Soul and Spirit United as One, Transformed into a Calligraphic Treasure

The steaming heat filled the room, and the servant, immersed in it, felt warm all over, and his strength seemed to have increased considerably.

Surprised, he looked closely and saw that it was Qiu Yan writing at his desk! Around Qiu Yan were Sun Xingming and two others, who were dumbfounded.

The paper in front of Qiu Yan faintly emitted fluctuations of Qi and Blood, and surged with heat.

This servant had never practiced martial arts and naturally did not know the significance of masculine Blood Qi, but this Fortune Eye naked eye and could not be ignored, so he was amazed.

"What's going on? All this heat is coming from the paper?"

Just as the servants were filled with surprise and confusion, Qiu Yan flicked his wrist and wrote the last stroke. Then, he put down the pen, picked up the paper, and gently blew on it.

Call!

The masculine Blood Qi on the paper was blown away by him, and the warm atmosphere in the room vanished in the next moment.

"Hmm?" Sun Xingming snapped out of his daze, got up and walked over. He stood behind Qiu Yan, looked at the line of words on the paper, and read aloud, "The Essence Soul of a character lies in its spirit, and its structure in its heart. If the spirit is not in harmony, the characters will lack form; if the heart is not firm, the characters will lack strength."

After reading this sentence, looking at each character full of vigor and vitality, and feeling the strength, striving, and uprightness flowing from them, Sun Xingming couldn't help but exclaim, "Beautiful characters! Beautiful sentence! This passage of yours is a secret to practicing calligraphy! Truly exquisite!"

At this point, he bent down, widened his eyes, and carefully examined each character, marveling, "It truly possesses the spirit of calligraphy! This key phrase, combined with the spirit of this character, is an invaluable treasure for any calligrapher! Such an achievement would make one a master even in previous dynasties or ancient times!"

The pursuit of calligraphy should be imbued with spirit and charm; this has been the goal of calligraphers since ancient times, and it is not a matter of affectation.

Literature carries the Way, serving as a vehicle for transmitting culture, wisdom, and knowledge. High Antiquity Sages and Grand Confucian devoted their lives to summarizing the principles of heaven and earth, recording them on bamboo slips and paper to pass on to future generations. When they put pen to paper, they not only wanted to describe principles with words, but also wanted to integrate their own understanding of heaven, earth, and humanity into the characters. This understanding and spirit is the charm and character of the characters.

For example, the Eight-Character Ancient Seal Inscription record an ancient sage's insights into Heavenly Fire and Human Fire. In the end, the eight characters even became sentient!

Modern people practice calligraphy mostly by copying, first seeking the form and then progressing step by step. However, merely having the form is nothing more than having the appearance. It's like a dead creature; it may still have bones and flesh, but without a soul, it's just a corpse. It may look pleasing at first glance, but it cannot be looked at for long.

Those who practice calligraphy can only elevate their skills to the level of mastery by infusing their life experiences and insights into their characters, transforming them into a spiritual essence.

These things sound simple, but they are incredibly difficult to do. Throughout history, very few people have been able to create a unique rhythm in their writing. Once one can create a rhythm in their characters, they can be called a master calligrapher, and their writing will be worthy of being passed down to future generations.

Only characters like these deserve the title of "treasure".

Calligraphy.

At this moment, Zhang Zhen and Sun Wei, who had recovered from their daze and surprise, also came over.

Zhang Zhen was a connoisseur of calligraphy and had a large collection at home, but upon seeing this piece, he was astonished as Sun Xingming. His eyes gleamed, and he reached out to touch it, but hesitated for fear of soiling or wrinkling it. He said, "These characters feel as if they have flesh and blood to them, especially when you were writing them just now; they seemed to come alive."

Sun Wei nodded and said, "I feel the same way. I even feel that these characters exude a warm aura that can warm the body..." Sun Wei's understanding of calligraphy is not as profound as his father's or Zhang Zhen's, but he also realized the extraordinary nature of this piece of calligraphy.

He had seen Qiu Yan's original calligraphy before, but compared to this piece, it was worlds apart. It was clear that he had made rapid progress and had reached a high level. He would certainly not be an unknown person in the future. It would be of great benefit to a clerk's son to befriend such a person.

However, because he hadn't immersed himself too much in the art of calligraphy, Sun Wei was able to appreciate and observe more objectively. Upon looking at it, he suddenly had a question, "Huh? I've never seen this style of calligraphy in a copybook before. I wonder what style it is?"

His words immediately reminded the other two. Sun Xingming and Zhang Zhen quickly examined the words again, comparing and verifying them with the calligraphy, inscriptions, and stone tablets in their memories. However, after recalling for a long time, they could not find any similarities.

"Could this be... a new style of calligraphy?"

Upon realizing this possibility, Sun Xingming and Zhang Zhen were both startled, but then they came to their senses.

"That's true. Those who can write with such spirit infuse their own insights and expound their own principles into the characters, thus changing the form of the characters and creating a new style of calligraphy, which is normal. However, the significance of this is immense..."

Just as the Human Thoughts, Sun Wei exclaimed in surprise, "Father, your body..."

"Huh?" Hearing this, Zhang Zhen also realized what was happening, turned his head to look at Sun Xingming beside him, and then exclaimed in surprise, "Uncle Sun, you're cured?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Xingming seemed to snap out of his daze, turning his gaze away from the calligraphy and looking at himself.

