Chapter 29

Her voice was rare, neither hoarse nor coquettish. In her soft tone, there was a hint of rough charm.

In short, it was a voice with great allure.

"I did say I would reform and not come to the brothel anymore," Lan Ling said with a smile, "But have you ever seen a man keep his word?"

"That's true..." the woman said, "Especially a man like you who always crawls under women's skirts."

Then, she turned her face, revealing half of it.

It was a bit different from what Lan Ling had imagined. Her appearance was not the typical kind of beauty but more seductive.

Especially her eyes, though double-lidded, the double was not very obvious, and they were inner double-lidded. Her eyes were not very large, but the upward-slanting almond eyes seemed to be flirtatious all the time.

Her nose was high and straight, giving the impression of high aspirations.

Her face was plump, not the typical oval shape, with a small mouth but full, fleshy lips, filled with the desire to be kissed.

Although she was a very beautiful woman, the first impression was not beauty but seduction.

"How? Did the toad not get to eat the swan, so it came to cry to me, this wild duck?" Yi Man Man mocked.

Lan Ling walked behind her, naturally picked up the ivory comb to comb her hair, and said with a smile, "Not really. I went to the Demon Mountain Range, saw a lot, and thought a lot. My whole soul felt like it was cleansed, and I saw many things clearly."

"Tell me, what did you see clearly?" Man Man said lazily, naturally leaning into Lan Ling's arms, raising her almond eyes to look at him with interest.

"I saw a lot and felt a lot," Lan Ling said, sighing deeply.

"What did you feel?" Yi Man Man asked.

"For example..." Lan Ling said solemnly, "Zhi Ning is a slut."

"Spit..." Man Man did not expect this answer. From Solon's tone, it seemed he had a profound and transcendent realization after the soul cleansing in the Demon Mountain Range, but it turned out to be this.

It was like someone went to Lhasa for a soul cleansing, and their first realization was: the girls there are so expensive, while the virtuous ones are free.

So, Man Man mocked, "Oh, you didn't catch up with her, so you're here to defame her. That's not what a gentleman would do, right?"

Lan Ling said, "If I were a gentleman, I wouldn't be here talking to you now."

"That's true, gentlemen always keep their distance from women like us, so as not to be tainted by us," Man Man said.

Lan Ling said seriously, "Gentlemen have long been kneeling before you, licking and gnawing, leaving no time to talk."

Man Man giggled, her whole body trembling, and said, "Bad guy, you've become even more smooth-talking after your trip."

After a while, Man Man stopped laughing and said, "Alright, what does the wastrel want? You haven't touched me for a long time, surely not to reminisce and relive old memories?"

Lan Ling said, "I came to discuss making money with you."

"Making money?" Man Man said lazily, "You, Master Solon, have always treated money like dirt, don't joke with us women who are obsessed with money."

Lan Ling said, "Really, I need to gather 3,900 gold coins within two days, or Duke Zhi Ting will kill me."

Man Man immediately stopped laughing and said, "Are you serious? Don't joke with me."

"I'm not joking," Lan Ling said, then he recounted the whole story.

After listening, Yi Man Man was silent for a long time, then gritted her teeth and said, "Zhi Ning, she's really a slut."

Then, she was silent for a while and said, "Are you here to ask me for money?"

Lan Ling said, "You can say that."

Man Man's beautiful eyes quickly flashed with a hint of disappointment, then she forced a smile, "Alright, you've spent two or three hundred gold coins on me. I've saved about a thousand gold coins over ten years. I'll give you half, and keep the other half for my old age."

Lan Ling was surprised. Sister Suo Ning Bing said Yi Man Man had saved at most three or four hundred gold coins, but he didn't expect her to have saved over a thousand.

But it was normal to imagine. Yi Man Man accompanied guests for two or three gold coins each time, and she sold her skills but not her body, drinking but not smiling.

On Earth, such a person would be considered a high-level celebrity, earning millions a year.

Then, Lan Ling shook his head and said, "Even if I need money, I won't ask you or anyone else. I'm going to sell paintings to make money."

"Selling paintings to make money?" Yi Man Man said, "My silly, I know you draw beautiful portraits, but at most, a painting is worth a few silver coins. The royal court's painters charge one gold coin per portrait. You want to sell paintings to make 3,900 gold coins? You're dreaming."

Then, Yi Man Man said, "My young master, how much do you want to sell your paintings for?"

"From dozens to a hundred gold coins," Lan Ling said.

Man Man rolled her eyes and pretended to faint, "A painting won't be worth more than one gold coin, wanting dozens or a hundred gold coins? Daydreaming."

Then, she said coquettishly, "Come, come, my darling, draw me a portrait. I want to see what a portrait worth dozens of gold coins looks like."

Lan Ling set up a drawing board, fixed a piece of white paper on it, and sharpened a carbon pencil.

He was going to draw a realistic portrait, one that could rival a photograph.

