The Golden Flute Chapter 23

"Ah, Moi-moi, why do you seek trouble that has absolutely nothing to do with us? General Kam's affairs are state affairs, and as long as people involve themselves in state affairs, they inevitably harbor dirty ambitions. There is no need for us to interfere, Moi-moi."

However, Lu Sian had already turned her horse and sought a comfortable place to rest and spend the night. Finally, she stopped beneath a large tree, then dismounted. Kwee Seng was forced to follow her.

"That's enough, Koko, I'm hungry from talking too much. Let me find some meat to go with our dry bread."

The girl leaped and vanished into the dark forest. Not long after, she returned laughing, holding two plump rabbits by their ears. Kwee Seng said nothing, merely helping the girl skin the rabbits and roast the meat.

After they ate their fill, Lu Sian lay down on the soft, thick grass. Less than ten minutes later, the girl was fast asleep, her face tilted, resting on her hand, her breathing long and regular, her cheeks flushed, her closed eyelashes appearing long, casting shadows on her cheek. For hours, Kwee Seng just sat, gazing at the body lying sideways before him. His thoughts drifted. How beautiful this girl was. Her black hair was slightly disheveled; some strands that had escaped the tie covered her cheek and forehead. The smooth white forehead was slightly damp with sweat because the air was indeed hot approaching dusk. Kwee Seng noticed this and extinguished the bonfire they had used to roast the rabbit meat. Then he sat again, facing Lu Sian, enjoying her lovely face.

Lu Sian moved slightly in her sleep, her lips smiling, her hand brushing away the hair covering her cheek and forehead, then her body shifted to lie on her back, and her whisper was heard.

"Kwee-koko,"

Kwee Seng's heart pounded fiercely. This girl was talking in her sleep and mentioning his name! Didn't that mean Lu Sian also harbored feelings for him? He looked again. That sweet mouth was still smiling. He never tired of looking at this face, like gazing at a fresh rose. Kwee Seng was mesmerized, looking at the long, black hair that was now messy, reminding him of a poem about the beauty of hair he had once read:

smooth and slick like pure black silk

surpassing thick ink, long and curled

strands binding the heart, stirring affection

fragrant like a blossoming flower

waving, reaching for romantic love

curled tendrils at the nape and forehead

awakening the passion of lustful desire!

After his eyes were satisfied enjoying the beauty of the hair on her head, his gaze lowered, stopping at the eyebrows and eyes shielded by long, curved lashes, momentarily captivated by the bridge of her nose. Small, delicate, pointed, and perfectly smooth like carved wax, the thin nostrils moved intimately, holding a thousand secrets. Kwee Seng's heart pounded even harder, almost unbearable, feeling as if it might explode. Seeing that hair, those eyelashes, the slightly flaring nostrils, the sweet mouth smiling in her sleep, the white flushed cheeks, he was reminded of Ang-siauw-hwa.

It was not that courtesan girl who appeared in his mind, but the intimate, passionate experience that, at that moment, drove all lustful desires to fill his heart and mind like a dark cloud obscuring his consciousness. With a trembling, shivering body, Kwee Seng then leaned toward that lovely face and kissed Lu Sian's lips and cheek with the full affection of his heart. The girl's laughter startled him, scattering some of the dark cloud covering his consciousness. Kwee Seng was shocked, his face pale, and he quickly distanced himself. His heart pounded fiercely, and he only felt relieved when he saw that Lu Sian was still asleep. The sound of laughter earlier seemed to have been only a dream. However, his kiss had plunged him deeper into the abyss of romance! Past dusk, after the sun began to hide, Lu Sian stretched and opened her eyes.

"Ahhh, how wonderful it is to sleep here. Eh Kwee-koko, are you still sitting there? Haven't you rested?"

The girl now sat up and tidied her hair. Sitting like that, both legs bent backward, her body upright, chest thrust out, both arms spread as her ten fingers busied themselves tying her hair into a bun behind her head, truly presented a beautiful sight. *Hmm, if only I knew how to paint, how beautiful this girl would be painted in this state,* Kwee Seng thought, so mesmerized that he seemed not to hear Lu Sian's words.

