Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 114 Dragon Turtle Inkstone

"Young Master Sheng is too modest!"

"You're too modest!"

The shopkeeper, being very worldly-wise, raised his hand and, without waiting for Sheng Changquan to speak or object, immediately turned to the waiter beside him and ordered, "Xiao Ma, quickly bring me that dragon turtle inkstone from my room."

The shop assistant's surname is Ma, and he is commonly known as Xiao Ma.

At this moment, he was staring at his shopkeeper in shock, wondering if he had lost his mind!

You should know that the dragon turtle inkstone that our shopkeeper mentioned is a priceless treasure that he cherishes as his life!
Normally, even the shopkeeper's wife wouldn't have the chance to see it, but now, judging from this situation, the shopkeeper is probably going to give this treasure to the scholar in front of him.

This really puzzled Xiao Ma.

"Go quickly!"

Seeing that the little horse was dawdling, the shopkeeper immediately became somewhat displeased!

After all, he was clearly trying to diminish Sheng Changquan's prestige as the manager.

"Ah? Yes!"

Although somewhat worried about his shopkeeper's mental health, Xiao Ma didn't dare to say much. He simply rushed into the inner room, searched around for a while, and finally took out the shopkeeper's favorite precious inkstone.

However, what he took out was a wooden box.

"Shopkeeper, look!"

"Bring it!"

The shopkeeper glared at him and snatched the sandalwood box from Xiao Ma's hands.

The dragon turtle inkstone the shopkeeper mentioned was placed in that sandalwood box. Putting aside the dragon turtle inkstone itself, the small and exquisite sandalwood box alone was already quite valuable!

Sheng Changquan could smell a rich sandalwood fragrance emanating from the sandalwood box, a scent reminiscent of flowers or the afternoon sun, giving one a sense of tranquility and joy.

It is obvious that this is genuine agarwood and sandalwood.

Agarwood and sandalwood are a unique type of wood imported from overseas. Making wooden boxes from this material not only ensures that the contents inside will last for centuries and retain their original appearance, but the fragrance it emits can also have the effects of calming the mind, promoting sleep, and prolonging life.

"Young Master Sheng, look!"

The shopkeeper opened the wooden box with great enthusiasm, revealing an antique inkstone inside.

"Shopkeeper, what are you trying to do?"

Sheng Changquan waved his hand, looking somewhat displeased.

He already knew what the other party wanted to do, but Sheng Changquan did not want to interact with these unfamiliar merchants too much, lest he be harmed by them.

After all, you can know a person's face but not their heart. How can you know what they are thinking or whether they have any intention to harm you?
"Young Master Sheng, please don't be in such a hurry!"

The shopkeeper was getting a little anxious, because he knew that this might be the only chance he would ever have in his life to get in touch with Sheng Changquan.

"Take a look at this precious inkstone. Would you be willing to take a look?"

Before Sheng Changquan could speak again, the shopkeeper quickly lifted the inkstone from the box and placed it in front of Sheng Changquan.

The Dragon Turtle Inkstone is a naturally formed white jade inkstone shaped like a dragon turtle. Its body is delicate, with the dragon's head and turtle's tail intertwined to form a circle that encloses the inkstone's core.

The inkstone is crystal clear, simple and natural, without a trace of artificial carving.

"Hey, this inkstone is pretty good!"

Sheng Changquan was ultimately captivated by the precious inkstone, just as a beautiful woman needs rouge and a great hero needs a hamburger.

Pooh!
It's a precious sword!
Over the years, Sheng Changquan has read books and practiced calligraphy, and naturally developed a genuine love for such refined pursuits. Literature, martial arts, and medicine have all become passions flowing in his veins.

"Young Master Sheng, listen again!"

Upon seeing Sheng Changquan's expression, a hint of joy appeared in the shopkeeper's eyes, and he quickly reached out and lightly tapped the inkstone.

