Zhou Lihua’s personal garden was a unique blend of ornate buildings and natural elements. According to her, she had this place built after coming to the Imperial Capital.

The garden was enclosed by a wall and featured numerous rocks, plants, trees, and flowing water. Zhou Lihua led Hou Jingshu down a winding path that was deliberately designed to allow visitors the chance to admire the cornucopia of flora offered.

“This garden never ceases to amaze me,” Hou Jingshu said with a slight smile. “I think it’s even better than the gardens in the royal family’s palace.”

“You’re exaggerating,” Zhou Lihua replied with a smile. “But I am glad you like it. Thank you.”

They passed several quilin statues. As they rounded a corner, a small island with an ornate pavilion in the center revealed itself. After walking over an arched wooden bridge, they offered at the pavilion, which had no walls but featured ornately-crafted columns and a traditional Shang Kingdom roof.

Several maidservants were already present, making sure the pavilion was spotless in case their mistress decided to use it. They bowed when Zhou Lihua and Hou Jingshu entered.

“Come, sit down. Let’s talk,” Zhou Lihua said.

“All right. We can talk for a bit. Just don’t keep me in suspense for too long,” Hou Jingshu muttered as she sat down at a round stone table.

“Hee hee. I will do my best not to leave you hanging,” Zhou Lihua followed suit.

Yu Chenguang stood behind Hou Jingshu with his hands clasped together as Zhou Chao directed several bodyguards to stand around the pavilion.

“I don’t want to even see that scummy prince’s face here. If you see him, be sure to drive him off. Don’t feel the need to be polite just because he’s a prince. Remember, he arrived on our doorstep unannounced,” Zhao Chao said.

“I’m always amazed by how mature Zhao Chao has become. I remember when all he used to do was glare at… at Wu Jian,” Hou Jingshu said with a hesitant smile.

“You really shouldn’t bring him up if it’s going to make you depressed,” Zhou Lihua said.

“Look who’s talking.”

Hou Jingshu and Zhou Lihua had been together when news of Wu Jian’s death and the destruction of the Wu Clan reached their ears. The two of them had cried for several days, then locked themselves away inside of Hou Jingshu’s bedchamber for another weak before emerging again. Both the Hou and Zhou Clan maids had been worried the two were trying to starve themselves to death since they refused to eat any of the meals that had been set in front of the door for them.

If they had been alone, they might have done just that. Hou Jingshu had not only lost her appetite for several days but also her desire to cultivate. It had felt like her entire life had lost meaning. She was sure Zhou Lihua felt the same.

Fortunately, they had each other. It was thanks to them mutually supporting each other that they were able to return to society, alive if not whole.

Other problems had cropped up, of course. Zhou Lihua was unable to break past the bottleneck in her alchemy. She had been stuck at the third tier for over a month now, though some would still consider this prodigious. Most alchemists her age were still at the first or second tier. However, Zhou Lihua should have been at the fourth tier by now, according to Wong Jiu, who said was more talented than him.

Hou Jingshu had not run into any problems with her cultivation, but it had slowed down considerably. Part of that was because she often took care of her father. The other reason was likely because every time she cultivated, she was reminded of Wu Jian and Wu Meiying, the young man she loved and the girl she thought of as a sister.

I really should have kissed him back then. Now I’ll never get the chance.

Taking a slow, deep, shuddering breath, Hou Jingshu shunted those feelings aside.

“Congratulations on advancing in your cultivation. I just realized you’re at the ninth subrealm of the Anima Realm,” she said.

Zhou Lihua smiled gracefully. “Thank you, though I feel like I could do better. I’d like to advance to the Asura Realm, but… well, it’s hard.”

Advancing realms was hard, but it was even harder when a cultivator was emotionally burdened. Hou Jingshu understood this well. She was only at the sixth subrealm of the Anima Realm, but with her talent, she should have been closer to Zhou Lihua’s cultivation.

A maid came over to the table and set down a tray with a plate of baked confectionaries and a tea set. She poured some tea into two cups, set each cup next to the pair of ladies, and bowed before stepping away. Hou Jingshu brought the cup to her lips. The scent of chrysanthemums filled her nose before the taste did.

“I believe now would be a good time to tell me about the White Tiger Ruins,” Hou Jingshu set the cup down and looked at Zhou Lihua.

The young woman tucked a strand of light brown hair behind her ear before taking a sip of tea. She set it back down and sighed.

“Very well. It’s true. The White Tiger Ruins are about to open. I received a missive just the other day. It seems they will be opening in six months.”

Hou Jingshu bit her lip. “Six months. That won’t leave me much time to get ready. It takes at least three months just to reach the borders of the Shang Kingdom if I travel by flying ship. After that, I’ll have to take a boat, then travel on foot. That might take another month or two. Ugh, I wish the Qing Province would allow our nation to use their airspace, but those foul-mouthed ruffians would sooner shoot us down.”

The Qing Province was a desert nation ruled by the Mercenary King. This country made its living by selling their cultivators to the highest bidder. While their cultivators were not as strong as those from the Three Heavenly Sects or the Xia Dynasty, easily the strongest nation among the thirteen, they were strong enough that many smaller nations hired them. Only the Shang Kingdom and Ten Kingdom Alliance refused to use their services.

