The 23rd Osamu Tezuka Award

  A beauty should have the appearance of a flower, the voice of a bird, the spirit of the moon, the bones of jade, the skin of ice and snow, the posture of autumn water, and the heart of poetry. Only when one has all these qualities can she be said to have the looks that can topple cities and ruin states.

  The woman in front of the Warm Wind Pavilion was as beautiful as a lotus flower emerging from the water, elegant and refined, making everyone who saw her think she was a heavenly fairy fallen to earth, rather than a courtesan from the brothel where she had stayed for eight years. Her voice was crisp and clear, like the call of a phoenix or the song of an oriole, intoxicating as fine wine. Her figure was noble and elegant, with the refinement of a lotus flower and the proud loneliness of a bright moon, though she was in a brothel, she remained unsoiled by the muddy world, so pure. Her skin was as white as snow, set off by her long white dress, so lofty that it made people's hearts transparent, and after their wild nature had exploded, they couldn't bear to violate her...

  How can such a woman not be a beauty?

  This girl's name is Qing Lian, and she was the adopted daughter of the old madam of the Warm Breeze Pavilion. She was 15 years old and had been at the pavilion for seven years, relying on her absolutely beautiful face to open the eyes of all the men in Qinghe County. Over the past eight years, Qing Lian had become even more beautiful, making the hearts of all the men in Qinghe County beat faster. If Ximen Qing was considered the best man in Qinghe County, then Qing Lian was the most beautiful woman. However, no one thought that Ximen Qing and Qing Lian were a match made in heaven. Because all the men took Qing Lian as their dream lover, and all the women took Ximen Qing as their dream husband, so how could they bear to give up their dream lovers?

  However, others do not think so, but the relationship between the two is quite good and can be said to be childhood sweethearts. When Qing Leng came to Warming Wind Pavilion, Ximen Qing was a regular customer of Warming Wind Pavilion and got along well with the old madam. After Qing Leng arrived, the two naturally became good playmates. Eight years of getting along is enough for even a pig to develop feelings with humans, let alone Ximen Qing who is not a pig but a dignified and righteous hero. Over these eight years, Ximen Qing and Qing Leng have gone from being innocent and carefree to having deep feelings for each other, and it can be said that they have experienced many trials and tribulations. Unfortunately, until now, neither of them has expressed their true feelings, and on the surface, they still appear to be good friends. Ximen Qing is afraid that if he expresses his true feelings, he will not be able to control himself and will want to practice dual cultivation with her, which would harm both her and his own cultivation. Who made Ximen Qing endure for so many years? Now he really can't hold back anymore. Of course, the main reason is that he is afraid of being rejected by Qing Leng. As for what Qing Leng's true intentions are, Ximen Qing cannot guess, and he fears that if he confesses his feelings, he will be rejected, which would be embarrassing. Although Ximen Qing is very shameless, his self-esteem is still strong, especially when it comes to emotional matters. As for why Qing Leng does not explicitly express her emotions, it may be due to the shyness of a young girl or that she has some secret in her heart.

  Speaking of this secret, it is inevitable to mention Qing Lian's mystery. So far, Ximen Qing does not dare to say that he has completely seen through Qing Lian. Because on the surface, Qing Lian is a fallen woman, but in reality, her martial arts skills are quite extraordinary. At the age of 15, she already has the cultivation of a lower-level martial artist, which is even more impressive than Wu Song's. Although Ximen Qing has not seen her take action, he can definitely say that Qing Lian's martial arts skills will not be low. Because after Zhang Tian Shi saw Qing Lian, he kept nodding and praising, muttering to himself, it's unknown what he was saying, but it's certain that he admired her!

  Such a genius beauty girl would end up in a brothel, who would believe it!

  Although he knew that Qinglian had a secret, Ximen Qing couldn't get any clues out of her, and neither could he investigate anything. In short, Qinglian was just like the Warming Wind Pavilion - full of mystery, and it was unclear what she was doing in Qinghe County.

  In front of the Warm Breeze Pavilion, everyone surrounded Qing Lian, all vying to offer their respects, hoping to catch her attention.

  "Green girl, this is a white fox fur coat I bought from afar, worth a thousand taels, specially brought back to give to you, hoping you'll like it!"

  "Qing Lian, this is a night pearl that I specially selected for you, twelve of them, inlaid in your boudoir, it will definitely make your boudoir shine brightly. Qing Lian, why don't I help you inlay them on the bed, how about it?"

  ·····

  Each and every one of them is like they've been injected with chicken blood, desperately trying to curry favor, as if they would dig up their own ancestral graves in exchange for a glance from Qing Lian.

  Ximen Qing and Wu Song stood outside the crowd, hugging their arms and chatting.

  "Brother, what's wrong with these people? It's just a woman, why make such a fuss?" Wu Song asked, puzzled.

  Ximen Qing almost choked. Although guessing Wu Song liked comrades, that was also a wild guess and couldn't be true. But now that Wu Song said this, Ximen Qing couldn't help but think more about it.

  Ximen Qing asked: "Second Brother, is Qing Lian pretty?"

  He pointed at Qing Leng and said, "Her?" Then he nodded and shook his head, saying, "She's okay, average, no different from other women. Women are all whiter, thinner, shorter, and have bigger breasts than men, what's so special about that? My chest muscles may not be as big as theirs, but my strength is definitely greater than theirs!

  “Cough, cough, cough...” Ximen Qing was speechless from Wu Song's words and couldn't help but cough twice. Is Qing Lian not beautiful? This is simply the biggest lie of the Song Dynasty. In past lives, there were so many stars, but no one could compare to Qing Lian, not even half as beautiful as her. Such a stunning woman can make people stare blankly, it's imaginable how terrifying her beauty is. If such beauty doesn't count as beauty, then what does?

  Ximen Qing asked: "Second Brother, do you have a crush on any girl? If so, tell me and I'll help you!"

  Wu Song burst out laughing and said, "What's good about women? They chatter all day, annoying to death. I'd rather be with you, brother, for a lifetime than spend a moment with them!"

  Ximen Qing immediately shifted his feet and moved away from Wu Song.

  This isn't a joke, my sexual orientation is absolutely correct, I don't want to be a glorious gay! Ximen Qing said viciously in his heart, then patted Wu Song's shoulder and said: "Well, that Erlang, I'm actually busy sometimes, I'll introduce you to Yanqing brothers later, that kid has a good figure, you'll definitely like it! Let's just drink wine, we'll talk about this topic later!" Shameless Ximen Qing, decisively pulled Yanqing into the water.

  Wu Song smiled and said: "Good!"

  Ximen Qing then walked with Wu Song around the crowd and into the Warming Breeze Pavilion, but before they had even taken a step further inside, Qing's voice rang out.

  "Master Xi Men, you've finally arrived! I've been waiting so anxiously!"

  The sound is crisp and penetrating, making people feel comfortable all over.

  Ximen Qing didn't feel relieved, however, as he sensed the temperature around him drop suddenly, and numerous piercing gazes fixed on him, making him feel like a group of wild beasts were staring at him.