Wu Jian was too shocked to speak for a moment. His hand went up to his mask, fingers caressing the cool surface. It was an instinctive reaction to the words this man spoke--and he was definitely a man. Of that Wu Jian had no doubts anymore. His voice was too deep to be a woman’s.

“Unfortunately, My Lord, my honor has been stained, and I made a promise to myself to not remove this mask until I have restored my honor,” Wu Jian said. Bringing his hand away from his mask, he performed a standard martial bow.

Rather than being put out, Mun Han appeared quite intrigued. He summoned a fan, snapped it open, and fanned himself, all the while smiling in delight.

“Oh, my. Oh my oh my. You are quite the honorable young man, aren’t you? Very well. I shan't impinge on one’s honor. Now then, allow me to introduce myself.”

The man performed a sweeping and elaborate bow quite unlike the standard martial bows that were a staple greeting within the cultivation world. This bow had him sweeping back one leg, folding his right hand across his waist, and bowing low enough that his body ran parallel to the floor. It was so theatrical that made him look like a street performer.

“I am Mun Han. I’m sure you already know that, however. I am also the lord of Mencho City.”

He came back up from his bow, eyes glittering as he stared at Wu Jian, who shifted underneath that strangely piercing and unusual gaze.

“Tell me, what do you think of my city? Is it to your liking?”

“It’s a very prosperous city,” Wu Jian agreed. “A bit too crowded for my liking.”

“Not a fan of crowds?”

“I come from the countryside, so I’m not used to them.” Realizing he had yet to introduce himself, Wu Jian said, “my name is Jian Wu. It’s an honor to meet you, Lord Mun. And this is Yu Qiang. He has been accompanying me.”

“You mean babysitting,” said Yu Qiang with a wry smile.

“I mean accompanying.”

Mun Han’s eyes glittered as they locked onto Yu Qiang. “The nephew of the famous war hero, Yu Chenguang, huh? It is quite the honor to meet you. I’ve heard great things. Rumors say you are not only an amazing cultivator, but that you are also quite cultured.”

“Thank you… but to be honest, I have been feeling quite inadequate as a cultivator these past few weeks,” said Yu Qiang with a glance at Wu Jian.

“It seems there is a story here, but I won’t pry right now.” The man whose long hair was pink enough to put a peach to shame clasped his hands behind his back. “I’m sure you are both wandering why I called you here, so let me explain my reasons. First, I just wanted to meet the young man who created such an upset in my arena these past few days. Second, there was someone else who wanted to meet you. He should be here any moment now.”

So we weren’t called here by Mun Han but someone else, and they used Mun Han to summon us? That means whoever wanted to meet with us has more power than the lord of a city. They’re either from a powerful sect or part of the royal family.

Wu Jian and Yu Qiang spent the several minutes waiting by making small talk with Mun Han, who was wildly flamboyant. His gestures were grand and all-encompassing. Talking with this man felt like watching someone perform a stage play. However, Mun Han did not seem like a bad person. He was just very… enthusiastic. He seemed to enjoy theatrics.

The doors abruptly swung wide open halfway into their conversation and a man stepped through. He didn’t look much older than Yu Qiang. His hair was dark brown and cut short. A single bang hovered over his left eye. The color of his eyes was a shade of light blue that reminded him of his lover and the Shang Kingdom’s first princess. He had a sharp chin and strong jawline, and his lips were twisted in an arrogant smirk.

He wore a sleeveless training gi. The simple black gi was unadorned. Strapped across his back was a bo staff that was even longer than the man was tall. It was a deep red bordering on crimson and had gold studs on either end.

The man walked forward with something of an arrogant swagger. Wu Jian wondered who this man was. He must have been important if he was allowed to barge into the city lord’s chambers unannounced like this.

“Ah. You’re here,” said Mun Han.

“I came as soon as I heard the news.” The man’s voice still contained a trace of youth, but it was tempered in arrogance. He eyed Wu Jian and Yu Qiang. “So, which one is it?”

“It is that man. His name is Jian Wu.” Mun Han gestured toward Wu Jian. “Jian Wu, the man standing before you is Hou Chāo , second prince of the Shang Kingdom and currently a member of the Burning Flame Sect.”

So this was Hou Chāo . Wu Jian knew only a little about him. From what Hou Jingshu said, Hou Chāo was a very reckless individual who lacked his older brother’s political acumen. Hou Chāo had left the palace over a year ago to join the Burning Flame Sect. Hou Jingshu did not know why, but she suspected the man was trying to gather supporters in a bid for the throne, just like how Hou Gun had joined the Saintly Sword Sect for that very reason.

The Burning Flame Sect and Saintly Sword Sect were two of the three most powerful sects in the Shang Kingdom, making them rivals. That explained why Hou Chāo joined them. If he wanted to compete with his older brother, he needed the backing of a strong sect, and he couldn’t join the Ice Phoenix Sect, which was composed entirely of women. That left the Burning Flame Sect.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Second Prince Hou Chāo .” Wu Jian gave the man a martial bow. “I have heard a lot about you from Jingshu.”

