sang vierge

Chapitre 2

I don't care. When I have nothing left to lose, I'm not afraid of anything.

I saw the scorching sun of Lingnan.

Standing in the sweltering heat of July, the colors before my eyes shimmered wildly, clusters of tangled scales resembling those of a python, dazzling and slippery to the touch. Everything here seemed fresh yet tainted, as if it might spew out scalding sap at any moment. Flowers bloomed from the lush green bushes along the roadside, large, bowl-sized spheres of intense, vibrant color, deep pink mixed with other hues, appearing even more fiery than pure red. This was a bountiful and bizarre world. Even the sky seemed bluer, a deep, rich blue, like something out of another realm.

Everything was noisy, vying for attention and creating a cacophony of sounds. Lian Lei and I walked through the mingled, crowded goods and smells. He swam through the crowd like a fish, full of confidence and smugness. His mustache looked more prominent than ever before. "Aren't you amazed? This is nothing. I'll show you something much more interesting later," he said casually, glancing at me sideways with drooping eyelids. The setting sun was like a glistening, oily salted egg yolk, red and sticky. Fine sweat and dust clung to my neck. The smell of people, the incomprehensible, obscure language… I saw the market piled up like pagodas, filled with unidentifiable cakes, trinkets, herbs, and fruits. Real and fake jewelry, fine and coarse porcelain. And bolts and scraps of silk, flowing and piled up, even the most magnificent peony and swastika patterns had fallen to dust. The huge fruit emitted a foul stench, and I covered my nose as I passed by. Lian Lei told me it was called durian, one of the locals' favorite fruits.

It smells awful but tastes delicious, he said. Want to try some?

I shook my head vigorously. Without realizing it, I grabbed his hand and hastily fled from the smell. Lian Lei's palms were damp with sweat, slippery like eels. His figure stood out tall among the local Lingnan people on the street. His forehead was glistening with sweat, a dark, oily sheen. He suddenly turned his face and gave me a chuckle.

Are you afraid I'll leave you here? A sly yet nonchalant smile flickered across Lian Lei's eyes.

I pulled my fingers from his palm and gently wiped the sweat from my clothes. Turning my head, I saw someone killing a live snake. A tangled, mottled snake was writhing in a bamboo cage. He picked one up, pointed the tip of his knife, and with two fingers, a dark green, bean-sized snake gall bladder fell into a wine cup. Practice makes perfect. The buyer took it and downed it in one gulp. The snake twitched. Suddenly, everything went black, and I covered my eyes with my sweaty hands. "You naive little brat, if you're scared, don't look. Do you expect me to carry you if you faint?" Lian Lei grumbled, excitedly pulling me away as we passed a carriage. The carriage's canopy was made of the finest blue satin, gleaming with various colorful floral patterns made of white brass, reflecting the setting sun. The carriage shafts were made of fragrant wood. Oblivious to everyone else, it sped past. Lian Lei hurriedly pulled me to the side of the road, stumbling. "Damn it, you brats are blind! Are you going to a funeral?" He spat fiercely and stomped on it with the sole of his shoe. "Just you wait, tomorrow we'll find out who it is and we'll teach him a lesson!" He glared at me and said, "What are you looking at? Don't you believe me? Damn it, I haven't been here for months and you brats don't recognize me anymore? Stop dawdling and hurry up!"

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [9]: Kid, look at you. What are you betting on? Selling your girl if you lose? The dark-skinned, skinny man glanced at me sideways and said. Everyone in the room burst into laughter.

"Damn it!" Lian Lei cursed, pulling me behind his back. "You're so snobbish!" He pulled two silver ingots from his waist and tossed them onto the wooden table, instantly regaining his composure. He dusted off his clothes, sat down, and said arrogantly with a smirk, "Barbarians are just shallow-minded. Enough talk, let's get started?"

What's coming? Pai Gow or leaflets?

Why make things so complicated? I'm too lazy to waste time here. Let's get straight to the point, big or small, and settle this once and for all.

The dark-skinned, thin man sized him up. "You've got some nerve, kid."

nonsense.

