A critique of calligraphy

The instant Jun Wangchen tapped "Learn," a vast torrent of information flooded his mind.

"Literary grace reached the heights of antiquity; clear words were worthy of an ear. In watching water, one found delight; in writing, one freely spoke one's heart.

A gentle sun lit the empty room; a fresh breeze brought the ancients to mind. Letters lived between heaven and earth; supreme joy dwelled in wooded hills.

A heart as open as bamboo beside winding waters, a spirit as serene as orchids in the spring breeze. Ten thousand words exhausted past and present; looking down, one breath united all the earth..."

"Poetry can slay enemies, verse can destroy armies. An essay may remain unwritten, but once written, it can bring peace to the world!" After gaining a basic understanding of the Immortal Technique, Scripture of the Sage of Calligraphy, Jun Wangchen could not help being deeply shaken by its power.

One could say that the appearance of Wang Xizhi's Immortal Technique completely overturned the notion that scholars lacked martial strength. It created scholars who could kill with eloquent words and destroy enemies with the sharpness of their tongues.

Wang Xizhi truly deserved his title as the Sage of Calligraphy. Promoting the scholarly arts in the mortal realm was impressive enough, but after becoming an immortal, he had actually transformed those arts into martial power. He was nothing short of a divine genius.

After learning the specific methods for using the Immortal Technique, Scripture of the Sage of Calligraphy, Jun Wangchen went out into the corridor and looked at a tree outside the villa. Using his finger as a brush, he wrote in the air. "Cleave!"

As his voice fell, the character he had written in midair burst into white light, condensing into an ancient sword of radiant white.

With a whoosh, the sword formed from the character tore through the air with a piercing whistle, reaching the tree outside the villa within two breaths.

Then came a crack. Under Jun Wangchen's astonished gaze, the tree outside the villa split in two without warning and crashed to the ground.

"Hiss!" Jun Wangchen's pupils contracted, and he sucked in a sharp breath.

Just one character, "cleave," had that much power. How destructive would it be if I wrote an entire poem in the air—or a whole essay?

At that thought, Jun Wangchen's reverence for Wang Xizhi grew even stronger.

However, this Immortal Technique consumed a considerable amount of Spiritual Power. Writing just the single character "cleave" in midair had used almost five percent of his reserves. That frightening consumption exceeded the combined cost of his several support skills.

From the looks of it, he could not use Scripture of the Sage of Calligraphy casually unless he had no other choice. Otherwise, once his Spiritual Power ran dry, he would not be able to withstand even a single blow from an opponent.

"Huh? Besides giving me tremendous offensive power, this Immortal Technique, Scripture of the Sage of Calligraphy, has actually granted me calligraphic talent equal to Wang Xizhi's. How amazing." Sensing the vast body of calligraphic knowledge that had suddenly appeared in his mind, Jun Wangchen was struck speechless.

With the calligraphic expertise now in his mind, reproducing Wang Xizhi's original Preface to the Orchid Pavilion should pose no problem. The authentic original had vanished into the river of history, and no one had found it.

Notably, a reproduction of the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion had once been put up for auction. It was reportedly worth a great deal, with the final sale price exceeding fifty million.

If a mere reproduction was worth fifty million, how staggering would the price be if I recreated the authentic Preface to the Orchid Pavilion and auctioned it off?

The mere thought made Jun Wangchen tremble with excitement, his blood surging.

However, that idea lingered in his mind for only three seconds before he banished it completely.

At his present stage, he was only a cultivator at Late Qi Condensation. Although he could defend himself much better than an ordinary person, he was still somewhat lacking compared with certain powerful martial artists.

Moreover, this was the age of technology. No matter how strong an individual was, he still could not stand against large numbers of firearms.

If he openly recreated the authentic Preface to the Orchid Pavilion and auctioned it off, he would surely attract the covetous attention of certain people.

For the sake of profit, spending some money to hire assassins or purchase firearms to deal with him would be well worth it.

Therefore, until he grew strong enough to protect himself, he could not flaunt his abilities too much. Otherwise, he would easily find himself in the line of fire.

After reminding himself once more, Jun Wangchen put away the Groundhog Phone. He was just about to go downstairs when he saw Zi Hanyan standing at the stairway, her face flushed as she waved to him.

"Jun, Dad specially invited two famous calligraphy masters from Jinling City today. They're competing in calligraphy in the courtyard right now. Would you like to come take a look with me?"

"A calligraphy competition?" Jun Wangchen paused, then immediately grew interested. "Sure!"

With that, Jun Wangchen followed Zi Hanyan toward the villa's courtyard.

Neither of them mentioned the intimate moment from earlier. They simply buried it in their hearts as a secret belonging to the two of them.

The courtyard of the Purple Jade Into Mist villa was undeniably vast. Every five or ten steps brought another pavilion into view. The corridors wound back upon themselves, and the sharply upturned eaves resembled birds raising their heads to peck at something.

Built to follow the terrain, the pavilions embraced and echoed one another. Their structures rose and fell in staggered layers, twisting and curling like honeycombs or swirling water. Walking among them felt much like strolling through an imperial palace.

After following Zi Hanyan to the very center of the courtyard, Jun Wangchen discovered two large sandalwood tables set up there. A long sheet of calligraphy paper lay neatly on each table, with the four treasures of the study arranged beside it.

Before each sandalwood table stood a spirited elderly man holding a brush. Their brushes moved continuously across the paper, producing slender, upright strokes full of vigor and strength.

Behind them stood Zifeng Town and several critics, their eyes filled with wonder as they watched the two elderly men wield their brushes.

