Peerless Heiress - Chapter 39
The scholar stumbled and gathered the things on the table: a few paintbrushes, a roll of Xuan paper, and a painting album. His face was full of excitement as he hurried over.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind, and I remembered someone. I grabbed Ruying's hand and asked, "He...he's that painter?!"
Ru Ying smiled and said, "Yes."
sky--
In the Kingdom of Tianxing, there was a famous figure who lay between good and evil, whose reputation was divided. However, his name was known to almost everyone, especially courtesans and talented men.
His fame stems from his unparalleled and astonishing painting skills. He is so talented that anything that passes through his hands gains a spiritual glow, instantly revealing its most beautiful and genuine side.
His fame also stemmed from his love for brothels, or rather, from his love for erotic and nude paintings. He was almost pathologically obsessed with painting these things. Any brothel woman painted by him would immediately become a hundred times more valuable. And his erotic paintings, in the hands of young talents who frequented brothels or regular patrons, were worth a fortune.
This man was also very mysterious. No one ever knew when or where he would appear, or what his background was. He wandered around, and the brothel madams worked together to keep his whereabouts a secret. They protected him like a treasure, because a piece of paper he drew on a whim was not only worth a fortune to them, but also a golden advertisement.
He was known as the courtesan painter.
Chapter 93 Original Painter
In a short while, the bamboo curtain swayed rapidly, and the scholar's overjoyed face appeared before me. He rushed in, casually tossed the messy things he was carrying onto the table, and then, beaming, gave me a long, respectful bow: "Greetings, brother!"
I chuckled.
"You're too kind, scholar. Please sit down," I joked.
The scholar straightened up and earnestly corrected him: "My surname is Xu, and my given name is Youzhi. You may call me Brother Youzhi, or Brother Xu. May I ask how you would address me?"
Lü Ju burst out laughing from the side.
I nodded expressionlessly: "Yes, yes, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, I am Lin Ran, but please don't call me Brother Lin Ran or Brother Ran, just call me Lin Ran."
Xu Dashusheng was taken aback by my rambling before finally speaking: "Should I call you Lin Ran?"
I nodded, smiling, "Yes, I'll still call you 'Scholar,' it just sounds better."
The scholar scratched his head sheepishly: "Uh... okay."
"Um, is that a picture book you're holding? Can I take a look?" My eyes darted around and landed on his hand, and I couldn't help but ask curiously.
The person before me was polite and cheerful, yet possessed a childlike innocence, a mix of Confucianism and traditionalism, with a touch of naiveté. His eyes were clear, bright, and sparkling.
—Is this the obscene painter who exists somewhere between good and evil, possessing exceptional skill but morally reprehensible artistry?
It's really so different from what I've heard.
When Xu Youzhi heard me mention his painting, his eyes lit up and immediately shone brightly: "Lin Ran, you are the closest confidant I've ever had, someone I admire deeply. Even if Lin Ran hadn't said anything, I would have shown this painting to you..."
As the painter Xu was speaking enthusiastically, his eyes suddenly fell on Ru Ying, who was standing to the side. He paused for a moment, and a hint of shyness appeared on his face.
What? You've already drawn it, why are you afraid to let others see it?
I find it funny.
When Ruying heard us mention his paintings, she became embarrassed, two blushes appearing on her face. She stood up gracefully and said, "You guys chat, I'll go check on how those girls' training is going today."
As soon as Ru Ying's figure disappeared outside the door, he eagerly handed over the sketchbook, his expression a mixture of excitement and unease.
I took it and casually flipped through it.
The paintings, mostly of women—some elaborately dressed, some half-naked, some with disheveled clothing—were quite comprehensive. The lines were relatively smooth, but the expressions on each one seemed somewhat stiff and unnatural. Pu Pu's album contained about thirty or forty paintings, all like this. Only at the very end were a few erotic paintings, complete versions, but even those lacked the vibrancy of the half-painted erotic picture Xiao Zheng had stolen yesterday. The figures in these paintings were stiff, almost performative. They were far inferior to the Western nude oil paintings in the galleries of my world.
Is this what they call unparalleled painting skills?
I was greatly disappointed and slammed the picture book shut.
It's pointless.
A certain original artist looked at me cautiously, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"Lin Ran, what do you think?"
"How did you draw these things?" I asked abruptly.
"Um... um..." Xu blushed, stammering for a long time without getting anything out of it.
I was getting impatient and was about to glare at him when suddenly a thought flashed through my mind. My eyes widened immediately, and I blurted out, "You're not going to pay to be a customer of a prostitute, and then do nothing but let her take off her clothes and paint your portrait, are you?"
"Uh, how did you know?" He immediately raised his head and asked me excitedly.
I swallowed hard and pointed to the last few erotic pictures: "This one too?"
"Hmm." The scholar Xu smiled amiably.
I rolled my eyes.
Surprisingly, surprisingly﹏﹏
Chapter 94 Peeping
"What about that half of the erotic picture you had yesterday?" I groaned and asked again.
The scholar, beaming with excitement, exclaimed, "That half-finished painting from yesterday wasn't it! I just finished one yesterday, and as I was walking through the corridor, I suddenly saw a window wide open across the way. Inside, on a bed, on a bed… I thought it was so beautiful! The lines were fluid, the pressure just right, every inch of skin was smooth and radiant, and the expressions were all incredibly lifelike. It was simply amazing… I got carried away and started painting right there on the corridor. Alas, I only managed to finish half before Uncle Xu caught me, so I had to slip away!"
I instinctively shuddered and replied, "And then, in the midst of all that panic, you ran into Xiao Ni, and he stole your painting too, right?"
"That's right, Uncle Xu and the others still saw the painting later. Although they didn't tell my dad in the end, I almost got a real scolding from them." He complained with a bitter face.