Ya She

Chapter 57 Kingfisher Feather Hairpin

【1】

The doctor stared at the bronze artifacts in the glass case, which appeared even more sinister under the light, his eyes filled with questions.

Well, he didn't really know why he was wasting his precious day off at a museum. But after glancing at the enthusiastic little boy Tang Yuan, the doctor resignedly wiped his face and continued to patiently look at the antiques in the glass cases, the purpose of which he had no idea.

Because it was the weekend, the museum wasn't as deserted as usual; many parents had brought their children to visit. Although the kids tried their best to control their boisterous impulses, the museum was no longer as quiet as it usually was, filled with whispers and laughter.

The doctor wandered around the bronze ware exhibition hall for a while, utterly bewildered by the pile of unfamiliar characters and the bronze artifacts whose uses he didn't understand. He felt like he was practically illiterate, having wasted over ten years of schooling. He straightened up, sighed, and glanced around. In the blink of an eye, little Tang Yuan had disappeared. He had no choice but to follow the flow of people to the next exhibition hall.

This exhibition hall features a special display of ancient women's jewelry, reportedly selected from the museum's collection. The doctor wasn't particularly interested in these items, but they were still more appealing than the bronzes. He leisurely admired them, snapping photos of anything he liked with his phone. He had already confirmed that photography in this museum was allowed as long as the flash wasn't used. There were many people like him, some even using DSLR cameras, looking quite professional.

The purpose of visiting the museum was to experience Chinese culture and learn about ancient history, but almost everyone just glanced at it and left. Therefore, the woman in the blue dress who stood motionless in front of a glass case for a long time stood out. When the doctor approached her, he noticed that she was staring intently at a blue-green gold hairpin.

This gold hairpin is shaped like a bird's nest, with its head and eyes inlaid with beads, while the body is blue-green. The blue-green color, made of some unknown material, shimmers with a faint blue light under the lamp, and changes color with the wearer's movement, from lake blue to navy blue, as if it were a living creature.

Although the doctor knew nothing about jewelry, he was deeply attracted to the gold hairpin the moment he saw it, and couldn't help but stop in front of the display case, just like the young woman.

The plaque inside the glass case reads: Tang Dynasty Sparrow-shaped Kingfisher Feather Hairpin.

"Diancui?" The doctor felt the word looked familiar and was about to search it on his phone when he felt someone pat him on the shoulder twice.

"Why didn't you come to see me when you got here?" A deliberately lowered voice rang out, with a hint of surprise in its tone.

The doctor turned around and saw that the person who greeted him was a middle-aged man over forty years old. He had a well-defined face, with a pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched on his high nose. Time had etched a few wrinkles on his forehead, which added to his refined and scholarly air. He was leaning on a cane, indicating that he had some difficulty walking.

"Ah! It's you!" The doctor was stunned for a moment before remembering that this uncle was the kind person who had specially brought Tangyuan back from her home late at night. He hadn't even had a chance to properly thank him before the uncle was dragged away by his companion. Seeing him now, the doctor was overjoyed and wondered how to thank him, at least by offering to treat the uncle to a meal. But before he could speak, the woman in the blue dress who had been staring at the kingfisher feather hairpin turned around and greeted the uncle, "Hello, curator."

"Huh? The curator? This uncle is actually the curator of this museum?" The doctor was immediately filled with respect. For someone like him who wasn't good at humanities subjects, the museum curator was the epitome of culture, unapproachable! He was about to chat a bit more when he noticed the curator's eyes looking at him strangely behind his glasses.

"Your girlfriend?" the curator asked, surprised. The woman in the blue dress was taken aback, then quickly waved her hand and said, "We don't know each other."

"Oh, oh!" The curator coughed twice, a little embarrassed.

The doctor also felt quite embarrassed. He turned his head to look at the woman in the blue dress next to him. She looked to be in her early twenties, with fair skin and a pretty face. However, there was a red mark about two centimeters long on her right eye. At first glance, it looked like a scratch from something, but the doctor could tell at a glance that it was not a scratch.

"It's a birthmark," the woman in the blue dress explained with a smile, clearly used to such stares. Her features were delicate, and her smile made her even more graceful and charming, but the birthmark at the corner of her eye was extremely striking, marring her beauty and making one feel a pang of regret.

"Um... I'm a doctor, would you like me to introduce our hospital's cosmetic surgery department?" the doctor suggested with a professional quirk. With medical technology developed to such an extent that it's no problem to change a birthmark or even a face.

The woman in the blue dress touched the red mark at the corner of her eye and politely declined with a smile, "Thank you, but I don't want to remove this birthmark." She clearly didn't want to discuss the topic further. She looked at the kingfisher feather hairpin in the display case, then at the curator, and finally mustered the courage to ask, "Curator, is this kingfisher feather hairpin really from the Tang Dynasty? Although its design is dignified and elegant, conforming to Tang Dynasty aesthetics, aren't kingfisher feather ornaments generally only preserved for about a hundred years? And the colors of this hairpin are so vibrant; is it really not a Ming or Qing Dynasty or even more recent imitation of a Tang Dynasty piece? After all, imitating antiques is something every dynasty is keen on..."

Clearly, she had been pondering this question for a long time, and when she finally spoke, she couldn't help but quicken her pace and become excited.

The curator waved, gesturing for them to follow him out of the exhibition hall to chat. Although the doctor felt it was impolite to suggest plastic surgery, he was also very curious about the woman in the blue dress, so he didn't leave and followed her out.

