Fall came after summer. With the passage of summer, the leaves became colored in varying shades of red, yellow, and orange. The heat dissipated and gave way to a relaxing coolness that soothed the many people who spent the last three months sweltering in the fields. Even the sun seemed more gentle now.

Wu Jian had turned a year older. Now thirteen, he had changed a bit from when he was twelve, having grown an extra several inches. He stood about a head taller than Hou Jingshu, though Wu Meiying almost matched his height. He still remembered how Hou Jingshu had complained when his height skyrocketed past her. That girl could get awfully competitive over the silliest things.

As a clan who’s primary source of income came from a combination of farming, ingredient gathering, and taxation, fall was a good time of year for the Wu Clan.

While the main family always lived within the compound, many branch members lived on the farms that extended past Zahn City. Wu Jian had only been there a few times. They grew crops such as sweet potatoes, maize, rice, and tea. Crops would be rotated out after a new season to restore nutrients to the soil.

Since he was the clan heir, Wu Jian had been taught all he needed to know about farming. That time when he went out on the farm was actually to have him work the fields and tend to the animals so he could understand what kind of work went into maintaining it. Father had said it was important he understand what their work was like so he could better lead them when he became clan head.

At present, however, he was not doing anything involving crops or farming.

“We appreciate you coming all this way to visit,” said Zhou Zu to Father.

“Not at all. I am grateful you invited me,” said Father with a polite bow.

Wu Jian was currently at the Zhou Clan estate with Father. He normally would have been in the library with Wu Meiying and Hou Jingshu at this time of day, but attending functions like this with his father was another of his duties as heir.

Fortunately, there was someone present who could take the edge off his disappointment.

“It’s good to see you, Jian. We haven’t been able to see each other since our trip to Dahua City.” Zhou Lihua hugged Wu Jian’s arm to her chest. The look she gave him was quite coy. “I have missed you.”

Aware of the eyes of both his father and Zhou Zu on him, Wu Jian gave her the best smile he could muster. “It has been a while, hasn’t it? Um… and I guess I missed you too.”

“You guess? You sound very uncertain. Did you really miss me, or are you just saying that?” Zhou Lihua said through narrowed eyes.

“I mean, I did miss you. Definitely. For sure,” Wu Jian said with a trail of cold sweat trickling down his neck. He had never felt this flustered before. Was it her seductively narrowed eyes? That cute pout? The way she leaned into him?

I can feel her warmth through our clothes…

Zhou Lihua’s expression brightened instantly. “I’m so glad to hear that!”

Maybe it was because of her absence in his life, but Zhou Lihua seemed to have grown even more beautiful since he had last seen her. Her pure white skin contained a vibrancy that hadn’t been present before. The permanent blush of her cheeks made her even more alluring. She wore an off-the-shoulder hanfu that revealed her slender shoulders and a hint of her creamy cleavage.

It was a sight that made his throat dry.

He was a growing boy in the throes of puberty.

Wu Jian somehow felt like he had been duped, but he could say nothing as he and Zhou Lihua followed Father and Zhou Zu into the Zhou Clan compound.

The bright oranges and reds of the trees arrayed throughout the compound created a peaceful atmosphere and complemented the streams running through it. As they crossed over a bridge, a large courtyard with a group of Zhou Clansmen training in martial arts became visible. It looked like their instructor was drilling them on the basics. None of the clansmen could have been older than ten or twelve.

“It seems my daughter is quite interested in your son. Maybe we should think about having them marry. Ha ha ha ha!” Zhou Zu chuckled.

Father gave the man a diplomatic smile. “You would have to be okay with Zhou Lihua marrying into my family? After all, Jian is going to take my place when he grows older.”

“Well, we can shelve that discussion for another time.”

Those two old men are talking about something really troubling.

Wu Jian had, of course, thought about marrying Zhou Lihua. He was a boy. Several of his more recent dreams had even featured the young woman currently holding his arm.

But he also wasn’t sure marriage was a good idea. He was already going to marry Wu Meiying and Hou Jingshu. Would Zhou Lihua even be satisfied becoming his third wife?

Well, Mei did tell me I should get close to her. You can’t get much closer than marriage.

“What have you been doing this whole time?” asked Zhou Lihua as they followed their parents.

He decided to pay the troubling conversation those two old men were having no mind and focused instead of his friend.

“Training mostly,” Wu Jian answered. “I’m still too young to breakthrough, so I’m simply increasing my strength and refining my fighting style. We took the clan’s strength test not long ago as well.”

“Oh?” Zhou Lihua raised an eyebrow in interest. “And what was your strength tested at?”

“Hmmm. I wonder…”

“Come on. Tell me. Please?”

“You know I can’t do that. We might be friends, but there’s no way I could share something so personal since you’re not part of the Wu Clan.”

“How cruel. Don’t you think that’s an awfully cruel thing to say? That you can’t share something so interesting with me just because I don’t belong to your clan? Maybe I should really marry you. Then you’d have to tell me everything.”

