The Golden Flute Chapter 20

Kwee Seng's heart felt a shock as if struck by lightning.

"Ahhh! Why did it come to this?"

The lady recounted her tale with a sorrowful voice. Her father was indeed a prince named Khu Si Cai who had a pair of twin daughters. When the Tang dynasty collapsed, the prince's entire family became victims; all perished except for the pair of twins who were successfully carried away by a servant.

However, along the way, they were obstructed by chaos and war, causing one of the twins to slip from the servant's grasp and disappear. The one who was lost was named Khu Gin In, while the one the servant managed to save was Khu Kim In. This child was then raised by the servant, but due to their extremely impoverished circumstances, they nearly starved to death. Finally, the servant was trapped in the clutches of a brothel owner named Bibi Cang, who offered to help them upon seeing how beautiful the girl, Khu Kim In, was. As time passed, their debts piled up, and eventually, after Khu Kim In reached the age of fifteen, she was forced to be sold to Bibi Cang as payment for the debt.

"Thus, Kwee-kongcu. I am Khu Kim In. I cannot free myself from Bibi Cang's grip. However, fortunately, I am favored by the wealthy merchants and officials around this area, allowing me to influence Bibi Cang and gain some freedom. I am allowed to choose which man I will serve, and because I bring in so much income, making Bibi Cang rich, she treats me well and grants me freedom; I even have servants and a private residence. But all of this, Kongcu, I achieved through great sacrifice. My father and mother are dead, my sister Gin In is lost somewhere, and I must sacrifice my honor, becoming a despicable woman looked down upon by honorable people like you."

Ang-siauw-hwa wept again. Kwee Seng was deeply moved. How terrible this girl's fate was. The feeling of sympathy and pity made him gently hold the woman's shoulders and comfort her.

"It is alright, Miss. I do not look down upon you, and I promise I will redeem you from Bibi Cang. Then, I will find a good elderly couple who would be willing to adopt you as a daughter. As for Miss Khu Gin In, let me search for her slowly for you."

"Ah, Kwee-kongcu, you heap kindness upon me."

Ang-siauw-hwa rushed into Kwee Seng's arms and wept, burying her face against the young man's chest. Kwee Seng did not push her away now, stroking the woman's hair with deep feelings of pity and affection. A prince's daughter reduced to this, he thought.

Because he was certain that all of this lady's actions were not pretense but stemmed from a sincere heart that felt deeply indebted to him, he could not bear to reject her expression of affection, especially since he was already greatly attracted to this lady who possessed rare beauty. After her crying subsided, without releasing her embrace, Ang-siauw-hwa spoke, her voice intimate and spoiled.

"I am very attracted to the sound of your flute, Kwee-koko. I hope you are willing to teach me."

Kwee Seng's heart fluttered at the change in address from Kongcu (Young Master) to Koko (Elder Brother).

"My flute was smashed by that damned Hwesio."

He replied, still admiring her long, fine, fragrant black hair.

"There is a good flute seller west of the lake; I will have a servant buy one for you."

"No need, I will buy it myself tomorrow. Choosing a flute is not arbitrary; one must try it first."

That night was an extremely intimate night for Kwee Seng, but also a night that stirred pity in his heart for Ang-siauw-hwa—a pity that would easily turn into love if he did not remember that this lady was a courtesan! On the other hand, it was not strange at all that Ang-siauw-hwa Khu Kim In fell in love with Kwee Seng, because in her entire life, this was the first time she had met a young man who did not view her as a despicable prostitute. Usually, any man would only regard her as a plaything, coming to her filled with lust and expecting pleasure and entertainment from her. But Kwee Seng was completely different; this handsome young man helped her without expectation, treated her as an honorable human being. Thus, her heart instantly fell, and it was not surprising that she willingly surrendered her body and soul to Kwee Seng and hoped to serve the young man for the rest of her life!

The next morning, Kwee Seng bid farewell early to Ang-siauw-hwa, who was still half-asleep on the bed.

"Moi-moi, I must go now to find a good flute."

With her eyes still half-closed, Ang-siauw-hwa extended her smooth, white arms toward Kwee Seng, then said, her voice intimate and full of love,

"Kwee-koko, don't leave me again."

Kwee Seng felt deeply moved. He was certain of this woman's feelings for him. For a moment, their fingers intertwined, then Kwee Seng released her and said with a smile.

"Don't worry, Moi-moi, I won't leave you just like that until you are skilled at playing the flute!" He didn't know why, but that morning, Kwee Seng felt extremely joyful.

