Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 172: Calligraphy

Zhao Changhe did not directly start heading over to her pavilion to learn the guqin. Instead, he went into his room and grabbed a towel to wipe off the sweat from his body. He acted as if those teasing words had never left his mouth.

This conveniently spared Tang Wanzhuang from having to give an awkward response. She suddenly felt that this guy had studied under some master of quips. These sudden jabs of his were incredibly clever...

He just stood there with his sleeves rolled up, wiping himself down and completely disregarding her while she was standing at the door watching him. She was not sure whether he just had exhibitionist tendencies or if this was another form of teasing.

In fact, the explanation was much simpler—it was just too damn hot. Zhao Changhe could not be bothered to act all prim and proper. Besides, he had never invited her into his room, so whether or not she wanted to watch him was her business.

Tang Wanzhuang stood there expressionless, neither advancing nor retreating. Her earlier jovial mood had nearly completely gone away.

Zhao Changhe casually asked, “Is it because my cultivation isn’t high enough? Theoretically speaking, after reaching the fourth layer of the Profound Gate, I should be impervious to cold and heat, right? During the winter, I had just started cultivating yet I didn’t really worry too much about the cold. By the time spring came, I was no longer afraid of the cold. But now that it’s summer, I seem to have become even more sensitive to heat. I break out into a sweat at the slightest exertion. It feels incredibly unpleasant.”

Tang Wanzhuang said, “It’s related to the nature of your cultivation. The Vicious Blood Art would naturally make you feel hot, which is why it needs to be neutralized or balanced. Originally, the Six Harmonies Art would have been sufficient, but since the amount of time you spend practicing it is now lacking compared to your practice of the Vicious Blood Art, its effects are being suppressed.”

“Is that why you say I need to slow down and calm down? I felt really good yesterday.”

“Yes.”

“The thing is, I feel that after calming down, I became a bit too much like a sage. It was as if I aged several decades, and nothing belonging to the mortal dust could trouble me. Of course, I understand the benefits of such a state, but it felt really uncomfortable. After all, I’m only twenty.”

Tang Wanzhuang finally laughed. “Do you really think that my music has such a strong effect? What you’re talking about is some immortal magic, and I don’t have such skills. It was just that you usually kept yourself too tense, so coming across a song that allowed you to relax made the effects seem particularly noticeable. It won’t be as miraculous if you continue listening to such music, but it can still help you focus your mind. If nothing else, at least it’ll help you with the overheating problem.”

Zhao Changhe glanced at her. “You don’t practice martial arts, are you not afraid of the heat?”

Tang Wanzhuang said, “Other than during intense battles, I have never broken a sweat in my daily life for many years. As they say, a calm heart...”

Before she could finish speaking, Zhao Changhe interrupted her, “Hmm, flesh of ice and bones of jade, naturally cool without sweating. I’m a rough man, so forgive me if I am unable to attain that level.”

Tang Wanzhuang’s words got stuck in her throat, her eyes widening.

Are you teasing me again?

Zhao Changhe laughed. Yes, that’s the expression I wanted to see. How refreshing. It’s like a fairy stepping out of a painting, everything becomes more vibrant. Why be so serious all the time?

Tang Wanzhuang took a deep breath. “Why were you so different toward me before? I bet it’s because you held yourself back last night, so now you want to release the discomfort.”

Zhao Changhe said honestly, “That’s not true. The poison she used last night really wasn’t all that. Also, I already told you, I was in a sage-like state yesterday.”

He thought for a moment and sighed. “It might just be because I’ve gotten used to teasing Sisi these past few days. Now that she’s suddenly not around, I’ve turned the target of my teasing to you. It’s not a big deal, really. I talk so much nonsense to you outside, but when I actually face you, I turn so serious and it feels wrong.”

Tang Wanzhuang said, “So this is how you originally regarded me? You were just holding yourself back before?”

“Maybe. I don’t really quite understand it myself. Anyway, this feels much more natural. When I talked to you before, I always felt like I had to be especially careful about what I said, and I always had to think twice or thrice before voicing something out. It felt very unnatural.”

Tang Wanzhuang suddenly laughed. “If you had this attitude before, Sisi might not have resorted to drugging you in the end.”

Zhao Changhe paused and fell into thought.

Perhaps that was in fact the case. Sisi had always been unconvinced by his two different attitudes. She felt underestimated, feeling that he respected Tang Wanzhuang too much compared to her. Those last scenes at the tomb may have indeed been a rebellious act stemming from that resentment, like it was her way of saying, “You think she’s so high and mighty? Let’s see what happens when I stir things up!”

“She’s actually only sixteen and a half years old. She isn’t even seventeen yet. She’s just in her rebellious phase, and she was raised differently from those in the Central Plains,” Tang Wanzhuang said. “I think she might be somewhat interested in you, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

Damn, she’s already got such a great figure, but she’s not even seventeen yet?

Zhao Changhe really had not expected this. He was slightly surprised. “You’re actually speaking up for her?”

“Because she really didn’t mean to harm you. Even that last move of hers, at least in her eyes, was just to give you an advantage... I can be mad with her, but you don’t really need to be,” Tang Wanzhuang said leisurely. “Of course, if you are aggrieved for me, that makes me happy.”

This time, it was Zhao Changhe’s turn to have his eyes widen. “Are you teasing me?”

Tang Wanzhuang said leisurely, “Since you’ve been teasing me, why can’t I do the same? You said that you used to have to think carefully before speaking to me before, do you think that I wasn’t the same? You’re just a big kid, but you always gave me a headache with how serious you were. Sometimes, I wonder if I should just treat you like Buqi, and if I’m unhappy with you, I’ll just knock you down and give you a beating...”

