Hou Jingshu stiffened up like a wood plank. While Zhou Lihua studied her friend in worry, Wu Jian turned around to find Hou Chāo naught but several jin away. He wore the same arrogant smirk Wu Jian remembered from last time. Mixed in that expression, however, was anger.

Hou Chāo wore different clothing this time than he had last time. The red hanfu looked like flames that writhed as he moved. Whatever the fabric was made from, it must have been very expensive. The bo staff he had used last time was attached to his back.

He also wasn’t alone. There was a group of at least ten people behind him. They were all men around his age, but there was one person who stood out from the rest. He was an older man with gray hair, wrinkles around his mouth, and slits for eyes. It looked like they were permanently closed, making Wu Jian wonder how this man could see.

These people must belong to the Burning Hand Sect. None of them are very strong. However… that man is dangerous. I can’t sense his cultivation, so he’s either at the Human Limit Realm or using an artifact to hide his strength.

No one in the Burning Hand Sect should have been at the Human Limit Realm--at least, to the best of his knowledge. If this man was that strong, then it meant the Burning Hand Sect was keeping information from the royal family. That was a treasonous act.

“Oi! What’s the matter? Aren’t you gonna greet your dear brother?” asked Hou Chāo .

“Jingshu…” Zhou Lihua muttered.

“I’m fine.” Hou Jingshu smiled at her friend, then took a deep breath, turned around, and addressed her brother. “Hello, brother. It has been a long time. Have you been well?”

Hou Chāo snorted. “You still speak so civilly, I see. Don’t you get tired of speaking so politely to someone who hates your guts? Or are you just so spineless that you can’t even stand up to me?”

“It is neither,” Hou Jingshu said with a poise she didn’t feel. Her hands were shaking. “I speak like this because it is expected of me as the Shang Kingdom’s princess. I cannot afford to display inelegance and bring embarrassment upon my family. You should follow my example and practice prudence, lest you bring shame upon the Hou Family.”

Hou Chāo clicked his tongue. “I see you’ve found your backbone. Good for you, little sis. I hope you don’t think that’s gonna change anything between us. I’ll never stop hating you.” Hou Jingshu bit her lower lip, but Hou Chāo was already ignoring her, shifting his attention to Wu Jian. “And don’t think I’ve forgotten the humiliating defeat I suffered at your hands either. I plan to redeem myself at this tournament. I’ll show you how strong I am.”

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if that’s your goal, I wouldn’t even bother fighting in this tournament,” said Wu Jian.

Hou Chāo furrowed his brow. “Oh? And why is that? Go on. Enlighten me.”

“Sure. Hou Jingshu is far stronger than you are. You’ll only embarrass yourself if you enter this tournament.”

Hou Chāo ’s face grew stormy and turned a bright puce. Several veins throbbed on his forehead. His arms shook as he clenched both hands so hard that his knuckles turned white. While his mouth was closed, it was easy to tell from the pressure on his jaw that he was clenching his teeth.

The men behind Hou Chāo laughed and jeered.

“You hear that?! He thinks she can beat you?”

“Well, if we’re talking about looks, then she’s got you beat!”

“Heh. Are you gonna put up with that, Hou Chāo ?”

“Show him who’s boss!”

“You think that girl is stronger than me?” he asked.

Wu Jian tilted his head. “It’s not about what I think. I’ve fought you both. She would decimate you if the two of you were to meet in battle.”

“I see. Well, you seem awfully confident in her abilities if nothing else.”

“Of course. I love Jingshu. What kind of man would I be if I didn’t have absolute faith in my woman?”

“Wha--ah! W--Jian Wu?!”

Hou Jingshu squawked as Wu Jian pulled her into his chest and held her close. Her face was buried against him so it was impossible to see her expression, but her ears were burning bright red. A second passed before she wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled herself even closer. This was all done under the watchful eyes of Hou Chāo and the other members of the Burning Hand Sect.

“A-are those two… involved?” asked one member.

“Well, that’s what he said, isn’t it?”

“But I mean… she’s the Shang Kingdom’s princess and he’s some no-name cultivator, right? There’s no way she would be allowed to get involved with someone so undistinguished…”

“It’s gotta be because the emperor is sick. He must not be able to reign in his daughter since he’ bedridden.”

