“There’s another crack… I don’t think I can let anyone else know that I’m alive,” Wu Jian said, holding the necklace in his hands. Two cracks ran through it. One went lengthwise and the other traveled vertically from one end to the other. He was fortunate the cracks didn’t go around, but he had the impression the necklace would break if just one more person learned of his survival.

“I think you’re right,” Hou Jingshu agreed. “It was probably reckless enough just to let Lihua know. We should avoid having others find out in the future.”

Not much time had passed since Zhou Lihua fainted. Wu Jian and Hou Jingshu sat at the foot of the Devan, waiting for the young woman to wake up.

Zhou Lihua lay in repose, hands at her sides, feet canted inward. Her face didn’t look peaceful. It was scrunched up, nose wrinkled and eyes moving behind closed lids. Wu Jian was worried she might be having a nightmare.

“Oh… I think she’s waking up,” Hou Jingshu murmured.

Zhou Lihua’s fingers twitched as her long lashes fluttered. Then her eyes opened. Wu Jian resisted the temptation to crowd around her.

“You’re finally up. How are you feeling?” he asked.

Zhou Lihua had been in the process of rubbing her forehead, but she froze upon hearing his voice. Her body did not move. Her eyes, however, glanced down at where he sat near her feet.

“Wu… Jian…?” she mumbled. “I’m not dreaming, am I?”

“I don’t know. You tell me.”

Wu Jian did not give her time to respond. He slid off the devan, knelt beside her, and leaned down.

Zhou Lihua stiffened the moment their lips touched, then relaxed, and then her arms found their way around his neck. He let his kiss linger for several long seconds before pulling back. Her arms did not release his neck.

“Does this seem like a dream to you?” asked Wu Jian with a faint smile.

She nodded. “I’ve had dreams that began like this. I’ll need a bit more to verify whether I’m dreaming or not.”

“Oh. Well, in that case…”

“Owwww! My heek! Shtop hat!”

Wu Jian grinned as he pulled on Zhou Lihua’s cheek. The woman grimaced as she rubbed her now red cheek after he released it.

“That hurt,” she muttered.

“Then I guess that’s evidence this isn’t a dream,” Wu Jian said, standing.

“You could have done something a bit more romantic,” Zhou Lihua complained. Yet even after her complaint, she still sat up and leaned over to hug him tightly. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her face into his belly. He ran his finger through her hair.

“If you’ve had romantic dreams featuring me, then doing something unromantic is the best way to show you that it isn’t a dream,” he said.

“Don’t use logic on me. Not right now.”

“Very well.”

“I also thought it was a dream when I found out,” Hou Jingshu said with a smile.

Zhou Lihua breathed deeply as she turned her head. “But now this explains everything. I had wondered what was so different about you. You’ve had this glow about you ever since you entered the room. You were practically radiating happiness.”

“W-was I?” Hou Jingshu asked with a blush.

“You were,” Zhou Lihua confirmed. Then she grinned. “And now I recognize it for what it is. The glow of a young girl who has ascended the steps of adulthood.”

Hou Jingshu’s face took on such a dark shade of red that Wu Jian thought steam might start rising from it. She looked away.

“Th-that… is it really that obvious?” she asked.

“It was more than obvious. I dismissed the idea at first because I thought there’d be no way you’d sleep with anyone, but it all makes sense if Wu Jian is alive.” She tilted her head and looked up to rest her chin on his stomach. “Speaking of, how did you survive?”

Wu Jian opened his mouth to say something, but the sound of footsteps echoing down the hall made him pause. He separated himself from Zhou Lihua, put his mask back on, and turned toward the door mere seconds before it clicked open. Hou Jingshu and Zhou Lihua also reacted quickly. They stood up and faced the door.

“Young Mistress, I’ve brought refreshments,” the young woman who had led them to this very room said as she entered with a tray of tea and various confections.

“Thank you. However, you should know better than to enter my room unannounced,” Zhou Lihua said with a stern frown.

“My apologies. I was in such a rush that I must have forgotten,” the woman said smoothly as she placed the tea set and food tray on a table. She glanced around the room, frowned, then smiled and bowed to them. “Anyway, please enjoy your time here.”

