Martial Arts Showdown: My Wife Asked Me to Be the Champion

Chapter 24: Can copying my master's poem be considered stealing?

"Young Master Xu is truly enjoying himself! To be able to eat a bowl of hot soup noodles in this desolate wilderness!"

Yin Susu bowed respectfully, sat down next to Xu Qingya in a very natural manner, casually picked up Xu Qingya's bowl and chopsticks, scooped out a bowl of noodles, and took a small sip of the noodle soup.

Yin Susu's four subordinates stood around like guardian deities, their eight gazes perfectly sealing off the surrounding space, leaving no gaps whatsoever.

Even if an assassin launches a surprise attack from underground, he will be stabbed through the skull the moment he exposes his head.

"When traveling, it's inevitable to eat outdoors and sleep in the open, so I specially learned some cooking skills to protect my spleen and stomach."

"Young Master Xu's words are reasonable! Hmm~ Judging from your appearance and demeanor, you must be a talented and elegant scholar. I have some basic knowledge of writing, please give me your opinion."

Yin Susu took out a folding fan from her sleeve and unfolded it in front of Xu Qingya. The front of the fan depicted the Qiantang River tidal bore, and the back was inscribed with a poem: "In the slanting wind and drizzling rain, there is no need to return."

Liu Qingci had intended to join in the conversation, but upon hearing Yin Susu discussing calligraphy, painting, and poetry, he sat back down listlessly, took out some dried meat from his bundle, and teased Tangdun'er.

"Is the young lady studying under Lady Wei?"

"Young master, your eyesight is truly remarkable; I am in awe!"

"The Wei family has been skilled in calligraphy for generations, learning from the calligraphy master Zhong Yao. Through generations of revisions and improvements, they have gradually formed their own unique style, evolving from clerical script to regular script."

The lines of Lady Wei's Postscript are elegant and peaceful, and the characters are graceful and beautiful, like a flower-arranging dancer, graceful and beautiful, or like a fairy playing with shadows, red lotus reflected in water, and rosy clouds floating on a green pond.

"Horizontal" like a thousand-mile-long array of clouds;

The dot resembles a boulder falling from a high mountain;

The stroke "撇" is like the broken horn of a rhinoceros or elephant.

The vertical stroke resembles an ancient, withered vine.

The stroke "捺" is like a crashing wave or a thunderous roar;

"Strive" like a crossbow bolt released with immense force;

The hook is like the sinew of a powerful crossbow;

The girl's calligraphy, while sharp and forceful at the beginning, possesses a majestic grandeur reminiscent of surging waves and a barrage of arrows. However, this excess is as bad as deficiency, resulting in a lack of grace at the end of each stroke.

Xu Qingya broke off a tree branch and started writing and drawing on the ground, explaining as he wrote: "Words are like life; they require a balance of strength and gentleness to achieve fulfillment."

White egrets fly before Mount Xisai, peach blossoms float on the flowing water, and mandarin fish are plump. The dragon hides in the deep abyss and cannot be found. In the slanting wind and drizzling rain, there is no need to return!

Upon seeing this, Yin Susu's eyes lit up. As the eldest daughter of the Sky Eagle Sect, Yin Susu had been diligent in her studies since childhood, and her talent and martial arts skills surpassed even those of her elder brother, Yin Yewang.

This time, the purpose of seeking Xu Qingya was not for the Liancheng Treasure, but to find the "Dragon-Slaying Saber." He deliberately used poetry to test Xu Qingya's abilities.

Unexpectedly, Xu Qingya's martial arts skills were superior to hers. She countered each move, and instead of being able to test Xu Qingya's strengths and weaknesses, she was able to see through Xu Qingya's abilities.

Xu Qingya changed the original poem line "green bamboo hat, green raincoat" to "the dragon hides in the deep abyss, nowhere to be found," meaning that he knew her origin and purpose, but he did not know where the Dragon-Slaying Saber was, and asked her to go back to where she came from!

Yin Susu smiled and said, "Does Young Master Xu study the calligraphy of Yan Zhenqing and Liu Gongquan? Judging from his calligraphy, I believe he would never lie. I apologize for my rudeness."

The guards nearly popped their eyes out.

Who is Yin Susu?

