I am just a mortal, why do you all worship me as a saint?

Chapter 41: Old Man Gu's Past

Your handwriting lacks refinement.

As soon as those words left his mouth, Gu Heng saw the old man's not-so-hunched body suddenly straighten up. He turned his head and glared at Gu Heng: "You said my handwriting is lacking?"

Gu Heng shook his head: "Your calligraphy is too sharp, too hasty, and lacks composure. It seems this young master has somewhat skewed your mindset..."

Gu Heng couldn't say that the old man's handwriting was bad; in fact, it was quite good, but it couldn't compare to his.

His calligraphy skills were honed through hands-on training by the system.

No ordinary person could write a scroll of calligraphy that is stronger or more evocative than his.

"...Hahaha!" The old man suddenly threw his head back and laughed.

Despite all his calculations, he never expected that his "Qianbi Shamo" (Demon Slayer with the Qianbi) technique, which he used to cultivate through calligraphy, would be taught a lesson by a mere mortal in this small Yunling City!

He once suppressed a powerful force with a single scroll of calligraphy. His brushstrokes could terrify countless people. As the saying goes, every stroke of his brush is a true word, and every word and ink conveys true meaning!

"The Dry Brush Kills Demons" is that powerful.

But for Old Man Lao, all of that is in the past.

He was defeated by a powerful figure who also cultivated through calligraphy. He lost miserably in both cultivation level and artistic conception. Since then, "Qianbi Shamo" disappeared, and Yunling City gained an old man who carved plaques for people.

He devoted himself to this, studying calligraphy, hoping to erase his former bloodthirsty nature, immerse himself in the path, and one day achieve a breakthrough.

More than ten years have passed. Every day, the old man immerses himself in the understanding of brush and ink, and thoroughly analyzes the true meaning contained in his characters, but nothing has changed. His path seems to have reached a bottleneck.

However, he did indeed erase his tendency to kill at the drop of a hat.

No matter how much he secluded himself here, how kind he was to mortals, he almost forgot that he was actually a cultivator in the Tribulation Transcending stage.

but……

This young man dares to comment on his "calligraphy" like that!?

Old Man Gu felt insulted.

How can an ordinary person be qualified to judge his calligraphy?

They couldn't even sense the slightest bit of the profound meaning contained in these words!

"I know perfectly well how well I write! You young brat, how dare you judge my handwriting!" The old man's words seemed to have touched some taboo, instantly escalating the situation and causing the air in the entire shop to suddenly freeze.

"You..." The young man was quite frightened when he saw the old man's outburst.

"You dare to insult Senior Gu! I think you're tired of living!" the young man shouted.

Lu Yan is a Nascent Soul Stage 1 cultivator. He is young and not very ambitious, but he is good at reading people and sensing the atmosphere.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became very oppressive. The old man's aura was barely released, and he almost couldn't withstand it.

His name is flamboyant and domineering, but in fact, as the second young master of the Lu family, the overlord of the west of Yunling City, he does not practice the family's inherited techniques like his brothers, nor does he join the Nianling Sect for cultivation. Instead, he is obsessed with calligraphy and intends to enter the Dao through it!

Lu Yan found this alley by chance.

After seeing the calligraphy that the old man had casually written, he was deeply moved. It was through the sharp and profound meaning contained in that calligraphy that he was able to successfully break through that hurdle and enter the Nascent Soul stage!

From then on, Lu Yan was extremely grateful to Old Gu and insisted on becoming his disciple, even if it was just as a menial laborer.

But Old Man Lao never had that kind of idea.

He simply noticed that the second young master of the Lu family truly loved calligraphy, so he casually offered some pointers, but that was all.

But Lu Yan's stubbornness was indeed beyond his imagination.

In the past, Old Gu would have easily defeated such a hothead with a single move, saving himself the trouble. But now, he had long since suppressed his bloodlust and was no longer willing to engage in pointless fighting.

Just when I was having a headache, a business deal came to my door today, but the guy who came was an extremely arrogant young man!

Lu Yan naturally couldn't bear to see Gu Laotou's profound calligraphy being insulted by a mortal, who said something like "still lacking in skill." Moreover, looking at Gu Heng, there was no fluctuation of true energy on his body; he was just an ordinary mortal.

Lu Yan was even a little worried that this guy was too arrogant and might be killed by Old Gu later.

Gu Heng raised an eyebrow: "Young master, I suppose you also practice calligraphy, but I think your talent is a little lacking. You can't understand Mr. Gu's calligraphy, but I can."

The young man was furious. "How can you be so arrogant!"

Old Gu narrowed his eyes, stared at Gu Heng, and waved his hand, signaling Lu Yan to step back: "Alright! You may sit down!"

"Senior..." the young man was still somewhat unconvinced.

"Let him continue," the old man said in a somber tone.

The young man gritted his teeth and could only glare at Gu Heng resentfully, but he still sat obediently in the chair.

