Xu Xiaobin - Dunhuang Dream

He valued feelings because of all he had suffered. He found a woman like Xingxing to be a goddess. He loved and respected her. At his age, such selfless passions are common. He felt that if Xingxing was able to shed a few tears for him, he could die for her.

A small purple patch of sky peeked through the dark curtains. These thoughts filled his mind as he looked at the purple light.

18

Eventually that oppressive silence was broken by a voice. It was already light outside when a key turned in the lock of the door. A woman with a kindhearted face opened the door and stepped in. Her dark clothing made her oval face with arched, clear brows look particularly white. She had large, beautiful eyes. Her tender lips, when tightly shut, produced a dimple to the right of her mouth. He couldn’t determine her age and had never been much good at guessing a woman’s age. She did bear a striking resemblance to the Bodhisattva Guanyin, the gentle one from Cave 259, and not the fierce Horse-headed type. He felt his chance had come.

“Good morning,” he said, as he got to his feet and made an effort to be as respectful as possible.

“Good morning.” The woman smiled, indicating he should sit down.

“Is. . is this your office? Yesterday a group of people escorted me here. .”

With a wave of her hand she silenced him. At the same time she nodded toward the door and a young woman entered carrying a serving tray.

“Have some breakfast, young man,” she said indifferently. On the tray were two pieces of dim sum, a glass of milk, and a couple of small dishes of pickles. Everything was nicely prepared. Wuye was famished and when he saw that the woman had no bad intentions, he wolfed it all down. The woman smiled as she watched him.

The woman’s smile was fixed, or, perhaps more accurately, only her lips were smiling, while her eyes expressed pity. Later, Wuye discovered that her eyelids drooped. But there was a cool and detached air behind those pitying eyes. Even when she smiled, that cool detachment never varied.

After breakfast, the woman asked him his name, age, and other facts with apparent indifference. Then she smiled and said that she hadn’t been able to come earlier to investigate because she had been rather busy and so he had to suffer the inconvenience of remaining in custody there for two days. Not waiting for him to reply, she led him to the room next door. The strange color of the room immediately cowed him. He was blinded for a moment and felt as if his entire body had been soaked through with scarlet. Yes, the principal color of the room was between a deep red and scarlet, a deep color that put a person to sleep. Amid all the red hung copies of many frescoes, including Buddhist Jataka tales, legends, and stories from the scriptures. They were marvelously accurate and could almost pass for the real thing. Wuye sank into a dark red world.

By the time the key sounded in the lock again, he discovered that the red world was tantalizing and seductive. Out of the bloody red shone the naked breasts and thighs of devas. The color of old blood was oppressive. After making several turns around the room like a caged beast, his heart was pounding. Clenching his head in his hands, he squatted and closed his eyes, but that red managed to seep into his eyes and seemed to poison his blood.

When Wuye was once again with Xingxing, he understood why she wanted to vomit when she saw scarlet.

19

At noon Wuye was wakened by a gentle voice followed by the scent of a heavy fragrance something like Red Flower Oil. Then someone placed a serving tray before him. Never had he ever seen such a sumptuous lunch of four dishes and a soup. He recognized drunken shrimp and shark’s fin soup, which were exquisitely prepared. They were served with snow-white steamed bread. Without hesitating he wolfed down this tray of food as well, the aroma of which lingered long. Later he began to vomit. As he did so, he felt that aroma penetrate his empty stomach.

When he awoke, it was already dark. Two red floor lamps went on at the same time and then the door opened, through which a large shadow fell. With some difficulty, he opened his eyes and saw that kindly woman. In the red light, her face appeared snow white. She stood there, light and shadow perfect, as magnificent as a court painting by Velasquez.

“I heard you were not feeling well, Wuye.” Her voice, though pleasant to the ear, was cool and detached. “Was it indigestion? Will you have some rice porridge this evening?”

She personally handed him a bowl of rice porridge, a jar of fermented bean curd, a small dish of ham, and stuffed bean cake. She carefully handed him a spoon for the porridge, and his heart melted at once. At that moment, the only person he felt he could trust was that woman.

“May I ask. . your name?” he asked somewhat feebly, holding the bowl of porridge.

The woman smiled again. “No questions please. Eat up. Your situation will be resolved today.”

He grew excited at the last comment, prompting him to gulp down the porridge in just a few mouthfuls. He then tried some of the fermented bean curd and found it even more delicious than champagne and a Western meal. The woman smiled as he ate. Her smile was soothing.

“Okay, young man, finish up so we can chat.” She sat down beside him in a friendly way, closer than usual. She exuded a faint fragrance, something like tree sap.

“I know everything. You and your friend entered the Tantric Cave that day without permission. Not only that but you also planned to steal a fresco. Is that what happened?”

“No, no. .,” said Wuye, the blood rushing to his face. “Nothing of the sort happened. I was just joking.”

“Come on. It’s best just to confess. Your words were recorded, and there are witnesses. Based on this, if a report is filed with the authorities, you’ll be convicted.” The woman went on speaking without blinking an eye. “But we are taking your age into consideration and want to help you.”

His heart began to pound; his chest felt tight so he was unable to speak.

“This could be a big matter or a small matter — it’s up to you.” The woman’s voice was increasingly tender. “Tell me where is the Lakshmi Bathing fresco from Cave Seventy-three?”

Like a bolt from the blue he was going to faint.

“The method utilized by the culprits in Cave Seventy-three is identical to the one you mentioned. All you have to do is confess and the entire matter can be settled. You seem like a bright boy, and you should be smart about this matter.”

“No! No! I’ve never ever touched the fresco in Cave Seventy-three. Someone is framing me.” He finally lost his temper and shouted angrily, “I was just joking around that day. I’ve never ever touched that painting!”

His shouts echoed. He felt he was being held in a blood-red cave as only stone walls could echo in such a manner.

It was all a fraud, a fraud, a fraud!

The woman remained as kind as ever, looking at him with pity and compassion, without the slightest impatience.

“Sit down, Wuye, you are becoming overexcited. Calm down. Listen to me and calm down.”

He stared blankly at her. The woman was hypnotic. She was controlling him.

“All right, rest for a while. Lie down on the sofa and rest. That’s right, relax, starting from your toes. Do your toes feel warm? Okay, we’ll take it slowly. Do you feel the soles of your feet becoming warm? The warmth will spread upward to san yinjiao acupoint, to your huantiao point, to your zusanli point. .”

Her voice put him to sleep. He did feel relaxed. He stared quietly at the ceiling. A red mist appeared before his eyes, growing thicker and then dissipating.

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