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Chapter 71: "Merchant Xio."
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The pair of cultivators sprinted up through the city and finally reached the upper levels. These levels had stricter traversal limitations, slowing their progress to Xio's little shop on level D.
Without prompting, Hon explained that the character used in the level's name was the fourth in alphabetical sequence and so indicated that it was the fourth from the top of the canyon. It also indicated it was in what could be called the noble quarter. Though only the first three were really regarded as that, the others were relegated to merchants and pricey entertainment districts, and so were sometimes called the merchant quarter.
The levels below were instead numbered, counting up from the bottom of the canyon where a river flowed. The lowest dozen, the deep levels, were often seen as undesirable or risky to be in. Shae assumed this was an overreaction. Like the slums in Flame Well: people's cultural rejection of the lower class drove their impression much more than the facts ever could.
They gradually received more scrutiny from patrolling city guards as they travelled through the merchant quarter. Hon's robes and gear clearly marked him as a cultivator, while Shae's cleansing did the same for her, though only once someone got a closer look. She had the impression that she looked more like a peasant now, even if signs of cleansing should indicate otherwise.
Finally fed up, she just outright asked one of the guards about it.
The woman balked at the directness, then switched to just a frown. "You're tanned," she simply said and walked away.
The pair of out-of-towners exchanged a glance, then looked around the city with fresh eyes. Sure enough, most people were pale. Not a particularly unique sight among cultivators, but Shae understood the significance.
"The city is in a canyon, so it gets very little sunlight," she explained to Hon. "Meaning getting a good tan is actually quite hard, I bet even the peasants that spend all day outside don't get one quickly."
He looked up and hummed, "Hmm, now that you mention it. I don't think I've seen any tanned skin on the lower levels either. But shouldn't that just mark you as an outsider, a tourist?"
"Yes. Which gives them enough reason to approach. The erratic cleansing also might mean I just look dirty, since they probably aren't used to seeing tans. Cultivators don't usually have them, right?"
"Yeah, or when they do, they are lighter than yours. Except foreigners. Though, they are rare enough, and traveling ones are more clearly wealthy." He huffed and shook his head. "Let's find this shop already."
She nodded her agreement and they switched their focus back to their task.
There was much to see in the merchant district, even if they weren't buying anything. Shop owners were friendly when there wasn't anyone else around, and just ignored them when more wealthy customers were present.
Shae was surprised to see that the shops leaned towards a more open concept. Wide open shop fronts that let them spill out onto the main thoroughfare. No harsh thresholds or clear doorways marking the transition. Most even lacked clear counters where a cashier could work, instead simply having a nice table and chairs near the back, usually with a tea set neatly laid out.
Merchant Xio's shop stood out because of how it bucked this trend. It clearly presented itself as more of a salon to Shae's earth sensibilities. Though, instead of the open concept those often had, it was separated into several private rooms. A hallway lined with mirrors and art ran through the center. Walking by the open doorways to the private rooms, she saw some were large enough for a dozen people while others were cozy boudoirs holding just a single chair and vanity.
The customary 'table at the back' was larger and several workers were seated, enjoying tea and waiting for customers. None jumped up at their appearance.
Shae spotted who she suspected was Merchant Xio, partly because he was one of only two males, and because he wasn't in the same half-uniform the others wore.
Guard Hon was instead distracted by the first Fairy Beauty to give him half a glance. "Uhm, hi? Ah, I mean, hello, I'm Guard Hon..." He trailed off.
She elbowed his ribs, which were armored so didn't produce the desired effect. Then flicked his ear with her intent.
He flinched and looked towards her confused.
She sighed. "We have a letter to drop off for Merchant Xio," she told the woman.
The fairy smiled and flicked her eyes towards the man in question. Shae didn't catch any return gesture, but he must have made one. "I'll accept it for him. Were you promised a delivery fee?" She asked with a suspicious tone.
Hon, remembering why they were there, scrambled to retrieve the letter. "Ughm, no."
Shae grabbed it from Hon before he handed it over. "Why don't I just give it to him myself?" She asked and stepped towards the man in question. "Merchant Xio, I presume? I am Wise Shae and this letter is from Doctor Cho. I don't mean to impose on your time, but I suspect the doctor's request involves me in some way." She bowed and set the letter before him.
He raised an eyebrow and didn't reach for the letter. "You seem quite confident I am this Xio fellow. Why is that?"
"It seems good odds. I suppose you could be someone's husband or father, waiting for them here instead of in their private room." She jerked a thumb towards the private rooms. "Though, why out here... No, I can see why you might prefer it out here." She changed her mind as she surveyed the assembled Fairies. "But the other man here looks more like her younger brother, and would be far too young to be friends with Doctor Cho. Which I assume you are given how he asked to have the letter delivered."
