World-Ending Demon Emperor-Chapter 29 - Making Money from This

29: Chapter 29: Making Money from This?

Incredible Skills!

29 -29: Making Money from This?

Incredible Skills!

Her voice was rare, husky without being husky, coquettish yet not quite.

In its delicacy, there was a rough charm.

In short, it was a voice with a very seductive quality.

“I did say I wanted to start afresh, not to return to the Qinglou,” Lanling laughed.

“But have you ever seen a man who kept his word?”

“Well, that’s true…” the woman said.

“Especially a man like you.”

Then, she turned her cheek, showing half of her face.

Different from what Lanling had imagined, her looks were not typically beautiful but rather more bewitching.

Especially her eyes, though double-lidded, the fold wasn’t very pronounced and instead were subtle.

The eyes weren’t particularly large, but those upturned almond eyes seemed to be flirting at every moment.

Her nose was also high and straight, giving the impression of a proud spirit.

Her face was voluptuous, not the typical melon seed shape, with a small mouth but full lips.

Despite being a very beautiful woman, the first impression she gave to a man was not of beauty, but of allure.

“What’s the matter?

Has the toad failed to eat the swan meat, and now you’re coming to cry to this wild mandarin duck?” Yi Manman mocked.

Lanling walked behind her, and without any awkwardness, picked up an ivory comb to brush her hair, smiling as he said, “Not really.

I went to the Heavenly Demon Mountain Range, saw a lot, and thought a lot.

It was as if my soul had been baptized, and many things became clear to me.”

“Tell me, what did you finally see clearly?” Manman lazily asked, naturally leaning into Lanling’s arms, raising her almond eyes and staring at him with watery interest.

“I saw and realized a lot,” Lanling said with a deep sigh, filled with lingering emotion.

“What did you come to understand?” Yi Manman inquired.

“For example…” Lanling answered solemnly, “Zhi Ning is a bitch.”

“Pfft…” Manman hadn’t expected that to be his conclusion.

From Suo Lun’s tone, it sounded like his soul had been cleansed on the Heavenly Demon Mountain Range, surely leading to some profound and detached enlightenment.

But it turned out to be this.

It was as if someone had gone to Lacheng for spiritual cleansing and upon returning, their first realization was: the misses there are expensive, while the respectable families ask for nothing.

So, Manman mockingly said, “Oh, you fail to chase someone, and you badmouth her here.

That’s not what a gentleman would do.”

Lanling said, “If I were a gentleman, I wouldn’t be here talking to you.”

“Indeed, gentlemen always keep their distance from women like us, lest their reputations be tarnished by us,” Manman said.

Lanling seriously replied, “A gentleman would already be kneeling before you to the extreme, with no time to speak.”

Manman immediately giggled, her delicate body trembling, “Bad egg, you’ve become even slicker with words after your trip.”

Finally calming her laughter, Manman sobered up and said, “All right, what do you want, you wastrel?

It’s been a long time since you’ve touched me.

You wouldn’t be here reminiscing about the good old days just because you miss me, would you?”

Lanling said, “I came to discuss making money with you.”

“Making money?” Manman lazily said, “You, Master Suo Lun, have always regarded money as dirt.

Don’t make jokes with us women who crave it.”

Lanling said, “Seriously, I need to gather three thousand nine hundred Gold Coins within two days, or Duke Zhi Ting will have me killed.”

Manman’s face became serious at once, “Are you being serious?

Don’t joke about this with me.”

“I’m not joking,” Lanling assured her and then he recounted the entire event in detail.

After hearing the story, Yi Manman was silent for a long while, then she clenched her teeth and said, “Zhi Ning, she really is a bitch.”

Then, after a long silence, she asked, “Did you come to me for money?”

Lanling said, “You could say that.”

Instantly, a flicker of disappointment, even despair, darted across Yi Manman’s beautiful eyes.

Then, putting on a forced smile, she said, “Well, you’ve spent two to three hundred Gold Coins on me after all.

I’ve managed to save about a thousand Gold Coins over the past ten years.

I’ll give you half, and I’ll keep the other half for my retirement.”

Lanling was taken aback; Suo Ningbing had said that Yi Manman had probably saved up only three to four hundred Gold Coins, not the thousand that she claimed.

But thinking about it, it made sense.

Yi Manman charged two to three Gold Coins per encounter with her guests and sold her art, not her body—she provided company without the laughter.

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

Then, shaking his head, Lanling said, “Even if I need money, I would not ask you for it, nor would I ask anyone else.

I plan to make money by selling paintings.”

“Selling paintings?” Yi Manman asked, “My fool, I know you draw good portraits of beauties, but at most, one painting might fetch a few silver coins.

A royal painter’s portrait is worth only one Gold Coin.

If you think you can sell paintings for three thousand nine hundred Gold Coins, you’re dreaming.”

Continuing, Yi Manman teased, “My lord, how much do you think your painting can sell for?”

“Anywhere from a few dozen to one hundred Gold Coins,” Lanling said.

Immediately, Yi Manman rolled her eyes heavenward, pretending to faint, as if to say no painting could fetch more than one Gold Coin, let alone dozens to a hundred—it was pure daydreaming.

Then, in a coquettish voice, she challenged, “Come on, my darling, draw one for sister.

I want to see what a painting worth dozens of Gold Coins looks like?”

Lanling set up a drawing board, fixed a piece of paper onto it, and sharpened a carbon pencil.

What he planned to draw was a lifelike pencil sketch, one that could compete with photographs.

