The next day.
As my sister Kyungah confidently claimed, we awoke to a peaceful morning and left the inn early.
“Looks like they really didn’t come for revenge after all.”
Muttering this, I turned around, and my sister Kyungah said, “I told you nothing would happen.”
Last night, those guys from the Black Dawn who had caused trouble for us at the inn were nowhere to be seen; either they were scared out of their wits and ran for it, or they didn’t have the guts to show their faces again.
I had expected them to come back for revenge like a typical cliché, leading a gang under the cover of night, but evidently, those guys weren’t up to that level.
“Anyway, if we just endure today, we’ll reach Hanzhong tomorrow, and we can relax.”
“How far have we come, roughly speaking?”
“If we make it to Hanzhong, we can get to the Murim Association leader’s estate in Chang’an within a week. We’re almost there now.”
“Ohhh…”
Feeling relief at the thought that our journey was almost over, it also hit me that we’d have to go through the same struggles on our way back, making me feel a bit daunted.
At that moment, Dokgorin, who had been watching our conversation with a somewhat uncomfortable expression, suddenly tugged at my collar.
“Chilbok, can you massage my shoulders?”
“Huh? All of a sudden?”
“I think I slept wrong last night, and now both my shoulders are stiff.”
Saying that, Dokgorin started rubbing her own shoulders.
“…….”
I glanced down, thinking that she didn’t really have shoulders that needed a massage, but since it was Dokgorin asking, I obediently began to massage her shoulders.
Kyungah, watching us from the side, wore a mischievous smile like a neighborhood auntie and said, “Oh my, you two seem close!”
She probably thought that Dokgorin had a crush on me or something.
To me, this whole thing just seemed like the whims of a teenage girl.
Regardless, Dokgorin, with a smug expression receiving the massage, declared it enough when Dokgoseok and the guards brought out the horses from the stables behind the inn.
Out of some spirit of rivalry against Kyungah, I bit the bullet, but it seemed like the gazes of those around us were catching up with me.
Thinking that this was such an uncharacteristic thing for me, I couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
*
Hanzhong.
This Hanzhong, often mentioned in “Romance of the Three Kingdoms,” refers to a basin surrounded by mountains, making it a strategic point for defense against enemy attacks while also being rich in local resources since antiquity.
The reason we chose Hanzhong as a stopover on our way to Chang’an was that it is a hub of transport connecting all the cities in Shaanxi Province.
“Wow—”
As we passed through the city gates and entered the urban area, a bustling marketplace unfolded before my eyes.
Countless merchants were soliciting customers at their stalls, and the passersby looked much more polished compared to the rural folks.
This was my first view of a big city since I possessed this body, and honestly, it was full of surprises.
It felt like I was looking at a giant movie set or something!
Dokgoseok, observing this, said with amusement, “Haha! Seems like everything in Hanzhong fascinates Chilbok!”
I was taken aback by his unexpected comment and replied, “Uh? Ah, yeah. It’s my first time in the city.”
“So, what’s your impression of the city?”
Hearing that, I took a look around before responding.
“It’s big.”
At that, Kyungah burst out laughing from behind Dokgoseok as she rode her horse.
“Puhuh!”
And so did the guards around us.
“Haah.”
“Is ‘big’ really all you’ve got to say?”
“Guess he’s still just a kid in a way.”
“…….”
That innocent response left me suddenly feeling like I wanted to hide in a mouse hole.
Now everyone must think my head is filled with flowers.
*
After a bit of back and forth, we decided to stay at the largest inn in Hanzhong, Yongmun Inn, for three days.
It was probably due to the fatigue of our long journey, but we also needed to replenish our travel supplies.
Thanks to that, Dokgorin and I unexpectedly gained some free time and decided to explore Hanzhong’s market.
Of course, we weren’t going out just the two of us; we had two guards accompanying us.
“So, Miss Rin, what are you planning to buy in the market?”
As I asked Dokgorin, who seemed in a good mood today, she glanced back at me and asked, “What do you think I came to buy, Chilbok?”
Suddenly?
Don’t answer a question with another question!
I grumbled inwardly while racking my brain.
“Maybe those supplies you mentioned earlier…?”
“Nihihi. That’s part of it, but not all.”
Turning her back to me with her arms crossed, Dokgorin looked interestingly cute.
Usually, her slightly airheaded actions made it hard to notice, but now she definitely looked like a beautiful girl.
Even while wearing plain travel clothes, her luminous beauty couldn’t be hidden.
Even people passing by took glances at her occasionally.
If it weren’t for the two scary-looking uncles with eyes ablaze staring at her, someone might’ve approached her already.
“Anyway, first, let’s head to the fabric store. I need to buy something there.”
“Sure!”
Nodding at Dokgorin’s words, I glanced back at the guards following us and started walking ahead.
It was my signal for them to follow.
*
The store I led Dokgorin and the guards to was one I had noticed while walking along the street yesterday.
Fabric stores are everywhere in markets, but unlike in modern times, there’s no fixed pricing here, so if you don’t know the rates, you might get ripped off.
In such situations, haggling with merchants is like counting wrinkles in front of a chrysalis—useless. That’s why I chose a store that seemed unlikely to cheat.
There’s a reason so many customers flock to popular stores.
“Welcome.”
As we stepped inside the fabric store, a man with a goatee who seemed to be the owner nodded slightly.
His greeting was curt but not rude, positioned right on that fine line.
Yet, his dry demeanor made me feel more trusting.
There are too many people desperate to sell an extra item with sweet talk.
“Look around, and if there’s anything you’re curious about, feel free to ask.”
Saying that dismissively while returning his gaze to a paper newspaper, Dokgorin looked around the store with interested eyes.
“Hmm—”
Just then, one of the guards beside us bent down slightly and asked, “Do you have something specific in mind, Miss?”
Dokgorin nodded slightly and answered, “I need a decent spool of thread. Preferably Tenzan silk.”
“Tenzan silk?”
The guard muttered this as he looked over at the store owner, who, with a small sigh, stood up to rummage through the shelves and asked, “Do you have a specific color in mind?”
“I don’t care about color. But I’d like a spool with a good amount of thread on it.”
As soon as that specific request was made, the shopkeeper dug out a spool with a lot of white Tenzan silk.
“How does this amount look? Of course, we have smaller quantities as well.”
“This is perfect. I’ll take it.”
As Dokgorin said that while pulling out her coin purse, the shopkeeper nodded and handed the spool over.
“Since this was originally meant for repairs, just three silver coins, please.”
Without haggling, Dokgorin paid the price the shopkeeper called.
It was a bit more expensive than I expected, and I glanced at the guards beside me in hopes that they might object, but they didn’t seem to have any objections, so I figured the price was right.
“Thank you! Come again.”
After hearing the shopkeeper’s farewell as we left the store, I cautiously asked Dokgorin, “Miss, what makes Tenzan silk so expensive?”
She shrugged her shoulders and answered, “The thread extracted from the cocoons of the wild silkworm is called Tenzan silk. It’s much stronger and sturdier than ordinary silk used for silk goods, so it’s traded at a high price.”
“Oh wow…”
So it’s considered a superior grade among cotton threads?
Having understood that about Tenzan silk, I followed Dokgorin with quickened steps when I suddenly remembered something and asked, “By the way, Miss, you mentioned earlier that apart from visiting the fabric store, you also had another destination in mind—where are we headed next?”
Then, Dokgorin, who was walking ahead, raised her right hand and pointed somewhere.
Curious, I turned to look, and she was pointing at a place where bare-chested men were sweating hard at work.
“…The blacksmith?”
Why are we suddenly going there?
