Chapter 55: Expert Certification

“Teacher Tie Lin, your regular script is quite good.”

This sudden remark from the crowd made Zhang Tie Lin extremely irritated.

The regular script was written by Zhang Yuan! I was just pointing out his flaws—what is the meaning of this comment!

Feeling disgruntled, Zhang Tie Lin thought to himself that if one doesn't understand, one shouldn't pretend to. He was in the middle of mentoring a junior; where did this reckless youngster come from?

He turned around, intending to complain a few words.

But upon seeing the newcomer, he fell silent.

The man approaching had a bald head, thick eyebrows, a wide nose, and a broad mouth—a truly imposing and domineering appearance.

This person was none other than Xu Jingjiang, who played "Golden Lion King Xie Xun" in the drama!

Like Zhang Yuan, Xu Jingjiang had been wandering nearby out of boredom and joined the crowd when he saw many people. Seeing a calligraphy piece placed in front of Zhang Tie Lin while he himself happened to be standing at the front, he assumed the calligraphy was written by Zhang Tie Lin.

Xu Jingjiang glanced at the regular script and thought that although the skill level was shallow, it excelled in discipline. Every stroke was standard; it was evident that the foundation had been painstakingly polished and was quite solid.

The calligraphy skills Zhang Yuan had "plucked" from Wang Bozhao were all foundational. Combined with a certain martial arts foundation, it couldn't be called exquisite, but it was neat, beautiful, smooth, and delicate, winning through its pure foundation.

Furthermore, unlike Wang Bozhao, Wang was not a mere hobbyist.

In 1982, while starring in *Bi Zhong Qing*, he played a young calligrapher. The production team had brought in the famous calligraphy master, Old Man Li Tianma, to provide guidance, and from then on, Old Wang fell in love with calligraphy.

With a master to guide his entry, he subsequently visited contemporary masters such as Ouyang Zhongshi, Yan Gongda, and Lin Xiaozhi.

Lin Xiaozhi, in particular, lived very close to Wang Bozhao, so Wang frequently visited him for guidance. Moreover, Lin's father was the renowned contemporary "Sage of Cursive Script," Lin Sanchi.

In 2023, the National Cultural Heritage Administration announced a batch of famous works restricted from leaving the country; all of Lin Sanchi's calligraphy and paintings were strictly prohibited from being exported, receiving the highest level of protection.

Therefore, Old Wang's calligraphy was learned by following closely in the footsteps of these masters, emphasizing authenticity.

The attributes Zhang Yuan had acquired also inherited this sense of weight and rectitude.

Despite Xu Jingjiang's rugged appearance, he was actually a meticulous person. Thinking that he and Zhang Tie Lin were fellow actors in the crew, and having heard that the latter enjoyed calligraphy, he spoke up to offer some praise.

He never expected his flattery to hit the wrong target.

Why did Zhang Tie Lin fall silent upon seeing it was Xu Jingjiang?

The reason lay in Xu Jingjiang's lineage.

This "rough man" who always brought a wild image to the audience was actually an artist, and his teacher was the famous national painting master, Guan Shanyue.

Many might not be familiar with Master Guan, so here is one point

Everyone knows the Great Hall of the People; inside it hangs a massive national painting titled *The Rivers and Mountains are So Beautiful*, measuring 9 meters long and 6.5 meters high. It is magnificent and grand, fully displaying the spirit of the Chinese nation!

This painting was a collaborative work by two masters, Guan Shanyue and Fu Baoshi. The large characters "The Rivers and Mountains are So Beautiful" in the upper left corner were personally inscribed by the Chairman.

To put it simply, Master Guan was a figure of the "Five Excellences" level in the Chinese world of painting and calligraphy.

By extension, as Guan's closed-door disciple, Xu Jingjiang was at least a figure of the status of the "Seven Disciples of Quanzhen" or the "Seven Heroes of Wudang."

In comparison, Zhang Tie Lin was, at most, a minor character of the level of the "Giant Whale Gang" or the "Sea Sand Gang."

If the Seven Heroes of Wudang spoke well of you, would you dare to sing in opposition like the Giant Whale Gang? You wouldn't want them to use the "Seven Cuts of Zhenwu" formation to loosen your bones, would you?

Although Master Guan excelled in national painting, his friends were the top calligraphy masters. Xu Jingjiang's own calligraphy was not bad, and he had seen even more top-tier experts.

Because of this, Zhang Tie Lin found it difficult to refute him.

"The heavens are round and the earth is square; the center is compact, and the structure is steady," Xu Jingjiang walked to the front and looked it over. "The layout is also very reasonable. The spacing between characters, between lines, and between the text and the white space is quite even."

"The brushwork is firm without being dry; it is very steady."

Xu Jingjiang expressed all his thoughts, though, of course, he only mentioned the good parts.

"Brother Jingjiang, you're mistaken," Zhang Yuan hurriedly patted his arm with the back of his hand. "I wrote this. That piece of cursive, clerical—no, running script... anyway, *that* piece was written by Teacher Zhang."

Zhang Yuan truly didn't know what kind of script Zhang Tie Lin wrote; he could only call it "Zhang-style."

"Oh, oh..." Xu Jingjiang finally realized. He quickly turned around and stared for a long while.

"Good calligraphy."

And that was it.

He had just spent so much time praising Zhang Yuan, only to give Zhang Tie Lin a single "good." Even a fool could see what was happening.

