Chapter 118: A Painting Created by a Pen
"The third round of the literary duel is about to begin. We've won one and lost one of the previous two rounds, so this third round will be the deciding match."
"This northern scholar, Su Qu, has the surname Su, and the southern scholar, Su Fengzhang, also has the surname Su. Today's painting competition between the two Sus will be a fascinating topic in the future."
"Who do you think is stronger, Su Que or Su Fengzhang?"
"Of course it's the talented Su Kuang. He's not only a great painter, but also a great poet. If he had fought Meng Ting just now, the outcome would have been uncertain."
"I disagree with what you're saying. Putting aside other talents, when it comes to poetry, among this class of scholars, Meng Ting is only second. No one can claim first place. Since Su Fengzhang is his good friend, he must be no ordinary person."
"That's true. Su Fengzhang isn't well-known, but he must be close friends with Meng Ting to be able to play."
Before the third round began, the scholars below were discussing the matter, especially the northern scholars who were whispering and expressing their great confidence in Su Kui.
The Southern scholars were uneasy after hearing this. Some even said, "Are we really going to let Su Fengzhang take the field? Even though he was recommended by Brother Meng, wouldn't it be more reliable to replace him with Brother He?"
Before Meng Ting could refute him, He Tang said, "What nonsense are you talking about? My brother Su is no match for that smiling tiger."
Well, this person is obsessed with looks. He became close friends with Su Fengzhang unilaterally from the first day he met him. After he knew that "Sui Hua Yin" was his work, he became a die-hard fan and never turned back.
Meng Ting raised his eyelids and glanced at the man, then said calmly, "Swapping people at the last minute would be a joke."
He suddenly smiled and said, "If Su Que dares to treat me, Brother Su, as a soft persimmon, he should see if his teeth are strong enough."
At this time, Su Fengzhang and Su Qun were already standing on the stage, with only less than ten feet between them.
At first glance, Su Fengzhang and Su Qu were dressed similarly and both had outstanding looks. One was elegant and graceful, the other was handsome and elegant. Their heights were almost the same, and they actually looked somewhat similar.
I have to say, if you ignore the tense atmosphere and just look at the two people on the stage, it's quite pleasing to the eye.
Su Que slowly waved his fan and gave Su Fengzhang a gentle smile: "Brother Su, I hope you can give me some advice later."
Su Fengzhang responded with a seemingly sincere smile and said calmly, "Brother Su, you're too polite. Let's teach each other."
Shopkeeper Liu stood between the two men. Although both of them were smiling warmly like the spring breeze, he felt a chill down his spine. He quickly said, "In that case, the competition officially begins."
"Today, I am in the Scholars' Building. I would like you to paint the scenery and figures in the building."
Su Qun finally put down the folding fan in his hand, walked slowly on the stage with his hands behind his back, obviously paying attention to the scenery around him.
Su Fengzhang, on the other hand, raised his eyebrows and had already started grinding the ink. Su Que smiled and asked, "Brother Su, you seem to be confident."
Su Fengzhang replied without even looking up: "Why, do you want to share your experience with me now?"
Su Que laughed heartily, and finally returned to his desk, picking up his brush and beginning to paint with great ease. He was clearly very skilled in ink-and-wash landscapes, and with only a few strokes, the scene in the courtyard came to life on the paper.
Su Qu painted very quickly. He put down his brush in less than a cup of tea. Then a picture of a painting competition in the courtyard appeared in front of him. Both the people and the scenery were vivid.
It has to be said that this leader who was able to become a northern scholar was a real talent, and his skills alone were extraordinary.
Su Qun was obviously very satisfied. He added the finishing touch and then stamped his own seal.
After doing all this, he lowered his head to watch for a while, then looked up and saw Su Fengzhang next door still busy painting. However, from his perspective, the picture of crabapple on the paper looked ordinary.
Yes, the scenery that Su Fengzhang chose to paint was actually the simplest crabapple painting. The scene in the picture seemed to be the beautiful scenery of crabapples covered with snow after the snow fell in winter, but it had nothing to do with today.
This painting alone is quite acceptable. The crabapple tree is lifelike, and the round crabapple fruits are covered with snow, which gives it a sense of winter leisure.
But it's just okay. Looking around, I think more than half of the people in this courtyard can draw this picture.
Su Qun felt relieved after taking a look, and even with a bit of sarcasm, he thought to himself that Meng Ting had sent out such a person with such great urgency. He thought that the person had some hidden abilities, but who would have expected that he was just at this level.
If he had known this earlier, he wouldn't have had to resort to the Tian Ji horse racing game. He could have just let Lin Yuye argue with him and still won.
Just as he was sneering in his heart, Su Fengzhang also put down the paintbrush in his hand, looked up and saw Su Que's half-smile. When their eyes met, the man showed a subtle and complacent smile.
The difference between the two paintings was obvious, almost like comparing Bai Yu with that old scholar. When the two paintings were hung up, everyone present had made up their minds.
