Wu Jian and Wu Meiying stood in front of the Wu Clan compound’s gate, facing Hou Jingshu, who looked emotionally torn as she stood before a carriage with the emblem of the Shang Kingdom. The carriage was a work of art, but Wu Jian hardly spared it a glance. He was focused only on the girl before him.

Hou Jingshu’s eyes were red and puffy. It looked like she had been crying, or was about to cry, but he didn’t dare say anything because doing so might make him cry.

“I guess… this is goodbye for now, huh?” He tried his best to smile. “I hope… I hope your father gets better, and that you can return soon.”

“Thank you. I hope for that as well,” Hou Jingshu mumbled, looking at the ground.

Wu Jian almost flinched. Someone he loved was leaving. Was this really all he could say? He should have been able to say something, anything to make her feel at least a little better.

Come on! I need to comfort her somehow!

“Just because you’re leaving now doesn’t mean we won’t see each other again,” Wu Meiying said with a smile. “I believe we will be back together eventually.” She spread her arms. “But since it will be awhile, I think we should at least say goodbye properly. That way we’ll have no regrets.”

“Meiying… yeah, you’re right.” Hou Jingshu sniffled as she wiped her nose, then stepped forward, allowing the other girl to embrace her.

Wu Jian stood on the sidelines, lost. He felt like he should have been the one to say all that, but when it mattered the most, his brain had frozen up. It was probably a good thing he had Wu Meiying to rely on for times like this.

After Wu Meiying had her fill, she let go of Hou Jingshu and stepped back, eying him with a look that all but said, “It’s your turn. Hurry up and hug her!” He took a deep breath and stepped forward. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, until not even a sheet of parchment could pass between them.

Hou Jingshu didn’t seem quite so shocked when he hugged her this time. She even wrapped her arms around him and clutched the back of his clothes.

Her body was warm. He leaned down and pressed his face against her hair as she buried hers in his chest. Closing his eyes, Wu Jian breathed deeply. This would be the last time they saw each other, so he wanted to burn every thing about her into his memory, from the feel of her as they hugged to the scent of her hair.

“I’m… really going to miss you,” Wu Jian said.

“Ah… I’ll miss you too,” Hou Jingshu replied.

“I’ll try to write to you. I hope that’s okay.”

“It is. I’ll try to write as well.”

The longer they remained embracing each other, the less inclined Wu Jian was to let go. Hou Jingshu’s warmth and presence was something he had become used to over the many months she had been here. It seemed a bit weird to think about, but almost an entire year had gone by since she arrived.

“Hey, Jingshu. Can I kiss you?”

“W-what?!”

“I want to kiss you.”

“I heard you the first time!”

“Then why ask?”

Hou Jingshu lifted her head to give him a startled look, her face bright red and her eyes wavering. They still had not kissed in the entire time they had known each other. It was odd. Father and Mother always kissed when they thought people weren’t looking, so he assumed that was what married couples did, but Hou Jingshu had refused to kiss him on many occasions. He didn’t push because he didn’t want her to feel pressured. Now that she was leaving, however…

Still holding Hou Jingshu, Wu Jian leaned down as though to kiss her, but he was stopped when she put her hand in front of his face.

“I-I can’t! I’m sorry! I…”

“No. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed it.”

She must have seen something on his face—perhaps the desolation he felt—because she quickly tried to explain herself.

“Th-that’s not it. I actually do… want to kiss you. I just don’t want to do it in these circumstances.” When all he did was tilt his head, she blushed bright red and continued. “I want our first kiss to be special. I feel like kissing because I’m about to head back to the capital would cheapen it.”

Wu Jian scratched the back of his head. He didn’t understand how that would cheapen their first kiss, but if this was how she felt, there wasn’t much he could do.

“I understand,” he said.

“You really don’t understand, do you?” She smiled wryly when he just scratched the nape of his neck. After considering him for a moment, she removed the necklace she always carried on her from around her neck and handed it to him. “Tell you what. You can hold onto this necklace for me. I’m not giving this to you, however. I expect you to return it when we meet again. Oh! And don’t worry about looking inside. I already removed it.”

Wu Jian’s hands trembled as she placed the necklace in them. This was the only item of her mother that Hou Jingshu had left, so he understood the significance of her giving this to him.

