The Painting

"Eh, wanting to get stronger again? Well... how about taking a long trip?"

Chapter 541 Painting

Ke Chajing and Hu Jixian misunderstood the concept of long-distance travel, treating it as an activity similar to a club's training camp. However, Si Ming did not explain. In this day and age, which martial artist hadn't undergone special training? It was not uncommon for them to sit in seclusion for one or two years. Going out for training for two months was quite common. At most, the distance of this trip was a bit far.

Si Ming was responsible for notifying the original members of the Second Martial Arts Club. Hao Shuai and Chen Shimi, the two boys, were easily found, and both of them patted their chests and agreed. Nie Wanzhi, who was in the same class, was also not difficult to notify. However, the remaining Murong Qing and the others came up empty-handed until Si Ming came to Hongdou's room.

"Someone's here... The door's open, so I'll come in."

If it were someone else's room, Si Ming might hesitate, perhaps because he might stumble upon a scene where someone is changing clothes. But Hongdou didn't care about being seen naked by Si Ming and was open and unashamed. As a guy, Si Ming naturally wouldn't be coy and simply pushed the door open and entered.

"Wait, wait a minute!"

Murong Qing's panicked voice came from inside the room, a rare occurrence, so Si Ming pushed the door open even faster.

The scene that came into view was somewhat incomprehensible, with a surreal quality.

Hongdou sat in front of a drawing board, paintbrush in hand, completely absorbed in her work, oblivious to Si Ming. This was as usual, nothing to worry about; the surreal part was the subject of her painting—

Murong Qing, Liu Qingqing, and Yu Shuying were modeling for Hongdou by lifting their skirts with their hands to expose their underwear. Liu Qingqing looked indifferent, Yu Shuying looked disdainful, Murong Qing blushed.

"... Sorry to bother you."

If it were a group changing room, a scene that would be considered a treat, Si Ming might have lingered there to get a better look. But the scene before him was just too bizarre, and his mind couldn't process it. He couldn't help but think, "Am I doing something wrong?" and quickly closed the door.

Wait a minute, you've definitely misunderstood!

"So, because Hongdou's final exam theme is 'friendship,' that's why she chose the three of you?" Si Ming asked, squinting.

"You might find it hard to believe, but it's true," Murong Qing said helplessly, a faint blush still lingering on her face.

"No, if it's Hongdou, I don't think it's surprising that she would do something like this."

"Hehe, it's not that amazing." Hongdou scratched her head sheepishly.

"I wasn't trying to compliment you!" Si Ming, who hadn't intended to complain, couldn't help but say, "Speaking of which, since the theme is friendship, why did you have them strike such strange poses?"

"But think about it, if I make an unreasonable request, and they agree even though they're very unwilling, doesn't that just prove how deep our friendship is?"

"Now that you mention it, it does make sense..."

Si Ming looked thoughtful, then suddenly snapped out of his reverie, "No way! You think you can fool me with just a Hongdou? If the theme is friendship, why not show our unity, cooperation, and close bond instead of using this awkward way to express it?"

"However, this way of expression is mediocre. Everyone can think of it, right? From a personal point of view, I still prefer to use more impactful visuals to express things."

"The visual impact was indeed very strong; I was almost scared out of my Primordial Spirit."

Si Ming couldn't help but sigh. Was this the difference between artists and ordinary people? Speaking of which, there were many famous paintings on Earth in his previous life with bathhouses as their theme. Compared to the three of them Murong Qing and his companions, their works were much more open. However, the two seemed to be different things...

"I don't understand. I have no artistic talent whatsoever. It's not surprising that Hongdou would suddenly have a whimsical idea, but why did you all agree to go along with her nonsense?"

Hongdou protested, "This is not nonsense," but unfortunately, everyone ignored her.

Yu Shuying said, "Drawing it won't hurt you. Since we're friends, helping out with a small favor is no big deal."

"You've become more and more honest lately, you're even willing to admit that you have friends."

Si Ming was puzzled. Why were the people around him undergoing subtle changes one by one? It seemed like nothing major had happened during this time.

Liu Qingqing said, "It's okay, it's just lifting my skirt, not being completely naked, and I'm wearing safety shorts."

What? Safety shorts exist in this day and age?!

Si Ming was furious. Why, in a different world, would someone invent such an inhumane thing? He realized he had transmigrated too late. If he had been there earlier, he would have definitely killed the inventor of the safety shorts.

"What, is it okay to wear safety shorts?"

The upright class monitor, Murong Qing, stood there dumbfounded, her face showing a look of having been deceived.

Hongdou blinked and said, "Of course you can. I just want you to do a skirt-lifting motion. You can wear whatever you want underneath, or even nothing at all."

Murong Qing was clearly taken aback and turned to ask Yu Shuying beside her, "You should know this, right? Why weren't you wearing safety shorts?"

The three were arranged with Yu Shuying in the middle, and from Murong Qing's perspective, he could barely see below Yu Shuying.

"It's just a piece of cloth, what's the big deal? Safety shorts are just a larger version of underwear, there's no real difference between the two." Yu Shuying scoffed.

"You may not care, but I do!"

"That's the problem. The more you care, the more you arouse other people's voyeuristic desires. Conversely, if you don't care at all, other people will find it boring. This is what is called 'a wife is not as good as a concubine, a concubine is not as good as a stolen one, and a stolen one is not as good as one that can't be stolen.' The more unattainable something is, the more you want it. Humans are such base creatures."

Yu Shuying paused for a moment, then continued, "Liu Qingqing did a great job in this regard. She was calm and composed, showing herself openly and confidently without any shyness. She treated it with a normal attitude, so others wouldn't be interested and would just treat it as an ordinary thing."

Murong Qing seemed to understand something. "That makes sense... Wait a minute! Qingqing was wearing safety shorts, of course she could stay calm. Speaking of which, when we were initially assigned seats, Qingqing and I were right next to each other. You forced your way between us just to block my view, didn't you?"

"... It's just a coincidence."

"What was that pause about? And why did you look away?"

Cornered, Yu Shuying clicked her tongue and gave up resisting, admitting in despair, "That's right, I did it on purpose, so what? You've known me for a while now. I told you I hated you a long time ago, didn't I? Who told you not to heed my warnings? You're just too stupid to be fooled!"

Murong Qing's eyes sharpened, and her hand instinctively went to her waist. Unfortunately, the Moon God's Tear wasn't there, but she didn't mind. She formed a sword shape with her fingers and said in a deep voice, "Then I'll give you a piece of advice: choose your target carefully before you deceive someone. Never target those who are stronger than you, lest you encounter unforeseen circumstances."

Yu Shuying sneered, "Oh, I didn't expect our upright class monitor to resort to such despicable threatening tactics. How depraved you've become! Do you think I wasn't on guard? Feel free to try and make a move, and see if the poison I left on you will take effect?"

Seeing that the two were about to fight, Si Ming quickly intervened, speaking in a broken foreign accent, "Don't fight, don't fight."