Dragon's Origin

As expected, Academician Qi, despite his notoriously bad handwriting, was divinely inspired today. With a confident and decisive stroke, he completed the character in one go.

The large character was written with unrestrained enthusiasm, leaving one wanting more. Academician Qi looked at his work and couldn't help but nod, utterly satisfied.

A delicate maidservant who had been attending to the ink and paper dared not make a sound while Academician Qi was writing. Only after the academician had finished did she open her cherry-like mouth and exclaim in praise.

Red sleeves adding fragrance to the ink, coupled with a soft voice of admiration—could there be anything more gratifying for Academician Qi?

He lowered his head to admire his calligraphy carefully. Academician Qi felt that this was the best piece he had ever written in his life. He looked at it from left to right, seemingly unable to get enough.

Only then did Academician Qi remember that he was still holding the jade pen. He carefully smoothed the tip in the pen cleaner before placing it on the pen rest.

The grandmasters that Qian Shengyuan found were truly remarkable, able to create so many variations with just a small set of stationery. This pen cleaner, this pen rest—so exquisite and unique, one couldn't resist holding them and playing with them.

As soon as he put down the pen, Academician Qi seemed to have exhausted all his energy and spirit in writing. That breath immediately dissipated, and he became the same old Qi that Academician Zou was familiar with.

Only then did Academician Qi notice that there was another person in the hall, and it was his old rival. But at this moment, Academician Qi was so pleased with himself that he had to call his old rival over to admire his recent masterpiece.

Academician Zou had not reached the point of lacking all grace. He stepped forward for a closer look and immediately nodded inwardly. Leaving everything else aside, this character of Old Qi's today truly captured the essence of calligraphy, as if Old Qi had become a calligraphy master overnight. How was this possible?

Upon closer inspection, Academician Zou, with his excellent eyesight, immediately noticed many differences. This paper was no less inferior than the animal skin he usually used. Moreover, the ink color gave a sense of elegance and depth, simply superb!

"This paper?" Academician Zou noticed something was amiss and directly asked.

The delicate maidservant attending to him quickly began to introduce, "This is the masterpiece of Grandmaster Xuan, a papermaking master from Linglong Pavilion. The owner calls it Xuan paper. If the Academician is interested, he can also try it here."

Academician Zou was stunned. Xuan paper named after a papermaking grandmaster? What virtue or ability did a mere papermaking craftsman have to be worthy of the name Xuan paper?

Before Academician Zou could open his mouth to reprimand, Academician Qi, who had just entered, had already spoken to Uncle Liu who followed him in: "Shopkeeper, the pen, ink, paper, and inkstone that I just tried, along with these small items, wrap them all up for me. I'll buy them."

"It is Qian Shengyuan's honor to have the Academician patronize our humble shop," Uncle Liu immediately flattered him, then said, "Lu pen, Li ink, Xuan paper, Lu inkstone—these are easy to handle. But how many sheets of Jade Plate Xuan paper do you need? Please let the Academician indicate."

"Jade Plate Xuan?" Academician Qi was taken aback. "Is there other paper?"

"Yes!" Uncle Liu nodded very affirmatively, pointing to the other two tables: "Jade Plate Xuan is raw Xuan paper. This side is semi-sized gold-flecked Xuan paper, and that side is sized Chengxintang paper. There are also some small-format Huanhua stationery. Academician, do you just want Jade Plate Xuan, or a little of everything?"

Not only Academician Qi, but even Academician Zou became interested. There were so many types of paper to talk about. Academician Qi didn't care that his old rival was by his side and asked Uncle Liu about the differences.

Uncle Liu was very enthusiastic, quickly explaining the difference between raw and sized Xuan paper, and then invited the two to try writing to feel the texture.

Academician Qi was not polite at all and went straight to the Chengxintang paper. As for gold-flecked Xuan paper, such a gaudy and vulgar thing, the academician naturally disdained it.

As soon as Academician Zou picked up the pen on the table, he was stunned. The energy and spirit that had just disappeared seemed to have returned to Academician Qi at this moment. Old Qi instantly entered that state of ancient well without waves, without thoughts, and without desires.

Based on Academician Zou's understanding of Old Qi, how was this possible? This guy usually couldn't calm his mind when practicing calligraphy, which was why he was slightly inferior to Academician Zou. How could he enter the state so quickly?

However, when Academician Zou himself picked up the pen, heard the soft reminder from the delicate maidservant, and used his spiritual energy to activate the formation on the pen, a peaceful and far-reaching state of mind instantly enveloped Academician Zou.

So that's it! It wasn't that Old Qi was so powerful, but that the pen was powerful.

As soon as the pen tip reached into the inkstone, the feeling was even stronger. An uncontrollable surge of artistic inspiration instantly rose from Academician Zou's chest. Looking at the Jade Plate Xuan paper that had been changed, feeling the stable-as-a-mountain and vast-as-a-river state of a gentleman, Academician Zou decisively made a stroke.

A neat "Quiet" character was completed in one go. When he lifted the pen, Academician Zou still had a feeling of unrestrained and cathartic expression. Writing this character was so comfortable, as if he had been tortured by writing for so long before. It was a wonder how he could endure it for so long.

When he put down the pen, all the wonderful feelings just now vanished, as if he had had a dream. But looking at his character, it was indeed more satisfying than any he had written before.

No wonder Old Qi suddenly seemed to have become a calligraphy master; so that was it. While Academician Zou despised Old Qi, he picked up the jade pen again, fondling it, and casually asked the delicate maidservant beside him, "How much does this set of pen, ink, paper, and inkstone sell for?"

"This Gentleman's Pen is Master Lu's first work and has great collectible value. The penholder is made of jade, and a gentleman is as gentle as jade, hence the name Gentleman's Pen," the delicate maidservant opened her mouth and stated the creator and allusions first, before saying the final price: "This Lu Pen Gentleman's Pen is priced at 200,000 gold coins in our shop."

Pfft, Academician Qi, who had tried the Chengxintang paper over there and heard the price, almost spat out the tea he had just drunk. A pen, 200,000 gold coins? Luckily, he was just about to pack up a set. Now it seemed that whether he could take this pen away was another matter!

"This ink is also Master Li's first work. It has rich texture, a lacquer-like luster, is light to pick up, clear to grind, fragrant to smell, as hard as jade, silent to grind, and a drop is like lacquer, lasting for ten thousand years," the maidservant was completely reciting Wang Sheng's description: "This ingot of ink is 100,000 gold coins."

Hiss! Academician Zou and Academician Qi, upon hearing this price, could only suck in cold air.