But you only have enough money for one round of betting. Let me make this clear from the start: you have to accept the consequences of your bet. If you lose this little bit, just leave. Don't try to hold on.

Lian Lei spat and said, "Do you think I'm a newbie? You were probably nowhere to be found when I was playing! You're betting hand in hand, and you expect me to cover your losses? What kind of rules are these? Whether you open or not, I don't have time to waste on your nonsense!"

In the bright candlelight, the blue-and-white porcelain cup trembled, emitting a clear and melodious sound. Tinkling, tinkling. My eyes followed the nimble, almost unbelievably skillful, rough hands as they moved erratically. Lian Lei sat lazily in the greasy, worn-out chair, leaning back, his eyes half-closed as if indifferent.

Should I turn it up or down? A rough hand pressed down on the porcelain bowl, keeping it still on the table.

Lian Lei slightly opened his eyes and glanced disdainfully at the crowd of onlookers gathered around him. "Go all out," he said. Decisively and efficiently.

I looked at him. He looked at me too. His thin lips curled upwards, and his eyes held a mysterious yet calm air. Lian Lei lightly stroked his pointed mustache with his left pinky finger, a graceful gesture. "Seven o'clock, just listen for any movement," he whispered to me. "That's right. Girl, get ready to collect money for Master Lian."

I looked at him suspiciously. Lian Lei glared at me again, curled his lower lip at me, and his mustache twitched mockingly.

Hurry up and open it! Are you going to stagnate and grow beans? You won't go broke even if you lose once, hehe, too scared to open it?

...That damn swindler cheated! ...He's done with this business. I'll take this place down tomorrow! You'd better wait and see! Just you wait!

He pointed at the casino entrance and cursed loudly and forcefully. I stood quietly to the side, waiting for him to finish cursing, and then looked down to examine my clothes, which were torn in several places. Damn it! These scumbags don't know any of the rules of the underworld! Lian Lei cursed as he spat into his palm and wiped the wounds exposed by the tears in his clothes.

When the porcelain cup was lifted, there were two dots, one a bright red dot. The old, smooth ox bone color stood out vividly in the candlelight.

The silver ended up in someone else's pocket. Lian Lei got ten times the payback for the punches and kicks he inflicted on the thin, dark-skinned man. The show ended with us being thrown out of the casino. In the chaos, someone pinched my cheek hard, leaving a burning pain. Lian Lei's forehead was swollen high, an embarrassing bruise. He pulled me away, swearing to the heavens that he would destroy this place. He stroked his mustache and spat out a mouthful of blood.

That night we stayed at a run-down little inn. I still gripped the knife handle tightly and lay down fully clothed in the same room. When I woke up in the middle of the night, I saw Lian Lei sleeping soundly, still muttering some incomprehensible curses in his dream.

This man dared not face himself. I smiled. The yellowish-white moonlight of this foreign land bathed me in my first night in this city. I turned over in the humid, sultry air, leaving sweat stains on the straw mat. The shadow of the broken window frame was faintly cast on Lian Lei's face, which now appeared innocent.

Days passed, and the confident threats made at the beginning turned out to be nothing but empty words. Neither the carriage that nearly knocked us over nor the casino suffered any real retaliation from Master Lian. This man named Lian Lei, whom I had only met by chance, became clearer to me more and more, and I said nothing.

Ultimately, he's just an ordinary man from the streets. A little bit of cleverness, a little bit of bad luck. His quick-witted eyes and dark complexion, along with his signature mustache, reveal his arduous journey through life. A somewhat muddled mind. Just a person. Nothing particularly good or bad.

What's the difference between each person, A, B, C, and D?

I don't know who else is worthy of my hysteria and unwavering devotion. The high temperature evaporated the saltiness; in the broken basin of water in the inn, I saw my increasingly faint and tasteless smile. A fleeting white shadow.

Lian Lei no longer takes me to the casino. Perhaps he doesn't want me to witness his embarrassment again. He leaves early and returns late, or late and returns early, his indifferent gaze and domineering demeanor unchanged. He still proclaims himself "Master Lian," exuding an air of authority. He's a man who will never change. He's like a wisp of tea leaves, drifting aimlessly, gradually fading away as he's brewed.