The woman left. Zhou Lihua opened her mouth to begin speaking, but Wu Jian placed a finger against his lips, gesturing for silence. The young woman closed her mouth as he tilted his head. He listened to the sound of footsteps until they had completely faded, then strained his sense further just to make sure the woman was gone.

“Sorry,” he apologized, removing his mask. “What I’m about to say cannot leave this room. I don’t want anyone else knowing what I am about to tell you.”

Zhou Lihua’s expression turned serious. “I understand.”

They moved to the table. Zhou Lihua gracefully poured the three of them some tea, then sat down herself. A calming scent filled the air. Wu Jian raised the cup to his nose and breathed in the scent. This tea was a type of oolong tea known as Da-Hong Pao Tea--an extraordinarily rare and expensive tea that was said to help cultivators stabilize their chi. He took a drink and almost dropped the cup in shock when he felt his already stable cultivation further solidify.

“What I have to tell you might sound unbelievable, but please listen until the end,” Wu Jian said.

Zhou Lihua nodded as Hou Jingshu blew on her tea before taking a sip.

“Don’t worry. I will believe you no matter what you tell me,” she said seriously.

“Thank you. Oh, but before that… Yōuměi, why don’t you come on out?”

The shadow beneath Wu Jian’s feet writhed as a black panther slowly emerged. Hou Jingshu had already been introduced to his partner and displayed no surprise, but Zhou Lihua blinked several times in shock.

“That’s Yōuměi?” she asked.

“It is,” he nodded.

“She’s gotten much bigger since the last time I saw her. I guess she grew with her cultivation? So, even she is more powerful than me now,” Zhou Lihua’s smile was self-deprecating.

“Well… you have been in kind of a funk,” Hou Jingshu said. “I’m sure your cultivation will increase now.”

“I hope you’re right,” Zhou Lihua said as Yōuměi laid down at Wu Jian’s feet and curled her tail around his leg. She waved at him. “Anyway, please continue.”

Wu Jian nodded. “All right. I suppose I should start with what happened the night we were attacked…”

***

Wu Jian’s tale took several hours to tell. He told Zhou Lihua the same things he had to Hou Jingshu the morning after that first night on the airship. While he hadn’t been sure what sort of reaction he had expected, Zhou Lihua took his story very calmly. Only the trembling of her hands and lips gave away her agitation.

“It seems you have been through a lot. I am so sorry, Jian. It shames me to think about how I was unable to be there during your time of suffering,” Zhou Lihua said.

Wu Jian shook his head. “I think it was better this way. Had you been with me, you might have died as well.”

“I suppose,” Zhou Lihua said, though she didn’t sound like she agreed.

“I think we need to recap the situation so far,” Hou Jingshu said. “The Wu Clan was destroyed by a powerful group of unknown origins. They were after Wu Meiying, who is currently on the run, though we do not know why they were after her. And Wu Jian needs to hide the fact that he is alive or these people will find him. I doubt they’d kill him right away since they would want to use him to lure Wu Meiying out of hiding--provided she is not already their prisoner.”

“I doubt they have captured her,” Wu Jian cupped a hand to his chin. “Her clairvoyance reached a new level after she broke through to the Anima Realm. She knew this was going to happen and prepared for it. I imagine she has only grown stronger now. She should be fine. I have faith.”

“Wu Meiying is an astounding individual,” Zhou Lihua agreed. “I can’t see anyone being able to find her so long as she wishes to remain hidden.” She paused to grab a confection. It was a bar made from hawthorn fruit. She bit into it, smiled, then began again. “Perhaps I should make some discreet inquiries? The Zhou Clan has a powerful information network that spans the entire continent. It should not be too difficult to find out something.”

Wu Jian considered that for a moment, then shook his head. “I think that might just tip them off. If they learn that someone is looking into them, they will become suspicious. The fact that we know nothing about them also means they are a very powerful and secretive group with an extensive network themselves.”

“I think what we should be focusing on is getting stronger and our other goals,” said Hou Jingshu. “Speaking of, you’ll be pleased to know that we only need one more ingredient to create the Nirvana Soothing Pill.”

Zhou Lihua raised an eyebrow. “Which ingredient is left?”

“Ten Thousand Year Spirit Spring Water,” Hou Jingshu said. “We found the Yang Fire Godoma Fruit and monster core in the White Tiger Sect Ruins, and I know my family has the bone shavings of a Flood Dragon in its vault. That just leaves the water.”