"And how was that?" He smirked.
She returned a smile. "Without handing over any payment or saying that I would need to offer some, suggesting he was asking for a favor."
This finally changed the man's expression. "Tsk, another favor, eh?" He frowned slightly, clearly trying to fight his own expression. He glanced over Shae. "If it is for you, then I have an idea what it might be about. Miss Shae, was it?"
"Wise Shae, yes." She kept her smile up.
He considered something, then glanced at the envelope and opened it. "And if I just hand you off to someone else?"
"It is your shop, Merchant Xio. I wouldn't dream of telling you how to run your business."
He flicked the paper down and narrowed his eyes at her. "Yes, you would. I can see it in your eyes." He went back to reading just as swiftly.
She just smirked.
A breath later he looked away and scanned his gathering of Fairies, then looked back at Shae. Clearly considering something. Finally, he sighed. "It seems I will have to deal with this myself. Delia, please prepare room seven."
The fairy they had first talked to nodded and walked off, seemingly in no rush.
"Miss Shae, do you know what Doctor Cho asked for?"
"I can make a guess or two, based on our conversations, but no. He did not tell me directly."
"Good." He smirked.
She raised an eyebrow, but decided to let it play out.
Xio looked at Hon, who was still a bit starstruck by the group of fairies. "Is your boyfriend joining us in the private room?"
Shae smirked as Hon went beet red.
"I'm not- I'm a sect guard." He stuttered.
Shae had noticed far earlier the way many of Gatewash's vendors had been treating them, it was only a matter of time for someone to say it so bluntly. "He can stay out here if he likes, but I believe he is supposed to be ensuring I pass through the city safely."
Hon nodded and flattened the front of his robes.
The merchant raised an eyebrow. "You believe you are at risk, here?"
"Not at all. I simply mean he should be focusing on that, instead of the many sights and attractions the city has to offer." She smiled at Xio, then let her gaze scan the room. In truth, she would gladly spend their free time here as well. The women, and even the man, were all a fantastic display of beauty and what was possible with the subtle use of cosmetics. Presumably intentionally subtle so that they wouldn't outshine their customers.
Hon reddened further. "I shall accompany Wise Shae, as is my duty."
Xio nodded, a smirk already clear on his face.
Delia returned and nodded to the older man. "The room is ready, Sir."
The small group moved to leave, and Shae hesitated, glancing at Hon. He also had a hint of confusion on his face and he looked between Delia and Xio. "Just Sir?" He said. "You haven't actually confirmed you are Merchant Xio, have you?"
Shae saw Delia smirk and cover her mouth.
"No, I have not." He said and walked off, heading back the way Delia came.
Shae smirked and nudged Hon to follow. She was also sure to point out the employee group portrait that hung in the hallway. Hon had probably seen it, but was likely too distracted by the faeries to notice the older merchant standing in the center-back. Shae almost didn't recognize him. He was a little younger, happier, and a prideful woman stood close by his side.
The portrait was old enough that the younger boy wasn't in the photo and Shae couldn't recognize any of the fairies. She heard a round of giggles from the other room as Hon gawked at the portrait. He frowned and muttered something that Shae missed. Clearly, he was now past any possible embarrassment.
Xio led them into one of the smaller rooms with just a pair of chairs and a large vanity. The far wall was lined with small cubbies and drawers, and the older man was already picking through them while seated. The room had clearly been arranged such that he could remain seated and access both the person at the vanity and most of the cubbies.
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Hon scanned the room then took a relaxed guard stance at the door.
Shae sat at the vanity and waited.
Merchant Xio seemed quite content to work in silence, slowly moving his focus back and forth from the cubbies to Shae, examining her skin on either arm, both tanned and cleansed patches. Then he set vials on the vanity when he was satisfied with whatever individual investigation he had made. He seemed slightly more interested in her tattoo and shadow scarring, taking a moment to look closer at them, but raised no question of their origin. Lastly he moved to her face, quickly confirming his current selections, and making a single adjustment by swapping one vial from the cubbies.
Shae flinched slightly as he checked her forehead. The skin was still sensitive and sent her far too much information when it was disturbed. A simple touch could feel like a painless slap if she wasn't prepared.
He brought out several more vials and a strangely designed mortar and pestle that could clearly serve at least one additional purpose. Its base was raised and Shae guessed it left enough room for a heating device.
He carefully arranged the ingredients in front of himself, then paused and found a small pill to hand to Shae. "Eat this and cycle the qi that releases, especially to your arm and face." He indicated her left arm.
She took the small clear pill and almost swallowed it immediately. "What is it?" She asked instead.
"It's just a small amount of qi, easy even for mortals."
"Yes but what does it do? What did Doctor Cho ask of you?"
