Five
Méi Shūmíng saw the hydrangea hanging peacefully in the latticework window of his room, a smile on his red lips.
Tonight, Luán Niángzĭ called me … He took the flower and, as if it itself would be his beloved Luán Niángzĭ, held it close to his nose and sniffed it. This hydrangea was something she left behind. ‘Tonight, you can sneak into my bedroom’ was the meaning of the flower. Only Méi Shūmíng used hydrangeas in this way to communicate with Luán Niángzĭ, no other member of the harem used this method.
While living under the same roof of the Mansion of the Eight Celestials, Méi Shūmíng and Luán Niángzĭ send each other letters. In their letters, which contained poems of great poignancy, they wrote about how much they missed, or how lonely they felt on nights without the other. It was as if they were playing the role of two lovers torn apart by tragic love. It was Méi Shūmíng who initiated this elegant exchange.
Before coming to the mansion, he was the most playful person in the city and thus skilled in playing with love. Even though he was proud of being so good at sex that he could make a woman die in his arms, surprisingly, he also believed that the essence of the art of making love, laid not in the act itself but before the bedroom was reached.
In his opinion, if a person was an expert in the game of women, he had to be knowledgeable not only about their bodies but also about their minds. A man would be able to be satisfied enough through doing the deed in the bedroom, but if a woman wanted to experience sexual pleasure to the fullest, more important than sex would be the process of leading to it.
It is the anticipation of being embraced by a man, the crush, the longing for him, all these things are heightened, and it is these that, in the moment of union, bring a woman to climax.
This was the art of womanizing that Méi Shūmíng, a true playboy, perfected. That was why the secret hydrangea flower was a love letter exchanged. In fact, Luán Niángzĭ was very happy with this game of love, and it was this skill, that had made him one of The Room Owning Trio.
Lán Gānbăo’s skill with is tongue? Zhū Yībào’s vigour? Foolish. These skills can’t do any more than make one sweat and shake the hips in the bedroom. Even a monkey could do that.
Gazing at the hydrangea in his hand, Méi Shūmíng thought of the faces of the other two room owners and a smile of disdain formed on his lips. But then his eyebrows twitched, as if he suddenly remembered something.
Xuĕ Míng …
The silver-haired, fair-skinned newcomer. That man had been invited to Luán Niángzĭ’s bedchamber, but it was as if he didn’t touch her. He was spending all night reciting poetry or telling humorous stories from the streets.
Impudent. Not touching her immediately is an obvious trick to get her attention, he thought, however, it was clear from the many nights Luán Niángzĭ had invited Xuĕ Míng into her room, that she was not so unhappy with his indifferent attitude.
… It seems that this Xuĕ Míng is a man who knows a little about the subtleties of love … If I don’t get rid of him at the earliest opportunity, he could become a threat …
Méi Shūmíng’s face became distorted by ugly jealousy. His thoughts were spinning like a windmill, trying to work out a plan on how to incite the men to become jealous of Xuĕ Míng. However, these evil ideas soon faded as he thought about tonight’s meeting with Luán Niángzĭ. Méi Shūmíng had seduced and tasted the body of many women, but he had never known anything better than the company of her. With a brain-teasing anticipation, he waited impatiently for the time to visit her. Eventually, it was time for him to leave his room and to go to Luán Niángzĭ’s bedroom.
As if painted with urushi-lacque, due to the rainy clouds which left no moonlight, the corridors were shrouded in darkness. Nevertheless, he was familiar with the corridors. In the absence of clear vision, with his hand on the wall, he counted the doors of the rooms one by one, until he came to Luán Niángzĭ’s bedroom, where he immediately knocked on the door.
“… Yes.”
Luán Niángzĭ’s voice was heard from the other side of the door.
“It’s Méi Shūmíng.”
In a soft tone a voice called “come in,” inviting him inside. Méi Shūmíng pushed open the door and went inside. In the room, it was pitch black, even darker than the corridors. He could make out Luán Niángzĭ’s white form, lying on the bed in the darkness.
“I have been waiting for you… Hurry. Hurry. Come here …” Luán Niángzĭ called out to Méi Shūmíng in a somewhat urgent voice. Delighted that she had been eagerly awaiting him, he walked over in a gentlemanly manner and embraced her. The following intercourse was very intense. Because of his expert sexual skills, Luán Niángzĭ was in a constant state of ecstasy, screaming and moaning the whole time.
“Ahh…! I’m going crazy! Ascending! I’m going to ascend!”
Méi Shūmíng, with all the skills he could muster to torment her, still felt something strange.
Hm? Was Luán Niángzĭ’s body always like this?
It was her body that he held so many times. He should know every inch of it, but there was something different about the woman’s body, which cried out in ecstasy in the dark. But the voice was unmistakably the familiar voice of Luán Niángzĭ. At any rate, they continued their activity until early in the morning, when it finally came to an end. Méi Shūmíng quietly left the bedroom, leaving Luán Niángzĭ, who was still lingering in a beautiful dream.
