A Healing-Themed Artist Was Matched With a Human Weapon - Chapter 6

Si Nuo is the best.

Si Nuo’s paintings were not only gradually gaining traction within the school, but rumors were also beginning to spread at the First Military Academy that a certain painting had the ability to heal mental instability.

Guan Xingchen finished reading the document handed to him by his adjutant. As he signed his name and handed it back, he noticed the adjutant seemed to have something more to say. “Is there anything else?”

“Your Highness, there have been rumors recently about a painting capable of healing mental instability. I don’t know if you have heard of it?”

“A painting?” To his own surprise, Guan Xingchen immediately thought of the painting held by the young boy he had encountered on the road earlier that day. “What kind of painting could have such an effect?”

“They say that just one look at it can stop mental instability and calm the ‘mental sea.’ I am not sure if it is true or false. Would you like me to investigate?”

“Is this news coming from someone at the school who bought the painting?”

The adjutant nodded. “Yes, I heard it by chance as well.”

“Have someone look into what this painting is and whether it truly has such effects.”

“Understood, Your Highness. I will send someone right away.”

If such a miraculous painting truly existed, it would be a matter of vital importance to the Empire.

That evening, Si Nuo received feedback from Lu Cen: [Master, we have received the painting. I am here to give you feedback: the small board paintings are also effective! Although the effect isn’t as dramatic as the large ones, we felt our mental seas become very comfortable after looking at them. It’s not quite enough to make us fall asleep, but it’s perfect for relaxing after training!]

Reading the message from Lu Cen, Si Nuo had not expected that the healing effect on mental instability would vary based on the size of the painting.

Before Si Nuo could reply, Lu Cen sent another message: [Master, many students in our class want to commission you for paintings. Do you have any time?]

Si Nuo really wanted to take the commissions, but he had to complete the task Zhao Chunsheng had assigned him first. He replied: [I’m afraid I can’t right now. I’m a bit busy lately. At the end of next month, our school will have an inspection by the leadership, and I have to paint a mural. I probably won’t have time to take orders for a while. Let’s wait until a later time.]

Lu Cen: [That’s fine. I will tell them to wait a bit. Master, I will wait for your news.]

Zhang Yu saw his message exchange with Lu Cen and clicked his tongue twice. “You really should let Old Zhao see how much money his assigned task has cost you. Don’t act as if we are the ones taking advantage of the situation.”

Seeing Zhang Yu pained by the loss of potential earnings, Si Nuo laughed. “Think on the bright side. What if, after the mural is finished, it attracts even more attention? Wouldn’t there be even more people looking to commission me then?”

Zhang Yu’s eyes lit up. “That’s true! Say, do you think the mural will also have a healing effect? If it does, Si Nuo, you’ll hit the jackpot!”

Si Nuo was amused by his exaggerated expression.

“Don’t worry, if I get rich, I certainly won’t forget you, my brother.”

“That’s easy to say. Just let me be your assistant when the time comes.”

After they finished speaking, both of them couldn’t stop laughing.

Si Nuo tidied up his things and sat at his desk. Seeing this, Zhang Yu asked, “Are you going to paint again?”

“I haven’t drawn the draft for the mural yet. I want to draw it out first so I can show it to Old Zhao. If he approves it, won’t I be able to finish it sooner?”

“That’s true, but your health is poor; you should rest more.”

“I know, I already have an idea. It shouldn’t take long.”

“Alright, then I won’t disturb you.”

Si Nuo leaned over his desk, sketching and drafting on paper with a pencil.

Si Nuo had taken on commissions with themes of “positivity, optimism, and progress” before, so this was not difficult for him to draw.

He leaned over his desk, drawing and revising, losing track of time without realizing it. Zhang Yu woke up from a nap on his bed and, seeing that the light was still on at Si Nuo’s desk, asked subconsciously, “Si Nuo, what time is it? Aren’t you going to rest yet?”

Si Nuo came back to his senses and saw that the clock was pointing to 1:00 AM. “Oh, I’ll sleep immediately. I forgot the time.”

Hurriedly putting down his pen, Si Nuo got up to wash his hands and then climbed into bed. He only felt pain all over his body from sitting for so long.

He couldn’t help but worry: Will I have a fever tomorrow?

He really didn’t want to go to the infirmary for an injection again.

Fortunately, he was lucky this time. Although his nose was a bit stuffy when he woke up in the morning, he didn’t have a fever.

Even so, he didn’t dare to take it lightly. He mixed a large glass of lemon water to supplement his vitamin C, hoping to prevent it from getting worse.

Zhang Yu shook his head and said, “You really shouldn’t paint at night anymore. Your body is truly fragile.”

After finishing his lemon water, Si Nuo nodded. “Once I earn enough money, the first thing I will do is buy the best genetic medicine!”

He brought the draft he finished last night to class, planning to show it to Zhao Chunsheng after the lecture.

However, unexpectedly, as soon as they walked over, the chubby boy following behind Ren Ju laughed and called out: “Hey, isn’t this our class’s great painter!”

The others immediately followed up: “Yeah, Si Nuo, you’ve arrived just in time. We heard you sold a painting for 100,000 credits. What did you paint? Show us, won’t you?”

“That’s right, what kind of painting can sell for 100,000? We haven’t heard of anyone else in our school being so capable. Si Nuo, how did you manage that?”

“Alright, if he can sell a painting for 100,000, he must have his ways. You guys should be tactful and stop asking; don’t make it difficult for Si Nuo.” Ren Ju said with a smile, looking as if he were looking out for Si Nuo.

In reality, he was trying to put Si Nuo on the spot.

Zhang Yu glared at Ren Ju: “Stop pretending to be a good person here. You say you don’t want everyone to ask, but I think you’re the one who wants to know the most. Even if you knew, you couldn’t paint it. As for the paintings you do, let alone 100,000, I think even 1 credit would be a struggle.”