"The art of kingfisher feather inlay can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, when it was called Yu Po. It was a technique of inlaying insect wings onto gold and silver. Later, the Yu Po technique developed into specific categories, and the technique of inlaying kingfisher feathers was specifically called Kingfisher Feather Inlay." The curator explained in such detail, actually to accommodate doctors who might not understand. "Most of the Kingfisher Feather Inlay ornaments that exist today are from the Ming and Qing dynasties, because the earlier ones have basically not been preserved. Moreover, the Kingfisher Feather Inlay ornaments that have survived to the present day have undergone later restoration, with recoloring or re-inlaying of kingfisher feathers."

"I see." The woman in the blue dress looked somewhat melancholy upon hearing this, clearly assuming that the kingfisher feather hairpin in the display case had also been repaired.

“But this kingfisher feather hairpin is not a refurbished one.” The curator said with pride, pushing up his glasses and chuckling, “This hairpin is displayed in a separate case because it was like this from the moment it was unearthed. Moreover, since its discovery, countless scholars have questioned its age and origin, but after carbon-14 dating, no one has said anything more.”

"Carbon-14 dating?" The doctor asked eagerly when he encountered a term he didn't understand.

"It's an age determination method that uses the half-life of carbon-14 to identify the age of an object. For any carbon-containing material, as long as the amount of radioactive carbon-14 remaining is measured, its age can be inferred. This method can determine the age of organic matter. The pearls and kingfisher feathers on this hairpin are definitely from the Tang Dynasty. It has even been estimated to be from the late Tang Dynasty," the curator patiently explained. His slow and deliberate explanation attracted many children to watch.

"Grandpa, the kingfisher feather hairpin was so beautiful, why is it no longer available?" A girl raised her hand and asked. She had just visited the Ten Miles of Red Makeup exhibition hall and was quite fond of the kingfisher feather hairpin. She had even tugged at her mother's hand and made a fuss, saying that she wanted one too. However, her mother refused her, saying that it was completely unavailable, and she was feeling quite disappointed.

"Because kingfisher feathers are needed for the 'diancui' (a type of hairpin making), isn't it cruel to kill such a beautiful bird just for a hairpin?" The curator became even more patient with the children, and even softened his tone.

The little girl wrinkled her chubby face, tilted her head, and thought hard for a moment before saying in a muffled voice, "We only need feathers, so why can't we shear the feathers like we shear sheep every now and then?"

"Because all kingfishers in the kingfisher family are extremely sensitive. When they come into contact with people, they become highly stressed and unable to eat, and may even fly around wildly, resulting in them crashing to their deaths, let alone being kept in captivity and bred. This is a beautiful wild animal that cannot be kept in captivity, unlike cattle and sheep." This time, it wasn't the curator who spoke, but the woman in the blue dress. Her gaze was unfocused, as if she were imagining something, or perhaps reminiscing about something.

"I see..." The little girl puffed out her cheeks, a little unconvinced, but unable to say anything. Seeing this, the curator slowly instructed, "The Huainanzi says that Qin Shi Huang coveted the rhinoceros horn, elephant tusks, jade, and pearls of the Yue people, so he ordered Wei Tuwei to send 500,000 troops to attack the Baiyue. But do you all know what these four treasures—rhinoceros horn, elephant tusks, jade, and pearls—are?"

"Rhinoceros horn! Ivory!"

"I know jade, the green kind! The one Mommy really wanted, she even argued with Daddy about it last time!"

"What is 'zhuji'? Is it the same as pearls?"

The children, both young and old, immediately eagerly answered the questions, while their parents stood by, smiling. This museum regularly hosts various lectures and events, and on holidays, many volunteers are available to teach children history, so they all enjoy bringing their kids here.

"You guessed rhinoceros horn, ivory, and pearls correctly! Actually, all four treasures are derived from animals! Back then, the word 'jadeite' referred to the kingfisher. Kingfishers have both green and turquoise colors, hence the name jadeite. It wasn't until the Ming Dynasty, when Burmese jade was introduced to China, that jadeite acquired its current meaning because its two colors resembled those of the kingfisher." The curator, particularly comfortable with this lecture style, stroked his cane as he slowly explained, "So, the 'pearl and jade' mentioned in ancient times refers to a hairpin adorned with pearls and kingfisher feathers. In ancient times, only empresses and princesses could afford such a hairpin because it was so rare and precious. It was even more luxurious than a diamond ring today; money couldn't buy it."

"During the Tang Dynasty, extravagance was a source of pride. Starting with Princess Anle, woven skirts even became popular. Do you know what a woven skirt is? Actually, it was commonly known as a 'hundred-bird skirt.' It wasn't made with bird feathers as headdresses, but rather the entire skirt was made from bird feathers. It was so luxurious that it was unbelievable."

The little girls and boys stared wide-eyed in amazement. If a single kingfisher feather hairpin was so beautiful, imagine how stunning the entire dress must be!
"By the Song Dynasty, Emperor Taizu of Song had stopped this unhealthy trend. When Zhao Kuangyin saw his daughter wearing a dress adorned with kingfisher feathers, he dissuaded her and issued an edict banning the use of kingfisher feathers. Even Emperor Huizong of Song, the emperor who lost the Song Dynasty due to the Flower and Stone Tribute, reiterated the ban on the use of kingfisher feathers during his reign."

"Emperor Huizong probably didn't dislike luxury, but rather he loved painting birds and couldn't bear to harm birds for their feathers," the woman in the blue dress quipped, then her expression turned somber. "But despite the prohibitions, some people still secretly hunted kingfishers for kingfisher feather decorations."

"During the Southern Song Dynasty, Emperor Gaozong took the lead in destroying more than 600 kingfisher feathers that had been presented as tribute by Jiaochi, and issued a decree that burning gold would be considered a crime, and the same applied to kingfisher feather inlay. If clothing and jewelry inlaid with gold and kingfisher feathers were not destroyed, they would be exiled for two years if discovered. However, during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, with the prosperity of commerce and the emergence of capitalism, the prohibition could no longer control these luxury items, and kingfisher feather inlay became popular for a time."

