Hou Jingshu panicked when Jian Wu began screaming. It was a horrendous sound like he was experiencing the kind of agony that could shatter a person’s sanity. Her heart had practically leapt into her throat, and she’d rushed forward to save him, but Huǒ Shuchang held her back.

“What are you doing?! Let go of me!”

“Don’t go near him! Something is happening!”

“But he looks like he’s in pain!”

“I’m pretty sure this is part of the trial! If you go up there, you’ll disrupt it and he may die!”

Hou Jingshu bit her lip. Huǒ Shuchang had a strong hold on her arm, and even though she was physically very powerful, this man’s higher cultivation gave him greater strength than her. She felt like she could wrest her hand from his grip if she tried. His words, however, gave her pause.

She looked back at Jian Wu to find that he was sitting down now, legs crossed, hands forming a seal. She recognized the tiger seal. It was a seal that often symbolized strength and leadership. Sweat ran down Jian Wu’s neck and stained his martial arts gi. His skin had turned a blistering red, so crimson she thought blood might start seeping from his skin.

I wish I could see his face.

That mask prevented her from seeing what kind of expression he was making, but she was sure it was one of agony. There was no way he could not be in great pain. Her heart was aching at the thought of him being hurt.

She wrested her arm from Huǒ Shuchang and took several steps back as she glared at the man. “If something happens to Jian Wu, I will hold you responsible.”

“All right. All right.” Huǒ Shuchang raised his hands in surrender. “Look, just relax. I’ve seen something similar to this happen before, okay? That’s the reason I stopped you.”

“You have?” She blinked. “When?”

“When my sister inherited the Phoenix’s blood.”

She blinked again. Hou Jingshu of course knew that Huǒ Shuchang was a member of the Phoenix Clan ever since meeting his older brother, Huǒ Pànguó. While she didn’t know a lot about the clan outside of its status as the strongest clan not affiliated with one of the Three Celestial Sects, she did know of their birthright.

All members of the Phoenix Clan underwent a trial to inherit the Phoenix’s power. Each member that passed was given a cultivation method and techniques. She had never heard of someone getting the Phoenix’s blood.

“It’s not something that happens often, or ever,” Huǒ Shuchang said. She raised an eyebrow and he shrugged. “I can tell you’re confused. No one in the history of our clan has ever been given Phoenix blood before my sister. She did so well in her trials that the Phoenix gave her nine drops of its blood, which she assimilated into her body. The blood was a bright golden color surrounded by flames. I remember what happened like it was just yesterday.”

“And that’s how you know what’s happening to Jian Wu?” asked Hou Jingshu.

“That’s right.”

She pursed her lips and turned to Jian Wu again. His skin was still red and sweat still poured from his body, but the muscle spasms he had been undergoing had stopped. That had to be a good sign. She hoped it was.

Huǒ Shuchang also observed Jian Wu. “He’s doing pretty good. My sister nearly died after receiving nine drops of Phoenix blood. Blood had burst from her nose and eyes, and then she was lit on fire. I’d never seen anything like it. Jian Wu’s body is a lot sturdier than my sister’s. I guess that’s why he’s not bleeding from every orifice like she had.”

Hou Jingshu grimaced. “That was a gruesome image I didn’t need in my head.”

“My bad.”

Time passed, though Hou Jingshu couldn’t say how much. It felt like days to her.

Huǒ Shuchang had sat himself down far enough away that he wouldn’t disturb Jian Wu and cultivated. He was on the cusp of breaking through. She was certain the only reason he hadn’t tried to attack his bottleneck was because of where they were. The White Tiger Sect Ruins only allowed people at the Asura Realm and below to enter. He would be automatically expelled once he reached the Human Limit Realm.

Hou Jingshu should have cultivated too, but she was too worried about Jian Wu, and so she spent her time watching him. She sat far enough away not to disturb him but close enough that she could reach him quickly if something happened.

Why?

The question plagued her.

Why am I so worried about him?

From the moment this mysterious masked man had appeared before her, Hou Jingshu had felt a strange attraction to him. She felt like a magnet being drawn into his pull. This feeling had only gotten stronger with time. It worried her. She didn’t know how or why she felt so strongly for this man.

Could it… no. Don’t go there. Don’t even think about it. You’re just setting yourself up for heartbreak if you allow yourself to hope.

As Hou Jingshu shook her head to remove any lingering traces of soul-crushing hope, Jian Wu took a deep breath and released it. Steam erupted from his body and obscured his figure. Hou Jingshu leapt to her feet. Should she run to him? Moments after the thought occurred to her, the steam disturbed, revealing Jian Wu once again.

His skin was no longer blood red. It also seemed a little glossier than before, a little softer. Hou Jingshu felt the desire to touch his skin, though she quickly shook her head.

