Chapter 29: Calligraphy and Martial Arts

  "Mr. Wang indeed has a good eye for this, the calligraphy is carefully crafted by my teacher, with too much thought and meaning infused in it. Ordinary people who see it can't grasp its essence, it's just like looking at flowers in a mirror, not worth mentioning. Until now, you are the only one who can say that it has 'poetic sentiment'."

  Lei Ting, dressed in black, focused all her attention on Wang Chan.

  "Your teacher's calligraphy!" He had been standing to one side, feeling his self-esteem severely wounded by the sudden neglect of his elder sister Lei Xing, when his eyes suddenly lit up and he took a few steps forward, carefully examining the characters on the wall. Only then did he nod in approval and turn back, inserting a sentence abruptly.

  "Sister, isn't this the treasure of Ye Tian Shi from Xishan? I remember Old Master going to his door three times five times and still couldn't get a single sheet back. Your teacher's temper is really not something ordinary people can handle! And that thing about artistic conception, isn't it just one word? How come there are so many subtleties? Why does this thing change completely when it falls into your hands?"

  After a day of interaction, Wang Chan still didn't quite trust Lei Xing, but he did have some good feelings towards him. Moreover, in this situation, it wasn't suitable for him to remain silent, so he smiled slightly and gave a vague explanation.

  "China's martial arts and calligraphy originally had a mutually interconnected path, both of which are closely related to the Taoist theory of yin-yang, movement-stillness, and the five elements. After reaching an extremely profound level, they all take 'heaven-man unity' as their ultimate goal. Through the practice of complementary opposites, combining movement and stillness, generating emptiness and fullness, alternating fast and slow, changing square and round, light and heavy, urgent and slow, one cultivates a layer of skill, gains a layer of understanding, refines a layer of character, and experiences a layer of realm. Or, according to some Taoist theories, it is also known as 'man follows earth, earth follows heaven, heaven follows the Way, the Way follows nature.' Whether it's martial arts or calligraphy, they are actually just a process of seeking the Way, different paths leading to the same destination."

  "It's as if Zhang Xu, the Sage of Grass Script, had an epiphany after watching Madame Gongsun's sword dance and grasped the essence of cursive script, which is like a drunken fist in martial arts - seemingly disordered but actually with a clear mind, as if drunk but not losing one's composure, every stroke a killing move."

  There is actually another reason, which is that Wang Chan himself is also quite knowledgeable about calligraphy. When the old master was still alive, in order to temper his mind, he often made him copy the works of famous calligraphers throughout history. If it weren't for his lack of interest in this area, later on when he picked up a brush, he could easily become known as a calligrapher and "make a living" from it.

  "After hearing your words, I feel like I've read ten years' worth of books. Mr. Wang is indeed a master of this way." After listening to Wang Chan's words, Lei Xing on the side was left bewildered, unable to understand how martial arts and calligraphy were connected again. On the other hand, Lei Ting across from him had an unprecedented smile on her face.

  It seems that women of her background have always been proud, and the men who can enter her eyes are extremely rare. Adding to this, Lei Ting has been fascinated with profound and abstruse studies such as numerology and divination since childhood, which makes it difficult for her to find common language with others around her. Over time, she becomes less willing to communicate, and her personality gradually turns cold and aloof, making it hard for people to get close to her.

  Otherwise, his younger brother Lei Xing would not have repeatedly reminded him in front of this outsider Wang Chan that when he met his own elder sister, he must be careful.

  It was just this that resonated with Leiting, making her feel the meaning behind Wang Chan's words. Suddenly, she found the person in front of her to be much more pleasing to the eye, and even her icy face broke into a rare smile. As soon as it appeared before the two men, they felt as though spring had returned to the earth, and all things were revived.

  Lei Ting, who never smiled in front of others, had a smile that was breathtakingly beautiful.

  "My goodness, big sister, why are you smiling? Did my eyes just play a trick on me......" Stretching out her hand to grab Wang Chan beside her, Lei Xing suddenly let out a loud cry of surprise, her face full of incredulity.

  Just then, footsteps sounded outside and a young and beautiful tall woman carried in a set of tea utensils. Lei Ting glanced lightly at Lei Xing's face, and only then did he stop abruptly, shrink his neck, and obediently ran to the side to help the female secretary make tea.

  "Please have some tea, Mr. Wang."

  Lei Ting stretched out her hand and beckoned him to come forward, her face returning to its usual expression. She sat back down on the sofa: "Mr. Wang is young and has a remarkable understanding, which is admirable. Originally, based on what you just said, I could have made the decision to hire you as our head coach of Qing Niao. However, I've always handled things in a fair and square manner, separating public and private matters. There are many people eyeing this position, so if you want to win everyone over and smoothly obtain this position, it still depends on your own abilities, Mr. Wang. If there's anything that offends you later, please forgive me."

