Chapter 1
Gongs and drums were deafening, the matchmaker was scattering red flowers, and horses were leading the way. The grooms in the front row walked with their heads held high, and the sedan chairs behind were decorated with gold tassels. The group was so grand that passers-by stopped to watch, it was a very festive scene.
Congratulations were heard everywhere, and onlookers speculated about which young man was getting married. What a grand occasion! At the tailor shop across the street, while the owner was watching and joining in the fun, freshly made clothes were dragged off the table.
Smooth fur appeared under the table for a moment, and in the blink of an eye, a pretty girl wearing a slightly oversized smoky blue dress walked out of the tailor shop as if nothing had happened.
She glanced back at the shopkeeper, still standing on tiptoe, gazing at the sound of gongs and drums. She couldn't help but smile; those beautiful eyes truly resembled the fox in the storybook. Turning back again, she pushed her way through the crowd and left, unconcerned with her girlish image.
The people she pushed aside were initially surprised, then a bit annoyed as they came back to their senses from the bustle. She didn't understand any of this, and couldn't read the expressions on their faces. She simply pushed aside the people in front of her and struggled to get out.
"Why are you pushing so hard?" The burly man in front was pushed and almost fell down. He turned around and looked into her bright eyes. Suddenly, his expression changed. He turned sideways and let her get closer to him.
The people in front of her were still people, and she couldn't push them away for the time being. She just kept squeezing forward, and unfortunately, a hand came up from behind and was about to touch her waist.
Before she could touch him, she shook his hand, unexpectedly fast. The girl turned around and looked at the man who had just made room for her in confusion and asked, "What are you doing?"
The man had not expected such a situation. According to the ancient customs of the time, not to mention that she had been looking ahead and had no intention of grabbing his hand, even if a girl was taken advantage of by a man, she would have hesitated and dared not say anything, for fear of losing her innocence.
He had this in mind, hoping to satisfy his sudden lust. Embarrassment crossed the man's face, and he tried to pull his hand away, but couldn't. Before he could say anything, the girl spoke again, "What are you doing?"
After asking twice, the man blushed. Unexpectedly, the girl looked at him and asked again: "Why did you touch me?"
Some people nearby glanced over, their beards bristling in shock. Such explicit words, coming from a girl, were unexpected. The man hesitated for a moment, then smiled. He took the girl's hand and spoke incoherently, "Mom, mom, stop making trouble. It's time to go home after this." He bowed apologetically, feeling as if he had made a fool of himself.
"Who is your wife?" The man who was bowing suddenly stiffened and glared at her viciously.
"My wife is stupid and crazy, and I'm sorry to see you all looking at her." He was about to press the girl's head, but she dodged, and the force of her hand twisted the man's arm.
The man cried out in pain, and everyone around him sighed and retreated, fearing the impact would be felt. The man turned around, his face pale, and his palm was about to strike down like a whirlwind. The girl's hand tightened a little, and with a crack, a small piece of bone jutted out from under the fabric of his shoulder. In just a moment, the man collapsed, the sound of pain piercing his throat.
Seeing more and more people drawn to the area, the girl unfurled her hand in dissatisfaction. She looked at the man, clicked her tongue in disdain, and swiped her finger through the air, muttering two words: "Noisy." The man, who had been crying out, instantly fell silent, leaving only his bulging eyes, tears streaming down his face.
Looking around, everyone was terrified. Every time the girl took a step forward, the people around her took a step back. She frowned and muttered to herself, "The world is truly dangerous."
The commotion continued, and she couldn't escape in time. Seeing herself becoming the target of everyone's criticism, she began to panic. Forgetting the taboos she had been told, her pupils began to dim, transforming into a blue halo.
Suddenly, a cry of laughter came from a sedan chair along the street. The unique fragrance of flowers emanated from the sedan chair, bewitching everyone like a poison.