Zhao Changhe stared at her for a while, then suddenly burst into laughter.

Tang Wanzhuang laughed too. Her smile was truly enchanting.

Zhao Changhe suddenly felt that if this had been the atmosphere they shared yesterday, he would not have hesitated to call her big sister at that time.

It was as if some intangible barrier between them had suddenly broken, and their relationship had gone from being strictly business and even cautiously distant, to beginning to take on a hint of friendship.

How had this change started... Was it from discussing Sisi? Or from when he mentioned wanting to see her embarrassed?

He couldn’t really tell, and so he just scratched his head.

Seeing him look like a silly bear scratching his head, Tang Wanzhuang felt even more amused. “Stop acting stupid. Anyway, you don’t have the time to play the guqin and touch my hands today—you promised to organize the sword arts for Sisi. Sort that out first. She’ll be leaving in a few days.”

“Oh, right...” Zhao Changhe knew that this was serious business. Since he had nothing else to do at the moment, he sat directly by the window, spread out his brushes and ink, and began to write down the key points of sword arts.

Tang Wanzhuang stood by the side, watching with great surprise. She believed that one could comprehend many insights from the sword seal, but they would not be transmitted through words. Instead, she believed that they were likely transmitted through some sort of will or intent that was felt rather than discussed.

Certainly, an experienced grandmaster would be able to convey these teachings using words. However, Zhao Changhe had only had the sword seal for a single night, yet he was actually already able to write down the key points of a sword art. It was as if the Sword Emperor had explained it to him verbally.

Little did she know that, in fact, the Sword Emperor had explained things to him verbally. The Sword Emperor that the Heavenly Tome manifested discussed the sword arts for him, and Zhao Changhe had to listen and repeat his words many times before he could remember everything.

Tang Wanzhuang was also a master of sword arts. With just a glance, she could tell that what he was writing was genuine. Even if some masters tried to comprehend the intent within the sword seal, their expression of it might not be as good as his.

How on earth is he managing to do this...

But as a master of sword arts, after looking at the skills of the Sword Emperor, she soon became unable to think of anything else. She quickly became immersed in the sword intent, becoming completely lost in thought.

This sword manual was only entry-level, but the principles of the sword contained within were quite profound.

From just this perspective, the basic principles remained consistent throughout history, and today’s practitioners were indeed on the right path. But why was it that the higher one looked, the more despairing the gap appeared to be?

Zhao Changhe had been writing for a while, and he eventually ran out of ink, so he went to grind some ink, feeling slightly annoyed. But when Tang Wanzhuang saw him stop writing, she quickly realized why and instinctively reached out to grind the ink first. Her eyes still focused on the manual he was writing as she pondered.

Her appearance seemed to say, “Keep writing, I want to keep reading. I can handle this little task.”

Zhao Changhe glanced at her, said nothing, and simply dipped his brush into the ink before continuing to write. He felt extremely strange.

This was just like the ancient version of having a beautiful girl beside you in the library, accompanying you as you studied.

It’s really fragrant...the scent of ink. She also smells quite nice.

He felt strange, but also embarrassed, because his calligraphy was so ugly that he could not help but blush as he continued writing. He simply did not deserve to have such a stunning beauty by his side.

Zhao Changhe had only been forced to attend a calligraphy class by his parents when he was very young. He knew how to hold and use a brush, but after crying and refusing to continue learning for two months, he basically learned nothing and just wasted the money his parents paid.

Since transmigrating to this world, he had only picked up a brush once, which was when he wrote down the Vicious Blood Art for the Heavenly Tome. After writing several thousand characters back then, he could only be said to have barely familiarized himself with calligraphy again. He was slightly better than his peers in controlling his strength now, so his writing would at least not be filled with crooked lines, but that was about it.

As he wrote, he could not help but mutter, “Isn’t it ugly?”

Tang Wanzhuang snapped out of her thoughts of the sword art. In fact, she had not been paying attention to his calligraphy at all. Now that she was reminded of it, she found it rather interesting, “It’s not bad. I can see that you’ve learned the basics. It’s just that you’re a bit rusty... Hm, it seems you did actually study calligraphy in the past. It looks like Zhao Family Village was quite a decent place.”

Zhao Changhe: “...”

Tang Wanzhuang smiled as she admired his writing, even praising him, “It’s actually not bad at all. Have you noticed? While your writing does start off a bit rough, the more you write, the more bold and powerful it becomes, and it even reveals somewhat of a sharp edge. You’re actually already developing your own style... Although it’s structurally imbalanced, has a clumsy layout, and looks a bit weird... Should we call it Zhao Village Style?”

“...Can you stop mentioning Zhao Village? By the way, are you praising me or mocking me?”

“Of course, it’s praise,” Tang Wanzhuang said with a smile. “Do you think I expect you to write like a calligraphy master?”

Zhao Changhe was speechless for a moment. “I guess you’d be happy as long as it looks like actual writing, right?”

“It’s because you still care about whether it looks good or not, which shows that you still have the desire to learn and do better.”

“I feel like you’re playing some sort of character development game with me, including tricking me into playing the guqin for meditation.”

“It’s a win-win situation. Playing the guqin is indeed conducive to meditation and is beneficial for your current state. But what do you mean by character development game?” Tang Wanzhuang asked. “Actually, since it’s just the two of us here, there’s no harm in me being direct. I do hope to guide you toward the path of a prince, but how does that qualify as a game? Using that term here is rather frivolous. This is a serious matter.”

“The main difference between a character development game and regular guidance lies in guiding a child to become the partner one desires...oh shi—”

Crack!

The solid ink stick suddenly turned into powder on the inkstone, splashing ink all over Zhao Changhe’s face. Tang Wanzhuang huffed and left.