Xiang felt weary as she approached the next town. She'd burned through the last of her food this morning, but hunger wasn't a big issue, thanks to her martial arts training. What was an issue was the pain in her legs from all the walking she'd done. A week without being able to bathe made her desperate to get to the nearest bathhouse.
Upon entering the city walls, she was greeted by the sight of shops, heavy foot traffic, horses pulling carts and carriages, and the murmur of multiple conversations going on at once. She'd never seen anything like it. It put her little farming village to shame. "So this is what a big city is like."
Then, she realized she had a problem. Where was the bathhouse? Where was anything? Where would she even begin to look? It appeared she had to do some more walking.
Eventually, she came to an inn. Perhaps she could get her lodgings squared away before continuing to look for the bathhouse. Maybe someone inside could even tell her where it was. It was a plan. She'd had enough of walking and hoping to just come across it.
She entered and was immediately greeted by a women at the service desk. "Welcome. It's ten coins a night."
Xiang reached into her bag of belongings and pulled out her coin sack, which contained three hundred coins. She pulled out a fistful and plopped them down on the counter. "Three nights, please." She needed some down time after all that walking.
After counting the coins and confirming there were thirty, the clerk handed her a key with a number on it. "That number is your room. Enjoy your stay."
Xiang started to walk away, but stopped herself. "Is there a bathhouse in town. I'd also like to know where I can wash my clothes."
"There bathhouse and clothes washer are right up the road," the clerk said. "They are conveniently located in the same building."
"Thank you."
She wandered down the hall, up a flight of stairs, and down another hall before she came to her room. She entered and saw the room. There was a bed, a dresser, a table, a cushioned chair, and a mirror. The table had a number of publications spread out on it. One in particular, Martial Artist Monthly, caught her attention. She was a martial artist. What was she missing? Her legs needed some rest, so she sat in the chair popped the magazine open.
The was a lot of philosophical stuff therein. Some dietary suggestions, some exercise routines, and even a few moves for aspiring martial artists to start off with. It was all fairly standard.
Then, she got to a section called "Martial Arts Woman Of The Month" and her jaw dropped. It was ten-page interview with a martial artist called Akiko accompanied by pictures of Akiko being scantily-clad. "What's that got to do with martial arts?" she exclaimed.
She threw the magazine on the table. Then, she started to wonder. She stood and walked in front of the mirror. Staring back at her was a young woman with black pigtails down to shoulders. She had toned arms and legs. She lifted her tank top just enough to see her well-defined abs. She was in peak physical condition. Years of farming and martial arts training ensured it would be so.
She lowered her shirt and turned to the side. The first thing she noticed was her shorts were. They were very short and split all the way up to the hip. She walked a few steps in place and couldn't help but be impressed by what she saw. "Huh...I guess I am sexy." She hadn't thought about it before because the people in Shao Village didn't look at her or speak about her in such a way. It simply wasn't the way things worked there.
Perhaps she could do an interview in that magazine with sexy pictures on the side. "Nah!" She set down her belongings and pulled out her coin sack. The bathhouse was waiting for her and her armpits were waiting for it.
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