Zhou Lihua informed them over breakfast one morning that the auction had been delayed. This came as a relief to them since it meant they had more time to accrue funds for it. The Fifteen Thousand Year Spirit Spring Water was a rare item that many alchemists coveted. What’s more, Cì Chuān was obviously aiming for it. He came from one of the wealthiest nations on the continent. There was no telling how deeply he had lined his pockets for this auction. They needed to gather as much money as they could to outbid him.

Their other hope was that the Three-Layered Red Yin-Yang Pill ingredients would earn them enough to compete with Cì Chuān on an even playing field. While it was a shame to let such incredible ingredients go, Wu Jian had determined Hou Jingshu’s father to be far more important. He could always gather more ingredients. There was only one Hou Jun.

Wu Jian was sitting with Hou Jingshu in the guest house, eating breakfast. A cornucopia of foods had been laid out for them on the low table. Wu Jian found himself enamored with the barbecued pork buns. The pork had been seasoned and cooked well. The buns were chewy and seemed to melt in his mouth.The egg tarts and spring rolls were also good.

Hou Jingshu’s sweet-toothed showed itself as she chowed on the steam custard buns. They were called nai wong bao and were characterized by their strong milky fragrance and yolk flavor. These ones were apparently filled with chestnut, egg yolk, and butter. She had hand fed one to Wu Jian and they were pretty good. He could see why she liked them so much, though he preferred heartier dishes.

Sitting beside them was Yōuměi. Wu Jian felt bad for keeping her in his shadow for so long, so he let her out whenever he could. She was eating at the table with them. There were several bowls before her, each filled with meat, milk, and egg yolks respectively. It had surprised him to learn that she really liked egg yolks.

“You’ll be taking the test to enroll in the academy today. Are you nervous?” asked Hou Jingshu.

“Not really,” Wu Jian answered before taking a bite out of his sixth steamed bun.

She smiled wryly. “I guess you wouldn’t be. The test will be a piece of cake with your cultivation. I doubt there’s anyone who will surpass you.”

“We might be surprised,” he said.

But she shook her head. “I know you don’t believe that. You’re at the Seventh Subrealm of the Asura Realm. Even among the inner court disciples, the ones who can match your cultivation are… two. Myself and one other. There’s no one else who can match you. Most of the people who enter the academy are at the first or second subrealm of the Hunger Realm.”

Wu Jian had only reached the Seventh Subrealm last night after Hou Jingshu had gone to sleep. It was a bit odd, but he found it surprisingly easy to meditate with the woman in his arms. He thought it was because meditating helped take his mind off her nakedness. It was hard to control himself around her, so he would often meditate while she slept to avoid touching her inappropriately while she slept.

They finished breakfast quickly, and Wu Jian donned his mask before following Hou Jingshu out the door. They passed several maidservants on the way. Most of them blushed, giggled, and whispered to the person next to them. Wu Jian strained his ears to listen in on their conversations.

“They were at it again last night. My friend was walking by the guest room and said she heard them moaning.”

“I never imagined our princess could be so promiscuous.”

“I’m shocked as well. Sleeping with a man before marriage is quite sinful. What will her future husband think when he learns she’s no longer pure.”

Her future husband is walking right beside her, you know?

Wu Jian didn’t say anything because he knew it wouldn’t benefit anyone, but he found it annoying that these people were judging Hou Jingshu. They didn’t know the full story. Anyone uninvolved in their love life should keep out of it--that’s what he would have liked to have happen, but he knew that was impossible. People were nosy.

Their carriage was waiting for them outside of the palace. Another surprise was also waiting for them.

“Yu Chenguang! What are you doing here?” asked Hou Jingshu.

“Your Highness, I am here to escort you both to the academy,” Yu Chenguang said with a traditional martial bow.

“Is there a reason for that?” asked Hou Jingshu.

Yu Chenguang shook his head. “Not particularly. I was just planning to go there myself. I’m going to help oversee the test and thought it would be more convenient to escort you.”