“I feel bad for our kingdom.”

While the younger members of the Burning Hand Sect talked amongst themselves, the older man, who Wu Jian guessed was an elder, studied him and Hou Jingshu with a serious gaze. Something about the way he looked at them made the hairs on his neck stand on end.

Yu Mao was also looking at Hou Jingshu with a bright red face. “Big Sister, have you already climbed the stairs to adulthood?”

Zhou Lihua placed a hand on the girl’s head. “You are far too young to be speaking like that. Come. Let us step back and not interfere here.”

“Mmmmm. Okay.”

“Is this true, little sis? Are you involved with this man?” asked Hou Chāo .

Hou Jingshu pulled her head away from Wu Jian’s chest to eye Hou Chāo . Her arms were still around his waist and her face was redder than a flame, but she still met her older brother’s eyes.

“I am.”

“I see.” Hou Chāo appeared conflicted, but he eventually snorted. “Well, good for you. You found yourself a strong man if nothing else. I’m sure you’ll be fine if you lean on him.” He turned around and began walking off, but then stopped and craned his neck to pin his sister with a glare. “However, it doesn’t matter how much support he gives you. It won’t stop me from humiliating you when the time comes.”

The other young disciples followed after Hou Chāo , but the elder remained a moment longer to stare at Wu Jian before he, too, turned around and left.

“That was an unpleasant experience,” Zhou Lihua finally spoke. “Are you okay, Jingshu?”

“I’m… not really, but I will be,” Hou Jingshu said.

“Is that why you’re still within Jian Wu’s embrace? Or are you doing this to make me jealous?” asked Zhou Lihua.

“Ah?!”

Hou Jingshu leapt out of Wu Jian’s arms, stumbling back as she tripped over her own feet. She waved her hands before her like she was warding them off. Her cheeks looked like lava. Wu Jian almost thought he saw steam rising from her head. He was tempted to see if he could fry an egg on her.

“N-no! I wasn’t trying to make you jealous or anything! I-I promise!”

But her words had no effect on the fox-like woman. Zhou Lihua merely placed a hand on her head and shifted her expression to one of mock sorrow. Wu Jian wondered if Hou Jingshu realized the woman was toying with her.

“I’m not so sure I believe you. It really is lamentable how you can so freely display your love for him, and yet I have to pretend we are merely friends. Don’t you feel bad for me? You shouldn’t flaunt your relationship with him so openly if you value our friendship.”

“I told you it isn’t like that!!” Hou Jingshu’s screams rang out across the town.

***

The dark night masked the presence of the man walking through the streets. He wore a cloak that was just a few shades lighter than pure black. Nobody else was present, but even so, he kept his footsteps completely silent as he wandered into an alley.

A figure stood at the end of the alley. He was a handsome man with white skin, thin eyebrows, and defined features. He wore a cloak similar to the man. It had no identifying marks that would give away his affiliation.

The man smiled when he saw him. “Are you my contact from the Burning Flame Pavilion?”

“Hmph. I am. My name is Yi Fu.”

“Well met. I’m Shao Yimu.”

“So you’re the infamous assassin of the Wind-Lightning Pavilion? Your reputation precedes you.”

“I’m glad I have such a strong reputation, but being a well-known entity isn’t good for an assassin. Well, I guess it can’t be helped at this point.”

The pair gave each other a martial bow, but it was only a courtesy, a token gesture. These two might have been allies right now. However, they were only allies of circumstance. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

“I saw that you met Jian Wu. What did you think of him?” asked Shao Yimu.

“He will be a problem in the future,” said Yi Fu.

“Is he really that strong?”

“Yes.” Yi Fu cupped his chin in his hand. “That young man has only reached the peak of the Asura Realm, but I’ve heard many rumors about him. I did not believe them at first… however, after seeing him in person, I am more inclined to believe they are true. You can tell just by looking at him that he is incredibly strong.”

Shao Yimu nodded. “I’m glad we are both on the same page. I had the chance to see him once before, and it seems he has only grown stronger since then. I wouldn’t be able to defeat him in a head-on confrontation. How about you?”

