Among the people watching the competition from afar were many sons of officials, who were originally chatting and drinking.
Hearing a noise in the distance, they exchanged a glance and then burst into laughter.
"This Su Mu is quite a remarkable person."
"Yes, I wonder how many inches of calligraphy he can produce this time, but he certainly won in terms of sheer force."
Those watching from the surrounding area, seeing Su Mu's arrogance, felt that this person did indeed live up to his previous reputation.
Up in the pavilion, Deng Tianping and the other talented scholars were still furious, glaring fiercely at Su Mu.
Su Mu's eyebrows twitched as she stared at them, thinking to herself, "These people are crazy. They want to kill me, and they expect me to speak to them politely?"
"Alright, weren't we supposed to have a competition? Let's start as soon as possible, everyone's pretty busy."
Su Mu waved his hand and walked to the front, where a table had already been set up with writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.
"Let's see if your calligraphy matches your arrogance!"
Duan Qi stepped forward and snorted coldly.
Su Mu didn't reply, but looked at the brush and ink in front of him and said, "You guys go first, otherwise you might be too lazy to pick up a brush after I've written something."
As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding crowd fell silent, unsure of what to say for a moment.
Xiao Wu had been following Su Mu closely. At first, seeing Su Mu's arrogant attitude, she just found it somewhat amusing.
However, at this moment, he stared wide-eyed at Su Mu, puzzled.
Didn't we agree to proceed cautiously and not underestimate the enemy?
Su Mu had previously appeared confident and assured that he wouldn't underestimate his opponent, so why has he changed his tune now?
That's not just not underestimating the enemy, it's downright contempt!
The people around were also stunned to see Su Mu like this, probably never expecting that Su Mu would take them so lightly.
However, Su Mu's words were not without basis.
Wenbi's rules are somewhat like a series of tag teams.
Each person writes down their calligraphy. If one cannot write as well as the other, they can continue writing. If they really cannot write anything, they admit defeat.
If someone surpasses you, you can continue writing until you admit defeat or produce a better piece of calligraphy than the other person.
Therefore, once the written test is lost, it is very difficult to find any excuses.
"Hmph, I don't believe it! I'll let you write first, and we'll see what kind of calligraphy you can produce!"
Duan Qi was so angry she was practically fuming, and immediately told Su Mu to write first.
The people around Su Mu looked at him in astonishment, feeling that this talented man was truly arrogant beyond measure.
"Let him write first!"
Deng Tianping and the others were also furious. How could they not be angry at such blatant disrespect?
Are you really going to make me write first?
Looking at the agitated crowd, Su Mu raised an eyebrow and then became less polite.
Anyway, once I'm surpassed by these, I'll just write more.
After thinking it over for a moment, Su Mu made a choice.
Immediately, Su Mu stepped forward, picked up a brush, and began to write.
The people who were still drinking and chatting in the distance stopped and stared intently at this scene after noticing it.
Having witnessed countless partings and sorrows, I return to find only fallen petals.
As the characters appeared, Righteous Qi began to emerge, rising in the form of a bamboo stalk, climbing upwards segment by segment.
Su Mu was stunned by what he saw. He had never been able to see this Righteous Qi before, and he didn't know what it looked like inside.
It just feels really glaring.
Only now can I see it clearly. It turns out that this Righteous Qi has condensed into the shape of a bamboo, with a hint of green within it. And the few inches of calligraphy probably refers to how many sections the bamboo has!
Su Mu suddenly realized.
"We gaze at each other beneath the flowers, speechless; spring and the sky fade together by the green window."
The bamboo has grown another half section, and it seems to be unable to grow any further.
The surrounding scholars shook their heads upon seeing this. "We thought that someone with such an arrogant tone and such arrogant calligraphy would rise to prominence so quickly, but we never expected it to be like this?"
"Indeed! Such mediocre literary talent, to actually dare to show it off, is truly laughable! Has the Great Liang run out of talent?!"
Upon seeing this, Duan Qi and the others burst into laughter.
They had initially thought that Su Mu's calligraphy would give them a shock, since he had previously written six-inch calligraphy pieces.
I can't believe it's only this small. It's only a little over two inches long.
After writing, a piece that is about four inches long is already considered quite good, which is already considered good among many talented people, but it is not enough here.
At this moment, Mingze and the others also frowned, feeling somewhat uneasy.
How come Su Mu's skill level is so much lower?
The courtesans in the Entertainment Bureau all frowned, secretly worried. What this young master Su wrote today was truly mediocre!
"I long to pour out my love under the lamplight, a thread of new joy amidst a thousand threads of old sorrow."
The bamboo, imbued with Righteous Qi, began to slowly climb, reaching three sections. Depending on the situation, it will reach about four sections after the calligraphy is finished, which is a four-inch piece of calligraphy.
The onlookers shook their heads, convinced that the calligraphy had reached its limit.
"This guy, isn't he going to give up? What's the point of him continuing to write?"
"If it were me, I'd rather change the calligraphy than keep writing."
Deng Tianping and the others shook their heads repeatedly, but their faces showed excitement. This time, they could finally humiliate the Great Liang and reduce its national National Fortune!
Su Mu ignored the surrounding conversation and continued writing.
Some people, at this moment, have already lowered their heads and are no longer going to look.
What's the point of continuing to look? The top of this calligraphy is already clearly visible.
"The most fleeting things in life are youth and beauty; rosy cheeks fade from the mirror, flowers fall from the tree."
Su Mu lightly dipped his brush and slowly wrote the last sentence.
Just as Su Mu finished writing, a surge of Righteous Qi suddenly rose into the sky, and the bamboo above began to grow rapidly.
In the blink of an eye, it had grown to seven inches!
The talented scholars, who initially couldn't bear to look, noticed the commotion and suddenly looked up, only to witness what they considered a bizarre scene.
A seven-inch calligraphy scroll?
Everyone stood up abruptly at that moment, staring at the scene in disbelief.
His eyes were fixed intently on the last sentence.
"A masterpiece of human poetry. This is a masterpiece of human poetry!"
At this moment, Mingze and the others couldn't help but murmur aloud; they were all talented individuals who understood this perfectly well.
Only a masterpiece of poetry can truly capture the essence of a masterpiece, allowing this Righteous Qi to erupt so fiercely.
The faces of Duan Qi and the other talented scholars standing to the side instantly turned extremely ugly, their expressions ashen.
Inside the palace, the eldest princess, who was arguing with a foreign official, seemed to sense something, and a smile appeared on her lips.