A Healing-Themed Artist Was Matched With a Human Weapon - Chapter 4

Si Nuo, accompanied by Zhang Yu, arrived at the infirmary. The school doctor didn’t seem surprised to see him. “What is it this time?” he asked, clearly accustomed to this frequent visitor who dropped by every few days.

Si Nuo sat on the stool in front of the diagnostic desk. “Fever.”

The doctor wrote him a blood test requisition; he would likely need an IV drip later. His body was far too fragile for the advanced medical pods of the interstellar era, so he had to rely on traditional intravenous therapy.

Zhang Yu waited with him for a while. “I’m going to grab something to eat. What do you want?”

Si Nuo shook his head. “Just eat your own food. Don’t worry about me; I have no appetite.”

“You’re going to get an injection later. I’ll get you some porridge or something. Wait here, okay?” Zhang Yu patted his shoulder and ran off before Si Nuo could refuse.

The blood test results came back quickly: a simple bacterial infection.

The fact that even this could trigger a fever spoke to how frail he was. The doctor directed him to a bed and tossed him a blanket. “Have you taken your genetic medication?”

“Yes, I have.”

“Alright then. Get some sleep. The drip will take about two hours your condition means we can’t run it too fast. Get some rest.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

“If you want to thank me, stop showing up here so often.”

Si Nuo smiled. “I’ll try.”

The effects of the IV were evident; his temperature soon began to drop, allowing him to fall into a deep, peaceful sleep. When he finally woke up, the drip wasn’t finished yet, but he saw a bowl of porridge on the table Zhang Yu had been there.

The doctor looked over. “Your classmate just left. He bought you porridge; you should eat some, it’ll make your stomach feel better. By the way, he said he’s going to class and will come back to check on you later.”

Si Nuo looked at his IV bag there was still more than half left. As he reached for the porridge, his wrist terminal buzzed. It was a message from Zhuang Ning.

Zhuang Ning (It’s Me): [Master! I took Lu Cen’s painting to show some of our upper-year seniors. They are all S-grade powerhouses. After looking at it, they had no clear reaction they just thought the painting looked very nice. Does this mean the painting only works for those of us between A and S-grade?]

Si Nuo was surprised by the quick feedback. If S-grade powerhouses had no reaction, it likely meant his work only affected those in the A-to-S transition, and perhaps had no effect on those below A-grade.

Si Nuo: [I understand. Thank you! ^_^]

Zhuang Ning (It’s Me): [Master, you’re too polite! By the way, are you still accepting commissions? Several of my friends want to book you.]

Si Nuo hadn’t expected his freelance business to take off so smoothly.

Si Nuo: [I can accept them, but please have them wait until your commission is delivered. If they can wait, tell them to contact me later. Also, it’s 100,000 per painting see if they are okay with that.]

Zhuang Ning (It’s Me): [Alright, alright! Master, is it really only 100,000?!]

Si Nuo smiled at the message. [100,000 is plenty.] If he hadn’t already set the price with Lu Cen, he actually felt that 20,000 was quite expensive. In his past life, his most expensive commissions barely reached four digits.

Zhuang Ning (It’s Me): [Master, you are truly too kind. I’ll tell them! They have all the time in the world to wait!]

If he could keep getting orders like this, he might actually save enough to buy the highest-quality genetic medication. He suddenly felt that life was full of hope.

After finishing the drip, Si Nuo packed his things to leave. As he walked toward the door, he heard a commotion in the corridor. A moment later, Zhang Yu and Ren Ju walked in, both looking disheveled and sporting bruises on their faces.

The doctor scoffed. “Oh, fighting again? So much energy clearly, your teachers aren’t assigning enough homework. And you what’s your deal? Jealous of your friend in the infirmary?”

Zhang Yu ignored the doctor, his eyes still burning with rage as he glared at Ren Ju. “Ask him! Who told him to spout such nonsense!”

Ren Ju sneered. “Big words for someone who doesn’t mind getting his teeth kicked in!”

Si Nuo immediately walked to Zhang Yu’s side, looking at the injury on his face and then at Ren Ju. It seemed Zhang Yu didn’t come off too badly.

“What happened?”

Before Zhang Yu could speak, Ren Ju interjected, “Si Nuo, you’re so weak, yet you’ve really raised a good dog!”

Zhang Yu spun around and grabbed Ren Ju’s collar. “You motherfu—”

“Enough!” The doctor shouted. “What do you think this is? Separate them!”

