Miss... No, no, it is Son-in-law toward Eldest Miss... That cannot be right either. No, it is not."
Xiao Die suddenly felt that her brain was not enough.
After turning it over and over in her mind, a trace of resolve appeared on her little face. "Xiao Die saw nothing. Xiao Die must not tell anyone."
Only then would Son-in-law not be punished by Eldest Miss over this "rebellious poem."
"That is right, Xiao Die knows nothing. Xiao Die does not know..."
Muttering to herself, Xiao Die finished tidying the desk. Considerately, she placed the Qing Chun Ze - Graceful Spirit Ode at the very bottom, so no one else would see it.
What she feared even more was Second Miss seeing it someday... Son-in-law would be beaten to death, right?
Meanwhile, Chen Yi knew nothing of Xiao Die's inner turmoil.
He was following his earlier plan to conceal his Martial Path talent.
To keep Wang Lixing from noticing anything amiss, he was extremely careful.
Either his movements went out of form during the stance, or he only maintained the outward posture without any effect.
The issue that appeared most often was that his breathing rhythm was wrong. Every so often, he had to cough twice, interrupting his Stake Training.
"Son-in-law, your Stake Training today is much worse than yesterday's." Wang Lixing could not help saying, "Are your thoughts in turmoil, making you unable to clear away distractions?"
Chen Yi pretended to think it over, then nodded along with the suggestion. A faintly apologetic look appeared on his face as he said,
"Perhaps I did not rest well last night. I keep feeling powerless, short of breath, and somewhat weak and exhausted."
Wang Lixing looked him up and down, frowning. "Son-in-law, your body must be too depleted. In addition, you stood for too long yesterday and did not replenish yourself in time."
Hearing that, Chen Yi blinked. Was Wang Lixing saying his body was weak?
Who would have thought that despite Wang Lixing's thick brows and big eyes, his words were so wicked? He was actually saying Chen Yi was weak.
What could be endured could not be...
Endure it! He had to endure it!
Thinking of his plan, Chen Yi gave a dry laugh. "Perhaps so. How about we stop here for today? Later, I will have Xiao Die prepare more food. Let us see whether I improve by tomorrow."
Wang Lixing hesitated briefly before nodding. "Very well."
"However, Martial Path cultivation requires unceasing diligence. It is like rowing a boat against the current: if you do not practice for one day, it is fine; two days are also manageable. But after three, four, or five days, even the highest Cultivation Base will decline, let alone..."
Though he did not finish, his meaning was clear enough—without diligence, one could never achieve success in the Martial Path.
"Once I have rested properly, I will certainly make up for it."
Seeing this, Wang Lixing could only bid him farewell helplessly and leave Chunhe Garden directly.
Chen Yi watched Wang Lixing walk away, then wiped the thin sheen of sweat from his forehead.
Fortunately, Wang Lixing had left early. Had he stayed any longer, Chen Yi would have been exposed.
In truth.
After raising [Martial Path · Body] to Entry yesterday, he had immediately entered the proper state the moment he began practicing the Great Spear Stance Cultivation today.
Had he not reacted quickly and interrupted himself with coughing, his sinews, bones, and skin would all have begun radiating heat, producing a thread of Qi to temper his five viscera and six bowels.
"Talent that is too high is not necessarily a good thing."
With that thought, Chen Yi opened the panel and directly raised "Martial Path · Body" to the Minor Accomplishment Realm.
At once, profound and mysterious Dao Intent appeared in his mind, like a lake shrouded in mist, waiting for him to peer into its depths.
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