As the sun began to sink and late afternoon crept closer, Yue Rin hurried through the last of her shopping. She'd already bought the soap and shampoo, then returned to the Moon Embroidery Pavilion to collect the finished clothes. Paying made her expression pinch, but she kept her mouth shut. After Mu Xie packed everything neatly into a bag, Yue Rin rushed back to the inn.
In her room, she undressed fully, used Cleansing Flow, and only then slipped into her new clothes. When she looked into the mirror, she froze for a breath.
…She looked quite beautiful.
Then she glanced out the window and her chest tightened. Afternoon was already slipping away. She folded the remaining clothes into the cabinet, grabbed the bag with the soap and shampoo, and hurried out.
She ran through packed streets, dodging carriages and swinging baskets, trying hard not to bump into anyone and dirty her new clothes. She wanted to use her movement technique and be done with it, but using Qi in public was forbidden unless it was self-defense. So she swallowed the urge and ran the mortal way, lungs burning.
* * * *
"Huf… huf… finally…"
The bathhouse sign hung above the entrance, its characters darkened by years of steam. Yue Rin bent forward with her hands on her knees, gulping air, and scanned the crowd.
No A-Ling.
"Maybe she'll arrive in a bit… I should wait."
She walked to the wall beside the entrance and leaned back against it, forcing her breathing to steady.
That was when she realized the stares.
While she'd been running, she hadn't noticed anything beyond the road in front of her. Now that she'd stopped, she could feel eyes on her skin, especially the ones lingering too long, sliding over a certain part of her body. Her scalp prickled.
Without thinking, she slipped behind a tree a little farther off that still gave her a clear view of the entrance, and hid there while she waited for A-Ling to arrive.
* * * *
As the sun slowly descended, Yue Rin sat on the ground with her back against the rough bark and let her thoughts gnaw at her.
Maybe she isn't actually coming.
Maybe she only said she might be busy to brush me off.
Another part of her tried to reason.
No. A-Ling didn't confirm anything. She said 'if' she isn't busy. So maybe she really is busy.
The first part snapped back.
Isn't that the same excuse your friends used… only for you to see them later on the street, laughing together without you?
She pressed her fingertips into her palm, trying to crush the thought before it spread.
Lost in overthinking, she didn't notice someone approaching.
"Yue Rin…"
No response.
"…Yue Rin."
A-Ling slowed, eyes catching on the way Yue Rin sat curled behind the tree, head lowered, shoulders drawn tight, like she was trying to make herself small. A teasing smile started to form out of habit, then hesitated.
She crouched in front of her. "Yue Ri-"
Yue Rin jolted up with a weird, half-strangled yelp. The sound escaped before she could stop it. Her eyes went wide, and she clapped both hands over her mouth.
For a heartbeat, A-Ling's lips twitched. "So you can hear me."
Yue Rin's glare could've peeled bark.
A-Ling lifted a hand in surrender, her smile cracking under the intensity. "Alright, alright. I deserve that." Her tone softened. "I called you more than once, but you looked distracted. Did something happen?"
Yue Rin was relieved, so relieved it was A-Ling, but she refused to show it. She turned her face away and huffed like she'd been personally wronged. "You said afternoon. You're late."
A-Ling blinked, then let out a small snort. "So that's the crime."
"It is," Yue Rin muttered, though the bite didn't land the way she wanted.
"Yes, yes, I'm sorry." A-Ling waved it off and lifted the small bundle she carried like proof. "I went home for a towel. I don't like using the ones they have. Who knows when they wash them after people use them, and they're harsh on the skin."
Yue Rin's annoyed expression froze.
She'd forgotten to buy one.
Her fingers worried at the hem of her sleeve. She almost admitted it, then swallowed it back down. What if A-Ling looked down on her if she knew she usually used the bathhouse ones?
A-Ling watched her fidget and seemed to understand more than Yue Rin wanted her to. She didn't comment. She just sighed, casual as breathing, and added, "Also… I didn't think you had one, so I bought one for you. I know you're a cultivator and probably don't nee-"
"I want it!"
The words came out louder than expected. Yue Rin stiffened, then coughed and lowered her voice, face burning. "I mean… I want it. Thank you."
A-Ling chuckled, and the blush on Yue Rin's cheeks deepened.
