Interlude 2: "Anything You Want to Buy?"
"Is there anything you want to buy?"
"Well...... I don't really know right now."
Cheon Sohyang hesitated in response to Jang Cheon's question.
The dazzling sights inside the shop. Silks embroidered with gold and silver. An interior of unparalleled splendor, infused with the faint scent of agarwood. The girl remembered the time she had gazed at the agarwood from afar. She recalled the hawker's shouts as well.
"Special deal! Special deal! Agarwood imported from Yunnan, sold at rock-bottom prices!"
Back then, the girl had been fifteen. She had gone out to the street to sell rice, when she brushed against a young lady from a noble house. A spring flower-like fragrance had trailed after that lady. It probably wasn't agarwood. Still.
"This stuff's practically free! Take it home!"
"Mister, how much is the smallest piece of agarwood?"
He had said it was incredibly cheap, so the girl had mustered her courage to ask.
"One nyang of silver taels."
Yeah, no way. Even after emptying her pockets, she only had five pun. She hadn't felt sad, probably. It was always like that.
Yet that memory resurfaced now, just for a fleeting moment. Why was her voice trailing off like this?
"I don't think I need anything this fancy. Over there on Plain Cloth Street, there are plenty of good clothing shops too......"
"......"
Why did ajussi's gaze make her feel so embarrassed? Come to think of it, he had said he was the head of a true family clan. Not a fallen one like hers, but a real se ga. Wasn't it weird for her to be fretting like this?
So the girl lowered her eyes.
But then.
"Huh?"
Ajussi's face came down to her level. He had bent over to look at her. A face far too young—incredibly young—for his age. She didn't think she'd ever seen it this close before. A steady voice reached her ears.
"It's fine."
With that, he turned his back and called out in a booming voice.
"Hey, shop boy! Bring us the ten most expensive outfits here."
"Customer?"
"You heard right. The priciest ones, now! If you try to cheat me, I'll smash your signboard."
She lifted her head slightly. Ajussi's back came into view. His build and height towered over her, like a massive city wall. Mustering her courage, she lightly tugged at his robe hem.
"It's okay. You don't have to buy me new clothes......."
There were so many reasons. She hadn't even touched the money ajussi had given her. It wasn't money she wanted to spend on clothes in a place like this. She needed to buy ajussi a sword, replace his worn-out martial robes in spots, prepare for winter with all sorts of necessities. Plus, fix the collapsed walls. Help old man Park live comfortably. And...... save some too.
"Because......"
Martial artists got hurt a lot. If ajussi ever got injured, she'd need good medicine. So there was no need to spend on clothes like this. Just imagining it made her happy.
"Sohyang. You are my disciple, aren't you?"
"Yes!"
Jang Cheon spoke with patient emphasis.
"Do you remember? The day you set out on your journey, you gave me these very clothes. The ancients said that even accepting a lump of dried meat from a disciple brings joy—but you gave me food and clothes."
These were the clothes he was still wearing. They were quite worn and frayed now. It hadn't been that long, but they'd been through so much.
Still, they remained comfortable and practical. Perfectly fitted, never shifting out of place. Because of the care put into making them by their creator.
Regrettably, Jang Cheon couldn't make clothes for Sohyang.
"If I can't even give you a single robe in return, what would people say when they see me?"
But this, he could do.
The shop boys bustled in from behind with the clothes. Pazhou silk had been renowned since ancient times. Its vibrant, intricate embroidery was famous even in Jiangnan.
"This is silk woven in Suzhou, embroidered with thousand-layer thread......"
"Don't you have any from the Western Regions? I'd like to see those too."
"Yes, right away."
"Pick one you like. Don't worry about the price."
The ten most expensive outfits. Cheon Sohyang felt her eyes spinning. What if she damaged one touching it? She reached out cautiously, ever so carefully, to avoid harming the silk.
"This...... feels incredibly soft."
"It's silk supplied to the Qingmu Garden. Fine craftsmanship, isn't it?"
Truth be told, she had envied it. Seeing rich kids in soft clothes, she had thought that. Their skin wouldn't chafe against rough cotton. The vivid patterns on the silk were beautiful.
But things like that were out of reach for life.
......Her gaze settled on one outfit.
