“Looks like this is where we part ways for now.”

“I guess so.”

“Don’t worry. I’m sure we’ll meet again.”

“Who would want to see you again?”

“You know you’re gonna miss me.”

The early morning sun rose on Wu Jian’s group as they stood separate from Huǒ Shuchang. It was still chilly. Nights in the desert were cold, but it wouldn’t be long before the sun turned this place into a scorching wasteland.

“Well… I’m sure my journey will be a little boring without you,” Wu Jian admitted.

“Try a lot. Anyway, here.”

Huǒ Shuchang summoned several alchemy ingredients stored safely inside a number of bottles and wood containers. Wu Jian recognized them.

“Aren’t those the ingredients we got from Yin Xuefeng?”

“They are. I already have a Three-Layered Red Yin-Yang Pill, so you should take the ingredients. I have no doubt you’ll need them soon enough.”

“I won’t be polite then. Thanks.”

“Anytime.” After handing the ingredients over, Huǒ Shuchang grinned out and stuck out his fist. “See you later?”

“Yeah.” Wu Jian stored the ingredients into his ring and returned the gesture, bumping the older man’s fist with his own. “See you.”

“This must be what they call ‘male bonding,’” Hou Jingshu mumbled behind them. “I’ve read about it in stories.”

“Just what kind of stories have you been reading, Your Highness?” asked Zheng Yawen.

“O-only normal ones!” Hou Jingshu said, a noticeable squeak in her voice.

The others also said their goodbyes. Hou Jingshu thanked Huǒ Shuchang for aiding her, Zheng Yawen told him to get lost, and Wu Yong also thanked him. It seemed Zheng Yawen really didn’t like him. Or maybe she was hiding her feelings behind a sharp personality? Wu Jian didn’t have a good enough handle on her as a person to say for sure.

They parted ways after that. Huǒ Shuchang traveled south-east. He needed to take the course they had taken to reach the Wing Province, so he’d be going back through the Mófǎ Forest, cutting across the Ming Province, and traveling through the Burning Flame Borders to reach the Xia Dynasty.

Hou Jingshu, Wu Jian, Wu Yong, and Zheng Yawen traveled in the opposite direction—north-west. Their goal was to reach Shāméiguī, take a ship to Hǎiyáng City, then travel from there via airship to Shang Imperial City.

Since everyone was at the Fourth Subrealm of the Asura Realm or above, they were able to make great time. They raced through the desert day and night, stopping only when they needed to rest. Zheng Yawen did lose her stamina halfway through. She was built for stealth and speed, not endurance. Wu Yong and Wu Jian ended up carrying her on their back for the last leg of their journey.

It was late when they arrived in Shāméiguī, so they found a place to spend the night, then traveled to the port the next morning. Zheng Yawen took the lead here. She found them passage with a merchant’s ship.

“Captain Ling says we can stay onboard in exchange for protection,” Zheng Yawen informed them.

Captain Ling was a lean man with clean cut gray hair and a mustache. He looked about middle-aged, but he was at the First Subrealm of the Asura Realm, so he could have been older than he appeared. He wore black slacks, a white shirt, and a red overcoat. A sword hung at his waist. The chi emanating from the blade told Wu Jian it was a profound spirit weapon, though he didn’t know what rank.

His ship was a galleon. The multi-deck ship was typical of a Qing Province vessel. Zheng Yawen had told him the vessels from this province were made like that because their shape made them easier to sail in both the ocean and rivers.

The Qing Province had several rivers running through it. These rivers were not just important sources of water for people living in the desert, they were also used to transport goods. Most cities were built on either an oasis or riverbank. The cities built on the banks were bustling cities that smaller towns and villages traveled to, to exchange magical beast parts for necessities like food and salt.

Wu Jian stood on the galleon’s deck as he watched the crew load up their cargo. He didn’t know what was in those barrels and boxes. His father had taught him all about the dos and don’ts of trading, but he had no experience with international trade like this.

He was currently alone. Wu Yong and Zheng Yawen were getting Hou Jingshu situated. They would all be sharing a room this time, which meant they needed to partition the room so the boys would be on one side and the girls on the other.

Something caught his eyes as he watched, causing him to turn his head. Another group of five people were also boarding the vessel. They were a ragtag bunch that he’d never seen before, but their disparate clothing made it obvious they were mercenaries. Many of them had scars on their suntanned faces. While most of them looked rough, their leader was a relatively handsome man.

Unlike the other four, who were dark-skinned and had the rough appearance of mercenaries, this man had white skin, thin eyebrows, and defined features. His clothing consisted of a thick robe that looked nondescript but was made from high quality material. Was he some noble? He didn’t quite possess the demeanor of one, but Wu Jian could not sense his cultivation base. He was either from a powerful clan or a sect.

“It looks like we’re not gonna be this ship’s only protection detail,” he said.

“That happens sometimes,” Zheng Yawen told him.

He turned around. “Are the rooms ready?”

“They are.”

Zheng Yawen nodded as she looked at the five people stepping foot on the deck. Four of the five glanced her way with lust clear in their eyes, which caused the young woman to shiver in disgust. Wu Jian didn’t blame her. Few were the people who enjoyed being ogled. Fewer still were the people who would want such ugly men to ogle them.

