Chapter 7 - Unexpected visitor

Kui plopped back on the bed, peering up at his wrist. The bloody scab had disappeared leaving behind healed skin that was much paler than his hand. 'it's too magical... should I even be using it?'

The magic brush was right by his side. He peered at it with a slight frown.

He did not know if the magic brush has any side effects or not.

'I shouldn't use it again...' with a resolute mind, he packed up the magic brush in its wooden casing and carefully stored it by his bedside.

Kui Lang nodded to himself slightly proud of his decision. Not everything in life can be solved with magic. he did not wish to be that person who would depend on something unnatural to elevate his life. Everything he got in his life must be earned.

With that put away, he relievedly plopped back on the bed. His tired eyes started to droop uncontrollably.

Right then, his phone dinged.

Fumbling around he found it. it was a text.

Blinking his blurry eyes, he read it out loud. "Baby, do you have the red string with you? Eat well and sleep well..." he frowned deeply. 'Looks like I need to get a fake string...'

With that thought in mind, he started to rift off into a deep slumber.

The next morning, he woke up refreshed and recharged. He started the day with peanut butter toast and began his next painting.

He squeezed out the blue onto the mixing tray and took out a flat brush. Suddenly a small string-like thing popped out twitching.

"What the heck." He poured his brushes out of the container.

To his surplice, a cockroach ran out to his feet.

"Ugh!!" he stomped down on it in a hurry. "Get away..."

The cockroach followed after him.

"Gods." Kui jumped on the bed and started to throw stuff at it. "Die."

Finally, only a bag of bread was able to kill the cockroach.

flipped on its back, the critter was unmoving.

"Where the heck did it come from?" he gazed at the open window. "I must have left the widow open."

He swept the dead thing with a piece of cardboard and tossed it out. He closed the window partially in fear that another coaoaco4ak would crawl in.

Unknown to him the dead cockroach started to crawl around in the streets but as soon as the sun hit its body it turned into vapors and disappeared.

Kui patted his chest slightly and sat in front of the canvas again. That little thing relay gave him a fright. "I should buy a roach spray." Mumbling to himself he started to mix white with the blue paint,

His hand moved seemingly brush stroke after another, creating a masterpiece in just fifteen hours.

Kui gazed at the new painting with a sense of pride. It was an abstract painting of the underwater world with its many sea creatures. To make the sea urchins and anemones pop out he used a dollop of paints and made them all 3 dimensional.

In the distance of the painting one could make out a slight silhouette of a merman with his back turned to the canvas. The long hair was fluttering behind him.

"Ah, even his back is too handsome." Chuckling, he started to deal with the fine details.

But soon he ran into one problem.

He did not have a fine brush tip with him.

He did have one but when he anxiously poured his brushes out, the brush broke. The handle was too short, and it was not that comfortable to hold.

Kui sighed softly. He was too lazy to head to the shop.

His eyes fell on the wooden box on his bed. "It can't bring inanimate things to life. it's not like I'm writing a wish or anything… just adding some shadows."

Convincing his reluctant self, he picked up the wooden box and opened it. the bush laid there innocently.

"Promise me you will not such away my life or something for my wishes?" he pointed to the brush.

But how can a brush reply to him?

Chuckling at himself Kui started to paint the finer details in.

By then the first painting had also dried. he started to add shadows and detailing strokes to give the painting much more vibrancy and beauty.

Kui cleaned that brush and stored it immediately after use.

******

A little far away in a private hospital,

"What do you mean it can't grow back?" Dai let out a shrill scream.

"Sorry sir, the epidermis has been damaged too much by the flames. The hair follicles have died off. it's not possible for your hair to grow back," the doctor said regretfully.

Dai panted in fury. "C-can't you do something? Hair transplant? Anything?"

"You need to have at least two hundred viable hairs for us to transplant it on the front of your head..." the doctor glanced at his almost bald head. Only a small part of the hair was left on either side of his ear making him look bald.

"Fuck!!!!" Dai slammed the pillows in fury.

"Sorry sir. But I need to get back to my patients." The doctor bowed slightly and left.

Dai Zu gritted his teeth loudly. 'This is not a coincidence.' He gazed at his hand. 'it moved on its own. And even when I tripped, I felt an invisible force push me from behind.'

He shivered slightly.

'Is it a ghost? Fuck I should seek an exorcist…'