Chapter 351: You Too Dare?

Dumingfu, another major city in Jizhou, always evoked a sense of emotion in Jiyuan whenever he saw such stable and grand cities in Dazhen, especially after his journey to the land of Zuyue.

In his personal view, Dazhen itself had its share of problems. However, no place in the world is perfect, and Dazhen was already exceptional compared to its neighboring states.

Strolling through the streets of Dumingfu, Jiyuan moved about like an ordinary tourist. He eventually settled on a suitable street corner, and when no one was watching, he flicked a table and two round stools from his sleeve before taking a seat.

While Lushan Jun was testing Lu Chengfeng along the way, Jiyuan had his own distinct plans.

Within the martial arts world of Jizhou, two regions boasted the largest communities of martial artists: Dingyuanfu and Dumingfu. Although Deshengfu was home to the Luoxia Mountain Villa, its overall martial arts foundation couldn't compare to the other two, with Dumingfu being especially renowned.

The martial arts assembly being held this time was no mere casual gathering; it was a grand event for the martial arts community of Jizhou. Even the Villa Master and the Third Master of Luoxia Mountain Villa were attending, intending to support the elevation of Jizhou martial arts. This instantly raised the assembly's prestige significantly. Numerous martial artists from neighboring major states also arrived to participate, making it quite a large-scale event that even caught the attention of the Dumingfu authorities.

Jiyuan hadn't suddenly set up a table in this corner just to sunbathe. His purposes were twofold: to offer his skills for some silver and to wait for a particular person.

The table was not empty; Jiyuan successively laid out the Four Treasures of the Study: brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. He placed the brush on its rest and began to grind the ink himself.

Although the day appeared overcast, Jiyuan knew it was simply due to the early hour. Soon, the sun would pierce through the clouds, and the weather would clear beautifully.

As Jiyuan slowly ground the ink, the daylight gradually intensified, and the clouds overhead began to dissipate, bringing more pedestrians to the streets.

This street corner was clearly a popular spot for small vendors; before long, vegetable sellers and other merchants had set up their stalls or spread out their cloths. Many of them cast curious glances at Jiyuan.

Remarkably, when the first ray of sunlight broke through the overcast sky, it fell directly onto Jiyuan's table, giving that particular spot a unique luminosity.

Only a few nearby vendors witnessed this phenomenon, and within a dozen breaths, more sunlight streamed down, and the weather gradually cleared.

A curious vendor selling dried goods nearby finally asked, "Sir, what are you planning to do?"

Jiyuan looked at the man, whose dark, deeply lined skin made him appear older than his likely thirty or forty years.

"No different from what you do; I'm simply selling some calligraphy."

"Oh."

The man nodded, indicating he understood. *Just a calligrapher for hire*, he thought. Such impoverished scholars were most common around the New Year, but while rare this season, they weren't unheard of.

Jiyuan surveyed the increasing foot traffic around him, then picked up his wolf-hair brush. Dipping it in ink, he wrote a few characters on two separate sheets of white paper.

"Letter Writing Service, Calligraphy for Sale, Divination."

The two sheets of white Xuan paper, though inconspicuous, were placed at the table's corner, displaying consistently beautiful handwriting.

After writing, Jiyuan moved the second stool from beneath the table to face it, preparing it as a seat for prospective customers.

Unfortunately, despite Jiyuan's refined appearance, his table setup and attire certainly didn't resemble that of a fortune teller. He hadn't even erected a proper sign, and simply displaying two sheets of paper was clearly insufficient. Consequently, while many people passed by, few actually paused to sit down at his stall.

However, Jiyuan wasn't truly there for business; his main objective was to meet a specific person. When three individuals passed by in the distance, Jiyuan finally opened his eyes, which had been closed in contemplation.

Although the three men had already walked past the table, their leader had glanced at the white paper displayed on it. Jiyuan knew they would return.

Sure enough, the three stopped about seven or eight paces ahead, then turned and walked back.

They were all splendidly dressed. The leader, burly and slightly corpulent, had a small crown inlaid with white jade atop his topknot. He led his two companions to the table, smiling as he looked at the characters, then at Jiyuan.

"Your calligraphy is excellent, but does a gentleman like you also practice divination?"

The man speaking, appearing to be in his late forties or early fifties, seemed to lead a life of comfort, yet his knuckles were calloused and the web of skin between his thumb and forefinger was noticeably darker. With Jiyuan's martial arts acumen, he immediately recognized these as signs of prolonged weapon use; such a person certainly wouldn't be wielding a hoe.

Hearing the question, Jiyuan looked at them and smiled.

"I know a little. Are you gentlemen here to buy calligraphy or to have your fortunes told?"

This time, Jiyuan had deliberately cast an illusion over his eyes, so his pale eyes remained concealed even under direct scrutiny, though his calm, unwavering gaze was unmistakable.

The leader frowned, scrutinizing Jiyuan.