Once, he hired a local prostitute, engaging in unabashed and straightforward intercourse, just like the first day I met him. The woman had yellowed teeth and protruding eyes, and she followed Lian Lei into the inn, giggling as she clutched a flowery handkerchief. "Hey, little girl, stay in the courtyard for a bit, make room!" He gestured smugly at me, while already reaching for the prostitute's belt without wasting any time. She giggled and slapped his hand away, pointing at me and saying something. Lian Lei shrugged. "Damn it, this little brat's got some nerve, she'll get armed—get out of here, or I'll take you too." He impatiently pushed the woman onto the bed, his crotch already bulging with a large, muscular bulge.

I went out and closed the door. The evening breeze in the courtyard wasn't cool; it was still suffocatingly hot. Peeping? Even if I offered libations, would I care? What do your desires have to do with me? The first phoenix in my heart has long since solidified into a dark red blood flower, withered in the abandoned past. The twelve peaks of Gaotang, where rain and clouds gather, the person I want isn't the one who wants me. In my panting thoughts, my desires come and go, there isn't your undulating, exquisite hips.

The broken window couldn't block out the sounds. The bamboo bed creaked and groaned, making me worry it would collapse and I'd have nowhere to sleep tonight. The woman's familiar, unrestrained moans gave any man the same encouragement and stimulation. Lian Lei, in one go, decided he couldn't lose money since he'd already paid. Later, things gradually quieted down. The woman dressed and left, and Lian Lei, shirtless, strolled out and saw me sitting by the door, chin in hand, looking bored and almost asleep. He glanced at me sideways, patted my head, and said, "Who told you not to give it to me? Even I can't let myself die of frustration. Come on, let's go to the night market."

The night market lights, a chaotic jumble of colors, grew even more vibrant in the darkness, creating an otherworldly atmosphere. Shadows swayed. A cacophony of smells and temperatures wafted in, and I was swept along, pulled and pushed, in the crowd, feeling like a tiny, hollow hole in a piece of intricately patterned silk, burned by a spark. Hollow, lost amidst the glitz and glamour, I didn't even know what lay beneath the surface of this dazzling spectacle.

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [10]: A commotion arose in the distance, followed by the sound of drums and music. The lively and bright tune of Lingnan silk and bamboo music. The crowd parted like waves, and the palace of mermaids and shells emerged. The lights were dazzling and the lanterns shone with a thousand auspicious clouds. It was a flower carriage, pulled slowly by two tall horses, and the carriage was decorated with colorful flowers and filled with tuberose, creating a strong fragrance. The woman was surrounded by clouds, and she was wearing a moon-white silk dress, leaning against the railing with a smile, her eyebrows and eyes full of charm. Lian Lei said, "See? This is a wealthy family's lady going to see a night play, and the scale is quite impressive." Maybe she is a friend's new concubine, and she is quite good-looking! Who is so inconsiderate to marry such a beauty without even informing me? He looked around with a pout, and after a moment he suddenly forgot what he had just said. He suddenly realized and slapped his thigh and cursed, "Damn it! A whore, putting on such airs!"

Lian Lei pulled me forward and we craned our necks to see.

Later I learned that night was the day Guangzhou was selecting its most beautiful courtesan. The city's most prized and beautiful prostitutes rode through the night market in decorated carriages, each displaying their beauty and vying for attention. Several more carriages followed the first, accompanied by slow singing and dancing. The women inside were all alluring and seductive, their soft, fragrant bodies a feast for the eyes of onlookers. Even if you couldn't afford to pay for a prostitute, at least you could look. Amidst the clamor, I could still hear Lian Lei beside me, making a loud, innocent sound of swallowing, followed by muttered curses. I smiled knowingly. Lian Lei, who can only afford to eat street prostitutes, what are you thinking about such beauties? Your futile cleverness.