The curtain of the red-topped rosewood sedan was lifted slightly, and the woman in the gorgeous dress inside only took a glance before lowering the curtain again. The noise in the street paused for a moment, then suddenly became boiling and crazy!
The bearers lifted the sedan again, and the guards formed a circle around it. The sedan flew away, taking with it the attention that had been focused on the girl. Everyone followed the sedan, completely ignoring the fear of bumping into the wedding procession that had not yet left.
The girl saw the crowd and followed them like a possessed person. She heard someone calling out a name - "Gu Luoyan".
"Gu Luoyan," she murmured again. Then she looked up at the crowd that was retreating like a tide. It was rumored that the fox demon's enchantment could be so disorienting that no one could break it.
Today she knew that the rumors were wrong and that there was someone who could remove the fox spirit.
·
So in the end she grabbed the man who stood up and tried to escape, looked into his eyes, and watched him gradually become corrupted.
She said, "Go away and don't remember me anymore."
The man stumbled away, and she ran in the opposite direction. Where to go next?
I'm hungry, so I'm going to steal a chicken.
The farmyard was quite large. The front, facing the street, was an ordinary courtyard, while the back, facing the fields, was surrounded by a fence where dozens of chickens and ducks roamed freely. The girl quickly slipped over the roof and into the backyard.
I stuck my head out from the edge of the eaves and started to feel greedy before I even moved.
Her pupils turned vertical, and she crouched low, waiting for her prey to leisurely approach. As if instinctively sensing danger, the hen suddenly raised her neck, looked around, and then lowered her head to peck at the food with confidence.
The man on the eaves leaped, but his footsteps were unfortunate, and the tiles fell back, leaving him with nothing to step on. The girl plummeted, but she flipped back in mid-air and landed, scaring off the chickens. She didn't look too shabby.
She was just getting impatient and about to attack the chickens and ducks thrashing around in the yard. Suddenly, the door to the house behind her opened. A woman screamed, and then two men, one strong and one young, came out aggressively.
When they saw the girl in the yard, the two men holding the sticks were stunned. The woman at the door was still leaning against the door, croaking, her voice shrilling a few times: "I told you there was some noise! I didn't believe it! Now we've caught the thief!"
"Mother..." The young man holding the lantern turned to look at the woman, his face bewildered. Only then did the woman see the girl's face clearly, and she was also speechless.
The man asked her in a deep voice, "How did you get to my backyard?"
The girl didn't answer.
Everyone was silent for a moment, and then the woman spoke first: "No matter how they got in! If it's stolen, it's stolen. Report it to the police!"
"The court is closed now, how can we report it to the police?" The young man was a little anxious. "Besides, she is a girl...looking at the way she is dressed, she doesn't look like a thief." The young man whispered to defend her.
"It's obvious she's not a decent person! She's flirting! I think she's the same type as that Gu Luoyan!" As if touching a thorn in the woman's side, she spoke even more bluntly. "Alright, since we can't report her to the authorities, send her to the Hong Kong Coliseum! And she should compensate me for the money the livestock in my yard have been frightened!"
"Mother!" the young man begged her, angry but afraid to speak out. The woman pointed at him and scolded him as he went back into the house. Only the middle-aged man remained standing in the yard in silence.
The woman straightened her back, looked at the man and cursed, "What are you still standing there for? Are you plotting against that vixen again? I haven't settled the original matter with you yet, so put away your little tricks! I'm from the wealthy Huang family, and marrying you is such bad luck!"
She finally said, "If you marry into a family, you should act like one."
·
The girl was taken out of the house by the man and heard the young man crying and saying that he had not married for a long time and it would be better for him to keep her here.
She didn't quite understand, and only said one sentence when she followed the man into the carriage: "I didn't eat the animal."
The man nodded.
"Where are you taking me?"
"Hong Kong." He tied the girl's hands with a hemp rope, tying the knot while saying, "I'm sorry, girl."