"Hih! Kwee-koko, have you turned into a statue? What are you looking at?"

Lu Sian teased, her smile wide and her eyes blinking with playful mockery.

"Huh! What did you say just now, Moi-moi"

Kwee Seng stammered. Now Lu Sian laughed,

"I thought you weren't resting, but it seems you were actually sleeping. Kwee-koko, I really want to bathe. If only there were a stream nearby."

"I hear the sound of trickling water to the left there, Sian-moi. Perhaps there is a stream or a waterfall there."

"Good, let's go there, Koko."

Like a small child, Lu Sian grabbed Kwee Seng's hand and pulled him running toward the left. Kwee Seng's guess was correct; there was a small river there with extremely clear water, and it wasn't deep, only about a meter or less. The smooth stones at the bottom appeared multicolored, adding to the beauty and coolness of the water.

"Ha! Cold and refreshing, Koko!"

Lu Sian shouted happily as she dipped her hand into the water at the river's edge.

"Koko, I'm going to bathe! Don't look this way until I'm in the water. Watch out! If you peek, I'll curse you for being impolite and pelt you with stones!"

Kwee Seng laughed, carried away by the girl's mischief and joy.

"Who wants to look?"

He exclaimed, turning his body to stand with his back to the river. He only heard the girl's movements, the sound of clothes being removed, then heard the girl stepping into the water. Everything he heard created an image that greatly tempted him, causing him to close his eyes tightly, as if trying to banish the image from his sight.

"It's fine now, Kwee-koko. You can look this way now, I'm safely covered by the water. Ah, it feels so good, Koko. You should bathe too, it's incredibly refreshing."

Kwee Seng turned his body and froze where he stood. His legs trembled, and his vision swam. *Oh, Lu Sian, are you truly trying to tempt me on purpose?* he lamented inwardly. When he looked, he saw the girl's clothes piled up on the riverbank, atop a large stone—all her clothes, including her shoes and hair ribbon. Then, what he saw in the middle of the river truly made him dizzy and weak. Indeed, the girl was submerged in the water so that only her neck and head were visible above the surface. However, Lu Sian seemed to have forgotten that the water was extremely clear! Or was it intentional? The water was so clear that the stones at the bottom were visible. Even more so, the body sitting upon them! A strange sight appeared to Kwee Seng. A solid, full body, perfect in its curves, its reflection swaying with the water. He quickly lowered his face. *Strengthen your heart! Ah, strengthen your heart before you are possessed by a demon!* Thus, with trembling legs, Kwee Seng stood, lowering his face, concentrating his inner energy to fight the urge of lust.

"Moi-moi—"

He stopped because his voice sounded strange.

"Hmm? What were you going to say, Koko?"

Kwee Seng took a deep breath, and the turmoil in his chest began to calm.

"Sian-moi, I won't bathe. You bathe to your heart's content; I'll wait for you over there. I'm worried our horses might be stolen."

Without waiting for an answer, Kwee Seng turned his body and ran from the spot, returning to where he had originally sat deep in thought about Lu Sian. *What a strange girl!* He had to admit that his heart had truly fallen. He adored Lu Sian, adored her beauty. Yet, he knew deep down that the girl's character was completely incompatible with his own, and that if he had a wife like Lu Sian, his life would be filled with suffering.

*I must restrain myself, all this is the temptation of a demon,* he thought. *I never wanted her as a wife from the start, only because I promised Pat-jiu Sin-ong to pass on the technique that defeated him, am I traveling with her now. Ah, why did I promise that? He tricked me, Pat-jiu Sin-ong certainly wanted to drain my knowledge. Once I have passed on the technique, I must quickly distance myself from Lu Sian,* he thought. However, remembering his act of stealing a kiss earlier, the turmoil in his chest returned, making Kwee Seng close his eyes. *Madness! You are mad!* Suddenly, Kwee Seng, still with his eyes closed, slapped his own head! Heee!

"Are you crazy?"