Chapter 60: The Immortal Emperor's Astonishment

Inside the funeral shop, Wang Chu opened his eyes and looked at the newcomer.

It was a man who had just stepped into middle age. At first glance, there was no spiritual fluctuation emanating from him, and he seemed to be an ordinary person, yet Wang Chu could perceive his extraordinariness.

After all, the aura of intimidation and nobility faintly radiating from him was certainly not something an ordinary person could possess.

"What would you like to buy?"

Regardless of who the visitor was, as long as he entered the shop to make a purchase and do business with him, Wang Chu would welcome him.

Looking around, the man spoke up:

"Besides these, what else do you sell in this shop?"

The man had already inspected the surrounding funerary paper, candles, and the like; nothing unusual caught his eye, as they were merely ordinary mortal goods beneath his notice.

Wang Chu smiled and said:

"As long as it is related to weddings and funerals, items or services, my humble shop offers them all and can handle them."

"Oh?"

The man grew interested.

"Is that true?"

Wang Chu narrowed his eyes.

"Naturally true."

The man nodded, a faint desire to test Wang Chu welling up within him:

"Can you write an epitaph?"

"Naturally."

Wang Chu replied with composure.

"Write something at random for me to see."

Hearing this, Wang Chu immediately took out a sheet of paper, a writing brush, and a bottle of ink from his spatial ring.

Holding the brush and dipping it in ink, he began to write vigorously on the paper.

At first, the man remained somewhat dismissive.

Before long, however, his expression grew increasingly solemn.

Putting aside the content of the epitaph for a moment, just looking at Wang Chu's handwriting, the man could not help but exclaim inwardly:

What magnificent calligraphy!

He was very fond of calligraphy, and whenever he had spare time, he would pick up a brush to write and cultivate his character.

After years of practice, even if his brushwork was not yet miraculous, it was definitely among the top five standards in the entire realm.

Yet the seemingly lazy and ordinary young man before him produced handwriting that actually made him feel somewhat ashamed of his own.

Behold that writing: the brushwork was exquisitely refined, the strokes uninhibited and fluid like floating clouds in the sky or flowing water on the earth. The spacing between characters was appropriately dense yet open, with ingenious use of blank space.

Such calligraphy...

To think such calligraphy still existed in this world!

By the time Wang Chu finished his strokes, such an exclamation could no longer be suppressed within his heart.

"How is it?"

Wang Chu looked at the man, whose eyes were practically falling onto the paper, and asked with feigned ignorance.

Suppressing the astonishment on his face, the man put on a composed front and said:

"Not bad, these characters show some skill."

These words instantly provoked a sense of disdain and contempt deep within Wang Chu.

The reason for his disdain was not because of supreme confidence in his own calligraphy, but rather his confidence in a certain predecessor surnamed Wang.

The handwriting of the Sage of Calligraphy could only be described as "not bad"?

Surely it deserved much more than that.

Just as Wang Chu was muttering such criticisms internally, the man spoke again:

"It's just that the content is a bit tacky and doesn't match your calligraphy."

The reason the man said this was because Wang Chu had only written eight bold characters on the paper:

"A land of wealth and prosperity, flourishing for generations."

This phrase could be seen everywhere across the continent and completely failed to demonstrate any caliber.

Ordinary commoners might be very satisfied with it.

However, the man was clearly no ordinary commoner.

Too vulgar!

Unfazed by the man's critique, Wang Chu asked:

"May I ask, esteemed customer, what type of epitaph are you looking for?"

The man thought for a moment and casually replied:

"At the very least, an epitaph worthy of your calligraphy."

Wang Chu nodded.

"Understood."

He picked up the brush again and wrote another epitaph.

The man watched from the side, initially unconcerned, assuming Wang Chu would merely copy some generic epitaph found in books.

Very quickly, however, he realized he had underestimated this youth.

The epitaph he wrote was not something the man had ever read before, nor was it a short phrase from any essay, but rather a sentence he had never laid eyes upon:

"A mountain need not be high; if there are immortals, it becomes famous. A body of water need not be deep; if there are dragons, it becomes divine..."

Reciting the content written by Wang Chu, the man grew more and more startled the more he read:

"Though this is a humble room, my virtue makes it fragrant!"

Merely a short sentence, yet a state of mind transcending worldly things leaped off the paper.

The man raised his head and, for the first time, seriously scrutinized the youth before him.

"Young man, did you create this yourself?"

Wang Chu waved his hand and replied truthfully:

"Hehe, no, it was written by an old predecessor. I haven't reached such heights yet."

The man hurriedly asked:

"Which old predecessor?"

Wang Chu shook his head.

"You wouldn't know him even if I told you, and besides, the old gentleman has already passed away."

"Passed away?"

Gazing at Wang Chu's face, the man suddenly had a realization and thought to himself:

"This kid is being modest. Clearly, he wrote it himself, yet he insists on attributing it to some old predecessor."

With this thought in mind, the man continued:

"With your literary talent, it is truly a waste of your abilities to run a shop and be a petty boss here in Ling City. Why not put it to proper use and take the imperial examinations?"

Wang Chu smiled and shook his head.

"A half-baked person like me hasn't reached that kind of height."

The man disagreed and said earnestly:

"If you are considered half-baked, wouldn't the civil officials of our Great Rui Empire all be illiterate fools?"

Wang Chu reined in his smile.

"Esteemed customer, are you actually here to buy something? Seeing how you're trying to encourage me to take exams, you wouldn't happen to be a recruiter for some academy, would you?"

Wang Chu put on a guarded expression.

"I'm just a small shopkeeper doing funeral business. I can't afford those expensive tuition fees, so you might as well stop wasting your time and energy on me."

The man was momentarily stunned, then let out a helpless sigh.

"Sigh, very well. Let's drop that subject for now and continue discussing business."

Skeptical, Wang Chu asked:

"You aren't a teacher trying to recruit students?"

The man replied indifferently:

"Naturally not."

A smile bloomed on Wang Chu's face once more.

"Good thing you aren't. I have a neighbor who wanted to take the exams. Because he listened to a teacher's advice, he bankrupted his family to enroll in an academy to study, but failed the exams and ended up wandering the streets as a beggar. I certainly don't want to follow in his footsteps."

The man remained cold, devoid of any sympathy.

"That's because he was trash and didn't know how to work hard!"

Wang Chu disagreed, saying:

"Cultivating immortality requires talent and background, and taking examinations is no different. I saw him get up at the crow of the rooster and go to sleep past midnight every day, but it was useless. No matter how hard he worked, he could never surpass that debaucherous talented scholar in Ling City, nor could he compare to that young lady born into a scholarly family. There are many things in this world that cannot be attained merely through hard work."

The man fell silent, not knowing how to refute this.

After a long while, Wang Chu broke the silence:

"Esteemed customer, what is it that you actually want to buy?"

Coming back to his senses, the man looked at the musical instruments hanging on the wall.

"I heard you play the erhu quite well?"

Wang Chu replied:

"I know a little bit."

"What about the vertical bamboo flute and gongs?"

The man asked again.

"I know how, but I'm not proficient in them."

The man pondered for a moment and said:

"My mother's birthday is coming up soon, and I'd like to invite you to help out at her birthday banquet. Are you willing to go?"

With business at his doorstep, Wang Chu naturally had no reason to refuse.

"Of course I am willing. Where is the location?"

The man stated loudly:

"Great Rui, Qianyuan City!"