“… I do not believe I could beat him,” Yi Fu reluctantly admitted.

Yi Fu had taken great pains to study Jian Wu during Hou Chāo ’s confrontation with his sister, and what he had seen was quite shocking. That young man exuded a strength well above his cultivation. Standing before him had been like standing in front of a tiger. Even though he was not doing anything threatening, Yi Fu’s instincts had screamed at him that this young man was dangerous.

“You too, huh? If the Burning Flame Pavilion’s ancestor can’t even defeat him, then I guess he really is a threat,” Shao Yimu said.

To the people of the Shang Kingdom, Yi Fu was a simple elder for the Burning Hand Sect, but the truth was that he belonged to the Burning Flame Pavilion as their ancestor.

Ancestors were previous sect masters who stepped down from their position to focus primarily on studying the martial dao to increase their cultivation. Most would isolate themselves and only come down from their mountains when their sect was in trouble. It wasn’t wrong to think of them as a sect’s ace in the whole, their secret weapon.

The fact that he had been asked to come down and infiltrate a sect of the Shang Kingdom went to show how important this mission was. Success or failure would make or break the Burning Flame Pavilion. If they failed here, their entire sect would be uprooted. There was no room for failure, and thus, the sect master had personally come to ask Yi Fu to partake in this mission. He was to be their secret weapon against anomalies like Wu Jian.

And yet…

“We may need to have your sect’s ancestor team up with me to remove Jian Wu,” said Yi Fu.

“It still shocks me to hear that someone who has reached the Deva Realm is afraid to fight a cultivator who’s only at the peak of the Asura Realm,” Shao Yimu said.

Yi Fu glared. “That just goes to show you how much of a threat that man is. He killed the Hell Ape in single combat. Even I would struggle against a monster like that. I personally think we should get rid of him as soon as possible. He will become completely unmanageable if he reaches an even higher level of cultivation.”

“And you know why we can’t do that,” Shao Yimu said. “Killing him now would make the Shang Kingdom aware that something is happening. If they send a request for help to the Heavenly Sword Pavilion, our invasion will be over before it can even begin.”

“Assassination won’t work?”

Shao Yimu shrugged. “I would have already done so if I thought I could assassinate him in such a way that it wouldn’t cast suspicion. However, I don’t think it is possible, especially since he is always with that princess.”

Yi Fu closed his eyes. “And we cannot kill the princess. She is needed for our plans.”

The reason the Hou Family had been the nation’s ruler since its founding was because they carried the blood of dragons. Specifically, they carried the blood of the Azure Dragon. Only someone who carried Azure Dragon’s blood could rule this nation because they were the key to unlocking this nation’s secrets--or so the legends went. Yi Fu was somewhat skeptical, but it was true this nation had been founded by someone with that god’s blood running through their veins.

“I guess that means we have no choice but to watch him for now,” Shao Yimu contemplated this, then shrugged. “I’ll send a missive to my sect master and let him know we may need help. Has there been any word from the Martial God Pavilion?”

Yi Fu shook his head. “Not directly, but Little Yi has informed me that they are planning to fight on the eastern front alongside the Zhou Kingdom. They will not spare any manpower for covert ops.”

“Tch. That’s just like them. Bunch of meatheads,” Shao Yimu growled.

Yi Fu shrugged. He cared not for the Martial God Pavilion, nor the Wind-Lightning Pavilion if he was being honest. Were this partnership not necessary for the success of their plan, he would have told Duo Long not to even bother with them. They could take a bigger piece of the pie if they conquered this kingdom by themselves.

“I will continue watching the situation for now. Should the worst come, I will simply use Hou Chāo as a hostage. He’s an idiot, but he is still this nation’s second prince. They won’t let him die,” said Yi Fu.

Shao Yimu slowly nodded. “All right. Then I’ll keep watch from the shadows and let you know of any new developments.”

“Very well.”

Shao Yimu raised his hood and stepped back, blending into the darkness of the building’s shadow until he disappeared. Yi Fu looked at where the young man had been standing, scoffed, and turned on his heel to leave.

A cold wind blew through the alley.