The plainly dressed old man put his hands behind his back and said with a smile, "Xu Xiao has never done anything that I like in his life, but he did give birth to a good son."
Hearing these incredibly disrespectful words, Hsu Fengnian couldn't help but furrow his brows. However, he quickly felt relieved. The older generation of scholars had always paid attention to strength of character. Otherwise, how could they have the confidence to rule the world together with the emperor? Besides, it was very likely that this person was a lone official of West Chu who had concealed his identity. It was reasonable for him to have a monstrous grudge against Beiliang and Xu Xiao. Hsu Fengnian asked with a smile, "May I ask if you are the Master of Calligraphy of West Chu?"
The old man's expression was somewhat strange. He neither denied nor admitted it. He just stared straight at Hsu Fengnian. If Hsu Fengnian, who resembled Wu Su in appearance, was a handsome young master in the eyes of the women of the world, then one could vaguely see that the old man in his prime had a graceful bearing when he was young. At the very least, he could be called an "old jade tree". Hsu Fengnian felt somewhat uncomfortable being sized up. When people looked at him in Beiliang, they mostly looked at him with disdain as His Royal Highness wasted his good looks. Later, in Tai'an City, they looked at him with disdain as the son of a butcher. After the results of his battle with Wang Xianzhi came to light, there was a great change. Even Beiliang border generals, such as Li Mofan and Wang Lingbao, who were known for their arrogance, had a heartfelt reverence and admiration in their eyes. Only the old man in front of him had a strange look in his eyes.
The old man said softly, "Earlier, when I saw your calligraphy on the stele, I could see that you had put in a lot of hard work. You have to thank Li Yishan for being able to bravely advance on the martial path since you started practicing the blade in Wudang. Practicing calligraphy and playing chess are two different things. Once you reach a certain level, you can learn everything. Although not every master of calligraphy or chess can become a capable official of the world, or a grandmaster of the martial path like Li Mi's disciple, it is very beneficial to the molding of a person's temperament. After the hot-tempered Xu Xiao became a vassal, his temperament changed greatly. This has a lot to do with the fact that he learned chess in his later years. "
Hsu Fengnian did not say anything. When Xu Xiao made his fortune in Liaodong's Jinzhou, he was just an illiterate wanderer. It could be said that Hsu Fengnian's ancestors had nothing to do with any scholarly family or farming family. After Xu Xiao came to Beiliang, he became a terrible chess player. It was not without reason that he could play to his heart's content with his second sister Xu Weixiong's master, Chancellor Wang. At first, it was because Hsu Fengnian's mother wanted Xu Xiao to play more chess to temper his hot-tempered temperament. When he was old, it was time for him to cultivate his temperament. At first, Xu Xiao always slacked off and escaped whenever he could. Over time, the princess consort did not say much. Later, Hsu Fengnian fell in love with playing chess. Probably after the princess consort passed away, the relationship between Hsu Fengnian, the eldest legitimate son, and Xu Xiao became strained. Xu Xiao probably wanted to spend more time with his son and finally began to seriously learn chess. However, His Royal Highness quickly widened the gap between him and Hsu Fengnian. After that, Hsu Fengnian and Li Yishan did not like playing chess with Xu Xiao. No matter how hard they played chess, they could always defeat Xu Xiao. Even if Xu Xiao wanted to humiliate himself, it depended on whether the master and disciple, who were the only people in the world who could not give him face, were in the mood. Xu Weixiong had always been able to patiently play chess with Xu Xiao. However, perhaps in the heart of Xu Xiao, who had never concealed his preference for boys, it was more interesting to play chess with his son. Even if Hsu Fengnian killed all the chess pieces on the chessboard and left only a few pieces, the old Prince Liang, who had won many battles, and the Lame Xu, who was recognized as the most ambitious person in the Liyang Dynasty, would also feel very happy.