On the next day. While walking through the corridors of the mansion, Méi Shūmíng tried to hold back the smile that had naturally formed on his face as he recalled his encounter with Luán Niángzĭ last night. Thereupon he saw her up ahead, walking slowly in his direction. He moved to the side of the corridor and smiled at her graceful face.
“Last night …,” he whispered sexily while bowing to greet her, but Luán Niángzĭ’s expression was strangely grim. She stared at his face angrily and said something unexpected.
“Why didn’t you come last night?”
Méi Shūmíng was taken aback.
“Even you want to keep me waiting now. Xuĕ Míng alone is enough for that.”
Unsure of what he had been just told, Méi Shūmíng was at a loss for words. She stared at him for a moment, but then her face softened.
“Anyway. This is the first time my invitation was rejected. I am rather excited now. You’re really good at playing games. But be sure to sneak into my room tonight, okay,” she said and smiled brightly. Méi Shūmíng was stunned for a while, but then it occurred to him.
I, I understand. Is that the kind of play you want to do, my lady? To be someone who is ignored by the man you love? You want to play an imaginary love-game?
He felt like he had just grasped the situation. Then, feeling like he would better act too, he tightened his expression and said, “Tonight, definitely…”
“I will wait for you.”
With a graceful smile on her face Luán Niángzĭ walked away.
Needless to say, that evening, a hydrangea flower stuck on the latticework window in Méi Shūmíng’s room. He waited until late at night and then walked down the dark corridors to Luán Niángzĭ’s bedroom, intending to fully work her body.
“Ascending! Ascending! Aah, I can ascend!”
It was the same words that she cried out last night. But the next day, when Méi Shūmíng met her again in the corridor, she looked even more unhappy than yesterday.
“To let me wait two nights in a row, what are your intentions?” Luán Niángzĭ said sharply, looking seriously angry. Méi Shūmíng did not know why.
“N-no, this night, I will…”
“If you’re overdoing it with your creativity, it will have the contrary effect of dampening the mood. Could you please act properly?”
With a pout Luán Niángzĭ turned around to leave.
“P-please wait!”
Méi Shūmíng tried to explain as she turned back to him.
“Tonight, I will call someone else,” she snapped and strode away. Absentmindedly Méi Shūmíng just stood in that place.
What’s going on here? Is that also part of the play? But… He was bewildered, not understanding the reason for Luán Niángzĭ’s anger. He did not know why, but he was sure he had offended her. Will I not be chosen as a partner for the night for a while…?
Disappointed Méi Shūmíng trudged back to his own room. Surprisingly, however, when he returned … was that not a hydrangea in the latticework window?
Ooh! So that was Luán Niángzĭ’s play after all!
And with such joy, he light-footedly went to her bedroom that night. He had never been called upon for three days in a row before. The overjoyed Méi Shūmíng used his best sex techniques to make Luán Niángzĭ lose her mind.
“Ascending! I can finally ascend!”
After, he left her, who had been screaming these words again, in her room and returned to his own, very satisfied with his own abilities. The next morning, when he passed Luán Niángzĭ in the corridor again, he was all smiles and happy and whispered, “last night was very lovely…,” to her, but her attitude was especially cold.
“Last night? What are you talking about? It was Yībào who came to me.”
And with that, she strode away without so much as a glance in his direction.
What the hell? What’s going on? What is this…
Someone tapped Méi Shūmíng, who tilted his head in confusion, on the shoulder. When he looked back, he saw an imposing and sturdy man standing there. The masculine face smiling at him was that of Zhū Yībào, one of The Three Room Owners.
“Yo. Shūmíng. I heard you let Lady Luán Niángzĭ wait two nights in a row.”
Méi Shūmíng’s face showed his displeasure as he was beeing teased, but he immediately asked, “Yībào. Did Lady Luán Niángzĭ call you last evening to spend the night with her?”
“She did. She told me what had happened and was in quite the bad mood. It was good how you played the game, but don’t get too carried away or you’ll be thrown out,” Zhū Yībào said and laughed gleefully.
What does he mean? I certainly was the one with Lady Luán Niángzĭ last night…
Zhū Yībào interrupted his thoughts by saying, “by the way Shūmíng, where were you going last night?”
“What?”
“I saw you on the way to Lady Luán Niángzĭ’s bedroom. You were wobbling off in the opposite direction. There’s only the wine cellar over there, so what were you doing there?”
“That’s absurd!” Méi Shūmíng was astonished.
“I went to Lady Luán Niángzĭ’s room last night, you know!”
“Huh? The one who went was me. Were you sleepwalking, or what?”
Méi Shūmíng was stunned.
“Absurd … Absurd … Absurd …,” he repeated while staggering away. The words, “hey, you’re okay?” from Yībào who called after him, did not reach his ears.