As she spoke, Zhou Lihua hugged his arm even closer. Wu Jian was distinctly aware of the soft mounds pressed to his arm. He wanted to say he wasn’t flustered, but that would have been a bold-faced lie.

“… My strength was tested at sixteen thousand,” he said, looking away.

“What?! Really?! Wow!” Zhou Lihua’s eyes widened with surprise and honest admiration. “That’s… incredible! Really incredible! You know when I broke through to the Hunger Realm, my strength was at fourteen thousand? You still have three more years before you can attempt to breakthrough, but your strength is already greater than mine was.”

“Ah. Thank you. This is the highest result the clan has ever seen. Oh! Mei’s strength was at fifteen thousand and Jingshu’s was fourteen thousand six hundred.”

“You three seem to be the rising stars of your time. I imagine all three of you will soar like a phoenix or a dragon once you turn of age.” Zhou Lihua sighed as though she were jealous, but then her expression sharpened as a smug grin appeared on her face. “But don’t think for even a second that it means you’ll beat me. I’ll have you know that I just breakthrough to the seventh subrealm of the Hunger Realm. The elders suspect that I’ll be able to breakthrough to the Anima Realm in less than a year if I keep this up.”

Wu Jian relaxed as the conversation continued. Zhou Lihua was a lot like him when it came to training. She did not seem to have the same motivation as him, but she loved growing stronger and testing her limits. He respected and admired her for that.

Actually, that kind of determination reminded him a bit of Hou Jingshu. Maybe the reason she trained so hard was because she wanted to prove herself to her clan like Hou Jingshu wanted to prove herself to her father.

They soon reached the dining hall. It was a smaller hall than the first one Wu Jian had eaten in when he visited the Zhou Clan. A circular table sat in the very center and several cushions were arrayed around it, plants gracing the corners to provide color. While there were three walls, the side furthest from the door led to a porch with a balustrade and offered a breathtaking view of the gardens.

The table was only large enough for four people exactly. Each chair was evenly spaced and made from an expensive wood, though Wu Jian would never have been able to tell simply from its appearance. The Zhou Clan forewent the ostentatious aesthetic of most powerful clans for a simpler appearance.

They all arranged themselves around the table. Wu Jian found himself sitting with Father on one side, Zhou Zu on the other, and Zhou Lihua across from him. He stared at the girl as she seated herself. She caught him and winked, causing him to look away.

Some refreshments were served the moment they sat down. Several women dressed in traditional hanfu came in, set several plates down, and four cups. They left just as quickly. Wu Jian looked at the plate full of rice noodles topped with red sauce and chopped vegetables.

“Since it is still too early for dinner, I thought we could dine on something light.” Zhou Zu grabbed his chopsticks and used them to grab a strand of noodles. “These rice noodles were imported from the Ming Province. Their noodles are considered a delicacy. There’s a rumor that they use sacred treasures when creating the noodles that will enhance a person’s ability to generate chi just by eating it. Of course, that isn’t quite true. Only the royal family and some nobles have access to those noodles. However, it is true that there are medicines cooked into these, which help cleanse the body of toxins.”

“That’s very interesting. I have never been to the Ming Province, so I didn’t know that,” Father said seconds before he slurped up some noodles.

“I have only been there once, but I fell in love with their noodles and decided to stock up on them while I could. I don’t have much left now, so I only let my cooks use them for special occasions,” Zhou Zu admitted.

“Today must be a special occasion then,” Father said.

Zhou Zu smiled. “Good company is always special.”

Because it was not appropriate to speak over their parents, neither Zhou Lihua nor Wu Jian said anything. He looked at his companion. Despite how often she broke traditions to do the unexpected, she seemed quite composed as she listened to their parents talk.

After their light meal, several servants came and took the plates away while serving them some tea.

Tea was served chilled during the summer, but now that it was fall, they served it warm. Steam rose from their cups and a soothing aroma filled Wu Jian’s nose as he took a sip. The warmth traveled down his throat and settled into his stomach. He released a breath and all his worries seemed to go with it.

“You’ll be pleased to know that our next batch of pills are ready to be sold on the market,” Zhou Zu said. “I’ll have my people distribute them to all the Wu Clan owned stalls and Won Ju’s Medicine.”

“I greatly appreciate your assistance in this matter,” Father said with a bow of his head.

Zhou Zu waved him off with a laugh. “It’s only natural that we would assist you. Not only was the idea of letting the Ming Family corner the market for alchemy pills appalling to my business sense, but promoting competition will help the industry flourish. Speaking of, how goes your sales? I am not directly involved with any of that, so I’ve not seen the numbers.”

“We are doing well. Very well, in fact. Our sales of healing pellets have been especially profitable. Within less than two months, we have earned almost a fourth of what the Wu Clan makes yearly,” Father said.

“That’s good. Very good.” With a grin, Zhou Zu held out his tea cup. “To a successful friendship.”

At his prompting, Father, Wu Jian, and Zhou Lihua raised their cups and toasted.

“To a successful friendship,” they all said.