I just wrote a love poem, how did that make me so powerful?

Zou Linchuan wrote:

"The horse's hooves are fragrant with blossoms as it returns home."

The audience fell silent instantly.

A moment later, people began to buzz and discuss it.

Someone repeated the question in a low voice;

Someone asked someone nearby: How should this problem be solved?

Some people were already silently drafting their own plans in their minds.

Li Yan, on the other side, said something to Xiao Mingyuan.

"This is a good question. Chen Chengbo didn't dare to ask for a couplet or a poem, fearing that we would win easily, so he asked for a question about drawing."

Xiao Mingyuan touched his double chin.

"You cunning old fox, you're not very good at drawing me. I'll wait and see what comes next."

Zou Linchuan put down his pen and turned around.

"There are no restrictions on the method. You have to hand in your paper when the hourglass runs out, just like we do on a regular day."

He gestured to a student next to him to invert the hourglass, and the fine sand began to slowly slide down.

Chen Shijin was the first to start writing.

He sat by the window for a long time, his eyes fixed on those seven characters.

As soon as the hourglass started, he put down his folding fan, spread out the paper, and dipped his brush in thick ink.

He moved quickly and wrote decisively.

First, outline the center of several peony flowers, then use dawn red to gradually blend and spread the color, with the folds of the petals unfolding one after another under the brush, layer upon layer, with varying shades.

Then, add a few peonies and wild roses along the central axis of the paper, arranged in a staggered and colorful manner.

The curled edges of the petals and the delicate stamens are all rendered with meticulous brushstrokes, showing no care whatsoever.

After finishing the flower, he painted a horse on the right, with a well-dressed young man sitting on its back. The horse's hooves were raised, as if it had just stepped over a flower bush.

Before half the hourglass had even finished, Chen Shijin had already put down his pen.

The person behind him glanced at it, couldn't help but gasp, and whispered something.

"Who in the academy can match this painting skill? It's so lifelike."

The two people next to them also turned their heads to look, and one of them nodded repeatedly.

"The brushwork is amazing, the colors are used cleverly, and the shades and intensities perfectly show the layers of the flowers."

"That's called a stroke of genius."

Chen Shijin didn't reply. He sat there, looking calm, but the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned.

Clearly, he was extremely satisfied with his painting.

The students around them were also drawing one after another.

Some paintings depicted a peach orchard, its blossoms dazzlingly beautiful.

Some paintings depicted a winding, secluded flower path.

Some artists simply placed a garden full of flowers in the center of the picture, surrounded by green leaves and vines.

Xiao Mingyuan looked up and around, then turned back and whispered to Xu Qing.

"How should I paint this? The horse and the flowers are easy enough, but how do I depict the fragrance? Would painting the flowers nicely make them smell good?"

Xu Qing shook her head. "That's just pretty, not fragrant."

Xiao Mingyuan thought about it again.

"What about paintings like Chen Shijin's, where many petals float in the air? Using fallen petals to suggest fragrance."

Xu Qing shook her head again.

"If he drew it, and you draw the same thing again, that's plagiarism."

Xiao Mingyuan curled his lip.

"So he struck first, what are you going to draw? No wonder that kid drew so fast, he's just as cunning as his elders."

Xu Qing spread out a sheet of paper and picked up a pen.

"They've got it wrong, just draw a horse."

"Huh? What?"

"Draw a horse," Xu Qing repeated.

Xiao Mingyuan blinked, puzzled:

The title is "Returning Home on Horseback, the Fragrance of Flowers Lingers," but where are the flowers?

Xu Qing did not answer him and had already started painting.

His movements were slow, but very steady.

Light ink outlines the curve of the horse's back, while dark ink sweeps out its flowing mane and tail, its four hooves outstretched, poised to gallop.

It's not the meticulous style of Chen Shijin; it's more like a dynamic movement sketched with a few casual strokes.

Although rugged, it possesses an indescribable imposing presence.