"Surely you've figured it out by now?" He rolled his eyes and swept an arm past his assembled alchemy display.
She frowned at him. "Yes, Merchant Xio, I can assume it's something to do with the color of my skin. But what are you going to do about it?" She nearly spat the emphasised words at him.
"Obviously make it match, dear. What else?" He glanced at Hon, but kept his expression flat.
"Match what? Are you going to make it all sky blue? Pitch black? That would match, wouldn't it?"
"I'm not some hack. It will look like perfect skin, obviously. How dare you insult me by questioning how I conduct my business?" He didn't huff or preen, but remained perfectly calm and in control. If he had any qi pressure or intent, he didn't show it.
"And what business of yours is the color of my skin, Merchant Xio? Are you going to make me look like some pale and sheltered fairy, or are you going to ask me what I want to look like?" She tried her best to match his calm, yet she knew she wasn't holding herself together as easily.
He kept his expression flat, staring emotionless into her eyes.
She shifted uncomfortably, but held the gaze.
After what felt like minutes, but was likely just a breath or two he smirked. "Well said, Miss Shae. I think very few in your position would have spoken up so confidently, or made your point so directly. A few nobles, perhaps. Though they wouldn't want anything other than pale jade, anyhow." He held out a small glass dish. "For the pill."
"Ah."
He set the dish and pill on the vanity then leaned back in the chair. It creaked loudly in protest. His eyes lost focus, seeming to look past Shae and through the whole building. "Perhaps I should have had one of the ladies see to you." He pinched the bridge of his nose and let the weariness show through.
"I saw the portrait in the hall. Your wife looked absolutely radiant. Is she...?"
His expression was conflicted, "She's alive."
"But she has seen better days?"
"We've all seen better days, Miss Shae." He had settled on a sorrowful smile, his eyes still looking through her.
Shae swallowed. "She's at Doctor Cho's clinic?"
He nodded again and couldn't resist glancing sideways, down the hallway to where the portrait hung, Shae guessed.
"I wandered the halls a bit. Maybe I walked right past her? Did she get one of the window beds?"
A spark flared in his eyes and he briefly smirked. "Looking like that?" He pointed at her left arm. "You would know if she saw you." Then he shook his head. "The windows are for the older, long-term patients. Hospice care he calls it."
Shae nodded along, then leaned forwards and carefully asked, "So she's recovering?"
He blinked slowly, a flash of pain blanking his expression.
Shae immediately knew it was the wrong thing to ask.
"Speaking of whose business is whose." He shook his head and waved off Shae's attempted apology.
"I..." She tried anyway. The need to say something warred with the absolute lack of anything meaningful to say.
"We've explored our options. It's not something money or Fate can fix." He shook his head again and fought back another flash of heartbreak. "Your options, on the other hand... Well, I'll be honest. If you did want to be tanned, there is little I can do for you. Perhaps I shouldn't have assumed, but few in Gatecrash can even manage to get a tan, let alone keep one as dark as yours. I could play around with my alchemy-" he waved at the mortar and pestle. "Yet, it's true you might end up a bit darker or bluer than intended." He forced a smirk.
Shae nodded, she wasn't particularly surprised, especially after her interactions with the town's guards. "Given how it was cleansed, if you can't make my skin dark again, I won't be terribly surprised. And I don't feel entitled enough to make demands of you beyond what you consider reasonable." She sighed and looked at her left arm. "This was technically my mistake, and I'm not ashamed of living with it. As an alternative, if I could tap into some of your expertise: I'd like confirmation that I can still tan, that this cleansed skin will darken again, either of them." She lifted both arms.
He set a finger over his lips, his eyes flickered between her arms. "So it is different. It's rather close in tone, but I wouldn't have noticed..." He stared through her for a breath. "We could run some sample tests, to see if it takes dye, but with the tattoos there, I suspect it does."
"That one's actually shadow-qi scarring."
"Hah, quite the story there, I'd bet. And the other?"
"Normal metal pigment tattoo. Though I got it unconventionally. A living tattoo deposited it instead of needles."
"And another story there. Plus the two cleansing incidents, and why you were at Cho's clinic. You're a bit too young for that many stories, aren't you?"
She shrugged. "It's been a rather eventful two weeks. Gosh! Has it only been two weeks!?" She slumped forwards and caught her head in her hands. Then she remembered something and waved her right elbow around, "ah, well, this one was closer to a month ago."
Xio remained silent for a breath, and she looked at him through the mirror. He was looking up near the ceiling, something like confusion on his face. "You were with the caravan? Up from Minlin town?"
She nodded.
"Yes. But-" Hon coughed lightly, "they prefer Minlin City now."