The man stopped halfway. He blinked several times. “Jingshu? You call royalty Jingshu? Ha ha ha! Interesting. Are you close to my lil sis?”

“I would like to think so,” said Wu Jian.

“Interesting. Very interesting. You don’t seem to be lying, so I guess I’ll take your word for it. Tell me, then, just how is my lil sis doing?”

“She is doing well. I’m sure you know this, but she’s currently trying to cure your father. She technically has all of the ingredients she needs to refine the Nirvana Soothing Pill. A small complication has arisen that’s forced us to wait, but we should be ready to refine it soon.”

“You mean she actually managed to find all the ingredients?!” Hou Chāo blinked rapidly as he took a step forward. He looked truly stunned.

“Yes.”

The man needed several moments to think up a response. “Huh. Huuuh. Well, good on her then. I didn’t think it was possible, but if she can cure father, then I welcome it. Heh. Guess I underestimated her.”

Now it was Wu Jian’s turn to be surprised. The man seemed to genuinely want his father to get better, though his gruff voice might make an unobservant person think otherwise.

Emperor Hou Gun had been poisoned, and while no one knew who exactly was responsible, Hou Jingshu suspected one of her brothers. It was sad that she was unable to trust her own kin, but Wu Jian knew that people weren’t always kind just because you were family. Some might plot in the background to betray you when your guard was down. He still remembered how much trouble the former head elder of his clan had been when he betrayed them.

It didn’t seem like Hou Chāo was responsible for his father’s condition, though Wu Jian couldn’t deny the possibility that this man was just a really good actor.

I should probe him a little deeper… but not right now. Asking too many questions might make me look suspicious.

“Lord Mun said you wished to see me,” said Wu Jian.

“That’s right!” Hou Chāo snapped his fingers. “I hear you’re really strong. You’ve defeated every opponent in the arena with a single blow. That’s incredible! I want to experience that strength for myself.” He pointed at Wu Jian and grinned. “That’s why you and I are gonna have ourselves a brawl! A real mano e mano showdown!”

Is that the reason he had the city lord summon us? This guy seems to have nothing but brawling all the brain.

He was getting a pretty clear picture as to what kind of person Hou Chāo was, though it was still too soon to say anything definite. Either way, this was a good opportunity.

“All right. We can have a match,” Wu Jian said with a nod.

Hou Chāo slapped his knee. “Ha ha! I knew you were the type! You’re just like me, aintcha? The idea of a good brawl gets the blood pumping!”

Wu Jian smiled but said nothing. He did like pushing himself and testing his limits against strong opponents, but he was by no means a battle maniac like this guy seemed to be. Still, if letting this man think they were alike would let him get closer, then who was he to argue?

“You can set up our match, right?” Hou Chāo asked Mun Han.

Mun Han bowed. “It shall be done, Your Highness. I can set up the match as early as tomorrow.”

“Then get to it.”

“Of course.”

“Heh. I look forward to our match.” Hou Chāo grinned at Wu Jian, but then his gaze shifted to the young man standing beside him. He narrowed his eyes. “Hmm. You’re Yu Qiang, right?”

“I’m honored that you remember me,” said Yu Qiang with a martial bow.

“Well, it’s hard to forget a man of your strength. I still owe ya for beatin’ me in our exhibition match last year, but that’s gonna wait until after I fight Jian Wu here.”

Yu Qiang wore a placid smile. “I’m afraid you’ll find me lacking after fighting Jian Wu. He is much stronger than I am.”

“Is that so? Well, now I’m really looking forward to our match. See you in the arena.”

Hou Chāo left not long after getting Mun Han to make the arrangements for their match. The man was like the wind, coming and going as he pleased. He didn’t seem to be much of a planner either.

Could it be Hou Chāo is actually kind of an idiot?

The man didn’t strike Wu Jian as dumb, but he was definitely not a planner. He seemed too whimsical for that. It brought another concern to mind, something Hou Jingshu had told him a while back.

The Burning Flame Sect may be in league with the Burning Flame Pavilion of the Ming Province. There’s no evidence to suggest this right now, but it would not surprise me. If that is the case, then it means the Burning Flame Pavilion already has a group of powerful cultivators inside of the Shang Kingdom…

Burning Flame Sect. Burning Flame Pavilion. The two names were very similar. Wu Jian would not be surprised to learn that the Burning Flame Sect was merely a branch of the Burning Flame Pavilion.

Nobody was openly hostile with the Shang Kingdom despite their weak position because of their alliance with the Heavenly Sword Sect, but that did not mean the situation would always be like this. What the Shang Kingdom lacked in high-tier cultivation resources, it made up for in an overabundance of lower-tier resources. That was the sole reason other nations coveted their country. Wu Jian hoped he was just being paranoid. However, he couldn’t help the bad feeling that traveled down his spine.