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Chapter 6: Colorful Heart Pearl
It's over. Encountering such a crazy old man, I might end up losing my life. Xiao Yun closed his eyes and sighed inwardly.
Xiao Yun thought he was doomed, but he didn't die. The old man grabbed him and jumped down from the seventh floor, landing steadily on the ground.
With a screech, a taxi floated over, almost crashing into the wall.
The taxi came to a stop, and the driver climbed out. Normally, he would have cursed loudly, "Are you looking for death? Can't you find a better place to jump?"
But this time, the driver didn't curse. Just think about it; this isn't a movie. In broad daylight, an old man holding a young guy jumped down from the seventh floor and landed as if nothing happened. If you saw that, what would you think?
When this scene unfolded before the driver's eyes, he couldn't even keep his hands steady on the steering wheel, causing the car to veer off the road.
The driver got out of the car with a pale face, almost wanting to kneel down. "Hero, what are you doing..."
The old man yanked open the car door. "Stop talking nonsense and take us to Mirror Lake Park!"
...
Inside the Pavilion at Mirror Lake Park.
Sitting in the pavilion overlooking the lake, it was as smooth as a mirror. In the distance, green mountains loomed faintly, while nearby, small lotus buds were just beginning to emerge.
"This place is still peaceful," the old man said with a proud smile, reaching into his pocket to pull out over a thousand yuan and stuffing it into Xiao Yun's hand. "You little brat, this money is a gift from me. Let my granddaughter pay for that meal!"
Xiao Yun's heart could not calm down any longer, and he asked, "Can you tell me, who exactly are you?"
The old man wore a cat-and-mouse smile and stared at Xiao Yun, "Do you really want to know who I am?"
Xiao Yun replied, "Of course."
The old man said, "I could say I am the Painting Saint Wu Daozi from the Tang Dynasty. Would you believe that?"
Xiao Yun laughed in anger, "Haha, if you are Wu Daozi, then I must be Pei Min!"
The old man asked, "You know Pei Min?"
Xiao Yun said, "Pei Min was a famous general from the Tang Dynasty. The Bone Painting Chronicles records: During the Kaiyuan era, General Pei Min was mourning his mother. He visited Daozi and requested him to paint gods and ghosts on several walls at the Heavenly Palace Temple in the Eastern Capital for spiritual assistance. Daozi replied: 'I have not painted for a long time. If the general is interested, let me bind your spirit. Dance with your sword once. Perhaps through fierce effort, we can connect with the ethereal.' Pei Min then removed his clothing as if he were in regular attire. He rode like the wind, spinning left and right, throwing his sword into the clouds. It soared several zhang high, like a flash of lightning shooting down. Pei Min extended his hand to catch it with its sheath; the sword pierced through the room. Thousands of spectators were astonished. Daozi then took up his brush to paint on the wall; a gust of wind arose, creating a magnificent spectacle for the world. This was the most impressive work of art that Daozi ever created."
The old man laughed and asked, "What else do you know?"
Xiao Yun replied, "I also know about Gongsun Dancer, the most beautiful sword dancer in the Tang court. It is said that Zhang Xu, known as Grass Sage, was enlightened after watching Gongsun's dance with her sword; this led him to achieve unparalleled calligraphy skills. The Poet Sage Du Fu also watched Gongsun's dance in his youth and wrote the famous poem 'Sword Dance.' Wu Daozi not only grasped the way of using a brush from her sword dance but also secretly painted a nude portrait of her due to his infatuation, admiring her image every night..."
"Wow, you are quite something; you even know about Wu Daozi's little secret!" The old man's face showed some embarrassment.
Xiao Yun laughed and said, "I’m talking about the great Painting Saint Wu Daozi; why are you blushing?"
The old man replied, "No matter how much you know, there’s one thing you definitely don’t know: why is Wu Daozi good at painting people? Because he has a pair of eyes unlike any other—what we call Bone Eyes. Anyone in front of him, no matter how they present themselves, he can see the growth of their bones inside and discern their ailments from their bones. In this world, a person lives by three kinds of spirit: bone spirit, righteousness spirit, and courage spirit; how can one exist without bone spirit? For this reason, he wrote a book called The Thirty-Six Techniques of Bone Painting specifically to treat people by painting their bones."
Xiao Yun asked, "Why haven’t I seen any related records in historical texts?"
The old man laughed heartily, "This book is only written in Wu Daozi's heart; how would anyone else know?"
Xiao Yun also chuckled, "Then how do you know?"
The old man looked at him disdainfully, "Haven't I told you? I am Wu Daozi! Are you an idiot? How many times do I have to say it for you to understand?"
Xiao Yun sighed, realizing that the old fellow he encountered not only had extraordinary abilities but was also a bit off in the head.
What would you do when faced with such a person?
The only option was to comply; otherwise, no matter how much you argued, there would be no resolution.
Xiao Yun chose to comply, "I believe you!"
The old man laughed loudly, "You are clever. To tell you the truth, ever since I heard that you are the reincarnation of Wu Daozi, it has made me quite unhappy. How can there be such shameless people in this world who dare to impersonate me and deceive others? So I have been secretly watching you. However, it seems you are not bad. After several tests, I found that you have a kind heart and a sense of justice. Therefore, out of my great compassion, I have decided to pass on 'The Thirty-Six Techniques of Bone Painting' along with all my lifelong skills to you!"
Encountering such a madman, Xiao Yun could only play along and said, "Alright, Master, I pay my respects!" He even bowed three times.
Of course, in Xiao Yun's mind, he felt those three bows were worth it.
This old man had 206 bones in his body but had been hit by a car and somehow ended up with 412 bones; the fact that he was still alive was a miracle. Moreover, he could jump from the seventh floor while holding someone and land safely—who else could do that?
It was only fitting to take such a person as a master.
"Haha, this child can be taught!" The old man reached out to help Xiao Yun up in the Pavilion.
The old man spoke, waving his hand, and a pearl the size of a pigeon egg appeared in his palm. The pearl spun continuously in his hand, emitting a rainbow of colors.
Xiao Yun was momentarily stunned; this old man was truly extraordinary. What kind of pearl was this?
The old man said, "This is the Rainbow Heart Pearl, crafted with care by me. All my life’s shocking skills are hidden within this pearl, including my techniques from The Thirty-Six Techniques of Bone Painting. Now I am giving it to you!"
With that, the old man instructed Xiao Yun to open his mouth. Then, with lightning speed, he tossed the pearl into Xiao Yun's mouth. Before Xiao Yun could comprehend what was happening, the pearl had already slid down into his stomach.
The old man clapped his hands and laughed heartily, "Alright, a Yin-Yang Bone Painter and superpower user has finally appeared in this world!"
Xiao Yun scratched his head and asked, "What is a Yin-Yang Bone Painter? And… I don’t understand anything."
The old man replied, "You will understand soon enough." He then leaned closer to Xiao Yun's ear and whispered a long explanation.
Xiao Yun felt even more confused: "What do you mean by achieving great mastery? I don’t understand what you’re saying."
"Come on, you blockhead," the old man said impatiently. "You will gradually understand when the time comes." After saying that, he waved his hand and vanished without a trace.
"Uh—where did that old man go!" Xiao Yun rushed out of the Pavilion but could no longer see any sign of him.
"Ah…" At that moment, Xiao Yun suddenly felt the pearl burning like fire inside him. His limbs felt as if they were being scorched; as soon as he moved, his vision went dark and he collapsed to the ground.
The Pavilion was built on a high slope. As he fell to the ground, he rolled down like a Rolling Stone, tumbling down the slope. "Help—" was all he managed to shout before losing consciousness…
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