An Evening Out

"That fit is insane."

"Isn't dressing like that practically child abuse?"

A drunken couple whispered behind her, but with So Rihwa's heightened senses, every syllable rang loud and clear. She had no intention of calling them out, however. It was plainly obvious they were just green with envy.

"Mm-hmm."

A jaunty hum slipped past her lips as she walked. Since waking up in this body, had she ever ventured out into the city with this much cash in her pockets? There was truth to the old saying that the heavier your wallet grew, the lighter your steps became.

It was already eleven at night, meaning the clinics, clothing boutiques, and supermarkets she had planned to visit were mostly shuttered. Even so, she had managed to purchase everything on her list before catching a bus. Fearing she might miss the final route of the night, she had even used short bursts of lightfoot techniques to dart past the Public Security patrols and barely made it aboard in time.

So Rihwa took a seat in the far back corner. Being the last bus of the night, people constantly boarded and got off the sprawling vehicle. They were all ladies and gentlemen dressed in sharp office suits—exhausted commuters heading home from late overtime or lingering company drinking parties. Rather than the mystical Central Plains, the scene looked indistinguishable from a late-night Seoul bus packed with weary workers.

Having little interest in ordinary civilians who walked outside the martial world, Rihwa rested her cheek against the window frame and watched the scenery blur past. The harsh glare of vivid neon signs and flashing LED billboards quickly fatigued her unnaturally acute vision.

Snapping out of her daze, Rihwa blinked at the robotic chime announcing the terminal. When she glanced around the cabin, every single passenger had vanished. In the wake of her noisy, lively livestream earlier that evening, the sudden, oppressive quiet left her feeling strangely hollow.

One would think a bus driver might at least ask after a young girl getting off alone at a closed cemetery in the dead of night, but the driver never so much as met her eyes, clearly wanting no part in whatever bizarre business she had.

Beep—

The rear doors hissed open, and So Rihwa stepped down into the chill air. Right in front of her stood a massive stone monument marking the entrance.

The heavy iron gates were chained tight. The memorial park closed its doors at five in the afternoon, and it was now half past midnight, so the lockdown was only natural.

"Hoo... hah."

Rihwa closed her eyes and took a measured breath, completely erasing her presence. Unless someone bumped right into her shoulder, an ordinary person would never even register that she was standing there.

She cast out her sensory net to confirm the perimeter was clear of pedestrians, but she still couldn't simply waltz inside. Even this cemetery had been outfitted with a state-of-the-art modern security grid.

"Ngh."

Her right eyelid fluttered violently. Deliberately loosening her control, she released a sliver of the freezing energy of the Nine Yin Severed Meridians trapped in her core. In an instant, her flesh grew ice-cold.

Clenching her teeth against the agony of frost surging through her meridians, Rihwa pushed off the ground and vaulted over the five-meter-high concrete barrier. Seeing that no spotlights flickered to life, it seemed her lowered body temperature had successfully spoofed the thermal cameras monitoring the wall.

Once past the outer perimeter, there were virtually no surveillance cameras, granting her free rein to wander. Rihwa followed a familiar path through the dark. Whenever she visited this memorial park, her destination was always the same.

A cemetery under the dead of night, surrounded on all sides by countless silent tombstones. It was an eerie sight that would terrify most, but Rihwa felt no fear whatsoever. If anything, coming during regular operating hours and being hounded by the administrative staff over overdue cemetery maintenance fees was far more terrifying.

Even within this sprawling park, burial grounds were divided into distinct family plots. This particular section was where the lineage of her roots, the Sanyang So Clan of Shaanxi, lay interred together.

After she had descended from her seclusion in the mountain cavern, one of the things she had been most curious about was her own bloodline. She had also wondered about the parents who had left behind that letter for her.

Tracking down her clan had been surprisingly easy. When she searched the family martial arts manual she had learned in the cave, the results popped up immediately. According to the online encyclopedia, however, the Sanyang So Clan was a martial family that had faded away into history fifty years ago. Still, the fact that they even had a dedicated wiki entry proved they must have been quite renowned in their heyday.

She had assumed finding the parents of this body would be an arduous struggle, but she had located them on her very first try in the Xi'an public cemetery where the clan's ancestors rested.

"Hello there," she murmured, taking off her black Supreme cap and bowing politely.

"It's been a while. Work's been so hectic lately that I can only ever visit you in the middle of the night. Still, coming at night is better than not coming at all, right?"

