John Smith's calligraphy was only at a beginner's level, just neat enough to write in the Liu style, and he could only recognize, not write, many traditional characters. But when he picked up the brush, he found that writing traditional characters posed no difficulty at all—perhaps another effect of the palm pattern, though he wasn't sure. Still, this merely neat handwriting was already considered excellent in this world that didn't care much for literary talent. At least, both Sarah Miller and Lily Carter found it very pleasing to the eye, and their first impression was, coincidentally, "the man is handsome and his writing is beautiful."

John Smith was writing a story, which he himself called a short novel.

He didn't plagiarize, but instead crafted a little piece tailored to the actual situation, though he did reference various story templates; the main thing was relying on his own writing skills.

The opening of the novel was fairly normal: it told of a wandering swordsman who, after being wounded in a fight, was rescued by a kind-hearted woman, Olivia, who tended to him with great care for over a month. During this time, the swordsman developed a secret affection for the gentle and kind Olivia.

But he gradually realized that something was off about the place. Outside, there were often the sounds of music and revelry, accompanied by drinking, laughter, and flirtatious banter between men and women.

Sometimes, Olivia's voice was among them, seductive to the core.

Once he was well enough to walk, the swordsman quietly stepped outside for a look and discovered that this was the famous capital brothel, Hundred Flowers Courtyard, and that Olivia... was the top courtesan here.

Having often worked as a copywriter, John Smith's prose was much better than his calligraphy. The story was written with deep emotion and entanglement. The swordsman's feelings for Olivia, their sweet interactions, and finally the pain and confusion upon discovering his beloved was a prostitute, not knowing whether to leave or stay—all of this kept Lily Carter utterly absorbed, unable to put it down.

When Olivia returned to the room once more to care for the swordsman, he tried to pull Olivia into bed. Unexpectedly, Olivia refused.

The swordsman was, of course, furious: "You can be with those other men, but in front of me you want to act chaste and virtuous?"

Olivia was deeply hurt: "Are you my client? Do you just want to toy with me like those others?"

The swordsman was left speechless.

That tangled, painful state of mind eventually began to twist after one day, when Olivia entered a room with a client. The swordsman actually started to secretly watch Olivia with her client. To voyeuristically watch his beloved with another man—such a mix of pain, conflict, and uncontrollable, twisted excitement—was depicted by John Smith with remarkable depth.

Even more vivid was the passionate scene on the bed. Drawing on his experience of reading thirty thousand erotic novels, John Smith wrote this part with incredible sensuality and intensity, interweaving the swordsman's complex emotions as a voyeur, bringing the story to an instant climax.

It was at this moment that the story revealed its true colors—it turned out to be an erotic tale!

Chapter Thirteen: So This Is What a Big Shot Is

Lily Carter, engrossed in the story, couldn't put it down, eager to know what the swordsman would do next. At the same time, she was so embarrassed by the explicit scenes that her face turned as red as a monkey's bottom. At this moment, she finally understood the expression she had seen earlier on Sarah Miller's face—wasn't it the same as her own now, cheeks flushed, and every glance at him filled with a watery tenderness, mixed with a hint of coyness or resentment?

John Smith continued to write furiously.

The story wasn't long—too long and no one would read it. In the end, the swordsman was found by his enemies again. Olivia risked her life to block a fatal blow for him, allowing the swordsman to kill his foe, but the Olivia in his arms was dying. With her last breath, Olivia said, "This life is over; in the next, I will serve you with a pure heart."

For John Smith, this was deliberately melodramatic, but for Lily Carter and Sarah Miller, who were encountering such a story for the first time, it truly made their noses tingle and tears fall in streams.

"John Smith, you jerk!"

"W-what did I do?"

"Why did you have to let Olivia die?"

"Tragedy is what moves people's hearts."

"I don't care, you have to bring her back to life!"

Seeing Lily Carter's tearful little face, John Smith couldn't help but laugh: "Of course she'll come back to life. Otherwise, how could our top courtesan Olivia exist?"

Lily Carter was stunned for a moment, exchanged a glance with Sarah Miller, and the two girls sniffled for a while before remembering that this was John Smith's second step.

Sarah Miller asked cautiously, "How will this story be used?"

"This is called soft advertising," John Smith said with a smile. "Didn't you notice the story is set in Hundred Flowers Courtyard, and the main character is its top courtesan? Once the story spreads, Hundred Flowers Courtyard will become famous, and so will Olivia. The key is whether the story can touch people's hearts. Judging by your reactions, there's a seventy or eighty percent chance it will."

Just like how Shaolin Temple became so famous—who knows how much credit should go to the martial arts novelists...

Lily Carter was starting to understand: "So you deliberately wrote those lascivious scenes in such detail..."

"Exactly..." No matter the era or culture, the things that spread fastest and attract the most attention are always the erotic ones—unless people are tired of them. It's human nature. Especially in this world, where literature isn't valued, no one would read something profound, but an erotic story is guaranteed to be popular. John Smith didn't say this out loud, but Lily Carter surely understood.