When the daughter of the best dancer in the neighborhood dies, the capital city deserves a big snowfall.
And it's been a long time since it snowed in the centuries-old city of Kyoto.
The young kings and the people, who have changed generations, have forgotten the prophecy left by the founding Taizong. They longed to see the legendary snow, a sound snowfall.
The king's favorite little princess is clamoring for snow, and the king, who loves his daughter dearly, decrees that anyone who can bring snow will be rewarded with a thousand pieces of gold.
As soon as the bounty list came out, both the high living in the temple or the rivers and lakes scattered people have the intention to pay attention to, rack their brains, as long as the naive and savage little princess to bring a snow, will be able to thousands of gold into the bag, and even increase the rank and title.
In the tavern on the border, the camel bells are ringing, and a storm is coming.
The tavern is closed, and all that remain are the long-distance travelers who will walk for months from here to Kyoto in the East.
Unlike the howling winds outside, the tavern is like a solid shell, wrapping the travelers' laughter and exhaustion tightly. Though a few tentacle-like breezes tickled through the cracks, they were only brushed behind the ears by the drinkers and their hair.
A few simple wooden boards together on the table, the girl wearing a white veil, two ears hanging beaded curtains blocking the soft face.
She dances lightly, her body is exquisite, and the corner of her eyes is curved to reveal a charming smile. Just a glance, the wine and food diners three souls will be hooked to the seven souls.
After a dance, the applause was thunderous.
The girl bowed, golden pupils, she took off the beaded curtains, her voice is like a nightingale in the night, she proudly asked: "Have you ever seen a better dancer than my slave?"
The diners shook their heads and praised the girl.
The melon seeds in the mouth made a "crunching" sound, the mouth spat out two pieces of melon shells, and then sipped a mouthful of yellow wine, picking his teeth, said: "I have not seen, but there are certainly better than your dance."
"Nonsense, there are a lot of people coming and going from all over the world, and no one has ever said that there are still better dancers than slaves." The girl was unconvinced and strained her back to look at him.
The melon eater was a rugged man with a hooded scarf, a large, burly frame, and a thick but short circle of scruff on his cheeks.
The girl's eyes fell on the side of his waist, a dark colored horizontal sword with some intricate patterns. The tavern traveled to and from all kinds of pedestrians, and the girl had seen the world. She suspiciously voiced, "The guest is an official from the capital?"
The man raised his eyelids a bit, his dark eyes had more than a hint of smugness, he patted the horizontal sword: "You do know your stuff."
"Since the official has not seen anyone better in the capital, why not serve the slave? Or," she raised her eyes towards him, charmingly, "this official wants to dance with my slave and compare?"
After she spoke, the tavern came alive again, and the diners laughed at the man in accordance with the girl's meaning. Among them, naturally, also wrapped in the flow of gas and ambiguous and unknown flirting.
The man threw the melon he was grasping onto his plate, scattering most of it on the table to show the anger and disdain of the man who threw it.
He poured himself a glass of wine, shook his head and spat, "Ignorance. Haven't you ever heard of Taizong's prophecy?"
At these words, those people stopped laughing. They lowered their heads and held their heads in twos and threes and whispered.
"But that prophecy? 'When the daughter of the best dancer in the neighborhood dies, there should be a heavy snowfall in the capital'?" An old man among the drinkers asked slowly.
He leaned back and finished his drink, pointing at the old man with his glass, "Not bad, that's exactly the line."
"It's just a legend, and the official still takes it seriously?" The girl snorted with contempt, "Is it possible that the official really came here for this prophecy that I do not know whether it is true or not?"
Legend has it that there is a small village in the southwestern part of the country, where the seasons are clear and the local girls are good dancers.
"It is true that under the heavy gold there will be fools, have seen all kinds of snow-seeking people, rushing to the rumor of taking a circuitous route is only you one." The girl's posture is full over, like a water snake like soft body leaning on the man's strong arm, charming eyes like silk, "How ...... about you bring my slave to the capital to compete with them, perhaps my slave is the world you want to look for the most good dancer it?"
The man looked down at her plump chest and shook his head, "You are not."
Noticing his gaze and verbal rejection, the girl was furious and leaned back straight, pointing to a random spot in exasperation, "I'm not, then who is? She?"
The crowd followed the direction of the girl pointed to look, it was an inconspicuous corner of the tavern, placed a simple table. Around the table were three people, an old woman who looked very sick accompanied by a cough, a dirty child, and a mediocre woman wrapped in a tattered black robe.
