C31 (2/2)
The air in the room was so stifling that it made my head spin. It took me a long time before I felt any better, so I took the Spirit Guide out of my pocket.
Lightly stroking the bright and clean body of the brush, a warm feeling, similar to jade, came over. It gave me a slight chill, which made my spirit tremble.
I slowly spread out the xuan paper and took out a piece of it to fit the size. Then, I laid it flat on the table and bowed towards the old lady's body three times as I held the brush in both of my hands. I said in a soft voice, ”The spirit will return to the heaven and earth, the soul will lead the netherworld, soul will draw Ma Que, and the soul will lead the soul back!”
Honestly speaking, I don't really understand the meaning of this sentence, but according to my grandfather's book, this is called Spirit Realm, which is also equivalent to a method of communication with the souls of the dead, and it has almost become a kind of routine dialogue before Soul Painter's Soul Painting.
After reading this part, I picked up the Spirit Realm in my hand and bowed to the west three more times. I then said, ”The three souls return to heaven, the seven souls return to nature. When a person's lamp is extinguished, they will turn to dust due to fate. ” I remembered that back then, when my grandfather was painting a portrait of Xiuqin's husband, he had also read it aloud. At that time, I did not understand the meaning behind it, but later on, through that nameless book I read, I found out that this period of time, he was determined to retract the sword corpse's aura to reveal the true image in front of him.
Of course, it was only after I understood the meaning of this sentence, did I truly understand why grandfather was completely different from a corpse when he drew Xiuqin's husband.
As soon as I said that, a cold wind started to blow in the room. It slowly started to circle around the old lady's body, gradually becoming thicker and more solid. In the end, a blurry figure slowly formed and became clearer.
Looking around, he saw a skinny old lady dressed in a grey robe floating above the corpse. It looked like she was using high-tech technology to create a holographic projection.
Although I had already mentally prepared myself for this, seeing this strange scene, I still felt weak in my heart, so I forced myself to calm down. When the hand holding the Spirit Realm no longer trembled, I slowly made a stroke.
”The monitors can see clearly, the eyes of mortals can see through the universe.”
”Lifespan is extended to the Fuze Pool, and one's eyebrows dropped to the ground as they roamed around in the mortal world.”
”Judge the Lord's wealth and grace, receive the five spirits through the nose and the mountain.”
”The cashier collects the five valleys and devours the four seas.”
”I've heard the voice before, but I can tell that it is loyal and adulterous.”
With each stroke, I muttered an incantation. Streams of auras slowly emitted from the old lady's body and enter the empty space at the end of the Spirit Realm brush. This explains why Grandfather didn't need ink to finish drawing the picture previously.
Not long after, the old lady's facial features were clearly displayed on the Xuan paper. However, according to the old rules, I didn't draw an eyeball, and there was a reason why I did so.
In Soul Painter's line, the line ”Soul-Fixation” used in the eye painting meant that as long as the eyes were fixed on it, the spirit of the painting would be fixed in place, and must never be written again. Similarly, as long as the final mark was not written, this portrait could at most be considered as having been a small part of it.
I slightly straightened my waist and looked at the figure that was close to dissipating above the old lady's corpse. I took a deep breath and steadily pinched the brush handle before shouting, ”There's a universe in the brush, enter the soul in the painting!”
With my shout, the shadow of the old lady completely disappears, turning into spots of light that fill the empty space at the end of the brush. At the same time, I feel that the brush shaft in my hand is getting heavier and heavier, as though it weighs a thousand kilograms.
The nameless book that his grandfather gave him stated that a person's soul had a weight. The heavier the resentment, the heavier the soul would be. At the same time, it would also be harder to exceed the weight of one's soul.
I secretly clucked my tongue as I watched countless specks of light enter the empty space at the end of the pen and turn into something as black as ink. I thought to myself, 'How wrong it must be for this old lady to die!'
However, as the Soul Painter, since I have accepted this job, I have to draw this portrait no matter what.
Actually, the process of Soul Painter drawing the portrait using a specific technique was also the process of transcending the limits of his soul. Generally speaking, the moment the portrait was formed, his Soul Depth should have been completed.
But, there were still exceptions, for example regarding Xiuqin's husband, didn't the last image go blank?
Feeling the increasingly heavy Spirit Realm in my hands, my heart shivered. I couldn't help but think about how Liu Hao's father had done such a good deed for me, why did he give me such a difficult job so early on?
I took another deep breath and slowly moved my arm that was holding the Spirit Realm. With great difficulty, I touched the surface of the xuan paper with my eye.
This process seemed to me to be extremely long and painful, as if there was an invisible force that was strongly rejecting the Spirit Realm in my hands. My entire body shuddered as sweat instantly rolled down my face.
However, to my relief, the portrait was finally completed.
I heaved a long sigh of relief. Just as I was about to call Director Wang in, I saw that the xuan paper, which was placed on the table, actually floated up high with a whoosh. Then, under my astonished gaze, it exploded into pieces of paper that filled the sky.
The portrait I just finished exploded?