Swift Blade

The next night, Su Wan is on stage, she wears a golden cloak embroidered with white chrysanthemums the type so pure that such a flower could only ever be found in the wild, but never tainted. Her headdress makes a soft chiming sound that evokes the stillness of the moment even further. On her painted face is a sorrowful expression. In her hand, she holds a sword, a thin blade that is about the width of two fingers. The blade twirling in her fingers as she dances.

The peony on her golden cloak glistens as though it has come alive and is swaying in the winds. The audience watches in awe as they watch the performance. When the dance has finished, the audience becomes even quieter, the sword is then used to slit her throat in one swift motion. A red handkerchief is dropped to represent the shedding of blood.

Concubine Yu is no more.

"Wow! She performs a little too realistic for my taste." Mo Yi says with nervousness as he looks down at the red handkerchief on the stage. He was startled as he saw the swift motion meant for the suicide. He could feel the blinding light from the sword and felt every intent for violence in the sword. If she had truly wanted to end herself, he was certain that no one would be able to stop it.

Guo Ning, who is staring at the 'corpse' lying on the stage conceals a strange emotion within his eyes upon seeing her so good with the sword. Wondering what kind of person she is. Her true self beneath that mask.

There is more battle music that goes on, but after Su Wan's performance, the two men conversing on the upper floor had already lost interest in the rest of the performance.

"Brother Ning, you should pay her a visit tonight." Mo Yi's childish face blossomed into a smile.

"Do I need you to tell me what to do?" Guo Ning put on a threatening expression and scolded the boy.

Mo Yi shook his head meekly and snickers to himself off to the side.

By the time the performance came to an end, the two were nowhere to be seen.

Su Wan is calmly in her room, having already taken off her headdress as she hears a knock at the door. Having an inclination of who it is, she opens the door without much thought.

Guo Ning is greeted at the scene of Su Wan standing there in her painted face, dressed still in the golden cloak embroidered with white peonies that she had on stage. He felt that such a dress suited her very well. In the color gold, she herself resembled a blossom of royalty that bloomed. Yet such a scene could only be cherished by him alone.

Su Wan tilted her head. Her eyes gazed at the very suspicious expression she had seen on many faces before. Yet when it came to this expression, she could not say she felt any repulsion. Instead, it was very calming when she saw him once more.

"Did you get hurt?" Guo Ning asks as he seizes Su Wan up from head to toe. The gaze lingering especially on her delicate neck. How he feared that one slip up on the hand that held the sword, and no one would have been able to save her.

"You're worried about me?" Su Wan questions as she feels the uncomfortable gaze on her neck. Precisely the place where the sword had rested towards the end of her sword dance. She slightly shifts her head to look directly into his eyes.

"You are rather good at holding the sword." Guo Ning comments. Such expertise is rare amongst young women, perhaps it is even rare amongst those who live by the sword.

"Yes, we performers have been practicing since childhood, it is natural for us to be, as you would put it 'good' at such an insignificant trick." A slight smile appeared on Su Wan's face before it quickly faded.

"I have never seen any performers with your sword skills, if you weren't performing just now, I would have mistaken you for a heroine who roams the world and gets rid of evil."

"Such a valiant lifestyle is truly not suited for someone like me." Su Wan replies without much fluctuation in her tone as she proceeds to remove her makeup with a container of fragrant alcohol sitting on the boudoir. The bronze mirror reflects a vague outline of her features.

Heroine was not a word that could be used to describe her. A heroine was one born from the ideas of chivalry and righteousness, perhaps it was those who have yet to see the world who could be considered a heroine. Yet for her, the world was not something that could be brightened by the thought of such foolish ideas.

"Wan Wan, you are so beautiful." Guo Ning mumbles lightly as he stares at Su Wan's figure from the back. Her long silky hair was all he could see.

"You can hardly see my face, why the compliment?" She scoffed, turning around giving him an indifferent gaze.

"Wan Wan, I have already seen you yesterday, I trust my judgment." He said as he took large strides towards her boudoir. Before she could do anything, a hand was already stroking her long hair. Wisps of hair twirled around his fingers as he prepared to bring a few strands up to his nose.

