strung up around the stage to surround it with a welcoming glow. A handful of spectators were seated on the benches around the stage and more continued to gather.
Fei Long chose a seat near the front and she seated herself in the row just behind him. As instructed, she was to keep a respectful distance. It wasn’t long before they were surrounded by eager attendees on both sides. She stuck her arms tight against her sides to avoid bumping against anyone.
The audience hushed as the first strains of music rose to fill the empty space above the stage. The blend of stringed instruments, flutes and drum beats wove together to create a majestic mood. Yan Ling searched the stage for the hidden musicians, but saw no sign of them.
The play opened with the King of Yue and his adviser. She marvelled at the richness of the costumes. The king wore a spectacular robe of black and gold with a bold dragon emblem curving along both sides. His headdress was embellished with strings of pearls and his thick black beard spoke of age and authority. The advisor was dressed in vermilion with a black-tasseled minister’s cap. They sang out their lines with voices that rang through the clearing, holding the audience in thrall.
It was a well-known folktale. The king was looking for a master with extraordinary skills to train his soldiers. His minister, Fan Li, had heard rumours of an unnamed maiden within the southern forest.
Yan Ling leaned forwards with excitement as the music changed to depict a journey. A maiden in a flowing green robe entered the stage. Her face was made up with white powder and rouge. An elegant sweep of black paint accented her eyes at the corners. Lifting her chin, she raised her arm in a regal pose and turned to the audience.
Yan Ling gave a little squeal, but pressed her hand over her mouth when Fei Long glanced back to her. It was Bai Shen! Bai Shen dressed as a woman, and a handsome one at that. He barely looked like himself beneath the stage make-up and the costume was cleverly draped so he took on a more feminine form.
Bai Shen flashed her a secret smile, his face partially hidden behind the drape of his sleeve. His mannerisms were exaggerated for the stage, but undoubtedly feminine and graceful. The drums began to beat in a driving rhythm as the forest maiden encountered her first challenge: an elderly swordsman who challenged her to show her skill.
The maiden accepted the challenge with a humble response and a demure tilt of her head. Then she took hold of a wooden staff painted to look like a bamboo stalk and transformed into a warrior.
Chapter Ten
Fei Long enjoyed the staging as Bai Shen duelled with the old swordsman, who was of course played by a young actor. The swordsman showed off by spinning his staff in a windmill motion; one hand over the other, the lines of the staff blurring while its shadow danced over the stage. He finished his routine by twirling and tossing the staff so high that it was lost in the night before it spun back down into his hands.
The audience murmured with appreciation and applauded. After a few drumbeats, the ‘maiden’ responded with an acrobatic routine that was fluid and graceful. She leapt and turned, her robes emphasising her movements so that she seemed to float through the air.
Bai Shen made up for his lack of discipline in the drinking house with rigorous dedication to his art. Fei Long knew that the actors of the troupe trained as hard as imperial soldiers every day to be able to work their physically demanding roles.
‘He’s good!’ Yan Ling exclaimed with delight.
Fei Long glanced over at her and she seemed to remember herself. She leaned forwards and he bent his head to accommodate her.
‘Bai Shen is really good,’ she whispered, her breath soft against his ear.
‘It takes many years,’ he explained, ignoring the warming of his body. ‘He trained in acrobatics and dance from an early age.’
She straightened to watch the performance. As she moved away, her cheek brushed against his in a butterfly movement and every muscle in his body absorbed the touch. He stared ahead, but was only nominally aware of what was happening on stage.
The maiden defeated the old man and journeyed to meet the king. There she was challenged by a hundred champions, ushering in a major acrobatic routine involving tumblers and dancers dressed in