Heavenly Star

There was one shared characteristic among the teachers of the Imperial Institute—strict. They treated all the students equally, they did not feel the need to make salutations towards the students who came from influential families. When the old man with a face full of white beard saw Ye Wuchen enter the room, his eyes had a feverish adoration that surpassed the students’. That day, during the competition, he was one of those who had personally witnessed the painting skills of Ye Wuchen. From that day on, he realized what real painting was, and what being at the peak of painting skills looked like.

Knowledge had no age limit, and to this old man who loved painting more than his own life, he considered Ye Wuchen to be like a heavenly being. Although it may seem to be inappropriate for this occasion, his face was full of visible excitement. He looked as if he could not control himself as he might rush in front and kneel down to the ground to ask Ye Wuchen to become his teacher.

“Master Ye, you are finally here. This old man has long been inspired by your painting skills, only that I am not able to witness them in person. This old man had heard yesterday that you will be coming. I’m so excited that I wasn’t able to sleep last night. Now that Master Ye is here, I will not continue to show my shameful skills. May we request Master Ye to give us a lecture? If you were to fulfill my humble request, this old man will be eternally grateful.”

This old man was quite fervent, and quite eager to announce his request. He immediately forgot about Long Huang-er who was standing beside Ye Wuchen. For him, to be able to hear the lecture of such amazing person with extraordinary painting skills, was already enough enjoyment for this lifetime. He dared not to claim himself as a teacher in front of Ye Wuchen, and addressed himself as an “old man”.

The students below the stage had their faces full of amazement. Not a single one among them had expected that this teacher, who seldom smiled or talked, would have such an attitude towards a person just a few years older than them. Although, after the news spread, some had regarded Ye Wuchen almost like a god. These students, who had prestigious backgrounds and a very strong arrogance treated themselves as if they were greater than the sky, so only a few of them would revere a person based only on news. Now though, the old man’s attitude to the visitor compelled them to have no choice but to put away their deliberately assuming arrogance.

This was about painting again. Ever since Ye Wuchen arrived in this world, almost everything that he encountered was related to painting. Ye Wuchen regretted that he had only spent three months learning about painting on and off, yet amazed at how it was very good help to him in this world.

“How shall I address you, mister?” Ye Wuchen asked politely.

“This old man’s last name is Hua, first name Buhao” The old man answered promptly.

Hua Buhao… Hua Buhao. Ye Wuchen almost laughed on the spot. How can someone who was bad at painting learn painting skills? No wonder he was only a beginner painting teacher.

[Note: though the characters are different, Hua Buhao’s name reads the same as the words for “bad in painting”]

He fixed his expression, then patted Long Huang-er’s back and said, “Princess, you may go to your seat, Today, I will personally teach you how to paint, okay?”

How could she not agree to something this interesting? Her eyes brightened and she nodded excitedly. She hurriedly ran to her painting board and sat down. Although she does not remember her seat, she could find it in one single glance, because it was the seat that was always empty.

The words from Ye Wuchen naturally meant that he had already agreed to Hua Buhao’s request. Hua Buhao immediately grew very excited and he hurriedly stepped down from the platform, and respectfully allowed Ye Wuchen to step onto to it. Afterwhich, he stood in a corner, concentrating all his attention on Ye Wuchan, for the fear that he might miss any detail, or any word that Ye Wuchen would say.

Ye Wuchen, up on the platform, swept his gaze through the area. This room was an art studio with luxurious decorations. More than thirty male and female students were present, each had a wide painting board in front of their seats. The students had preeminent traits that showed how they were not from ordinary families. As a princess, Long Huang-er’s seat was naturally at the center. Her dark eyes were looking at him with excitement as this was the first time to feel that attending school could actually be interesting.

After a few moments of silence, he suddenly smiled, “Everyone, you might have many questions in mind that you would like to ask, so don’t worry, and just ask. Nobody will rebuke you.”

Upon saying these words, those young men and women seem unable to hold themselves back, one by one they started to shout loudly, bringing the entire room into chaos.

“I’ve heard that the worm you drew was taken away by a bird, is this true?”

“Can you paint us a lotus flower that can open by itself? I want to witness it with my own eyes.”

“I’ve heard that you have defeated the very powerful Lin Xiao, is this true? How can you be so awesome?”

“At what age did you start to learn painting, who taught you?”

……………………

“My brother really admires you, I also admire you, can I marry you in the future?”

“My older sister had requested of father to go and propose marriage. Why didn’t you agree to it? Was it because my sister cannot be compared to the sister from the Hua family?”

At first, the confusing questions revolved around the topic of painting skills, but afterwards it became related to everything, bringing a bitter smile to Ye Wuchen. He coughed, and gestured for the voices to lower down, then he smiled and said, “Okay, you have already asked all the questions you want. Now it’s my turn to speak.

“If you want to learn what kind of a person I am, then you should find out on your own. The information that has come from other people’s mouths might not be completely true.

“If you really want to see the fully blossomed flower, why don’t you strive harder to comprehend the art of painting? In the future you will be able to make an even better painting that other people will praise and be amazed by. Isn’t that better? A painting from another will ultimately, belong to another. If you are able to paint it all by yourself, it will be the most satisfying and most enjoyable thing. Isn’t it right?”

Upon hearing these words, Hua Buhao was silent and was nodding excessively. The students, who did not seem to completely understand, still nodded accordingly. Although majority of them do not understand the implied meaning, they have at least calmed down.

