Forced to sit by his mother and watch as his younger sister took control over the flow of events, Hou Gun had never felt more disgust than he did while they were eating dinner. He could barely even taste the food. It was only thanks to his talent at keeping an expressionless face that no one noticed the dark thoughts swirling around inside of him.

“Now that we are fed, I believe it is time we discuss matters concerning the Four Great Pavilions and their unlawful invasion of the Shang Kingdom,” said Hou Jingshu.

Hou Jingshu had begun to look a lot more regal as of late. She was dressed in an elegant hanfu colored with varying shades of pink. Several stands of hair had been tied into elegant braids that trailed down her head, while the rest sat in a bun held together with two hairpins that emitted chi.

Hou Gun still remembered a time when this little girl had been nothing more than a naive child who listened to everything he said. All that changed after she returned from the countryside. The innocent little girl had become as fierce as a dragon.

“I agree. However, I have some unfortunate news that I must inform you of,” Zhe Fēnglì began, expression grave. “It isn’t just the Four Great Pavilions that have invaded. On our way here, we discovered that the Zhou Kingdom has also invaded. An army of roughly fifty thousand Zhou Kingdom cultivators have made their way past The Great Wall.”

“What?!”

Hou Jingshu leapt to her feet and slammed her hands onto the table. Such actions flew in the face of decorum, but no one present looked like they blamed her for it. Hou Gun barely managed to contain his snicker as the blood drained from his sister’s face.

Zhe Fēnglì looked at her in sympathy. “I know this must come as a great shock.”

“I apologize for my lack of decorum.” Hou Jingshu sat back down, though it was more like she slumped in her chair. “It’s more than just shocking. Why am I only learning about this now? Why did the soldiers guarding The Great Wall not send word of this themselves?”

“I don’t know how best to tell you this, but I believe whoever was in charge of guarding The Great Wall has betrayed you.” Zhe Fēnglì picked up the teacup and swallowed the tea in a single gulp. He sighed, set the cup down, and looked at her again. “I did some reconnaissance before we arrived. There was no sign of a fight taking place near The Great Wall, and I saw Emperor Cì Shā speaking with a man wearing extravagant robes.”

“What did this man look like?” asked Hou Jingshu.

“He was an older man with long black hair and black eyes. He was tall and thin and had a gentle-looking face, though his expression was disgustingly arrogant.”

Hou Jingshu bit the inside of her lower lip. “That’s Yong Mihong. He’s the head of the Yong Clan, who is in charge of guarding The Great Wall. It seems he really has betrayed us…”

Of course he did. I promised him a lot of wealth in exchange for betraying the Shang Kingdom.

Hou Gun had been working in the shadows for years to prepare for this invasion. Ever since he poisoned his father. Yong Mihong was but one of several dissatisfied nobles who longed for power.

Power was everything to the people of this continent. Those who didn’t have it wanted it, and those who already had it wanted more. Humanity was filled with greed. Hou Gun had used the greed these nobles had to sway them to his side with promises of more power and wealth.

“I apologize for being forced to bring such bad news, but we cannot dwell on what’s already happened. Right now, we need to decide on a plan of action to deal with them. The Zhou Kingdom’s forces have already encroached upon much of the Shang Kingdom’s territory. They were several days away from reaching Mencho City when I found them. I’m sure they’ll have occupied the city by now,” said Zhe Fēnglì.

Hou Jingshu took a deep breath. That she could regain her calm so quickly irritated Hou Gun, but he still said nothing. His mother sat right beside him. She was a sharp woman. He could ill-afford to do something that would give away his dark designs.

“Can I count on you for support?” asked Hou Jingshu.

Zhe Fēnglì smiled and placed a hand against his chest. “But of course. I am here to help your kingdom. While the forces I brought with me from the Heavenly Sword Sect consist of just us three, you can also call upon the Saintly Sword Sect for reinforcements.”

“Thank you. You mentioned the Zhou Kingdom brought a force of fifty thousand. Numbers are important, but it is even more important to know the overall strength of their cultivators. Were you able to get a good estimation of their army’s individual powers?”

“Yes. The vast majority of their forces are at the Hunger Realm and Anima Realm. I’d say more than ninety-nine percent are around this level. They have roughly ten commanders at the peak of the Human Limit Realm. This includes Cì Han, the emperor’s eldest son. He’s a half-step Deva Realm cultivator. Aside from him, there are four Deva Realm cultivators. Emperor Cì Shā is the strongest at the peak of the Deva Realm, followed by his Three Heavenly Generals, who are all at the Deva Realm’s second subrealm.”

