"The wind is fierce, the sky is high, and the apes cry mournfully; the clear sand on the islets, the white sand on the banks, and the birds fly back. Boundless fallen leaves rustle down, the endless Yangtze River rushes on. For ten thousand miles, in this autumn of sorrow, I am often a guest; for a hundred years, with many illnesses, I ascend this terrace alone. Hardships and bitter regrets have frosted my temples, dejected, I have now stopped my cup of turbid wine."
Seeing Wan Yunting's brushstrokes like a sword, freely and gracefully displaying Du Fu's seven-character regulated verse poem "Ascending," Tang Boyun was greatly inspired and couldn't help but clap and praise, "Good calligraphy, truly good calligraphy..."
"Hmm, paired with Du Fu's 'Ascending,' it indeed possesses much artistic conception and momentum. Excellent!"
Fan Liren also nodded and clapped his hands in approval. Cao Hui and Wang Mianzhi, along with several other masters, smiled and nodded in agreement.
Huang Yaodong and Lin Yushu, along with Hou Xuesong and his companions, saw Elder Fan and these prominent figures repeatedly praising Wan Yunting's calligraphy, and they were filled with envy. Gu Luotang, with a smile on her face, looked at the man with eyes full of affection, feeling proud for him.
"Old Zhang, quickly mount this calligraphy and then place it in that empty spot."
Tang Boyun immediately instructed the steward to have Wan Yunting's calligraphy mounted and displayed on the fifth floor.
"What, displayed on the fifth floor..."
Hou Xuesong and Lin Yushu, upon seeing Tang Boyun's intention to hang Wan Yunting's work on the fifth floor of the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, alongside the works of ancient masters and titans like Elder Fan, exclaimed in amazement, "What an honor this must be."
Tang Boyun looked at Wan Yunting and smiled, "Yunting, with your calligraphy, you are absolutely on par with those masters. Even without Elder Fan's presence, I would still place your work on this fifth floor!"
"Indeed," chimed in Cao Hui and Wang Mianzhi, along with other masters, "Even we old bones writing in the Slender Gold style are not as proficient as young Wan."
Fan Liren even added, "To write the Slender Gold style with such vigor and imperial presence, in recent years, only you have been able to achieve this!"
"Heavens, this praise is too high..."
Zhao Yushi couldn't help but gasp, while Huang Yaodong, Lin Yushu, and Hou Xuesong were even more envious. To receive such praise from a master like Elder Fan was definitely unprecedented for a young person.
"Elder Fan and sirs, you flatter me. But Mr. Tang, if my calligraphy is displayed on your fifth floor, I don't have to pay, right?" Wan Yunting then joked with Tang Boyun.
This caught him completely off guard, and he immediately said, "Oh, look at what you're saying. I, Tang, should be paying you. By the way, Yunting, did you participate in the Lanting Award Calligraphy Competition?"
"Yes."
Wan Yunting nodded and gestured to Gu Luotang and Huang Yaodong beside him, smiling, "We came to participate in the calligraphy competition."
"Good, good, good..."
Tang Boyun was excited. He pointed to Wan Yunting and said to Fan Liren and the others, "I dare to bet that Wan Yunting will win the first prize in this year's Lanting Award Calligraphy Competition. If your calligraphy increases in value then, I will buy this piece at that price, how about it?"
"Aiyoh..."
Wan Yunting waved his hand and laughed, "Mr. Tang, don't joke like that, I was just kidding."
"Haha..."
Fan Liren, Cao Hui, and the others laughed. However, Tang Boyun was very serious about buying Wan Yunting's calligraphy, leaving him with no choice.
Consequently, Huang Yaodong and his group also privately urged Wan Yunting to ask Fan Liren to write a piece for everyone on the spot.
"Alright, then I shall write one."
When Wan Yunting spoke, Fan Liren naturally agreed. This surprised Tang Boyun, Cao Hui, and Wang Mianzhi; it seemed that Elder Fan truly favored Wan Yunting.
This was because everyone knew that Fan Liren had rarely painted or written calligraphy in recent years, and almost never wrote publicly. Unexpectedly, he agreed as soon as Wan Yunting asked.
Fan Liren picked up his brush, and Wan Yunting held the paperweight to smooth the Xuan paper for him. Instantly, Fan Liren's eyes widened slightly, and he began to wield his brush on the Xuan paper. The cursive script, utilizing the power of his wrist, followed his heart, his writing reflecting his state of mind. It was evident that Fan Liren was in a very pleasant mood, thus his writing exuded a very unrestrained feeling...
"As expected of a literary titan! This wild cursive script is truly magnificent..."
Lin Yushu and Hou Xuesong, who were watching, were rendered speechless with excitement by Elder Fan's wild cursive calligraphy. They could only stare with wide eyes, watching with complete focus, praising it with the word "magnificent."
Tang Boyun, Cao Hui, and Wang Mianzhi, those esteemed masters, all nodded repeatedly...
Huang Yaodong, Zhao Yushi, Lin Yushu, Hou Xuesong, Gu Luotang, and Qi Miaomiao were all dumbfounded, their mouths agape.
Perhaps the only one present who didn't display an exaggerated expression was Wan Yunting, but he had to admit that Elder Fan's wild cursive calligraphy was excellent.
"Northern land's scenery, a thousand miles of ice, ten thousand miles of snow drifting. Looking within and beyond the Great Wall, only vastness remains; up and down the Yellow River, the torrents have vanished..."
The poem Fan Liren wrote was Chairman Mao's "Qin Yuan Chun." He had captured the magnificent momentum of the vast mountains and lakes in the poem, causing Tang Boyun's lips to tremble with excitement. If this piece could be displayed on the fifth floor of the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, it would undoubtedly be the honor of his lifetime.
