"Shopkeeper."
She parked her motorcycle outside the bookshop and hurried in. The shopkeeper was looking down, working his abacus. He only looked up when he heard the boy's clear voice. After discreetly sizing her up, he lowered his head again and clicked away at the abacus. "What kind of book are you looking for, customer?"
Shen Tang pointed toward the sign outside, advertising that they were buying illustrations.
It was a notice offering a high price for illustrated manuscripts.
"Shopkeeper, are you buying illustrations? How much are you paying?"
At her words, the shopkeeper's fingers, which had been gliding smoothly over the abacus, faltered. The sharp "click-clack" of the beads colliding came to an abrupt stop, followed by a lingering, thoughtful silence.
He looked up and paused, studying her face as if to confirm something. Then he smiled with a hint of meaning. "Are you looking to sell illustrations, customer?"
Shen Tang nodded. "Yes, yes, I'd like to give it a try."
To her surprise, the shopkeeper shook his head. "Customer, I'm afraid you can't provide the kind of illustrations this shop needs. It wouldn't be suitable. Why not try somewhere else?"
"I draw, you buy. What's unsuitable about that?"
The shopkeeper let out a helpless laugh. Then, thinking Shen Tang was too young to understand, he phrased it more tactfully. "Well, this kind of work is usually done by older, married artists. The drawing skill doesn't have to be outstanding, just good enough to please the eye. Age and experience are what matter most."
At first, Shen Tang didn't catch his meaning. But when she heard the hint that "age and experience are what matter most," her expression turned peculiar.
Her brows twitched again and again as she tactfully hinted back, "Oh, oh, I see what you mean. Ahem, I understand, Shopkeeper. But sometimes age and experience really aren't that important. I think a broad base of knowledge and plenty of exposure matter more."
The shopkeeper choked on his words. "You understand?"
Shen Tang retorted, "Why wouldn't I?"
After all, in Qi Shan's words, she was a "dandy" who "rode through the pleasure quarter, nestled against pretty girls, debonair and carefree, playing at life." If she didn't understand, wouldn't that let down Qi Yuanliang, who had made up that persona for her? Shen Tang felt she must have made her living from erotic illustrations in the past.
Everyone knew that before transmigrating, she had been an ordinary artist, a shut-in who made a living with her skills.
In the pitifully few memories she had, her range of work seemed pretty broad—from cheap commission avatars to more expensive commercial illustrations. She'd drawn reaction images and fan art. Whether it was the kind that broadened your knowledge or the kind that broadened your horizons, she'd tried it all.
Her art skills couldn't compare with the greats who made people want to fall to their knees, but she shouldn't have much trouble earning enough to get by.
She had a mysterious confidence in her professional skills.
The shopkeeper was taken aback. Had he misjudged her?
Then again, he'd had that notice up for several days without anyone coming to offer their services, and the client was pressing him for it. Since someone had finally shown up, he might as well let her give it a try. Payment would come only after she handed in the illustrations, so if they were poorly drawn or the client wasn't satisfied, he wouldn't lose anything.
The shopkeeper pondered for a few breaths, then decided to let Shen Tang try.
There were a few unpleasant details he had to make clear beforehand, such as how she'd be paid and what the illustrations needed to depict. This client had specific requirements for the erotic illustrations. The client was the top male courtesan at the Moonlit Pavilion, and he wanted a set of portraits with himself as the main subject—sensual, but not explicit.
For the moment, Shen Tang hadn't paid attention to the other details.
She'd only heard the words "Moonlit Pavilion." What a coincidence! The Moonlit Pavilion was where Old Mr. Chu worked.
"Is it written with these three characters, 'Moonlit Pavilion'?"
Using her finger as a brush, she dipped it in a little tea and wrote the three characters for Moonlit Pavilion on the wooden table. The strokes flew with bold, sweeping force, wild but not chaotic. The whole thing flowed beautifully and was pleasing to the eye.
The shopkeeper's eyes lit up, and his expectations immediately rose.
If her handwriting was this good, her drawing skills were probably good too.
