Despite having studied geography under Wu Taohua’s strict tutorship, Wu Jian had never traveled to another city before. He had remained within the clan compound for years. After proving his strength at the annual Wu Clan Strength Competition, he had been allowed to travel into Zahn City, but that was it.

Perhaps that was why he felt a sense of exhilaration at the moment.

This is my first time leaving Zahn City. I wonder what the other cities are like? How different are they?

It was exciting to imagine what he might discover in this new city. What wonders awaited him and his companions.

He sat inside of a carriage painted in red and inlaid with golden designs of Qilins of varying appearances. The seat was more comfortable than anything he had ever sat on. It was so fluffy he wondered if this was what clouds felt like.

He wasn’t the only person present either. Sitting with him was an irate Wu Meiying, Hou Jingshu, Zhou Lihua, and her two female bodyguards, who had introduced themselves the previous day as Zhou Ling and Zhou Lan.

“What’s wrong, Mei?” asked Wu Jian.

“Nothing’s wrong,” said Wu Meiying.

“If nothing is wrong, then why do you look like you swallowed a lemon?” asked Hou Jingshu.

“Look. I said nothing is wrong, so nothing is wrong. Don’t worry about me.”

Wu Jian shared a look with Hou Jingshu. Neither of them could figure out why their friend, normally so upbeat and talkative, looked so perturbed. Unfortunately, Wu Meiying didn’t seem interested in telling them what was bothering her.

Wu Meiying was normally very open about her feelings. This was the first time in recent memory where she clammed up. It was a little worrying.

There were more people outside of the carriage. When Wu Jian looked through the window, he could see the guards surrounding them.

Most of them were dressed in light armor with a lacquered yellow and red finish. It was lamellar armour, a type of armour made from steel rectangular plates laced into horizontal rows. Every guard present was also at the Hunger Realm, though the guard captain was at a half-step into the Anima Realm.

The fact that they had someone so strong acting as a mere guard was a testament to the Zhou Clan’s power.

This bodyguard detail had been Zhou Zu’s idea. The man had not wanted his daughter going off to another city without a “proper” escort.

Just then, an auburn-haired young man peered into the carriage through the window. It was Zhou Chao, who Wu Jian had met once before. The young man had not left a good impressive on him. This journey had done nothing to make that impression disappear.

“Are you okay, princess?” he asked through the window.

Zhou Lihua smiled. “I am just fine, as you can see. Please do not worry yourself about me.”

“I’m just making sure.” His eyes flickered to Wu Jian, then back to Zhou Lihua. “It is important to make sure the people whom you keep in your company know better than to try anything… untoward to you.”

Wu Jian clicked his tongue as the man left. Zhou Lihua gave him an apologetic smile.

“I am sorry about him. I believe he is jealous of you because of how I treat you like a close friend.”

Wu Jian shrugged. “I guess I can’t blame him for that, though it is annoying.”

He wondered if maybe Zhou Chao had designs on Zhou Lihua, but he shook the thought off since it didn’t matter. Whatever happened between those two was their business. He didn’t feel like getting involved.

Though Mei did say I should keep Zhou Lihua close. Could she have meant close like… that? Maybe I should ask her to clarify since I’m not exactly sure what she meant.

“Hmmm. I am glad you are so magnanimous, but I still feel bad for how he treats you. I hope you’ll let me know if there’s any way I can make it up to you in the future,” Zhou Lihua said with a smile. Something about that look and the way she narrowed her eyes made his pulse quicken.

Hou Jingshu glared at her. “Would you quit trying to seduce Wu Jian?! And you! Stop letting yourself get so enamored with this woman just because of the looks she gives you!”

Something Wu Jian noticed about Hou Jingshu was how she became very irritated whenever Zhou Lihua acted this way toward him. He wondered if she was jealous, but he didn’t have the courage to ask. There were just some things you didn’t ask a girl.

“What is Dahua City like?” asked Wu Meiying, turning away from the window to look at Zhou Lihua. The fact that she didn’t use this opportunity to tease Hou Jingshu spoke more of how distracted and irritated she was than anything else.

Zhou Lihua leaned back in her chair, placed her left leg over her right, and set her hands on her knee as she answered. “It’s fairly large. I’d say it’s maybe five or six times larger than Zahn City. Because it is much bigger, the city is divided into four districts. North, south, east, and west. Each district is about two times the size of Zahn City, give or take. The south district is owned and operated by the Alchemist Association. The north district belongs to the Magistrate and his family—the Hu Family. The west district is not owned by anyone, but there are many sects who have made it their own. Last but not least is the east district. This is where commoners live. It is also the largest of the four districts since there are more commoners than anyone else.”

“That’s a lot different from Zhan City.” Wu Jian clenched his hands as they sat on his knees and grinned. “I can’t wait to see it!”

“I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. I’ve been there a few times already. It’s quite large and there is a lot to see and do,” Zhou Lihua said with a smile that lit up the carriage.

“What places would you recommend going to?” asked Wu Jian, leaning forward.

