Chapter 1616 - 593: Feihua Book (Part 2)

She then recited: "I have a brush, sufficient to paint the stars, something the Saint sought for countless ages but could not find,

Witch God, I am the third Sequencer under the Saint, Yu Ruying."

"You came to the human world, is it truly to teach the Young Master?" Knowing the Sequencer’s name, the Witch God began to inquire.

Yu Ruying’s voice carried an even greater sense of authority as she said,

"The art cannot be lightly passed on. Before teaching, I need to test Zhou Dangzheng’s character. If he passes, I will impart the insights of Calligraphy to clear some of his doubts,

If Zhou Dangzheng cannot pass, I will give him three first-grade Elixirs from the Jade Capital to thank him for his calligraphy and Flower God Pill."

"Does your Bai Yujing have no intention of abducting Zhou Dangzheng?" inquired the Witch God coldly.

The tone of Yu Ruying became calm, as if she was recounting some distant memory, and said,

"Witch God, you are one of the Four Great Venerable of Jing Country, how could you not know the ways of our Jade Capital’s Saint and Sequencers?"

"The Saint delves into the method of Star Painting daily, while the Sequencers immerse themselves in Calligraphy. Only I, the third Sequencer, occasionally meddle in worldly affairs,

For the Sequencers and Saints, matters of life and death in the world, or to whom power belongs, are of no interest."

"If there is no interest, then why did Bai Yujing unify the Heavenly Dome Twelve Palaces?"

The Witch God seemed not to trust Yu Ruying’s words.

Yu Ruying candidly said, "That is a matter of Bai Yujing, and it has nothing to do with the Saints and Sequencers. My words can be witnessed by Heaven and Earth. If there is any falsehood, let the Saint erase me from the world with the tip of his brush."

Hearing Yu Ruying’s solemn vow, the Witch God believed her words.

Though his dealings with Sequencers and Saints were few, he understood one thing—In the eyes of the Sequencer, the Jade Capital Saint was a unique deity in the world,

The Sequencers do not revere "Heaven and Earth" or "Supreme Will," nor do they worship the Four Great Venerable, they only respect the Jade Capital Saint.

Since Yu Ruying dared to pledge by the Saint’s name, there was no need to doubt the truth of the vow.

"If you genuinely intend to teach, I will not interfere much, just ensure that, Sequencer, no inappropriate thoughts are harbored."

"Thank you, Witch God, for your approval."

Yu Ruying responded with a light laugh.

The Witch God’s voice then vanished,

And Yu Ruying began to test Zhou Xuan.

She tested his character, so the question was extremely simple, merely asking: "Dare I ask, Zhou Dangzheng, what is the name of your calligraphy?"

Zhou Xuan directly said: "The piece is called the ’Breaking Qiang Stele’."

"Is this calligraphy written by you?"

The word "written" in Yu Ruying’s question implied whether Zhou Xuan originally created the Breaking Qiang Stele, or it was a copy.

Zhou Xuan, seasoned in calligraphy, naturally understood the intent behind Yu Ruying’s question.

He replied quite candidly, "It is not my original work."

His candidness was not out of fear of claiming Wang Xizhi’s credit, he had his considerations.

Given that Bai Yujing was keenly absorbed in Calligraphy, he might have to showcase more calligraphy works in the future.

The calligraphy pieces in his mind were many—works by Wang Xizhi, Liu Gongquan, Ouyang Xun, Su Shi, Mi Fu... among others, he had copied in his previous life’s brilliant Calligraphy tradition,

If he reveals these calligraphy pieces in the future, and given their differing styles, anyone knowledgeable in Calligraphy would immediately discern that these calligraphy pieces could not all originate from one hand.

If someone with intent sought to separate the genuine from the fake, insisting on revealing the truth, it would be a trouble, not big nor small,

Therefore, he might as well candidly admit that these calligraphy pieces were his copies.

"You are indeed honest."

Yu Ruying had already judged during her time in Jade Capital that Zhou Xuan’s calligraphy was definitely not original, but a copy of some extraordinary outsider.

What she hoped was also for Zhou Xuan to admit it being a copy—a good nature seeks truth, at least in Calligraphy, the heart must be sincere, with no deceptive words.

"This young man from the human world does not covet fame and fortune, indeed a talent capable of growth in Calligraphy."

Yu Ruying thought secretly in her heart.

She then asked, "Dangzheng, may I inquire further, who created this calligraphy? And where did you have the fortune to see it?"

Zhou Xuan fluently said, "I once had a grand dream. In that dream, I lived for over twenty years, during which I saw many calligraphy works, and this ’Breaking Qiang Stele’ was one of them."

His words were not false,

In fact, ever since Zhou Xuan came to Jing Country, he harbored some doubt,

Was his past life merely a grand dream Zhou Xuan experienced, or is his current life a bizarre dream his past self went through?

Whenever Zhou Xuan recalled such thoughts, he always had a feeling akin to ’Zhuang Zhou dreamed of a Butterfly’—Was it Zhou’s dream of becoming a Butterfly, or the Butterfly’s dream of becoming Zhou?

His response was earnest, and naturally, Yu Ruying did not detect any flaw.

Yu Ruying then asked, "Then this Breaking Qiang Stele, who created it?"

"In my dream world, there was a Book Saint by the name of Wang Xizhi, commonly known as Wang Youjun by the people, and this Breaking Qiang Stele was written by his hand."

"A human-world Book Saint?"

Yu Ruying couldn’t help but enter a state of Divine Travel, her voice somewhat wooden, asking, "At what age did Master Wang write this Breaking Qiang Stele?"

"In his later years."

Zhou Xuan said, "This calligraphy was a brief note that the Book Saint Wang Youjun wrote to a friend, and he ascended to heaven six years after the piece was completed."

"No wonder, no wonder."

Yu Ruying said, "Looking at this piece, it possesses the realm of Great Harmony. When a calligrapher’s Calligraphy is fully mastered, it enters the stage of Man and Book being both old, surpassing that stage is to reach the realm of Master Wang."

"Does a higher calligrapher’s realm always overshadow that of a lower realm?"

Zhou Xuan couldn’t help but engage in a discussion about Calligraphy with Yu Ruying.