After carefully putting away the deeds of sale, Jin Yuebai wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. She took out a handkerchief and gently began to clean the dirt from Fang Xuyu’s face. The boy was very beautiful. It was a kind of delicate beauty, entirely lacking in aggression—anyone could have bullied him.… Continue reading Tricked 147: Xu Qingsui (1920–1937)

As long as Fang Xuyu was at home, he would share an afternoon coffee with Old Master Fang. He brewed the coffee himself and always tasted the first sip. Only when both the strength and temperature were just right would he bring the coffee over and sit beside Old Master Fang. The two of them… Continue reading Tricked 146: Freedom

Pingping was young—the damage from the pollen to her brain was something she couldn’t endure. She’d carried the collected flower pollen for too long, inhaling too much, so her death came the fastest. After she fell, the two men scrambled on the ground, fighting over the gun. But visions flew before their eyes, illusions layered… Continue reading Tricked 145: Sacrificing Kin for the Greater Good

Flower Street had always been the lowest, most despised quarter. Those brought here were the pitiful ones—almost none had come by choice. If anyone had signed away her freedom of her own accord, it was only because her family had suffered some unutterable calamity. Their “choice” was just another sort of coercion. The world said… Continue reading Tricked 144: Yan Zaizai (1929–1937)

No one slept well that night. Shen Xiaoxiao tossed and turned till dawn, with Yu Renwan sitting at her bedside to keep her company. Jiang Yan, having triggered a question prompt, went downstairs to sit with Xiao Congye, but was sent back upstairs by Xiao Congye herself. Pingping, cut off from the others while on… Continue reading Tricked 143: Flower Street

Jiang Yan froze in mid-motion. Her fingertips trembled ever so slightly—barely perceptible, but truly shaking. She tightened her grip, trying to hold the rune steady, but the yellow talisman nearly slipped from her palm. Jiang Yan caught it quickly. It was the only thing left in her hands, the one rune that the energy field… Continue reading Tricked 142: The Only Way Out

As she thought, the sounds of voices grew more and more distant. Shen Huanhuan bounced lightly a few times, doing her best to get her wrists moving again. Her hands and feet were icy cold now, her heart racing, breath coming shallowly—but time waited for no one. After moving her body as best she could,… Continue reading Tricked 141: Dai Que’er (1921-1937)

Shen Huanhuan was suddenly overcome by a sense of powerlessness. Utter helplessness. The flower was most likely blooming somewhere on the mountainside at the back of the village, guarded by patrols. But given the constraints of their assigned roles, none of them could spend much time outside. Jiang Yan and Shen Xiaoxiao had daily chores;… Continue reading Tricked 140: The Handkerchief

Jiang Yan couldn’t be sure if this flower truly existed, for she’d never seen one so bizarre herself. Yet judging by the desire she sensed, this flower most likely did exist—and probably even had a physical form. Otherwise, the patrol captain wouldn’t have felt such an intense urge to conceal it. —It was easily discovered,… Continue reading Tricked 139: Yinling Flower

Pingping didn’t go to sleep until close to 2 a.m. Jin Yuebai sat at her side, fanning her gently, and didn’t leave the room until Pingping had fallen asleep. The next morning, after she woke, Pingping practiced her characters a while longer. Afraid she’d forget them, she grabbed her paper and pen and hurried out,… Continue reading Tricked 138: Information Lockdown