kingnovel Chapter 734 Is he really a genius?
Chapter 734 Is he really a genius?
After explaining the basic points, Xie Heshun put down his carving knife, looked at Lin Bufan, and frowned as usual: "Did you understand what I just said and the demonstration?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Bufan smiled easily, nodded, and said casually but confidently, "I understand, Lao Xie. It's just about being flexible with the knife, having a steady wrist, a calm mind, and carving straight lines with consistent depth and even spacing. It's simple."
Simple?
Xie Heshun frowned slightly. He felt that Lin Bufan was too blindly confident and had not realized the hard work and dedication hidden in this seemingly basic exercise.
But soon, his brows relaxed again!
This is a perfect opportunity to let this arrogant brat try his hand at it. After he makes a fool of himself, we'll definitely humiliate, ridicule, and mock him mercilessly...
Wa hahaha……
Xie Heshun, harboring wicked thoughts, stepped aside, gesturing for Lin Bufan to sit at the workbench, and pushed the piece of practice scrap and carving knife in front of him.
"Alright, since you think it's simple, and if there are no problems, then give it a try."
Lin Bufan nodded, took the carving knife, and casually weighed it in his hand, feeling the warmth of the wooden handle and the coolness of the metal. He did not immediately imitate Xie Heshun's slightly tense, ready-to-go standard posture, but instead closed his eyes slightly, as if recalling and feeling the "meaning" rather than the mere "form" contained in Xie Heshun's movements.
A few seconds later, he opened his eyes, his gaze becoming unusually focused and clear. Unlike Xie Heshun, he did not grip the handle of the knife tightly with his fingers, but instead adopted a more relaxed, even casual, grip, with his thumb and forefinger loosely hooked together, and the other three fingers naturally pressed together, as if he were holding not a hard carving knife, but a light paintbrush.
With his wrist suspended in the air and his forearm moving, the knife seemingly fell gently. The tip of the carving knife touched the wood, making a soft "shh" sound. Then, Lin Bufan's wrist began to move, not very fast, but extremely steadily, the blade gliding smoothly across the wood, leaving a clear, straight, and evenly deep carving mark.
The first course, the second course, the third course...
His movements were fluid and unwavering, as if he had practiced countless times. The straight lines he carved were not only as precise as if measured with a ruler, but even more astonishingly, the depth, the starting and ending pressure of each stroke were perfectly consistent, exuding a machine-like precision, yet possessing an indescribable fluidity and rhythm. The angle at which he cut seemed to have been slightly adjusted, slightly more tilted than Xie Heshun's demonstration, making the edges of the carvings clearer and crisper, reducing the roughness of the wood fibers.
The live stream chat immediately reacted to the straight line drawn by Lin Bufan:
"Holy crap! These straight lines are straighter than my straight boyfriend's..."
"Why do I feel that Mr. Lin's engraving is even more precise than the master craftsman's demonstration just now?"
"+1, it gives me a strange sense of comfort, and it's a dream come true for people with OCD!"
"Pshaw, what's so great about that? It's just drawing a straight line. I could do that too!"
"Exactly, if you take a ruler and compare, who can't draw a few straight lines? And you're already bragging about it?"
"The person upstairs is obviously an amateur. If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense! The more basic the skill, the more it shows! This kind of straight line control, which relies entirely on wrist movement, requires even force, consistent depth, and equal spacing. Without long-term practice, it's impossible to achieve such effortless and natural movements!"
"That's right! I studied sculpture, and my teacher said that when practicing the basics, it took three months just to draw straight lines before I could barely reach the beginner level. Mr. Lin's... this is simply monstrous control!"
"Hahaha, you got slapped in the face so fast! Where's the guy who said I could do it too? Come out and show yourself?"
"Brothers, could CEO Lin really be a genius?"
Xie Heshun had originally crossed his arms, ready to watch Lin Bufan frantically carve crooked lines and then give him a good "taunt," his face already prepared with a hint of "I knew it" mockery. But as Lin Bufan effortlessly carved those textbook-perfect straight lines, his facial muscles gradually stiffened, his eyes widened, and his mouth unconsciously opened slightly.
When Lin Bufan finished carving more than a dozen flawless straight lines in one go, casually setting the carving knife aside as if it were just a trivial task, Xie Heshun finally couldn't hold back any longer. He rushed forward, almost pressing his face against the practice wood, his fingers trembling as he traced the smooth, even carvings, his voice filled with disbelief and astonishment:
"You...you brat! You've really never touched a carving knife before? Never learned wood carving? Or...have you ever done any work related to these things?" He raised his head, staring intently at Lin Bufan, trying to find even the slightest trace of a lie on his face.