“It looks like I’ll need to prepare now if I want to arrive in time,” Hou Jingshu stood up and turned to Yu Chenguang. “I want you to prepare for a journey to the Qing Province.”

“Your Highness, you know I cannot leave right now,” Yu Chenguang said placatingly. “With the Zhou Kingdom’s prince suddenly appearing in our nation, the strange moves of the Four Great Pavilions of the Ming Dynasty, and your father’s current condition, I can’t afford to travel to another nation. That’s not even going into the rising tension we have with the Burning Flame Sect.”

“So many problems on our doorstep.” Hou Jingshu sighed, closed her eyes, then nodded and opened them again. “Very well. Then inform Wu Yong that I would like him to accompany me. It will take longer, but we’ll travel incognito to avoid attracting attention.”

“I know better than to try and stop you, so I’ll go let him know to get packed,” Yu Chenguang said.

Hou Jingshu nodded and looked back at Zhou Lihua. “Do you think we’ll find any yang pills or the ingredients for one inside the White Tiger Sect ruins?”

“I do not know.” Zhou Lihua shook her head. “However, someone several years ago who found a Yang Balancing Pill inside the last time it opened. There is a chance that you might find another.”

“Then I can’t afford to sit on this.”

Hold on just a little longer, Father. I promise to find a cure for you, Hou Jingshu thought with clenched fists.

***

“Now that you’ve seen what we’re up against, let’s come up with a plan to deal with the Flame Griffin,” said Huǒ Shuchang.

They were back at camp. Wu Jian, Huǒ Shuchang, and Yōuměi were crouched in a circle. Huǒ Shuchang drew a circle in the dirt, then drew several smaller circles within the first one.

“The key to fighting the Flame Griffin is to first not clump ourselves together. Flame Griffins can release fire from their mouths that exceed three thousand degrees, and it can attack in a wide cone. We’ll be dead if we’re clumped in a group.”

Wu Jian rubbed his chin. “It sounds like the best way to take it down is to attack from multiple sides. One of us distracts it, while the other two attack from its blindspots. Our biggest problem will be the fact that it can fly.”

Cultivators were capable of flight after reaching the Human Limit Realm, but that did them little good.

“We’ll need to find a way to bring it down to the ground. I don’t suppose you have a way to clip its wings?” asked Huǒ Shuchang.

“Yōuměi might. What do you think?” Wu Jian turned to the black panther.

“Grrrr. Huff.”

He turned back to Huǒ Shuchang. “She can do it.”

Huǒ Shuchang looked at the pair, befuddled. “Can you really understand what she says?”

“We’ve been together since she was just a small cub. Of course, I can understand her,” he said in a tone that brooked no argument. “Yōuměi has power over shadows. If we can just get the Flame Griffin to fly close to the ground, she can use the shadows to bind him. She might even be able to damage his wings with her shadow blades.”

Yōuměi had several powerful abilities she could use.

The first was Shadow Walking, which allowed her to enter shadows. She could travel between any connecting shadow, and it was impossible to detect her so long as she was hiding inside of one, making this skill great for ambushes.

Her second skill was Shadow Blade. She could create sharp blades made from shadows and launch it through space. It was a good long range attack, and while it couldn’t cut through everything, even the strongest substance would be sliced if she attacked it continuously.

Third among her skills was Shadow Bind, and its name was self-explanatory. By manipulating the shadows on the ground, Yōuměi could create whips that could bind her targets. This was good for subduing or capturing targets. The only issue was her shadows could be easily broken with light and flame attacks. Wu Jian and Huǒ Shuchang would have to prevent the Flame Griffin from burning through the bindings.

“That could work,” Huǒ Shuchang said after Wu Jian explained Yōuměi’s powers. “We’re still at a disadvantage. Shadows are weak against fire since they produce light. It will probably take several tries to bind the Flame Griffin. Our best option will be to exhaust its chi so it can’t burn through them as quickly. Fortunately, it’s only at the Asura Realm. If it was at the Human Limit Realm, we wouldn’t stand a chance even if all three of us combined our strength.”

While it was possible for talented cultivators to defeat cultivators with a higher cultivation base, there were limits. No amount of planning and skill could defeat true strength. All the talent in the world would amount to nothing against someone who could simply overpower every skill you possessed.

“I think we should stick with this. Making our plans too complicated could backfire,” Wu Jian murmured as he looked at the basic dirt drawings that showed their plan. “It’s more important for us to be able to adapt to changes in our situation.”

“You’re right. Okay! That’s enough planning then.” Huǒ Shuchang stood up and clapped the dust from his hands. “Let’s catch some food, then get a good night’s rest. We’ll want to be well-rested for tomorrow.”

Wu Jian nodded, stood, and followed Huǒ Shuchang to scrounge up some food. Yōuměi leapt into Wu Jian’s shadow. She would hide there until it was time to ambush their prey.

He prayed everything would go as planned tomorrow. Once Huǒ Shuchang got ahold of the Flame Griffin’s fire and cultivated with it, they would return to Chenhou, and Wu Jian would make sure Xing Zhenya and her family was okay. He was worried about the young woman who had been kind enough to take him in when he had nothing.