Sichuan Journey - Deepening (8)
Sichuan Journey - Deepening (8)
The market in Chengdu was exotic. It was a strange sight indeed—so many people gathered in a sunken square of earth like a wild bird's nest. Even Hong Ye, who had lived in Sichuan all her life, looked around with sparkling eyes.
"Husband, look over there. That's the most popular Peking opera troupe right now. They say it's the most famous company from Hebei Province, and they've come all the way to Chengdu to perform."
"To come all the way to Sichuan Province... truly impressive. Even for martial artists, that distance is no easy journey."
The distance from Hebei Province to Sichuan Province literally required crossing the entire continent. And yet a troupe of Peking opera actors had made it? The sign for 'Farewell My Concubine' (霸王别姬) fluttered especially grandly. Did the troupe leader possess the overbearing spirit of Xiang Yu?
Performers in splendid costumes and heavy makeup rehearsed their movements lightly before the stage, while musicians drew deep breaths, their expressions tense. Regular attendees had already claimed the front seats, and a tout shouted, sweat pouring down his forehead.
Hong Ye's face flushed bright red with childlike excitement, and she said,
"I've never seen this performance either, so I'm really looking forward to it, husband."
"They've been performing for days now. Did you hold back and wait for me?"
The sign announcing the performance listed the run dates. The show had begun two weeks before I arrived in Chengdu and was now nearing its final days, so the audience had thinned considerably. When I teased her, Hong Ye abruptly turned her head away and her voice grew quieter.
"I-it's my first time seeing a performance like this... I wanted to see it together with you, husband."
The way even her ears flushed red was utterly adorable. I had teased her precisely to see this reaction, and it was far cuter and more amusing than I'd expected. Not wanting her to sulk if I teased her any longer, I firmly took her hand and led the way.
"Let's hurry. I'm looking forward to it as well, since this is my first time seeing a Peking opera performance."
"Y-you've never seen one either, husband?"
Her face somehow looked even happier. That was how married couples were, after all. You discover what you didn't know about each other, lose yourselves in unfamiliar things together, and create memories that belong only to the two of you. That day, we watched Farewell My Concubine together and let ourselves be swept up in the boisterous atmosphere of Chengdu.
*****
"It was truly moving."
Hong Ye sniffled, wiping away tears, and I patted her, reflecting on my own rather awkward mood. Peking opera, it seemed, was not to my taste. The unique music was pleasant, and the actors' performances were worth watching, but this kind of culture simply didn't suit me. If I had to choose, I preferred a bare face to one caked white, and I preferred undressed people to those draped in gaudy costumes.
Wiping her tears, Hong Ye said,
"I'd like to see it again if the chance comes."
"Let's go see it together whenever we can. When these chaotic times end and a new age comes, what couldn't we do?"
At my words, Hong Ye wriggled with even greater delight. Pressed so close against me, I could feel her curves through her thin clothes, which stirred me. If we had no other plans, I would have dragged her straight to an inn, taken a room, and thrown myself on her like a dog.
"Is that fellow passing by an actor?"
But I had resolved today to leisurely enjoy the ordinary pleasures of daily life; such lewd acts could wait. With shy Hong Ye's hand in mine, I changed the subject. After the performance, a man with a white-painted face was talking to one of the Peking opera actors beneath the stage. The actor bobbed his head with utmost deference while the man spoke to him seriously.
Hearing my question, Hong Ye cocked her head and looked at the chatting pair. Then her eyes widened, she grabbed my arm and pulled me back, saying,
"Not an actor—a man from the Tang Clan."
"The Tang Clan?"
Only then did I recall the man from the Sichuan Tang Clan I had glimpsed at the Dragon Phoenix Gathering. He walked around with his face painted stark white, the corners of his eyes lifted like a fiend's—quite an impressive figure. I had assumed he must be some kind of pervert, as befits a poison user, but was that makeup a Tang Clan tradition?
"Do all the people of the Sichuan Tang Clan walk around in makeup?"
"Prolonged exposure to poison harms the skin, and walking around after undergoing poison training can also harm other people. So they grind medicinal herbs into a paste and apply it to exposed areas for disinfection. Be careful—there have been incidents where people mistook them for Peking opera actors and started fights."
So the rule was unexpectedly born out of consideration for others. Thinking of it that way, the white-painted face no longer looked ridiculous. As we left the performance grounds, I said to Hong Ye,
"How unexpected. Since the Tang Clan uses poison, I had a bit of an aversion, but they have such a considerate side."
"I've heard that because they handle poison, they are actually stricter about such things."
It was just as the saying goes—when a hateful person does something hateful, it looks even more vicious. Because they were poison users, they were apparently meticulous about such matters, to avoid giving anyone odd reasons to pick a fight. That was good news for the people of Sichuan, but not particularly welcome news for me. The Tang Clan was working that hard to avoid harming others? They were a bunch of upright, decent fellows living sincerely?
In that case, destroying the Tang Clan would leave a bad taste in my mouth.
