Chapter 16: The Character "Suppress" (1)

Chapter Six: The Word “Suppress”

Descending from the mountain.

“Huo Guang, assemble the troops. See that everything is prepared, and wait for me at the bamboo lodge!” Yan Chuan commanded.

“At once!” Huo Guang responded.

Huo Guang departed, leaving twenty silver-armored guards to protect Yan Chuan, while Liu Jin accompanied him back to the bamboo lodge.

“All the writing brushes are kept here?” Yan Chuan inquired of Liu Jin.

“Yes, Your Highness does not use them often, but they are all kept here,” Liu Jin replied respectfully.

“Very well, you may leave. No one is to enter without my order,” Yan Chuan said in a low voice.

“Yes!” Liu Jin withdrew with curiosity, closing the bamboo lodge from the outside.

Only then did Yan Chuan turn his attention to the writing brushes.

There were fifty-four in all, yet to Yan Chuan’s eyes, they were all inadequate. He had taken one earlier, and after writing only the two characters of “Zhen Xiong,” it had already collapsed under the surge of heaven and earth’s vital energy.

With a clatter, Yan Chuan discarded many brushes onto the floor; none could withstand the force of his script.

Of all fifty-four brushes, only three remained: purple jade pens, each carved exquisitely with a jade dragon.

He spread out a piece of rice paper, calmed his mind, and took up one of the purple jade brushes. Staring at the paper laid before him, Yan Chuan fell silent.

His eyes narrowed, as if composing a draft within his thoughts.

Suddenly, his eyes opened wide, a flash of brilliance shooting forth. Dipping the brush in ink, Yan Chuan began to write slowly upon the rice paper.

A gust swept through the chamber once more, while a faint mist gathered around him. With each stroke, it was as if a golden light burst forth from beneath his brush, radiating across the room where wind and rain seemed to gather in shadow. The golden light grew ever brighter.

Stroke by stroke, Yan Chuan wrote a single, large character: “Suppress.”

Though written in the blackest ink, the character glowed with a strange golden radiance.

As the final stroke fell, a whirlwind and the mist from all around were drawn swiftly into the word itself.

A rumble sounded from within the character as Yan Chuan held the brush in hand.

After the winds and rain were drawn in, the character’s glow became dazzling, and amid the thunderous sound, a radiant golden tower with seven tiers and eight corners slowly rose, suspended within the light.

The golden tower bore no name, yet it exuded an overwhelming, commanding presence.

A single word, “Suppress,” and a golden tower appeared. With this, Yan Chuan’s calligraphy truly entered the realm where the written word revealed its power.

Exhaling in satisfaction, Yan Chuan saw the purple jade brush in his hand crumble into dust, utterly scattered by the energies of heaven and earth.

His face grew pale; a faint, wry smile appeared as he murmured, “For most who practice calligraphy, each word draws in the world’s vital energy, refining the body—a great blessing. Yet for me, the influx was nearly too much for my flesh to bear. Ha!”

Gazing at the golden tower shimmering above the rice paper, Yan Chuan smiled lightly and reached out to carefully fold the sheet.

As the paper was folded, the golden tower vanished instantly.

After folding it several times, Yan Chuan carefully tucked it into his robe.

Then, sitting cross-legged, he regulated his breath for a time before rising and reopening the bamboo lodge.

Outside, Huo Guang and Liu Jin waited. Not far off stood a grand sedan chair carried by sixteen men.

“Your Highness!” they greeted with respect.

“Is everything prepared?” Yan Chuan asked calmly.

“Yes, the three thousand Imperial Guards are all in order. I have already sent five hundred men ahead to scout the enemy’s movements,” Huo Guang replied reverently.