(4) Ghost Bamboo
A person's personality is innate, but knowledge and skills are acquired through learning and training. And a person's age is inversely proportional to their ability to absorb knowledge, meaning that the younger the age, the greater the ability to absorb; the older the age, the smaller the ability to absorb. Therefore, one should not waste their youth without putting in effort, as what one learns and absorbs during their youth may benefit them for a lifetime. When I was learning martial arts from my first master, I only felt that the process was extremely painful, but later I realized that the most important thing in martial arts is to have a solid foundation. I had built a solid foundation, which is why I was able to achieve something in martial arts. Speaking of my first martial arts master, he was extremely mysterious. Later on, I encountered countless mysterious individuals, including extraterrestrials, but I still believe that this master was the most mysterious of them all. I mentioned some strange things about him last time, and this story revolves around him. It is only a few scattered accounts, and as I grew older and gained more experience, I began to suspect that there were some suspicious details, but I could never uncover the mystery surrounding him, which is quite strange. My master lived in a small courtyard within a large mansion, which was a very secluded place within the mansion.
It is hard for someone who is used to living in a crowded city to imagine how large a mansion can be. The mansion I lived in as a child had many corners that were all targets for children's exploration. You had to cautiously examine each step, as you never knew when a strange person or creature would suddenly appear. If it weren't for that one time when a cousin returned from Hunan, I would have never known that someone lived in that courtyard. As I mentioned before, my master liked bamboo. That cousin was most likely a good friend of my master's, and when he returned from his travels, he brought back more than ten potted bamboos, some of which were planted in water tanks. It was hard to imagine how they were transported over such a long distance. Dozens of porters, loudly chanting, carried the various types of bamboo into the house. Myself and a few cousins of similar age rushed over to watch the spectacle. The different pots of bamboo were all of different varieties. Some were square bamboo, some were pitch black, some were emerald green, and some had shiny golden stripes. Some were bulging out section by section, and some were covered in oval-shaped spots (I recognized this one, it's called "Xiangfei bamboo," and the spots resemble the teardrops of an affectionate woman).
Among them, the most special one was white. The white color was like a cut open bamboo shoot, lifeless. The shape of this bamboo was also unique, it was flat and round, very thick, with a diameter of about fifteen centimeters (the distance between the extended index finger and thumb, about fifteen centimeters), and it was only four of these distances tall. It seemed to have been cut from a large bamboo trunk, and if it weren't for the two small branches extending horizontally and a few bamboo leaves, it would have been mistaken for a flat round bamboo tube. I didn't know it was a living bamboo, but it was planted in a white porcelain pot, which was the smallest one. When I saw this pot of bamboo, I felt very strange, but it was just a kind of intuition that I couldn't explain. My cousin patted my shoulder and said, "Come, hold it and follow me." I didn't know what he wanted me to do, but this pot of bamboo was quite heavy. I held it with both hands, and it was so heavy that my face turned red. The other children saw this and were afraid that they would be the ones to suffer, so they scattered. I struggled to hold the pot of bamboo and followed my cousin. I felt that it was getting heavier and heavier, and we passed through one building after another, one courtyard after another, and it seemed like we would never reach our destination. Finally, we arrived at the courtyard, and my cousin pushed open the door. Only then did I see a person, tall and thin, standing in front of a clump of bamboo. Despite knowing that someone had arrived, he didn't turn around. I was already exhausted, sweating profusely and panting like a cow. I put down the pot of bamboo, and my cousin and the person began to exchange a few words. I couldn't hear anything at all. When I regained my senses, my master (the person who would later become my master) and my cousin were already in front of the pot of bamboo. I tried to stand up straight and puff out my chest, hoping to receive praise from the adults for the great feat of carrying the bamboo with all my strength. But the two adults completely ignored me and just stared at the bamboo. It was then that I noticed that my master's face was extremely pale, but his eyes were bright and had a peculiar radiance. After looking for a while, he lifted his foot and lightly tapped the pot of bamboo that I had struggled to carry, as if it were made of paper. He easily picked it up with both hands, his expression extremely excited, his voice trembling and hoarse, "This is incredible, do you know what kind of bamboo this is?" My cousin was delighted, "I was afraid you wouldn't recognize it! One of the elders in the Paijiao told me that this bamboo is extremely rare and is called Ghost Bamboo!" (At that time, I had no idea what the "elder in the Paijiao" was, it is the subject of many other strange stories. If you don't understand, don't worry, there will be a chance to introduce it later.)
