Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Senior, did I pass this question?” Yan Liqiang smiled and asked.
“Of course, of course you’ve passed!” That old man laughed happily as he stroked his long beard. He looked at Yan Liqiang’s answer for the second line of the couplet and kept nodding, feeling increasingly satisfied, “I’ve been in the Divine Sword Sect for so many years and have met countless disciples. Most of them place more emphasis on martial arts rather than literacy and feel that poems, books, and articles are all useless stuff. What they don’t know is that poems, books, and articles are merely the forms. The essence is still in the heart. It’s like the energy, essence, and spirit in martial arts. There are similar things in words as well. Coming across a great article is like observing a great expert performing amazing secret arts. Just watching by the side is sufficient to cleanse one’s mind, broaden one’s horizon, and nurture a great disposition. From looking at your writing, I can tell that you’re extraordinary. One who isn’t well-versed in literacy wouldn’t be able to write like this. The Sect Lord has taken in a great disciple!”
“Senior, you’re too kind. They say that the poor should study and the rich should practice martial arts. My family wasn’t considered rich and I didn’t have the opportunity to practice martial arts at first. Therefore, I often visited the bookstores and rich family houses to borrow books to read. That’s how I was able to recognize a few words!” Yan Liqiang said humbly as he came up with this story.
In terms of literacy, what Yan Liqiang had read about the 5,000 years of China’s history and culture accumulation far surpassed that of this world’s. It was hard to compare the two. It could be said that the difference between this world’s martial arts from the other world was equivalent to the difference between that world’s literacy from this world’s. Yan Liqiang was not someone who was remarkable in his studies in the past, but the poems, books, and articles he had read in the past were enough to astonish anyone in this generation.
And the most amazing thing was that after the Muscle Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing, Yan Liqiang discovered that the articles, documents, and other things he had read in the past — even those he had not remembered after reading them in his previous life — would appear in his mind as long as he thought about them. There was no way that he could forget them even if he wanted to. Yan Liqiang had read some poems from the Tang, Song, and Yuan Dynasties, couplets, and also ancient text and books in similar genres. In the past, he only remembered a few classical pieces, like the ‘Chu Shi Biao [1]’ and the ‘On the Love of the Lotus [2]’. He might’ve not memorized it in the past, but right now he could remember everything. He could even clearly recall the books he flipped through by chance. With that, the challenge on the fourth floor was too simple for Yan Liqiang.
“By right, I still have to test you on two more couplets, but seeing how creative and nimble your mind is, there’s no need to test you on couplets any further. There’s just one last question. If you can pass it, then you can head upstairs!”
“Senior, please ask the question!”
The old man picked up the brush and was silent for a short moment before he took out another piece of paper, placed it on the table, dipped the brush in ink, and then swung the brush around on the paper.
In the beginning, Yan Liqiang thought the old man was going to write something. It was only later that he realized that the old man was not writing, but drawing. In just a short moment, Yan Liqiang could tell that what the old man was drawing was Tiankui Peak’s snow scene that could be seen over these few days. At the end, the old man placed the brush down. The drawing was that of the snow-filled scene on Tiankui Peak. The blooming of some plum blossoms stood out a lot, adding the finishing touch that brought the painting to life.
The old man put down the brush and looked at his drawing in satisfaction, smiling. He then said to Yan Liqiang, “What do you think of this painting?”
“Not bad, Senior’s painting skill has reached the point of perfection. It’s really admirable. Moreover, this painting depicts a great concept.”
“It’s just that this painting is still short of a set of words. This is the last question — to write a set of words on this drawing. Poems or articles are both fine, as long as what you’ve written can match the concept of this painting. If the words and painting are able to complement each other, then you’d be considered to have passed this last part. If what you write doesn’t match the painting and ruins it, then you will not pass this stage.”
This was the old man’s last question, and compared to the couplets earlier, the difficulty was now one notch higher. Moreover, the most difficult thing was that Yan Liqiang was expected to improvise on the spot.