"Sir, have we met somewhere before? Why do you seem so familiar?"

Squinting and feigning thought, Jiyuan then shook his head.

"I can't recall. Perhaps we have met. Are you gentlemen here to buy calligraphy or to have your fortunes told?"

Jiyuan asked again.

"Alright, I won't ask for divination. Write two good phrases for me, in large characters on a long scroll. I'll dictate, and you write."

Jiyuan nodded, pulled a paper scroll from the side, picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and once ready, he said,

"Please proceed."

"Just write: 'Act with chivalry, A dragon among men.'"

Jiyuan wielded his brush, creating the eight grand and majestic characters in a single fluent stroke. The signature at the side read "Mr. Yuan," not his usual "Mr. Ji."

"Excellent, excellent! Sir, your calligraphy is splendid. How much?"

Jiyuan thought for a moment and replied,

"Nine taels of silver."

Upon hearing this, one of the companions immediately erupted.

"Nine taels? You might as well rob us! Do you truly think of your work as that of a renowned master?"

Jiyuan shook his head and explained.

"You can't say that. A renowned master's work might not be as valuable as mine. And if you buy my calligraphy, I'll give you a few words of advice, which might just help you escape a major calamity!"

The man who had requested the calligraphy scoffed, "This obscure person's calligraphy is indeed good, but nine taels is an outrageous price. Even commissioning a renowned master from Chunhui Mansion would only cost a few dozen taels. As for a 'great calamity,' that's pure nonsense."

"Let's go."

The man rolled up the scroll, uttered that single phrase, and promptly departed.

"Oh, gentlemen, this is top-quality Xuan paper; it costs a hundred coins per foot!"

Jiyuan stood up and called out. Among the three men ahead, only one turned back to give Jiyuan a fierce look, then took two pieces of broken silver from his money pouch, tossed them onto the table, and walked away with his companions without a backward glance.

"Well, a loss..."

Jiyuan sighed, then sat back down.

"I say, sir," the vendor who had spoken earlier remarked, tsk-tsking, "those fierce-looking men, and you dared to ask such a steep price? Nine taels of silver is enough to feed my whole family for a year or two! Even those two bits of silver on the table are probably two hundred coins. You just wrote a few characters; that's quite a profit already."

Jiyuan felt a mix of amusement and exasperation. Such a jibe was clearly the uninformed talk of someone who only saw another's earnings without considering their costs.

"My friend," Jiyuan replied, "this is three-layered fragrant sandalwood paper, made from Jinzhou softwood through dozens of meticulous processes. It's only sold at the Xiangmo Pavilion in the capital. The cost for just one foot of this paper is no less than a hundred coins, and that's a price from over ten years ago. He took three feet of it, plus it was mounted! Even without considering the calligraphy fee, I'm at a loss."

This paper was originally acquired by Jiyuan from the Chu Mansion in the capital, where he had repaid their hospitality by leaving behind a special decree.

The person next to him was startled to hear this.

"One sheet of paper that expensive? Oh dear, Sir, you really took a huge loss!"

"Exactly!"

Jiyuan said irritably, then began tidying the items on his table.

"Sir, are you leaving?"

The nearby vendor asked, puzzled.

"You're leaving after only one customer, sir?"

"No, I won't. If I got a few more customers like that, I'd be ruined."

The man beside him couldn't help but feel a touch of schadenfreude, chuckling to himself as he tidied his own stall. Just as he was about to speak again, he looked up and found that Jiyuan had vanished.

Not only had the man disappeared, but his table and stools were also gone.

The vendor stood up and scanned the street, but saw no trace of him. Not only was Jiyuan gone, but the three men who had left earlier were rushing back, looking furious. The vendor quickly sat down, feigning indifference.

The three men returned to the spot where Jiyuan's table had been, looking left and right but finding no one.

"Master Lan, the calligrapher is gone!"

"Strange, he was just here."

The leader frowned, scanned the area, and looked at the farmer selling dried goods on the side.

"Hey, where's the man who was here? When did he leave, and where did he go?"

"I-I didn't notice!" the farmer stammered. "I was just about to chat with that gentleman, but in the blink of an eye, he was gone! It's... it's quite uncanny!"

The farmer replied truthfully.

The three men looked around, and the one in the middle unrolled the calligraphy scroll, examining it again. The original characters on it had clearly changed.

"Act with chivalry, a mere fancy. A dragon among men? You are hardly worthy."

The calligraphy was still good, but with the addition of eight more characters, its meaning became utterly unacceptable. No wonder the three men had rushed back in such a rage.

The farmer was illiterate, but he could tell that there were clearly more characters. He initially thought the men had gotten a bargain, but seeing their furious expressions, he surmised that what was written was certainly not complimentary.

The men searched all around but couldn't find the calligrapher, eventually departing in a fit of rage.

Meanwhile, the vendor, once he fully grasped the situation, found the entire incident quite miraculous.