Chapter 268: Chapter 0268: A Piece of Calligraphy Amazes the Talented Woman_1
"I’m sorry. I’ll learn from this and never underestimate anyone again. Please, spare Uncle Ba!" Lin Youlan felt both ashamed and desperate as she watched Ba Ziyun gasp for breath. If the youth remained unyielding, Ba Ziyun would die, and it would be entirely her fault for mishandling the situation.
"Hmph... Considering your youth and ignorance, I’ll give you one chance to repent. Otherwise, things wouldn’t have been so simple, and it’s entirely possible that someone would have ended up a corpse," Zhang Bin scoffed. "Also, don’t think you’re so special just because you’re a beauty. My girlfriend is far more beautiful than you. And don’t be so arrogant about your talent. In my eyes, your artistic ability isn’t even worthy of carrying my shoes."
Only then did he retract his Special Ability.
THUD. Ba Ziyun fell from the air and collapsed to the ground, his face etched with terror and the aftershock of his ordeal. He had truly walked through the Ghost Gate today; this youth was too powerful, too terrifying. He struggled to his feet and bowed respectfully. "Thank you for your mercy in sparing my life, Senior. I, Ba Ziyun, was blind and failed to recognize a great master. I deserved my punishment."
He was genuinely terrified of this youth, so much so that he didn’t dare to even think of revenge.
"Get lost."
Zhang Bin felt no sympathy for the man.
Ba Ziyun scrambled and crawled out of the room, drenched in a cold sweat. He had truly felt the chilling embrace of death.
As for Lin Youlan, she remained standing there, stunned as if she were an idiot. How proud and self-assured had she always been? When had anyone ever taught her a lesson like this? When had she ever been so utterly humiliated? She, Lin Youlan, who prided herself on her unparalleled beauty, was less beautiful than his girlfriend? She, a woman of rare talent, was deemed unworthy to even carry this youth’s shoes?
"Chen Junheng, you’re amazing! That’s how a real man should be—so domineering," a brilliant smile bloomed on Yang Yiyi’s face. She really liked Chen Junheng’s commanding presence. Most importantly, he showed no pity for a pretty face, scolding a talented beauty like Lin Youlan into utter submission.
The three scholars also came to their senses. They clambered up awkwardly and timidly returned to their seats, their faces filled with resentment. Peng Yang’s expression was particularly venomous.
"Continue with the second round," Lin Youlan said coldly, glaring fiercely at Zhang Bin.
Despite her indignation, she was unwilling to argue with a youth who possessed such a terrifying Special Ability, lest she provoke him further. Still, she sneered in her heart, "Arrogant and conceited... in my eyes, you’re nothing but an ignorant fool who overestimates himself. I’d like to see what kind of garbage calligraphy you can produce."
Although Zhang Bin lacked the ability of Mind Reading, he saw the defiance and scorn on her face. He also noticed that she remained standing there, evidently intending to watch him write. He naturally understood what she was thinking, and a faint, cold smile touched his lips.
He retrieved a brush, ink, and paper from the drawer. After carefully assessing the paper’s dimensions, he lifted the brush, dipped it in the ink, and his entire bearing instantly transformed. He exuded the dignified air of a Grandmaster and a profound scholarly aura, and his silhouette seemed to grow several times larger.
Under countless astonished and puzzled gazes, Zhang Bin began to write with bold, fluid strokes.
*Wuyi Lane*
*Wildflowers bloom by Zhuque Bridge;*
*The evening sun slants over Wuyi Lane.*
*The same swallows from Wang and Xie’s old halls,*
*Now fly into the homes of common folk.*
This was a poem by Liu Yuxi, imbued with a deep philosophy of life that had made it an immortal masterpiece. Of course, Zhang Bin writing this poem today also served as a reminder to Lin Youlan. Relying on her grandfather’s fame meant nothing. Once Master Lin passed on, she, too, would be like the swallows of the great clans, eventually flying into the homes of ordinary people.
He wrote in a flowing, semi-cursive script.
Each character was dazzling and graceful. Appreciated individually, they were like stunning women, each radiating astonishing beauty and Spiritual Energy. Viewed together, they became a troupe of peerless dancers, weaving an unparalleled and magnificent performance. It mesmerized, dazzled, and bewitched the onlooker, making it impossible to look away.
This piece of calligraphy could undoubtedly be compared to the semi-cursive script of the Sage of Calligraphy, Wang Xizhi. It was worth remembering that no authentic works of Wang Xizhi had survived to the present day; all that remained were copies made by later generations, which paled in comparison to the perfection of the originals. For millennia, countless calligraphy enthusiasts could only imagine the beauty and artistic conception of Wang Xizhi’s true masterpieces by studying these imitations. No one truly knew the heights of beauty his calligraphy had reached.
But today, an incredibly beautiful work of semi-cursive script had been born into the world.
"My God, this calligraphy is beautiful! This is an unbelievably rare work, definitely at the Grandmaster Level!" Yang Yiyi, sitting beside Zhang Bin, was naturally the first to recognize its value. "Chen Junheng is a Calligraphy Grandmaster? He only looks to be in his twenties! How could he possibly create a piece at the Grandmaster Level? Am I dreaming?" Excitement flushed her cheeks, and her eyes radiated an intense, spellbound gleam. Her gaze was so fixated on the calligraphy that she couldn’t tear it away. She felt as if her very Soul had been drawn out and fused with the work, unable to escape the wondrous Heaven and Earth it contained.
As for Lin Youlan, a woman highly skilled in calligraphy herself, she was initially dismissive. However, when Zhang Bin wrote the first character, her mind went blank with a thunderous jolt. Awe and shock surged like a tidal wave from the sea of her spirit, violently assailing the dikes of her heart. She struggled desperately, unwilling to let her defenses be destroyed, for she refused to bow her head to this youth. But when Zhang Bin wrote the second character, her mental defenses collapsed completely.
The overwhelming emotions flooded her entire being, washing away every negative impression she had of Zhang Bin, leaving not a single trace.
In the next moment, she was utterly lost in the beauty of the calligraphy. Her lovely, jade-like hands began to move, unconsciously mimicking the strokes, while her pretty face flushed and her eyes shone with the light of spring. In that instant, she felt the first stirrings of romance. A closer look would reveal goosebumps covering her skin, a physical reaction triggered by a dizzying storm of excitement, shock, ecstasy, and adoration.
In this moment, with a single piece of calligraphy at the Grandmaster Realm, Zhang Bin had completely subdued this proud woman. No, not just her—he had thoroughly conquered two talented beauties: Yang Yiyi and Lin Youlan.