This was his best skill.

He had begun learning around the age of six, and after developing a secret crush on his sister, he had drawn her almost every day, resulting in hundreds of sketches.

His skill in lifelike sketching reached a divine level, achieving 95% of the effect of black-and-white photos.

It could be said that, had he not thought that painting had no future, he would not have chosen to study screenwriting.

Looking at Yi Manman who was sitting elegantly, Lanling started the first step quickly—sketching the composition according to her body proportions.

In just a few minutes, the basic composition was complete without any modifications, almost perfect.

Next came the general outline of the face, followed by the refinement of the features.

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

With more than a decade of practice, Lanling immediately captured the entire essence of her gaze onto the paper.

Less than half an hour had passed, and a pair of lifelike, beautiful eyes had emerged on the paper.

They were coquettish with a mix of wildness and boldness, so vivid they seemed almost supernatural.

Lanling wondered if just this pair of eyes was even more beautiful than the real Yi Manman.

The most crucial part of the entire painting was completed, the finishing touch that brought the dragon to life.

Next were the nose, mouth, and cheeks.

He didn’t even need to look at Yi Manman because at this point, her face was deeply etched in his mind, crystal clear.

Time passed swiftly.

The face was completed, then the hair, then the neck.

The body was next.

At this moment, Yi Manman was sitting cross-legged on a brocaded stool, dressed in a short robe, but in the painting, she wore a bright red, tight-fitting long gown, holding a sharp sword in hand, practicing her swordsmanship.

The whole sword practice scene was fierce yet graceful, a stark contrast to her sultry and alluring demeanor of the moment.

In reality, she was a flamboyant courtesan, but in the portrait, she had become a sharp and elegant swordswoman.

Typically, it took Lanling less than three hours to sketch a portrait.

This painting, however, took a full five hours.

And strangely, Yi Manman had actually sat there for the whole five hours.

…

“Phew…” Lanling let out a long sigh of relief.

After completing the painting, he felt utterly drained; he was truly exhausted.

Then, he began to scrutinize the painting closely.

The portrait was more than two feet tall, roughly half the height of a real person, and possessed an impressive visual impact.

Absolute beauty, absolute vividness, absolute realism.

Although it couldn’t be exactly one hundred percent like a photograph, the proportions, liveliness, and the effects of light and shadow were all top-notch.

It was almost like a black and white photo, achieving more than ninety-five percent of a photograph’s realism.

(If interested, you can search online for photorealistic drawings, which indeed can reach ninety percent of photographic effect.)

The beauty in the painting seemed ready to leap off the white paper.

Her sword in hand, and the look in her eyes, became the focal points of the painting, as if the sword was about to thrust out from the paper.

A work completed with full dedication is indeed the most perfect of works.

It would be difficult for Lanling to produce such an outstanding piece again.

In the portrait, Yi Manman’s beauty, her gaze, her aura, were absolutely captivating.

“Is it finally done?” Yi Manman said, “Bring it over and let me take a look.

I want to see what a painting that Suo Lun claims is worth a hundred gold coins looks like.”

Lanling removed the portrait and approached Yi Manman, “Close your eyes first.”

Yi Manman chuckled, “There’s no need for such pretense.

I’ve seen plenty of Suo Lun’s work, and although it’s quite good, it’s just okay.

Putting on an air of mystery will only invite ridicule.”

Lanling unfolded the scroll right in front of her, about a foot from her face.

In an instant…

A strange, low hum came from deep in Yi Manman’s throat.

Then, she took several steps backward, as if pushed away by the sword in the painting.

She moved forward again, her beautiful eyes widening as she scrutinized her likeness in the portrait, inch by inch.

One minute, five minutes, ten minutes…

For a full quarter of an hour, Yi Manman’s gaze stayed transfixed on the portrait, her eyes barely blinking.

Her expression went from stunned, to shocked, and then to utterly entranced!

All the portraits in this world were impressionistic, mere simple outlines focused on capturing the spirit.

(If one looks at ancient Chinese portraits, they will know that the emphasis is solely on capturing the essence; even emperor’s portraits are the same and don’t actually resemble them.)

However, photorealistic sketching, filled with three-dimensionality and light effects, can restore a face’s true likeness to the greatest extent.

This world had never seen photographs, and even mirrors were not very clear.

And this portrait in front of her almost reached the realism of a black and white photo, a sensation even clearer than looking in a mirror, given that mirrors in this world were not crystal clear.

That moment’s visual shock was indescribable.

It was like when someone from the Qing Dynasty saw their photograph for the first time; they were almost faint from fear, thinking their soul had been drawn out and imprinted on the paper—how else could it look so much like themselves?

Yi Manman knew that Suo Lun was pretty good at painting, but it was just that—pretty good, as she said, nothing surprising after seeing too much of it.

Yet, she had never imagined that Suo Lun’s painting skill could be so incredibly captivating and skillful.

“You, you have really scared me.

Could this be some sort of sorcery?” Following that, Yi Manman said, “Yet, no matter how shocking, it’s impossible to sell for tens of gold coins.

Two or three gold coins apiece might be reasonable.”

Lanling said, “You’re right, even such an astounding portrait would at most be worth two gold coins, and even that price is high.

But watch me, I will be able to sell a painting for several tens or a hundred gold coins.”

At that, the look Yi Manman gave Lanling conveyed just three words: I don’t believe.

Indeed, pricing a painting sky-high, two gold coins was already the limit.

Selling for tens of gold coins was out of the question, even in dreams.

…

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

My apologies.