Whoosh. A draft whistled between the gravestones, sounding like a wandering phantom or perhaps just a stray gust of wind. Unbothered, Rihwa reached into the pocket of her knockoff Louis Vuitton track pants and pulled out a few slightly crumpled pear blossoms, setting them gently before the headstone.

"Look, I brought rihwa—pear blossoms. It matches the meaning of my name, you know? I wanted to prepare something a bit fancier, but I figured you'd prefer these. Oh, and I brought food today too."

With a faint smile, she placed a fresh hamburger, a cup of tapioca boba milk tea, and a box of buffalo wings alongside the blossoms. It wasn't that she harbored some childish desire to play family with a dead man. This was simply her way of paying tribute to the one who had passed down his martial arts and preserved her life.

"Can you see how successful I've become? Hat, shirt, pants, sneakers—everything on me is a designer label. It's all thanks to you keeping me alive, Father. I haven't completely cured the Nine Yin Severed Meridians just yet, but I feel like I'm close. So don't worry too much."

Rihwa closed her eyes and pressed her palms together in quiet prayer. A part of her wondered if it was right for an imposter like her to do this, but who else was left to honor him? There was no one in the world but her.

After a brief moment of silent tribute, she wiped the dust from the gravestone with her sleeve and offered one last respectful bow.

"Next time, I'll visit wearing even prettier clothes."

Another breeze swept through the burial mounds. With the wind, Rihwa vanished without a trace, leaving only the familiar, tranquil silence to settle over the Sanyang So Clan's cemetery. Only the fresh offerings of modern fast food alongside pear blossoms stood out in the quiet dark.

For today's outing, there was no need to dress up to the nines like yesterday. A simple black Supreme cap and a matching black tracksuit were more than enough. Though plain, the outfit was completely ordinary, drawing none of the stares she had endured the previous day.

"Mmh..."

Rihwa unlocked her smartphone and checked her daily checklist. She had picked up her sedatives for the meridian seizures, paid her overdue rent and utility bills, and planned to order food and bottled water online. Everything was going smoothly.

That left only one final task on her list.

It was a simple phrase, yet Rihwa stared at the screen as if trying to burn a hole through it. Considering she already possessed her traditional martial ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠robes from the cavern, the black tracksuit scavenged from a clothing collection bin, and the full luxury outfit for when she wanted to flaunt her wealth, going shopping for more clothes felt like pure extravagance.

Yet, she had not bought a single piece of clothing for two entire years. Her wardrobe had been entirely supplied by raiding neighborhood charity donation bins.

No matter how accustomed she was to poverty, digging through donation bins always left a lingering sense of discomfort. Even in her previous life back in South Korea, she had never fallen to such depths. She had promised herself that she would go on a proper shopping trip the moment she had the funds, and today was the day.

"Right. Let's just do it."

After agonizing until the very last second, she clenched her fist and made up her mind. It truly felt like a monumental crossroad.

Why was it such a grave decision? Because until now, Rihwa had only ever worn neutral, unisex garments. Even right now, she was clad in an oversized tracksuit.

Yet here she was, standing directly before the storefront of a women's fashion boutique. It had already been seven years since she started living in this body. Deciding that she could not deny her transformed gender forever, she had finally summoned the courage to step up to a women's clothing store.

"...H-Hello."

Just as she had done at the cemetery last night, Rihwa suppressed her presence as much as possible and greeted the room in a voice as tiny as an ant.

Chime!

The shop's entrance bell rang with startling clarity, and in the very next instant, a beaming woman descended upon her like a hawk. She appeared to be in her mid-forties, sporting the kind of relentlessly pushy expression that signaled she would never let a customer leave empty-handed.

"Welcome, dear! Looking for anything in particular today?"

Argh! Rihwa wanted ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠nothing more than to scream. Of all times to walk in, she happened to be the only customer in the entire store. Her timing could not have been worse.

"Ah, w-well, I was just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠planning to look around..."

"What kind of style? One-pieces? Knitwear? Skirts? Jeans? Field jackets? Leggings? Oh, or are you looking for lingerie?"

Within five short seconds, the shopkeeper had completely shattered Rihwa's composure. If the legendary Great Art of Essence Absorption truly existed, this woman must have mastered it, given how rapidly Rihwa felt her soul being sucked dry.

"Just... looking around in general..."

"Oh, in general! Well, that makes it hard to choose on your own. Let me pick some out for you! Would you mind taking off your cap for a second, dear? Fashion is all about matching skin tone and facial structure, you know!"

