Chapter 28

After brewing the Da Peiyuan Decoction, Lu Li carefully filtered the liquid into a thermos, wrapped up the leftover herbs, and prepared to wait for Zhang Jian to return so he could help pour them on the small path behind the school.

If it was for strengthening the body, one cup a day would be enough; otherwise, it would be too much for the body to handle.

However, practicing the Three Yang Fist was different. As long as the meridians could withstand the medicinal effects, the more the better. Moreover, since he was injured, the Da Peiyuan Decoction could also help regenerate bone cells, which would greatly aid in his recovery.

However, this time it was truly the Da Peiyuan Decoction, and compared to the previous one, the medicinal effects were at least dozens of times stronger. Drinking it all at once would inevitably cause his body's meridians to collapse.

After much thought, Lu Li decided to drink it in three doses. Any more would likely be counterproductive. Considering that Zhang Jian had been weakened by Wan Wan, he also decided to leave a third of it for Zhang Jian to help him recover, so he wouldn't age prematurely.

After tidying up the dormitory, he sat in a chair, took a deep breath, poured out the liquid, and drank it in one go, pinching his nose.

After finishing the Da Peiyuan Decoction in one breath, he quickly held his breath and closed his eyes, focusing all his energy on the Three Yang Fist technique.

As the Da Peiyuan Decoction entered his mouth, a warm current burst in his stomach and quickly spread throughout his body.

Under the powerful medicinal effects, Lu Li's face turned bright red, and sweat poured from his forehead, as if he were in a sauna. His eyebrows twitched slightly, and he accelerated the circulation of the technique without hesitation.

As the technique sped up, part of the warm current flowed to his injured calf, while the majority circled through his meridians and entered his dantian.

An hour later, he suddenly opened his mouth and exhaled a mist filled with the scent of Chinese medicine, then opened his eyes.

"It seems I underestimated my own constitution."

Lu Li was both surprised and delighted. He originally thought he would need to drink three doses of the Da Peiyuan Decoction to reach the Great Success stage. But his constitution far exceeded his expectations, not only absorbing the medicinal effects quickly but also without any loss. It looked like he would only need two doses at most.

Regaining his composure, he leaned on the table and stood up, slowly shifting his weight to his right leg. As the weight increased, a faint pain came from his calf.

"It will probably have to wait until next week."

He picked up his cane, leaning on it as he limped out of the dormitory, heading to the city center.

The day after tomorrow was the birthday of the old man Liu Deshuan from the Liu family. This morning, he had called Liu Zhongtian to tell him about his fractured calf, saying it would be inconvenient to attend.

However, Liu Zhongtian insisted that he must come, and regarding his injury, he would send a car to pick up Lu Li.

Unable to refuse such a warm invitation, Lu Li had no choice but to agree.

At the school gate, he hailed a taxi and instructed the driver to head to the antique street.

Since he had to go, it was only right to prepare a gift.

He couldn't afford an expensive gift, and a cheap one was unnecessary. In the end, he decided to give Liu Deshuan a calligraphy piece, one he would write himself.

At the street corner, Lu Li entered a shop similar to Jibaozhai.

"Do you have any writing materials? Let me see them," he asked the clerk straightforwardly as soon as he entered the shop.

"The brushes are at that counter. Please follow me."

Lu Li nodded and walked to another counter. Looking at the brushes in the display case, he frowned. "The bristles are uneven and soft, lacking any strength. Even Wang Xizhi would be at a loss."

"Hey, young man, do you know calligraphy?"

Hearing the question from behind, Lu Li turned to see a man in his thirties, refined and scholarly.

"Somewhat."

"I am Fan Yide, the manager of Xibao Pavilion. These are the worst brushes in the store. If you want better ones, they are in the inner room."

Lu Li said strangely, "Manager Fan, you must be a calligraphy enthusiast. What brush do you use?"

Fan Yide's face showed a hint of pride. "It's an antique I bought for 800,000 yuan from Central China, made during the Qing Dynasty, genuine wolf hair."

