Chen Aisha wielded her sword light, patrolling and inspecting between the mountains and marshes.
After all these years, she still had the look of a country girl. She didn't bother with grooming or makeup, just coiled her braided hair atop her head, secured with a two-foot-long silver comb. The front of the comb featured three mysterious birds, each foot raking five pearls, in hues of purple, white, gold, green, and red—representing her life-bound venomous orbs of snakes, scorpions, centipedes, spiders, and toads.
