A Writing Brush

"After that... after that, I split my divine sense into a few strands, found the weakest point in the formation, and gave it a tiny little attack with my divine sense..."

Fan Dazhi scratched his head and spoke in a low, slightly embarrassed voice.

"You actually attacked the isolation formation with your divine sense?"

He An was secretly astonished. This fellow had far too much nerve!

"Mm... just a tiny little attack. Then I... I pulled out. Thinking about it now, it wasn't much fun anyway. Xiao An, you mustn't tell anyone about this."

Fan Dazhi's face reddened slightly. His voice grew softer and softer, until it was as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

What he did not tell He An was that, after breaking through the Female Dormitory's Isolation Barrier Formation that night, he had extended his divine sense inside. He found that the room was much like the one he had lived in before, with four female students fast asleep on their beds. Fan Dazhi had been both nervous and frightened. After all, peeping was something that could never bear the light of day.

The winter night was cold, and the girls had tucked their quilts snugly around themselves. Fan Dazhi had brought his divine sense closer, intending to take a good look, when everything suddenly went black. Excruciating pain tore through his sea of consciousness, as though someone had lashed him viciously with a whip. Terrified, he hurriedly withdrew his divine sense and clutched his throbbing head. He spent ages on tenterhooks, afraid that some teacher would discover him and come knocking at his door. At last, after tossing and turning, he had fallen into a deep, uneasy sleep.

When he woke the next day, the memory of the previous night still left his heart pounding with fear. From then on, he never dared use his divine sense to snoop around the Knowledge and Practice Institute again.

"Last time, you sneaked food from the Dining Hall for my sake and were punished with confinement. If anyone catches you peeping, confinement won't be the end of it!"

Seeing Fan Dazhi duck his head in shame, He An could not bear to scold him. Instead, he teased him with a smile. "Your father hopes you'll amount to something someday. If he finds out you've been behaving like this, see if he doesn't beat you with a carrying pole!"

"Xiao An... I know I was wrong..."

Fan Dazhi buried his face in his quilt and snored, pretending to be asleep. Yet a moment later, he sat up again with a few mutters and groans, looking at He An with a cheeky grin.

"Xiao An... how about we... go out for a stroll tomorrow? Besides, Teacher Ding often has Wenruo bring us some of the old books from his collection to study. How long has it been since we paid him a visit? We're falling a little short on manners!"

"All right. We'll take a stroll around Luoyang City tomorrow and buy some gifts along the way, then visit our teacher at the Ding residence!"

He An thought Fan Dazhi had a point and readily agreed.

Fan Dazhi beamed with delight and sprawled on his bed again, rubbing his belly with one hand. "Just thinking about going shopping tomorrow has made this hopeless belly of mine hungry again!"

He An rolled his eyes at him, sat cross-legged, and began practicing his cultivation method. Outside the window, a crescent moon curved like a hook, and the window lattice rustled in the wind. The night had grown deep.

The imperial capital, Luoyang, was prosperous and wealthy. A great poet of the Former Dynasty had once written, "In spring, Luoyang blooms most richly of all; a hundred thousand homes lie shaded by red and green. Amid jade towers and golden palaces, I linger, loath to return; let me tuck plum blossoms in my hair and grow drunk to the pipa."

He An and Fan Dazhi set out early that morning. They toured the Nine Provinces Garden, Jia Ma Camp, and Wind-Hearing Rein Street, then went on to the Bai Garden to pay their respects at the tomb of Bai Buyi, a great scholar of the Former Dynasty. Along the way, they listened to other visitors recount the origins of the famous sights and stories of the past. Before they knew it, noon had arrived.

The breeze was gentle and the sun bright, making the day much warmer than usual. Squeezed into the crowd, Fan Dazhi noisily gnawed on a frozen pear. As soon as he finished, he wiped his mouth and pulled a handful of sugar-roasted chestnuts from inside his robe. The fellow had eaten the whole way, wanting to taste everything he saw. He An glanced at him and shook his head helplessly.

