Chapter 49: Thoughts on Breaking the Stalemate, the Stunning First Appearance of Feibai Script

Xiao Sizi lifted her head, her gaze sweeping over that unassuming cardboard box.

She slid slowly off the sofa, shuffling in her slippers as she approached.

Lin Xuan pulled out a utility knife and sliced through the packing tape.

He lifted the top lid and peeled away the layer of shock-absorbing pearl cotton.

A faint scent of pine soot mixed with the fresh aroma of wood spilled from the box.

The box contained four recessed compartments. This book premieres exclusively; come to Tiantian Novel for reading, 🆃🆃🅺🅢. 🆃🆆 super convenient, offering you error-free chapters and non-misordered reading experiences.

On the left lay a carved Duan Inkstone, its stone fine-textured and tinged with purple.

In the center rested a gold-decorated Hui Ink stick. On the right was stacked a neatly cut bundle of prepared Xuan paper.

At the very top, four Wolf Hair Lake Brushes of varying lengths were embedded side by side.

"The Great Tang has no television animation, no Yuleyuan."

"Your father, on ordinary days, mostly teaches you to fiddle with these things."

Lin Xuan picked up one of the Lake Brushes, his thumb flicking the brush tip.

Xiao Sizi extended both hands and rubbed them vigorously against her clothes at her sides.

She carefully lifted the Duan Inkstone.

"This stone feels warm to the touch, with a misty purple aura; it is top-grade Duanxi pit stone."

She set down the inkstone and picked up the Hui Ink stick, bringing it close to her nose to sniff lightly.

"Borneol, musk, pine soot."

Xiao Sizi lifted her face, her dim eyes regaining their sparkle. "This is an extremely authentic tribute ink formula."

"Lin Xuan, from where did you obtain these items?"

"Bought online, same-city express delivery."

"Come, set up the table."

"Since we cannot go out these days, we shall write characters at home."

The two walked into the study, one following the other.

Lin Xuan pushed aside the Personal Computer Keyboard, clearing a large expanse of the solid wood desk.

He spread out a gray felt mat and pulled out a sheet of Xuan paper, laying it flat upon it.

Two brass paperweights pressed down the top and bottom ends of the Xuan paper.

He unscrewed a bottle of mineral water and dripped a little clear water into the ink pool of the Duan Inkstone.

He picked up the Hui Ink stick, pressing down heavily and pushing lightly on the surface of the inkstone, grinding it in circles.

Sha... sha...

The fine, even sound of friction echoed through the study.

The clear water on the Duan Inkstone gradually turned a deep black.

The ink scent spread, dispelling the cold, damp rain air inside the room.

The ink grinding was finished, the liquid thick as lacquer.

Lin Xuan placed the ink stick on the edge of the inkstone and stepped back half a pace.

"Try the feel."

Xiao Sizi pulled over a wooden-backed chair and climbed up using both hands and feet.

She knelt on the chair seat, the height just right to reach the desk.

She extended both hands and rolled up the cuffs of her long-sleeved tracksuit, revealing her pale wrists.

She reached out and took the medium-sized Wolf Hair Lake Brush.

The brush tip dipped into the ink pool, soaking up the ink.

She gently scraped it along the edge of the inkstone to align the brush tip.

A second ago, she was still a childish girl weeping in grievance because she could not go to the island.

The moment she gripped the brush, all childishness vanished from her completely.

Her back straightened, her eyebrows and eyes grew calm.

Her right hand grasped the brush handle.

The pad of her thumb pressed tightly against the inner side of the brush tube, while her index and middle fingers hooked it from the outside inward.

Her ring finger supported it from behind.

Her wrist snapped upward, her elbow suspended in the air.

Lin Xuan's eyebrows raised slightly.

Suspended wrist; this is a writing posture that tests one's foundation to the extreme.

Without relying on the desk for leverage, it relies entirely on the muscle groups of the waist, abdomen, and arms to control the direction and force of the brush tip.

Without years of arduous practice, writing with a suspended wrist would inevitably cause the brush to tremble and waver.

The brush tip struck the paper surface heavily.

Her wrist exerted force, her arm dragged horizontally.

The brush tip raced across the paper surface.

Under the immense pressure and speed, the Wolf Hair split apart in the middle.

Within the deep black ink traces, threads of the Xuan paper's original white were pulled out.

Dry and moist alternating, like dry wood and raging fire, like white silk dancing in flight.

Feibai Script!

Lin Xuan held his breath, his eyes widening slightly.

He knew a thing or two about calligraphy appraisal.

Feibai Script demands momentum, with threads of white showing through the strokes, seemingly broken yet still connected.

It requires the brush to move extremely fast, the force penetrating the back of the paper; hesitate for half a second and it turns into a blob of dead ink.

