A Manual for Surviving a Weird World

Chapter 414 The finishing touch
After sending Zhang Genjian to find Xu Beicheng, Feng Yushu did not rush back to the small house behind the stage. Instead, she found a secluded spot in the courtyard of a house where offerings had already been made.

This courtyard is relatively close to the open space in the center of the village. From here, Feng Yushu can clearly sense the shadowy figures of several people in the small house, and it is also very convenient to release special forces.

Ning Zhe transformed into a bee, buzzing and flapping its wings as it flew out of the courtyard. With the help of her special senses, Feng Yushu's 'gaze' followed the shadow of this little insect as it flew over the empty stage and onto the roof tiles of the small house.

Ning Zhe carefully moved his body and squeezed through the gap between the tiles, looking down at the situation inside the small house.

Zhang Genjian's older brother, Zhang Genshuo, was dressed in the paper clothes of the Impermanent One. His tall and burly body was lying on a bamboo recliner. On the square table next to the recliner, various paints and brushes were neatly arranged, along with a lantern.

Qin Shou rolled up his sleeves, dipped different brushes in different paints, and used the soft brushstrokes to outline a ferocious face on Zhang Genshuo's face, creating another White Impermanence.

Ding Wei and Miao Miaomiao stood aside, recording the scene with a camera. Qin Shou didn't seem to mind being filmed while he painted. Instead, he explained the various characteristics and symbolism of the white face mask of the Impermanence while painting, appearing very open-minded and upright.

The bee perched between the roof tiles looked down at everything inside the house, and Ning Zhe felt a slight ripple in his heart: "It doesn't seem strange?"

It seems that Qin Shou was simply following the established procedure of painting masks for them.

After observing carefully, Ning Zhe noticed that the painting on Zhang Genshuo's face was nearing completion, so he decided to wait a little longer.

Paintbrushes moved across Zhang Genshuo's face, and as time passed, a hideous and terrifying pale ghost face took shape. Its pale complexion and purple blush were exactly the same as the previous White Impermanence Zhang Genjian, making it look like a vengeful ghost lying in the room.

But Ning Zhe's compound eyes turned slightly, taking in the scene, and he felt that something was still missing.

It was a mysterious 'feeling,' an indescribable 'spirituality.' Without that crucial finishing touch, this impermanent mask would remain merely an empty form, devoid of inner spirit.

As if echoing Ning Zhe's guess, Qin Shou stopped his brushstrokes, placed the paintbrush on the table, and stood beside the recliner, carefully examining the impermanent mask on Zhang Genshuo's face.

He nodded slightly, reached into his coat, and pulled out a calligraphy brush wrapped in cloth.

"Hmm?" Ning Zhe's heart skipped a beat.

The 'inspiration' from Bai Zhi trembled in his mind, giving him a mysterious feeling. In the darkness, it seemed as if a girl's voice whispered in Ning Zhe's ear: This is it, this is it, this is the pen...

Ning Zhe crawled forward through the gaps in the tiles, trying to get a better view.

Qin Shou loosened the cloth covering the pen slightly, revealing only the tip of the brush, while the rest of the pen shaft remained wrapped in the cloth. He held the pen in this very awkward posture and applied dark eyeshadow to Zhang Genshuo's eyelids.

The finishing touch is the finishing touch on the painting.

The moment this finishing touch was made, Feng Yushu, who was in the courtyard not far away, suddenly opened her eyes. Ning Zhe, who was hiding on the roof, quietly watched this scene, watching Zhang Genshuo's body become illusory in front of everyone. Through his translucent chest, one could see the bamboo strips of the reclining chair below.

A bright red tongue hung long from his mouth. The lantern on the table lit up by itself, emitting a dim yellow light. Zhang Genshuo opened his eyes, picked up the lantern and the token, and floated up slowly. His legs were stretched straight, and his toes were three feet off the ground.

The painting is the finishing touch; at this moment, he is a ghost messenger.

As Zhang Genshuo was marveling at the changes in his body, Qin Shou wrapped the pen back in cloth, stuffed it into his pocket, and then took a mud ball from the plate on the table, chewed it a few times, and mumbled something. Zhang Genshuo, the White Impermanence, nodded upon hearing this, and his illusory body passed through the wall and flew directly towards the stage.

"Finally finished drawing." Qin Shou breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the young couple beside him: "Who wants to go first?"

"I'll take care of it." Ding Wei handed the camera and the backpack containing spare batteries to Miao Miaomiao, saying, "Remember to make me look handsome in the photos."

"Okay." Miao Miaomiao smiled and took the camera and backpack, which felt heavy, and watched Ding Wei lie down on the bamboo chair.

As Qin Shou picked up his paintbrush and applied the first stroke of color to Ding Wei's face, Ning Zhe emerged from the crack in the roof tiles, silently flew across the night sky, and returned to the courtyard where Feng Yushu was.

"You're back?" Sensing the bees flying into the courtyard, Feng Yushu happily got up to greet them. Ning Zhe transformed back into his original form in mid-air and landed lightly. As soon as he looked up, he met his aunt's concerned gaze.

"You didn't encounter any danger, did you?" Feng Yushu asked hurriedly.

"No." Ning Zhe shook his head: "Qin Shou seems perfectly normal."

But he acted so normally that it seemed almost abnormal.

"Also, he has a mysterious pen in his hand, wrapped in cloth and tucked into his bosom, as if he cherishes it. Keep a close eye on it," Ning Zhe continued.

“I will,” Feng Yushu nodded.

The two left the courtyard and came to the open space in the center of the village. There they saw a tall, thin, pale figure wandering around the stage, seemingly searching for something.

Ning Zhe stepped forward and waved to Zhang Genshuo, the White Impermanence, as a greeting. He didn't eat dirt or talk nonsense to him anymore. The two of them went straight across the stage and into the house.

Inside the small house, Qin Shou was painting the face of the Black Impermanence on Ding Wei, who was lying on a chair.

"Oh, you're back?" Miao Miaomiao greeted the two with a smile as they entered. "Was the journey smooth? Did you run into Zhang Genjian and the others?"

"It went relatively smoothly..." Ning Zhe briefly described what had happened along the way, omitting some details, and then asked, "It's already dark. Are you hungry? Do you want to go find something to eat?"

Miao Miaomiao shook her head while holding the camera: "I'm not hungry."

Feng Yushu also shook her head: "I'm not hungry either... That's strange."

They arrived at the mortuary at noon today, and it's already evening. A whole afternoon has passed. It's understandable that Miao Miaomiao isn't hungry, since she's been staying indoors and hasn't done much. But Ning Zhe and I have been grinding tofu and delivering offerings throughout the village; our workload is comparable to that of some factory workers.

After working so hard all afternoon, I didn't even feel hungry?
“I find it strange too.” Ning Zhe walked to the square table, examined the various paints and several brushes on it, and said quietly, “Perhaps Brother Qin knows why?”

(End of this chapter)