四姐 The Fourth Sister
拔剑向青霄，敌血染皂袍。
幸得女儿身，娇娥胜俊豪。
Sword raised to the azure sky,
Enemy blood stains the black robe high.
Fortunate to be a maiden fair,
Outshining heroes with grace and flair.
昔年，毒敌大王带着四个儿子投来黄花观，百眼魔君觊觎倒马毒的威力，便许诺将几个蜘蛛精小辈与蝎家联姻，便唤老蜘蛛精带着四个女儿来相看。
待众人就坐，魔君让蝎家四个儿子逐一亮相。
蝎大起身，拍着胸脯道:“我的功法乃是父亲亲传，几个兄弟里最当属我是个好男儿，姐姐们若都想嫁我，可别生了嫌隙。”
众女蹙眉，那蝎二赶紧起身，抢白道:“姐姐们不用苦恼，我大哥心快口快，他虽是厉害，我也不差，若是招我做婿，我定扩充洞府，做大做强。”
魔君听了心下不喜，众女亦不置可否，又望向蝎三。蝎三见众人看着，不得不道:“哥哥们都是好的，我弟弟也很不错，姐姐们多瞧瞧。”
蝎四嫌老三落了气势，不甚满意，道:“我三哥性格有些别扭，姐姐们勿笑。我虽少他们几年道行，但未来可期，姐姐们选我便是选中未来。”
其后魔君便让朱家四女逐一发表看法。大姐温言道:“家中妹多，母亲又生着病，我暂不愿卸了这担子，让妹妹们受苦，晚几年罢。”
众蝎摇头，表示可惜，二姐一个娇笑:“我一人忙着撑起家业，许多窟窿要补。若是……下嫁，诸位谁愿意填上这银钱空子，我便考虑考虑。”
那毒敌山早已败了的，哪里有什么财帛，二姐便一下堵死了话头。三姐捏着扇子:“我要嫁个琴瑟和鸣的，我最喜罗隐的诗，四位好汉里，可有哪位读过?”
四蝎只怕连诗是什么都不知，哪里还晓得什么罗隐，众人只能寄希望于四姐。
四姐坐在末尾，百无聊赖，轻轻一哼，道:“姐姐们太客气了，说得这般婉转，只怕他们听不懂。什么相看相看，不过是想让我们赔钱嫁汉，还想成了他们的算盘。什么银样镴枪头的好汉，若真有本事，何不自己挣份家业，岂不比在这里说嘴现丑了强?”
其后，因四姐这么一闹，席上的话语转变成了批评四姐，互相致歉，许婚一说，便不了了之了。
In the old days, the Scorpionlord brought his four sons to the Temple of Yellow Flowers, seeking refuge. The Hundred-Eyed Daoist Master, coveting the power of his venom, promised to arrange marriages between the young spider yaoguais and the scorpion princes. Hence, he called forth Violet Spider and four of her daughters to meet them.
Once everyone was seated, the Daoist Master asked the princes to introduce themselves one by one.
The eldest prince stood up, thumping his chest, and declared, "My skills were personally taught by my father. Among my brothers, I am the best bachelor. If all the sisters wish to marry me, don't let it cause any discord."
Seeing the sisters frown, the second prince quickly stood up and interjected, "Sisters, please forgive my brother's recklessness. Strong as he is, which I admit, I am no less capable. If you choose me as your husband, I will expand our domain and make it prosperous."
The Daoist Master was displeased by the second prince's ambition, and the sisters too remained non-committal, turning their gaze to the third scorpion son. Feeling the pressure of their stares, he reluctantly said, "My brothers are all skilled, and my younger brother is also exceptional. Sisters, please consider carefully before making a choice."
The fourth prince, disdainful of his third brother's lack of confidence, said, "My third brother is a bit awkward in temperament. I hope you don't mind. Although I am younger, my future is promising. Choosing me is choosing the future."
After hearing their self-introductions, the Daoist master asked the four daughters of the Zhu family to express their opinions one by one. The eldest sister spoke gently, "With many sisters to look after, and our mother's illness, I cannot lay down this burden and let my sisters suffer. My marriage can wait a few more years."
The scorpions shook their heads, expressing regret. The second sister laughed coquettishly and said, "I am busy managing the family business alone, with many financial gaps to fill. If any of you are willing to help bridge these gaps, I might consider marriage."
The Scorpionlord's mountain had long since fallen into ruin, with no wealth to speak of, so the second sister's words effectively ended the conversation. The third sister, holding a fan, said, "I wish to marry someone with whom I can live in harmony. I love the poetry of Luo Yin. Have any of you read his works?"
It's likely that the four princes didn't even know what poetry was, let alone who Luo Yin was. Consequently, everyone pinned their hopes on the fourth sister.
Sitting at the end, the fourth sister hummed softly out of boredom before speaking. "My sisters, you were too polite, speaking so tactfully that they probably didn't even understand. This so-called meeting is just a scheme against us. We would end up with no gain, while they take our dowries and positions in our cave. How dare they consider us as the ones to be taken advantage of? They call themselves princes, yet none of them are noble. If they truly had any skills, why not earn their own fortunes instead of showing off and making fools of themselves here?"
After the fourth sister's outburst, the conversation at the table shifted to criticizing her. Though apologies were exchanged, the topic of marriage was never brought up again.