Xiao Sizi's arm waved in mid-air.

At the turns, the brush tip pressed down, revealing its sharp edge.

In the stretches, the brush lifted like a swallow skimming the water, leaving behind vigorous white trails.

"Only in a gale do we know which grass is strong."

Five large characters leaped onto the paper.

On the Xuan paper, the ink was slowly spreading through the fibers.

These five characters possessed a rigorous structure and strict adherence to rules.

Between the lines, an ethereal aura shone through, yet it could not mask that supreme, imperial majesty looking down from above.

Could these be the characters written by a four-and-a-half-year-old child?

Lin Xuan had originally thought that when Xiao Sizi said she could write, she merely recognized traditional characters and could copy the shape from a model sheet.

He was wildly mistaken.

Such brush strength, such ultimate control over ink and water.

This was the true, genuine foundation of a grand master.

A thought flashed through Lin Xuan's mind like lightning.

The Black Household issue would be extremely difficult to resolve through regular procedures.

But what if it were a child possessing supreme genius?

Recording the trajectory of her growth; later, using special talent introduction or specially approved adoption procedures—this would be the hardest hurdle to overcome.

Such skill absolutely could not be hidden in a room gathering dust.

Lin Xuan pulled out the Mobile Phone from his pants pocket.

He opened the camera and switched to video mode.

"Change the paper and write another piece."

Lin Xuan pulled out the old paper pressed under the paperweight and replaced it with a fresh sheet of Xuan paper.

Xiao Sizi nodded and dipped the brush in ink again.

Lin Xuan raised the Mobile Phone, adjusted the lens angle, and deliberately avoided Xiao Sizi's full face.

Within the viewfinder, only her suspended wrist, the knuckles gripping the brush, the taut line of her jaw beneath her tense profile, and the Xuan paper being conquered by the ink remained.

His index finger pressed the record button, and the red countdown timer began to jump.

Inside the screen, the brush moved like a dragon and a snake.

Every lift, press, pause, and break; every Feibai left by the split brush tip was fully recorded by the high-definition lens.

Five minutes later, a five-character quatrain was finished.

Xiao Sizi lifted the brush and let out a long breath of turbid air from her chest.

Lin Xuan pressed the stop button and saved the video.

He exited the camera and opened the largest short-video platform in the country on his Mobile Phone.

Lin Xuan typed a few words in the title bar: "Four-and-a-half-year-old child copies Feibai Script."

The green upload progress bar flashed by.

Lin Xuan locked the Mobile Phone and casually placed it on the edge of the desk.

"The characters are written extremely well." Lin Xuan grabbed a tissue and handed it to Xiao Sizi. "Wipe your hands; with that brush strength, you must have taken many beatings with a paddle."

Xiao Sizi took the tissue, wiped the ink marks from her fingertips, and lifted her chin.

"Father would never bear to hit me."

"This Feibai Script was taught to me hand-in-hand by Father."

"He said I possess immense talent, and my characters hold three-tenths of his spiritual essence."

Above the Sky Screen.

The scene of the study vanished.

A short video was forcibly played across the firmament.

The Great Tang's Taiji Palace.

The oppressive atmosphere inside the main hall was swept away.

Li Shimin rushed straight out of the hall doors.

The fanaticism and pride in his eyes were about to burst forth.

"Hahahaha!"

"Did you see it! Ministers, look closely!"

"That hand gesture holding the brush, that force at the turns."

"That is my daughter! That is the Feibai I personally taught!"

Li Shimin straightened his spine.

The gloom brought by the ruins of Daming Palace turning to dust a few days ago was now completely gone.

The Great Tang's palaces had collapsed, but the Great Tang's imperial foundation and the Great Tang's cultural lineage lived vividly within that glowing iron box of the future.

Zhangsun Wuji stepped forward quickly and bowed deeply.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

"Princess Jinyang is a prodigy of heaven; at four years old, she has already fully mastered Your Majesty's Feibai Script."

"With such talent, not only in Great Tang, but even looking back through all previous dynasties, no one can surpass her!"

Chu Suiliang stood among the ranks of civil officials.

He was a master of calligraphy in the current court.

His eyes showed not a trace of flattery, only pure awe.

"Your Majesty, the princess holds her wrist steady without trembling, her brush moves with the center tip, and her strength penetrates the back of the paper."

"This Feibai style fits together thread by thread, with bone and flesh perfectly balanced."

"When this old minister was four years old, I was still just scribbling."

"The princess's talent is as if granted by the gods!"

The ministers shouted in unison.

The sounds of flattery echoed throughout Taiji Palace.

Li Shimin stroked his long beard, his face full of satisfaction.