Lin Bufan picked up a clean cloth from the side, slowly wiped his hands, and gave Xie Heshun a slightly mocking smile: "What? Old Xie, are you already shocked by my performance? Don't be so quick to drop your jaw, because there are many more things to be shocked about."
These basic straight lines and curves are far too simple; they don't showcase my one-in-a-million talent at all. Old Xie, stop holding back, give me something more challenging, let me stretch my muscles."
"You...!" Xie Heshun was utterly enraged by Lin Bufan's arrogant and self-satisfied attitude, a surge of anger rising to his head. He felt his authority and lifelong knowledge had been severely challenged! Today, he was determined to teach this ignorant brat a lesson, to show him that there are always people more powerful than him!
"Good! Good! Good!" Xie Heshun said "good" three times in a row, his beard bristling with anger: "You want to challenge yourself, right?"
Row!
I'll show you what's what today!
You'd better watch out, don't come up with excuses like "the tools aren't right" or "I'm not in the right state of mind" when you can't learn or do something!
Having said that, Xie Heshun said no more. He took a deep breath and picked up a piece of wood with a more intricate grain and a smaller round-edged knife. He decided to demonstrate a composite technique that combined curved cutting, shallow relief carving, and partial openwork—a simplified cloud pattern.
"Watch closely!" Xie Heshun shouted in a low voice, his wrist flashing as the carving knife seemed to come alive in his hand. Sometimes the tip of the knife lightly grazed the surface of the wood, stirring up swirling wood shavings and outlining smooth, cloud-like curves; other times it would diagonally cut into the wood, skillfully using wrist strength to remove unwanted parts, making the cloud patterns slightly raised and creating a preliminary three-dimensional effect; finally, the tip of the knife deftly poked and carved at the tail of the cloud pattern, creating an extremely fine positioning point for subsequent hollowing. The entire process was as fluid as flowing water, with a clear rhythm, fully demonstrating the profound skill he had accumulated over decades.
After demonstrating, Xie Heshun's forehead was slightly sweaty. He slammed the carving knife heavily on the table, giving Lin Bufan a sidelong glance with a "let's see if you can still be so arrogant" look: "Look! This cloud pattern involves curve control, layered material selection, and precise positioning! You try it? Don't even mention carving it exactly the same; if you can complete all these steps without making any major mistakes, I'll consider you a shoo-in today..."
Before he could finish saying "You're amazing," his voice abruptly stopped.
Lin Bufan had already picked up a piece of the same wood and a carving knife. He didn't even bother to examine the example left by Xie Heshun. He just smiled slightly and his eyes gleamed with an almost all-knowing light.
The next moment, Lin Bufan moved. His movements appeared even more effortless than Xie Heshun's, with smaller wrist swings and more concealed and efficient force application. The carving knife seemed to dance at his fingertips, tracing the natural grain of the wood, the curves smooth and full, without the slightest hesitation. When layering the material, the angle and depth of his cuts seemed precisely calculated, each piece of wood chipped away being of uniform thickness and extremely efficient. The final, precise chipping at the designated point was as accurate as a surgeon's scalpel, the position, size, and depth exactly the same as Xie Heshun's, even with smoother and cleaner edges!
When Lin Bufan put down his carving knife and pushed the cloud pattern, which was almost identical to Xie Heshun's demonstration work and even more exquisite in some details, in front of him, the entire wood carving workshop fell into a deathly silence.
Xie Heshun stared intently at the cloud pattern, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word for a long time. His weathered face first showed disbelief, then deep shock, and finally, a bewildered expression as if he were looking at a monster…
Is he really a genius?
There were many others in the live stream who shared the same thoughts as Xie Heshun, and they gradually came to believe that Lin Bufan was truly a genius!
……
The afterglow of the setting sun bathed Yunmiao Village in a warm golden light. Lin Bufan, his head still groggy, slowly made his way back to Youfeng Courtyard. Continuously activating [Overclocked Brain] to learn woodcarving techniques, while yielding amazing results, had also brought significant mental exhaustion. At this moment, he felt a dull ache in his temples, and a deep sense of fatigue seeped from his very bones.