"However, the number of kingfishers is limited, and due to years of hunting by humans, they have become increasingly rare. But market demand has been expanding, so artisans later replaced kingfisher feathers with blue silk or glass. By the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, cloisonné enamel had completely replaced kingfisher feather inlay. And now, kingfishers are a national protected animal, so kingfisher feather inlay has become a thing of the past."

The curator succinctly recounted the history of kingfisher feather inlay, his expression becoming complex. No one wants a craft passed down for thousands of years to be lost. But times change, and not everything can last forever; this is precisely the joy and significance of archaeology.

"Grandpa, does the kingfisher not want to be caught because of its feathers?" the little girl blinked her big, clear black and white eyes and asked, tilting her head back.

"Yes, of course the kingfisher doesn't want to," the curator replied gently.

"But what about the pearl? The oyster doesn't want to be killed because of the pearl inside its belly, does it? And the beef, mutton, and pork we eat don't want to lose their lives because of it, do they?" the little girl asked innocently.

"This..." The curator was stunned. This was a philosophical question, even a question of Buddhism. How could he explain it to a child?

"And what about plants? A big tree grows perfectly fine, then gets cut down and carved—it certainly doesn't want that! And stones? I read in a book that stones change too. Maybe they grow very slowly; who knows if stones are alive? They certainly don't want to be trampled or cut up!" The little girl unleashed a torrent of questions, seemingly innocent yet chillingly insightful, leaving everyone speechless in an instant. The little girl's mother looked embarrassed, clearly well aware of her daughter's powerful questioning skills, but still unsure how to handle the situation.

"Little girl, kingfisher feather hairpins are sold on Taobao, there are many kinds!" The doctor recognized the voice and looked closely, only to find it was little Tang Yuan who had appeared out of nowhere. His words immediately captured the little girl's attention. The little girl's mother also knowingly pulled out her phone; many kingfisher feather hairpins on Taobao were obviously imitations, some costing only a few dozen yuan with free shipping within Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai—enough to fool a child. Besides, the little girl wasn't really looking for an answer; she just wanted a sparkly piece of jewelry. Who cared if it was made of kingfisher feathers? The ultimate weapon against all women is shopping, whether they're eight or eighty years old.

The doctor sighed in admiration, thinking that Tang Yuan was only 12 years old and already knew how to make girls happy. He wondered what he would be like when he grew up.

Next, a group of parents started exchanging their Taobao experiences. The curator was called away by someone else, and the woman in the blue dress went back to the exhibition hall to look at the kingfisher hairpin, but the doctor himself didn't want to look at it anymore.

The doctor felt uneasy at the thought that such beautiful ornaments were made by taking away beautiful creatures.

"You didn't get swayed by that little girl's words, did you?" Tang Yuan glanced at his face and pursed his lips. "According to her, not only can't you eat meat, but you can't even eat vegetables. Are you going to starve to death just to avoid killing?" The doctor shuddered and quickly shook his head. As a foodie, he naturally couldn't give up delicious food.

“Food raised and cultivated is produced by humans. If it weren’t for consumption, it wouldn’t exist,” Tang Yuan explained logically. “Wild animals, on the other hand, cannot be domesticated and are scarce. To ensure the integrity of the food chain and the balance of the natural environment, they cannot be hunted indiscriminately. Besides, if peacocks really tasted better than chicken, they wouldn’t be kept in zoos for people to admire; they would be in farms. You have to trust the food culture that thousands of people in our great nation have cultivated over the years.” The doctor was speechless. He didn’t dwell on whether what Tang Yuan said was right or wrong, but he had to admit that he had actually been convinced by a 12-year-old child.

"Let's go! Next up is the Swords and Weapons exhibition hall, all weapons! Uncle, you'll definitely like it!" Tang Yuan grabbed the doctor's sleeve and rushed off to the next exhibition hall. Not far away, the curator watched the two leave, one big and one small, and couldn't help but complain to Lu Zigang, "Look at you, why were you in such a hurry to get me here? I haven't even said a few words to that kid yet!"

Lu Zigang thought to himself, how could he dare let the curator and doctor say a few more words? If they said a few more, the curator would bring up the boss's affairs. Although Hengwuxiang had erased the doctor's memories of the boss, the memories of those involved couldn't be completely erased; they were only blurred. What if they got a few more clues and remembered something?
"I've checked them all for you. Besides that Yuan blue-and-white porcelain, there's another antique with a rather serious problem," Lu Zigang said seriously, changing the subject. He came to the museum on the curator's behalf to check the antiques for any anomalies. He chose to examine them when there were many people around because the yang energy was stronger then, making it easier to see the location of yin energy. In fact, many antiques retain some remnants of their essence, but some don't require attention, while others cannot be ignored. "The Yuan blue-and-white porcelain isn't too bad because you were there, but the other one..."

"Which one?" The curator immediately stopped complaining, his expression grave. After the incident with the shadowy terracotta figurine, although the curator knew that feudal superstition was unacceptable, he still occasionally asked Lu Zigang to come and take a look.

"The Tang Dynasty sparrow-shaped kingfisher feather hairpin in the Ten Miles of Red Makeup Exhibition Hall."

【2】

After 5 p.m., the museum returned to quiet after a whole day of hustle and bustle. Cleaning staff finished cleaning the various exhibition halls quickly, and the bright lights dimmed one by one as no one visited, until finally even the central air conditioning stopped running, and complete silence descended.

"Tsk, those human brats are so noisy, they're so annoying." After an unknown amount of time, a sinister voice broke the silence, hoarsely complaining.