Then A-Ling's gaze drifted over Yue Rin's outfit. The clothes were unfamiliar, but they fit her like they'd been made for her, and the fabric looked expensive. A-Ling had cleaned Yue Rin's room before, even the small cabinet. She knew Yue Rin didn't own much beyond an old cloak and simple, patched garments.
What a silly girl.
Even if she thought that, her spoken words were different. "Those clothes look really beautiful on you. They suit you so well. I've never seen this kind of garment before. Where did you get them?"
The shy look on Yue Rin's face melted into a bright, blooming smile. "I custom commissioned them from a shop."
Then she did a small twirl, quick, like she couldn't stop herself, her expression practically saying: Call me beautiful again.
A-Ling smiled helplessly.
A breath later, Yue Rin realized what she'd done. She cleared her throat, grabbed her bag from the ground, and started walking toward the bathhouse as if she hadn't done anything.
"Since you're here now, let's head in!"
"Yes, yes, lead the way." A-Ling fell into step beside her.
They didn't speak much as they walked, but it wasn't awkward silence either. A-Ling kept pace at Yue Rin's shoulder, and when the crowd thickened, she guided Yue Rin around a passing vendor with a light touch at the elbow. Yue Rin pretended not to notice.
A-Ling's mouth curved. "You're still sulking?"
"I'm not."
"You are."
"…You're late."
A-Ling clicked her tongue like she'd been stabbed. "Cruel."
Yue Rin's lips twitched despite herself, and she looked away before A-Ling could catch it.
Soon they were back at the entrance.
The bathhouse was built from pale stone, its wide doors carved with flowing cloud patterns and water motifs. Warm mist drifted from vents near the roof, carrying the faint scent of herbs.
Inside was a corridor lit by soft lantern light. At the far end sat a woman behind a reception desk. Two heavy curtains hung to either side, with Women written on the left one and Men on the right one.
Before Yue Rin could speak, A-Ling stepped forward. "Hello. Two people, please."
"That will be twenty copper coins each," the attendant replied.
"Yes."
"Yes."
They handed over the coins, and the woman produced two small wooden keys, each with a different number engraved into the tag.
"Here are your locker keys. Third changing room. You may bring your own belongings inside. If you use the bathhouse towels, return them where you took them from. Don't worry, privacy formations are active at all times. No peeping, and no men may enter the women's section."
Though both had heard it before, they waited politely until she finished, then passed through the women's curtain.
Beyond it lay another hall lined with numbered changing rooms. A fork at the far end led deeper into the bathing area.
They entered the third room. Inside were long wooden stools in the center and lockers lining the walls. Matching the numbers on their keys, they found their lockers and opened them, each already holding a folded towel.
They ignored them. A-Ling pulled out the towels she'd brought instead.
As they began to undress, A-Ling nodded toward Yue Rin's bag. "What's in there?"
Yue Rin struggled with her top. "Just body soap and hair shampoo I bought on the street."
"Oh?" A-Ling hummed, not sounding convinced.
While Yue Rin was distracted, A-Ling stole a glance inside.
There were only two items.
One was a small box wrapped in waxed paper, tied with red silk thread and sealed with a stamped mark A-Ling didn't recognize.
The other was a vial made of cloudy glass, pale and smooth, light blurring softly through it as if frost had been trapped inside the material. It rested in a padded silk sleeve.
Street goods, she says.
A-Ling shook her head faintly.
What a silly girl.
Once they finished undressing, they wrapped the towels around their waists. Yue Rin took the shampoo and soap she'd brought with her, placed the bag in the locker, closed it carefully, and followed A-Ling out toward the end of the hall.
Turning left at the fork, a wide bathing chamber opened before them. A large pool sat in the center, steam rising in slow curls from its surface. The stone floor around it was warm beneath their feet, and the air carried that clean, herbal scent more strongly here.
Along the walls were washing stations: low stools set in neat rows, each with a narrow wooden ledge fixed in front. A simple tap jutted from the wall above a shallow stone basin, and inside each basin sat a wooden ladle for scooping water.
A-Ling led Yue Rin toward an empty spot, then glanced over her shoulder with that too-innocent look she always wore right before causing trouble.
"Yue Rin… how about we wash each other's backs?"
Yue Rin's step faltered, refusal already forming at the tip of her tongue. Then she reconsidered, the thought twisting uncomfortably in her chest.
What if she isn't joking and actually wants to, and if I say no she'll feel hurt?
Even though she resisted the idea, she forced herself to nod. "Alright," she murmured, so softly it almost disappeared beneath the splash of water and the quiet chatter of other women.