Spirit Springs were power spots that formed when chi infused underground rivers broke through the surface. They were given the name Spirit Spring because magical beasts known as fairies would often bathe in them. A fairy was a spirit-type magical beast. Most well-known Spirit Springs were already claimed by powerful sects and families, which meant finding an unused one was very rare.

“Then it seems we are in luck,” Zhou Lihua said with a smile. “I found out that an auction taking place two months from now will have Fifteen Thousand Year Spirit Spring Water. That should suit your purposes nicely.”

“The Zhou Family is auctioning it?” asked Hou Jingshu.

“Correct. I tried to get them to give it to me… but I was denied.” Zhou Lihua smiled without mirth. “My standing among the Zhou Clan remains because I am Master Wong Jiu’s apprentice, but my reputation is low because I have not been able to perform despite the number of resources I have been given.”

Zhou Lihua had been unable to properly cultivate or refine alchemy pills ever since the Wu Clan’s destruction. The knowledge of his death had brought her a despair that could not be cured in a short amount of time.

A person’s mental state affected their ability to perform, whether that was alchemy or cultivation. When someone was disturbed, it created a sequela that prevented them from progressing.

“I don’t think you’ll need to worry about that much longer,” Wu Jian said. “Now that I’m here, it’s only a matter of time before you get back on track. I’ll also help you with your cultivation in whatever way I can.”

Zhou Lihua gave him a bright smile. “I would greatly appreciate that.”

Wu Jian grabbed something called dragon’s beard candy. It looked like a pillow of wrapped silk, but it was actually cotton candy that looked like hundreds of floss-like strands wrapped around crushed peanuts. The name dragon’s beard came from an old story. A chef made this candy before the Shang Kingdom’s first emperor as a form of entertainment. The emperor said the strands created when the chef stretched them into a semi-hardened ring reminded him of a dragon’s beard, and they were sticky enough to adhere to one’s face. Thus the name had been born.

It was one of the Shang Imperial Capital’s most popular confections.

“How much do you think I’ll need to buy the Spirit Spring Water?” asked Hou Jingshu as Wu Jian bit into the candy. The cotton candy was soft and fluffy, but the peanuts were crunchy, creating a unique dichotomy that he found pleasant.

Zhou Lihua cupped her chin. “I would say at least a million spirit coins, but you should probably bring five million or even ten million if you can. Spirit Spring water is a very powerful ingredient that’s used in many different alchemy pills. This is also fifteen thousand years old. It can be used in alchemy pills up to the sixth tier. We’re fortunate the Shang Kingdom does not have any six tier alchemists. My master is the highest ranking alchemist here. The rest are at the fourth tier.”

“Which means they won’t fight too hard for this if there’s something better that they can buy,” Hou Jingshu murmured. “Okay. I’ll begin getting the funds I need for this. It’s going to be expensive though, even for me.”

“We can auction off some of the items we got from the White Tiger Sect Ruins to get more money,” Wu Jian said. “If necessary, I’ll also auction the items I got for the Three Layered Red Yin Yang Pill.”

“Absolutely not!” Hou Jingshu placed her hands on the table and stared at him hard. “I don’t mind if we auction items we got from the White Tiger Sect Ruins off, but we should not under any circumstances sell the ingredients for the Three Layered Red Yin Yang Pill. Those ingredients are practically unheard of here.”

“Which is why we know they’ll sell,” Wu Jian answered mildly.

“But… you got those for yourself,” Hou Jingshu mumbled.

Wu Jian reached out and placed a hand over hers. “I appreciate that you’re thinking about me. Thank you. Like I said, we can decide later. We might not need to if you can get enough money.”

“I agree with Hou Jingshu,” Zhou Lihua said. She raised a hand as Wu Jian opened his mouth. “You don’t need to worry about the money. I can actually help Hou Jingshu acquire more if she needs it.”

Wu Jian bit his lip. “You have a plan?”

“I do,” Zhou Lihua said. “Would you like to know it?”

“Obviously.”

“Hee-hee. Okay. I’ll tell you then.”

Zhou Lihua’s smile as she told them of her plan reminded Wu Jian of the time when she recommended bringing an alchemist to compete with Tian Hao back when they were kids. It was her smile that actually let him know this was a good plan. He really did love her devious smiles.