Dipper

Bloody Moonlight The moonlight that year was like a poisonous silver hairpin, and every ray of light penetrated Chang'an's wounds. Li Mengxi stood at the break of the city wall. Her plain white skirt was dyed the color of gray dove feathers by gunpowder smoke. The jade pendant on her waist hit the arrow stack, making a crisp sound like broken bones. In the hand warmer I handed over, the charcoal fire was devouring the last piece of pine wood - just like this era is devouring all warm things. [Qin Xian weeps blood] On the day of court, the seventh string she broke suddenly splattered with blood. The vermilion fell on the silk of "Zhi Zhan Shu" and bloomed into a flapping crane. Her rapidly graying temples were reflected in the wine glasses of the dignitaries. Later, when I was cleaning the piano table, I found small words carved on the burnt end: "When the song ends, please bury my fingernails under the willow tree" - that is a taboo passed down from generation to generation among musicians: by offering bones and blood as a sacrifice, one can borrow three days of longevity from the King of Hell. Rose Skeleton The iron door of Luoyang cellar still has half of the hairpin stuck. Every April, thorny vines crawl out of the cracks and seventeen double roses bloom. The most beautiful flower is always covered with dew and smells like iron when licked. The veteran guarding the city said that this was an evil spirit counting his broken ribs. Children say that if they put their ears to the petals, they can hear a woman humming "Mi Li". [Book of No Regrets] The yellowed letterhead contains dried camellia flowers, which ooze light red when exposed to water. She wrote: "I secretly exchanged the poisonous wine given by the emperor and packed the soil from the south of the city in a rouge box. If you see the moon turn amber, it is me wiping the bloody bronze mirror." It rained last night, and a line of water-stained writing suddenly appeared on the desk: "Look, the camellia is blooming."