The leader of the Ziwei Hall of the Sky Eagle Sect, who controls all of the Sky Eagle Sect's maritime business, has conquered five islands and formed eight maritime merchant fleets in less than three years since his debut.

The bloodthirsty and murderous pirates would flee at the mere sight of the Ziwei Hall's flag; those who were even slightly slow to escape would become sharks' dinner.

The infamous Divine Dragon Cult and Poison Dragon Island were reduced to ruins by Yin Susu's cannons. The Japanese pirates, organized by the Yagyu family, robbed the Ziwei Hall's merchant ships and were chased by Yin Susu for thousands of miles, eventually being thrown into the sea to be fed to the fish.

Let alone ordinary people, even Yin Yewang and Yin Tianzheng, their two closest relatives, had never seen Yin Susu with such a gentle and graceful expression. Could it be that the young lady has changed her personality? Could this young master Xu be a master of the art of soul-capturing?

Liu Qingci glanced at him sideways and sneered, "This calligraphy is not bad. If you send it to Qianli Lane, it can sell for at least ten taels of silver. If you work hard for another seven or eight years and finish writing eighteen vats of ink, you'll have three-tenths of my sister's style."

Qianli Lane was located in the Imperial College. Since passing the imperial examination was likened to "a fish leaping over the dragon gate," the students named the lane Qianli (meaning "thousand carp") to bring good fortune.

Qianli Lane mainly operates two types of businesses.

Firstly, there were shops related to culture, specializing in selling writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, as well as stalls for poor scholars to sell calligraphy and paintings, and scattered secondhand clothing shops.

Secondly, there were brothels. The two most luxurious brothels in the capital were located in Qianli Lane. The story of "the courtesan and the poor scholar" happened countless times. Some scholars wrote the story into scripts and made a fortune by selling them.

Yin Susu was furious upon hearing this. She thought to herself, "Xu Qingya is above me, but Xu Qingya only managed to write three-tenths of your sister's style after writing eighteen vats of water. Is your sister a calligraphy saint?"

On second thought, rumors in the martial arts world say that Liu Qingci's martial arts talent and Liu Dinghuan's literary talent make them the royal family's twin stars of both literature and martial arts, a once-in-a-century genius.

Of course, while she could be gentle and graceful with Xu Qingya, Yin Susu couldn't help but "provoke" Liu Qingci, even knowing her identity.

"Since you are sisters, I imagine your calligraphy and painting skills are at least five-tenths as good as your sister's. Please add four lines to this poem so that I may broaden my horizons."

Yin Susu looked at Liu Qingci with a mocking expression.

To everyone's surprise, Liu Qingci was not intimidated. He took the branch from Xu Qingya, added four lines to the poem with a few strokes, and then wrote the poem in one go.

—My dream of becoming a scholar was shattered, my ambitions unfulfilled; a sudden inspiration struck me, leading me to a secluded martial arts school. Why should I complain about Heaven's cruel joke? I'll roam freely in the clear breeze and bright moonlight.

The calligraphy is both elegant and fluid, conveying both the helplessness of fate and the detachment of worldly affairs. It resonates with the late emperor's expectations for Liu Qingci's talent when she was born, unexpectedly fitting her life.

It is said that literature is a gift from heaven, and a masterpiece is a matter of chance. Liu Qingci was not literate, but he expressed his aspirations through poetry. His poems and essays, written in this way, have a greater sense of meaning.

"Hiss~~"

Yin Susu gasped.

Xu Qingya remained silent, watching the spectacle unfold.

Liu Qingci knew nothing about poetry and prose, making it incredibly difficult for her to compose a poem. After struggling for three days, she wrote: "East-West Street, North-South Walk, I went out and saw a man biting a dog."

This poem was not written by Liu Qingci, but by Huang Shang, Liu Qingci's mentor. Huang Shang passed the imperial examination in his middle age and originally wanted to go to the Hanlin Academy to compile books, but unexpectedly he was appointed by the late emperor to compile the "Wanshou Daozang".

While proofreading the Daoist canon word by word, Huang Shang accidentally comprehended unparalleled martial arts, transforming from a scholar who had studied diligently for thirty years into a supreme master of the Daoist sect.

He wanted to become a Hanlin scholar, but ended up becoming a martial arts master.

