"What the heck?"
Wang Jianye was utterly bewildered, instinctively retracting his hand.
He knew the "Six-Syllable Great Bright Mantra," and he knew about the "Pure Spirit Talisman," but he had never heard of them being linked together. After a long pause, he spoke with a tone of assumed knowledge:
"Monk, what kind of joke are you playing? The Pure Spirit Talisman is one of the classic talismanic arts passed down in my Daoist lineage. How could it possibly contain your Buddhist 'Six-Syllable Great Bright Mantra'?"
He paused, then cast a subtly malicious glance at Chen Xiao, adding in a sarcastic tone:
"You haven't been tricked, have you? The world of talismans is a treacherous place, full of charlatans and troublemakers. Outsiders can easily be swindled out of their fortunes, but to us insiders, these tricks are too crude and childish."
As he spoke, he couldn't resist casting lecherous glances at Song Nuan and Daphne, confidently assuming the two women were already captivated by him.
However, the reality was that the two women were not only unmoved but disgusted. Song Nuan, being the more outspoken, couldn't help but coldly retort:
"You old geezer, who are you calling a swindler? Nothing is absolute. Just because you can't do something doesn't mean others can't!"
"Exactly!"
Daphne nodded in agreement, saying:
"Dr. Chen is very capable, otherwise Master Puhui wouldn't have sought him out! Uncle Brushstroke, you look several years older than my father, why are you speaking so rudely?"
"You... you all..."
Wang Jianye's face turned green as he heard one woman call him an old geezer and the other say he was old and rude. What he found most unbearable was that neither woman had even looked him in the eye. Angrily, he said to Chen Xiao:
"Chen Xiao, deceiving people is wrong. In front of me, you should quickly admit that you don't understand talismans at all, or else I'll sue your mother..."
Chen Xiao, having just opened for business, naturally understood the principle of greeting customers with a smile. Therefore, even though he knew Wang Jianye's private life was chaotic and he often had designs on Chen Qing, he still hosted him with a smile. But since Wang Jianye was being ungrateful, Chen Xiao decided to dispense with the pretense. Without waiting for Wang Jianye to finish speaking, he shook his head with a half-smile:
"I do know a little about talismans. As for calligraphy, I wouldn't dare say it's exceptionally beautiful, but compared to you, it's more than enough."
"You..."
Wang Jianye was speechless, his face turning even greener. He inexplicably felt that Chen Xiao in front of him was different from the person he usually interacted with. After all, in his memory, Chen Xiao had always been weak and easy to bully, never daring to speak to him like this.
While he was stunned, Chen Xiao impatiently added:
"Are you here to buy medicine or not? If not, please excuse yourself. I don't have time to deal with you."
Wang Jianye was almost choked with rage. Utterly humiliated, he flew into a furious temper and roared:
"You're just a young whippersnapper in your early twenties, barely out of diapers! How dare you speak to me like that? You're utterly ignorant of the world! If you have the guts, let's have a competition. I want to see just how beautiful your calligraphy is!"
Saying this, he rudely snatched the brush from Master Puhui's hand, dipped it heavily in cinnabar, and began to write. His signature piece, "Man Jiang Hong," which he had been practicing for decades, flowed out in one go:
My hair bristles with rage, I stand on the parapet, the wind and rain abate. I lift my eyes, gaze at the sky and roar, my heart filled with passion. Thirty years of fame are but dust and dirt, eight thousand li of journey through clouds and moon.
Let not youth be wasted, for white hair brings only sorrow!
The shame of Jingkang, yet unavenged. The hatred of subjects, when will it cease? We shall drive our chariots, and break through Helan Mountain's pass. With ambition, we shall feast on the flesh of barbarians, and quench our thirst with their blood.
Let us start anew, reclaim our lost lands, and pay homage to the heavens.
Wang Jianye's "Man Jiang Hong" was not undeserved of its first prize in the municipal calligraphy competition. The moment he finished his last stroke, not only Master Puhui, who possessed profound calligraphy skills, but even Song Nuan, who knew nothing about calligraphy, were dumbfounded. Daphne, witnessing calligraphy being written live for the first time, couldn't help but widen her beautiful eyes and exclaim with admiration:
"My heavens! Is this the brush calligraphy that has been passed down for thousands of years? A treasure of art! An absolute treasure of art!"
"Heh heh."
Wang Jianye finally managed to capture the attention of the two women. Gloating inwardly, he provocatively handed the brush to Chen Xiao:
"Chen Xiao, it's not too late for you to admit you're a fraud. If your calligraphy later isn't as good as mine, it will be too late."
He paused, then added sarcastically:
"Oh, and to ensure fairness, you should also write 'Man Jiang Hong.' Then it will be clear who wrote better and who wrote worse."
Chen Xiao sneered:
"To compare your decades of practice with me, you're truly shameless. But you're right, only then will you be convinced of your defeat. However, not only will I make you accept your defeat, but I will also strip you of the courage to ever pick up a brush again. Therefore, I choose to use my left hand!"
Saying this, Chen Xiao took the brush from Wang Jianye with his left hand.
Master Puhui had already witnessed Chen Xiao's excellent penmanship yesterday and was eager to see his brush calligraphy skills. He quickly said:
"Dr. Chen, please wait a moment. I'll prepare the paper for you."
"No need to waste it."
Chen Xiao shook his head slightly, then dipped the brush heavily in cinnabar and began to write in the empty spaces left by Wang Jianye. Instantly, the mysterious and profound wordless golden scripture in his mind began to operate at lightning speed.
"Writing with your left hand? Chen Xiao, are you afraid you won't lose spectacularly enough?"
Wang Jianye sneered with disdain. But as soon as he spoke, he saw the character "怒" (nu - rage) that Chen Xiao had written and was instantly stunned. Because there was no comparison without contrast, his own "怒" written beside it was inferior to that of a three-year-old child.
What was most unacceptable to Wang Jianye was that although Chen Xiao was using his left hand, his writing speed was even faster than his own. By the time he snapped out of his daze, he discovered that Chen Xiao had already completed the entire "Man Jiang Hong."
"This... this... this this this..."
Wang Jianye stared blankly at Chen Xiao's writing, then at his own beside it. He suddenly became incoherent, his expression filled with undeniable shock.
Song Nuan and Daphne's mouths had formed perfect "o" shapes.
Master Puhui, as if discovering a peerless treasure, exclaimed without regard for his image:
"Dr. Chen, your brush calligraphy is truly exceptional! To be frank, based on this 'Man Jiang Hong' alone, even if Wang Xizhi were alive, he might not be able to surpass you!"
Chen Xiao acted as if he had done something incredibly simple, and said in a calm tone to the stunned Wang Jianye:
"Uncle Brushstroke, can you leave now? I hope you still have the courage to pick up a brush and write from now on."
"You..."
Wang Jianye's face was ashen, his expression filled with pain. After a moment of thought, he reluctantly said:
"No! That's not right! This comparison is unfair. I used my right hand just now, and you used your left. If you have the guts, write it again with your right hand!"
He thought to himself that Chen Xiao was likely left-handed, and his right hand would surely not be as good as his own.