The Fifth Beauty

Taijin looked peered back into the magistrate’s bedchamber just as the woman crawled on hands and knees, onto the magistrate’s bed. It was not uncommon for the magistrate to take a concubine for the evening, but for this evening, he had requested no company, and this woman seemed to appear from nowhere. He could not make out enough detail through the thin lacey curtain to determine if she was one of his concubines. Nonetheless, Taijin continued to watch, unable to continue his duties, as the woman pulled the large goatskin covering off the magistrate, exposing his naked body underneath. She stopped at his midsection, taking him into her hand and stroking him with great satisfaction as he responded to her touch, and apparently, continued in fitful sleep.
This mysterious woman swayed and hovered over the magistrate as she pleasured him with her hands. She sucked in her breath and increased her movements as if she drew in some kind of life force, a strong chi from the air surrounding the magistrate. Taijin looked on in surprise as the magistrate awoke, blinking and looking up at the woman as if he had known her all his life.
Is this some new concubine, brought in with the passing army? Taijin wondered. Is this woman a gift to the magistrate for his hospitality, an offering? It was not uncommon for passing caravans to offer food from the low valleys, or spices from the Eastern borders of Persia, or even concubines. Taijin looked on, unable to force himself away. As the woman looked in his direction, a weak smile spread across her flush cheeks, complimenting the deep red of her full lips. She was the most beautiful concubine Taijin had ever seen, her skin appearing a natural tone, devoid of the evidence of powder; her lips the deepest red, like the deep wet crimson of blood from a fresh battle wound. One thing seemed to set her beauty in a unique way more than any other—her glowing green eyes. Her eyes seemed to produce a light on their own, producing a dim green glow like a delicate tealeaf ready for early harvest.