Chapter 7: Four-armed Bodhisattva Holding Child
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This ancient book...may be of great help to the Dao Fruit of [Immortal Works]! Suppressing the vibration of the Dao Fruit in his mind, Li Che took a deep breath. Although his mind was agitated, he did not explore it.
As the gong was struck, everyone in the wood carving shop put down what they were holding and the atmosphere became solemn.
The door to the yard was opened, wind and snow poured in, and several figures swarmed in.
The two men in the lead were wearing fox cloaks, wearing crowns on their heads, with sharp eyes and a strong charm that was enough to captivate people just by looking at them.
However, the two of them had strong blood and energy, and were not affected by the wind and snow. Even if they walked in the wind and snow, not even a grain of snow would get on them.
These two people are the second and third managers of Xu's Woodcarving Shop.
Normally, Xu Ji Woodcarving Shop in the outer city is managed by the third manager Xu You, while the first manager Xu Heli and the second manager Xu Beihu are both in the inner city. However, for today's assessment, the second manager Xu Beihu came in person.
Xu's Woodcarving Shop is definitely not weak in the inner city, and can even be called powerful. The main reason is its three shopkeepers, all of whom are first-class experts and have strong strength.
After entering the shop and taking off their fox cloaks, the two men sat upright on the armchairs and glanced at the apprentices gathered in the shop.
"The shop's woodcarving masters are assessed once a year, and three people are recruited each time. After becoming a master woodcarver, they can receive a fixed salary of five taels per month. After the finished woodcarvings are sold, the shop gets 40% and the rest belongs to the shop itself."
"Of course, after becoming a woodcarver, you will be evaluated every year. If you make one more cut, the shop will take 10% less, and your monthly salary will increase."
The third shopkeeper, Xu You, sat upright and looked around. He was fair-skinned and had a gentle temperament.
On the other hand, the second shopkeeper, Xu Beihu, is as imposing as his name suggests. He sits upright, with a broad waist and thick arms. His back is as straight as a bamboo, and his whole body is full of blood and energy, like a blazing furnace.
After the third shopkeeper finished speaking, the second shopkeeper also spoke. His voice was like a loud bell, and as soon as he opened his mouth, there seemed to be a storm in the room.
"Becoming a formal woodcarver in the shop will allow you to practice martial arts and cultivate internal strength. If you want to go further and higher in woodcarving, internal strength is indispensable. My Xuji Woodcarving Shop has been passed down in Feilei City for two hundred years. If you don't have some martial arts skills, you won't be able to keep this family business."
"In addition, if you choose to participate in the assessment, it means that you have tacitly joined my Xuji Woodcarving Shop and become a member of Xuji. If you betray me, don't blame me for being ruthless."
"I, Xu Beihu, hate traitors the most!"
The rough words resounded like a tiger's roar, shocking the hearts and minds of every apprentice.
Li Che was also startled.
"Now, those who are willing to continue to participate in the assessment can come to register and receive the assessment wood."
After the second shopkeeper Xu Beihu's big stick was used to intimidate, the third shopkeeper Xu You's gentle words rang out like a spring breeze.
Many apprentices hurried there in an orderly manner, registered their names, and received the wood.
"Xiao Li, go ahead." Old Chen smiled and took a sip of wine, squinting his eyes.
After Li Che clasped his fists, he also went to register.
"Li Che?" Xu You, the third shopkeeper in charge of registration, raised his eyebrows and was a little surprised when he saw Li Che actually came to register.
A few days ago, Li Che came to find him, but he did not take it seriously. After all, every year some porters envied the high income of woodcarvers and wanted to seek opportunities to take the assessment, but most of them gave up after trying to carve wood a few times.
It is quite rare to see someone like Li Che actually come to register for the assessment.
Is it that he has no self-awareness, or... does he have real talent and knowledge?
"There are precedents of porters becoming woodcarvers. I hope you can give me some surprises. Try your best." Xu You was a gentle man and said encouragingly.
Li Che nodded, picked out a piece of wood, and found a workbench to stand on.
When all the examinees had chosen their wood, the third shopkeeper Xu You stood with his hands behind his back, glanced at everyone, and said calmly: "The question for this wood carving test is... a four-armed Bodhisattva holding a child."
The words have been spoken.
The third shopkeeper lifted the red cloth wrapped around the wood carving on the table, revealing the true appearance of the wood carving.