"Why is this happening?" The girl looked at her hands in confusion.
"Just think of it as... atonement for my sins." The man stopped talking and just turned to look out the window. It was getting dark.
With a slight movement, the rope tied around her wrist loosened. She didn't sense any ill intentions and wasn't in a hurry to leave. The girl asked the man again, "Where is the Hong Kong Coliseum?"
"The most desirable place in Mingjing," the man said, pausing for a moment. "It's also... the most depraved place in Mingjing."
"I don't understand..." The girl leaned over the car window and said to the man, "I don't want to go."
The man smiled bitterly and said, "Which of the women there volunteered? Including Gu Luoyan."
The girl, who was about to turn around and leave, stopped when she heard a name. She then asked, "Is there any Gu Luoyan there?"
"Yes... she's the star of the Hong Kong Coliseum." The man then turned around and looked at the girl, surprised that she didn't even know this. He was so shocked that he slapped the front door and tried to stop the car.
"Hush..." The girl put a finger to her lips, her eyes shimmering with blue fireflies. The man in front of her fell silent, but the driver stopped the carriage, knocked on it, and asked if he had any orders.
"Tell him to keep going."
So the man opened his mouth and did as he was told.
"Then go to sleep and forget me in your dreams." As soon as she finished speaking, the man lowered his head, leaned against the door, and fell into a deep sleep.
The car started again.
Occasionally, the sound of horse hooves could be heard. The girl, eagerly lifting the curtain, gazed at the red lantern hanging on the corner of the carriage. With a flick of her finger, the spark in the lantern burned brighter and clearer.
·
There were bursts of singing and dancing coming from the front, a grand scene of a nightless city.
What people call "Red Pavilion" is not just a building, but a city where music and dance are held every night.
All kinds of unconventional entertainment are collected here, and there are also world-famous chefs in charge. There are also delicacies from land and sea, strange and interesting things to do.
The entry certificate was just a bag of silver.
This was a place of extravagance and extravagance. Yet, many people were swept away with nothing. The Golden River behind the Hong Kong Coliseum had been the site of countless deaths.
The girl tilted her head out the window and watched the huge red-painted door slowly open. The golden animal-head doorknockers on the door were so numerous from top to bottom that it was impossible to count them all. The carriage then drove through the door and was swallowed up by the Red Pavilion.
Further in was the private road reserved for the rich and powerful. The driver stopped, knocked on the door, and called out, "Master." The girl opened the door and got out alone. She looked at the long street before her, a thousand miles of lights, a dreamlike scene she had never seen before.
An old lady came out from the bridge tunnel and was about to ask the visitor what he was doing.
The flesh on her face drooped a little, revealing a savage look. Before she could finish her words, the girl's eyes met hers.
"I want Gu Luoyan." She didn't even know whether this name referred to a person or a thing.
The blue faded from her eyes, and the old nanny turned around and walked slowly inside to lead the way for her.
The girl finally turned around and smiled at the driver, "Let's go back."
That smile made the driver feel pity. Dan sighed as he watched the girl leave, lamenting that someone so naive had ended up here. What a trick of the world.
After passing through several streets, we finally arrived at a spacious hall. However, it was now packed, with not even an inch of space left. On the high platform in the center, the music was reaching its finale, red gauze curtains swirled down golden powder, and suddenly a rain of petals fell from the sky.
The girl looked up and just happened to see the last dance.
The man stood on the high platform, performing a performance of the Western Regions.
She was like the yellow sand outside the Great Wall, with her face wrapped in a silk scarf, leaving only her eyes exposed.
With a twist and a move, Dunhuang reappears.
The final dance, her graceful figure, like a hook, like a thread, breaks people's hearts.
The curtain fell, leaving only the silhouette of a slender figure.
Then the Buddha was removed from the temple. She knelt on the platform, and thousands of believers around her were madly attracted by her.
That is the god and Buddha they are pursuing.
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