Although Ye Hao walked forward lightly and calmly, his brush strokes were steady as he wrote the word "diligence." In this word, he poured the hard work and diligence of over twenty years into the last character of "Heaven rewards those who work hard"...
Ye Hao's calligraphy was different from others'. Some people's calligraphy was orderly, some liked to take risks with unconventional strokes, and others enjoyed creating new styles.
Ye Hao's calligraphy, however, flowed like running water. The character for "diligence" was written in a single stroke. Although it seemed somewhat careless, it harmonized well with the other three characters in "Heaven rewards those" yet remained neat.
From a distance, it appeared round and whole, while the strokes within the character of diligence were incredibly clear, as if one could distinctly see someone's diligence within, yet the outward appearance was graceful and impeccable.
On its own, the character for diligence might not mean much, but combined with Cheng Zhengyang and Nangong Tianhe's "Heaven rewards" characters, they complemented each other brilliantly. A true calligraphy master would surely praise these four characters, despite the heavenly characters resembling a master's style, the reward character was not inferior either.
The most striking part was the character for diligence. Viewed from the side, it seemed as if the character was hiding in a corner, while the other characters danced joyously in the light, yet the diligence character worked silently in the shadows.
From the front, it looked as if anyone willing to put in the effort could surely receive Heaven's reward.
It turned out that words could reach such levels of sublimation; words could contain so much divine essence; words were truly what could elevate a person's soul.
Ye Hao stood there holding the brush, staring blankly at the character for diligence and the other three characters. At that moment, he felt his soul had ascended. Many things he couldn't understand before suddenly rushed to him like a river breaking its banks, flooding his mind; scenes quickly emergedāthis was from the Forbidden Soul Bowl...
The Forbidden Soul Bowl had been dormant for a long time. Since Ye Hao had obtained it from the Thunder Emperor, it showed only slight activity now,
The Thunder Emperor had once said that the stronger Ye Hao's power became, the more he could learn about the events from hundreds of thousands of years ago. Back then, Ye Hao thought it was due to the increase in strength that he obtained information from the Forbidden Soul Bowl.
Evidently, it wasn't the case. The contents of the Forbidden Soul Bowl could only be accessed when Ye Hao's soul grew stronger, revealing ancient cultivation periods.
Right now, Ye Hao had no time to deal with the surge of information, as Nangong Tianhe and Cheng Zhengyang were still waiting for him.
Ye Hao snapped out of his thoughts and slowly put down his brush.
Cheng Zhengyang and Nangong Tianhe stepped forward in unison. Although they had watched Ye Hao write the diligence character, now that it was complete, they both wanted to see if Ye Hao's diligence could meet their expectations.
When Nangong Tianhe and Cheng Zhengyang saw the essence of the diligence character, they were visibly stunned...
Nangong Tianxiang's father, Nangong Tianming, his second uncle Nangong Tianqing, and third uncle Nangong Tianlang, all came forward out of curiosity. When they saw the essence in Ye Hao's diligence character, they could only feel that Ye Hao's writing was good, yet they couldn't perceive the essence of it. It was as if they were elementary students while Ye Hao's writing was at a junior high level, so they couldn't comprehend or grasp the intricacies within.
Cheng Zhengyang's wife and Nangong Tianhe also stepped forward. Although not calligraphy masters, having been influenced by Nangong Tianxiang and Cheng Zhengyang's calligraphy, they had some foundation.
"Beautiful."
Cheng Zhengyang said, "Soft yet holistic, holistic yet with a clearly visible heart; this diligence character, truly the work of a master! I can't compare."
Nangong Tianhe, also shaken, said, "Zhengyang, my dear brother, you're right, but there's more. This diligence character, truly something only a diligent person can achieve! A hardworking person with a resourceful mind, if the young fellow ventures into business, surely his career will flourish. If he pursues an official career, he will surely rise steadily. This character, I can't compare to it!"
Nangong Tianhe's high praise left Nangong Tianming slightly embarrassed, as he had previously expressed concern that Ye Hao might ruin Nangong Tianhe and Cheng Zhengyang's works.
"Grandpa, you were right, he owns a company with a net worth of several billion." Nangong Tianxiang interjected with some startling news at the right moment.
"Several billion?" Nangong Tianhe was stunned; he had assumed that Ye Hao might have assets worth a few million at best, but Nangong Tianxiang stated several billion...
It wasn't just Nangong Tianhe who was stunned; Nangong Tianxiang's uncles and cousins were all stunned as well. Though the Nangong Family was a prominent calligraphy family, their true financial resources came from selling calligraphy pieces for hefty prices from those who adored Nangong Tianhe's work. Otherwise, the Nangong Family would have starved long ago.
The truth was, the Nangong Clan spent every day practicing calligraphy without any financial income.
Of course! The Nangong Clan did have one anomaly, and that was Nangong Tianxiang's brother, Nangong Tianmi. While others concentrated on practicing calligraphy, spending every day learning from the elderly masters, he spent his days loitering with friends outside, behaving improperly.
If not for Nangong Tianxiang occasionally giving him money, he would have starved on the streets long ago.
Cheng Zhengyang wasn't familiar with Ye Hao, but now hearing Nangong Tianxiang's words shocked him again. From his limited understanding, Ye Hao was just a young man still in school at the moment.
But now, Nangong Tianxiang claimed Ye Hao's company had over five hundred billion in net assetsāthis was net worth!
Of course! In the world of elite families, five hundred billion in assets was something significant, but not enough to shake the elites, where a single research project could cost over ten billion, and taking it further by applying for patents, it could reach tens of billions.
What's more, researching some precision machinery required the consumption of immense manpower and resources, along with purchasing foreign machinery, because without the test of time, creating true machines would be impossible.
"Brother-in-law, you're amazing." Suddenly, a voice broke the stunned silence.
A young man, amongst a group of youths, wearing black clothing and a tie yet sporting bright red hair, stepped forward.
Under the sunlight, the young man's hair shone brightly, and in areas without sunlight, it seemed as dark as ink.
Ye Hao looked in amazement at the young man. What did he call me?
Nangong Tianxiang also stared in surprise at the young man.
"Hehe brother-in-law, hello. Let me introduce myself, I'm Nangong Tianmi, Tianxiang is my sister. My sister is fortunate to have someone like you! Unlike those old stubborn folks, all about calligraphy, calligraphy, every day. Can calligraphy feed you?" Nangong Tianmi chuckled as he spoke.
"Are you calling me?" Ye Hao pointed at himself, speechless to the extreme.
At his words, Nangong Tianming's expression darkened, but seeing Nangong Tianxiang's flushed face, he thought to himself, this is trouble...(to be continued. If you like this work, you're welcome to vote for it on Qidian. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users can read it on m.qidian.com).