Heaven's Silence

Chapter 69 – Practice in reverse

Wen Chaoshen's eyes were somewhat dazed, but his speech remained clear and logical.

"Chun Qiong is very important to us. If we can protect him, we'll have more opportunities in Kuhai County. From there, we can extend our influence into the Martial World and even gather intelligence on some of the Wangchuan assassins..."

"Being targeted by them all the time isn't a solution either."

A Shui vaguely guessed some of Wen Chaoshen's thoughts, and her heart skipped a beat.

"Gather intelligence on the Wangchuan assassins... What are you planning to do?"

Perhaps it was the Baodaozi he drank, fueling his chest and belly with its fiery spirit, but Wen Chaoshen spoke with a chilling murderous intent.

A Shui had never seen such a murderous aura before.

"With the intelligence, we can take the initiative to find them."

"I'll gather the intelligence, you'll do the killing, and Chun Qiong will handle the bodies."

"There are too many Wangchuan people in Kuhai County, hindering our investigation."

"Let's kill half of them first."

As Wen Chaoshen finished speaking, A Shui's fingers holding the wine cup moved slightly.

Those who knew her well would recognize this as a small gesture she made when drawing a knife or sword.

After a moment of silence, she swirled her wine cup, her beautiful eyebrows dancing, and praised:

"That's a bold plan to kill half of them first!"

She downed a cup of wine, her shoulders subtly twitching, as if eager to act.

Wen Chaoshen's few words had stirred a long-lost excitement within her.

A Shui hadn't felt this way in a long time.

"However, protecting Chun Qiong won't be easy."

"We can't keep an eye on him all the time, and you killed that skilled guard by his side..."

Listening to Wen Chaoshen, A Shui shook her head.

"Skilled, my foot. The real expert was the man in black standing next to Lu Chuan at the Mandarin Duck Tower. Even if I were uninjured, he could still spar with me."

"The guard by Chun Qiong's side is far inferior to him."

"Now Chun Qiong has no one to rely on. If someone is determined to kill him, it will be hard to protect him."

Wen Chaoshen stopped drinking, seemingly unconcerned about this matter, and calmly said:

"The Wangchuan people are like a bone stuck in the throat. Directly protecting Chun Qiong is very difficult. To ensure he isn't assassinated, we need to make the Wangchuan people hesitate."

"The best way is to let Liu Jinshi's secret ferment a bit, and leak some of it to Lu Chuan. But Chun Qiong is more foolish than I expected. He's too young. Playing mind games with Lu Chuan will get him killed in no time."

"Before he releases any information, I need to meet him and teach him properly."

Upon hearing this, A Shui looked Wen Chaoshen up and down with a peculiar gaze.

It wasn't surprising she looked at him this way. In terms of age, he was indeed younger than Chun Qiong, yet he spoke with an air of maturity that created a stark contrast.

"That's about it. You can have the rest of that wine. I need to meet Cheng Feng..."

Wen Chaoshen recalled his agreement with Cheng Feng from the previous day. A Shui glanced at the remaining wine, her slightly tipsy eyes showing some reluctance, but she still followed Wen Chaoshen to meet Cheng Feng.

The matter between Wen Chaoshen and Lu Chuan was clearly not over.

If Lu Chuan caught them again, he might not hesitate to act.

The morning agreement between Wen Chaoshen and the Seventh Master seemed to have taken effect, or perhaps it was due to Wen Chaoshen's intimidation from the previous day, but the thugs didn't come to trouble Cheng Feng again. When they saw Wen Chaoshen in the weed-filled courtyard, Cheng Feng wasn't surprised. He poured tea for the two and said:

"You've been drinking?"

Wen Chaoshen replied:

"Just a little."

The swelling on Cheng Feng's face had subsided somewhat, and his attitude was no longer as cold and heavy as the previous day. He sniffed and said:

"Is it the Baodaozi brewed by Guan Zhenniang east of the gallery bridge?"

The two looked at him in surprise, and Wen Chaoshen asked:

"You've had it too?"

Cheng Feng scratched his head in a somewhat dejected manner.

"Yes, ever since I returned from the academy, I've been drinking every day."

"Her Baodaozi is perfect for drinking before bed. After drinking, you can sleep soundly until the sun shines on your bed the next day."

Wen Chaoshen laughed:

"You've even figured out its benefits."

"So, tell me, what does it take to get into Langan Pavilion?"

Cheng Feng:

"Practice your calligraphy well."

Wen Chaoshen found it a bit unbelievable:

"Is it that simple?"

Cheng Feng shook his head:

"Simple?"

"It's not simple at all."

Find the original at " pa𝑤read.com ".

"When I say 'practice your calligraphy well,' I don't mean in the traditional sense."

"It's not enough to just write a fluent and inspired piece."

"To enter Langan Pavilion through 'calligraphy,' you need a more fundamental and deeper understanding of it, like a butcher dissecting an ox, able to write from any angle at any time, and produce different styles of writing based on different needs."

Hearing this, Wen Chaoshen's eyes sharpened:

"Wait, you mean... writing different styles based on different needs, what does that mean?"

Cheng Feng pursed his lips, feeling a bit parched, as if those few words had stirred some unpleasant memories, but he quickly overcame it and said softly:

"Brother Chaoshen, I've already told you before, if this truth is truly important to you, I can help you enter the academy. Inside, you'll find all the answers you're looking for."

"But if you want to ask me directly about these matters, forgive me for not being able to reveal anything. It's an agreement I have with an esteemed person in the academy, and I hope Brother Chaoshen won't make things difficult for me."

A gleam flashed in Wen Chaoshen's eyes, and he nodded, not pressing further.

Cheng Feng continued:

"Ordinary people practice calligraphy for aesthetics and technique, mostly using the 'Eight Principles of Yong,' but if you practice in the usual way, you'll never meet the academy's requirements in a lifetime."

Wen Chaoshen raised an eyebrow.

"So how should I practice?"

Cheng Feng:

"First practice normally, then practice in reverse. The strokes, order, and movement of the pen... everything must be completely reversed."

Hearing this, Wen Chaoshen stroked his chin.

"Why?"

Cheng Feng took out paper and ink, first leaving an ink mark on the rough paper. His pen tip was light, his wrist steady as a rock, showing almost no tremor regardless of pressure.

Soon, although the strokes were reversed, the two 'Yong' characters on the paper looked almost identical!

This miraculous penmanship even drew a look of amazement from A Shui.

"Doing this can help Brother Chaoshen develop unprecedented control over the pen and force."

"Then, with your heart guiding your movements, and the pen following your heart, whether good or bad, Brother Chaoshen will be able to mimic any writing at a glance."

"When Brother Chaoshen can achieve this, use this technique to write a hundred-character essay, with each character different, in order, and in the way the pen is used."

"This hundred-character essay, with each character different, will help Brother Chaoshen successfully enter Langan Pavilion."

...