I Can Devour Spirits

Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Huaying Building

As soon as Duan Rong got back to the dormitory, he collapsed onto the bed. The rays of the afternoon sun filtered through the carved window covered with a thin cloth, shining on Duan Rong’s face. He casually grabbed a small stack of rice paper and covered his face with it, falling into a deep sleep.

In his dreams, Duan Rong saw a slender young man with his hair tied up, diligently practicing painting in a dilapidated courtyard.

He continuously traced and copied artworks, and over the years, he gathered a small basket of worn-out brushes...

Two hours later, Duan Rong suddenly woke up.

Recalling the dream and the experiences of that skinny scholar, he felt quite emotional.

Although literature thrives in poverty, the spirit of striving is consistent.

In the dream, Duan Rong clearly felt a relentless spirit of striving upward, unwilling to accept fate. Although that scholar didn’t become a renowned artist, at least he could support his family’s livelihood with his own hands...

”Life is not easy...”

Duan Rong suddenly felt very hungry. He left the dormitory, looked at the sky, and estimated that it was around 7 p.m., past the time the canteen served meals.

Duan Rong had no choice but to leave the Escort Agency, buy a bowl of wontons and two sesame seed cakes from a street vendor, and ate voraciously.

After eating and drinking, Duan Rong felt a warm sensation in his stomach. He paid the bill and returned to the dormitory at the Escort Agency.

He lit the oil lamp, adjusted the dyes, spread out the rice paper, and began his work.

Duan Rong painted through the night, and it wasn’t until dawn that he finally looked at the two paintings in front of him and smiled.

They were still full-body portraits of Xiao Zongting and Xiao Baijiao, but these two were noticeably better than the previous ones.

Not only did they have a deep mental realm, but the figures also seemed more lifelike, as if they possessed souls.

Duan Rong’s brushwork combined the initial levels of Danqing Brush and Divine Brushwork, and with his modern aesthetic sense from Photoshop, he had completely mastered the technical barrier.

”I’ve mastered the technical barrier; the next issue is the application scenario...” Duan Rong subconsciously rubbed his fingers. In fact, he already had the answer to this question.

However, he was still a bit hesitant.

Although the quickest way to make a high profit is to earn the money of the wealthy, after all, there are many disputes in front of brothels!

Duan Rong’s eyes flashed with determination. ”High risk, high reward!”

Duan Rong collected the rice paper in front of him, pulled out a sheet of white paper, held a brush with his wrist suspended over the paper, and sketched for about half the time it takes to burn an incense stick. Looking at the simple lines on the paper, he smiled slightly, put down the brush, rolled up the rice paper, and left the dorm.

Duan Rong first had breakfast at a street stall, then headed straight to a carpenter’s shop at the street corner.

When Duan Rong arrived at the shop’s entrance, he saw an old man with a clear-cut face drinking tea in front of the shop.

This woodworker shop, named Li’s, was run by a father and son with the surname Li.

The son, young Li, was about thirty years old, tall and brawny.

The father, old Li, was over fifty, with greying hair, slightly hunchbacked from years of work, but still very spirited.

The one drinking tea in front of the shop was old Li.

Duan Rong walked over quickly and said, ”Shopkeeper, can you make this?”

Duan Rong handed a rolled sheet of rice paper to old Li.

Old Li was slightly taken aback, not expecting business so early in the morning. He took the rolled paper and said with a smile, ”Customer, have a seat and have a cup of tea.”

Duan Rong sat unceremoniously in a rattan chair but didn’t drink the tea. Instead, he kept his eyes on old Li.

Old Li slowly unrolled the rice paper, revealing simple and clear ink lines outlining the structure of an artifact on the white paper.

However, even with his lifetime of carpentry experience, old Li had never seen such a thing.

”Customer, what is this? The structure is not complex. But forgive my old eyes; I’ve never seen such an object before.” A strange glint flashed in old Li’s cloudy eyes.

”Shopkeeper, this is called an easel. Just make it following the design,” Duan Rong replied with a light laugh.

Old Li glanced at Duan Rong. This young man’s square face and bright eyes, along with his dark complexion, made him seem not too old, yet he was calm and composed—unlike the typical naive and honest kids.

”Alright... alright...” Old Li nodded in agreement. ”It’s just... this is a new item, so it’ll be a little slow at first... I’m afraid it’ll take some time...”

”That’s fine. How about if I come back at 3 p.m. Can you finish it by then?”

”Yes, 3 p.m. is definitely doable.”

Seeing old Li agree so readily, Duan Rong smiled and said, ”Then it’s settled; I’ll come by 3 p.m.”

”But... customer, the shop requires a deposit for custom orders... you see...” Old Li looked at Duan Rong and said earnestly.

”How much is the deposit?”

”For an object of this size and complexity, if it were a familiar item, it’d be two money. But since it’s new, there’s an extra charge of one money, totaling three money. The deposit is one money, with the remaining two money paid upon delivery.”

Duan Rong paid the deposit, instructed old Li briefly, and then left.

Duan Rong left the woodworker shop and returned to Yuan Shun Escort Agency, where he practiced Pile Skill in the Martial Arts Arena for an hour and a half.

After finishing, Duan Rong looked slightly fatigued. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, clearly feeling a sense of depletion and fatigue in his body.

Unlike when cultivating the First Level of Inner Breath previously, where after finishing practice, he felt refreshed, and though his body was tired, there was an internal vitality that continuously emerged.

Duan Rong rested for a while. After having lunch, he read some miscellaneous books in the dormitory and left the Escort Agency at 3 p.m., heading to Li’s Woodworker Shop.

When Duan Rong arrived at the shop, the easel was already completed. He tested it and found that it was of top quality, made from excellent wood.

It was foldable and easy to carry.

This easel was actually just a folding tripod with a drawing board, not very complicated to make.

Duan Rong paid the remaining amount, then spent a dozen coins to buy a small folding stool. With the easel and stool folded together, he clamped them under one arm and returned to the Escort Agency.

Huaying Building is the largest brothel in Xianggu County.

The two-story wooden pagoda-style structure had upturned eaves and ornate painted beams, becoming brightly lit at night with music permeating the air.

This was both a place of sensual indulgence and a money pit, frequented by young men willing to spend lavishly and old lecherous men aplenty.

The owner of Huaying Building was Madam Hu Huanhuan, who used to be a famous courtesan in Prefecture City.

However, that was more than twenty years ago.

Now, Hu Huanhuan was past her prime, no longer the beauty she once was.

But it was said that she was an oiran in Yuanyang Prefecture for ten years and was extremely popular in her time.

Later, when her beauty faded and she grew old, she returned to her hometown, where she had roamed in her youth, and opened Huaying Building.

Hu Huanhuan was skilled in the Charm Art, and in recent years, she groomed the Four Great Flower Shadows: Lian Ying, Mei Ying, Ju Ying, and Lan Ying.

They captivated countless amorous young men and lustful men, willingly submitting to their charms.

The fame of Huaying Building spread far and wide to nearby prefectures and counties.

It lured many into ruinous extravagance; leaving many libertines impoverished and ruined...