The hot-tempered Song Nuan was so angry her chest ached. She said coldly, "Is it that troublesome? If you have the ability, why don't you write it with your left hand and see how trash you really are?"
Wang Jianye seized the opportunity to greedily gaze at the sexy and alluring Song Nuan, scanning her from head to toe. He retorted as a matter of course, "He's left-handed, but I'm not..."
Chen Xiao, annoyed by the incessant chatter, immediately frowned and interrupted Wang Jianye, "Since you want to die a more thorough death, I'll grant your wish!"
With that, he picked up his brush, dipped it generously in cinnabar.
Master Puhui personally witnessed Chen Xiao's left-handed brush calligraphy, which was comparable to the peerless calligraphy of the Sage of Calligraphy. He became even more eager to see Chen Xiao's skill with his right hand. He quickly spread out a brand new yellow talisman paper and said excitedly, "Dr. Chen, are you still writing 'Man Jiang Hong'? Could you possibly give me your next masterpiece? I'd like to hang it in the Grand Hall of Shenlong Temple for generations to come..."
Before Master Puhui could finish speaking, Song Nuan eagerly interrupted, "Master Puhui, even you said Chen Xiao's left-handed calligraphy is something Wang Xizhi, if he were alive, might not be able to surpass. How can you shamelessly ask for it for free? Are you accustomed to begging for alms?"
"This..."
Master Puhui's old face flushed slightly. After a moment's hesitation, he said with evident pain, "Then... then I'll offer twenty thousand?"
Fearing Chen Xiao would find the sum too small, he quickly and nervously explained, "Dr. Chen, your brush calligraphy is absolutely a priceless treasure, but... but the Xuanmen sect has been in decline for nearly a century, and Shenlong Temple is truly struggling financially, facing immense difficulties. Twenty... twenty thousand is all the cash flow I can muster. I hope... I hope you won't find it lacking..."
With a mischievous smile, Song Nuan unhesitatingly snatched Master Puhui's words, "Only twenty thousand? That's great, I'll offer a million!"
Daphne followed closely, her tone crisp and decisive, "I'll offer US dollars! Two million!"
"You... you guys..."
Master Puhui was dumbfounded, completely stunned. After much hesitation, he finally gritted his teeth and said, "Dr. Chen, do you remember the private hospital Shenlong Temple invested in yesterday? That hospital is in Shenwu City. Although it's been losing money year after year, its property is valued at over twenty million. Longlin Group has been wanting to buy it. As long as you don't mind, I can transfer it to your name at any time."
Song Nuan didn't hold back and continued to raise the bid, "Chen Xiao, my sister bought me a villa in Shenwu City two years ago. The selling price was eighteen million, and it can now be sold for at least thirty million. If you just nod, I can give you the keys anytime!"
Daphne was not to be outdone, her tone resolute, "Dr. Chen, you should sell your calligraphy work to me instead. My family has many oil fields in the Red Sea area of the Arabian Peninsula. I can ask my father to give you two."
"Uh..."
Chen Xiao was bewildered, and said with a wry smile, "Money is not important, but I promised Master Puhui I'd give him a hundred or so talismans earlier, so I'll give them to him first! By the way, although cinnabar mixed with white wine and Bletilla striata is very effective for drawing talismans, to make them last for centuries without fading, it's best to add a few more Chinese herbs."
As he spoke, he went to the densely packed medicinal cabinet and took several herbs, grinding them into powder. He then poured them into the inkstone, mixed them, and picked up his brush again, dipping it generously.
Wang Jianye was initially stunned and bewildered upon hearing Master Puhui, Song Nuan, and Daphne bidding against each other. After all, he had only heard of millions, never seen them, nor dared to imagine them.
Seeing Chen Xiao preparing to write, he sarcastically taunted, "Chen Xiao, are you and the two beautiful ladies colluding beforehand to swindle the master from Shenlong Temple? I heard yesterday that this beautiful lady is actually a temporary nanny your family hired. I ask you, how could a nanny in her early twenties own a mansion worth tens of millions in the valuable Shenwu City? As for this foreign beauty with blonde hair and blue eyes, her boastful claims are even more outrageous. If her family truly has oil fields in the Red Sea, then I am the current king of the Greater Caucasus Empire!"
As he spoke, he couldn't resist sneaking glances at the sexy and alluring Song Nuan and Daphne, and his gaze towards Master Puhui was filled with schadenfreude. Clearly, in his eyes, Master Puhui was simply a gullible fool being conned by Chen Xiao.
However, no one bothered to pay attention to Wang Jianye. Instead, their eyes were burning, and they focused intently on Chen Xiao, whose brush danced like a dragon, splashing ink with abandon.
Drawing upon the profound, wordless golden scripture in his mind, Chen Xiao, writing with his right hand, found it even more effortless. As Wang Jianye's words faded, a "Man Jiang Hong" that possessed even greater calligraphic charm, a masterpiece for the ages, leaped onto the paper.
Master Puhui's scalp tingled, and his heart pounded. He exclaimed without regard for his image, "Heavens! The original true interpretation of the 'Six-Syllable Mantra'! Such a magnificent and unprecedented calligraphic masterpiece can also contain the original true interpretation of my Buddha's 'Six-Syllable Mantra'! Dr. Chen, your calligraphy and talisman arts can absolutely rival the legendary immortals and Buddhas!"
As he spoke, he seemed to encounter the true form of Buddha manifesting, and with a "plop," he knelt down, his expression filled with undeniable devotion to Buddha.
Song Nuan and Daphne, completely ignorant of talisman arts, couldn't discern anything. However, the "Six-Syllable Mantra" original true interpretation contained within the "Pure Heart Talisman" was real. They genuinely felt the solemn Buddhist aura emanating from the talisman paper, as if they were bathed in a spring breeze, and their spirits were instantly invigorated.
Song Nuan praised sincerely, "Chen Xiao, you should quit being a doctor and focus on calligraphy. With your calligraphic attainments, once you become famous, any piece of calligraphy you write will be a priceless treasure sought after worldwide!"
Daphne's eyes gleamed, her face alight with excitement, "Dr. Chen, if you're willing to change careers, I'll definitely persuade my father to go all out to help you. With the immense financial power of our Stark family, we can make you the world-renowned number one calligrapher within two years!"
"This... this... this this this..."
Wang Jianye stared blankly at Chen Xiao's "Man Jiang Hong" written with his right hand, his eyes widening, his face filled with shock, and his mouth agape.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that brush calligraphy could reach such a pinnacle of perfection.
Precisely because he had seen it with his own eyes, he suddenly had a serious suspicion that the brush calligraphy he had practiced since childhood had been wasted on a dog.
Amidst his shock, his usual spirited demeanor gradually turned to despair. His legs went weak, and he slumped to the ground dejectedly, muttering with vacant eyes, "Heh heh, what's the use of this hand? Ridiculous! Truly ridiculous!"
After a pause, he went even crazier, getting up to grab the pure steel mortar and pestle from the table. He raised his left hand high and then ferociously brought it down towards his right hand.