Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 12 | Page 186

I sniffed and tried to stop the tears of fright. "Mei." I stuttered. He roared in laughter, slicing a gold rapier
over his palm and drawing blood.
"A girl wasted on politics. Aha, no woman in my homeland would ever do such thing. Women cannot
protect a country." He reached for the torch and I stiffened, thinking of my family and Feng.
"You're such a virtuous girl." He laughed insanely. "No matter how my soldiers destroy your wall and your
heart, you repair it and regrow it. Just like a Phoenix." The flame of the torch hit the wooden ground and it
spread towards us. The tinder burst into fire, but I wasn't harmed. In fact, I witnessed my skin melting into my
flesh, turning into scarlet feathers, and my limbs becoming talons of fire and power.
It was said that the commander was burnt to death and the fire spread to the houses and roads of Shanghai.
The wall enveloped Old Shanghai and there was no way to get out until the Phoenix smashed through a portion
of the wall, making a gate, and letting the people run.
Later, people named the gate the Virtuous Phoenix Gate, or Yi Fung Gate. Throughout the perils that
Shanghai has been involved in, the wall has shifted from driftwood to hard steel, but the gate remains and the
Virtuous Phoenix still watches over her city. No matter how Shanghai has become, metal or wood, modern or
old-fashioned, the Virtuous Phoenix will surely guard her homeland from danger.
-The End-