"The land is so beautiful, it makes countless heroes bow their heads."
Standing beside him, Wan Yunting looked at this line written by Elder Fan and couldn't help but praise the great man's heroic spirit, feeling his own blood surge with emotion...
Huang Yaodong, Zhao Yushi, Lin Yushu, Hou Xuesong, Gu Luotang, and Qi Miaomiao also stared with wide eyes, trembling slightly with excitement. With Fan Liren's final stroke, the momentum of Chairman Mao's poem "Qin Yuan Chun" was perfectly displayed.
"Good calligraphy, truly good calligraphy..."
Tang Boyun, Huang Yaodong, and Zhao Yushi, who had finally reacted, couldn't help but clap and exclaim, their faces filled with excitement.
Fan Liren put down his brush, smiled and waved at them, then turned to Wan Yunting and said, "How about it, little Wan? Is my old man's calligraphy still decent?"
"Not just decent, it's extremely good."
Only Wan Yunting maintained a natural demeanor, not as overtly expressive as Huang Yaodong and Lin Yushu.
"Haha..."
Fan Liren burst into laughter.
Tang Boyun excitedly cupped his hands in a salute, "Elder Fan, I boldly request this ink treasure to be displayed on the fifth floor!"
"Take it."
Fan Liren waved his hand generously and said with a smile.
"Thank you, Elder Fan..."
Tang Boyun was so excited he almost jumped. Tonight was destined to be a sleepless one for him.
"By the way, little Wan, do you also write in cursive script?" Fan Liren then asked.
"Yes, occasionally," Wan Yunting replied with a smile.
"Then write something for me to see."
Fan Liren moved aside, inviting him to write and have a look, perhaps he could offer some pointers...
"Brother Yunting, you can write cursive script?"
Qi Miaomiao exclaimed in surprise. Gu Luotang was also astonished, as they only knew Wan Yunting wrote in the Slender Gold style, and had never seen his calligraphy in other scripts.
"Yes, I know a little."
Wan Yunting nodded with a smile, then picked up the brush Fan Liren had just used. Fan Liren personally held the paperweight to smooth the freshly laid Xuan paper for him...
Such treatment, perhaps only he received it, not even Fan Liren's granddaughter.
As Wan Yunting picked up the brush, his eyes instantly widened, and he unleashed a shocking aura, causing Fan Liren beside him to suddenly startle, looking at the young man with great surprise...
Tang Boyun, Cao Hui, Wang Mianzhi, Gu Luotang, Qi Miaomiao, Huang Yaodong, and the others also suddenly startled. Everyone clearly felt a powerful aura emanating from Wan Yunting, pressing down on their hearts like a giant stone, creating a sense of oppression!
And this aura was naturally the killing intent Wan Yunting was unknowingly releasing!
The brush in his hand transformed into a sword, and he began to wield it on the Xuan paper. Each stroke and hook was like a sword's edge sweeping past, causing Fan Liren beside him to stare with wide eyes. He watched the brush in his hand, the sword qi like a rainbow, the momentum akin to a fierce battlefield, making his heart tremble...
"Long ago, I sought a marquis in distant lands, my horse alone defended Liangzhou. Where are the dreamlike passes and rivers broken? Dust darkens the old sable fur. The barbarians are not yet extinguished, my temples are already aging, tears fall in vain. Who would have thought in this life, my heart is in Tian Shan, my body withered by the coast?"
This was Lu You's poem "Su Zhong Qing." The first half captured the heroic ambition, the aspiration to build merit for the nation. Wan Yunting had perfectly conveyed that surging momentum, as if he were the great general in the poem, wielding his sword and slaughtering in all directions with that heroic spirit.
Then, in the latter half, it transformed into sorrow and unwillingness, a tragic scene of walking alone into a river of blood and shattered mountains and rivers. The once earth-shattering boasts had now turned into tears of blood, flowing away in the long river of time...
The vivid scenes caused Fan Liren, watching from the side, to have his old eyes redden and his heart churn...
"Whoosh..."
Even Wan Yunting, after finishing, picked up his brush and looked at the calligraphy he had written, letting out a heavy sigh...
Looking at the "Su Zhong Qing" he had written, this was the first time he had written this poem, and it was also the only poem he could remember. The meaning perfectly interpreted the situation Lu You experienced in the Song Dynasty, leaving a deep impression.
For a moment, everyone's breathing became rapid. It seemed Tang Boyun, Cao Hui, Wang Mianzhi, Gu Luotang, and Huang Yaodong could also sense the heroic spirit and autumnal sorrow emanating from Wan Yunting's wild cursive calligraphy, as if they could see the scene of ancient generals leading large armies to defend against the Xiongnu barbarians for the nation and its people, making everyone's emotions surge...
Finally, they saw shattered mountains and rivers, rivers of blood, and the helplessness that made their eyes redden, leaving them unable to recover for a long time.
"Good calligraphy, truly good calligraphy..."
Finally, Fan Liren was the first to react. The old gentleman excitedly patted the desk and repeatedly exclaimed.
Tang Boyun, Cao Hui, Wang Mianzhi, Gu Luotang, Huang Yaodong, and the others also gradually came to their senses. They were all emotionally moved and praised, "Brother Yunting, I never imagined that besides your excellent Slender Gold style, your cursive script is also so good. Truly admirable."
"Yes."
Lin Yushu said excitedly, "Looking at your 'Su Zhong Qing,' the bold strokes seem to transport us back to that era. What we saw and heard truly stirred our hearts."
"Hmm, the brushwork exudes momentum!"
Tang Boyun's eyes widened, staring intently at this wild cursive calligraphy. As if recalling something, he looked up at Wan Yunting, his fingers trembling with excitement, and shouted, "It's killing intent!"