A-Ling blinked. Not expecting Yue Rin to actually agree.
For a moment, she looked like she might laugh and admit it was a joke, then she caught Yue Rin's expression and decided against it. Instead, she nodded as if this had been the plan all along. "Then I'll wash you first." She guided Yue Rin to sit on the stool. "And after that, you wash me."
Yue Rin nodded again as she set her things on the wooden ledge. "We can use the two items I bought instead."
A-Ling glanced at the soap and shampoo, then shrugged. "Fine by me."
They set their towels on the ledge as well, folded neatly to keep them from the damp stone. A-Ling rolled up her sleeves out of habit, then remembered she wasn't wearing anything and paused, briefly embarrassed by her own motion. Yue Rin pretended not to see it.
A-Ling cleared her throat and turned on the tap, filling the basin. She dipped the ladle, lifted it, and looked at Yue Rin. "Don't flinch."
"I won't."
A-Ling's smile returned, soft and pleased. "Good."
Then she poured the first ladleful over Yue Rin's shoulders.
The warm water slid down Yue Rin's back, soaking into her skin, and she let out a satisfied sigh. Her shoulders loosened, and the tightness in her body finally began to melt.
A-Ling stopped trying to tease and focused on rinsing her properly. She reached for the wooden ledge, undid the waxed paper, and took the soap. A soft fragrance drifted up at once, with a gentle creamy richness that clung to the steam.
"This soap smells really good, Yue Rin. What is it called?"
"I think… Osmanthus Milk soap," Yue Rin replied softly.
A-Ling made a quiet note of it. She wanted to ask where Yue Rin bought it, but that would only expose her lie, so she decided against it. She could always ask the others later.
As A-Ling scrubbed Yue Rin's back, more of that creamy scent rose between them, and even A-Ling's posture eased. When she finished, she handed the soap to Yue Rin so she could wash her front, then picked up the hair shampoo. Before she even opened it, she tilted it slightly.
"And this one?"
"That's called Silkshine. It makes hair softer, silkier, and shinier."
As A-Ling peeled away the wax seal. A clean, gentle scent bloomed out, fresh like springwater, with a faint sweetness beneath it that didn't overwhelm. She tipped a few drops into her palm, recapped the vial, and set it back on the ledge.
Rubbing it between her hands, she reached behind Yue Rin and loosened her hair. The purple strands spilled down, heavy with length.
A-Ling worked the shampoo through carefully, fingers combing from scalp to ends, patient and thorough.
Then, as if she couldn't help herself, she murmured, "Your hair is truly beautiful. I've never seen anyone with this color before."
The compliment made Yue Rin's face heat as she scrubbed her front, but she still replied softly, "Thank you."
After Yue Rin finished bathing, it was A-Ling's turn.
Even though Yue Rin felt embarrassed washing a friend's back, she couldn't deny the quiet warmth spreading in her chest.
The feeling of not being lonely was… addicting.
So she did for A-Ling what A-Ling had done for her, careful and earnest, as if doing it properly mattered. By the time they were both rinsed clean, their earlier awkwardness had faded with the soap.
When they finished, they gathered their things and headed to the pool.
Finding an empty section, they set their items at the edge before stepping into the water slowly.
Both of them exhaled as the heat wrapped around them. Yue Rin looked at A-Ling, and A-Ling looked back, then they both started giggling, softer and softer, until it faded into content silence.
It was then that Yue Rin finally found the courage to ask, "A-Ling... are you doing anything after this?"
A-Ling, as always, saw straight through her. And although she wanted to hang out more, she still held back. "My mother is strict about me staying out too long, so I'll have to head back."
Hearing that, Yue Rin was disappointed, just a little. But then she remembered how, only a few days ago, she hadn't even been close to A-Ling. Now they were close enough to wash each other's backs.
If that wasn't what friends did… then what was?
As Yue Rin fell quiet for a moment, A-Ling mistook it for sadness. So she decided to poke her where she knew it would work, her pride.
"The secret realm opens in two days. Are you scared?"
Hearing that, Yue Rin immediately puffed out her cheeks and glared.
Seeing A-Ling hide the lower half of her face behind her hand while she chuckled, Yue Rin reached over, grabbed her cheeks, and started pulling them.
"Sthop… why'sh everyone pullin' my cheeksh today?!"
And with their laughter rippling over the water, the minutes melted away.