The people following behind pulled them apart. Ren Ju mocked, “Why? I’m telling the truth and you can’t take it? I’m genuinely confused. You’re an orphan with nothing to your name, except maybe a face that’s easy on the eyes. Why do you protect him so much? I bet there’s some abnormal relationship between you two.”

Zhang Yu tried to retort, but Si Nuo pressed a hand on his shoulder, patting it gently. “Go deal with the bruises on your face first. If he doesn’t mind the pain, do you?”

Zhang Yu glared at Ren Ju one last time and headed to the treatment pod.

Si Nuo looked at Ren Ju. According to the original owner’s memories, Ren Ju had always been hostile toward him. They had been in the same orphanage, but Ren Ju had been adopted, while Si Nuo had been passed over once the adoptive parents learned of his genetic disease. Ren Ju likely harbored resentment because he felt he wasn’t their first choice.

Ren Ju, seeing Si Nuo staring at him with such a complex, sympathetic gaze, felt an uncontrollable wave of irritation. “What are you looking at?!”

Si Nuo chuckled lightly. “Just pitying you.”

“What did you say? Say that again if you dare!”

“I’ll say it a hundred times I pity you. I never understood why you were so hostile toward me, but now I get it. You think you’re better off because you were adopted, but you’re just insecure. Looking at me reminds you of that day. Also, your life in your ‘new home’ probably isn’t that great either, is it? I heard they had a biological child after adopting you, right?”

Si Nuo spoke calmly, his voice soft, but every word stabbed into Ren Ju’s heart.

Ren Ju’s eyes turned red. “Shut up! You know nothing! Even if you survive to this day, you’re still a wastrel! Once the government assistance for your medicine runs out, how much longer can you live?”

The doctor looked at them both. “If you want to argue, take it outside!”

Ren Ju shoved the people holding him, walked up to Si Nuo, and hissed, “I’ll be waiting to see how you die.” He shoved past Si Nuo and stormed into the treatment room.

Zhang Yu came out and walked over to Si Nuo. “Was everything you said true?”

Si Nuo nodded and rubbed his nose.

Zhang Yu spat on the ground. “What a piece of trash. He stole the parents who should have been yours and still treats you like this? He’s a psychopath!”

After they left the infirmary, Zhang Yu was still fuming. “That little punk Ren Ju… next time I’ll make sure he gets what’s coming!”

Si Nuo patted his shoulder. “It’s not worth it. He only targets me.”

“He only bullies you because he thinks you’re a pushover!” Zhang Yu retorted.

Afterward, word of Si Nuo’s “maple forest” painting began to spread within the Imperial First Military Academy. When curious students checked the school forum and asked if the rumors about a painting curing mental instability were true, they were met with mass mockery:

• “What are you thinking? If a painting could cure mental breakdown, I’d live-stream eating dirt!”*
• “Who is spreading these rumors? Even scientists can’t solve this, but you expect me to believe a drawing can?”*

After the administrator deleted the posts as “disinformation,” the matter seemed to fizzle out. Si Nuo, unaware of the drama, was back in his dorm, pacing. He couldn’t just paint another maple forest for Zhuang Ning; that would feel lazy.

“What are you worrying about?” Zhang Yu asked.

“I need an idea for Zhuang Ning’s commission. It’s 100,000, so I want to give him something good.”

“Just take it easy! Let’s go hiking on the weekend maybe inspiration will strike!”

“That’s a good idea,” Si Nuo said, though he wondered if his fragile body could handle a hike. He took his easel outside the dorm, under the starlit night sky, and decided to sketch the starry night sky reflected on the school’s artificial lake.

As he painted, his heart finally settled. The reflection of the moon on the water, the shimmering ripples—it was serene. It was the best work he had done to date.

The next day, Si Nuo met Lu Cen and Zhuang Ning at the café.

Zhuang Ning was just as nervous as Lu Cen had been, clutching the scroll as if it contained the secrets of the universe. When he finally opened it, the effect was instant: the star-filled night sky and the tranquil water hit his mental sea like a calm wave. He stood there, eyes fixed on the canvas, his breathing slowing until his head suddenly “thumped” onto the table, fast asleep.

Si Nuo panicked, but Lu Cen just laughed. “Don’t worry, it’s a normal reaction. He’s just gone deep into the painting’s resonance. I’ll take him back and handle the payment.”

Lu Cen tapped his terminal against Si Nuo’s, transferring the money. “When he wakes up, we’ll treat you to a meal at our academy’s cafeteria!”

As he watched them leave, Zhang Yu looked worried. “Are they going to pass out every time they look at your art?”