The crowd laughed: "How can this be! Hahaha, not to mention the first in the world, even the simplest dance steps can not be right. How can she dance like that?"
The laughter was so loud that she stood up, assisted her old mother, and left with a child who was only six or seven years old.
The shopkeeper came to stop: "It's too windy, it's going to blow all night, it's best to leave in the morning."
The woman shook her head: "My mother's illness can not be delayed."
The shopkeeper came to stop.
The shopkeeper was kindly concerned: "Then you can not walk at night ah, no sun in the desert will be lost."
"No." The woman was adamant.
A few diners also came to persuade, have each other just to apologize for the ridicule, hope she can not mind to stay.
The woman was silent and confronted the shopkeeper in silence.
Naturally, the shopkeeper could not prevent her from leaving, and could only open the door and sigh.
The wind whistled with fine sand, and the diners covered their faces with their sleeves. When they opened their eyes to look again, there was no one in front of them, and the woman disappeared into the wind and sand with her family.
The girl also wanted to continue to persuade the official, but found that the seats around them are empty, the tavern is no longer the figure of their party.
The desert is more difficult to travel at night, and the wind and sand cover the stars that guide the way.
The woman and the old man and the children walked very smoothly, the night and the wind and sand did not seem to have any effect on them.
A few people followed the back, could not help but be excited: "Look at it big head, this pair of my eyes can never go out of sight."
"Really have you, eagle eyes!" The head wolf on the side picked up the conversation and subconsciously touched the knife on his waist.
The man called Big Head stowed a handful of melons clutched in his hand into his lapel, and quietly commanded, "It's easy to move at night, so do it in another quarter of an hour."
Before they could make their move, the wind and sand suddenly became so strong that it almost blew people into the sky. The men stuck their knives in the sand, holding the hilts as tightly as they could to make sure that the wind and sand didn't blow up their bodies or roll them up into the sky.
Big Head had sand in his eyes, but still looked forward with red eyes, and there, in the sand, the woman was still walking as normal as ever.
The direction of the wind changed violently, they were shot down from the air, followed by a layer of heavy sand buried with the wind.
Several people were slapped into the sand and lost their way. Big head grabbed Hawkeye's feet, trying to drag him out of the sand: "Go! Quickly go! Plan aborted!"
Hawkeye, however, is extraordinarily stubborn: "No! It's almost done, it's almost done!"
They are biding their time, even if they are buried in the sand at the moment.
The sand under their feet is like an evil spirit from hell, stretching out a dozen pairs of sinful hands to pull them into the center of the earth.
The sand had already covered the top of their heads, their bodies were caught in the whirlpool of quicksand, and only half of their palms were still struggling on the sand surface.
Suddenly, the wind stopped, and the sand was not pulled down. In an instant, the wind and waves were calm, and the moon and stars were thin, as if the storm had never happened.
The big head fell to the ground, hazy eyes see a snow-white woman dancing, dancing very beautiful, like flying fairy general.
When they passed through the gate, the big head toward the gatekeeper brightly shining waist on the plate, the gatekeeper immediately understand to give them a release.
The three men with the old and weak women and children through the customs, as if to show off their own prey in general, and even the pace is floating up.
Hawkeye snickered, lowered his voice and patted the big head's shoulder: "I'm right, right, this snow woman is good natured, will not see death."
The first wolf came up and nodded his head, "It's not true! I thought I would die for sure, but I didn't realize that the legend was actually true."
The legend of the Snow Maiden is a very good one.
Legend has it that in the southwestern border of the country, there lives the mysterious Snow Maiden. Said to be a hundred years ago that the war for the field of war in the defeated country's princess, lost the country's shelter of the princess took away the capital of the snow, and the clan hidden in the southwest of the edge of the place.
Legend has it that she dances like no one else in heaven or on earth. Can attract floating snow **** dance, heaven and earth for the loss of color.
"Feigning distress, making the Snow Maiden come to her rescue, and then capturing her, this method is really good." The head wolf couldn't stop praising Eagle Eye.
Eagle Eye grabbed Big Head's arm: "Brothers are counting on that thousand taels of gold to live, but do not be charmed by her."
The big head from the throat issued a thick "hmm" word, is to agree with him.
Hawkeye is a righteous husband, for the sake of his wife, children and brothers back home, he can not hesitate to risk their lives. Possessing a pair of eyes that can analyze ghosts and gods, and because of this, outsiders think he is unlucky, and even the portering officer at the pier does not want him, saying that he will bring disaster.
