A gong clashes and a spotlight appears on stage, silencing the hall.
Standing in the spotlight is a young Asian woman dressed in a red cheongsam, a traditional Chinese one-piece dress. Her skin is extremely pale, and her hair, black and silky, is tied up in double buns. She has a paper fan in each hand and is holding one against the bottom half of her face, leaving only her eyes, narrow and blue-shadowed, to peek from over the edge.

The woman shuts her fan and brings it down, revealing a pair of scarlet lips creased in a subtle smile. Her gestures are as graceful as they are slow, like a porcelain doll coming alive. She takes a step forward as a piece of Chinese music starts playing, age-old and atmospheric, of flutes and wind chimes and exotic stringed instruments. The woman's moves evolve into a sensual dance. Shod in simple black flats, her feet flit across the wooden boards while her hands expertly wield the paper fans, guiding the gazes along the lines of her figure.

At last the music comes to an end, and all stage lights go back on. Behind the woman in red are magician Adrian Baines and his assistant Daisy, standing on either side of a tall cabinet made of lacquered wood. Baines is in his classic magician's outfit, while Daisy wears as little as a strapless bikini, printed with watermelon slices. Appropriately enough, she is carrying a small watermelon under her arm.
The illusionist walks up to the Asian woman downstage and flourishes at her.

"Ladies and gentlemen, meet the enchanting Rose Cheung."

The woman called Rose Cheung accepts the applause with a slight bow, then turns to Baines and presents her paper fans, now folded. The magician lines them up as if he intended to join them together. A quick sweep of his hand and the fans have indeed become a single item: a long bamboo sheath, from which the man pulls a katana sword. He slashes at the air and the blade hisses loudly, looking as sharp and deadly as a Japanese blade can.

"Now, what we have got here, my dear audience, is no ordinary sword," he says. "It is magical, of course, but even among magical swords this one holds a special place. Its blade is so sharp, that a leaf falling on it would split around the edge. So sharp, even, that the same leaf, having fallen through to the other side, would become one again. It is rumored that its maker, a legendary Japanese swordsmith by the name of Muramasa..."

While Baines goes on illustrating the qualities of his sword, Rose steps out of her shoes and takes off her dress. Underneath she is wearing an exact copy of Daisy's bikini. Despite being so thin, her body shows no hard edges. She trades her clothes for Daisy's watermelon, then goes down on her knees, holding the fruit up high with both hands.
Baines, his speech concluded, raises the katana behind his head and swings it down. There is a resounding whack, yet the sword appears to go through the watermelon as if it weren't there. Only when Rose spreads her arms, taking it apart, is the audience assured that the fruit has actually been sliced in half.
The Asian woman hands the two halves over to Daisy, who carries them away off stage together with the cheongsam and the flats.

Another song, this time thumpy and fast-paced, kicks in. It takes something of a trained ear to notice that it is actually a modern version of the tune from earlier.
Baines helps Rose back on her feet, and guides her to the cabinet. He opens the glass doors, whereupon the woman hops inside and takes position, hands planted on either side. She stares into nothing as the magician shuts the doors and, sword in hand, walks out of sight behind her.
There is a thin groove running down the middle of the top of the cabinet, and that's where Baines proceeds to slide his weapon. All that the audience can see is the tip of the katana entering the gap between the front doors. The blade rests for a moment just above Rose's head, then it resumes its descent, sinking effortlessly through her forehead and between her eyes before splitting her nose in two. The woman does not seem to take notice of what is happening, holding a blank expression on her bisected face as the sword moves further down, steadily slicing through her neck, then her chest. Her strapless bikini top snaps in two pieces and falls at her feet, leaving her small breasts uncovered. She has dark brown nipples, which are visibly stiff at the moment. Shortly after her bikini bottom meets the same fate, unveiling a small but thick patch of black pubic hair. Not that being fully naked is a concern for the young woman, who does not lift a finger to cover herself.
The katana blade, its job done, disappears through the back wall of the cabinet, and moments later Baines re-emerges. The magician opens the doors for Rose and helps her out. There is no sign of the passage of the sword on her body. Baines look intently in her eyes, then puts his sheathed weapon in her hands, where it becomes a pair of paper fans again. 

The  music fades back to its original form. Rose strides downstage and turns around a full circle, much like a model on the catwalk, treating the audience to an all-round view of her naked figure. She spreads her fans open and spins another full turn, and another, then leaps to the side, starting over the same dance that opened the act. The dance builds up to a majestic climax when suddenly the music stops, freezing Rose as she stands, tiptoe, legs pressed together, arms up in the air with both fans open wide. Some in the audience whisper and babble, but most just hold their breath, not daring to disrupt the silence.
Moving at a leisurely pace, Baines walks up behind the motionless woman. He reaches out for the buns in her hair, gently tugging in opposite directions. The two halves of Rose's body come apart, and topple over to the floor.