What is wrong with me? Stop thinking like this!

Jian Wu finally stood up and turned to them. Hou Jingshu could not see past his mask, but she could see his eyes through the holes. She sucked in a deep breath when a pair of gleaming blue eyes with black slits running down the middle greeted her. She blinked and the eyes had gone back to brown.

Did I imagine it?

She wanted to rub her eyes to be sure, but Jian Wu walked down the pedestal and stood beside her.

“I’m done.”

“Hmm. And it looks like you passed the trial. Congratulations,” she said with a smile. Whatever the case might be, the fact that he had passed the trial was worth celebrating.

“Look at you!” Huǒ Shuchang leapt to his feet and grinned as he walked over. Jian Wu grunted as the man pounded him on the back. “Never thought I’d see another person who would receive drops of divine blood! Ha ha ha! You don’t know how lucky you are! You know, my sister also received divine blood. Don’t you think that would make you two the best match? You sure you don’t wanna marry her?”

“Why do you keep trying to pawn your sister off on me? I don’t even know her. Why would I want to marry her?” asked Jian Wu, irritated. Hou Jingshu also felt irritated. She’d never wanted to smack someone more than she did right now.

“Ahem. So what should we do now?” asked Hou Jingshu. “I doubt there’s much more we can do here. Should we leave?”

“Nice segue,” Huǒ Shuchang complimented. Hou Jingshu cast him a glare. He raised his hands in surrender.

“I think we should…” Jian Wu began, but he trailed off when something began glowing in his pants. He removed the token that he and everyone else had in their possession. Huǒ Shuchang and Hou Jingshu did the same.

“Looks like the barrier is closing. No need for us to do anything. We’ll be booted from here soon enough,” Huǒ Shuchang said.

Hou Jingshu felt like something had hooked itself on her navel seconds after the man finished speaking. She didn’t even have time to scream in surprise as she, Jian Wu, and Huǒ Shuchang were pulled into a dark space, then deposited onto the desert sands. While and she Huǒ Shuchang landed on their backsides, Jian Wu somehow landed on his feet.

They were not the only ones who had been thrown back into the desert. Hundreds of people were also present. It looked like there were less people coming out than there had been going in. She wondered how many had died in those ruins, but she didn’t dwell on it. All cultivators understood they were walking alongside death to attain power.

A hand appeared in front of her. Hou Jingshu looked up into Jian Wu’s masked face.

“We should look for your two companions,” he said.

“Yeah. You’re right,” Hou Jingshu accepted his hand, allowing him to pull her up.

“Hey! Aren’t you gonna help me up?” asked Huǒ Shuchang.

“Get up yourself,” Jian Wu snapped.

“So mean!”

The three of them went in search of Wu Yong and Zheng Yawen. It was hard to find two people in this massive crowd. They didn’t even know if the two were here. If they had exited the ruins several days ago, they might have set up camp several lî. That would mean searching this area was pointless.

Just as she suspected, the pair weren’t there.

“What should we do?” asked Jian Wu.

“Let’s go back to White Tiger City,” said Hou Jingshu after a moment’s debate. “I’m sure that’s where they are.”

They were carrying the body of Yin Wuhan, so she believed they would try to find a place where they could acquire something that would help them preserve his body. Hou Jingshu wanted to take his body home so he could be given a proper burial.

“I’m all for that.” Huǒ Shuchang placed his hands behind his head. “I’m sick and tired of all this sand.”

“It’s not like there’ll be any less sand in White Tiger City,” Jian Wu said.

“Maybe not, but I will at least be able to sleep on a bed,” Huǒ Shuchang fired back.

They decided to run to White Tiger City. Fortunately, no one stopped them, and they made excellent progress, reaching the city within a day. That was because they didn’t stop for rest and ran through the night. They even bypassed several magical beasts to arrive at White Tiger City just as the sun was beginning to rise.

“Wu Yong and Zheng Yawen should have found an inn to stay at, so let’s ask around to see where they are staying,” suggested Hou Jingshu.

“I’m fine with that,” Huǒ Shuchang said.

Jian Wu nodded. “Lead the way.”

The three went to several inns and asked about the pair. They first asked if a man and woman carrying a body had been seen around here, but aside from getting several weird looks from the receptionists at each inn, they got no leads. Then they changed their question to a man and woman bearing Wu Yong and Zheng Yawen’s appearance. Once again, no one seemed to have seen them.

“I don’t like this,” Hou Jingshu murmured. “Where could they be?”

Because they hadn’t eaten for a long time and were starving, they had decided to find a restaurant. They sat on a rug surrounding a low-table. While Huǒ Shuchang sat with his legs spread out, Jian Wu and Hou Jingshu sat with theirs crossed.