“Oh. Well, thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome, Your Highness.”

Wu Jian opened the door to the carriage and helped Hou Jingshu enter, then entered himself. Yu Chenguang was the last one in. While the two youngsters sat on one seat, close enough that their shoulders were touching, the man known as the strongest in the Shang Kingdom sat on the other side, silently observing the pair.

“You two get along very well,” he said at last.

“D-do we?” Hou Jingshu held her hands to her face as though to hide her blush.

Yu Chenguang nodded. “I never expected you to become so close to another man after… well, anyway, I suppose it’s a good thing that you’ve found someone you can trust. I’m happy for you.”

“Er… well, thank you, I guess.”

“I hope you will take care of Her Highness,” Yu Chenguang said to Wu Jian.

“I plan to take care of her for the rest of my life,” said Wu Jian.

“That’s a bold statement,” Yu Chenguang chuckled. It was hard to tell whether he was pleased, but he seemed accepting of their relationship if nothing else. The expression on his face left moments later. “I’ve taken the liberty of information Yin Wuhan’s family of his death. A memorial will be held in two days.”

“Thank you for letting me know,” Hou Jingshu said, eyes closed as she grimaced. “We’ll be sure to attend.”

Yu Chenguang nodded but said nothing else. Wu Jian could sense Hou Jingshu’s perilously fluctuating emotions, so he reached out and held her hand tightly. She squeezed back.

Shang Imperial City was quite large, so it took a while to reach their destination, but they eventually arrived at the Shang Kingdom Imperial Academy.

The academy was impressive. Multiple buildings created a massive complex of aesthetically pleasing buildings. Among them stood several pagodas. They were decorated in red and gold, and dragon statues stood watch atop the tiled roofs. Hou Jingshu told him that most of these pagodas were used to house students.

“So you’re also staying in one of those pagodas?” asked Wu Jian.

Hou Jingshu shook her head. “Core Disciples like myself have their own house located further in the academy. It’s past the inner courtyard, where all the inner court disciples are located. We might give fair treatment, but that doesn’t mean we don’t reward those who do well. Speaking of, you should take this.”

“What is this?” Wu Jian asked as Hou Jingshu handed him a medallion.

“This is a guest medallion to the inner courtyard. Since you’ll be attending as a regular student right now, you don’t have access to the inner courtyard where I’m staying. That will let you in.”

“I see. Thank you.”

Wu Jian stored the medallion inside of his storage ring just as their carriage pulled up to the steps that led to the academy. All three of them disembarked. There was a crowd of young people surrounding them. They weren’t students, but prospective students who were hoping to join the academy. Today was the admittance test, so it was probably busier than normal.

Of course, that meant their group was the center of attention.

“Hey! Hey! Isn’t that Yu Chenguang?!”

“It is! I’ve seen him during a parade before! He’s the strongest man in the kingdom!”

“Then that beautiful woman next to him must be Her Highness, Hou Jingshu, right?”

“Gotta be. Do you know any woman as gorgeous as her?”

“Well, they say Zhou Lihua of the Zhou Clan is even more beautiful.”

“Come off it! Even if she’s as beautiful as a jade sculpture, how can she compare to our princess?”

“Well… I guess you’re right.”

“Hey, hey. Who is that masked man standing next to Her Highness?”

“I don’t know. He looked kinda intimidating. Do you think he’s her bodyguard?”

“Maybe? I thought Wu Yong was her bodyguard.”

Wu Jian had known this would happen and even prepared for it. He was fortunate that this happened a lot at the Wu Clan too, if not on the same scale. It looked like there were thousands of people staring at them.

Yu Chenguang turned to them and smiled briefly. “This is where we part ways. I must go prepare for the admittance test. Good luck.”

“Thank you,” said Wu Jian.

“I’ll see you later, Yu Chenguang,” added Hou Jingshu.

Yu Chenguang nodded to Wu Jian, bowed to Hou Jingshu, and removed a sword from his storage ring. It was a plain blade with no adornments, but it looked well-made. The sword hovered in the air as Yu Chenguang leapt on it and flew up the stairs.