Zhou Lihua tilted her head and pondered his question before answering. “It really depends on what you enjoy, but… for first time visitors, I would recommend visiting Wangshan Tea House. They sell the most delectable teas and snacks.”

While Wu Jian liked tea well enough, that wasn’t really where his interest lay, though Wu Meiying and Hou Jingshu suddenly looked a lot more interested. They both had a sweet tooth.

“For you, I would recommend visiting The Arena. It’s owned and operated by the magistrate, Hu Li. Many competitions are held daily for people who wish to test their strength. Perhaps we can visit there if we have the extra time,” Zhou Lihua continued, catching Wu Jian’s interest.

“Do you think I can compete?” asked Wu Jian.

Smiling apologetically, Zhou Lihua shook her head. “I’m afraid The Arena only allows people who have reached the Hunger Realm to compete. You still have a few more years before you’ll be allowed to register.”

Well… that sucks…

Even though Wu Jian was disappointed to hear he couldn’t compete, he still wanted to see The Arena.

Zhou Lihua told them of several more places they could visit like the Alchemist Association, which did interest Wu Jian a bit. The girl doing all the talking seemed more interested than anyone else. It made sense. Zhou Lihua had a fire and wood affinity, meaning she could become an alchemist, and she had expressed an interest in learning alchemy once before.

There were no rest stops on the way. That meant they couldn’t leave the carriage. Was that why they hadn’t offered any refreshments? Hou Jingshu had asked for something to drink, but Zhou Lihua had confessed they didn’t have any beverages. Maybe it was because they didn’t want anyone to have to relieve themselves while on the road.

Because there wasn’t much to do inside of a carriage, Zhou Lihua produced a deck of cards so they could play Gou Ji, a six-player game using four packs of cards. It was about clearing your hand to earn points for your team. Players seating alternated between the players from each team and cards were played using combinations. The aim was to get Gou Ji, where one beat their rivals with a large enough value. Because it was meant for six players, even Zhou Ling and Zhou Lan were also playing.

Though they had protested at first.

“We can’t possibly play the same game as you and your friends!” said Zhou Ling.

Zhou Lan nodded emphatically. “It wouldn’t be appropriate.”

Zhou Lihua frowned at them both. “This is a six-player game. There are only four of us if we don’t include you two. We cannot play without two more. Are you telling me you cannot indulge my desire because of our station even though I asked?”

“Well…”

While the two had been reluctant at first, they eventually agreed, and thus, the card game was underway.

Cards were made from thin marble blocks that had symbols with a value carved into them. By getting cards with a corresponding value, you could remove them from your hand, thus earning points. At present, Wu Jian and his team, which consisted of Zhou Lan and Zhou Ling were… losing.

“You’re not looking into the future to see how this is going to play out, are you?” Wu Jian asked.

“What do you think?” asked Wu Meiying, batting her eyes at him.

“I think it’s possible.”

“Hmph.”

“Look into the future? Can you do that?” asked Zhou Lihua as she grabbed a set of cards from the stack and looked at her hand. She smiled, grabbed three cards, and placed them on the table. It looked like she had managed to get a three card match, and it was worth a value of ten.

Wu Jian’s right eyebrow twitched. At this rate, the opposing team would clean them out!

“Of course not.” Wu Meiying smiled as Zhou Lan took a card. The smile widened when the woman cursed. “I’ve no such power, though I am often quite talented at predicting others. Jian is also someone whom I know so well that I can tell exactly what he’s going to do before he knows it himself.”

“Is that how it is?”

“It is.”

At that moment, Hou Jingshu grabbed a card from the deck, grinned, and placed all six cards in her hand on the table. “It looks like I have once more cleared my hand.”

“How is it that you’ve won again. This is your sixth time,” Wu Jian complained.

Hou Jingshu puffed out her chest. He had never seen her look so smug before. “Hmhm. This game was very popular among the servants in the palace. Since Father was often busy and my brothers were always doing their own thing, I would often badger… ahem--I mean, I convinced the servants to teach me how to play. After a few years, I learned several tricks to help me achieve victory every time.”

“Was she about to admit she badgered her servants?” asked Wu Jian.

“That’s what it sounded like to me,” said Zhou Lihua.

“She was definitely about to tell us she badgered her servants into teaching her,” Wu Meiying added.

Wu Jian grinned. “I can imagine a younger Hou Jingshu pestering her poor servants into playing with her when they should have been working.”

It was actually easy to imagine. Hou Jingshu was kind of precocious. He still remembered how they first met. The girl had snuck away from her father’s carriage after distracting him, then gotten into trouble with some commoner kids because they were torturing a cat.

Hou Jingshu’s cheeks turned cherry red. “You three are horrible! And you two! Stop laughing!”

She pointed at Zhou Lan and Zhou Ling, who were doing their utmost not to laugh at her, though they clearly weren’t succeeding. He could hear their snickering through the hands covering their mouths.

Like that, time passed and they soon reached Dahua City.