Chapter 375: Chapter 279: Xiaoxiao Camp Repair Department, So Audacious! (Part 4)
"I don’t understand." Chu Ming pretended to know nothing.
"Hehe." Tang Bai chuckled softly.
He remained inside the Imperial City, not seeking a position in the court, nor concerning himself with the matters of the Tang Family, simply because he was tired of the deceit within the court and the intrigue within the family.
Someone wanted him to make a fuss about the affairs of Tang Xuan, but they were barking up the wrong tree.
However, he wouldn’t let the young man in white enter the Wenlin Garden so easily.
Others thought Wenlin Garden was a place without real power, but he believed it was a leisurely and important place.
The garden held ancient manuscripts, relics, rare artifacts, touching upon many secrets inaccessible to most, and exploration here always provided unexpected pleasures.
This pleasure, however, was not something fools deserved or had the capability to enjoy.
"Chu Ming, renowned as the greatest talent of Xirong County in a hundred years, has considerable talent in painting and the Ancient Shell Script, right?" Tang Bai fixed his gaze on Chu Ming.
Though he spent years within the Wenyuan Pavilion without venturing out, it didn’t mean he was unaware of matters outside the Imperial City.
Due to his high achievements in painting, he periodically sent people to gather information on individuals with talent in painting across the Thirteen Counties, among whom was Chu Ming, thus he was quite familiar with Chu Ming’s deeds.
The greatest talent of Xirong County in a hundred years?
The eyes of the two individuals behind him flashed disdain.
Even a frontier county dares to claim the title of greatest talent in a hundred years?
Chu Ming bowed his head, "Lord Tang, I have indeed studied the Ancient Shell Script and painted before."
As for the title of greatest talent in a hundred years, he did not mention it.
Speaking of this reputation, Chu Ming recalled that it seemed to have been the Wan Family intentionally exaggerating him to the point of spreading it everywhere, and unexpectedly, it reached even the Imperial City.
"The Ancient Shell Script is one of the ancient writing systems, primarily based on pictographic meaning, a type of obscure and intricate text," Tang Bai said straightforwardly, "Since you’ve studied the Ancient Shell Script, it shows your ability for association and deduction is good. Come with me, I have a test for you."
Then, he looked at Lu Ji: "General Lu, are you waiting for the result, or returning to report first?"
Lu Ji’s expression was serious, "Lord Tang, you need not worry about me."
Tang Bai nodded, understanding Lu Ji’s intention; the other party was going to wait for the result before returning to report.
Entering the Hall Garden, Tang Bai first asked Chu Ming to find a desk to sit and wait, while he himself bent over a desk, writing and drawing something.
After approximately one incense stick’s time, he picked up two sheets of paper and placed them in front of Chu Ming.
"Calligraphy and painting, understood by laypeople as words and paintings; those with some accomplishments in calligraphy and painting can create words inspired by paintings. Look at this, is it words and paintings, or words inspired by paintings?"
Chu Ming looked at the paper; at first glance, it seemed to be a haphazard line drawing, abstract to the point where no real object could be associated with it, yet upon closer inspection, there seemed to be a profound mystery hidden within the lines that drew one to contemplate.
"I am not making things difficult for you; Wenlin Garden is not a place of leisure. Imagining and constructing, even unrealistic, is necessary to delve into those documents and relics buried under historical dust, to perceive and experience."
"You may interpret my talk of imagining and constructing, being unrealistic, as delusion, but if you do not possess this ability or if your ability is insufficient, even if I let you into Wenlin Garden, it will only become a painful memory in your long life."
As Tang Bai spoke, the expressions of those two in splendid attire and jade crowns changed simultaneously, seemingly agreeing with those words, evidently having experienced it deeply.
"This sheet is a little hint for you." Tang Bai pointed to another piece of paper, "According to this hint, find the answers, as many as possible."
"Don’t just sit idle, you two." Tang Bai then handed the same line drawing to the other two.
"One two hours, begin."
The other two looked at the abstract line drawing with distress.
This line drawing was obviously much more troublesome than the ancient texts they usually studied.
Their entry test into the garden was not this demanding.
The lady on the left looked towards the young man on the right, and her jade crown slightly shook, as if saying: I don’t understand.
The young man on the right gave her a reassuring look.
In the back row, Chu Ming lowered his eyes to look, and a ripple rose in his heart.
This Tang Bai lives up to being the Master of Painting Dao; with a combination of various colors and line thicknesses, he can create thought-provoking masterpieces.
Upon examining closely, those lines seemed not just randomly combined; the combination of colors and thicknesses appeared to have a certain pattern, intending to display something.
What does it intend to display?
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