Chapter 3.2 – Frighteningly dark night
The next morning, a gold light shone on Linyang town’s city gate tower and a huge piece of art had been hung on top at some unknown time. It wasn’t long before this large fluttering piece of art had caught the attention of many people.
“This really is a magnificent piece of art.”
“Don’t you think? Look at those mountains, the water, the mountain peaks … especially that handsome young man with the fan. This piece of art is really realistic, but … it seems a bit familiar to the eye?”
“Ah, doesn’t that look like Li family’s son?”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course! Yesterday, didn’t you see Li family’s son and the Shen family’s sisters’ court case? It was all heated up and that big sister died in such a tragic way. Even now, her corpse lays outside of the Shen residence with no one coming to collect her corpse, one corpse and two lives, ah …”
“Speaking of this Li family’s son, it turns out that he was actually related to the current prime minister in the capital city. If it was anyone else during yesterday’s affair, they definitely would’ve been locked up! Ah, but this isn’t for us to worry, let’s just look at the art …”
“Yes! Let’s look at the art! It really is realistic. Look at how soft that skin looks, those eyes, the lips. There brush strokes really emphasise how fine and realistic it is! Look, why does it look like that hair is moving?”
“Ah? … The hair moves?”
The spectators all moved closer to the art.
“Ah—-”
It wasn’t known who first screamed but it frightened everyone and they all shuddered, “That … that’s human skin … disgusting … that’s art made of human skin …”
“Dead … someone died …”
In an instant, the spectators dissipated.
The unnerving screeching pierced her eardrums.
Lou Qingwu lifted up a curtain and propped her chin with her hand, looking innocently at the panicking spectators. Her eyesight moved up and fell on the large piece of art that hung on the building. Her mouth corners curled as her laughter grew warm. It really was a good looking piece of art.
So her all nighter last night wasn’t in vain.
See, everyone loves it.
“Master, it’s getting windy so we should go back.” The limping youth next to the horse carriage said. The youth was about fifteen or sixteen with a wide brimmed hat that covered half of his face, only revealing a soft and tender face that hadn’t truly matured yet. But you could see he was handsome with red lips and white teeth. If you looked up, you’d see that he had eyes that didn’t match his age, dark as ink and steady with a permeating loneliness. If anyone looked at him for longer than a moment, they’d grow curious about his past.
“Yi, where’s the stuff?” Lou Qingwu languidly asked, her bright eyes stared straight ahead at the opposite party, giving off a very warm feeling. But those who understood her would know that underneath this warmth lied a demonic excitement. She hadn’t trained in a while so she was a bit scared of being out of practice.
The youth turned around and pa.s.sed an exquisite wooden box.
Lou Qingwu’s white and thin fingers stretched out and covered the box. She glanced at the blossoming skeleton totem carved on the top of the box and her eyes curved as she smiled. At this moment, she looked like an innocent young girl who had just received a dear present, someone who was easily satisfied.
She impatiently opened it and a pile of neatly set out bones entered her eyes.
The bones had been cleaned and were spotless, so white that they were almost transparent like white jade. She greedily looked at them and picked up a piece, playing with it in her hand. The more she played with it, the more she liked it and the more reluctant she was to do what she would do next.
She picked up a small and delicate knife to the side of the box and with flying fingers, started to carve on the bone freely.
Her whole self looked like a painting at this time, so stunningly lively with her side profile showing how earnest and warm she was, as if she really was a professional carving artist. But only if … what she held in her hands wasn’t a human bone.
The youth watched his master who had completely forgotten about him and acting maturely, sighed. He pulled the curtain down, sat on the carriage and picked up the horse whip to start the carriage moving. The carriage moved past another carriage that had stopped near them without their knowledge.
At the moment the two carriages pa.s.sed each other, the two carriage curtains lifted up and the bone fragments from Lou Qingwu’s bone carving flew like b.u.t.terflies into the other carriage, straight into the man’s palm.
The man’s long jade-like fingers ma.s.saged the bone fragments and after a while, his deep and dark eyes flashed a purple light, too quick for anyone to see.
Human bone?
“Mister, we should leave. If we leave any later, the gates to the city will close.”
“Then we should stay for another day.” His deep voice was clear and faint, his short words brought about an unmistakable coldness.