Lin Bufan had almost forgotten when he last felt tired; it seemed he hadn't felt it since he transmigrated!
Even playing games with Zhenzhen, Manni, Jiang Lai, and Zhu Zhe last time wasn't this tiring!
Lin Bufan walked into the courtyard dejectedly and headed straight for the pavilion opposite the kitchen, wanting nothing more than to find a place to collapse.
Chen Nanxing, who was reading in the pavilion and waiting for Lin Bufan to return for dinner, looked up and saw Lin Bufan looking completely different from his usual energetic self. His face was pale, his eyes were dull, and he walked with a sense of unsteadiness, as if he might fall apart at any moment.
Chen Nanxing's heart skipped a beat. He immediately put down his book, stood up, and hurried over to her, his face full of worry: "Bufan? What's wrong? You look so pale. Did you get tired at the woodcarving workshop? Or are you feeling unwell?"
Lin Bufan waved his hand weakly, his voice hoarse, "It's nothing... I just overworked my brain, my head feels like it's going to explode, buzzing..." He slumped down, then leaned back onto the cold couch, closing his eyes, resting his arm on his forehead, and letting out a long, painful sigh. "This wood carving looks simple, but figuring it out really takes a lot of thought..."
Chen Nanxing sat down beside him, her brows furrowing even more as she looked at Lin Bufan's unusually weak state. Her voice was full of concern: "Overworking your brain? How could it get this serious? Maybe... we should go to the town hospital and see if the doctor can check if it will help?"
"No need, no need..." Lin Bufan closed his eyes, his voice muffled from under his arm, carrying an undeniable refusal: "It's really not that serious, it's just that I received too much information at once, and my brain is a bit overloaded. I'll rest for a while and calm down... Going to the hospital is pointless, it's better to let me lie down quietly for a while."
Seeing Lin Bufan's resolute attitude, Chen Nanxing, though still uneasy, had no choice but to compromise: "Well... alright. But if you feel increasingly unwell, or if you experience any other discomfort, you must tell me. Don't try to tough it out, okay?"
"Um... I understand..." Lin Bufan mumbled a reply, seemingly too exhausted to say another word.
A brief silence fell over the pavilion, broken only by the rustling of leaves in the evening breeze and the faint scent of cooking smoke in the distance. Lin Bufan lay motionless, his furrowed brows revealing that he was not feeling well.
After a while, Lin Bufan suddenly felt his head being gently lifted by a pair of hands, then resting on an exceptionally soft, warm, and faintly fragrant surface. He opened his eyes slightly in surprise, his gaze rising to meet Chen Nanxing's lowered eyes. She had adjusted her posture at some point, carefully moving his head onto her lap.
"Don't move," Chen Nanxing's voice was much gentler than usual, with an undeniable tenderness: "Will lying like this be more comfortable? Let me massage your head, it might help."
As she spoke, her slightly cool fingertips gently covered his temples, pressing them lightly. Her movements were a little awkward, clearly not very skilled, but her focus and care were clearly conveyed through the warmth of her fingertips.
Lin Bufan was stunned for a moment, then obediently closed his eyes again. However, the corners of his mouth unconsciously curved upwards into a barely perceptible arc, and at the same time, his tense nerves actually relaxed a little under the just-right pressure.
Time flowed slowly in the stillness. It wasn't until Xu Hongdou came to call them for dinner that Lin Bufan felt the throbbing in his head subside considerably, and his spirits recovered a lot.
He propped himself up to sit up, stretched his stiff neck, and smiled sincerely at Chen Nanxing: "Thanks, Nanxing, I feel much better."
Seeing that his complexion had indeed improved, Chen Nanxing breathed a sigh of relief and shook his head with a smile: "It's okay, as long as you feel better."
Lin Bufan seemed to suddenly remember something, reached into his pocket, rummaged around, pulled out a small object, and handed it to Chen Nanxing.
It was a small wooden carving of a cute, curled-up kitten sleeping. Although the lines were still a bit immature and lacked the smoothness and maturity of a fully-fledged piece, the form was captured very vividly, especially the slightly curled paws and the whiskers that seemed to be trembling gently, exuding a clumsy charm. The wood was newly carved and still carried a faint, natural wood scent.
"Here, this is for you. I carved it casually at the wood carving workshop today. It's my first... decent-looking finished product. It's not very well carved, so please don't mind it. Just consider it... thank you for being my human pillow and giving me a free massage earlier."