His peerless achievement in pacifying the Spring and Autumn Period allowed Xu Xiao to be on equal footing with the late emperor Zhao Dun's father when they met. In the future, when he attended court, he would be able to carry a sword into the palace. However, in Mount Qing Liang, many scenes always made people, especially outsiders, feel that it was absurd. Xu Xiao was being chased in Wutongin, and the one sitting at the head of the table at the prince's manor banquet was the young heir. Not to mention the families of nobles, marquises, generals, and ministers, even if it was a small family, the father should not spoil his son so much, and the son should not be so disobedient. In the end, Liyang Dynasty found an unassailable reason to attack Beiliang. If the upper beam was not straight, the lower beam would be crooked.
Hsu Fengnian shook his head gently, forcing himself to focus. Although the old man in front of him did not reveal any murderous intent, he was still a first-class hidden master. The Great Battle of Liang Mang was on the verge of breaking out. If he were to die here, the place of his death would still be passable, but the timing would be completely wrong. Other things aside, at least a few hundred thousand Northern Mang people would be spared from death.
The old man smiled and asked, "Do you think I am Qi Lianhua from West Chu?"
Hsu Fengnian nodded.
The old man slowly stretched out a palm. "When you pick up the brush, you must concentrate, just like the sages of the previous dynasty when hundreds of people sat at the same table. Your heart is righteous and your Qi is harmonious. Only then can you understand the mystery and be close to the Great Way. The Way is like the heavy weapons of a national temple. If it is empty, it will be full. If it is full, it will be overturned. If it is only in the middle, it will be flat. "
The old man's hand gesture changed. "The ancient people's wrists were haunted by ghosts. When they wrote, it was as if they were assisted by the gods. Therefore, if the tip is straight, it will be full of power. If the second is heavy, it will be the real finger. If the real finger is flat, it will be flat. If the palm is empty again, it will be used as one wishes … "
"Together, the scholar's calligraphy is also. Da Chu has nurtured its soldiers for two hundred years. The country has been destroyed for twenty years. There is still a morale that cannot be disgraced. "
"For the ring, it will be melancholy. For the wave, it will be limp."
"When the brush is sent out, the proud Xu will come out."
As the old man spoke, wind and thunder filled the garden.
Outside the mausoleum, Mi Fengjie's face was pale. The sword in the case on his back was trembling incessantly, as if it had been struck by lightning.
In the garden, Fan Xiaochai's face was pale. She was on the verge of collapse, but she still gritted her teeth and stubbornly refused to take a step back.
This Old Man's palm slowly turned over. It seemed like he was just picking up the brush and slowly sketching. It was like a pedantic old man teaching the children of a private school how to write stroke by stroke. However, in Hsu Fengnian's eyes, it was a perilous situation. It even reminded him of the time outside the great hall in Tai 'an City, when Gu Jiantang had used the world's number one talisman blade, "Nanhua", and used the Thunder Cube to return the courtesy of Cao Changqing. The two were different paths leading to the same destination. They both had the ability to turn something rotten into something magical, reaching the realm of perfection. The wind and snow drifted. Hsu Fengnian's expression was heavy. Previously, he and the sword grandmaster Mi Fengjie had both believed that the remnants on the stone tablet were Sword Qi drawn by fingers. Now, it seemed like they were off by a hair.
This old man used a blade.
Hsu Fengnian did not look at the chaotic wind and snow that seemed to have been cut by blades. He asked, "So Old Sir Qi is the Blade Armor of the Thirteen Armors of Spring and Autumn?"
The old man did not answer the question. Instead, he bent his five fingers slightly and made a closing gesture. He asked in return, "Is it a joint plan?"
Hsu Fengnian, who was standing in a circle with not a single snowflake in a radius of several zhang around him, helplessly replied, "It is the character for 'Nian'."
The old man withdrew his hand and sighed, "Yes, the character for 'Nian'. Hsu Fengnian. "
The wind and snow in the garden finally returned to normal. Snowflakes rustled and fell on Hsu Fengnian's head and shoulders.
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