"Oh dear, it's not like this is the first time. What's there to be unaccustomed to? But in recent years, our humans have become much younger. Unlike before when we saw old men every day, now we can see handsome young boys and cute little boys to cleanse our eyes!" A sweet voice said with a grin.

"But I hate that metal box they're carrying. Some people just don't remember to turn off that flash, it's so bright! If this keeps up, my presbyopia will definitely go blind in a few years!" an old voice sighed.

"Tch, didn't you guys notice there was a strange young man here today?"

"Which one? Is it that bespectacled guy who wanders around aimlessly and keeps complaining? He can't even pronounce my name. Is the character '簋' that hard? He doesn't even recognize it!"

"Oh... that word is pronounced 'ghost'..."

"Oh my, I just found out too..."

"..."

"Tsk, not that one."

"Is that the girl in the blue dress? The one with the birthmark at the corner of her right eye? She's just a brainless fan who's infatuated with Qingyu's beauty. There's nothing particularly noteworthy about her."

“There was a young man carrying strange jade artifacts. He must have noticed that we were different, especially since he looked at Qingyu several times.”

"We're not afraid of anything they see through. What can they do to us? We're all national-level cultural relics!"

Museum Night tonight, as usual, was not very peaceful.

At the center of the discussion is Qingyu, the name of that Tang Dynasty sparrow-shaped kingfisher feather hairpin. It lies quietly on a black velvet cloth, its pearl eyes gazing fixedly at the outside of the glass case, as if piercing through the suffocating darkness to see distant memories.

【3】

866 AD.

It was a young kingfisher, just like its brothers and sisters, who had been driven from their warm nest by their mother, who would never allow them to return.

They are adults now and must support themselves.

Its brothers and sisters flew off in different directions. It flew aimlessly for a while before finally stopping beside a small river. Once it landed, it preened its feathers with its beak. It was only just an adult, and its feathers were far less beautiful and thick than its mother's, but after shedding its ugly downy feathers, its turquoise and light blue feathers had grown in, which it quite liked, and it would often think of preening them.

It took the little kingfisher quite a while to tidy its feathers. Standing on a tree branch, it looked down and was satisfied to see a beautiful little kingfisher reflected in the river.

After admiring it for a while, its gaze slowly moved to the riverbank.

It couldn't fly any further. It had already spotted unnaturally broken branches and messy footprints, proving there was already human activity nearby. The little kingfisher perched on a branch, tilting its head. In its mother's admonitions, she had specifically emphasized that humans were terrifying. Because humans couldn't grow feathers themselves, yet envied the beauty of human feathers, they captured and killed them, plucking their feathers to stick on their heads. How cruel!
Its father had long since died at the hands of humans, and its mother had been captured and taken to the capital, only to escape with great difficulty. Now, far from their homeland, she could never return, and discovering she was pregnant with their siblings, she had no choice but to settle in a nearby forest. The little kingfisher had never been to the warm and beautiful homeland its mother had described. It was born in the heat of summer, and now autumn had arrived, the weather noticeably colder. When its mother urged them to leave the nest, she also told them to build one as soon as possible. But before that, they needed to fill their stomachs.

The little kingfisher observed the surroundings and, finding no signs of humans, settled comfortably on a branch on the riverbank, intently watching the ripples on the water's surface.

The mother had taught them how to catch small fish, and had repeatedly darted into the water before their eyes, accurately catching fish and shrimp beneath the surface, then gracefully taking flight. The little kingfisher had tried several times, but its success rate was not high; it was considered good if it caught something two or three times out of ten.

Now that it's out here struggling to survive on its own, it needs to increase its success rate; otherwise, it'll waste energy and need to eat more small fish to recover. The little kingfisher thought seriously, staring intently at the water's surface. Kingfishers possess eyesight unmatched by other species, easily seeing fish and shrimp beneath the water's surface. The little kingfisher naturally inherited this vision, but its experience tells it that what appears on the surface is different from reality. It doesn't know why, but it simply needs to find the pattern.

A shimmering stream flows gently through the woods. A little kingfisher on a branch by the riverbank stands motionless, like a sculpture. Only when the sunlight shines on it does its emerald green feathers shimmer with dazzling colors, like a pearl among the sand, its striking appearance impossible to conceal, making one want to hold it in one's hands and possess it.

The little kingfisher had already heard the soft footsteps behind it. Instead of flying away, it was determined to teach the other bird a lesson.

Actually, it doesn't find humans scary.

It had seen some humans trespassing into the forest, and had also ventured out of the forest to see human settlements from afar.

Humans don't have sharp teeth, strong physiques, or wings. They only have two legs, and even then, they're not fast runners and easily fall. They have no means of self-defense and can only live in large nests made of wood and stone—they're incredibly vulnerable. I really don't understand why my mother is so afraid of humans!
Look at it!
A wooden stick whistled down, and the little kingfisher suddenly took flight, dodging the menacing stick. Instead of fleeing immediately, it used its sharp claws to fiercely claw at the attacker.

One hit!
Look! Humans are actually very weak! They bleed easily with just a scratch! Skin without fur or feathers is so delicate it's almost unbearable to look at.

The little kingfisher flew proudly to a high branch on the side and looked down.

But just one glance was enough to freeze it in place.

Its eyesight was excellent; it could clearly see a dead black snake lying beneath the stick it had mistaken for, its body still twitching slightly. Judging from the distance, if the human hadn't killed the snake with the stick, it would already be dead! That human had actually saved it! And what had it done? It had scratched the human's face! If its claws had been just a little further to the side, that human would have lost an eye… The little kingfisher flapped its wings a few times, filled with regret and guilt, not knowing what to do.

The human in the blue dress covered her right cheek and looked up, as if to check if the little kingfisher was alright, before picking up the black snake and leaving. The little kingfisher stared at the pool of blood in the grass, then finally spread its wings and followed.

