A handful of white powder was spilt all over the wooden table. Small drops of rouge accompanied the lone face whitening material, with eyeliners stacked underneath the brushes. A tiny mirror reflected a slim face with a vermillion mark burning in the centre of the forehead.
"Today is Young Master Jin's biggest day!" Shao Qing congratulated. She took a brush and dipped it into the container of white powder. Carefully evenly distributing the amount of powder on the brush, she held Jin Ling by the chin and applied the makeup. Thinning her eyes, she couldn't help but inwardly squeal for her Young Master.
It was November 23, her Young Master's birthday. He turned eighteen-years-old, and became the new Lanling Jin's Sect leader. Of course, the ceremony was to be held a few minutes into the afternoon.
Shao Qing remembered the face of Jin Ling when he asked for her help in applying makeup. Clearly, he was too amateurish to not understand that face whitening powder was for the face, not the lips, and to not understand that lipstick was for the lips, not as an eyeshadow. "Does Young Master Jin want a light layer or heavy?" Shao Qing asked.
Jin Ling puffed out his cheeks. It was simple to decide. "Light."
Shao Qing understood. A boy's taste was simple to decipher. Nobody out there would want so much makeup that they'd cough and sneeze for ages.
After she was done with the face whitening powder, she set aside the brush and carefully examined Jin Ling. He was already pretty in appearance without makeup. Shao Qing smiled proudly. The rays of the sunlight leaked into the room throughout the flowing curtain, spilling over the two people's faces.
Jin Ling shrunk backwards. "What are you smiling for? Disgusting."
Shao Qing couldn't help but smile brighter. The Young Master truly only had bad words in his vocabulary.
"I'll go get Young Master Jin his attire and accessories." She chirped before racing out of the room. Jin Ling sighed when the sound of the maidservant's footsteps went silent. He turned around to face the open window. The lukewarm sun sat lazily on the horizon, extending its beams of warmth towards Jin Ling. The new Lanling Jin Sect Leader gulped nervously. For some odd reason, the sun made him sweat.
Turning away from the sun, he began playing with the makeup materials.
When Shao Qing came back, she found Jin Ling balancing a brush on his nose, while the face whitening powder was spilt all over his face. A shriek spilled out from her mouth.
"Young Master Jin! What are you doing?"
Immediately, Jin Ling could sense that something was amiss. "I'm..." as if he just broke out from the possession of a ghost, he stiffened. "I have makeup all over me..." His yellow robes were stained with rouge and whitening powder, making him appear as if he'd just exited out from a blizzard.
"Yes, yes you do!" Shao Qing was panicking too much to say the Young Master's initial honorific. "Ohh... I need to wash the rouge out from your hair... and since you're changing into new clothes, I suppose your robes can suffice..."
And so, the preparation for Jin Ling's attire (which was supposed to take half an hour) took two more hours to be ready.
*****
"Today's the ceremony of Jin Ling becoming the new Sect Leader."
"Jin who?"
"Jin Ling! The son of Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli!"
"Woah! Calm down!"
"I can't calm down! Apparently, he's going to be the new Sect Leader. However, he looks so arrogant and incompetent. I don't think he'll be a good fit."
"Go complain somewhere else. He's the last of the Jin bloodline."
"Hah. I heard that he refused all of the mistresses' offers to wed. He's just like that Jiang Sect Leader."
"Oi! Jiang Cheng is the one hosting this ceremony! And he's also Jin Ling's Uncle, so lower your voice down a tad bit!"
"Sorry. I just get so fired up when it comes to the gossip."
Sizhui watched as a bystander, listening in to the voices of the two gossipers. They didn't know when to shut their mouth. This was a reason as to why Sizhui despised gossip. It takes control of one's consciousness and forces it to talk on and on. Truly a wasted imbecile.
"What are you looking at, Sizhui?" Jingyi stood right beside Sizhui, his short ponytail swaying left to right with the wind. "Oh? Them, the gossipers. Don't know how to abide common sense, aye?"
Sizhui nodded solemnly. He didn't want to talk about them anymore.
"Hm... it looks like Young Mistress turns eighteen today." Jingyi sighed. "Looks like he'll be upgraded from Young Mistress to Old Mistress."
Sizhui laughed, "If he's an Old Mistress, then you'll be an Old Pig."
"Rude!" Jingyi frowned.
Silence overcame them as the atmosphere returned back to its normal state. Before the two GusuLan disciples was the large stairway leading to the Koi Tower. It was said that the ceremony would be held at the top of the stairway. Nervousness clenched Sizhui's heart in Jin Ling's stead. The former cultivator grimaced. Just thinking about such a large audience made him dizzy.
The street lamps that towered over their heads were strapped in red lining. The red lining was hung from one lamp to another, made of the most silkiest material to slip out of one's hand if they were to grab onto it.
"I'm not going to lie," Jingyi blurted, "the decorations make it look like a wedding ceremony. I wonder who had such a bad idea."
In the corner, Shao Qing sneezed.
"Oh God," she cried, "don't tell me I'm getting sick on Young Master Jin's big day... what a hassle."
"Yes, what a hassle." Jin Ling retorted.
Shao Qing perked up when the Young Master paid attention to reply to her. Although she had a sour heart, deep down, she appreciated that Jin Ling would care to at least say four words for her.
She flinched and swept her eyes to once again examine the Young Master.
Jin Ling's long chestnut brown hair was organized into a flower bun (please search [flower bun hairstyle] on Google. It's so pretty!) resting gently on the peak of his head. A pair of golden flower Hanfu tassel hair clips (search [Chinese Hanfu tassel hair clips] on Google. Do it, I dare you 🤣 I'm too lazy to insert the images) were inserted to dangle just below the hairstyle. More pairs were clipped onto the side of Jin Ling's head, making him appear more like an Empress. His golden robes were more garnished and larger in size, dazzling and swaying close to the floor.
Shao Qing nodded in content. She felt really eager to show off the masterpiece she created.
"When will it begin." Jin Ling sighed. He wanted to get the ceremony over with, then jump into Sizhui's arms and coquettishly beg his lover to feed him kisses. A dreamy smile was apparent on his face.
Shao Qing was mesmerized by the Young Master's smile. Truly, when Young Master Jin was happy, anyone around him would feel happy as well. Suddenly, her ears perked up. Outside of the Koi Tower, where the citizens of Lanling Jin resided, silence enraptured. Taking a small glance, Shao Qing noticed the signal. A pair of maidservants lit the podiums on fire, signaling for the beginning of the ceremony.
Shao Qing pushed Jin Ling forwards to the doors of the Koi Tower. "It's beginning. Go out there when Jiang Sect Leader calls for you."
Jin Ling's heart beat rapidly as he bit his bottom lip in anxiety. Watch me, A-Yuan!