"And they'll get it when they actually are one. They're more likely to be punished for overstepping royal matters by claiming it like that. Flame Well, too." He slapped the vanity table and rattled everything on it. An awkward beat of silence later, he smoothed his robes and grumbled to himself. He sorted through the alchemy ingredients in the table and quickly set a few aside. "Normally, the question we would ask a new client is how do you want us to improve your appearance. Since you aren't technically here as a client, but with a referral from Cho I made an assumption. One based on what I could actually do for you."
He paused to look at her. "Pale skin isn't simply for cultural beauty. It is much easier to maintain as you rise in power, and much easier for my pills to match. It's good that you take responsibility for your mistakes, even if you have little control over them. And now, take a moment and make sure you know exactly what you want." He turned back to his craft and returned some of the ingredients to the shelves and cubbies.
Shae cut off any response she had been working on and instead turned towards her reflection in the mirror. She had ignored it up until now simply because it was easy to do so; she hardly recognized herself.
The girl she had seen in Jani's mirror in flame well wasn't sitting across from her now. She didn't look terribly different, but that had been before a lot of recent events. Even beyond the change to half her skin color, she could see that the events had impacted her more than she expected.
Back then, she was still playing at being a child. Treat a dog like a beast and it won't disappoint you, as the saying went. The same was true for a lost soul stuck in a child's body. The past week of events had forced her to become an adult again, not necessarily all the time, but enough that it affected her posture and facial expression.
The large blotch of lighter skin on her forehead stretched up onto her hairline and she picked at it, seeing a thin line of bleached roots underneath her dark hair. "Tsk." She hadn't expected to experience her first grey hair again so soon. Her eyebrows had been miraculously spared, but not so for her eyelashes.
The qi hadn't ignored her eyes, it had slipped between her eyelids and whitened the skin and her eyelashes, resulting in a strangely inverted eyeliner. On her left side, the bleaching continued down over her cheek and towards her ear. Smaller bright dots peppered across her nose, then skipped down to another large spot near her right ear. Aside from slightly too pale lips, the qi seemed to have ignored everything under her nose.
She raised her chin and found a spot near her collar. Mostly covered now, it had been exposed while in her hospital robes. Her left arm was more affected. Densely packed with blotches except around the acupuncture point she had used. She looked back to her lips and eyes, seeing the pattern. Anywhere it could enter, it did. Leaving that area under less pressure.
She leaned forwards and pushed at the sensitive skin on her forehead. A slightly darker line had been left directly down the center, almost unnoticeable even under close inspection. I only checked for it because... Her thoughts trailed off, recalling a drop of blood in her past that pointed towards a most auspicious development. One she could only guess at.
She was brought back to the present when Xio's tools clinked on the table. Blinking away memories she sighed and leaned back in the chair again.
Okay. What do I want? Do I need to have a tan? Am I flailing desperately to hang onto my past? Clinging to the little I have to show for growing up as a hard working peasant? She sighed again, forcing a second, more meditative breath.
I'll have to work most of it back. Training and exercising outside to tan the cleansed flesh. I want to do that exercise anyway, so the new tan would show that work instead. She felt conflicted. My past is important, but cultivation is also about shedding earthly ties, according to Ghon.
She forced her eyes shut for a breath. Cleared her mind then snapped them open again. "I look like a clown, don't I?"
Hon choked and tried not to laugh then turned and started coughing into his sleeve before stepping out into the hallway.
Xio looked over and smirked. "Clowns use more color. But you do look rather unusual."
"Unusual bad or unusual unique."
"I would never tell a client that they look bad, especially after they rejected my expert selections in favor of their own. You are the one that has to wear it, as you said."
"But you also said that I'm not a client."
"Oh. I suppose I did. Hmmm." He took a breath to look directly at her. "I've seen alchemy accidents that produce similar stains or bleaching. No one has willingly kept the look longer than needed."
Shae dropped her head with a sigh. "Yeah, thought so."
Xio moved a few more items between the vanity and the shelves, then back again. He paused to roll his fingers across the table, then looked at Shae expectantly.
"I still want to have a tan, eventually. No good reason to hold onto the last few strands of it now, though." She huffed and blew a couple strands of hair out of her face. "Is it easier to only do my face? Just something to bridge the gap. I can do my own makeup if that makes more sense, though I would usually think less is more. Wouldn't mind some advice there, I suppose."
Xio nodded. "I think I have a few ideas. Start with that pill. It will loosen up the pigment in your skin and should blur the harsh edges. If it doesn't, that tells us something too."
Shae nodded and quickly swallowed the pill. "Should I use my qi to cycle it, or neutral?"
"Hmgh. Neither, preferably. A small handful of neutral if you are really having a hard time with it. Focus on your head and left arm." He then began mixing ingredients into his mortar and pestle.
Shae wanted to watch, just out of curiosity, but she also had to meditate to cycle the pill's qi. So she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths.
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