  Once she gets into her role, she becomes all business and immediately gives off an icy feeling, calm and serious, not saying anything unnecessary. Although the words are polite, they still involuntarily reveal a sense of distrust towards Wang Chan.

  After all, insight is one thing, being able to see the meaning in that calligraphy doesn't mean your martial arts skills are just as good. Qing Niao is looking for a powerful head coach, not a "calligrapher".

  For this, even the nearby Lei Xing couldn't do anything to intervene, and simply brought over two cups of brewed tea, then hastily ran out to find a restroom. He had gotten up too late that morning, only brushing his teeth without resolving his personal issue, and now that he had arrived at his destination, he wanted to leave immediately, but his stomach was uncomfortable again.

  When Lei Xing walked away, Lei Ting also turned her head and waved to the female secretary who had been standing by, ready to refill the guests' water at any time. The woman nodded slightly and retreated quietly, closing the door behind her as she left.

  The whole living room immediately fell silent, with only the sound of a needle dropping audible, leaving only Wang Chan and Lei Ting facing each other.

  Lei Ting took a light sip of tea, suddenly stood up from the sofa, glanced at Wang Chan, still with an icy expression, "Mr. Wang was introduced by my brother, I suppose you two must be very familiar with each other, but I've never heard him mention you before, so I don't know where Mr. Wang is from or what kind of kung fu he practices?"

  "My younger brother and I just met yesterday, so General Lei wouldn't have heard of me before." Wang Chan chuckled and picked up his tea cup, not caring whether the water inside was hot or not, and gulped down the tea leaves and water together in one swift motion.

  The water for brewing tea should be at least boiling, and some people even require the water to be poured into the teapot while still bubbling. The temperature is almost 100 degrees Celsius, enough to scald pig skin. If an ordinary person drinks it like Wang Chan does, the only outcome will be a severely scalded mouth and throat, with blisters forming, and they won't be able to eat for seven or eight days, which would be a mild consequence.

  But Wang Chan had practiced boxing for many years, his qi and blood were robust, and his five internal organs were much stronger than those of ordinary people. Whether eating or drinking, he was never afraid of scalding, and would simply pour it down his throat, chewing a few times before swallowing. This had become a habit over the years. This time, it wasn't intentional to show off in front of Lei Feng.

  "Is Mr. Wang practicing internal martial arts?" Watching Wang Chan drink tea like this, it seemed like an ox chewing on a peony, without any interest or flavor at all. But Lei Ting's eyes flashed with a bright light, and her facial expression showed a hint of unexpected surprise.

  "I'm just a rustic village husband, usually practicing boxing and internal strength is not bad, but I don't know what's internal and external family, it's just that the master taught me to practice together. Who has Master Lei being so particular?" Wang Chan chuckled: "Besides, I practice Thirteen Taibao Cross Training, a typical endurance skill, probably not in Master Lei's eyes either."

  "Oh, the Thirteen Taibao's horizontal refining skill?" Lei Ting was stunned upon hearing this, and when she looked at Wang Chan again, her gaze had a few more hints of playful color. She lightly turned around and walked to stand in front of Wang Chan, who hastily stood up as well, vaguely feeling that the aura on this woman's body seemed somewhat off.

  As expected, just as the person was getting up from the sofa, when the two were only two or three feet apart, Lei Ting suddenly flipped her hand over, and one arm seemed to have been shocked, like a snake, from bottom to top, directly slapping Wang Chan's chest.

  To be honest, when Wang Chan came to Qing Niao, he had already made some predictions about this so-called job interview.

  After all, it is a high-end fitness club, and the combat skills taught inside are not uncommon in today's world. To get a job here, even with someone like Lei Xing introducing you, I'm afraid you'll still need to go through some unconventional interviews.

  Ordinary people look at academic qualifications first, then work experience and ability. For martial artists like Wang Chan, the only thing that matters is their kung fu skills. For those who practice martial arts, things like academic qualifications are false and superficial, whether in the past, present or future. The only standard recognized among them is how deep one's kung fu skills are.

  But now, Wang Chan did not expect that this test for himself was actually completed by Lei Ting herself.

  Lei Ting suddenly struck out with her palm, slapping it over in a swift and urgent motion that left no room for reaction or evasion. Her arm seemed to be as soft as boneless flesh, yet it shot up with a sudden jerk, like a venomous snake darting out its open mouth to bite.

  Before his palms even touched his chest, Wang Chan felt a sudden sinking sensation in his chest, as if an invisible and transparent palm had silently pressed against him, causing the pores on his skin to tighten instantly.

  －－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－

  Thank you all for your support, Lao Lu bows to you!!! New book uploaded, please click and recommend. Hehe

  There is a vote for the most popular Sanjiang work on the Sanjiang page, please go and take a look around, cast a vote for "Huang Ting Li Dao", click on the last item of each category column "Sanjiang" to enter the Sanjiang page, then you can vote, or directly input the URL sjg.qidian to vote. Hehe！！！！！！！