A statue of a four-armed Bodhisattva holding a child stands on the table, with his four arms stretched out in different postures. One hand is making a seal, one hand is holding a pure jade bottle, and one hand is pinching a ruyi. In the last one, he is holding a boy with pigtails and his mouth is open, smiling.
"hiss--"
The sound of people sucking in their breath was heard from many apprentices.
This year's exam questions...are so difficult?! Even the old masters watching the fun around were surprised.
In previous years, there were just ordinary Bodhisattva statues, but this year, there is an additional statue holding a child... and there is also the requirement for four arms.
With every additional arm a woodcarving has, it becomes much more difficult to grasp the overall situation, control the error rate, and test the carving skills.
Difficult, difficult, difficult! Master Chen smacked his lips and said, "Xiao Li's luck is incredible... He is so unlucky. He can't get by on this test even if he wants to."
Li Che stared at the four-armed Bodhisattva statue, but he felt slightly relieved...
Good luck!
It's the type he has touched before! It's a sure thing!
The "Nine Children Embracing Lotus" that Lao Chen had carved for 150 taels of silver had long been touched by Li Che, which enabled Li Che to learn how to carve like a child. Secondly, the six-eyed Bodhisattva statue provided Li Che with the Bodhisattva carving technique...
The only shortcoming is... the four arms.
But with the lv2 level of Daoguo Xiangong, Li Che is confident that he can carve it! "It mainly depends on putting more effort into the meaning."
Li Che thought carefully and made a plan for his assessment.
He does not need to hide his shortcomings, but connotation, such a mysterious thing, can only be attributed to talent.
If a porter showed carving skills that were not inferior to those of a master craftsman in a wood carving shop...it would be hard to explain.
"The test lasts four hours. When the time is up, all swordplay must be stopped. Those who violate the rules will be disqualified. Do you understand?"
There is no wrong version in the 1619 book forum!
The second shopkeeper, Xu Beihu, stood up and issued a warning with a strong sense of oppression.
Many apprentices, including Li Che, responded.
"Outer City Xuji Woodcarver Assessment begins now!"
Xu Beihu waved his hand, and his full energy surged into the shop.
It took four hours to carve the "Four-Armed Bodhisattva Holding a Child" and the time was very tight and there was not much room for maneuver.
Therefore, the apprentices did not dare to waste time. Holding the wood, they began to gesture and draw shapes with ink lines.
These woods are all dried, which saves some steps.
Li Che placed the wood on the workbench, reached out to touch it, and sketched the outer and inner contours in his mind. After a moment, he began to use a wolf hair brush to dip in ink and draw lines on the wood.
Axes, hammers, saws, files and other tools for roughing out the workpiece are prepared on the workbench.
The rough draft is actually a concise geometric shape to summarize the design concept. The overall concepts such as hierarchy, movement, proportion, center of gravity, etc. must be reflected in the rough draft.
The rough draft is very important and it is also the part that tests talent the most.
After a while, the apprentices who had finished drawing the lines began to hammer and chisel...
[Immortal Work] The Dao Fruit vibrated, Li Che closed his eyes and then opened them again, and his entire temperament seemed to have undergone a drastic change.
Old Chen was holding a wine gourd at the side. The moment Li Che picked up the carving knife, his temperament changed. He was stunned for a moment and looked at Li Che as if he was looking at...himself when he was younger.
"This kid...his temperament is quite good." Chen Dabao muttered.
However, as Li Che started to chisel and outline the rough draft, Chen Dabao narrowed his eyes.
Waste sawdust fell to the ground, and the sharp blade penetrated into the wood, tearing the connections between the wood tissues and leaving traces.
The rough lines have already outlined the overall rough image.
Time is like sand between fingers, slipping away bit by bit with rustling sound.
The third shopkeeper, Xu You, walked with his hands behind his back, neither hurried nor slow, slowly passing by each apprentice's workbench to check their progress and level.
Suddenly.
Xu You stopped and looked at Chen Dabao, who was standing still like a statue, and was slightly stunned.
Following Chen Dabao's gaze, he saw the courageous mover Li Che.
"Are you looking so intently?"
Xu You was immediately curious about how he could attract Chen Dabao, a senior four-knife master, to stop and take a look...
Could it be that this mover really has some skills?
Xu You paced with his hands behind his back, slowly approaching, his eyelids drooping, his gaze falling on Li Che's face who was concentrating on carving, then moved away.
It fell on the wood carving on the workbench...
(End of this chapter)