Hou Jingshu looked down at her teacup and furrowed her brow. She pursed her lips. Hou Gun turned away from her to look at Bèipàn Zhě, the lustful young man who had been eying her ever since they arrived. As the young swordsman licked his lips, Hou Gun wondered if he could convince this man to betray the Heavenly Sword Sect by offering his sister to him.

“If I remember right, the Zhou Kingdom’s Three Heavenly Generals are Sing Xiuying, Xuan Su, and Jiang Yijun,” Hou Jingshu said at last.

“That is correct,” said Zhe Fēnglì.

“I don’t know much about them, but the rumors are they’re disgusting men who go around sexually assaulting women because they can,” Hou Jingshu said.

“I’ve heard similar rumors,” Zhe Fēnglì confirmed.

“Zhe Fēnglì, I would like you to head back to the Saintly Sword Sect and gather a force. Your job will be to stall them for as long as possible. Do not fight them directly. Use whatever tactics you can to avoid a direct confrontation and prevent them from further encroaching upon our territory.”

“I shall do as Your Highness commands,” said Zhe Fēnglì.

Dinner soon ended and plans were completed. Hou Gun made sure to memorize everything being said. After dinner, he left for his private residence, sat down at his desk, and began penning a letter to his cohorts. The time for them to act was soon.

***

The nightsky shone brilliantly with millions of stars, but the exhausted Hou Jingshu could hardly be bothered to pay attention. She wanted nothing more than to lie on her bed and pretend the world didn’t exist. All she wanted was for Wu Jian to return to her side, but she knew that was impossible right now. He was somewhere inside of the Zhou Kingdom. Now that she knew the kingdom had invaded her home, she was worried they might have captured or even killed him.

It had just been one disaster after another ever since Wu Jian left. The Four Great Pavilions of the Ming Province had invaded, the Shang Kingdom citizens who lived in their path had been forced to evacuate and their lands had been scorched, and now the Zhou Kingdom was attacking. They were clearly in league with the Ming Province. Their attack was far too coincidental.

To make matters worse, Hou Jingshu was the only person with the authority to make decisions. Her father was bedridden, her second eldest brother was comatose, and her eldest brother was not making any moves to take that authority from her. His actions were suspiscious. Hou Gun had been secretly causing trouble in his vie for the throne for at least half a decade. That he was not doing anything now made her wonder if something had happened.

While Hou Jingshu would have liked to be left to her thoughts, she was unable to do that, and instead, she had no choice but to sit inside of a large and elegantly furnished room. Sitting opposite her was Fengli Cai. The older woman sat with her back straight, posture proud, as she sipped a cup of fruit wine the maids had poured for her.

“I did not expect you to come all this way, Mother,” Hou Jingshu said.

“Haaah. You do not need to refer to me by that title here. No one is around to hear you, and I know we have never been close,” Fengli Cai said. Her voice was cold, but her words were not.

“Very well. May I ask why you have called me here?” Hou Jingshu acquiesed easily enough. She was not close to Fengli Cai and never had been. They were practically strangers.

“With my husband bedridden, Hou Chao in a coma, and my wastrel of a son incapable of ruling, you are the only person who can make any decisions for this kingdom’s future,” Fengli Cai said.

“So you want me to do something that only someone with authority can do,” said Hou Jingshu.

In the event that the emperor was sick, authority would fall onto the next person in line for the throne. That would normally be Hou Gun. However, his mother had refused to let him take over. Hou Chao would have come after that, but he was comatose. That left Hou Jingshu as the only person capable of ruling right now.

The Shang Kingdom did not have a prime minister. Standing at the top was the emperor, and below him were the noble clans who served under him. All laws proposed by the emperor were absolute. The various sects lacked any political power, but they were a power unto themselves. Similarly, the Three Celestial Sects were not allowed to affect any laws involving the governance of the Shang Kingdom, but the emperor was also not allowed to interfere in sect business unless it directly harmed the nation.

“Not quite. I merely wish for you to be aware of your situation right now.” Fengli Cai paused. “The Shang Kingdom has always been a patriarchal society. While women can rise to power, it is very rare. Even I am relegated to an elder of the Saintly Sword Sect despite being more powerful than Húndàn Qie. You will face a lot of opposition, but you must stand firm. