Chapter 116, Looking in the Bronze Mirror and Doing Makeup

Translator: StarReader

 

Mist Terrace. The night’s curtain fell, bringing with it a chill.

 

Ah Nu, nestled in the west window of her third-floor boudoir, gazed out towards Gusu city. She spied the strings of red lanterns hanging along the distant streets, their lights flickering like dying embers. Her heart ached for just one glimpse of those two familiar figures, returning victorious from battle.

 

Two days prior, a skirmish erupted on Vastest Lake between the martial groups and the pirates of the Whale Gang. Ah Chou and Young Master Su ventured to the Vaulting Mountains, their fate still unknown. Ah Nu’s heart was restless; she climbed the west tower to watch for them thirty times a day, hoping for the best.

 

To calm her anxieties, she took up her jade pen and wrote, composing a poem.

 

Matron Li, determined to keep Ah Nu focused on her dance practice for the upcoming Crowning Flower Contest, had scarcely allowed anyone else near the young woman. Ah Nu had spent these days virtually alone in her boudoir, attending only to her studies and music.

 

As evening fell, Matron Li permitted two maids to enter and assist Ah Nu in preparing herself for a grand appearance.

 

“You’ve heard the news, haven’t you?” one maid whispers to the other. “The battle’s over! The disciples from all the groups are starting to trickle back… Your brother made it back too. Lucky for him, Immortal Su was there to save his skin. My parents even want to erect a memorial tablet for Immortal Su so they can pray to him every day.”

 

The two maids exchange glances, hoping Ah Nu hadn’t noticed their whispers.

 

Martial news traveled fast in brothels. “The battle’s won!” Ah Nu exclaimed excitedly.

 

“Indeed, young miss, the victory is ours,” the other replied.

 

“It seems the Whale Gang was routed, and who’d have thought that Daoist Han Shan was behind it all! They say he used to let Daoists collaborate with pirates to prey on good people. This time, many martial disciples died because of him.”

 

“Amazing! Who would’ve guessed the Wu Region’s first transcendent was the Whale Gang’s mastermind? At least he revealed himself in the end. Otherwise, who knows how much longer his evil deeds would’ve gone unnoticed? Our Immortal Su finished him off!”

 

The two maids nodded eagerly.

 

“Immortal Su? Who’s that?” Ah Nu asked.

 

“Young Master Su of Medicine King Group, Immortal Su,” one said. “No one expected this executive to be so powerful and humble. He forced Han Shan to kill himself, as well as the White Lotus Society’s founder, and Liu Hong got burned down.”

 

“Immortal Su… how did that happen?” Ah Nu gasped, shocked.

 

Still, she was overjoyed. His return was wonderful news.

 

“But have you heard anything about Heaven Falcon Group?”

 

“Oh, them? They suffered the worst losses among all groups. Almost got wiped out too. They were ambushed by pirates midway through their mission, losing most of their disciples. Luckily, Ah Chou stepped in and saved the rest. Otherwise, Heaven Falcon Group might’ve been destroyed.”

 

Ah Nu’s body swayed, knocking into the desk. Her face instantly paled.

 

[Ah Chou… Dead? No! How could this happen?

 

“Young Miss Ah Nu! What’s wrong?” The two maidservants exclaimed, quickly supporting her.

 

Ah Nu stood weakly, her delicate face pale and drained. A sharp pain clenched her heart.

 

Her parents had passed away young, leaving her as Ah Chou’s elder sister. Since childhood, they’d relied on each other at the Heaven Falcon Inn, with Ah Nu acting as his mother. When Ah Chou fell ill, lacking money for medicine, Ah Nu was forced to sell herself into a wealthy household in the county city, hoping to buy medicine to save her brother’s life.

 

Instead, the mistress of that household became jealous and sold Ah Nu to Matron Li, who then sent her to Mist Terrace to learn singing and playing the zither. Despite this, Ah Chou would secretly visit Mist Terrace whenever he could, just to see his sister and share some heartfelt words.

 

One time, he was particularly cheerful, mentioning that he’d met a new brother, Su Chen. They planned to join forces with the Medicine King Group and Heaven Falcon Group to make it big in the martial world, aiming to become first-rate experts someday.

 

Ah Chou had promised her that one day, he would return as a renowned martial artist, earn enough money to buy her freedom from Mist Terrace, and ensure no one in Gusu City would dare look down on them again.

 

Ah Chou had joined the Heaven Falcon Group, training tirelessly day after day. With Su Chen’s aid, they often sparred together, boosting Ah Chou’s skills rapidly.

 

During those years, Ah Chou would often speak of Su Chen, and unwittingly, Ah Nu found herself envisioning a lanky Zhou Village fisherman’s son in her heart.

 

At that time, she was overjoyed for Ah Chou’s sake. She bought herbs with the money she earned from clients at Mist Terrace, happy to contribute to their cultivation journey. Yet, she kept silent about being Ah Chou’s sister, fearful of tarnishing his reputation among martial artists and attracting unwelcome gossip.

 

Once a renowned zither player at Mist Terrace, she secretly sent funds to help Ah Chou with his cultivation. But as her fame grew, opportunities to meet privately became scarce, especially in the past year. They could only steal glances at each other from afar, knowing all was well.

 

Even if they met on the street, she dared not acknowledge him, keeping her affection hidden deep within. Then, a few days ago, she received an invitation to the Heaven Falcon Inn’s youth gathering. There, she reunited with Ah Chou and Young Master Su—it was one of the happiest moments in recent months.

 

Finally, they could share a meal together openly, savoring dishes as if celebrating their long-awaited reunion. Little did she know that just days later, fate would cruelly separate them forever.

 

[Brother, I never asked for you to become a legendary hero. All I wished was for your safe return. Ah Nu stood there, eyes closed, lips pressed tightly together, her body trembling lightly.]

 

But even after Ah Chou’s death, she couldn’t openly mourn him. If martial artists discovered he had a courtesan sister, his memory would be tarnished, even in the afterlife. So, she bore her sorrow in silence, like the unspoken melody of her beloved zither.

 

“Not for the love of pleasure, but as if caught in past karma. Flowers bloom and fall according to their time, always awaiting the spring’s favor. To go means one must go; to stay, how can one stay? If only mountain flowers could bloom freely on every branch, why ask where this slave returns…?”

 

Ah Nu lowered her head, seeing the poem written in red ink on the dressing table.

 

The unfinished verse brought tears to her eyes.

 

Each character seemed like a stab to her heart, each line dripping with blood.

 

…

 

In her boudoir, incense smoke curled gently from the burner.

 

Ah Nu, expressionless, sat woodenly before the dressing table as maids attended to her hair and makeup. Her reflection in the bronze mirror showed a face of exquisite beauty, both captivating and tragic. At sixteen or seventeen, she was at the height of youthful bloom, the most exquisite, most expensive face in Gusu City tonight. The city’s wealthy merchants and powerful martial artists would spend fortunes for a single night with her.

 

[Brother, I wish for nothing more than to leave this place and see you.]

 

Ah Nu’s heart was filled with sorrow. Two streams of tears flowed silently down her cheeks. The maids panicked, hurriedly wiping away her tears and kneeling in supplication. “Young Miss Ah Nu, tonight’s Crowning Flower Contest is your debut. You can’t cry! Mother will kill us if your makeup gets ruined!”

 

But Ah Nu couldn’t suppress the grief within her. Tears flowed like pearls, each one a cut to her heart.

 

Ah Nu refused to listen, so the others rushed out to fetch Matron Li. “What’s wrong?” she asked hurriedly, wiping her brow with her handkerchief. She had been hoping that Ah Nu would win tonight’s title of Wu Region’s flower queen. If her makeup was ruined now and she missed her chance at the auction, it would be a disaster, one that Matron Li couldn’t afford.

 

She found Ah Nu crying bitterly but didn’t understand why. She assumed Ah Nu was scared about leaving the brothel, so she gently consoled her. “Dear, leaving is inevitable for all of us here in Mist Terrace. It’s not like we’re marrying off into ordinary households, but at least we’ll earn a hefty sum that will last us our entire lives. Every girl here goes through this.”

 

Ah Nu wiped away her tears and forced a smile. “I know, Mother Li. I’m just… finding it hard to accept right now, but I’ll be fine soon.”

 

Matron Li smiled, pleased with Ah Nu’s compliance. She then took out a comb herself. “You’ve always been such a good girl since you arrived here at Mist Terrace. Now let me do your hair for tonight.”

 

She ordered the two maids, “Go fetch some water to wash off her makeup and prepare fresh cosmetics.”

 

“Yes, Mother Li!” they responded promptly, hurrying to serve Ah Nu.

 

“Oh, Ah Nu,” Matron Li continued, “today is your special night. Like a wedding, you deserve to look your best and be happy. You’re not the first nor the last girl from our Mist Terrace to go through this. Even renowned courtesans like Yu Youwei and Huo Xiaoyu had their turns.” (StarReader: Yu Youwei, renowned poet of the 9th century. Huo Xiaoyu is the heroine of the famous Story of Huo Xiaoyu)

 

She chattered on while doing Ah Nu’s hair. “Your reputation in martial circles has grown significantly these past years. At seventeen, you’re at the height of your beauty. An outcall could earn you more than a lifetime’s worth of earnings for those groups of wandering swordsmen. You shouldn’t delay it any longer; your value will only decrease over time!”

 

Ah Nu sat poised before the copper mirror, staring into her strange reflection as the noise from Mist Terrace filled the air around her. Her eyes grew misty for a moment.