He was fluent in the local language. He spoke casually, occasionally whispering to me about the gifts wealthy patrons showered upon the women they fancied, the most lavishly awarded to the most beautiful courtesan of the day. A loud voice announced the women's names and the gifts they received: "Xiaoxiao, a box of pearls. Liyun, a sable coat. Shuangyu, two pairs of jade bracelets." Each alluring name, each astonishingly generous gift, left me dazzled and disoriented. That night, I witnessed firsthand the power of wealth and beauty in the world. Amidst the continuous curses and libations, this strange, otherworldly realm seemed like a dream.

Are these women prostitutes? These aloof, ethereal women, men vying to throw treasures at their feet to elicit a smile. Are they doing the same thing as that fish-eyed woman who had hastily consummated her relationship with Lian Lei an hour ago? The women's fleshly dealings, the prostitutes that Di Su vaguely mentioned long ago. A woman who doesn't desire love, smiling at everyone, her emotions rising at the sight of money, then lying down humming the same tune, taking in different men… Is that it? Is that it?

I was confused. I asked Lian Lei, who spat and said, "Pah! What kind of people aren't divided into different classes? These are of course the highest class, but in reality, they're all prostitutes, selling the same thing—meat." At that moment, the crowd cheered, and the courtesan was chosen. Lian Lei stared blankly as the woman with her flying-bun hairstyle, dressed in crimson, and graceful figure stepped down from the flower carriage amidst the cheers, gently taking a man's hand. His expression suddenly became bewildered and strange. He stared intently at the woman.

Then he lowered his head and said earnestly to me, "Qinse, this is the courtesan. Actually, you are much more beautiful than her if you dress up. Really." Lian Lei's expression was unusually solemn.

I only looked at the man being led by the courtesan. This man, not particularly conspicuous in the crowd, had, moments before, given her a small, translucent jade pendant that had quietly outweighed a fortune, elevating her to the throne of the courtesan kingdom. He accepted her charm and intimacy under the watchful eyes of the crowd, seemingly unaffected. This tall, fair-skinned man in a pale yellow robe had a serene face. His features were rounded. He was the center of attention, while I only caught a fleeting glimpse of him.

That night, he was imprinted in my heart alongside that jade wall. Warm, silent. A power that was effortless yet decisive. Lian Lei and I silently walked back to the inn. That night, at midnight, Lian Lei probed again. I did not use my knife.

I felt his warm palm touch me hesitantly. It lingered. Then it slipped inside my clothes. Like a fish swimming in spring water.

Lian Lei poured out his strong body. Just as I had inadvertently glimpsed through a hole in the wall, the erotic picture next door from the night before was now beneath me. In the same position, a straightforward, simple, and primal union. He thrust forward relentlessly, aiming straight for the heart of the matter. Lian Lei didn't play tricks, Lian Lei was inept at seduction, ah, Lian Lei's dark, robust body, its brute force, was nothing compared to the tip of the iceberg of the 'Felling Sandalwood and Reed'... But why should I think about it? I won't think about it. Lian Lei, tonight I will offer my beautiful body to you for your monotonous yet passionate devouring. Take it, your scorching impact makes me forget everything else, there is no delicate entanglement, no hesitation or retreat. Another unfamiliar round-headed cone, another body temperature. I don't want anything.

He parted my legs and penetrated me urgently, as if treating a prostitute. In the moonlight, beads of sweat slid down his forehead and landed on my chest. He breathed heavily, and I had seen the back of his narrow waist and hips before, but now I couldn't see the front. My slender ankles were placed on his shoulders, my willow waist bent. He almost piled me on top of him, pressing down on me, and besides the suffocation, I could only feel a certain place throbbing more and more intensely. Burning hot. A storm of passion, a cacophony of drums and gongs. Ah, Lian Lei. Your simple union. Just union. Good, this way there are no tears in my eyes.

He made love to me three times that night. At dawn, he collapsed onto me after the last time. Looking at his face through the window in the morning light, I saw his familiar mustache. I gazed at him silently.

Lian Lei looked down at me and smiled. He raised a hand and gently touched my face. The exhausted man, at that moment, even had a hint of sadness in his cunning eyes.

