Winter had set in, the snow falling from the gentle afternoon sky. The pass had been barely visible into the mountain forest. The trees on either side sloped down the mountain, snow falling from the branches and landing on the medicine seller's shoulder. He brushed the snow off nonchalantly.
Their last venture had been profitable. They had sold a large amount of supplies to a village at the base of the mountain, enough for food for the hike and a small wooden medicine chest for Kayo. One which she was burying herself under as the snow threatened to make it even heavier.
"How are you not freezing?!" Kayo fussed, her hands tucked deep under her arms. Even the warmer outer kimono wasn't enough to handle this sort of weather. "Why are we out here anyway?" The northern region was particularly cold, and winter made it even colder as the snow continued to threaten their journey.
"Places like this are difficult for travel," he explained.
"You don't say," Kayo pulled her outer kimono up higher over her shoulders.
"There are several towns that are likely low on supplies for the winter, much like the one at the mountain's base," he continued, ignoring her fussing. "And it is the only path through the area." Something else had attracted him to the mountain more than just a sale. It was rich in supernatural energies. Mountains were home to many different kinds of yokai, and where there was a remote village, something else could be lurking by.
Or it could just be a yokai.
"We're selling enough for noodles and hot tea!" Kayo fussed.
"Yes, yes." That was the plan anyway. Given that nothing else intervened, but with the remote location and the supernatural sense prodding him, that something else might very well interrupt their plans.
Like a snowstorm.
The weather had been getting worse all day, and it wasn't getting any better. The temperatures were dropping in the afternoon hours, and the snow was hindering their movements. Fortunately a large temple complex was just up ahead. The medicine seller could smell their incense burning. "A temple. Perhaps they could offer us warmth in exchange for incense."
"That sounds like a great idea!" Kayo pushed him from the behind. She didn't want to be in this cold any longer. She wanted to feel her fingers again. She shoved him through the front gate.
It was a tall temple that towered over the trees, more typical to find in the middle of a city than out in the middle of nowhere on a mountain with supernatural energies. The gates and the building were red and black, covered in snow with icicles clinging to the edges. Stone lanterns lit their pathway towards the door. A few stone guardians peeked out from beneath the snow. An incense hut burnt a single piece of incense.
A monk spotted them from the walkway as they approached, somehow not freezing despite the one-shouldered robe in the snow.
"Greetings," the medicine seller offered a deep respectful bow, Kayo following in suit. "My apprentice and I are seeking a place to stay. The storm is becoming quite strong. We can offer incense and medicines in return."
The monk eyed Kayo for a moment. He would've guessed her his wife, but that medicine chest marked her as an actual medicine seller woman. He glanced out at the snow now coming down heavily in the forest. The storm truly had gotten worse each day, threatening to bury the temple. These two were the first travelers he'd seen in some time.
"What good monk would deny weary travelers shelter from the storm?" the monk beckoned them up the stairs. "Come inside. My name is Yoshimune. I am the head of this temple."
Kayo nearly leapt up the stairs, shaking the snow from her kimono before offering a polite introductory bow. "I'm Kayo, and this is…." She still didn't know his name, and at the moment, he didn't seem to be paying attention. He had paused halfway up the stairs, staring back out into the storm.
A supernatural sense had snagged his attention. The snow traveled sideways for a moment before resuming its normal descent from the sky. Something was here. Perhaps a yokai given the supernatural energies. "No one interesting," he turned, offering a bow before continuing up the stairs. He brushed the snow off his shoulders, unfazed by the irritated look Kayo was giving him. He never did introduce himself by name. She should be used to this by now.
Yoshimune laughed. What a strange pair.
Inside the temple offered Kayo the much-needed warmth she sought. She curled her toes in her tabi socks, trying to bring life back into her frozen feet. Setting the small medicine chest down, she curled her feet underneath her as she sat next to the medicine seller.
"Truth be told," Yoshimune said, "we had hoped a medicine seller or two would come by."
"Oh~?" the medicine seller questioned. "Has there been a case of winter colds?"
"A few, though cases of frostbite are a bit more troubling," Yoshimune replied. "This snow storm has raged on for over a month, much longer than any storm as far as I can recall. The younger monks who have not trained themselves to endure the cold are suffering from the shivers and frostbite."
"I believe we have just the remedy to help," the medicine seller said. "Miss Kayo?"
Kayo stared at the medicine seller as he peered at her expectantly. He was often the one doing the talking when it came to sales with men. She was better at appealing to women's sensibilities.