Their leader spared both Wu Jian and Zheng Yawen a glance, nodded at them, then ordered his men to get a move on.

“Since the rooms are ready, let’s head inside,” Wu Jian said after the man had left.

“That’s why I came out to get you,” Zheng Yawen said.

Zheng Yawen led him through the hallway and down a flight of stairs. Several doors belonging to the crew, the captain, and their guests. There were two guestrooms, which was good. Wu Jian did not feel comfortable letting Hou Jingshu sleep in the same room as an unfamiliar group of men. He barely felt comfortable letting her sleep in the same room as him.

Speaking of, will I have to keep sleeping with my mask on? That’s gonna really suck.

He’d slept with his mask on for the past few nights because he shared a tent with Wu Yong. His half-brother would surely recognize him without his mask. Wu Jian had not changed so much that someone who had seen him when he was younger wouldn’t recognize him at all.

“Oh, damn! Look at that beauty!”

“I see her. Shit, I’ve never met someone with such beautiful white skin before.”

“It’s like jade!”

“Hey, girly. You wanna share a room with us? I promise you’ll have a good time.”

Wu Jian gritted his teeth when he and Zheng Yawen arrived to find the men from the new group leering at Hou Jingshu. The handsome man wasn’t there. Beauty would always without fail attract unwanted attention. Hou Jingshu was more beautiful than most. Even with her chest bound and her training gi loose-fitting enough to hide her figure, she attracted attention.

Her features were noble and refined, like a jade sculpture created by a famous artisan. Her gentle blue eyes were enhanced by dark brown eyelashes. Thin eyebrows created an elegant trail that helped further showcase her lovely features. Soft lips, a small nose, and fair skin made her the envy of women everywhere.

Wu Jian had every intention of leaping in, but Hou Jingshu summoned her spear, slammed the butt into the ground, and unleashed her fifth subrealm cultivation base upon the group. Most of them were at the third or fourth subrealm of the Asura Realm. Her strength wasn’t enough to make them feel fear, but they shut up upon recognizing her greater power.

“I’ve no time nor the desire to trade idiotic banter with uncouth louts,” Hou Jingshu declared with a narrow-eyed glare. “Have you no self-respect? Any man who is truly worth a damn would never behave like a lecherous bastard.”

Several of the men’s faces turned red. Veins bulged on their foreheads. It looked like they were raring to pick a fight now that Hou Jingshu had so thoroughly disrespected them with her sharp words.

Wu Jian and Zheng Yawen walked up to stand beside Hou Jingshu. They and Wu Yong released their own impressive cultivation. They were all at the Fourth Subrealm of the Asura Realm. The combined aura they unleashed was enough to make the four men stop in their tracks.

A tense silence permeated the hallway. Neither side said anything. The entire situation felt like a powder keg getting ready to explode.

Someone chose that moment to open the door behind the men Wu Jian’s group was confronting. It was the handsome man from before. He took one look at the situation, stepped forward, and gave Hou Jingshu a traditional bow.

“It looks like my men have offended you. You have my apologies. My men are quite rowdy and difficult to control.”

“I’ll accept your apology, but you should keep your men on a tighter leash,” Hou Jingshu said.

Her words were sharp, but the man merely smiled and agreed. “You are right. I’ll keep a closer eye on them from now on.”

The situation seemed resolved. The man ordered inside his room. After they had left, he smiled at the group.

“Since it looks like we will be traveling together, I believe it is important to properly introduce myself. My name is Shao Yimu. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“My name is Hou Jingshu. This is Wu Yong, Zheng Yawen, and Jian Wu,” Hou Jingshu introduced them.

The man’s eyes widened faintly upon hearing Hou Jingshu’s name, which made Wu Jian narrow his eyes. He saw the light of recognition. This man knew who Hou Jingshu was. That could only mean he was well-informed since her name wasn’t well-known outside of the Shang Kingdom.

This man is no rogue cultivator. Who is he?

The man nodded to them one last time, glanced in Wu Jian’s direction, and shut the door behind him.

“Let’s get inside our room too,” Hou Jingshu said softly.

The four of them entered their room, which was just large enough to fit two bunkbeds on either side of the wall. There was nothing else. The wood walls, floor, and ceiling were the only thing aside from the basic beds that greeted them.

“Jian Wu, you’ll be on the top bunk above Wu Yong,” said Hou Jingshu.

“All right.”

“I know you prefer the bottom bunk, so I’ll take the top,” Zheng Yawen said. Hou Jingshu smiled at her in thanks.

No one decided to leave the room even after they settled in. The memory of what had just transpired made their desire to go out diminish. Even Wu Jian, who had never ridden a ship before, felt his desire to go outside wilt like a flower in a desert without water.

There was also something about the mercenary group's leader that bothered him. It was more than just Shao Yimu being well-informed enough to recognize Hou Jingshu by name. That alone would have made him wary, but it wouldn’t have made him feel so on edge.

Wu Jian placed his hands behind his head as he laid down and stared at the ceiling. He traced the grains of the wood with his eyes, thoughts wandering back to what he had seen. The others seemed to have missed it. Perhaps it was because the man hadn’t released any killing intent, but Wu Jian had noticed.

Why did I catch him staring at me so much?