There were many general stores along this street. Some displayed their wares by the roadside to attract customers, leaving the already narrow street hopelessly congested.

He An scanned row after row of shelves, unsure what to buy from the dazzling array of goods.

With the hundred-tael banknote tucked inside his robe, he fretted over what gift to choose. Something too expensive was beyond his means and inappropriate, while something too cheap and casually chosen would be embarrassing to present and show no sincerity.

"Xiao An, why don't we buy some Peony Cakes? They're so colorful and pretty. I've never had them either, so this would be a good chance to try them!"

Fan Dazhi squeezed over and offered his suggestion with an exaggerated wink.

"No! They're only food. Besides, the chancellor's residence has no shortage of such things!"

He An shook his head. After studying the goods along the street for a while, his eyes lit up.

"Let's give him a beautiful writing brush. Teacher Ding is an accomplished calligrapher and practices often. A brush would be the perfect gift, and it would suit our status, too."

Fan Dazhi applauded the idea. They visited many shops selling brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, only to discover, to their dismay, that even a slightly better writing brush was beyond their means.

Even the cheapest Zhezhou Lake Brush cost forty or fifty taels of silver. Standing outside a shop called the Precious Ink Pavilion, He An touched the banknote warmed by his body, gritted his teeth, and was just about to go inside again when Fan Dazhi caught his arm, a sugar-roasted chestnut between his teeth.

"Xiao An, why don't we make a brush for our teacher? That way, we won't have to spend any money, and we can still show our sincerity!"

"You know how to make writing brushes?" He An looked at Fan Dazhi skeptically.

"Have you forgotten how good I am at making fish baskets? I've seen my father make brushes. There's nothing in this world he can't make! I took a close look at the brushes in that shop just now. I guarantee mine won't be any worse than theirs!"

Fan Dazhi chewed his chestnut smugly and continued, "Writing brushes are actually pretty simple to make. The heads are usually made from goat hair, weasel-tail hair, mountain hare fur, or civet fur. Pig bristles, horse-tail hair, cat and dog whiskers, and even a baby's first hair can be used. The shafts are usually bamboo tubes, though rosewood, horn, ivory, and jade can also be used for a more luxurious look."

Fan Dazhi reeled off these details as though counting treasures in his own home, and He An could not help being impressed.

"To make a writing brush, you just need to select the materials, comb and wash the hairs, press them into shape, sort and align them, bind the head, glue the tip, carve the lettering, and attach a hanging cord. It sounds troublesome, but for me, it's a small dish on the table."

Fan Dazhi chuckled smugly, rubbing his chin with two plump fingers as he mused, "But right now... hare, civet, and weasel hair won't be easy to find. Goat hair is too soft to release ink evenly, while pig bristles and horse-tail hair are too stiff and split easily... Mm! Here's what we'll do... you find some good bamboo. Remember, it has to be good bamboo. I'll find some cat and dog whiskers. Once we've gathered everything, we'll meet here!"

With that, Fan Dazhi patted He An's shoulder, turned, and squeezed into the crowd. A moment later, he had vanished.

After a little thought, He An turned back toward the Knowledge and Practice Institute. He remembered that there was plenty of bamboo on the grounds, so he was sure he could find a decent piece.

He recalled a few bamboo plants in the rear courtyard of the Discipline Hall, but the thought of its master, Jia Huaigang, with his black face like a judge of the underworld, made him abandon any notion of going there. He An simply didn't dare.

He wandered behind the Knowledge and Practice Tower, where a row of rooms stood beneath several tall ginkgo trees. Few people usually passed through here, and the surroundings were exceptionally peaceful. When he encountered a few teachers along the way, He An hurriedly bowed with clasped hands and greeted them.

