Novel Bin Chapter 261 – Break the realms through meaning!
Before the Dragon soul was awakened, Li Muyang was a trash that everyone rejected. Schoolmates bullied him, teacher ignored him, friends——Li Muyang almost had no friend. Everyone was unwilling to be friends with a guy who was called ‘black charcoal’ and ‘pig’. Because that would make people laugh at them.
But, once the dragon soul had awakened inside of Li Muyang, not only did the school’s beauty Cui Xiaoxin took the initiative to became friends with him——that was what Li Muyang thought anyway. Friends also appeared one after another, especially after he came to Starry Sky Academy, Li Muyang also showed brilliant talent and Starry Sky teachers appeared one after another, crying, shouting and holding Li Muyang’s thigh wanting to accept him as a disciple——
“What a bother.” Li Muyang sometimes felt troubled about it.
For instance, like now.
Li Muyang deeply bowed to Gu Huangwu, a sincere look on his face when he said, “Thank you teacher Gu for thinking highly of me and willing to teach student how to enter the way through painting. Student will remember it in my heart, I will never forget about it.”
Gu Huangwu waved dismissively. “We are teacher and student, why so polite?”
“So that Teacher Gu knows that, I major in Dragon Slayer, and later Teacher Xiahou began to appreciate me and I followed him studying the techniques of Taoism, then Kong Li noticed me and taught me about the Buddhist scriptures without reservation. In other words, I now not only have a major, but is also cultivating Buddhism and Taoism at the same time——and now Teacher Gu thinks highly of me and wants to teach me the way of painting, I’m afraid that my time and energy are not enough to cope with everything. If I do not learn well, l will disappoint Teacher Gu.”
Gu Huangwu’s brows scrunched up, asking: “You want to cultivate both Buddhism and Taoism?”
Li Muyang smiled an embarrassed smile. “I just want to try——”
Cultivating both Buddhism and Taoism was like wanting to marry two wives at the same time, and those two wives were both outstandingly beautiful and wealthy. Every time he mentioned this to other people, they would look shocked, their faces filled with such a question: ‘You want to marry two wives’?
Li Muyang felt that he was being too greedy, how can a man marry two wives at the same time? If you have this thought, it was like drawing water with a bamboo basket, all hopes and efforts may come to nothing, and you would end up without a wife.
As expected, Gu Huangwu lowered his eyebrows in a tight knit frown, saying loudly: “You still have to be careful. The cultivators that cultivate both Buddhism and Taoism, most of them ended up not understanding either of them. But this is your choice and I have no right to intervene. I only want to ask you, do you really like painting?”
“Heaven and earth can be my witness.” Li Muyang replied. “Teacher Gu should be able to feel my sincerity.”
Gu Huangwu nodded. “It was your first time painting and your painting already possesses the true meaning of painting, you’re a genius rarely seen in hundreds of years.”
“Teacher Gu, I like to paint, but I just want to paint as a hobby and do not plan to——enter the way through painting.” Li Muyang felt he had to explain this.
By cultivating both Buddhism and Taoism there was already a possibility of him not understanding either, but he also majored in Dragon Slayer. Now he has to learn the way of painting, he was worried that he would not master anyone of them. That would make the world laugh at him.
At that time Li Muyang would become the counter example of Starry Sky Academy, all teachers will say this sentence to the new students: choose only one major. Don’t bite off more than you can chew, there was a student called Li Muyang——
At that time even if Li Muyang was dead, he would jump out of the tomb and quarrel with the people.
“What? You look down on the strong people of Starry Sky that entered the way through painting?” Gu Huangwu said coldly. “Li Muyang, you should know that, although there are only a few people in the world that entered the way through painting and poetry, but these people all had a moment of enlightenment overnight. The accomplishment that they achieve one day was more than what others achieve in tens of years——Besides Li Qiubei and Du Ruofu, the strong figures that are well known in the world include Wang Wei and Su Donpo. Can their achievements be compared to the martial artists that had to cultivate every day and night?”
“I understand teacher, I had never looked down on the strong people of Starry Sky that entered the way through poetry and painting. On the contrary, I have the utmost respect for them and I hope to be like them. Be versed in both letters and martial arts, is the dream of any Starry Sky student. I’m just afraid——afraid that if I want to master everything, I would end up with nothing. I would have wasted all my years of training and disappointed my masters.”
Gu Huangwu looked much pleased. “This you need not worry. Although I do not approve of you cultivating both Buddhsim and Taoism, but——since you are really fond of painting, then I can trust you and teach you the method of breaking the realms through meaning.”
“What’s the most important in painting? The most important is meaning. The mind first has to have the meaning, before the brush can make thousand heavy mountains and million heavy water appear. You don’t need to painstakingly practice or meditate everyday. Let nature takes it course, listen to the will of the heavens. Everything is going to happen.”
Gu Huangwu pointed to the area where the dog had disappeared from in the ‘shower of spring sunshine’ painting, asking: “The painting of the dog came to life, is that the meaning of your drawing or had I made it so?”
The meaning of Li Muyang’s painting was the realms of painting, while the meaning of Gu Huangwu’s drawing was will and spirit. There was a big difference between the two.
Li Muyang looked at Gu Huangwu. “Obviously Teacher Gu’s painting meaning.”
“But, without your meaning, my will and spirit would have been useless——first have the meaning, and only then you can elicit this kind of will and spirit. Just like magic brush Ma Liang, the birds and fish he painted were lifelike, so they could jump out of the paper and become living creatures. I had told you about the ten realms of painting but in fact, there is another realm, that is, jumping out of paper——this is the 11th realm of painting, but also the highest state.”
Li Muyang solemnly nodded. “Student understands.”
“Have you thought about it?”
Li Muyang sank heavily to his knees, bowed to the ground three times. “Thank you Teacher Gu for teaching me. Student Li Muyang will not forget.”
“Get up.” Gu Huangwu smiled as he took a step forward to support Li Muyang up. “From today on, we are teacher and student on the surface, but Master and disciple in private. Now, I will teach the method of entering the way through painting——First enter the way and then break the realms.”
“Disciple understands.” Li Muyang also changed how he referred to himself as.
Gu Huangwu went over to the painting table, picked up the brush he just used and said: “Calmly and quietly, watch my hand gestures——”
When Li Muyang returned to his courtyard, he noticed a bright and beautiful girl standing at the door waiting for him.
Li Muyang looked greatly puzzled, asking: “Why has Princess not gone back to your place?”
“Li Muyang, do you have any clothes you want to wash?” Chu Ning asked.
“——”