【4】

Xianyi Temple.

"What exactly happened to that girl, Lü Qiao? She has such a scar on her face. How will she ever get married?"

"Yeah, yeah! When we asked her, she just said it was an accident. Do you think it might have been her troublesome master who whipped her?"

"Tsk, I think it's possible. That fake Taoist nun is capable of anything!"

Green Qiao stood under the eaves, listening to the old women gossiping in the temple. She knew that no matter what she said, it would be useless. People always liked to hear what they wanted to hear, and even if they didn't hear it, they would find all sorts of reasons to twist it into their own desired outcome. So even if she explained, they wouldn't believe her. In this situation, it was better for her to avoid them.

Holding a cup of tea in one hand, she couldn't help but touch the red mark at the corner of her right eye with the other. She didn't know what she was thinking at the time; she'd seen the little kingfisher in the woods and was immediately captivated by its vibrant, beautiful feathers. After spotting the black snake beside it, without thinking, she grabbed a stick and swung it. The kingfisher was startled and retaliated—it was only natural; she'd been caught off guard. After the initial shock and anger, she could only accept the reality. Although she applied medicine promptly, a scar remained after the scab fell off. It would be a lie to say she didn't care; every woman values ​​her appearance. But for a maid, to be more beautiful than her mistress was a problem. Sure enough, after her disfigurement, life became much better. Her mistress was much more tolerant and no longer tormented her with excuses for suspected infidelity. Actually, she felt quite sorry for her mistress.

Her mistress's surname was Yu, and her given name was Youwei. At a young age, she was already a renowned talented woman in Chang'an. Later, she married Li Yi, a top scholar in the imperial examination, as his concubine. What should have been a life that everyone envied was disrupted because the top scholar had a wife from a prestigious family named Pei. After only three months of marriage, she was divorced and sent to live as a nun in a Taoist temple near Qujiang. She changed her Taoist name to Yu Xuanji.

Although Li Yi donated a large sum of money to Xianyi Temple, almost completely renovating the temple and arranging for his young mistress's future, it couldn't erase the fact that she had been abandoned. Initially, his young mistress endlessly missed Li Yi, composing many poignant poems, but unable to convey them to him, she could only casually toss the poems into the stream, entrusting her heart's secrets to the flowing water. The stream flowed past Xianyi Temple and into the Qujiang River, carrying the poems downstream, attracting many literati and poets. Since being deeply hurt by Li Yi, the young mistress seemed like a different person, becoming unrestrained and dissolute, flitting between many men, and surprisingly, gaining widespread fame.

Green Qiao waited quietly for the old women to pass by before carrying the tea out from under the eaves, crossing the courtyard of the temple, and arriving at Xuanjizhai, where Yu Xuanji lived. As soon as she pushed open the door, a teacup was placed in front of her.

"Why have you been gone for so long? Did you go flirting with men again? You're disfigured and still not behaving yourself?" Yu Xuanji asked sharply. She was wearing a black Taoist robe, and her long hair was neatly tied back with a single wooden hairpin, which made her unadorned face have an unapproachable and aloof beauty, making people involuntarily want to bow down to her.

Lüqiao didn't try to argue, because she knew her mistress was just venting her anger. At this point, whatever she said would only result in a scolding and beating. Before, her mistress had been mindful of her reputation and hadn't gone too far when taking her anger out on her. But since arriving at Xianyi Temple, her mistress seemed like a different person; her clothes were often covered in bruises.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Speak! Did you deliberately smear your face? Wei Lang even asked me if I was the one who whipped you! You restless little vixen! I shouldn't have bought you back then because I pitied you!" Yu Xuanji said, picking up a whisk and lashing out. Lü Qiao lowered her eyes, her body trembling from the pain, but inwardly she was relieved that her mistress wasn't too angry today, otherwise she would have used the whip. Perhaps it was Lü Qiao's silent, passive resistance that made Yu Xuanji feel no sense of accomplishment, and she stopped after a few lashes, irritably pushing the box on the table and taking out the key she kept close to her body: "Go and put these beads away."

Green Jade took the gift, knowing it must be a present from an admirer to her young mistress. Judging from her mistress's expression, she assessed the size and quantity of the pearls in the box and concluded that they probably didn't quite suit her taste. She stood up, bowed, and then walked through the hall to the most secluded storeroom of Xuanji Studio. Using the key she had just received, she opened the storeroom door.

Inside the gate were various treasures, mostly magnificent robes and ornaments. Some were part of the young lady's dowry, some were gifts from Li Yi, and some were gifts from the many admirers who came to Xianyi Temple. But the young lady never wore them; she usually wore only a Taoist robe and a wooden hairpin. Others might assume that her young lady was dutifully living as a Taoist nun, but she knew that although these treasures had not been used for a long time, they were not dusty at all. Her young lady often cleaned them herself and rarely even allowed her to handle or touch them.

Luqiao carefully placed the box on the cabinet, then quickly went out to lock the door. Without wasting a moment, she returned to the hall and handed the key back to Yu Xuanji. Yu Xuanji stroked the copper key in her hand, a slight smile playing on her bright red lips, and sneered, "All the things in this room aren't even worth as much as that woman's set of kingfisher feather jewelry." Luqiao listened silently, knowing that her mistress's heart still belonged to Li Yi's wife, Lady Pei. If Li Yi's wife hadn't been surnamed Pei, hadn't been from the Pei family, one of the four prominent families of Guanzhong, her mistress wouldn't have ended up as a nun in a Taoist temple, her life filled with the uncertainty of where to send her letters.