Ren Ju’s face changed immediately: “Zhang Yu, are you incapable of understanding a conversation? I was kindly trying to speak up for you all. It’s one thing that you don’t appreciate it, but you’re also insulting me with your drawing comments. You…”

“Alright, stop arguing!” Si Nuo interrupted Ren Ju and looked at the chubby boy standing behind him. “I didn’t make myself clear to you yesterday, or perhaps you just don’t understand human speech? I told you, what I painted was just an ordinary landscape painting. I don’t have the painting on me right now, so I can’t show it to you for the time being. What is your intention in riling everyone up to say these things?”

The chubby boy hadn’t expected Si Nuo, who looked so frail, to dare to challenge him in front of so many people. Didn’t this just make people think he was using them as tools?

Sure enough, as soon as Si Nuo finished speaking, someone said, “You fatso, you did this on purpose! You asked Si Nuo yesterday, and then pretended not to know this morning, inciting us to go ask him. You’re using us as your pawns!”

“Damn, you’re really nasty. Ren Ju, stop pretending to be a good guy, too. You and the fatso are inseparable every day; I don’t believe you didn’t know about this!”

Hearing this, Ren Ju’s face turned dark and red. He had never been accused like this before, and he looked at Si Nuo with eyes full of rage.

Zhang Yu stepped forward to block Si Nuo, worried that Ren Ju would lose his temper and attack him. After all, Si Nuo, being so frail, couldn’t handle a beating.

Fortunately, Zhao Chunsheng walked in at that moment. Seeing that they were all standing and the atmosphere was wrong, he said, “What are you doing? Such high energy early in the morning—do you want to be punished again?”

Hearing this, the crowd immediately dispersed and returned to their seats.

Seeing this, Zhao Chunsheng didn’t say much more. “I have reviewed your sketches from last Friday. You have all been studying for two months; look at Si Nuo’s work, and then look at yours. I’m not saying everyone should be like him, but at least the lines should be straight where they should be, and curved where they should be. Can’t you keep your canvases clean? Take your paintings back, revise them, and submit them again. Also, pass around Si Nuo’s painting!”

After saying this, he looked at Ren Ju. “By the way, Ren Ju, what’s going on with you? You were painting quite well before. How is it that you haven’t made any progress in this sketch, and in fact, it feels like you’ve regressed? You aren’t being diligent enough!”

Ren Ju’s cheeks flushed crimson, and he bit the bullet and said, “I understand, Teacher. I will pay attention next time.”

Zhao Chunsheng acknowledged this. “This class is for revising homework. You can ask if you have any questions. Si Nuo, how is the task I arranged for you going? Are there any difficulties?”

Si Nuo had originally planned to find him after class, but since Zhao Chunsheng asked, he simply walked over with the drafted sketch: “Teacher, I’ve finished it. Please take a look and see if there are any problems.”

Seeing him take out his work and go forward, others also stretched their necks, full of curiosity.

Zhao Chunsheng took the drawing and opened it to see the colored draft. Even though it was a draft, in Zhao Chunsheng’s eyes, it already counted as a finished piece.

In the painting, a group of young children were drawing, singing, dancing, and studying diligently it was both pure and beautiful. It perfectly fit the atmosphere of their art school.

There were three simple scenes in total, with delicate characters and perfect color coordination. At first glance, the word “beautiful” would immediately flash through one’s mind. Upon closer inspection, one could see that the artist had a very solid foundation.

Zhao Chunsheng couldn’t pick out any problems and returned the drawing to Si Nuo. “It’s good. Just paint it according to this. Si Nuo, you must practice a lot in your spare time, right?”

Si Nuo knew that while others might not be able to tell, a professional like Zhao Chunsheng would certainly be able to see the issues. He didn’t dare show any guilty conscience. “Yes, I think practice makes perfect. I will always make progress if I paint more.”

“You are right. Keep this attitude. You paint very well. In future foundation classes, you can paint whatever you want; you don’t need to follow their pace.”

This statement from Zhao Chunsheng was a sufficient endorsement of Si Nuo’s abilities.

Ren Ju, sitting below, heard this, and the expression on his face was as ugly as if he had eaten excrement. Even though Zhao Chunsheng had praised him for his talent before, he had never told him he didn’t need to follow the curriculum and could paint whatever he wanted.

It was evident how far ahead Si Nuo’s painting skills were in Zhao Chunsheng’s heart compared to theirs.

This left him feeling not only unwilling to accept it but also filled with a vague, unsettling anxiety all stemming from the unknown that was Si Nuo.

After Zhao Chunsheng finished his sentence, someone couldn’t help but ask, “Teacher, is Si Nuo really that good now?”

Zhao Chunsheng glanced at the person. “What do you think?”

The boy who asked the question gave a sheepish grin. “I don’t know, I just think he paints quite well.”

“At least you aren’t blind. Si Nuo is a great role model; you should all learn from him.”

“Teacher, do you know that one of Si Nuo’s paintings can now sell for 100,000 credits?” the fat boy suddenly spoke up. The classroom went silent instantly.

Zhao Chunsheng clearly hadn’t heard about this and turned his head toward Si Nuo. “Is that true?”

Si Nuo glanced at the fat boy, knowing full well that there was no good intention behind his words, and nodded. “Yes, it just so happened that the painting caught the buyer’s eye.”

To everyone’s surprise, seeing Si Nuo nod, Zhao Chunsheng immediately laughed. “Good, Si Nuo, you are very good. You have all seen it as long as you study well and paint well, heaven will never betray those who work hard. This is the perfect example!”

Si Nuo: “…”

That’s not necessarily true, he thought, feeling guilty.