The southern scholar who had just complained couldn't help but say, "I said Su Fengzhang shouldn't be allowed to play. What kind of painting skills does he have?"
Meng Ting also frowned, thinking that this was not right, but he couldn't say anything when he looked up at the painting.
He had seen Su Fengzhang paint with his own eyes before and knew that his painting skills were far more than that. Although Su Fengzhang's painting was good, it was still inferior to the one hanging in Linjiang Tower.
At this time, Meng Ting couldn't help but have wild thoughts, and even wondered if Su Fengzhang had originally had no intention of participating, but couldn't refuse due to courtesy, so he had such thoughts.
Some of the northern scholars had already started to sneer, and Lin Yuye laughed out loud, "He spent so long painting, I thought he had some talent, but in the end he only produced a mediocre crabapple scene in the snow. It's so boring."
The scholar on the stage had already begun to comment: "This painting by Master Su Qun is full of vivid spirit and charm, and it expresses this scene vividly and vividly. This stroke is the finishing touch. It is truly a masterpiece, and it makes people forget the world."
After saying that, he continued, "Young Master Su Fengzhang's painting is also quite good. It depicts the beauty of the crabapple tree very well. However, it is still a little inferior to Young Master Su Qu's painting..."
At this moment, Su Fengzhang suddenly said, "Gentlemen, please wait a moment. There is still one more thing missing."
After hearing this, several scholars who were commenting on the article looked at each other in confusion, not knowing what he was up to.
Lin Yuye in the audience even mocked him, "One stroke missing? I don't think it would be helpful even if you spent the whole day to fix it. So don't waste everyone's time here."
Su Que smiled again and said, "Since Brother Su said there was a shortfall, why not let him make up for it? This way, some people won't say I won unfairly. It won't cost me much time anyway."
Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Liu smiled and said, "In that case, Master Su Fengzhang, please make the final addition."
"Thank you very much." Su Fengzhang said with a smile, and suddenly walked towards the position of the scholars and asked, "Sir, may I borrow some of your tea?"
The scholar was stunned for a moment, not understanding why he didn't rush to add that stroke but came to drink tea instead. However, he was a good-tempered person, so he said, "No problem, drink it."
Su Fengzhang did not drink the tea, but instead walked to his painting with the teacup in hand.
Su Qun narrowed his eyes, and Lin Yuye in the audience cursed loudly: "You are deliberately trying to be mysterious and delay time."
Bai Yu and the others were also getting anxious at this point, saying, "What the hell is Brother Su doing? Didn't he say there was a missing stroke? Why hasn't he added it in yet? We're done for. We're going to lose this time."
"Shut up!" Meng Ting growled impatiently and looked up at the stage.
At this time, Su Fengzhang raised the teacup and took a sip, but instead of swallowing it directly, he spit it out onto the painting that had not yet dried.
"What is he doing? Is he going to destroy the painting and admit defeat?" Lin Yuye shouted.
The next moment, everyone present was stunned and lost all sound for a moment.
If the previous painting of crabapples in the snow was just ordinary, then at this moment, right before everyone's eyes, they watched the painting change from crabapples in the snow to snow turning into spring, and finally to the crabapples blooming in spring. The magical picture made them speechless.
"How, how is this possible?" Shopkeeper Liu shouted in surprise.
His voice broke the silence at the scene. The scholars who had thought the outcome was decided whispered to each other, unable to believe their eyes. Some of them kept rubbing their eyes.
In an instant, the painting had gone through a season, the winter snow turned into crabapple petals, from late winter to early spring, they even smelled the fragrance of spring.
If the painting hadn't been hanging right before their eyes, everyone present would probably have thought they were hallucinating.
Lin Yuye couldn't help but run up to the stage and reached out to touch the painting, but was stopped by Manager Liu: "Mr. Lin, don't touch it. It would be bad if you damage the painting."
Lin Yuye also realized that he had lost his composure and said hesitantly, "I just want to see what he did. How can these winter crabapple fruits turn into spring crabapple flowers?"
Shopkeeper Liu smiled and said, "This painting was created right under everyone's eyes. You can all see it."
The meaning of this sentence is clear. It is impossible for Su Fengzhang to do anything in advance. He has his own ability to turn winter snow into spring breeze with a sip of tea. How can others understand it?
At this time, several scholars who were commenting on the incident also woke up and came forward to check, but they could not figure out what method was used.
At this time, several scholars who were watching the two paintings started arguing. Some thought that Su Fengzhang's technique was novel and ingenious, while others felt that although it was novel, the final painting was not very good and could not compare with the profound artistic conception of Su Qun's painting.
Some scholars even gathered around Su Fengzhang and asked, "Master Su, what method did you use to change this painting? When the tea dries up, can it return to its original appearance?"
In response, Su Fengzhang just smiled and bowed: "It's just a trivial skill, not worth mentioning."
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The author has something to say: My hands are a little sore
Maybe I need a break hahaha
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