He and I went out to eat, our hands entwined. After our passionate encounter, a strange, unspoken understanding suddenly arose between us. A single glance, and we were perfectly in sync. We smiled at each other, and I gradually became familiar with his presence. He then led me to a restaurant for local preserved meats and sweet bean soup. The aroma of the food filled the air, and a glass of wine sipped from our cups. "Is it good?" he asked.

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [11]: I nodded. He handed me a handkerchief to wipe my mouth. After we've eaten, I'll take you somewhere fun, okay?

Without hesitation, I nodded again.

I sat facing the woman on the mahogany chair. We were the only two people in the room. The woman was plump, wearing a bright green silk jacket and skirt, adorned with hairpins and bangles, and two round plasters on her temples. She looked me up and down with her eyes.

I smiled softly. This is a friend's house. Wait for me here for a moment; I'll go to the restroom and come back to keep you company. As the door closed behind you, Lian Lei, my lover from last night's tryst, I knew you wouldn't appear. You left in haste, leaving me with a back view I dared not look back on. Lian Lei, you dared not look at me one last time. You never dared to face yourself, you drunken, decadent man.

Lian Lei, I don't blame you. I knew this before you led me into this magnificent courtyard. Just like when I first saw you behind the wooden wall, I knew that a gambler's principle of not losing money cannot be mistaken for straightforwardness, composure, calmness, and persistence in the face of desire. If one mistakenly believes it, then one has only oneself to blame, doesn't one? No one can be blamed. You know, Lian Lei, I truly don't blame you. You're just a gambler, from beginning to end. I see it clearly. I'm nothing more than a chip in your hand; a chip is meaningless if it's not played. Perhaps I saw through this long before I drifted here with you. What does a night of passion matter, Lian Lei?

You, who have flown far away. A stunningly beautiful fifteen-year-old girl, how much gambling capital did you gain in return? I'm curious about my own worth but have no way of knowing. But regardless, I was of great use to you, Lian Lei. Actually, you didn't need to leave me with such a sorrowful look at the end of our last time together. It really meant nothing. I smiled calmly at the woman who revealed the truth to me, nodded to indicate that I understood my situation, but didn't bother to say another word. She was shocked by my calmness; the crying, fear, screaming, running away, or suicide attempts she had anticipated all fell through. Having gathered her words and energy for so long, she looked somewhat bewildered. She said, "What's your name?"

Myrtle.

Myrtle? She asked skeptically. This isn't her real name, is it? We don't even need a nickname anymore. It suits her perfectly, like she was born to do this. Is that really your name?

I said, why bother asking? Whether it's true or false, as long as it's suitable, use it the same way.

Much later, the madam told me that she had never seen a fifteen-year-old girl with such eyes. Quiet, languid, transparent. Terrifying.

Hongluanxi. My refuge after I turned fifteen, the name of a magnificent courtyard somewhere in Guangzhou, a thousand miles away in Lingnan. It was a place of nightly revelry, brightly lit and decorated. It was a place of pleasure-seeking, a paradise of lust, where joy and sin, pretense and falsehood, sweet words and honeyed phrases mingled, intertwined, swirled, and melted indistinguishably. It was a sweet swamp. Guests came like clouds, people left and the tea grew cold; autumn moons and spring breezes came and went. Men and women thus spent their days in wine and song, drunk and weary, not seeing, not asking, not thinking. Tomorrow was nothing.

Hongluanxi is a place with no tomorrow. Its dazzling banners fly high in Guangzhou. One day, a woman named Tao Jinniang from afar descended from the heavens and became its secret treasure, hidden away, polished, and prepared for its glorious rise to fame.

Red Phoenix Blossom, it and I complement each other perfectly. It has no tomorrow, and I have no yesterday. Myrtle, a flower that had long withered on silk, has bloomed again. Year after year, the flowers are similar. Whether this flower is the same one on the branch last year, who cares?