"Oh, congratulations."

Lu Li's eyes sparkled with joy. "Manager Fan, good brushes and ink are hard to come by, and it's even harder to find someone who understands them. To be honest, I have been practicing calligraphy for many years. This time, a senior is celebrating his 70th birthday, and I want to write a piece for him. Unfortunately, I am short on funds, so I want to discuss a deal with you."

Fan Yide was taken aback and asked in surprise, "What kind of deal do you want to discuss?"

"Using your writing materials, the price can be negotiated." Lu Li said calmly.

"Are you sure you're not joking?"

Fan Yide looked at Lu Li, dumbfounded. Since buying the wolf hair brush, he had kept it locked in a safe, even reluctant to use it himself, let alone lend it to someone else.

"Of course not. How about this: I'll write a piece using similar materials. If Manager Fan thinks it's good, we can discuss further. If not, I'll leave right away."

Fan Yide thought for a moment and nodded slightly. "Alright."

As a calligraphy enthusiast and collector, Fan Yide had seen many famous works and had high standards.

He thought that if the young man in front of him wasn't boasting, he must have some skill. Besides, it all depended on his mood, so why hesitate!

Hearing Fan Yide's agreement, Lu Li felt a bit relieved.

Perhaps it was a remnant from his past life as a calligrapher, but he detested inferior writing materials, feeling that even touching a brush was an insult. With such a mindset, it was impossible to write well, even if he tried.

In this life, Lu Li had never thought about becoming a calligrapher and was indeed short on funds. If it weren't for the old man Liu's birthday, he probably wouldn't even touch writing materials.

Although he had to write this time, if he could borrow the materials and achieve his goal without spending much, why not!

Fan Yide led Lu Li into the manager's office and pointed to the pen stand on the table, smiling. "Young man, are you satisfied?"

Lu Li's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly moved his cane over.

"Songhua stone inkstone, Huizhou ink, rabbit hair brush, that's enough."

Fan Yide raised an eyebrow, looking pleased. He opened a cabinet and took out three sheets of Xuan paper. After laying out the paper, he turned to Lu Li and gestured invitingly, "Young man, please."

Lu Li put down his cane, held the brush in his right hand, and looked at the slightly yellowed Xuan paper. His memory seemed to return to many years ago.

Back then, he was Fang Gang, a Grand Secretary, one of the four great calligraphers of the Qing Dynasty. He was a master of both painting and calligraphy, high and mighty, outwardly carefree but inwardly troubled. Everything seemed like a dream.

Thinking of the great enlightenment he had at the moment of his death, his eyes sparkled, and his wrist trembled as he began to write.

The brush moved like a dragon, elusive and hard to trace, completed in one breath.

After writing the last character, sweat appeared on his forehead, and his breathing became rapid.

"Manager Fan, what do you think?"

After a moment of silence, he looked up at Fan Yide and saw that Fan Yide was staring at the calligraphy, his face flushed, and his body trembling with excitement.

"Manager Fan?" Lu Li called out, raising his voice a bit.

"Oh, oh."

Fan Yide finally reacted, stepping forward and gripping Lu Li's hand, his face full of amazement. "Young man, you really tricked me! You are clearly a master of calligraphy, yet you told me you only knew a little. This, this..."

Lu Li didn't expect such a strong reaction from Fan Yide and was startled.

He scratched his head and laughed dryly. "Sorry, this one is definitely an overperformance." He looked down at the calligraphy on the Xuan paper, a satisfied expression on his face. "Manager Fan, I think we don't need to make a deal. I'll take this piece as a gift. What's your price?"

"Ah? Absolutely not!"

Fan Yide became anxious, leaving Lu Li to open the safe and hurriedly taking out a red box. "Here, here, use this wolf hair brush. Young man, you must leave me a piece of calligraphy. As for payment, anyone who mentions payment will make me angry."

***

I'm still being generous, with each chapter around 2,200 to 2,300 words. Continue to request collections and that half-covered recommendation!

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