Bab 212: Art With Feeling

"I can see the difference, yes," Wu Ling said, still trying to process the demonstration. "But I don't understand. The second talisman felt rougher, almost more crude. How was it the one that was more powerful?"

"This is what you need to correct in your calligraphy, your painting, and your zither playing," his Master began to explain. "You are attempting to use your art like sorcery. Art isn't sorcery, it's art. It draws its power from the heart." 

"Calligraphy isn't about expressing the pure power of a word," she said. "It's about using a word to unleash a feeling. When I drew the first one, I did as you have done. It is beautiful in the way any teacher would expect and it evokes the essence of fire, so it works."

"When I drew the second one, however, I thought about my most hated enemy," she continued, her gaze becoming intense and her aura surging so intensely that her colorful dress danced on a breeze that only she could feel.