The wine cellar? I had been going to the wine cellar? Then, who was the person I was with? Did I embrace a different woman than Lady Luán Niángzĭ in the cellar? No way, there’s no way a different woman other than Lady Luán Niángzĭ would be in the Mansion of the Eight Celestials. Absurd … Absurd … Absurd …
With his head heavy with confusion, he finally returned to his own room. The latticework window was decorated with a hydrangea.
That night, Méi Shūmíng walked down the dark corridors to Luán Niángzĭ’s bedroom. But he was not, like usual, in high spirits.
Did Lady Luán Niángzĭ really invite me this night? Am I really going in the direction of her room?
He could not get these doubts out of his head. He walked carefully, making sure he did not head for the wine cellar. But it was terribly dark. No, were the corridors of the building ever this dark? At night, it must have been bright enough for Yībào, to be able to see him walking. So, what was this darkness that he could not see beyond his nose? Was this really an ordinary nightly darkness?
Eventually, Méi Shūmíng arrived at the bedroom. In the depths of the dark room was the presence of a person, the smell of a woman.
“I was waiting for you …,” said the voice that definitely belonged to Luán Niángzĭ.
Fearful, he walked up to the bed and, without reaching out to the person in the darkness, asked: “A-are you really Lady Luán Niángzĭ …?
There was no reply for a while. After a suffocating silence, the hidden woman said: “Luán Niángzĭ …?”
As soon as he heard the voice, a chill went through Méi Shūmíng. It was not Luán Niángzĭ’s voice. The voice suddenly had changed its tone. But it was not an unknown voice to him. He had heard it somewhere before.
W-who? Who is it? I know this person. Feeling the hair on his whole body stand on end, he thought about it. The woman began to speak gloomily.
“The person called Luán Niángzĭ, who is it? Did you get a new mistress again? You are truly an awful man … Just how many women do you need to cage until you are satisfied? Even if I love you so much … Please love me only … It is still not enough … Please embrace me more … I cannot ascend to heaven as I wish … So please embrace me like you did that night, please let me ascend …”
A bad feeling began to well up in Méi Shūmíng’s heart. But, on the contrary his thoughts became numb. The defensive instincts in his psyche refused to allow him to realize who this woman was.
“Say. …Husband.”
When the woman said this, light shone in through a window set high up. At this moment there happened to be a break in the rainclouds outside. For a brief moment, the full moon shone brightly in the night sky, illuminating the room. What it revealed – when he saw it, Méi Shūmíng screamed. The room was not a bedroom. It was a cellar where large pots of wine were lined up. But that was not what mattered. The woman in front of him. The woman’s face illuminated by the moonlight!
It was a skull.
It was a white skeleton with darkness inside. Only the head was that of a skeleton. The body was that of a fine woman, with pale and fleshy limbs like corpse wax. A skull with a glamorous female body. From the back of the skull’s mouth came a chillingly demonic voice.
“Husband. Please let me asceeend. I caaan’t find the way to the realm of the dead.”
Méi Shūmíng didn’t hear the last words. He let out a scream and hurriedly tumbled out of the wine cellar. As he fled back to his room, a series of incoherent thoughts began to form in his mind.
V-voice! That voice! It’s that woman!
That woman who died because I overworked her while having sex.
Ghost! Jiangshi! That woman became a jiangshi and came for me!
These past three days, I, I have slept with a ghost the whole time!
He trembled into his room, locked the door, and hugged himself while his body shook and shivered. From time to time, he got a strong feeling of disgust and nausea and vomited into the chamber-pot in a corner of the room. He spent the night in horror and the next thing he knew, dawn had broken.
As he turned his shadowy face towards the latticework window into the morning sun, Méi Shūmíng was again overcome with fear. At an unknown time, a new hydrangea flower had been stuck to the window by someone.
From that day onwards, Méi Shūmíng never stepped out and continued to remain in his room. When night fell, he spent them sleepless, thinking that a skull’s face was peering through his window. Even the sound of the wind rustling at night made him feel as if the angry spirit of the woman was sobbing and calling out his name. In the morning, his window had, without fail, a new hydrangea stuck to it. He was no longer able to tell whether it had actually been given by Luán Niángzĭ or if it had been brought by the cold hand of the dead spirit.
For Méi Shūmíng, hydrangeas were now eerie love letters from the spirit world. He could not refuse Luán Niángzĭ’s invitation. But even if he tried to go to her bedroom, no doubt, the mysterious dark power would lead him to the cellar where the spirit of the woman would be waiting for him. But if he continued to ignore Luán Niángzĭ, he might find himself falling out of favour more and more and then be thrown away. Méi Shūmíng had no choice but to writhe in his room in anguish and fear.
The number of hydrangeas on the latticework window increased day by day. The flowers kept increasing, eventually covering the window, new ones dropped down from it, accumulating in the room.
As he sat in his room, buried under the eerie but beautifully blooming hydrangeas, Méi Shūmíng’s mind slowly began to break down.
***
The jiangshi or chinese hopping vampire is a reanimated corpse/zombie from chinese folklore.
Setsuna's Translation 