Chapter 30

Then, Yimanan suddenly asked, "I am a famous courtesan, yet you have painted me as a female knight."

Lanling replied, "I painted the you in your heart."

Yimanan's heart trembled. She had once been the descendant of a high-ranking warrior. She possessed exceptional dragon blood talent and had completed her martial arts enlightenment at the age of eight. By the time she was ten, she was already famous throughout the county. If nothing had gone wrong, her family would have had a dragon warrior, and a female one at that, in thirty years.

However, in the year she turned ten, the King of Zhibian began to purge those who had supported the wrong side in the struggle for the throne.

Yimanan's family was implicated when her lord's lord was purged. Her father was executed, and despite her outstanding martial talent, no one dared to take her in. At the age of ten, she was sold to a brothel to be trained as a cash cow.

After more than ten years, she became one of the leading courtesans in the capital. As for her martial arts and sword skills, she had long forgotten them. But in her heart, she always harbored the dream of becoming a dragon warrior.

How many times at night had she woken up from a beautiful dream, only to bury her face in her pillow and cry, lamenting the unfairness of fate.

Moreover, she dared not forget her dream of becoming a dragon warrior. She feared that if she forgot this ideal, she would truly be lost in this world of pleasure, unable to extricate herself. Although her body had fallen, she hoped her soul remained noble.

However, time had passed, and despair had lasted too long. She was almost about to forget her dream. She could no longer even imagine herself holding a sword or practicing swordsmanship.

But at that moment, Lanling's painting struck the most beautiful and softest part of her heart.

In an instant, the image of her dream self became crystal clear.

After a long while, Yimanan said, "You have hit the most beautiful and softest part of my heart."

Then, she gave him a sidelong glance and said, "You heartless flirt, I'll fall for your trick. Here are five hundred gold coins, and I'll lend you another three hundred. Remember to pay me back!"

With that, she rose gracefully to get the money.

Lanling grabbed her, and she took the opportunity to sit directly in his lap, making his heart race. He looked like a Casanova, but he was actually a virgin.

"I said I don't want your money. I want to make money by selling paintings," Lanling said.

"Alright, consider it my request. Take my money as payment for the nights you spent with me," Yimanan said. She puckered her lips and kissed Lanling, not believing that a painting could sell for dozens of gold coins.

Lanling asked, "Listen to my plan. In your Feathered Pavilion, are there any women who are very beautiful and distinctive but not famous?"

"There are many," Yimanan said. "What makes someone famous in this industry? It's all about promotion and support. There are plenty of beautiful women."

This is the same on Earth. Is Guo Meimei beautiful? There are many women in street salons who are more beautiful, but those beauties earn a few hundred dollars a night, while Guo Meimei earns tens of thousands. The key is hype and popularity.

"Alright, find me such a girl. She should be beautiful, distinctive, and not famous," Lanling said.

Yimanan looked at Lanling suspiciously, then nodded and called out, "Go get Ye Xiaoxian."

A moment later, a girl named Ye Xiaoxian entered. After flattering Yimanan, she kept making suggestive gestures and throwing flirtatious glances at Lanling.

Lanling could see that she was indeed very beautiful and distinctive, with a气质 similar to the Earth celebrity Joey Wong, a cat-like girl.

However, her stage name and appearance did not match her personality. Her current price was only five silver coins.

Lanling pointed at her and said, "You, you will be my shill. Buy one of my paintings for fifty gold coins. Yimanan will pay for it."

Ye Xiaoxian was confused but nodded and said, "Yes, Master Solon."

Then, Lanling said to Yimanan, "Yimanan, please send invitations to all the courtesans in the city, especially the most beautiful ones who were once famous but are not anymore. Don't invite those who are currently famous."

Yimanan said, "That's at least a few hundred."

There were at least ten thousand women in the capital in this profession, and the top tier numbered in the hundreds.

Yimanan was puzzled but still nodded in agreement.

...

It was already late at night, and apart from the overnight guests, there were no other customers in the Feathered Pavilion. Normally, it would be closed by this time.

But the Feathered Pavilion was now brightly lit, with a cacophony of voices and a sea of women.

Yimanan had originally planned to invite only the once-famous courtesans in the capital, especially those who were very beautiful but not famous.

However, the competitive nature of the industry was strong. When the girls in the same courtyard saw others being invited but not themselves, they were very upset and followed along.

As a result, hundreds of courtesans from the Feathered Pavilion came, including all the most beautiful women in the capital.

Where there are many women, there are many opinions. One woman is like five hundred ducks, so with hundreds of women present, the situation was chaotic.

"What did Master Solon and Yimanan call us here for? Why haven't they shown up yet?"

"Indeed, if it weren't for Master Solon, I wouldn't have come."

"Right, what right does Yimanan have to call us all here? We are all famous, and she isn't much more famous than us."

Yimanan had only sent invitations to the famous courtesans without explaining the reason, but she had added Solon's name to the invitation.

He truly was the patriarch of the pleasure world, a superstar in the brothel industry, with boundless influence. Everyone came at his invitation, even those who were not invited.

Amidst the anticipation, Lanling and Yimanan appeared at the top of the stairs on the second floor.

Instantly, hundreds of beautiful eyes turned to Solon, and the girls started to pout and complain.

"Master Solon, I've missed you so much."

"Master Solon, you are so heartless, not visiting us for months after returning to the capital."