The madam pampered me with fine clothes and delicacies, meticulously preparing every meal, hoping for a greater return. For a time, I lived a life even more leisurely than a noble lady. The smoke from the tea incense burner drifted aimlessly. Days and months passed idly. It was said that Hongluanxi was busily preparing for the grand auction of my virginity, but I remained completely oblivious to any hint of it during my leisurely days. I was perpetually bored. Then one day, someone suddenly appeared before me, and I was delighted that this boredom could be temporarily broken.

He said to me somewhat awkwardly, "Actually, I've really missed you these days. I've been thinking about you ever since I left."

Oh. If you miss me, just come back to see me. Didn't you see me now?

Do you hate me?

I played with the tassel on my fan, smiling silently. His hair was disheveled, his face thin and looking rather downcast, only his small mustache still stuck up, maintaining its usual shrewdness. This man, he stood before me again. Even if you owe me that parting glance I dared not look back at, I don't want you to repay it.

You just lost all your gambling money again, didn't you? So you came back to me. But I didn't say it. Lian Lei, sometimes it doesn't matter who the winner is in a game. You wouldn't understand. From beginning to end, I've learned things in silence. What I've seen through doesn't need explaining. Lian Lei, I don't care if you really miss me. I don't care how genuine your sorrowful eyes are; that expression doesn't suit you.

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [12]: Lian Lei. The man who brought me to this city by chance. You betrayed me the night before, and I don't want you to repay me. From now on, we owe each other nothing. Love and hate are ephemeral and ridiculous. I won't use such words. I am just a myrtle, a withered flower that has been resurrected, and I want to be the queen of flowers. I have no other thoughts or desires.

Lian Lei. Then, from now on, you'll follow me. Hong Luanxi doesn't lack another maidservant, but she won't need another one like you.

Then, you shall stay. Return to my side, Lian Lei.

III. The beautiful woman tuned the zither and lute for me, her brows furrowed and her hair lowered, amidst the emerald curtains and rhinoceros horn blinds.

The sky is like a crystal dot, a beautiful, shimmering silver plate. As dusk settles, the city lights create a scene of decadent red curtains and green shadows.

On the carved bed lay several new dresses and gowns. In the jewel box was the makeup the madam herself had done for me: a colorful butterfly bun adorned with two pearl flowers, and eight gilded braids hanging down—a gaudy and vulgar display. As she left, I began to undo those braids, mixing gold powder with cosmetics to paint a flower on my face. My black hair and pink face, clad in a simple white dress. Lying on that love bed felt like entering a brocade grotto, a place of private, passionate love. Before me, who had sat here? Whose fingers had danced on the pipa, its thirteen strings resonating like pearls on a jade plate, singing melodies of perfect harmony, a scene of blissful beauty?

Hidden beneath my mandarin duck pillow is a brocade box containing two small wax pills. Thin wax wraps around intestines, and within those intestines lies a pool of blood. Lian Lei said that even a woman who has lost her virginity is still a precious gem with this. He said he would cut his arm and shed blood for me, exchanging a small trick for wealth beyond measure. My name is Myrtle, an ever-blooming dried flower, a piece of flawless jade, transforming decay into magic in the filth and mire. Hongluanxi, my brothel, the madam calls me "daughter," her voice sweet and melodious, but she doesn't deserve it. My only mother, who would have broken my heart. But now, like someone's self-destruction, I cut off my flesh to return to my father, my bones to return to my mother.

Lian Lei borrowed money from the madam afterward. He wouldn't return tonight, or he might disappear for several days, either gambling, in bathhouses, or brothels... he could just die drunk somewhere. The borrowed money would be deducted double from my earnings. The madam was never a kind person; she could bear to see my virginity fought over, but she couldn't help but squander the money. That was Lian Lei—a man who could suppress his feelings but wouldn't deprive himself of pleasure. A life of debauchery.

Men are unreliable, but they bring peace of mind. Women of high birth often remind guests of their dreaded enemies when welcoming them. Debts from past lives.

The madam said she had created a grand spectacle for me, a display of wealth and the reward she owed for her hard work. Fresh goods had just arrived at the market, and she said we couldn't rush things; the fleeting moment of spring night was precious, every inch counted. Her fishy eyes narrowed, dazzled by the glittering jewels. She said, "Daughter, you are a treasure tree planted for me by Heaven." She said, "I'll listen." But I knew that Heaven wouldn't bestow treasures upon the demon realm, nor would it offer such appeasement as aiding and abetting evil.