Gao Yuanyuan, Lin Jing, and Chen Zihan were all stifling their laughter, their expressions on the verge of breaking.

Yang Tao and Lai Shuiqing exchanged a glance.

*Damn!*

*And they call him a master...*

"Teacher Zhang, I see it's getting late and you must be tired from writing. Let's pack up and find a place to rest and eat."

"I'll toast you tonight to thank you for showing us the beauty of cloud-pattern calligraphy."

Zhang Tie Lin coughed awkwardly a few times. "Ah, don't mention it. We're all on the same team."

As he spoke, he began packing his "stationery."

Meanwhile, Lai Shuiqing pulled Zhang Yuan aside.

"Zhang Yuan, I see your writing is quite good and perfect for the crew's use. Name your price."

"My writing isn't worth much. If you need it, I'll help you write it. There's no point in talking about money."

Zhang Yuan understood perfectly: favors were worth more than cash.

Lai Shuiqing grinned widely, then glanced back at Zhang Tie Lin, thinking...

*I just don't get it. They're both from the Zhang family, so why is the gap in their character so huge!*

【Received thanks from Lai Shuiqing, Director Foundation +3!】

As the crowd dispersed, Zhang Tie Lin, knowing the situation was awkward, left the scene dejectedly.

Zhang Yuan approached Xu Jingjiang.

Looking at this multi-talented giant, Zhang Yuan thought to himself that this man's life was truly exciting.

Not only did he act and paint, but he later studied crosstalk under Tang Jiezhong. Crucially, in every one of these fields, he came from a prestigious lineage with legitimate masters.

"Brother Jingjiang, thank you for the praise just now."

"Don't mention it," Xu Jingjiang smiled shyly. "I was just telling the truth."

"But seriously, I think your calligraphy has great potential," Xu Jingjiang suddenly became serious.

He might joke around normally, but when it came to matters of art, he was very solemn.

"Your fundamentals are very solid. If you practice well, you might achieve something great."

After speaking with his leopard-like head, he sighed to himself, thinking

*But these young people today, who is willing to study calligraphy or painting? They just want to join the entertainment industry to get famous and make big money.*

*I'm the same; I have to film movies just to make a living.*

"I actually am quite interested in national painting and calligraphy," Zhang Yuan said unexpectedly. "If you have time, could you give me some guidance?"

Unlike his words to Zhang Tie Lin, which were mere flattery, his words to this man were sincere.

"You really want to learn?"

"Yes."

Seeing Zhang Yuan's incredibly determined gaze, Xu Jingjiang nodded with surprise.

After bidding farewell to Xu Jingjiang, Chen Zihan and the other two women approached him.

"I didn't expect you to have this skill. Just how many little secrets do you have?" Sister Zihan gave a charming smile.

Lin Jing put her arm around Gao Yuanyuan. "You didn't know just now, but Yuanyuan was praising you to the heavens behind your back."

Gao Yuanyuan gave her a reproachful look before turning to ask, "Where did you learn calligraphy?"

"My studies are incomplete; I have no face to mention my master's name," Zhang Yuan fabricated a lie with great solemnity.

"Oh..." Gao Yuanyuan rested her chin on her hand and looked at Zhang Yuan from the side, her eyes carrying a hint of delight. "Quite humble."

"He knows martial arts, and he knows massage."

"I thought he was just a brave, capable fellow."

"I didn't expect him to have a refined side."

Gao Yuanyuan was a standard Beijing girl. At her age, her greatest interest lay in talented men.

Martial arts and massage were skills in her eyes, but music, chess, calligraphy, and painting were true talents.

Zhang Yuan glanced at her. "Is there a problem?"

"I just feel that you study both martial arts and calligraphy, and those two don't seem to go together," Gao Yuanyuan said, playing with her hair.

"Do you know Confucius?" Zhang Yuan put his hands behind his back.

"Of course."

"Then what did Confucius rely on to travel through the various states?"

"His culture and philosophy, of course."

"No," Zhang Yuan shook his head. "To get people to sit down and listen to your teachings, the prerequisite is that you have the strength to make people speak to you properly."

"Confucius was nine feet and six inches tall, which is nearly two meters today."

"The *Records of the Grand Historian: Biographies of the Disciples of Zhongni* states that Zilu was originally an eight-foot-tall rogue in strange clothing. Hearing of Confucius's fame, he wanted to kidnap and bully him."

"The specific details aren't in the *Records*, but we only know that after this incident, Zilu became Confucius's student and top henchman."

"I think Confucius must have won people over with virtue, but perhaps they both had the character for 'Virtue' tattooed on their fists."

"So, I practice calligraphy to cultivate my character."

"I practice martial arts so that others will sit quietly and watch me cultivate my character."

"Besides, Li Bai didn't just write a hundred poems after a bout of drinking; he could also travel the world with a sword. The ancients were masters of both civil and martial arts."

"I am merely emulating the ancients." Zhang Yuan looked up at a 45-degree angle, putting on an air of profound mystery.

Gao Yuanyuan covered her mouth in amazement after hearing this. So he was so cultured and ambitious.

Beside them, Chen Zihan watched the two of them, pursing her lips to hide a laugh.

With Yuanyuan's straightforward silliness and Zhang Yuan's silver tongue, she would probably help him count the money even if he sold her out.

The next morning.

Zhang Yuan arrived at the film set on time to prepare for his scenes.

He had just taken out his script to review it when he heard a scream from Xu Jingjiang at the other end of the set...

(End of Chapter)