The feeling of exhaustion and weakness resulting from the life-and-death battle against Ban-pi Lo-cia had vanished. The morning sunlight illuminating the surface of the lake and the surrounding trees looked beautifully refreshing. The sound of the morning birds chirping was delightful, unlike usual. And the young man smiled, his eyes shining, and his cheeks flushed red, his lips curving into a strange smile whenever he thought of Ang-siauw-hwa! He had to find a good flute, not only one with a good sound but also one that met the requirements to be a weapon. Bamboo that was carefully selected, old, and completely dry. It was true, as Ang-siauw-hwa had said, that west of the lake there was a flute seller who made his own instruments. However, Kwee Seng was disappointed to see that although the craftsmanship was very fine, the material was made only of ordinary bamboo.

"I have a stalk of black-spotted bamboo, which is usually called black-spotted bamboo, Kongcu. I bought that bamboo expensively from a traveler in the Huang-ho Valley, but because of its high cost, I haven't made it into a flute yet, afraid no one would dare to buy it."

Finally, the Flute Maker said. Kwee Seng was overjoyed. He recognized the black dragon bamboo as strong and straight bamboo, making it excellent for a flute and suitable for use as a weapon.

"Where is that bamboo? Why didn't you mention it earlier? Bring it out, let me see it."

After the bamboo was brought out, Kwee Seng was ecstatic. It was indeed excellent black dragon bamboo, old and completely dry. They haggled over the price, then Kwee Seng said,

"Done. Please make a flute from this bamboo right now; I will wait for it."

Kwee Seng spent more than half a day at the flute maker's house. Finally, past noon, the flute was finished, and after trying it and confirming that the size of the holes was accurate, Kwee Seng paid the price for the flute, which was fifty times more expensive than an ordinary flute, bought an ordinary flute as well, and left the place. He was extremely happy, quickening his pace toward the small house that Ang-siauw-hwa had described as her resting place not far from the lake.

"Moi-moi, look at this flute!"

At the door of the house, Kwee Seng was already calling out, longing for the sweet smile and intimate gaze that would surely greet him. But it was silent inside. Kwee Seng pushed the door open and one can imagine his shock upon seeing two figures sprawled behind the door. When he bent down and checked, they turned out to be two female servants who were already lifeless, without suffering any visible wounds. Kwee Seng's face turned pale.

"Moi-moi!"

He cried out, and hearing a soft sound from inside the room, he leaped once, kicking open the chamber door and rushing inside. What did he see? Ang-siauw-hwa was indeed there, but in a state vastly different from last night. The girl was lying supine on the bed, her clothes nearly stripped off, her hair unbound and covering part of her neck and chest. Her pink dress was torn and covered in blood flowing from her chest, where a pair of scissors was visibly embedded! Kwee Seng immediately rushed to her, but with a single glance, he knew that the girl's life could not be saved, as the scissors were plunged precisely into her solar plexus. He was quietly astonished as to why Ang-siauw-hwa had not died instantly from such a stab.

"Moi-moi, who did this?"

He shook the woman's shoulder. Ang-siauw-hwa opened her fading eyes, and suddenly the girl smiled weakly.

"Kwee-koko, you came too late, but it is better this way... I could never look at your face after what happened... it is better I end my life."

"What are you saying? You killed yourself? But why, Moi-moi?"

"Koko, the moment you left, that demon hwesio came... ah..." my two servants were killed by him and I... I..." The woman wept, her breath ragged. "After meeting you, after I swore loyalty only to you alone, that hwesio's brutality makes it impossible for me to ever look at you again in this world... I... I, ah... Koko, I love you... please find my sister Gin In..."

"Moi-moi!"

But Ang-siauw-hwa, or the ill-fated Khu Kim In, had breathed her last in Kwee Seng's embrace. At that moment, a woman's voice was heard calling from outside.

"Ang-siauw-hwa! Why haven't you returned to the city for two days? I've been waiting for you; many guests are asking for you."

Then a woman's scream was heard. Kwee Seng realized that the woman who had arrived must be Bibi Cang, who had seen the two dead servants. To avoid implicating himself in this murder, he quickly laid Ang-siauw-hwa's body back on the bed, bent down and kissed her lips which were beginning to fade, and then, swift as lightning, he leaped out of the room through the window, taking his robe that Ang-siauw-hwa had borrowed yesterday, and leaving his flute near the courtesan's body.

"Thus, Sian-moi, was my encounter with Ban-pi Lo-cia, which resulted in the destruction of my flute!"

Kwee Seng concluded his story to Liu Lu Sian. Of course, in the story, he did not clearly explain his relationship with Ang-siauw-hwa. In his view, compared to Ang-siauw-hwa, Liu Lu Sian surpassed her in every way. If Ang-siauw-hwa were likened to a stalk of flower, the courtesan was a botan flower growing in a field of grass, without protection, easily withered by sunlight and stripped by strong winds. But Liu Lu Sian was a stalk of fragrant wild rose, beautifully protected by a large tree, and difficult to pick because of her sharp thorns.