"At least you have a conscience, inviting us for drinks."

The Feathered Pavilion's main hall was packed with hundreds of girls. Lanling had never seen so many beautiful women before, and he was completely dazzled.

According to Yimanan, a quarter of the girls downstairs had been with Solon. Lanling shuddered, thinking that if Solon were to live, he would surely become a "thousand-man slayer" and challenge the record of the Earth's Playboy boss.

"Alright, no more waiting. Close the door," Yimanan said.

A few attendants stepped forward and closed the main door.

Yimanan looked at the other courtesans and said, "You must be curious why Master Solon and I have called you all here."

This piqued the curiosity of the women, even those who had come just to see what was happening.

"Today, we are not here for a meal or drinks. We are here to see a painting," Yimanan said.

"Boo..." The women expressed their disappointment. What was so special about a painting? They had seen many.

Yimanan said, "This painting is by Master Solon. It is not just a painting; it is a masterpiece that can captivate the heart."

The women were skeptical. Although they loved Solon, many knew his painting skills, which were good but not heart-stopping.

"Little Man, although we all love Master Solon, in terms of painting, Mr. Lang is the best. Even the royal portraits are done by him," one of the girls said.

"I know you don't believe me," Yimanan said. "But if you don't scream after seeing it, I will leave the pleasure world and give up my position as the top courtesan. This is not just a painting; it is a revolutionary work of art. After this, all other portraits can be burned."

This statement filled the women with curiosity.

Yimanan unrolled the scroll and said, "Everyone, look closely."

All the women widened their eyes and stared at the scroll in Yimanan's hand.

Yimanan did not unroll it slowly but suddenly opened the entire scroll.

"Whoosh..."

Instantly, a two-foot painting was revealed to everyone.

The women's eyes lit up, and their mouths opened wide, unable to close.

The painting was truly stunning, almost identical to a real person, even more beautiful.

How was this possible?

This world had never seen such a technique, where a painting could be so lifelike, with every hair, the gleam in the eyes, and the shine on the lips perfectly captured.

How was this done?

It was completely unprecedented.

It was truly a divine skill, a revolution in painting.

Yimanan was right; after this painting, all other artists could go home, and all other portraits could be burned.

First, there was complete silence, then the girls' exclamations of surprise.

They looked at Lanling with disbelief. Could this really be painted by Master Solon? Although they knew his skills were high, they had never imagined such divine and masterful work.

Yimanan asked, "Sisters, what do we fear the most?"

"Of course, the loss of youth."

"The passing of our prime."

"Old age and decline."

The women shouted in response.

Indeed, the greatest fear for women in this profession was not death but the loss of beauty and attention.

Yimanan said, "Exactly, in six words: No beauty, no life."

These words struck a chord with all the girls. Indeed, no beauty, no life.

Yimanan continued, "We will all grow old and die. But this painting can preserve your beauty forever. When you are old, you can look at it and remember. When you die, your descendants can admire your beauty."

These words touched the hearts of the women, and they were filled with longing for such a lifelike painting.

Even after they grew old or died, their beauty could be preserved in this way.

Yimanan pointed to the painting and said, "This is a revolutionary work of art, unprecedented and unmatched. It is called 'Soul Reflection.'"

The name was fitting and impressive.

The girls agreed with the name, finding it very realistic, as if the entire person had been imprinted on the canvas.

Yimanan asked, "How much would you be willing to pay for such a painting?"

"One gold coin!"

"Two gold coins!"

"Three gold coins."

The girls bid, with the highest being three gold coins. They were enthusiastic, and almost everyone wanted one, but most were only willing to pay one or two gold coins, which was already a high price.

Yimanan glanced at Lanling, as if to say, "See, I told you."

While the lifelike portrait was impressive, selling paintings alone would not earn 3,900 gold coins in two days.

...

Lanling took a deep breath and stepped forward. Instantly, all the girls' attention was on him.

He took a deep breath, knowing that whether he could earn 3,900 gold coins depended on his performance.

"Ladies, some of you are famous, and some are not. The famous ones charge two gold coins per night and act superior, waiting for men to grovel. The not-so-famous ones charge a few silver coins and have to flatter men they find repulsive," Lanling said, his voice filled with enthusiasm. "I ask the not-so-famous ones, is it because you are not as beautiful as others?"

"No," the beautiful but not-so-famous girls shouted.

In this profession, to be among the top few hundred, one had to be a rare beauty.

"Why are you not famous?" Lanling shouted.

The girls responded.

"No one promotes us!"

"No one supports us!"

"No one hypes us!"

Lanling shouted, "Exactly, because no one promotes or hypes you. What is most important in this profession? It's popularity. The more popular you are, the higher your value. In the pleasure world, it's all about the economy of attention."

Lanling looked at the girls and said, "Who am I, Solon? I am the patriarch of the pleasure world, the leader of the patrons. I understand the psychology of these men better than anyone, and I know how to make a girl famous. I will launch the largest courtesan event in the capital's history, the 'Nineteen Beauties of the Capital.'"

The Nineteen Beauties of the Capital?

Lanling said, "I will select nineteen girls from among you. I will use a new approach, with unprecedented styles and costumes, to package each of you in a way that will shock the men of the capital."

"Regardless of your current value, I guarantee that any girl selected for the Nineteen Beauties of the Capital will see her value increase at least tenfold after my packaging and hype."

...

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