At this moment, Sun Xingming was standing on his own, and had even taken a few steps. However, before Qiu Yan and the others visited, Sun Xingming had been infected by Evil Qi, and was not only emaciated but also weak in his limbs. Any slight movement would cause him internal organs to cramp, so he could only be supported and carried by others. Once he arrived at a place, he would lie motionless on his side.

But now, he not only stood up, but also walked normally. He even felt a slight warmth in his legs and feet. Although he still felt weak, the heavy feeling of being haunted by Evil Qi was gone.

"When did I get up? The warmth in my limbs feels like it came from when Young Master Qiu was writing..."

Upon hearing this, the eyes of everyone in the room fell on Qiu Yan, who was sitting silently.

Qiu Yan finished writing a line of characters in one breath, then closed his eyes as if recalling something. Only when he noticed the gazes of the others did he open his eyes.

"Brother, your calligraphy..." Zhang Zhen pointed to the calligraphy, then looked at Sun Xingming who had stood up, and hesitated before speaking.

"This calligraphy should naturally be given to Mr. Sun," Qiu Yan said with a smile as he stood up.

"Give me this calligraphy?" Upon hearing this, Sun Xingming forgot to inquire about his health and hesitated instead. "This isn't quite right. The calligraphy itself is already very valuable, not to mention the secrets to practicing calligraphy contained within, which encapsulate the essence of the art. Anyone who looks at it will be able to appreciate the profound meaning of calligraphy..."

"The secret?" Qiu Yan shook his head.

The words written on this paper are not just Method Formula, but also a kind of Cultivation Method. They are the insights that Qiu Yan had just gained from a Spiritual Light of inspiration in his soul, which he recorded on the paper.

This set of Cultivation Method has already Transcendence the stage of strengthening the soul through writing. When writing with ink, it can vibrate the muscles, bones, skin, and Qi and Blood, thereby refining the body.

This character can only be written when the soul and spirit are in perfect harmony!

"Although it's just a prototype, if we continue along this line of thought and perfect the art of calligraphy, we should be able to develop a Cultivation Method that both strengthens the soul and tempers the spirit. In the end, it might even be possible to become a master of writing. Hmm, should we give this Cultivation Method a name?"

Just as Qiu Yan was pondering, Zhang Zhen turned his gaze and finally spotted the Zhang Family servant.

"Huh? Zhang An, when did you get here?"

Upon hearing this question, the servant Zhang An snapped out of his shock and rushed to Qiu Yan, pleading urgently, "Young master, please save my master!"

"Zhang An, what are you doing?" Hearing this, Zhang Zhen's heart skipped a beat. His attention had been focused on the calligraphy, and he hadn't noticed Zhang An entering or heard what the other man was saying. But he knew very well who Zhang An's master was. "What happened to Father?"

"Young Master," Zhang An turned around, his face filled with anxiety, "Master's illness has just relapsed. He has collapsed and is lying on the ground, his face is covered in bruises, and no matter how the doctors call him, he doesn't respond."

"What!?" Zhang Zhen's expression changed. "Wasn't it said that there was a young calligraphy master who could ward off evil spirits with his calligraphy? How could this be..."

"I don't know either!" Zhang An with a mournful face, then pointed at Qiu Yan, "But I've seen that young master of calligraphy write. In terms of momentum and style, he's far inferior to this young master. If this young master were to take action, perhaps he could suppress the Evil Qi."

"Nephew, saving lives is the priority. We can ask about other things later," Sun Xingming reminded Zhang Zhen, seeing his panic.

"Yes! Yes!" Zhang Zhen finally realized and looked at Qiu Yan.

"Let's not delay, let's set off now." Qiu Yan didn't waste any time, bowed to Sun Xingming, and left first, with Zhang Zhen and Zhang An quickly following behind.

Watching the group leave, Sun Wei wanted to follow them to deepen his friendship with Qiu Yan, but was stopped by Sun Xingming.

"Don't rush to the Zhang Residence. Go to the Yamen first and report this matter to the prefect," said Sun Xingming, glancing at the calligraphy and adding with some regret, "Also, take this calligraphy with you."

At this moment, the Zhang Residence was still bustling with people, but compared to the previous lively scene, it now appeared somewhat chaotic.

From various parts of the courtyard, bursts of weeping could be heard from time to time, as servants from different mansions came and went, all with mournful faces.

In the main hall of the Zhang Family, Qi Jiulian stood in front of the desk, pen in hand, looking at the flow of people coming and going outside, his eyes filled with confusion.

Those who once praised him highly now pay no attention to him at all; even when someone occasionally walks by, they do so with a hurried expression.

On the table in front of Qi Jiulian, there were still several pieces of calligraphy with the ink still wet, the pages yellowed, exuding an aura of decay and gloom.

Suddenly, Qi Jiulian realized what was happening, the confusion in his eyes vanished, and a sharp glint appeared in them.

"Such a heavy Evil Qi! So strong that it even overwhelms the People's Wishes in the city! It has even suppressed the spirit within my calligraphy!"

At this moment, a riot suddenly broke out at the gate of the Zhang Residence.

At the gate, Zhang Yu, accompanied by several servants, blocked Zhang Zhen's path. Staring at Qiu Yan behind him, he said with disgust, "Get out of here! Spreading rumors and misleading the public! Do you really think the Zhang Residence is so easily fooled?"

ps: Thanks to "Hua Xing 083418" for your outstanding monthly votes!