The afternoon sunshine was mild, bringing a rare warmth as it fell upon him. Lu Zhengqing sat by his window in clean, freshly washed clothes, brush in hand, writing something at his desk. Occasionally, he glanced outside. When he noticed He An looking furtively this way and that, he could not help chuckling. After watching him for a while, he took a blank sheet of Xuan paper from beside his desk, considered briefly, then lifted his brush and wrote a few words.

A little later, Lu Zhengqing set down his brush, picked up the Xuan paper, and blew on the half-dried ink. He folded the sheet, tucked it inside his robe, and softly called He An over.

He An watched the kindly Lu Zhengqing emerge from his room, his eyes clear and his manner composed. Patches covered the shoulders and hem of his gray robe, and the sunlight cast a faint silver glow over his graying hair. Filled with respect, He An bowed to him.

"We aren't in class now. There's no need to stand on ceremony. Come, come... sit with this old man and have a chat!"

As he spoke, Lu Zhengqing pointed to a stone stool beside him. He An bowed slightly and sat upright as instructed.

"I once had a disciple. Like you, he was diligent, eager to learn, courteous, quick-witted, and humble... He possessed every virtue a young man ought to have. I wonder... how he is faring in the Eastern Yang Kingdom now..."

Lu Zhengqing sighed as he spoke. Memories of the past seemed to weigh on him still, and his grizzled beard trembled in the breeze.

"Why did this senior fellow disciple... go to the Eastern Yang Kingdom?" He An could not help asking.

"Wasn't it all because of that old... never mind. It's in the past. Better left unsaid!" Lu Zhengqing grew a little agitated, blurting out his words indignantly. Then he looked at He An and stroked his beard with a smile. "I know you won that martial contest a few days ago. Many people have been praising you. You must be quite pleased yourself?"

"I was merely forced to accept the challenge. Truly... I can take no pride in it!"

He An bowed slightly in unease and answered respectfully.

"It is perfectly natural for young people to love vanity and chase fame and fortune. But... skill with fists and feet, the arts of a fighting man, are lesser paths after all. No matter how brave a man is, he can only be a match for ten thousand. Such abilities may serve him well on the battlefield in his country's service, but they fall short when it comes to governing the world and saving its people..."

At this point, Lu Zhengqing stroked his beard and continued slowly, "No matter how accomplished a man's martial skills, how many people can he save when his country faces disaster? A hundred? A thousand? Even ten thousand? Yet the common people beneath heaven number far beyond countless thousands. Only learning can release the people from the torment of hanging upside down and enlighten all living souls! Writing carries the Way. That is a truth no blow can shatter!"

"I understand your meaning, Teacher. I, your student He An, have received your instruction!"

He An rose and bent into a deep bow.

"Your calligraphy has already begun to acquire a true flavor. I'll give you a small piece of writing. There's no hurry to unfold it. When your heart is troubled and your thoughts unsettled, take a look. Perhaps it will help you!"

As he spoke, Lu Zhengqing took the folded sheet of Xuan paper from inside his robe and handed it over. He An respectfully received it with both hands.

"A gentleman is prudent in his actions. From my window just now, I observed you behaving suspiciously, skulking about. What was the reason?" Lu Zhengqing asked calmly.

The question sent a chill through He An's heart. He had never told a lie, and his nervousness made him stammer. When he saw Lu Zhengqing's expression growing increasingly stern, he hurriedly explained the reason.

"You were merely looking for a fine piece of bamboo? Why behave like that?"

After hearing him out, Lu Zhengqing's expression softened considerably. A thought suddenly arose in his mind. That fellow forced my disciple to drift through foreign lands. I'll have someone snap off a branch of his precious bamboo right now. That will be repayment in kind!

At the thought, even the corners of his eyes filled with laughter, as though he could already see that fellow beating his breast in anguish. He said gently to He An, "In consideration of your sincerity, I do happen to know where there's an excellent bamboo plant. Go and take what you need. Don't delay!"