The background features a few faint silhouettes of distant mountains and the last rays of the setting sun.

A winding path begins to extend from the bottom of the image.

Xiao Mingyuan watched from the side, muttering to himself.

"You know what, it actually looks pretty convincing; the horse seems to run away at first glance. But where are the flowers? Why haven't you painted them yet?"

Xu Qing ignored him. After finishing the horse drawing, she switched to a finer brush and began drawing three or four small butterflies around the horse's hooves.

The butterfly fluttered and hovered among the dust kicked up by the horse's hooves, its movements light and graceful, as if it were being attracted and chased by something.

Then, he sketched out a fragment of a petal with a few simple strokes.

There is only one...

The painting is now complete.

A steed on its way home rears up, followed by several butterflies chasing after it.

As for the flower, only an inconspicuous petal fell on the edge of the dust behind the horse's hooves.

Xiao Mingyuan stared at it for a long time, then suddenly slapped his forehead.

"Wait... the butterfly is chasing the horse's hooves, what's on those hooves?"

Xu Qing put down her pen, smiled slightly, and said, "Guess!"

Xiao Mingyuan's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth several times before he suddenly realized what was going on.

"Oh, yes, yes, there's the scent of flowers. A horse gallops through the flowers, its hooves covered in the fragrance of pollen. Butterflies follow the scent, and the flowers are far behind the road that gallops past."

His voice was a bit loud, and the two people in the front row turned around and glanced at him.

Xiao Mingyuan was worried that the headmaster would criticize him, so he quickly covered his mouth, but he couldn't hide the excitement in his eyes.

"My God, you're amazing."

When the hourglass reached its end, Zou Linchuan stood up.

"Time's up, everyone stop and hand in your papers."

Some students hadn't finished their drawings yet, but they had no choice but to pick up their paper and hand in their artwork.

Twenty paintings covered the table.

Flowers and horses in various brushstrokes are displayed in a dazzling array.

The entire painting is covered with peonies and peonies.

There are wildflower paths winding their way through.

Some petals fell in profusion, carried by the wind, scattering across half a sheet of paper.

No matter how you draw it, it always revolves around two themes: flowers and horses.

Zou Linchuan looked around, walking and stopping intermittently, without saying a word.

He carefully examined Chen Shijin's painting for a while.

Zou Linchuan pointed to his painting.

"Your brushwork is skillful, your composition is meticulous, and the layering of the petals is particularly impressive, with just the right amount of negative space. It's fair to say that you excel in the details of the petals, demonstrating excellent fundamental skills."

Chen Shijin cupped his hands in a smile and said, "You flatter me, Headmaster!"

Zou Linchuan then changed the subject.

"But... today's theme is 'Returning Home on Horseback, the Fragrance of Flowers on the Horse's Hooves,' do your flowers smell good?"

Chen Shijin was taken aback. "The student used falling petals in the wind to imply the fragrance of flowers."

Zou Linchuan shook his head.

"When petals drift in the wind, others see the flowers, not the fragrance. Your painting is full of flowers at a glance; it's beautiful, but you didn't guess the theme correctly."

Chen Shijin opened his mouth, but couldn't think of a reason to explain, so he could only sit back down dejectedly.

Zou Linchuan continued walking, looking at each painting one by one.

I found a painting of a peach orchard, and stopped in front of it, where the peach blossoms were as bright as rosy clouds.

"There are plenty of flowers, but where are the horses? Where are they?"

The student stood up and answered quietly.

"The road the horse took home is outside the painting..."

Zou Linchuan glanced at him.

"You're asking people to imagine a horse running by, but maybe they'll think it's a cow or a deer? So, is your drawing a horse or a cow? Or are you just calling a deer a horse?"

The man shrank back and sat down.

After walking past a few more paintings, Zou Linchuan stopped again.

That was the work of Lin Yizhi, a student at Tingzhu Academy.

He was known as the "Student Painting Master" at Tingzhu Academy.

Zou Linchuan glanced at it and couldn't help but nod.