Because of the Encounter with Immortals Gang, the scholar, who had no goodwill towards Taoism, became a master of both internal and external cultivation, and of both mind and body, from which he could not escape in this lifetime.

What a frustrating fate!

However, only someone like him would have the patience to teach Liu Qingci word by word, allowing this muscle-bound brain to comprehend the Four Books and Five Classics.

As for calligraphy, Liu Qingci was punished by his teacher to copy books from the time he could remember. He used at least eighteen or thirty vats of ink. He copied and imitated each character over the years, and thus developed excellent handwriting.

To put it simply, it's muscle memory!

Xu Qingya could guess from the meaning of the poem that it was Huang Shang's work, but Yin Susu had no idea.

Just then, Zhuiming finished releasing his inner energy and emerged from the woods. Seeing the poem on the ground, Zhuiming chuckled and said, "This poem is quite well written; it's clearly the work of an old scholar whose ambitions have been thwarted!"

Qin Nanqin interjected, "Old scholar?"

Zhui Ming laughed and said, "Miss, you don't know this, but those scholars in their fifties and sixties in Qianli Lane have never passed the imperial examinations in their entire lives. In order to make a living, many of them write scripts based on their life experiences and what they have seen in the martial arts world."

Many famous works were created in this way!

Some people's scripts are so famous that they attract many nobles and princes who, in their sixties or seventies, skip the imperial examinations and obtain a minor official position of the eighth or ninth rank.

Life is like a dream, nothing more!

Of the Four Great Constables, Wuqing is the most talented, Tieshou is the most reserved, but the one who loves to compose poems and enjoy the scenery the most is clearly Zhui Ming, who loves to drink.

Poetry and wine are inseparable.

However, Zhuiming can recite and appreciate poetry, but he can't compose it. His poems often fail to express his meaning, and even with his ruthless and cold personality, he has complained about it seven or eight times.

Yin Susu looked at Liu Qingci with a half-smile.

It's not uncommon for wealthy and powerful people to hire scholars to write for them in order to appear cultured, but being recognized as such is a huge embarrassment.

Liu Qingci retorted, "What are you laughing at? Only when it's obvious that it's 'ghostwriting,' and Miss Yin didn't realize that I wrote this poem!"

Yin Susu joked, "This humble woman is blind, but Master Cui has sharp eyes. Some people's little tricks are nothing but amusement in the eyes of the Four Great Constables."

Liu Qingci retorted, "Hmph! What do you know? This poem was written by my master. My master has no children, so after he passes away, everything will be mine!"

The logic behind this statement is simply unbeatable.

Yin Susu stood there dumbfounded, speechless.

Zhuiming wanted to argue, but fearing that Liu Qingci would chase him for three thousand miles, he could only cover his mouth tightly.

Qin Nanqin and Xu Qingya petted the dog while watching the show with smiles. This drama was interesting, really interesting, and they wouldn't get tired of watching it a hundred times.

Liu Qingci puffed out his chest smugly: "If you're not happy, come and hit me! I'll let you off easy!"

Xu Qingya smoothed things over, saying, "Please, ladies, calm your anger! Writing poetry requires inspiration and life experience; it's often a matter of chance!"

Yin Susu flipped her folding fan, so that the side depicting the Qiantang River tidal bore faced Xu Qingya: "Young Master Xu, I concede defeat in poetry and calligraphy. Please, sir, appreciate my calligraphy and painting."

Liu Qingci stared intently at Xu Qingya.

Qin Nanqin's pupils contracted slightly, and she grabbed a handful of dog hair.

Zhui Ming went into the woods again, causing his internal energy to leak out.

Xu Qingya commented: "Miss Yin's calligraphy and painting are excellent, but they are too extreme. The characters are too sharp, and the calligraphy and painting are too delicate. They lack the grandeur of the Qiantang River tide and are more like white jade porcelain, which can only be placed on a bookshelf."

Yin Susu asked, "Young Master Xu, I have always loved calligraphy and painting, and I always carry brushes and ink with me. I would like to prepare ink for you and ask for your guidance."

"I'm not good at painting landscapes."

"What is Young Master Xu good at painting?"

"Portrait!"

Xu Qingya spoke eloquently and persuasively, displaying his master's ultimate skill—the art of deception!