The local elites and gentry were unwittingly drawn into this situation. They gathered, anxious and impatient. A new courtesan had just been chosen, and now there were already other beautiful women? What tricks was the madam of Hongluanxi up to? Delaying the inspection of the goods while demanding an exorbitant price! Downstairs, the men, caught up in the clinking of coins, gradually forgot their original purpose, their competition shifting from vying for women to a contest of wealth, no longer caring about the outcome. The shouts of challenge grew louder and louder. Beside the stage, a man in a brocade robe, embroidered with clouds and waves crashing against cliffs, sat behind a screen. Beside him was the heavily made-up new courtesan. The two had been flirting privately for half a day, then, feeling bored, decided to leave. The madam, however, was watching him closely, waiting for her chance; she wouldn't let him go now.

Here, a pure and elegant figure, the dew already beginning to fall. The madam finally sent someone to summon me. I sat up in bed, taking one last look at my dressing mirror. What a beautiful early summer rose! The madam's grand spectacle was about to begin; I was the protagonist of the flower opera, a phoenix spreading its wings, a peerless and fragrant performer. The door opened, a rapid melody played, and I stepped out. With the first step, a hundred colorful silks billowed and surged; with the second, a waterfall of flowers cascaded down from the rooftop; with the third, two golden silk fans, each as tall as a person, appeared before me like peacocks spreading their tails, each step revealing my graceful form, drawing eager eyes, a thousand calls urging me to appear. Behind the golden fans, I closed my eyes, heard the music stop, all was silent, people held their breath for me, the sound of silver hair falling to the ground in the frozen moment of time. A hundred years in a single night.

Slowly, some stood up only to slump back into their chairs; some swallowed hard; some dropped a gold coin. Before the golden fan, a prairie fire raged, and magma, long dead yet melting overnight, surged and churned. Who could dance the wind for the fire, who could unseal the magma? It was I, Myrtle. If I had been born in ancient times, even Kuafu, who chased the sun, would have returned because of me, and Mount Buzhou would have stood firm because of me. At this moment, please remember me forever, cherish me, and let my soul be forever bound to you. With another step, she stepped out through the fan. I would not go any further. Myrtle opened her eyes, becoming an imperial flower surveying her territory, a frown that could crush an enemy, a smile that could defeat a soldier. Men, my lords, were still reeling. They gaped, rubbed their eyes, and pulled out snuff to revive themselves.

The man in the brocade robe, returning, pushed aside the woman who was whining beside him. He glanced at her, his expression shifting from fondness to disgust. He coldly told her, "Commonplace beauty." The woman cried, covering her face as she ran away, unnoticed. All eyes were on me, the burning bullseye of their attention. The men raised their hands again, shouting out double the price. Amidst the clamor, I was like a drifting seaweed, calm and composed, elegant yet languid. I was part of the mortal world, part of right and wrong, and I always wore a faint smile. I knew this wouldn't be wrong.

"Nine stars aligned!" shouted a young servant in the crowd. He stood behind the man in the brocade robe, with servants carrying a treasure beside him. The group had been waiting outside the door, and now they filed in. It turned out he had only intended to watch the spectacle. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed him; tall, fair-skinned, with a gentle and round face. The madam's handkerchief fell to the ground, her face beaming with joy. She exclaimed, "Heavens! Master Zhuo has produced a nine-star alignment!" The crowd erupted in murmurs of amazement. "Nine stars aligned! Nine stars aligned!" everyone exclaimed in wonder. The treasure was presented to me by two servants. The red cloth was lifted, revealing nine luminous pearls, each the size of my fist, strung together in the shape of a translucent dragon, one after another, their brilliance like shooting silver arrows, dazzling and captivating. Everyone was saying, "Ah, only I want to smash them one by one, grind them into powder, and sprinkle them on my body—to burn sandalwood, reeds, or even as a libation. My skin is made of gold."