“I’ll be sure to take good care of it,” he said softly.

Hou Jingshu placed her hands on her hips and grinned. “You had better. I will be most cross with you if I find that you haven’t taken care of it.”

“Lady Jingshu.”

A man stepped around the carriage at that moment, dressed in the fine armor of the Shang Kingdom. The lamellar chestplate made from overlapping iron plates clicked together as he walked. It gleamed in the sunlight as though freshly polished.

Even Wu Jian, who still couldn’t sense chi, could tell this armor was somehow special. It was most likely a national treasure. Perhaps it was an Earth-ranked artifact or maybe even a Spirit-ranked one. Either way, with his hair neatly tied into a ponytail behind his head, Yu Chenguang looked like a dashing hero.

“Uncle Chenguang, is it… time to go?” asked Hou Jingshu.

“Yes. I’m sorry, but if you have anything to say to your friends before we leave, please say them now,” he said.

Hou Jingshu turned around to face them, tears finally pouring from her eyes, as if the man’s words had opened the floodgates she had been holding back. Wu Jian wanted to say something, but his throat had closed up. Even Wu Meiying seemed at a loss for words.

“I guess… this is really it. Take care of yourselves, you two.”

Hou Jingshu did not give either of them time to respond as she whirled around and raced into the carriage. She shut the door and closed the shutters, perhaps unable to bear the sight of them after her emotional display. Yu Chenguang wore a soft smile as he looked at the carriage.

“You two must be incredibly important for her to get this worked up over. I hope you won’t hold her actions against her.”

Wu Jian shook his head. “I could never do that.”

“Jingshu is adorable when she’s emotional like this,” Wu Meiying added.

Yu Chenguang gave her an odd look, but he didn’t say anything else, merely giving them a polite bow before he mounted a horse and ordered the carriage driver to begin moving. The driver cracked the whip. The horses neighed as they began pulling the carriage. Wu Jian felt his own eyes tearing up as he watched the carriage grow smaller and smaller, until it eventually disappeared.

I can’t believe… she’s really gone…

Wu Jian placed a hand against his chest. It felt like a hole had opened up inside of him. He keenly felt the lack of Hou Jingshu’s presence now, and it made him realize all the more how important she had become to him.

Wu Meiying placed a hand on his shoulder. “This won’t be the last time we see her.”

“Are you saying that because you saw the future?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No, but I don’t need to see the future to know we’ll meet her again. After all, she is your fiancée.”

“Yes. Yes, I suppose you’re right. We’ll definitely see her again.”

“That’s the spirit.”

Despite his words and her reassurance, he remained standing outside the gate for some time, and Wu Meiying, the girl who had been beside him for as long as he could remember, held his hand as they stood there together.

***

Wu Jian was invited to visit the Zhou Clan several days after Hou Jingshu left. Since he didn’t have anything better to do and the letter he received said Wu Meiying could also come, he dressed himself in one of his best hanfu and took a carriage all the way to the Zhou Clan compound.

“It’s been awhile since we saw Lihua,” Wu Meiying commented as they sat in the carriage. “I wonder what she’s been doing?”

“Cultivating probably. You know how much she loves to cultivate,” Wu Jian mumbled.

“She might also be beating up her fellow clansmen. Lihua is a lot like us. She really enjoys testing her limits.”

“Yeah…”

Wu Meiying smiled at him as if she knew the reason for his sulking. He sighed, knowing he couldn’t keep his mood from her. He had been morose ever since Hou Jingshu left.

They eventually arrived at the massive double gates to the Zhou Clan compound, where they were met by a small delegation led by one of the clan’s elders. The group directed the pair to a building not far from the main compound. It was smaller but no less elegant. An inner courtyard covered in green plants and vibrant flowers, complimented by a large banzai tree in the middle, bedazzled the senses with its brilliance.

They walked up to the main building and the elder knocked on the door once.

“Young mistress, your guests have arrived.”

“Please, send them in,” a voice said from the other side.

“You may enter,” the elder said, opening the door and beckoning them inside.

