(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 a person is, the greater their ability to absorb. Therefore, one should not waste their youth and should make the most of what they learn and absorb during their younger years. When I was learning martial arts from my first master, I only felt extreme pain during the process, but later I realized that the most important thing in martial arts is to have a solid foundation. I had built a strong 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's just a few scattered accounts, and as I grew older and gained more experience, I began to suspect that there were some suspicious elements to it, but I could never uncover the mystery surrounding him. My master lived in a small courtyard within a large mansion, which was a very secluded place within the mansion.
For someone who is used to living in a crowded city, it is hard to imagine how large a mansion can be. The mansion I lived in as a child had many corners, all of which were 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 there was someone living in that courtyard. As I mentioned before, my master loved bamboo, and that cousin was most likely a good friend of my master's. When he returned from his travels, he brought back more than ten potted bamboos, and they were all in large pots. Some of them were even planted in water tanks. It's hard to imagine how they were transported all the way here. Dozens of porters, loudly humming, carried those ten or so different types of bamboo into the house. Myself and a few cousins of similar age rushed over to watch the excitement. The different types of bamboo were all unique. 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 are the tear stains of an affectionate woman).
Among them, the most special one was white. The kind of white that resembled a cut open bamboo shoot, lifeless. The shape of this bamboo was also very unique, it was flat and round, quite thick, with a diameter of about fifteen centimeters (the distance between the tip of the index finger and the thumb when extended, about fifteen centimeters). It was only four of these lengths tall, so it seemed like it was a section cut from a thick bamboo trunk. If it weren't for the two small branches extending horizontally and a few bamboo leaves, you would think it was just a flat round bamboo tube, and you wouldn't know that it was a living bamboo. This strange bamboo was planted in a white porcelain pot, which was the smallest one. When I saw this pot of bamboo, I felt something strange. It was just a gut feeling, I couldn't explain it. 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. When I held it with both hands, my face turned red from the weight. 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 out of breath when I put down the pot of bamboo. My cousin and the man exchanged a few greetings, but I couldn't hear anything. When I regained my senses, my master (the man was my master) and my cousin were already in front of the pot of bamboo. I stood up straight, puffed out my chest and stomach, hoping that they would notice that I had used all my strength to carry the bamboo. At that time, I wasn't even a teenager yet, just a big child, and I thought that my feat was extraordinary and hoped to receive praise from the adults. But neither of the adults paid any attention to me, they just stared at the bamboo. It was then that I noticed that my master's face was extremely pale, but his eyes were bright, with a strange radiance. After looking at it for a while, he lifted his foot and lightly picked up the pot of bamboo that I had struggled to carry, as if it were made of paper. He caught it with both hands, his expression extremely excited, his voice hoarse and trembling, "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 of 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! It's Ghost Bamboo!" He reached out and gently touched the surface of the bamboo, as if talking to himself, "I've only heard legends about it, I never thought such a treasure actually 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!" As he said that, he looked at my master with a challenging expression, 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 strong spiritual energy. It can communicate with the ghost realm and resonate with spiritual energy. It can also directly connect 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 ease your worries!" At that time, I didn't understand the meaning of these two sentences. It was only later that I realized my cousin must have had a deep friendship with my master and knew what was on his mind. He had been constantly thinking of a person, so he went to great lengths to obtain this extraordinary "Ghost Bamboo" to make the person he missed appear on the bamboo. I remembered the adults' words with my good memory, but it was still inexplicable and couldn't be explained. That winter, I became my master's disciple and every time I saw my master, he would be 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 strand of hair appeared, let alone a person's image. 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 day, many classmates gathered together and asked me to tell a story, so I told them 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 that 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 of a person 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 doesn't matter, it's just a name. He called himself "Reincarnation of Daozi" 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 agreed.
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, they were all vivid and lifelike, as if the person was right in front of you. In addition to painting, he excelled 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 to us, "You are all 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: 'How insignificant were the luxurious clothes and horses of the Five Tombs.'" But things in the world cannot be predicted. 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 bad luck. In the end, he disappeared without a trace, his life and death uncertain. He was the most tragic among all my classmates, and I really don't know how fate arranged it! His unfortunate experiences, even if I were to write only a tenth of them, would be an extremely tragic story that 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. But let's get back to the story. This mischievous classmate of mine whispered to me, "Come on, let's go. Don't mention it to anyone..." We made a pact to keep the secret and then sneaked into the courtyard where my master lived. That night, the moonlight was very good, and the various sounds of autumn insects filled the surroundings of the mansion. We entered the courtyard and saw the pot of bamboo. Under the moonlight, it looked even more pale. It was round, so the bamboo had two flat surfaces that were not too protruding. We cautiously approached the bamboo and my classmate reached out and touched 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 paint on. We had brought soap water with us, and I had mixed it with loofah extract, so I used the soapy water to wipe the bamboo. Suddenly, I saw my classmate looking at the peculiar bamboo and had turned to the other side. I saw that his eyes were wide open, 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. He had a look of astonishment, as if he had seen a ghost! At that time, I still hadn't realized 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 at that moment, I saw the scene in front of me, and I couldn't make a sound anymore! 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 was alive, like a movie scene. She was a young woman, with a slightly sorrowful expression, but also a hint of a captivating smile. The beauty in the corners of her eyebrows and eyes could intoxicate anyone, 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 prank on my master by drawing a woman on the bamboo, but the bamboo was truly "Ghost Bamboo," and it really had that magical effect, it could make a person's image appear, and it was a living image! We stared at the beauty on the bamboo for who knows how long, and just when a cloud covered the moonlight, the image on the bamboo also faded away. When the moonlight reappeared, there was nothing left on the bamboo! I grabbed my classmate's arm and ran outside, running until we reached a wall, where we gasped for breath. My classmate's face was pale, and he said seriously, "I can't draw it, I can't draw it anymore!" I agreed with him, the image that appeared on the bamboo was truly alive, and there was no way we could draw it! My classmate suddenly became afraid again, "We have to keep this a secret, don't mention it to anyone..." We made a pact to keep the secret, and I didn't even tell my master. It wasn't until later, when Zhuxiang wanted me to introduce her to my master, that things became strange. When they met, their behavior was so peculiar, and my master disappeared without a trace. It was only then that I realized that there might be a fascinating story between Zhuxiang, the woman on the bamboo, and my master. Of course, I asked Zhuxiang about it, and after the situation unfolded, it was disappointing and infuriating. That is another story from my youth, and she said a sentence that actually predicted my whole life.
Also, my master left without taking anything with him, only taking away 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 he hadn't seen her. I can be certain that if he had seen her, it would have caused him even more heartache!
Because the woman on the bamboo is truly worth yearning for.