"Little brat, say whatever you want. I'd like to see what makes you think my calligraphy is lacking!" Gu Heng's lips curled up, his eyes gleaming with an air of arrogance. He declared loudly, "Fine, if I'm wrong even a little, I'll accept the punishment!"

He calmly walked to the table, pointed to the character "Dao" in the inscription "Seeking Peace of Mind," and said eloquently, "Mr. Gu's 'Dao' is meticulously written, with deliberate strokes and a sharp edge, but it is mixed with too many distracting thoughts and has not yet reached its peak. Although it is a realm that ordinary people cannot reach, but..."

He deliberately left his sentence unfinished, but the old man's lips still twitched.

Indeed, he was right. I tried my best to eliminate distractions when I put pen to paper, but no matter what, the true meaning I expressed in this piece is far from perfect.

But... did this kid figure it out?

How could an ordinary person understand these things? He must be guessing, right?

Old Gu squinted.

"In short, it's not perfect." The old man scolded, "Kid, stop showing off in front of me! I have far more knowledge than you. You did happen to guess some of the problems correctly, but I think you're just spouting nonsense!"

Gu Heng shook his head and sighed, "It seems you don't believe me."

Indeed, how could such an old man, who must have spent his whole life studying calligraphy, possibly accept a questioning of his calligraphy from such a young person?

Unfortunately, Gu Heng is someone who can be questioned.

Because his calligraphy has reached a level of "divine skill", no ordinary person can compare to him!

He pointed to the scroll in the old man's hand.

"Open it and take a look. I believe Mr. Gu is a master calligrapher, and I'm sure you understand the difference between these two styles."

The old man's face twitched. He couldn't understand where this young man's confidence came from, but he still opened the calligraphy copybook with skepticism. His pupils constricted instantly! A powerful, vigorous style of calligraphy leaped onto the paper—

"Gu's Medical Clinic"!

Old Gu Tou was stunned and stood there dumbfounded.

Lu Yan's eyes widened in horror! He closed his eyes immediately after just one glance, because the moment the calligraphy was opened, a vast and boundless Daoist aura burst forth, and Lu Yan felt a sense of death at that moment!

He cannot look at this calligraphy!

If one's cultivation is insufficient to grasp the true meaning of this Great Dao, the only path to death is imminent!

Although Lu Yan knew that as long as he could see that calligraphy, his cultivation would definitely increase again, it was a delicacy containing deadly poison. For the sake of his life, he absolutely could not try it!

"This is...this is..."

The old man's clear eyes seemed to be filled with golden light!

These four simple words contain a profound and boundless Daoist charm that almost made the old man deeply entangled and unable to extricate himself!

Unlike his extremely sharp and profound meaning, this calligraphy made him feel as if the vast power of all things, which can encompass all rivers and contain the universe, was truly and vividly displayed in the form of this calligraphy!

The deeper he delved, the more mysteries he discovered within. It seemed as if the supreme sword intent and the earth-shattering blade intent were clashing, as well as the imposing aura of a thousand troops, and even the profound techniques of forging magical artifacts...

The old man was speechless.

But he already knew the answer in his heart.

These are words he could never write.

After a long while, the old man struggled to raise his head, his voice bitter: "...Who exactly are you?"

If this handwriting was written by the young man in front of me... no, he is definitely not a young man!

What young person could possibly possess such a vast and profound understanding? Impossible.

"My surname is Gu, and my given name is Heng. Mr. Gu, you can just call me Young Master Gu. There's no need for any other titles. I've heard too many of them since I came in, and it's quite annoying."

"But I'm no different from you; I'm just someone who lives a carefree life in this city."

Gu Heng was open and honest, with nothing to hide.

He knew that Old Gu was absolutely impressed by his calligraphy. The old man might have been very spirited before, and perhaps he still was, but being defeated by a "young punk" must have been very unpleasant for him.

But who else could he be? Just an ordinary mortal trying to make a living in Yunling City.

Old Gu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter.

He couldn't help but frown.

Has this old man gone mad? How could he laugh like that? The old man's laughter lasted for a long time before it finally stopped.

"There's not much difference between you and me... Indeed, but you have already achieved something, while I have devoted myself to studying calligraphy for decades, yet I still haven't reached the level you have."

Old Gu looked at Gu Heng, never expecting that another reclusive master had appeared in Yunling City.

Just like him... Ha, even the old man felt a little ashamed.

He was forced to live in seclusion because he was facing numerous difficulties and could not break through them, all in order to seek the Dao.

But Gu Heng was completely different in her eyes. He had reached a certain peak and extreme realm. Perhaps he had already exhausted the path of seeking the Dao and had nothing left to do, so he had gone into seclusion in the city.

The two were on completely different levels.

Old Gu Tou felt that his level of understanding was far inferior to his.

As if accepting his fate, he rolled up the calligraphy scroll and placed it aside, his thoughts still immersed in the vast and boundless artistic conception. He knew that the "insight" he had not been able to obtain for so many years was about to appear!