My master's voice still trembled, "Yes! This is Ghost Bamboo!" He reached out and gently stroked the surface of the bamboo, as if talking to himself, "I've only heard legends about it, I never thought such a treasure really existed!" My cousin praised my master, "You are truly knowledgeable and talented. Someone from the Paijiao told me about the magical properties of this bamboo, but I didn't believe it!" He said, looking at my master with a challenging look, as if he wanted to test whether my master knew the magical properties of this bamboo. My master took a deep breath and spoke very slowly. I remember his words very clearly, which is why I played a prank on my master with a classmate a few years later. My master said, "This bamboo is born with a great spiritual energy. It can communicate with the ghost realm and resonate with spiritual energy. It can also directly communicate with people's hearts." He pointed to his chest and hesitated for a moment, then pointed to his forehead and continued, "It can communicate with people's thoughts. If you constantly think of a person while facing it, the appearance of that person will appear on the bamboo, lifelike." My cousin laughed, "Exactly! That's why I went to great lengths to find it, just to help you forget your worries!" At that time, I didn't understand the meaning of these two sentences. It was only later that I realized my cousin and my master must have had a deep friendship, and my cousin knew what my master was thinking about, so he went to great lengths to obtain this miraculous "Ghost Bamboo" to help my master see the person he missed on the bamboo. I remembered the adults' words by heart, but it was still inexplicable and couldn't be explained. That winter, I became a disciple of my master, and every time I saw him, he was always lost in thought, most often in front of that pot of Ghost Bamboo. I also noticed that the bamboo remained a dull white color, and not a single person or even a strand of hair appeared on it. After a few more years, I had completed my primary school education and considered myself mature. Among my classmates, I was known for being knowledgeable and eloquent. One time, when many classmates gathered together and asked me to tell a story, I told the story of the Ghost Bamboo. Little did I know that everyone burst into laughter after hearing it. The reason they laughed at me was because they thought, "There's no such thing! It's too unscientific!" I was very annoyed and said, "I heard them say it at the time!" Many people asked me, "Did a person appear on the bamboo?" I couldn't help but feel discouraged and replied, "No." Everyone laughed again, except for one classmate who had a mischievous look on his face. He came over and whispered in my ear, "Take me there, I'll draw a portrait on the bamboo!" I was taken aback at first, but then I realized that this idea was brilliant! This classmate's name was Wu, his full name didn't matter anymore, it was just a name. He called himself "Daozi Reborn" and had a seal that said "The Unrivaled Master of Painting in the World." Originally, the inscription on the seal was supposed to be "The Number One Master of Painting in the World," but later the teacher suggested that he change "Number One" to "Unrivaled," and he accepted it.
This classmate Wu was a natural-born artist, overflowing with talent. At the age of five, his works were already famous far and wide. He could draw anything, especially skilled in portraits. Whether it was meticulous brushwork or just a few strokes, his paintings were lifelike, as if the person was right in front of you. In addition to painting, he was also proficient in calligraphy and seal carving. He was truly a prodigy, and among all my classmates, he was the one who was most certain to achieve great things in the future. The teacher once quoted a line from Du Fu, saying to us, "You are young now, and in the future, each of you will have your own development. Like Wu, he will definitely become a great artist. When you look back on your youth, you will sigh with emotion: 'In our youth, we were not insignificant. We were carefree and light-hearted.'" But of course, life is unpredictable, and this genius later experienced one misfortune after another. All the misfortunes in the world seemed to befall him one after another, and he kept spinning in a cycle of misfortune. In the end, he disappeared without a trace, and his life or death was uncertain. He was the most tragic among all my classmates, and I really don't know how fate arranged it! His unfortunate experiences would be an extremely tragic story even if only one-tenth of it were written, and it would not be well-received, so I won't mention it. Because of the incident with the Ghost Bamboo, I inevitably thought of him and spent a little more time writing about him, which can be considered as a tribute to him. But let's talk about him being secretive and asking me to "come closer" and offering me a suggestion. He wanted to draw a portrait on the bamboo to play a trick on my master. This idea was extremely exciting and fun for mischievous young people, so naturally, everyone immediately agreed and applauded. We discussed the details in detail, and first confirmed that the person my master had been constantly thinking about must be a woman. So we decided to draw the head of a beautiful woman on the bamboo. The time was also set. I went to learn martial arts every night, and most of the time, I