"I-Is that so?"

Drained of all willpower, Rihwa removed her cap with lifeless eyes. The instant her face was revealed, the store clerk gasped and slapped a hand over her mouth. Hidden beneath the pulled-down brim were long silver tresses, striking crimson eyes, a delicate nose, and pale, porcelain skin that looked like it belonged on an antique doll.

"Oh my goodness! Heavens, you are absolutely adorable!"

"Ah. Thank you."

Rihwa gave an unenthusiastic response to the genuine compliment. Ever since leaving the mountain, that was the phrase she had heard most often. By now, she had heard it so many times she was utterly numb to it.

"You look so incredibly young! How old are you?"

"I'm twenty-two."

"What?! Really?! But you look like a complete baby!"

"I really am twenty-two."

If Rihwa had been trying to buy cigarettes or alcohol, the woman's gaze would have demanded an identification plaque immediately, but a boutique owner had no such authority.

"You have such an amazing baby face! Since your frame is on the petite side, feminine, cute, and airy clothes will look wonderful on you."

The middle-aged woman began darting around the showroom, piling hanger after hanger onto her forearm. While Rihwa ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had brought plenty of money, she had never intended to purchase an entire wardrobe, and panic began to set in.

"U-Um, I really don't need that many..."

"I'm just picking out things that'll suit you so you can try them on! You don't have to buy them, of course!"

"Ah... okay."

Though the words provided slight relief, the woman had already gathered over a dozen hangers. Blouses, blazers, dress shirts, one-pieces, ruffled skirts... Seeing so many fine clothes crushed together on one arm made Rihwa wonder if garments were even supposed to be handled like that.

More importantly, Rihwa had a far more pressing need.

"Excuse me, ma'am. Actually, I need to look at undergarments first..."

"Oh, of course, of course! I was already on it! These days, undergarments are part of fashion too, you know! Honestly, if I wear boring underwear at home, my husband won't even look at me!"

The shopkeeper laughed bashfully and gave Rihwa's arm a playful slap. Meanwhile, Rihwa found herself falling into deep philosophical contemplation over why on earth she had to listen to a stranger's marital intimacy issues inside a clothing store.

Chime!

At that miraculous moment, the entrance bell rang again. Walking through the door was a striking young woman dressed in light-green martial robes. From her refined features to the cut of her garments, she practically radiated noble prestige. Sweeping an arrogant gaze across the boutique, the newcomer marched straight toward So Rihwa.

"Hey! What are you doing in here?! We're going to miss our train! Move, now!"

The woman in green snapped in a sharp, imperious tone. Before Rihwa could even blink, the stranger snatched her wrist and pulled her toward the exit.

Naturally, the shopkeeper was not about to let a hooked fish slip away so easily. Lunging forward, she grabbed Rihwa's other arm as the girl was dragged along with a stunned look on her face.

"What do you think you're doing to my customer?!"

"What am I doing? Are you out of your mind, lady?"

The woman in green retorted with icy venom. Caught helplessly between them, even Rihwa couldn't help but marvel at the girl's sheer insolence. The green-robed beauty appeared to be in her early twenties at most, yet she was spitting vulgar disrespect at a woman in her forties without a shred of hesitation.

Offended to her core, the shopkeeper glared back, preparing to unleash a furious tirade. Before she could utter a word, however, the young martial artist thrust her wrist right into the woman's face. Rihwa peered over and noticed gold lettering finely etched into the watch strap: Sichuan Tang Clan.

The moment the shopkeeper registered those words, all color drained from her face.

"T-The Sichuan Tang Clan?!"

"That's right. I'm from the Tang Clan. You're currently interfering with official Tang Clan business. If we miss our train, are you going to take responsibility? Can you even afford to?"

The young woman tilted her chin up, looking down her nose with cold contempt. Rihwa stared up at her in fascination. Since arriving in the Central Plains, this was the first time she had crossed paths with this surname—a name that felt more familiar to her than any other.

"Why is someone from the Sichuan Tang Clan all the way in Shaanxi...?"

"Because I have business here. Now, are you going to keep holding onto my companion, or what?"

"N-No! Not at all!"

The terrified shopkeeper instantly yanked her hands away. Caught completely off guard, So Rihwa found herself dragged out of the boutique by the fierce Tang Clan woman.

She had absolutely no idea what kind of mess she had just stumbled into.