But kingfisher feather inlay... a luxury only nobles could afford, not something money could buy... Green Qiao thought of the dazzling little kingfisher in the sunlight and lowered her head deeply. She didn't know why a kingfisher, found only in the southern Yue region, had appeared in the nearby forest. If it weren't for the scars on her face, she might have thought it was all her imagination.

"If you like something, you should hold onto it tightly," Yu Xuanji vowed bitterly. The first man she ever loved belonged to someone else. She gritted her teeth and entered the household as a concubine, but what she wanted still wasn't hers. On her way out of the house, she asked for a set of kingfisher feather jewelry of her own, but was coldly refused, told she wasn't worthy to wear it!
What a joke! She, Yu Xuanji, is determined to have a set of kingfisher feather jewelry made for herself! Lü Qiao shrank back to make herself less noticeable.

The day passed slowly as usual. In the evening, after arranging for a servant to bring hot water to her mistress, Lüqiao returned to her own side room. The thin walls could not block out the laughter of the man and woman next door. A hint of helplessness finally appeared on Lüqiao's expressionless face. After lighting the oil lamp, she quietly began to make her bed and prepare to go to sleep.

Just as she was about to blow out the oil lamp, she suddenly realized something and looked out the window, which was not closed tightly, and caught a glimpse of a dark blue in the moonlight.

A little kingfisher was standing motionless on a branch outside the window, tilting its head and staring at her.

【5】

The little kingfisher thought her recently acquired servant was truly excellent. Every day, he prepared food and clean water for her. The small fish were all cleaned meticulously, their innards and scales removed, cut into pieces small enough for her to swallow whole – the taste was incredibly delicious. As the weather turned cold, on chilly nights, she could nestle comfortably in the heated room, without even needing to build her own nest! The little kingfisher was very satisfied, but also a little uneasy. She had flown over to check on this human because she felt guilty after seeing the black snake's corpse, but instead, she was being pampered so comfortably.

Sure enough, were they captivated by my beauty? The little kingfisher stood before the bronze mirror, admiring the increasingly beautiful colors of its feathers.

Perhaps it's because of the better food it's been eating lately, and the fact that it no longer has to endure the elements and hunger, its plumage is already much more beautiful than its mother's. After all, its mother not only has to feed herself but also take care of their chicks; how could she compare to its current comfort?

"Qingyu? Qingyu?"

A gentle voice called softly, and the little kingfisher knew it was the name its servant had given it. "Kingfisher" meant blue-feathered bird. Although it didn't know the exact meaning, after hearing the name so often, it knew those two syllables were calling it. Looking at the outstretched hand, it thought for a moment, then tilted its head and rubbed against the warm palm, eliciting a contented laugh.

Okay, let's call it Qingyu then. It sounds like a good pronunciation.

It still liked the smile on its servant's face. It also grew to like the red mark at the corner of its eye more and more; it was the mark it had left for its servant so it wouldn't mistake one for another! After all, humans looked so strange, it couldn't tell them apart! And those dark brown eyes—when the servant gazed at it intently, it could see two tiny reflections of itself in those clear eyes. It was wonderfully magical, and incredibly delightful. Hmm! It wanted to become even more beautiful, so that its servant wouldn't look at other birds anymore!
"Emerald—Emerald—" Qingyu chirped joyfully. This is the cry of the kingfisher family, which is one of the reasons why they are called jade.

"Shh—" The palm that was stroking it became tense.

Qingyu lowered its voice in dissatisfaction, not knowing why its servant didn't want it to make a sound inside. After flapping its wings a few times, Qingyu rushed out through the crack in the window that had been specially left for it. It only stayed here to sleep at night; it still went out to play in the forest every day.

And it had its own little scheme. It had never experienced winter here, nor had its mother, but based on the temperature fluctuations, it instinctively sensed that this place was far more unbearable than the warm south its mother had described. If it could find its mother and siblings, perhaps its servants could settle them all in comfortably. After all, its servants' rooms were so large; just leaving them a place on the rafters would be enough! Qingyu grew happier with each thought, singing loudly through the forest, calling out to its family in a familiar tone. There had been no news for days; it would fly a little further today.

After several days of overcast skies and dense fog, the sun finally peeked out today. Qingyu spread its wings, flitting through the leaves like an elf. Because of the clear weather and unobstructed visibility, it sensed something was amiss in the forest. Many plants were trampled and broken, and some areas were covered in footprints, indicating that more than just one or two humans had been walking through the woods, even deep within. Although the sunlight felt warm on its skin, a sense of unease rose in Qingyu's heart.

The silent forest felt like it was hiding a monster, sending chills down its spine.

Finally, it stopped on a tree branch and didn't move for a long time. Not far away, there were several clumps of turquoise feathers, messily mixed in with the grass, and some bloodstains that had long since dried and turned brownish.

After a long, long time, a mournful cry echoed through the forest.

【6】

"That young lady seems quite happy today, and her temper isn't so sarcastic anymore. Has her lover managed to cheer her up?"

"What?! I heard that young lady hired people to catch some small birds. Not to keep them, but to pluck their feathers. Tsk tsk, how cruel! I even had to clean up the birds' carcasses. To do such a thing in a Taoist temple, what a sin..."

Why would you pluck someone's feathers for no reason?

"You said you wanted to make those kinds of jewelry called kingfisher feather inlay. I took a peek at it once, and those feathers were indeed quite beautiful, a deep turquoise, and some of the soft feathers were a light blue-white. They would definitely look absolutely stunning together."

Hearing this from under the eaves, Lü Qiao, Xiang Zi, and Qing Yu, who had flown away early that morning and hadn't returned yet, finally couldn't help but go out and anxiously ask, "Auntie, could you tell me in detail?"