“So that’s the famous Sword Flying Technique,” said Wu Jian. “It’s my first time seeing it.”

“It’s a simple technique to learn but hard to execute and maintain,” Hou Jingshu told him as she slipped her arms through his. “What you do is channel your chi through a sword to make it float. You can control how high or fast you go by the amount of chi you pump into the technique. Of course, normal swords can’t be used for this technique. You need a spirit weapon to use it--one specifically meant for the Flying Sword Technique.”

“So that means my Tiger’s Fang won’t work,” he mused.

“Probably not,” Hou Jingshu agreed.

Tiger’s Fang was what he had named the greatsword he now wielded. He had given it that name because he did not know if it had a name and the blade looked like the fang of a tiger or some other feline beast. Given that he had acquired it in the White Tiger Sect Ruins, Tiger’s Fang just seemed the most appropriate.

They spoke of cultivation, weapons, and the academy as they ascended the long flight of stairs. Everyone they passed stared at them, but they ignored the onlookers. It wasn’t long before they reached the top and Wu Jian got his first close look at the academy entrance.

The entrance was a massive structure with no doors. A large pavilion with an overhanging roof held aloft by massive red pillars greeted them. Before the entrance were several tables with middle-aged men and women sitting behind them. Prospective students walked up to the table, were handed a tablet, then walked into the pavilion.

“I’ll have to leave you here. I know you don’t need it, but good luck on your test,” Hou Jingshu said, holding his hand in both of hers.

“Yeah. Thank you. I’ll visit you once I’m settled in,” Wu Jian said.

“Mmm. I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Hou Jingshu hesitated a second longer, then reluctantly let his hand slide from her grasp. She smiled at him one last time before leaving the area. He watched her until she disappeared into the pavilion, then turned his attention to the tables. It looked like that was where he needed to go first.

“Hey! You’re the guy who was standing with Her Highness!”

Almost immediately after getting in line, someone called out to him. It was a young man who looked a year or two older than Wu Jian. He had brown hair several shades lighter than Wu Jian’s black and brown eyes. Standing beside him was a petite woman around the same age. Her hair was much lighter, a brown bordering on blonde. That was quite rare in this kingdom. She was short and had small features that made her resemble a cute rabbit.

“Do you need something from me?” asked Wu Jian.

“Huh? Oh, no. Sorry. I was just shocked when I suddenly realized you were standing with us. Oh! Forgot to introduce myself. My name is Ding Hong! It’s nice to meet you.”

“Jian Wu… a pleasure.”

Ding Hong grinned as he gripped Wu Jian’s hand in a handshake.

“The little one beside me is Bai Yazhu. Don’t let her stature fool you. This woman is as viscous as a--owch! Ow! Ow! That’s my foot you’re stepping on!”

“Idiot,” Bai Yazhu mumbled as she took her foot off his. She had been grinding her heel into the man’s toes.

“See what I mean?” said Ding Hong.

Wu Jian raised an eyebrow even though they couldn’t see it. “Isn’t that your fault for insulting her?”

“Thank you,” said Bai Yazhu. She glared at her companion. “See? This man has sense. You should get some too.”

“I have plenty of sense,” Ding Hong muttered.

“Doesn’t seem that way to me,” said Wu Jian.

“Just who’s side are you on?!”

The line moved relatively fast. Wu Jian decided to spend that time talking to the pair since they seemed nice enough. He doubted he would remember them, but that was fine. He wasn’t really here to make friends.

The three of them were all given a medallion and told to head into the entrance pavilion. Once inside, Wu Jian saw a large stage in the center and a massive black obelisk near the back of the hall. Standing on the stage was Yu Chenguang and several middle-aged cultivators who Wu Jian guessed were instructors. A crowd had already gathered around them, so Wu Jian, Ding Hong, and Bai Yazhu joined the crowd and waited for the admittance test to begin.