was the one who woke up my master, so we decided to do it after eleven o'clock at night. Wu patted his chest and said, "Half an hour is enough. I guarantee that the woman I draw will be stunningly beautiful, captivating, and lifelike. Otherwise, how can I call myself a master of painting?" With everything planned out, I thought about how my master always appeared melancholic, rarely smiling, and always sighing. He had a secret longing for someone (that's what my cousin said). Suddenly seeing a woman's appearance on the bamboo, I didn't know if I could resist bursting into laughter. On the night of the planned action, after school, Wu came home with me. He brought a stack of paper and casually drew everything in the mansion. Some elders happened to see it and were amazed. After dinner, we chatted for a while, talking about our aspirations. What I remember most is his expression of regret, "No one knows what everyone will become in the future, but I have already decided to be a painter, and there will be no change. It's really boring!" I patted him on the head and said, "You are a genius! It's destined for you to be a painter. What's wrong with that!" At that time, of course, I couldn't imagine what would happen to him. I stole half a bottle of wine, drank it with him, and then sneaked into the courtyard where my master lived. The moonlight was very good that night, and there were various autumn insects making chirping and buzzing sounds throughout the mansion, making the atmosphere even colder. As soon as I entered the courtyard, I saw that pot of bamboo. Under the moonlight, it looked even more pale and lifeless. It was round, so the bamboo had two flat surfaces that were not too raised. We cautiously approached the bamboo and Wu reached out to touch the surface facing us, whispering, "Soap water!" The surface of the growing bamboo was smooth and not easy to paint on. If we applied soap water first, it would be easier to apply ink. Wu had brought soap water with him, and I had prepared it using loofah extract. Just as we were about to apply it, I saw Wu looking at the peculiar bamboo and had already turned to the other side. I saw that his eyes were bulging, as if they were about to pop out of his sockets. He stared at the bamboo, opened his mouth wide, and made a "gege" sound in his throat. His expression was like seeing a ghost! At that time, I still didn't realize how shocking the situation would be. I just saw that he wanted to scream loudly but hadn't done so yet! And if he were to scream loudly, it would definitely wake up my master, and that would be a disaster! So, with one swift step, I rushed forward and covered his mouth with my hand, not allowing him to make a sound. As soon as my hand covered his mouth, he bit down on the edge of my palm. It was extremely painful, almost making me unable to resist screaming. I also opened my mouth wide, but it was at that moment that I saw the scene in front of me, which made me unable to make a sound! Under the moonlight, I saw it clearly. On the other side of the bamboo, on the flat surface of the bamboo that was as pale as death, there was a portrait of an extremely beautiful woman. It was almost the same size as a real person, and it wasn't just a portrait, it was as if she were alive, like a movie scene. She was a young woman, with a slightly sorrowful expression, but also a hint of an enchanting smile. The beauty in the corners of her eyebrows and eyes could intoxicate even a young person. Her eyes were full of life, her vermilion lips slightly parted, as if she wanted to speak. Whether she actually made a sound or not, we couldn't know, because our minds were roaring, as if the sky was collapsing and the earth was splitting! We wanted to play a trick on my master by drawing a woman on the bamboo, but the bamboo was truly "Ghost Bamboo," and it really had that magical effect of showing a person's appearance, and it was a living person's appearance! We stared at the beautiful woman on the bamboo for who knows how long, until a cloud covered the moonlight, and the figure on the bamboo also faded away. When the moonlight reappeared, there was nothing left on the bamboo. I grabbed Wu and ran outside, running until we reached a wall before finally catching our breath. Wu's face was pale, and he said seriously, "I can't draw her, I can't draw her anymore!" I agreed with him. The person who appeared on the bamboo was clearly alive, and there was no way we could draw her! Wu suddenly became afraid again, "We have to keep this a secret and not mention it to anyone..." We made a pact on the spot to keep the secret, and I didn't even tell my master. It wasn't until later, when I grew older, that I thought about it and realized that the woman on the bamboo and Wu's portrait were related to my master. There must be a fascinating story between the three of them. Of course, I asked Zhu Xiangxiang about it, and after the situation unfolded, it was disappointing and infuriating. It was another experience from my youth, and she said a sentence that actually predicted my entire life.
And my master floated away, taking nothing with him except for that pot of "Ghost Bamboo." As for whether he had also seen the woman on the bamboo, that is unknown. When I grew older, I would rather believe that he hadn't seen her. Because if he had seen her, he would have suffered even more from lovesickness!
Because the woman on the bamboo was too worthy of lovesickness.