The two old women, always gossipy, were now eager to chatter, especially since someone was listening. They chattered enthusiastically, one after another, but without offering any useful information. Green Qiao grew increasingly anxious, wishing she could rush to her young mistress and confront her. She shouldn't have been so careless. Qingyu wasn't a free creature meant to be domesticated by humans, and now that she was used to her kindness, she wouldn't be wary of humans. And Qingyu possessed such beautiful plumage—possessing such a treasure was a crime… Green Qiao grew increasingly frightened, quickly waving goodbye to the two gossipy women and rushing into Xuanji Studio to confront her young mistress. Just as she reached the door, she heard her young mistress entertaining the jewelry shop's artisans; the sound of their conversation drifted out.

"...What did you say? These feathers aren't enough to make a hairpin? Are these feathers not good enough for kingfisher feather inlay? The colors and textures are so similar!" This was her young mistress's exasperated voice.

"These feathers are indeed from a kingfisher. Although we don't know why the kingfisher appeared here, the preciousness of kingfisher feather inlay is not only because kingfishers are rare, but also because it is extremely difficult to capture a kingfisher without damaging its feathers," the jewelry craftsman said with emotion. "Kingfishers are small in size, and there are other colors of feathers in the world. The most precious hard kingfisher feathers, a bright blue, only have ten feathers on each wing and eight on the tail. The soft kingfisher feathers, a pale blue, only have the downy feathers around its neck. If the capture method is rough and causes the kingfisher to struggle and lose feathers, there will be even fewer usable feathers."

"...So these feathers can't do anything?"

"No, that's not the case. The main purpose of hairpins is to be inserted into the hair bun, so the requirements for kingfisher feathers are very high. They must be made from several complete kingfisher feathers. Of course, if you're making a small kingfisher feather hairpin, you can still pick out the best ones from among these feathers. As for the other damaged kingfisher feathers, they can still be used to decorate the hem of a skirt. Since people won't look at them closely, the effect will still be very good."

Silence fell in the room, clearly as Yu Xuanji hesitated and made a decision.

This delay robbed Lüqiao of the courage to go in and question them. She bit her lower lip, analyzing the information she had just overheard in the conversation. It sounded like the young lady had sent people to catch more than one kingfisher. Qingyu was so clever, she definitely wouldn't have been caught! Lüqiao twisted her fingers, hesitated for a long time, and decided to go back to the room to check again. She tiptoed back to her side room and found the small fish she had prepared for Qingyu that morning still on the windowsill. There were no signs that the birds had eaten them; in fact, because so much time had passed, they were covered with ants.

"Qingyu? Qingyu?" Green Qiao finally couldn't help but call out softly. The sun was already setting in the west, and a night wind was rising. If it were any other time, Qingyu would have already flown back.

From childhood to adulthood, Lü Qiao had never truly liked anything. Whether it was a handsome and dashing man or dazzling jewels, for a lowly maid like her, they were all like mirages, unattainable. That's why she couldn't understand why her mistress would become so obsessed with something.

But ever since she adopted Qingyu and took on the responsibility of that tiny life, she has learned what it means to like someone. Liking someone is a feeling of wanting to possess them, a longing that cannot be separated from them, and a constant concern.

She couldn't bear to imagine what would happen if Qingyu were caught...

Green Qiao's voice began to tremble, but thankfully, after she called out a few times, a small blue figure rushed in and buried itself in her arms.

Green Qiao's heart, which had nearly leaped out of her throat, settled back down, and she hugged the little kingfisher tightly. Once the initial thrill of finding it again subsided, Green Qiao began to worry about what to do. Given her mistress's almost obsessive love for kingfisher feather jewelry, she certainly couldn't keep Qingyu any longer. But how could she communicate with Qingyu, asking her to fly far away and never return? Perhaps she should find an excuse to go on a long trip in a few days, taking Qingyu with her, and then release it somewhere else?
But... winter is approaching, will this little guy be able to take care of himself...? Green Qiao could feel the restless Qingyu squirming in her palm. Just as she was thinking about how to soothe Qingyu's emotions, she heard the door open.

Her mistress gracefully entered the room, chuckling smugly, "As expected of my good Green Beauty, she knows what I like."

Green Qiao shuddered. Just as she was about to let go and throw Qingyu out the window, she heard a loud bang as the window was slammed shut from the outside.

7
Qingyu lay dying in the cage, purely from hunger.

The cage it was kept in was made of fine, dense cotton and linen rope, sturdy yet not so tight that it would injure its wings if it bumped into things. It knew it was about to die, and that even after death, its feathers would be plucked and used by that despicable human female as decorations to show off! If that human female hadn't wanted to try keeping it, it might have been plucked alive long ago.

But how could it possibly choose to live on? It knew that its mother and siblings had all been killed by that human female!

Damn it! I really regret not listening to my mother. Humans are indeed all terrifying. But not all humans are terrifying.

Qingyu forced her eyes open and peered through the gaps in the cotton rope, helplessly watching the despicable human female whipping her servant. Just because her servant had tried to let her go. The force of the whip and the bloodstains made Qingyu dizzy. No, if this continued, her servant would be beaten to death!

"You wretched maid! Knowing that I love kingfisher feathers, you actually hid the kingfisher and refused to hand it over! Tell me! What are you up to?"

...What? How come it can understand human language?
"Tell me! Are you still not giving up on my beloved? Do you want to keep that kingfisher and make a kingfisher jewelry piece to seduce him?"

"Miss, no...no...please release Qingyu! It's alive and well, how can you bear to do this to it, Miss..."

“I like it! It’s just a bird. Since it doesn’t appreciate my efforts, I might as well make it into a piece of jewelry. Its feathers are even more beautiful than the ones I got. The jewelry maker said it’s enough to make a top-quality kingfisher feather hairpin. Don’t worry, it will live on forever as a kingfisher feather hairpin.”