"Clang~ Roar~"

The lingering sound echoed, clear and resonant. At first glance, it even sounded somewhat like the roar of a beast or the cry of a dragon.

"it is good!"

The three scholars beside him exclaimed in unison, "Its voice is like a jade tiger, and its shape resembles a dragon tortoise; it is truly a rare and precious inkstone!"

"Ha ha!"

The shopkeeper was quite pleased with himself: "Young Master Sheng, this Dragon Turtle Inkstone is a gift for you!"

Seeing that Sheng Changquan seemed to want to refuse, the shopkeeper quickly waved his hand, forcefully stuffing the Dragon Turtle Inkstone into his hand, and explained, "Young Master Sheng, it's not that I'm flattering you, but this is what you deserve!"

The shopkeeper gestured and pointed directly to the calligraphy on the table, saying, "I won't say much else. I just ask these three gentlemen to take a look at this exquisite calligraphy on the table and judge whether the Dragon Turtle Inkstone should belong to Young Master Sheng!"

These words surprised the three scholars standing nearby.
"What do you mean by that?"

However, the three of them immediately looked at the calligraphy that Sheng Changquan had written earlier and began to examine it carefully.

Although they were standing beside Sheng Changquan while he was writing, they were preoccupied with their own resentment and focused solely on the poem's wording and imagery. They didn't immediately notice the quality of his calligraphy, simply thinking—

The top official in the county has excellent handwriting!
At this moment, upon closer inspection, I was startled!
Good guy!
Sheng Changquan's calligraphy seems to have formed its own style, and he already has the makings of a master!

The characters are vigorous and rigorous, each one meticulous, reflecting the owner's meticulousness; the colors are elegant and graceful, with strong and vigorous strokes; and the spacing between the characters is exquisite and just right.

Moreover, Sheng Changquan's calligraphy is characterized by its balanced and slender structure, with each stroke resembling a sharp sword cutting through iron, giving a sense of ruggedness and unrestrained expression. The strokes are crisp and elegant, with strict parallelism, as if the calligraphy possesses the lively spirit of a beautiful woman.

"What...what kind of font is this?"

"It's so perfect!"

"..."

Those three extras truly lived up to their reputation as the shopkeeper's tools; upon closer inspection, their eyes immediately lit up, all of them captivated by Sheng Changquan's calligraphy.

"Young Master Sheng!"

The shopkeeper smiled slightly, and with an extremely generous gesture, pushed the sandalwood box in his hand, advising, "Please don't refuse anymore!"

"Your calligraphy is worthy of my efforts!"

No sooner had the shopkeeper finished speaking than the three extras immediately chimed in, "That's absolutely right! Absolutely right!"

"If you would be willing to share a portion of this calligraphy with me, I would gladly give up my entire fortune for just this one word!"

"Me too! Me too!"

"..."

Of the three, there must be one who definitely didn't get it!
However, after seeing the supporting characters next to him, Sheng Changquan realized that he had indeed underestimated the pursuit of calligraphy by people in today's world.

Originally, seeing that there was no calligraphy by Liu Gong in the world, he used it as the base, combined it with his own understanding of calligraphy, and transformed it into branches and leaves. The combination of the two formed this font with an extremely special masculine beauty.

Unexpectedly, it caused such a huge reaction!

but!

That's not bad!

Seeing this, Sheng Changquan smiled slightly and decided to change his mind and accept the shopkeeper's kindness.

At the same time, a new idea suddenly sprouted in Sheng Changquan's mind.

Now that there are witnesses, it would be better to use this as a good name to help him establish a good reputation on the path of literature—the reputation of a talent scout.

After all, in today's world, even if someone is strong and powerful, and has military power, they cannot compare to an old man's many good reputations.

Sometimes, reputation can be a lifesaver.

Thank you to the generous donors Tingfeng Juanyu and Fusu Gongzi for their generous donations!

I've decided to finish my first book and focus on writing this one...

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(End of this chapter)