"You like that one?"
A black base with gold embroidery outer robe. She couldn't bring herself to say it, just kept staring.
Jang Cheon shrewdly caught her glance.
"May she try it on?"
"We'll adjust it to fit. Please wait a moment."
"Huh? Y-Yes? This is so sudden!"
"Hey now, hold still. Should the head of a se ga be flustering about like this?"
The shop boys deftly took her measurements. The robe on display vanished, and soon something rustled from the back. Thud. It was placed in the girl's hands.
"Please try it on."
"Is it really okay?"
"Clothes in a clothing shop don't wear out from trying them on. Go ahead."
Cheon Sohyang carefully slipped on the silk robe. It fit like it was made for her. She spun around—no snags, nothing awkward. Wondering if ajussi thought the same, she turned and met his eyes.
"......They say clothes are wings, but that's wrong."
"R-Really, huh?"
"Your face is the clothes' wings. You'd look good in anything."
"What kind of talk is that!"
"We'll take this one. Not bad at all."
Jang Cheon settled the bill. She couldn't see the price—his back was too broad.
Wearing her suddenly acquired new martial robe, Cheon Sohyang gazed into the mirror. The reflection felt unfamiliar. She pointed at herself.
Is this really...... me?
"Stop fooling around with that and come on. We still have more places to see."
"Ah, yes!"
Ajussi had already bought a few more outfits and headed out. Cheon Sohyang hurried after him.
The fabrics were just the beginning.
*
After that, Jang Cheon and Cheon Sohyang visited all sorts of shops. They browsed tops at a toy store, stopped by a mask shop where Jang Cheon seemed oddly familiar with the owner, and even caught a hilarious street opera on the way.
As the sun began to set, they dined together at a fine inn. A good seat by the window, with the sunset visible beyond.
"Did you enjoy today?"
Cheon Sohyang nodded vigorously, mouth stuffed with meat. It had been so long since she'd had delicious food; she was eating a bit messily.
Gulp.
"Enjoyed it a lot?"
"Yes. Um, am I going to die now, by any chance?"
"Then, would you be able to die peacefully?"
"Hmm, well......"
The girl paused. She tilted her head as if pondering, then smiled faintly.
"If you make it painless."
"......"
Jang Cheon picked up his chopsticks. And spoke, without meeting her eyes.
"You don't seem happy enough yet, so we'll put it off. I have one more question. What is it you want to do right now?"
"Huh?"
Not sure, she looked at Jang Cheon. His eyes were serious. He asked again.
"No one's chasing you anymore. No one will harass you over the Demon Subjugation Squad. That's why I'm asking—what's something you've always wanted to do now that you're free?"
The girl thought. She'd never made plans for a question like this. By the time she came of age, the Demon Subjugation Squad had her in its grip, and the family's fortunes weren't great. Eating at an inn like this was a pipe dream.
After that? Chased by the Sima family, facing mortal threats. Betrayals, sleepless nights. Tomorrows as foggy as winter mist, vanishing who-knows-when.
Still, if she were truly free, there was one vague thing she wanted to do. For a long time now.
"I want to go to the jianghu."
"A jianghu tour?"
Jang Cheon pondered. The jianghu wasn't a good place. Over a century as a martial artist, and he always reached the same conclusion. A swamp of swords, betrayal, and greed.
Yet young people still plunged into the jianghu today, setting off on journeys. Touring famous sights, befriending notables, doing heroic deeds—the memories built were in that swamp.
.......The child should have had that chance too. Before the Sima family's scum interfered.
"Good. Once you're in the jianghu, what's the first thing you want to do?"
He asked casually. He intended to help with her plans, if possible. Even if she wanted to go to places he disliked, like Shaolin or Huashan. His old enemies were dead or ascended anyway.
So he had braced himself for that. But the girl's answer veered far from his expectations.
"......I want to apologize."
"If you've done wrong, you should seek them out. Where to?"
Cheon Sohyang lowered her eyes, bowed her head slightly, and spoke softly but earnestly. With utter sincerity, confessing what she'd thought of for so long.
"It's late, really late...... but I want to go to ajussi's home and...... properly say I'm sorry."
She'd thought that all along. Ever since she first heard Jang Cheon's story.