After the old man said this, he placed the brush on the brush rack and gave Yan Liqiang the time to think.
Yan Liqiang felt a lot of emotions when he looked at the old man’s painting. A poem suddenly gushed out in his mind.
Yan Liqiang thought about it for a short while before he picked up the brush and dipped it in ink.
“Be prudent. This is the last question and you can think through it slowly. Write only after you have absolute confidence. If it doesn’t turn out to be nice, you might end up leaving regretfully. It’s common for ordinary people to think about the writing on a painting for ten days or even half a month!” When the old man saw that Yan Liqiang was going to start writing so soon, he reminded him out of goodwill.
“Senior, thank you for your reminder. I know what I’m doing!” Yan Liqiang smiled and moved the brush, writing these words on the painting — Ode to the Plum Blossom [3].
That old man’s eyes were fixed on the brush in Yan Liqiang’s hands.
Yan Liqiang took in a deep breath, writing rapidly with good penmanship, and a series of words appeared under his brush——
Wind and rain escorted Spring’s departure, flying snow welcomes Spring’s return.
On the ice-clad rock rising high and sheer, a flower blooms sweet and fair.
Sweet and fair, she craves not Spring for herself alone, to be the harbinger of Spring she is content.
When the mountain flowers are in full bloom, she will smile mingling in their midst.
The old man’s eyes lit up when he saw the first line Yan Liqiang wrote. And after Yan Liqiang finished writing, the old man’s mouth was agape and he was speechless when he saw the written poem.
This poem was written by an important ancestor, and the energy, essence, and spirit in the words were unrivaled. There was both a dignified and lofty character, a majestic righteousness, and the air of a ruler in it. This ‘Ode to the Plum Blossom’ was something that Yan Liqiang liked the most. What was a rare find was that this poem was a great complement to the Sect Guardian’s identity that Yan Liqiang had inherited in the Divine Sword Sect. Therefore, Yan Liqiang wrote this poem out without any hesitation on the painting.
“A poem like this… a poem like this…” The old man looked at the ‘Ode to the Plum Blossom’ written by Yan Liqiang. He was at a loss for a while before he let out a long sigh in the end, “You’re ten times better than me to be able to write a poem like this. Over several centuries, not one person in the Divine Sword Sect has been able to come up with a poem like this. I’ve been overconfident. This stage won’t be able to stop you. You can go on ahead!”
“Thank you, Senior!” Yan Liqiang bowed to that old man and then turned to head toward the path leading to the fifth floor.
“Wait a minute…” That old man suddenly called out to him. Yan Liqiang stopped and turned, “Does Senior have any other guidance?”
That old man looked at Yan Liqiang with some expectation. “All the secret manuals on each floor above this are rare items in the Divine Sword Sect. The higher you head up, the more precious the secret manual. However, no one has reached the ninth floor and obtained the item there over the past three hundred years. With your talent, you might be able to give it a try!”
“Ah, what’s on the ninth floor?”
“You’ll find out if you can head up there. I can’t tell you that. Otherwise, I’d be ruining things!” The old man shook his head and did not reveal it.
“Alright. Thank you Senior for your encouragement!”
Yan Liqiang felt curious after hearing what that old man said. He wondered what was on the ninth floor of the crystal pagoda, especially since no disciples in the Divine Sword Sect had been able to reach it over the past three hundred years.
Yan Liqiang then headed toward the entrance to the fifth floor. As usual, there was a row of words there, reminding Yan Liqiang what he had just been tested on this stage.
——’Those who possess great eloquence and wisdom are permitted to proceed to the fifth floor!’
[1] The Chu Shi Biao may refer to either of the two memorials written by Zhuge Liang, the Imperial Chancellor of the state of Shu during the Three Kingdoms period of China.
[2] An article by Zhou Dun Yi from the Northern Song Dynasty.
[3] Poem by Mao Zedong.