"Just what one would expect of Master Shi. His calligraphy features many straight lines, with square, rounded, and pointed beginnings to his strokes. The hanging-needle strokes are executed perfectly, and the characters are balanced and orderly. Such fine calligraphy is truly rare."

"Elder Fei is excellent as well. His characters are slightly broad and flattened, with long horizontal strokes and short vertical ones forming rectangular shapes. Silkworm heads and wild-goose tails, three turns in every wave—his calligraphy contains another art within it."

"As two veteran calligraphy masters of Jinling City, Elder Shi and Elder Fei produce work of such exceptional quality that we juniors can only gaze after them from afar."

Praise rose from the surrounding critics one voice after another, with both flattery and fawning among their remarks. Yet the two elderly men remained completely unaffected, calmly continuing to write across the paper with level horizontal strokes and straight vertical ones.

Before long, both elderly men set down their brushes at the same time, their work complete.

"Simplified structures and flowing, connected strokes, with beauty amid the wildness. A fine work indeed. Master Fei, your running script has improved again recently!" Zifeng Town looked over Master Fei's writing and could not help giving him a thumbs-up.

Elder Fei cupped his hands and replied modestly, "You're too kind, Mr. Zi."

Zifeng Town smiled politely, then turned to Master Shi's writing and clicked his tongue in admiration. "Master Shi's cursive script preserves the essence of the characters while discarding the constraints of clerical script. Free and unrestrained, swift and spontaneous—this is truly a superior work."

"You flatter me, Mr. Zi. I'm still a little lacking compared with old Fei." Master Shi likewise cupped his hands and smiled modestly.

"As calligraphy masters, you not only write beautifully but are also so humble. You truly set an example for us all." Zifeng Town laughed heartily, then turned to the critics. "Now it's your turn to offer some comments. Be sure to examine the work carefully, or our two masters may be displeased."

The critics immediately assumed respectful expressions. One was Master Shi, the leading representative of the Shi school of calligraphy, and the other was Master Fei, the leading representative of the Fei school. Neither could be offended.

At that thought, a flood of possible remarks flashed through their minds. They had to offer sufficient praise without making the other master lose face.

They were just about to speak when a voice suddenly rang out behind them.

"Master Zi, may I offer a few comments?"

The unexpected voice startled everyone.

Turning around, they saw a slim, handsome young man approaching, accompanied by Zifeng Town's daughter, Zi Hanyan.

"My young friend Jun?" Once he recognized the newcomer, Zifeng Town paused in surprise, then immediately went forward with a smile. "What a day of blessings! Having Master Fei and Master Shi as guests in my home was wonderful enough, but I never expected you to be here as well. This is truly an honor."

Everyone was startled. Just who was Jun Wangchen to Zifeng Town, to deserve such treatment?

Jun Wangchen rubbed his nose, looking a little embarrassed. "You're too kind, Master Zi. Hanyan invited me to attend the Yang Family Martial Arts Academy's tenth-anniversary celebration today. I couldn't handle the drinks at lunch, so she had to help me back to your home to rest. I only just sobered up."

"Oh?" Zifeng Town glanced toward Zi Hanyan, an enigmatic smile curling his lips.

That morning, he had wanted Brother Eight to accompany his daughter to the Yang Family Martial Arts Academy's tenth-anniversary celebration, but she had adamantly refused, insisting on going alone.

At the time, he had wondered why she would not agree. Now he understood: his daughter had made plans long ago. She had claimed to be going alone while secretly inviting Jun Wangchen to accompany her.

It seemed my daughter had reached the age when love first blossomed, when she was ready for a romance!

Under Zifeng Town's smiling gaze, Zi Hanyan's pretty face flushed. She hurriedly turned her head away, pretending she knew nothing.

Zifeng Town gave another knowing smile. Then, seemingly remembering something, he asked with a smile, "My young friend Jun, you said just now that you wanted to critique Master Shi's and Master Fei's calligraphy. Do you know calligraphy as well?"

"A little. Seeing these two calligraphy masters put such wonderful words to paper today, I couldn't resist offering a few comments." Jun Wangchen nodded with a humble smile.

"Certainly. Since you wish to comment, come and take a look at these poor efforts of ours." Seeing the gleam in Jun Wangchen's eyes, Master Shi and Master Fei smiled kindly and extended their hands, inviting him over to examine their calligraphy.

As an underworld boss in the East District, Zifeng Town had grown increasingly powerful in recent years, and the people he associated with had grown increasingly prominent. Yet no matter how they looked at Jun Wangchen, he seemed to be a young man from an ordinary family.

They truly wanted to see just how capable this young man was, to have earned Zifeng Town's respect and such a warm welcome.

"Pardon my presumption!" With the two masters' permission, Jun Wangchen stepped directly up to the two pieces of calligraphy without hesitation.

Watching this, the critics behind him exchanged glances, all feeling an inexplicable urge to scoff.

Those truly proficient in calligraphy were invariably over fifty. Even they, as professional critics, had spent more than a decade studying and reflecting before gaining some familiarity with the art.

Jun Wangchen, on the other hand, was only in his early twenties. His literary knowledge and talent probably amounted to little more than writing school essays.

How much credibility could his critique possibly have?

However, given Zifeng Town's earlier attitude toward Jun Wangchen, they could hardly voice their thoughts.

Cold smiles had already settled on their faces nonetheless.

Given Master Fei's and Master Shi's reputations in Jinling City's calligraphy circles, offending them would probably give even Zifeng Town a headache.

At that thought, all the critics turned their eyes toward Jun Wangchen, their gazes filled with pity.

Kid, wanting to show what you can do is all well and good, but you've forgotten something very important.

The bird that sticks its head out... gets shot!