“In that case, everyone please remember my name. Today, I will temporarily substitute as your teacher, but during other days, you should feel honored and proud of this”

Ye Wuchen picked up a paintbrush, and using the most traditional way of writing in this world, he wrote his own name on the canvas, then turns the painting rack around to show the three big words in bold calligraphy “Ye-Wu-Chen” appeared in front of their eyes. They gazed at this name, his arrogant and confident voice still echoed beside their ears.

“I was his student.” Many years later, when they spoke of this matter to friends or descendants, their faces will be full of honor and pride. And the listeners will one by one, expose a face full of envy and enthusiasm. Afterwhich, they would regretfully sigh and say, “But the time was too short; just one day.”

Hua Buhao’s eyes moves as if they were magnetically attracted and fixed onto the three big characters. Just three characters, merging into one impressive and magnificent being. At the first impression, it warmed the heart and delighted the eye, and under further careful examination, one would appreciate the boundless grandeur between the characters, like a mountain in the clouds, like the mighty waves that beat the shore. To be able to write these characters to this magnificent extent he had not heard mention of it before, let alone known someone who had personally witnessed it.

His eyes were wet because of the fact that these three characters had been written using his brush. That brush will surely become his the most precious of collection. And those three characters… If Ye Wuchen does not take it home, he had already planned to grab it without the fear of losing face as soon as Ye Wuchen left. Then he will hang it up in his bedroom, to appreciate everyday, and would never sell it even if he were offered ten thousand pieces of gold.

Ye Wuchen already knew from a few days ago, that if he were willing, just a few strokes would bring ten thousand golds to his hands. For such easy money, it will be like an old saying that “an avenue that has never been approached, will never be approached again.”

“Since everybody is sitting here, your goal is naturally, to learn painting skills. Now I will ask you, why did you choose to learn painting skills?” Ye Wuchen’s gaze swept around, after he gently asked.

“Because I want to become a very magnificent master of painting!” a young man who looked a few years older than Long Huang-er said loudly. His answer had made a large number of people to nod uniformly. But, of course, among these, some were compelled to do it unwillingly.

“Then why do you want to become a master of painting?” Ye Wuchen asked, smiling as he looked at the young boy.

The boy suddenly felt embarrassed. This question had momentarily made him, one with a not-so-robust ability of thinking, unable to find the correct words in order to respond. Ye Wuchen continued, “Do you know the reason I chose to learn painting before?” They all revealed a curious expression, and Hua Buhao’s ears also perked up. “Because at the time, I wanted to paint someone who is very important to me—the one I loved the most.”

The two words “Mama” flashed through his mind, yet he could project the figure that belonged to her. In the depth of his memory was only the unerasable fond attachment, but nothing else of her existence.

“Painting can be classified into many types, but the fundamental purpose of painting is to express one’s innermost emotions. Only with the use of both the hands and the heart, will one be able to make a real painting. By merely using hands to create a painting with no reason but just to paint, one can only make an emotionless and rigid painting.” After Ye Wuchen finished speaking, he looked at their painting boards, then asked, “Now, can you tell me what you are painting?”

Hua Buhao hurriedly answered, “I am teaching them to paint a tiger.”

“Tiger?” Ye Wuchen nodded his head, then pointed at a random student and asked, “This little sister, do you like tigers?”

The little girl shook her head, “I don’t like them.”

“When you are painting the tiger, what do you have in your mind?”

The little girl blinked her eyes, then carefully said, “I… I’m not thinking about anything. What the teacher had instructed, I just painted.”

“Then what do you like the most?” Ye Wuchen asked.

The little girl did not think long and just blurted out, “I like the phoenix feather flower the most! Every year I plant many of them, so we will have many in our courtyard.”

“Good, then please tear out the tiger that you have painted, then paint a phoenix feather flower.” Ye Wuchen said smiling.

“Ah? But the teacher hasn’t taught us how to paint flowers and plants. I-I can’t paint it.”

Ye Wuchen shook his head. “The things you like the most are the things that you are most familiar with. If you still don’t have the confidence to paint your most favorite and most familiar thing, then what’s the use of learning how to paint? Don’t worry that you will not be able to make it right, just use the paintbrush to portray the phoenix feather flower in your heart and in your mind. If you feel that it is not good enough, then try it again, until the one you have drawn is exactly similar to what’s on your mind. You have to believe in yourself.”

That little girl stared for a few seconds. Her heart had been deeply touched by his words, so she nodded her head, and without hesitation she tore off the painting. Lifting a paintbrush, it suspended above the paper, but it did not touch the paper for a very long time. She was closing her eyes and depicting her most favorite and most familiar phoenix feather flower in her mind.

“What do you like the most?”

“Oh… it’s my father!”

“Then you will paint your father.”

“Ah? But…”

“No but’s. As a man, you still have no confidence on something as easy as painting? Since you like your father the most, don’t tell me you have no plans to paint your father with your own hands, then let him see it? I think, it will be the most precious gift that you can give to your father.”

“... En! Although it will be difficult, I will certainly paint it perfectly, then let my father see it.”

“Okay, what do you like the most?”

“I like… playing!”

“... Then you should paint the happiest time that you have had playing. You would want to preserve the happiest memories that you have, right? Now, use your paintbrush to keep them in the painting.”

Translated by: Fatty_Uncle

Edited by: seriouspopato and patrick_father_of_dragons