Several platters of food sat in front of them. There were bowls of some kind of soup, a variety of meats, and a soft, spongy bread that was supposed to be used to roll the meats up and eat it. This type of food was supposed to be eaten with one’s hands.

“Something may have happened to them. Maybe they’re dead—owch! Dammit, Wu! Don’t smack me for being honest!” Huǒ Shuchang rubbed the back of his head and glared at Jian Wu.

“While you might be right, we don’t know that they’re dead,” said Jian Wu. “We can’t disclude the possibility, but let’s exhaust all other possible avenues before making that kind of declaration.”

“Fair enough. I concede that my words were a little… cold-hearted,” Huǒ Shuchang apologized.

Hou Jingshu tore some bread, scooped some meat into it, and rolled it into a wrap before placing it in her mouth. The meat she had chosen to eat had quite the kick. She felt like it was going to be burned off and the food stung all the way down her throat, but she swallowed it anyway. She envied Jian Wu for his mask. She would have loved to hide her face right now.

“Let’s talk to the local authorities after this,” Hou Jingshu decided.

They ate their meal, paid for it, and made for the government building next to the colosseum. This city was controlled by a Chief. The Chief controlled the city but answered to the Mercenary King. Below the Chief were the various government officials who kept the city functioning.

The person Hou Jingshu spoke to was a young man who seemed to have trouble keeping his eyes off her chest, though he was at least more polite than most. Perhaps he sensed that she was far more powerful than him. It could have also been Jian Wu’s glare, which even she felt through his mask.

“Hmm. You say you’re looking for a man and a woman, and they are carrying the body of your comrade? Am I getting this right?” he asked.

“You are,” Hou Jingshu said.

The man sighed. “Well, you’re in luck. We actually have them in custody right now.”

“What?! Why?”

“They were carrying a dead body into our city. Of course we thought they were suspicious.”

“Can you release them? Also, do you still have the body? That man is our companion. We want to take him home with us to give him a proper burial.”

“We can release them, and yes, we have the body. It’s being preserved in our basement right now. You’ll have to sign these forms and pay a fee to have the two released into your custody. I’ll talk to my boss about returning your companion’s body to you.”

“Thank you.”

Hou Jingshu passed over the fee, signed the necessary forms, and waited anxiously with her two comrades as the man walked into a backroom. She tapped her foot on the ground as they waited. It felt like hours had passed. The silence was stifling. Even Huǒ Shuchang seemed to sense her anxiety and remained quiet.

“Your Highness!”

A shout suddenly echoed from behind a door that opened seconds later, revealing a pair of people. The person in the lead was Zheng Yawen.

“Yawen!”

Hou Jingshu rushed over and hugged the older woman tight. The relief she felt spilled out of her. She tightened her grip on the woman, as though to reassure herself that she really was there. Zheng Yawen looked shocked, but she was soon returning the embrace.

“I’m so glad you’re both okay! I was worried when I didn’t see you in the desert! And then we couldn’t find you in the city! Thank goodness!” Hou Jingshu cried in relief.

Wu Yong circumvented the hugging fest and walked over to Huǒ Shuchang and Jian Wu. He extended a hand. “Thanks for looking after our princess.”

“It was no big,” Huǒ Shuchang said, shaking the hand.

Jian Wu also shook it. “You’re welcome.”

“It looks like you all received some serious benefits in those ruins. I’m kind of jealous,” Wu Yong joked.

“Heh. You should be. We got pretty damn strong now. You’re no longer our match,” Huǒ Shuchang puffed out his chest in pride.

Wu Yong smiled ruefully. “I don’t think I was ever your match. In either event, I’m glad to see Her Highness returned to us. I don’t know how I would have faced my master if she had died during this journey.”

Hou Jingshu let go of Zheng Yawen and the two walked over. She smiled at Wu Yong and told him she was glad he had made it safely to the city.

The young man returned and said they would return Yin Wuhan’s body tomorrow. Since they had to wait another day, they went to an inn and got themselves two rooms—one for the men and one for the women. The men’s room was bigger, which was why everyone convened in it.

“Do you two have any plans?” asked Hou Jingshu. She was sitting on one of the beds. Her shoes were gone, and her jade-like feet peered out from the thick robes she wore as she sat with her legs dangling over the side.

“I’m… not sure,” Jian Wu admitted.

Hou Jingshu gulped when she heard this. So he had no plans? Was this her chance? Nerves overcame her as she debated whether or not to ask the question she was dying to ask. She was afraid he would reject her. However, if she said nothing, then nothing would change. They would go their separate ways after this.

“I was actually going to ask if I could accompany you,” said Jian Wu, shocking Hou Jingshu, Wu Yong, and Zheng Yawen into stunned silence.