Having copper coins tossed down in front of him was nothing new to Ding Songyan. In fact, it stirred a powerful sense of familiarity.
Back in the day, I was the foremost Storyteller outside Dangkang Temple in Dingjiang Prefecture.
But I stopped performing for money ages ago. I was just testing the tone of my new bamboo flute, seeing whether "Madame White Under Qingcheng Mountain" sounded good on it.
Are you blind? Can't you see I'm wearing the everyday uniform of a guard from Prince Kang's Residence?
Without pausing his playing, Ding Songyan raised his eyes toward the people "supporting" his performance.
Even though he had seen his share of peerless beauties, the sight briefly dazzled him. Leading the group was a girl in a red top and skirt, with upturned eyes, a straight nose, rosy lips, and black hair tied up simply. Several reddish, colorful markings adorned her face, converging on her fair forehead into what seemed to be the character for "virtue." They did nothing to mar her beauty, instead setting off her fiery radiance and luminous charm.
The girl merely stood there quietly, yet the men, women, and scenery around her all paled. Every bit of brilliance seemed concentrated upon her.
All the world's beauty gathered in one place... Phoenix markings on her body, colorful plumage upon her skin. Zhang Yingbo of the Five Saints Sect, probably... Ding Songyan had a fair idea who this girl was.
She was Zhang Yingbo, the "Vermilion Phoenix Spear," currently staying as a guest at Prince Kang's Residence.
So "all the world's beauty gathered in one place" even comes with special effects... Still playing, Ding Songyan looked at the man beside Zhang Yingbo.
He was the only person present who retained a little brilliance of his own.
He looked twenty-seven or