"When this is accomplished, you can unload this hard work, go back to your hometown to marry a daughter-in-law, give birth to a few big fat boys, and live a good life." Eagle eyes a pair of eyes like a falcon stared at him tightly, as if to look into his bones.
Big Head also looked at him, his cloudy eyes flashed a glint. He threw the peeled melon nuts in his hand into his mouth, and the two of them laughed out loud in silent agreement.
By sending the Snow Maiden to the capital, they would receive a substantial bounty and be able to enrich a clan.
Big Head felt crazy before pulling on the woman's slender wrist.
He cut the rope tying her up and threw it into the ditch by the inn.
"Get out of here, you won't survive if you enter the capital."
"Many thanks." After the woman bowed and thanked her with great cultivation, she asked, "Where is my mother and the boy?"
"You escaped, so naturally they are meaningless. I assure you, their lives will not be in danger."
"Many thanks to the Benefactor. As a token of appreciation, I will tell you one thing."
Looking at the woman's shapely back as she left, he was in a bit of a trance, "Enkong?" Obviously he is the one who caused them to fall into this calamity.
The last words that stayed in his ears for a long time were her last words: Taizong's sentence is not a prophecy, it is a curse.
As he went back, the silent porch flashed with a pair of ghostly blue eyes.
"You let her go?"
"She was good."
"So what if she's good? Do you think the king really sent us here for a ridiculous snowstorm?"
Hawkeye was right. The world thought the king doted on the young princess, and it was even rumored that he coveted the bosom of a good dancer, but what was the truth?
He naturally knows, or he wouldn't have let the woman go.
"Too late." Hawkeye leaned against the doorpost, no longer fighting him, accepting with open arms the fatal move of his brother.
"What have you done?"
Immediately afterward, there was the sound of horses' hooves streaking down the bar, and the sound of one neat, strong step.
It was the king's army. They had surrounded the entire inn, and had caught up with the fleeing women.
"Why don't you leave?" He asked the woman imprisoned inside as he stood by the prison wagon. He knew that if she was going to leave, those troops wouldn't be able to catch up with her.
She was still in her tattered black robes and her face was pale: "You can't guarantee it."
His clenched fists gradually loosened. Yes, he once promised, but now can not be honored.
Hawkeye drooped eyelids do not dare to look at him, but still whispered: "They promised me not to pursue your responsibility, but after the escort you can not follow."
The two simple words concealed a prayer and judgment. He was relieved of his duties, and his life was saved only by Hawkeye's pleading.
He was exiled in the desert, and after wandering for a long time he went back to the tavern.
The girl was still dancing as usual, listening to the compliments of the passers-by. The girl was still dancing as usual, listening to the compliments of the passers-by. She was also still teasing the downtrodden official: "Look at you, if you had brought me along, you wouldn't have lost your post."
He didn't look at her, just focused on carrying jars and jars of wine up from the cellar: "She saved me."
"I could have saved you too." The girl leaned on the porch and looked at his robust figure as he worked hard, "If you serve me and say 'the girl is the best dancer in the world', I will marry you, how about it?"
"You are not the best in the world." He bent down and organized the sealing tape of the wine altar.
The girl was so angry that she stomped her feet, "You rash young man, where am I dancing badly? I've said I'll marry you, you actually refuse to soften your words, is it so hard to say 'dance skill is superior' ......"
"You do dance skill is superior. " He looked back, his large eyes falling with a surfeit of laughter.
The girl then realized the difference between "excellent" and "first in the world".
She kicked him hard and ran away.
He shouted after her, "You choose the day, I'm going to marry you."
Later, the tavern changed owners, the new shopkeeper is a rough man, yells the beams have to shake three times.
The boss's wife is a beautiful beauty, especially the body, the dance is outstanding.
That later, listening to guests from the East, the capital finally looked forward to a snow, great great snow.
At first, the people were so happy that they danced, but later, the people did not like the snow.
Since the king chopped off the head of a remaining enemy at the entrance of the Noon Gate that day, this snow has never stopped.
The snow got bigger and thicker, gradually burying the whole Kyoto city.
And in the snow-covered only not covered by the snow on the Star Pavilion, people can always be seen in the night vaguely see a figure of light but no head of the woman in the dance.
The more she danced, the more snow fell.
It was only when a new dynasty came and the founding general stepped his foot into the once prosperous capital that he dug out the millions of people who had been buried and frozen to death by the snow.