"Yes, yes, that's the Moonlit Pavilion."
There was only one Moonlit Pavilion in all of Xiaocheng.
Shen Tang asked again, "I can draw portraits and erotic illustrations, and the other requirements are fine too. It's just that—I've never met that male courtesan."
The shopkeeper waved a hand. "Don't worry about that."
Usually, the subject of a portrait would meet with the artist. Those who weren't very famous would even set aside their dignity and dress up carefully to model for the artist, all in the hope of looking good in the finished piece.
Not every courtesan could hire an artist to draw erotic illustrations. That privilege usually belonged to the top courtesans or rising stars of the brothels and entertainment houses. It was also a way to build their reputations.
First, it helped cement their popularity. Second, it attracted potential patrons.
If the illustrations sold well, they could still earn a little to live on when they grew older and their beauty faded.
To sum it up—
It was a bit like a personal photo shoot.
Learning a few new tricks wasn't the point. The point was to bring out the subject's beauty.
Shen Tang had learned something new. "Then should I come back later?"
"Why wait until later?" said the shopkeeper. "Going now would be perfect."
Shen Tang looked at him in surprise, then glanced outside at the blazing sun.
"Now? In broad daylight?"
Even with her sparse memories, she knew daytime wasn't exactly suitable.
The shopkeeper laughed. "That male courtesan is a popular figure. If you go at night, he won't have time to see you, let alone sit for a portrait. Places like that are chaotic; it wouldn't suit a young lady to visit after dark. This is the best time."
Shen Tang had no objections.
It was just—
"Are you very familiar with the Moonlit Pavilion, Shopkeeper?"
"I wouldn't say I'm familiar with it," the shopkeeper replied casually. "There are so many brothels and entertainment houses in Xiaocheng, and we've worked with all of them. The Moonlit Pavilion is famous, though, and does good business, so we've had more dealings with them."
Shen Tang looked thoughtful, then asked, "If... I wanted to buy a servant from the Moonlit Pavilion, about how much would it cost?"
Seeing how seriously she asked, the shopkeeper's imagination took off. He pictured a heart-wrenching tale of a "younger sibling sunk in the mire, rescued by a poor artist who stood up and bought their freedom." After all, no normal person would waste money buying a servant who worked in a place like that for any other reason.
"Well, that depends on whether the servant is male or female, young or old. The price varies with their circumstances." The shopkeeper was in a good mood now that he'd found an artist he could use and had something to report back to the client, so he didn't mind Shen Tang's questions. "The managers at those brothels and entertainment houses, though—they're all smiles on the outside and black-hearted underneath. They charge like bandits and won't let go until they've gotten their pound of flesh. Even for a servant, they'll demand three to five times the normal price."
Shen Tang murmured, "That makes sense. To escape a place like that, where they eat people without even spitting out the bones, you'd have to shed a layer of skin."
She had a bold idea.
If Old Mr. Chu was willing, she wanted to buy him.
Who knew when Qi Yuanliang, her "Guiding NPC," might suddenly disappear? If she bought Old Mr. Chu, couldn't he take over Qi Shan's role?
She didn't know Old Mr. Chu's address, but she could surely catch him at his workplace. The monk could escape, but his temple couldn't.
Shen Tang had thought the shopkeeper's "so many brothels and entertainment houses in Xiaocheng" was an exaggeration. She'd never imagined he meant it literally. In the heart of Xiaocheng, both sides of five whole streets were lined with establishments of that sort.
But it was daytime now, so the streets were quiet and deserted.
She clicked her tongue. "Th-this many?"
The shopkeeper looked as if he'd seen it all before.
"The Prefectural Government encourages their construction. How could there not be many?"
"The Prefectural Government encourages... their construction?"
Shen Tang was stunned for a moment.
The shopkeeper led Shen Tang to a freshly renovated courtyard house and told her to wait outside while he went in to explain why they'd come. He soon came back out. "Perfect timing—the man just woke up. He'll be ready once he's finished getting dressed. Let's go rent a private room at a teahouse on the main street and wait for him there."
Before you continue