But Kayo had been learning from him for several years, and the secondary job of slaying mononoke had taught her a lot about the less common salves and remedies. Burn salves were more common when dealing with fiery mononoke, but she had learned of other salves too. You got this, Kayo!
She hooked a finger around the medicine chest drawer, pulling it open to withdraw a handful of ingredients. She knew the ones that would help cause warmth. Nothing really supernatural, a few herbs here and there that could help raise an internal body temperature.
She couldn't imagine undergoing training to become more cold-tolerant. It sounded useful, but it probably involved sitting in the cold if the result was frostbite and shivers. She would rather keep her fingers working normally and her body temperature at a reasonable normal warmth.
She glanced at the medicine seller, who hadn't corrected her about what she was doing. He simply watched her patiently, his hands folded politely on his lap as she worked.
"Now if only there were some medicine that could make the younger monks believe more tolerant of the cold," Yoshimune mused.
"Medicine is only as effective as one believes it to be," the medicine seller pointed out. "They are not a cure-all for everything, though they can certainly help ease the effects of extended exposure to cold. However." He reached over Kayo's work, opening one of the upper drawers to pull out a cloth. "Certain ingredients can make one feel they are more tolerant of the cold."
He offered the satchel to the monk, who sniffed it. "How potent!"
"Ginger can raise one's body temperature naturally," the medicine seller continued. "It is most effective when consumed raw."
Kayo wrinkled her nose, grabbing a pinch of ground ginger and adding it to the salve. She couldn't imagine chewing on a raw ginger root. The taste would be much too strong.
"Can't say I've thought of that one before," Yoshimune marveled.
"Ginger is quite the useful root, especially for warming the body," the medicine seller said, "among other useful qualities."
"I do believe it is expensive this time of year," the monk said thoughtfully.
"It is." The medicine seller didn't sugar coat it. Ginger grew in the warmer southern regions. Distant places like this could potentially have trouble acquiring more until another medicine seller came along. "That root could last you for the next several months."
Yoshimune stared at the root in his hands. It wasn't the largest of roots, but very little was required for medicinal purposes. Something this size would be helpful, but this was a temple. It didn't quite have funds to buy a full root. "Would you perhaps be up to some exchanges for this instead of incense? Food, tea, perhaps some place to stay until the storm has passed."
The medicine seller picked up on some hesitation in his voice. Something was bothering him, perhaps something supernatural. "Although?"
He picked up on that fast. The monk frowned. "This mountain is rich with supernatural energies. Few desire to stay here."
A bit of a smile tugged at his lips, but that could be the makeup. "Most mountains are rich with such energies. You may find we are a bit more difficult to frighten off." He glanced at Kayo, who gripped the pestle a bit too tightly while she worked. "Unless there is something we should know when traveling these mountains."
Yoshimune hesitated for a brief second before shaking his head. "Hardly so."
Kayo wiped her hands on a towel, pushing the salve into a small container, handing both that and a pouch of cold remedy to the monk. She quickly returned her hands to the towel to hide the nervousness that something was lurking around the corner in the cold in this place. Perhaps something had attracted the medicine seller more than a large sale, not that he really spoke of these things aloud. He tended to smirk in that silent way, much like he was doing right now. He did sense something, didn't he? "That should be good for a few weeks."
"Wonderful," Yoshimune smiled. "Will food and lodging suffice? If not, I shall see what funds we have."
"They are acceptable," the medicine seller said before holding up a single finger. "Miss Kayo was looking forward to a noodle bowl and some tea."
"I'll make it so," the monk nodded, standing up and gathering the medicinal supplies. These would definitely help. "Please give me some time. I'll have everything arranged. Until then, please make yourself at home here."
"Thank you very much for the trade." The medicine seller bowed respectfully as the monk bowed in return. As Yoshimune left the room, the medicine seller glanced out the window. The snow was falling sideways again. Perhaps something was here after all.
….
Author's notes:
History time! During the Edo era, shintoism and buddhism were essentially one called Shinbutsu-shugo. This changed in the Meiji era when the emperor split them for political reasons and control in dismantling the old shogun-era government.
There are a number of Japanese Buddhist sects that have existed throughout time, but let's just say it's one or the other. The temple reflects more the appearance of the monks from the Umibozu story. Though in snow and not a sea. The actual temple itself looks more like a Buddhist temple than a Shinto shrine, though during this time period, the two probably looked similar enough.
As for the ginger? It's true! Raw ginger is a remedy for the cold! Historically it was used to treat hypothermia. In Japan, it only grows in the southern regions, so it would reasonably be more expensive in the northern regions. At least monks don't think that the medicine seller is trying to swindle them and throw them out into the snow.
But what is out in that snow?