"Miss...please, please let Qingyu go..."

"You actually disregard me for a bird? What use are you!"

The sounds of whipping and pleas rose and fell, but soon the pleas gradually subsided and eventually fell silent.

Qingyu had no strength left, only enough to make it slightly move its wings. It had no power to even break free of its cage, let alone rescue its servant.

Humans are truly terrifying. For the most trivial reason, they can not only harm other living beings, but also arbitrarily torture and kill their own kind.

"Like" is truly one of the cruelest words in the world.

It's as if having those two words provides the perfect excuse.

Because they like something, they can do all sorts of cruel things...

How I hate it... If it hadn't been so greedy for the warmth of that palm, if it hadn't flown back seeking comfort out of fear of not finding its mother and brothers and sisters, its servant might not have died.

So much hatred... Qingyu herself couldn't see that its black eyes were gradually being stained red with the blood of resentment.

【What a pure and sweet resentment…】 Qingyu didn’t know where the voice came from, because the human females outside the cage obviously didn’t hear it, but were arranging for the servants to carry out and dispose of the Green Qiao who had been whipped to death.

[Some people's liking is plunder. Some people's liking is dedication.] Yes... the servant's liking for it is dedication... but how hateful...

Do you want revenge?

"I want to..." Qingyu answered bitterly in its heart. It wanted revenge! Revenge for its mother and brothers and sisters! Revenge for its servants!
Even if your soul is trapped? Even if you become a cursed evil being? Even if you can never be touched by the person you want to see again? "Yes!" Qingyu answered without hesitation. Having come to this point, what more could it possibly ask for?
【Very good, the contract is established.】

8
Even the most boisterous antiques in the museum fall silent late at night.

The inorganic cold light at the top of the display case emitted a faint glow, making the kingfisher feather hairpin on the black velvet cloth appear even more enchanting and vibrant.

As usual, Qingyu silently watched her reflection in the glass of the display case, a strange and incomplete beauty.

It recalled the young woman who had stood silently there all day, from dawn until closing time. Its servant still loved it as much as before, even though it had changed form.

After it died, it was made into a kingfisher feather hairpin.

This kingfisher feather hairpin became Yu Xuanji's new favorite, but the kingfisher feather hairpin, which embodied all her resentment, would make the wearer no longer liked by anyone.

Soon, Yu Xuanji was abandoned by all her lovers and became universally hated. Her evil deeds were reported, and Lü Qiao's body was found under the wisteria in the backyard of Xuanji Studio. With witnesses and physical evidence, even the prefect who had once admired her no longer showed her any mercy.

Yu Xuanji was soon sentenced to death and executed in the autumn.

Its revenge was finally achieved, but the curse on the kingfisher hairpin remained unbroken. Each of its subsequent owners was disliked by everyone and met a bad end. Ultimately, it was buried alongside its previous owner in the same tomb.

It prayed to that unknown demon for a thousand years in the dark underground, and finally saw its servant again.

[Do you regret it? Don't you want me to let you go back to her?]

No need, it will only bring her bad luck anyway.

Even if I miss the warmth of her palm, I absolutely cannot.

It likes her, really likes her, but there's no need for her to know.

[Boring.]

The overhead fluorescent light flickered twice and then suddenly went dark.

9
Yesterday, I took Tang Yuan to the museum all day, and the doctor also bought some museum souvenirs and books. After work today, he took some time to tidy up the bookshelf, planning to make some room for these things.

Then, at the back of a medical dictionary, I found a shuttlecock made of beautiful feathers. This shuttlecock had both turquoise and bright red colors, and the feathers didn't look like cheaply dyed ones; they were comparable to the kingfisher feather hairpins I'd seen in a museum. It was so striking, I wanted to hold it in my hands and admire it. But it had been wasted on being made into a shuttlecock, the kind you kick…

This is strange. When did they get these feathers? Medical school lab animals are usually mice or rabbits, when did they start using birds? And the ancient coin under the shuttlecock looks quite old...

Before the doctor could even think it through, little Tang Yuan rushed in with a newspaper in hand. The doctor quickly put the shuttlecock back, afraid that Tang Yuan would see it and insist on playing with it, only to suffer the consequences.

"Uncle! The kingfisher feather hairpin we saw at the museum yesterday has been stolen!" Tang Yuan shouted, seemingly eager to stir up trouble, his tone even sounding smug. (A delightful surprise!)
"Huh?" The doctor took the newspaper with surprise, only to find that the reporter hadn't uncovered any details. It simply stated that the museum was supposed to be closed on Monday, but the security guards discovered the kingfisher feather hairpin was missing as soon as they came to work. Strangely, the glass case wasn't damaged, and the alarm wasn't triggered, leading the police to suspect theft by museum staff.

"Uncle, do you think this is some kind of Phantom Thief Kid making a move?" Tang Yuan has been watching anime lately, and his imagination is running wild.

"Nonsense." The doctor treated the incident as ordinary news and didn't take it seriously at all.

"Oh dear, so it's fortunate we visited the museum yesterday, otherwise we wouldn't have seen that kingfisher feather hairpin!" Tang Yuan paused, recalling the little white snake's respectful but distant attitude towards the kingfisher feather hairpin yesterday, which now seemed rather strange. "Uncle, you took so many photos of antiques yesterday, did you take any of this kingfisher feather hairpin?"

"I didn't take a picture." The doctor frowned, recalling his feelings yesterday after learning how kingfisher hairpins were made, and shoved the dictionary back onto the bookshelf.

It seems... he used to keep a small, bright blue bird... (Sanqing...)
But there aren't any bird cages, perches, or birdseed in the house, so it must be... just my imagination... (Good luck, doctor! Remember it soon!)

(End of this chapter)