The pair walked inside. They looked around as the door shut behind them, admiring the elegant but tasteful decor. Tapestries hung from the wall. Most of them looked like they told a story. He spotted one of them that was about the Vermillion Bird, a great deity worshipped by the Vermillion Flames Sect, which depicted how the ancient deity had attained godhood and left this world forever.

At the far end of this room sat a young woman behind a desk, Zhou Lihua, who was busy looking over several papers. Her hair was tied into neat loops. A few strands of hair fell around her face as she looked up and smiled at them.

“Thank you for coming all this way. I know I asked you here on short notice.”

“It’s no trouble,” Wu Jian said as Zhou Lihua set the papers on the desk, stood up, and walked around. She seemed more mature now than she had the last time they had met. There was a sway in her hips that seemed to draw his eyes. He grunted when Wu Meiying gently elbowed him.

“I’m glad to see you’re doing well. It looks like you have been busy,” Wu Meiying said.

“Yes. Wong Jiu has decided to take me on as his apprentice, so I’ll be studying alchemy under him on top of learning how to manage the Zhou Clan’s finances, managing the Auction House, and cultivating.” Zhou Lihua blew a strand of hair out of her face. “Needless to say, I have been very busy, but that isn’t why I called you two here. Come. Sit down. We’ll talk over tea.”

The two of them just did as requested and sat down around a small round table. Pillows had been provided so they could sit without harming their legs. He wasn’t sure what they were made from, but they conformed to his legs much better than the ones possessed by his Wu Clan.

As he and Wu Meiying sat down, Zhou Lihua grabbed an expensive tea set, added some tea leaves and water, and used her fire element to boil the water before serving them freshly brewed tea.

Her every move was artful and elegant. She must have practiced this thousands of times. He wondered if learning the art of tea ceremony and serving was an important aspect of being the Zhou Clan’s heiress, or if this was a personal hobby of hers.

While he was curious to know what she wanted from them, he was smart enough to understand they needed to make small talk first—or that was the plan. As always, Zhou Lihua had a way of knocking all his expectations away.

“I wanted to apologize for not being able to help you deal with the Ming Family and the Fierce Tiger Sect. We knew what was happening, but because of the neutrality clause in our contract with the Shang Kingdom and various other nations, we are unable to interfere with any infighting between clans.” Zhou Lihua placed her hands on the table and bowed her head to them.

“We understand why you couldn’t get involved.” Wu Jian waved a hand dismissively. “Please, think nothing of it.”

“Thank you.” Zhou Lihua raised her head and smiled at them.

“That’s not the only reason you asked for us, right?” Wu Meiying grabbed her teacup and took a sip, staring at Zhou Lihua from over the cup’s rim. “There’s something else you wanted to tell us, isn’t there?”

“That’s quite the intuition you’ve got.” Zhou Lihua took a sip of her own tea before continuing. “I wanted to let you know about what happened to Tian Hao. After you defeated the Ming Family, Tian Hao tried to flee from their compound. We of the Zhou Clan are normally not allowed to interfere in national affairs. However, as Tian Hao is the former apprentice of Wong Jiu, we were able to make an exception this time. We caught her as she was trying to leave. Tian Hao has been sentenced and punished. Wong Jiu personally destroyed her dantian and meridians, crippling her cultivation. She’ll never be able to refine alchemy pills again.”

While Wu Jian had no sympathy for that woman, he also understood how cruel a punishment like that was. The dantian was the core of a cultivator’s power and the meridians were the system through which that power flowed. Destroying them was the equivalent of robbing someone of their future. That said, Wu Jian believed the punishment fit the crime, especially when he thought about how many futures that woman had robbed.

“Thank you for telling us this,” Wu Jian said.

“Of course. I felt like this was the least I could do.” Zhou Lihua smiled at him, which for some reason made him sit straighter. “I also wanted to let you both know that I’ll begin taking over the process of refining the alchemy pills that the Wu Clan will sell. I’ll only be making the healing pellets for now, but I hope to eventually become capable of much more. Once you two break through to the Hunger Realm, I hope you will come to me to personally refine alchemy pills for you.”

“Of course,” Wu Jian and Wu Meiying said at the same time.

They spent the rest of their time with Zhou Lihua making small talk. It was so fun that they didn’t even realize the sun had set. By the time they left, Wu Jian was in a much better mood.