Chapter 663: Chapter 663: Successful Fame and Burial of Bones_1
Painters like to talk about sentiments, so Qin Sisi decided to talk about sentiments with him.
Actually, after saying all that, she felt a bit cheesy. Her school essays were written in the same style. But since those passionate words in essays were meant for teachers to read, whether she believed in them or not was not that critical.
At that very moment, Qin Sisi desperately hoped that the painter would take in what she had said and reignite his passion for painting, as well as his hope for the future.
Luckily, the allure of fame and success, along with the enticing pep-talk, rekindled the fervor in the painter’s weary spirit.
"Alright, I promise you," he gritted his teeth, and uttered those words abruptly.
Joy came too quickly. Qin Sisi was still trying to persuade the painter and was overjoyed when he agreed.
It was very efficient to have found and pacified a ghost in just one night.
Qin Sisi cleared her throat, calming her excited emotions, and said with a serious expression, "I appreciate your trust in me, and I guarantee you will not be disappointed."
The painter sighed and said, "Actually, my demands are not high, all I want is for people to appreciate and acknowledge my paintings."
Qin Sisi gave it some thought before advising, "Different strokes for different folks. People have different tastes, different levels of knowledge, and different aesthetic points of view, causing surprising perceptions of things.
Abstract painting has always been niche. I believe it’s enough if people from your circle appreciate it. Common folks might not understand, let alone appreciate it. What do you think?"
The painter pondered for a moment, feeling that Qin Sisi made a lot of sense, and nodded in agreement, "You’re right, even Van Gogh’s paintings might not appeal to everyone. As long as those who understand can see what I tried to express, it’s enough."
The two reached an agreement easily. Qin Sisi felt a surge of happiness and asked, "So, are you ready to give me your Soul Power now?"
The painter didn’t answer right away. Instead, he took some time to think over any potential oversights since he would not see daylight again for a thousand years.
After thinking for a while, the painter recalled something. "Wait, I have a request," he said.
"Go ahead," Qin Sisi responded. Given the painter’s swift agreement earlier, she was willing to help, as long as his request was not too extreme.
The painter said sadly, "Although I learned Western painting, I am Chinese. It is customary in our country to rest in peace after death. I hope you can bury me and my paintings. I can’t leave my paintings in such a desolate and barren place."
Qin Sisi immediately responded, "Alright, I promise."
The painter hesitated before asking, "I do not wish to be buried in a cemetery, it is overcrowded. I prefer serenity. Can you help me find a serene place, somewhere surrounded by beautiful mountains and rivers?"
"Okay, I will look for such a place," Qin Sisi agreed, wrinkling her brows.
The painter seemed pleased and continued, "I remember visiting Qian Zhou once. The scenery was beautiful, dreamy, and charming. If I could be buried there, I would die content."
Qin Sisi’s jaw dropped in surprise. She was too quick to celebrate. Qian Zhou was far away from S City. The thought of traveling such a long distance to bury the painter’s remains and painting remnants filled her with sorrow.
Seeing Qin Sisi remaining silent, the painter asked tentatively, "Miss Mage, I just wish to find a suitable place for my burial. That’s not too much to ask, right?"
Qin Sisi avoided answering his question and instead asked, "Sir, do you have any other requests?"
The painter detected Qin Sisi’s irritation and was worried she might refuse his request. He quickly responded, "No, that’s it. I know it’s a bit of a hassle but please help me, in the name of Soul Power."
Since the discussion had evolved to this point, it couldn’t be easy for Qin Sisi to refuse. She said, "Okay. Once you surrender your Soul Power, I will depart for Qian Zhou the next day to bury your remains."
Upon hearing Qin Sisi’s agreement, the painter heaved a sigh of relief. He thought, well, might as well surrender my Soul Power, I have already promised. If I back out now, it might annoy her, and she might refuse to bury me.
Considering this, the painter nodded and said, "Okay, I’ll grant you my Soul Power now, Miss Mage. Please keep your promise. See to my burial and ensure my paintings are remembered for ages."
Qin Sisi firmly replied, "Alright, as long as you give me your Soul Power, I will fulfill your wishes."
"Let’s proceed then!" The painter puffed out his chest and dignifiedly assumed a self-righteous demeanor.
Qin Sisi stopped talking, turned her head, gave Ye You a slight nod, and Ye You raised his paw and summoned the Spirit Conversion Bottle.
The snow-white Spirit Conversion Bottle was spinning slowly in the darkness, emitting an increasingly bright silver glow.
The painter’s figure gradually dissipated and eventually turned into a wisp of white smoke that drifted into the Spirit Conversion Bottle.
Ye You waved his paw and retrieved the Spirit Conversion Bottle.
After obtaining the painter’s Soul Power, Qin Sisi walked to the human skeleton. Ye You raised his paw again and took the painter’s remains and the black fragments of the paintings burnt by sulfuric acid into his Portable Space.
Because the black fragments were very small and insignificant, the loss of a fragment or two wouldn’t be noticeable. Besides, Ye You didn’t want these things to clutter his Portable Space, so he created a barrier to mark out a small area specifically for storing these items.
After all that, Qin Sisi left the sulfuric acid storage warehouse with Ye You and restored the lock on the gate to its original state.
Upon returning home, Qin Sisi didn’t rest immediately. Instead, she went online to purchase a train ticket to Qian Zhou. Fortunately, it wasn’t the peak travel season, and ticket availability wasn’t an issue. She was lucky to get a ticket for the next day.
However, it was already June 14th, and the 15th was the following day. The time it would take to travel from S City to Qian Zhou would be more than 20 hours. It looked like she and Ye You would have to spend the night of the full moon in a foreign land.
After Qin Sisi and Ye You had freshened up and set an alarm, they went to bed.
Frankly, if it weren’t for the pressure of the Soul Power and the task of burying the painter’s remains, going on a trip to such a picturesque place with Ye You would be a wonderful thing.
However, the time now was only a month before July 15th, and they still needed six more Soul Powers.
Both Qin Sisi and Ye You, while looking forward to the final moment, felt increasingly anxious. There was immense pressure weighing on their hearts.