This was his strongest skill, which he started learning at around six years old. After falling in love with his sister, he drew her every day, creating hundreds of portraits. His skill in realistic portraits was so advanced that it could achieve 95% of the effect of a black-and-white photo.

He might not have studied screenwriting if he hadn't thought painting had no future.

Looking at the seated Yi Man Man, Lan Ling began the first step, sketching the basic composition based on her body proportions.

In just a few minutes, the basic composition was completed, almost perfect without any corrections.

Next, he drew the rough outline of her face, followed by the detailed features.

Although it was a full-body portrait, the most important parts were the face and eyes.

Lan Ling, with his years of practice, immediately captured the eyes on paper.

In less than half an hour, a pair of vivid, beautiful eyes appeared on the paper.

They were seductive yet wild and fierce, incredibly lifelike. Lan Ling suspected that these eyes were even more beautiful than the real Yi Man Man.

The most crucial part of the entire portrait was completed, the essence of the work.

Next, he drew the nose, mouth, and cheeks.

He didn't even need to look at Yi Man Man, as her face was deeply imprinted in his mind, crystal clear.

Time flew by.

The face, hair, and neck were completed.

Next was the body part.

At this moment, Yi Man Man was wearing a belly band, sitting on a brocade stool, but in the portrait, she was wearing a bright red tight-fitting long dress, holding a sharp sword, practicing swordsmanship.

The entire sword practice scene was fierce yet graceful, completely different from her current seductive and sultry appearance.

In reality, she was a seductive brothel woman, but in the portrait, she became a sharp and graceful female swordsman.

Normally, Lan Ling would complete a realistic portrait in less than three hours.

But this painting took five hours.

Strangely, Yi Man Man also sat there for the entire five hours.

...

"Phew..." Lan Ling took a long breath.

After finishing the painting, he felt completely drained, extremely tired.

Then, he began to carefully examine the painting.

The portrait was over two feet tall, about half the height of a real person, with a strong visual impact.

Absolutely beautiful, absolutely lifelike, absolutely realistic.

Although it couldn't be 100% as real as a photo, the proportions, liveliness, and light and shadow effects were all top-notch.

It was like a black-and-white photo, achieving over 95% of the realism of a photo. (Those interested can search online; realistic portraits can indeed achieve 90% of the effect of a photo.)

The beauty on the paper seemed to be about to fly out of the white paper.

The sword in her hand and her eyes became the focal points of the painting, as if they were about to pierce out of the paper.

A work created with full dedication was indeed the most perfect. It would be difficult for Lan Ling to create such an excellent work again.

In the portrait, Yi Man Man's beauty, her eyes, and her aura were captivating.

"Finally finished?" Yi Man Man said, "Let me see, I want to see what a portrait worth a hundred gold coins looks like, according to Master Solon."

Lan Ling took the portrait and came to Yi Man Man, saying, "Close your eyes first."

Yi Man Man chuckled, "No need to be so dramatic. I've seen many of Master Solon's works, they're good, but nothing special. Putting on a mysterious act will only invite ridicule."

Lan Ling unfolded the scroll directly in front of her, about a foot away.

Instantly...

A strange low cry came from Yi Man Man's throat.

Then, she took several steps back, as if pushed back by the sword in the portrait.

Next, she took a few steps forward, opened her beautiful eyes wide, and examined the portrait inch by inch.

One minute, five minutes, ten minutes...

For a full fifteen minutes, Yi Man Man's gaze remained on the portrait, barely blinking.

Her expression first turned blank, then shocked, and finally completely entranced!

All the portraits in this world were impressionistic, with simple lines, only capturing the essence. (Look at ancient Chinese portraits, they only capture the essence, even the emperor's portrait is like that, not realistic at all.)

But realistic portraits were full of three-dimensional and light effects, capable of reproducing the real face to the greatest extent.

In this world, there were no photos, and even mirrors were not very clear.

The portrait in front of her almost achieved the realism of a black-and-white photo, a feeling even clearer than looking in a mirror. The copper mirrors in this world were not very clear.

The visual impact at that moment was indescribable. It was like the first time people in the Qing Dynasty saw their photos, almost fainting, thinking their souls had been taken and printed on white paper, otherwise how could it be so similar to themselves?

Yi Man Man knew Solon's painting skills were good, but only good, as she said, seeing them often, they were nothing special, no surprise.

She didn't expect that Solon's painting skills were now so advanced, almost magical.

"You, you really scared me. Is this some kind of witchcraft?" Then Yi Man Man said, "But even if it's so shocking, it can't sell for dozens of gold coins. Two or three gold coins per piece is more reasonable."

Lan Ling said, "That's true, even such a shocking portrait is worth at most two gold coins, and even that is high. But just watch me, I can sell a painting for dozens or a hundred gold coins."

Instantly, Yi Man Man's gaze towards Lan Ling had only three words: I don't believe it.

Indeed, a painting, no matter how good, could sell for at most two gold coins. Selling for dozens of gold coins was a dream.

...

Note: Sorry, I went out today, so the update is an hour late. I apologize.