Yet before he could deeply inhale the scent, the strands were taken away from him "Sir, you should know that performers rarely use their true names." Su Wan informed him.

"So in your case… " Guo Ning asks. As though he had been meeting her under some false name.

"It doesn't matter." She looks at him stiffly and brushes it off. Was this man implying that the name 'Su Wan' was not a real name? Whether or not it was, what did it matter to him? She was certain that at most, he would seek her out for a few days, and when he got bored, he would stop seeking her. By then, her problem would also disappear.

"What do you mean 'it doesn't matter?' Names are given to us by our parents, how can you just change your name?"

"Can't I? All the more reason to keep it a secret, wouldn't you say?" What kind of young woman would she be if she just gave her name to a man so easily?

"When we are born, we will only get one, which follows us throughout life, and end with the grass growing green in a secluded place."

"Then should one be like the heroes in folktales and refrain from changing one's name, no matter the circumstance?" She asked.

Guo Ning "..."

Seeing the blank expression on his face, she asks "Would you like some tea." Already knowing how he would answer as she proposed the question.

"Of course." He immediately answered.

Wonderful. A smile appeared as she turned her back to him as she poured some tea from a blue porcelain teapot. Her actions were delicate as she held the small teacup that could be downed in a single sip. "Try it, of course, this is mearley a coarse tea that the noble you would probably not drink even if it was free."

Guo Ning raised an eyebrow, and took the tea, taking small sips to savor the taste. "Though the tea may be coarse, the one who brews the tea is not." He says with a gentle smile.

Su Wan lowers her eyelids staring at the cup. How would he react if I poison the tea next time? She wonders, but could only give a long hearted sigh. Perhaps one day.

They sat there in the stillness of the flickering candles. The moon's rays shined a pale light through the window's screens. A sliver of light shines on the cup, allowing her to see the shallow bottom of the porcelain cup, it looked like a moon shining over an ocean. While Guo Ning looks deep into Su Wan's wandering eyes.

A knock sounded at the door. Guo Ning jolted and snapped out of his trance.

"Are you expecting anyone?" He asks.

Su Wan shakes her head, but goes to open the door anyway. A man wearing an opera mask painted in the colors black, white and red enters the room. His robes are the thick kind that are often worn by the older generation, the heavy fabric falls from his body, nearly reaching the ground as he enters. At such a bizarre sight, Guo Ning is on guard. But Su Wan does not feel any fear as she greets the man with enthusiasm, "Uncle Fu, what's the matter?"

"Su Wan, you have done well today! The kitchen made a few extra bowls of lotus seed soup today, here." Uncle Fu said as he passed her a container, he was perhaps a middle aged man, he spoke with a certain roughness in his voice, but no one could see his features under such a mask. He left as quickly as he came the moment he saw that Su Wan was not the only one in her room.

"Thank you Uncle Fu." Su Wan called out sweetly down the hall as she brought the container into her room.

Met with a strange gaze from Guo Ning, "What?" She asked him.

"Who was that?" Guo Ning asked. That man gave him a sense of danger. Even though his face was covered and he did nothing more than the menial task of delivering a bowl of soup, there was an aura to him. He almost felt powerlessness in front of the man. It was the kind of aura one felt from deep despair and hopelessness. The man was like a grim reaper from the depths of hell, who changed his form to walk amongst the living.

"Uncle Fu, the leader of our trope." Su Wan answered mindlessly, taking a sip of the soup. She looks at Guo Ning with a narrowed gaze, as though saying: I will not share this with you.

"Will you come again?" Su Wan asks out of curiosity. It was only a question that she did not put much thought into. But perhaps Guo Ning's mind gave birth to some strange thoughts at the seemingly mundane question asked by a young lady.

He could only muster up a chuckle before he bid her farewell. Su Wan listened as his footsteps got fainter and fainter before placing down the container of soup and wiping the corners of her pale lips with a handkerchief.

She looks in the door which he had seen himself out in. Though the person had already left and the door closed, she could not help but question: Does he like me?