Whether she knew what I was thinking or not, Hong Ye smiled and continued,
"Husband, never mind that—I want us to browse the market together now. I've found some things that would absolutely suit you. What do you say we go look at them?"
Hong Ye took my hand and pulled me into the city streets. As she led me along, I decided to set aside thoughts of the Tang Clan for the time being. There was no escaping reality by agonizing over a question that had no answer. Right now, I had to enjoy myself with Hong Ye.
******
The festivities were over. As the sun was setting, we returned to the Taiji Sect. The gatekeeper of the Taiji Sect flinched when he saw me, then nodded and said,
"...It seems you enjoyed yourselves."
"...We did."
Behind me stood Hong Ye, her face beaming with smiles, while I looked like a country bumpkin who had just come up to the capital for the first time—a colorful hat on my head, a bizarre overcoat thrown over my shoulders, and clothes for myself in each hand.
It had certainly been an enjoyable time. But seeing the results of that enjoyment, I couldn't help but ask Hong Ye,
"Is your wallet all right?"
"...It's fine. I'd been saving money because I really wanted to do this at least once."
Since she said it was fine, that was a relief. I shuffled awkwardly back to the room, worrying the overcoat might drag on the ground, and after stowing the luggage in a corner, I came back out with Hong Ye. Even for a martial artist, wandering around the marketplace all day was exhausting. I was suppressing my fatigue and considering a leisurely bath or something.
"Have you arrived?"
A servant in black clothes was waiting in front of our door with his head deeply bowed. He faintly exuded a strange medicinal smell, and his eyes were sharp. Hong Ye looked at the servant with a cocked head and said,
"Who is this?"
A servant Hong Ye didn't know? I stared at him, and he immediately offered an explanation.
"Ah, I am the new servant the elder recently hired. I've mostly been tasked with receiving outside guests, so I suppose I'm not yet a familiar face."
At the servant's words, a shadow of melancholy briefly passed over Hong Ye's face. I wrapped an arm around her waist and asked,
"So, what business does this servant have?"
"The elder said he acquired some excellent tea and instructed me to serve you a cup. I shall pour it for you myself—please, come this way."
Of all days, on a day when both Hong Ye and I were out, a servant whom even Hong Ye was seeing for the first time conveniently appeared and invited us for tea?
It was a scheme whose intent was far too transparent.
But I couldn't laugh here. I nodded and deliberately put on a pleased expression as I said,
"Very well. Lead the way. Let's go right now."
The servant turned around with composure and took the lead. At the mention of tea, Hong Ye had a bewildered look, then said to me,
"Tea... As expected, since you've come, husband, the elders are also treating me..."
I nodded vaguely to her and moved my steps toward the reception room.
The reception room for guests was empty now that the sun had set. To avoid disturbing cultivation and comings-and-goings, it was situated in a secluded part of the Taiji Sect and had been finished with soundproofing materials to block outside noise. When we entered, refreshments were already laid out, and the kettle was boiling vigorously.
As soon as we stepped inside, the servant closed the door and smiled. I couldn't tell how that smile came across to Hong Ye, but to me it looked like the grin of a base wretch whose intentions were plainly visible.
"Please, sit. I shall pour the tea."
The tea leaves set out in the cup were visibly top-grade. As if having tea for the first time, Hong Ye sat down awkwardly and looked around, while I leaned back against the chair and observed the servant's every move. Up close, the medicinal smell was unmistakable, and the way he kept stealing glances at me, on guard, was far from normal.
Even with me staring at him, he picked up the kettle as if nothing was wrong. Just as he was about to pour the steaming water into the cups, I deliberately spoke to him.
"Where are you from?"
The servant, mid-pour, hesitated at my question. He tilted his head, rolled his eyes, and then answered me. The time it took him to reply was rather long.
"...A native of Chengdu."
"Why are you hesitating when I ask about your hometown?"
"Huh?"
Hesitating at the question of where you're from means you're thinking of an 'affiliation' other than your hometown. For an ordinary servant, especially one tasked with receiving guests, it was a question that wouldn't cause a moment's hesitation. What other affiliation could there be besides a hometown? He must have thought of his sect, then stumbled, trying to find a lie to smooth things over.
"Die!"
The moment he looked at me with a dumbfounded expression, I sprang up from my seat and threw a punch at his face. Startled, the servant's inner energy surged up and he crossed his arms to block my fist. The very instant his arms and my fist connected, Hong Ye, who had risen from her seat, extended her arm toward the servant's waist without a shred of hesitation.
Tung!
"Kkueok!"
The servant's waist bent back like a bow. His eyes rolled up, he screamed, and he tumbled to the floor, foaming at the mouth. I dusted off my hands and looked at Hong Ye. Hong Ye was still in a stance charged with fighting spirit, but her face remained bewildered.
She relaxed her stance and asked me,
"...Husband. But why did you hit this servant?"
"...Didn't you hit him because he seemed suspicious?"
"...No, w-well, I have been imagining using a joint attack skill with you rather often lately, so my body just moved on its own..."
"...."
Sometimes, Hong Ye's love could be heavy.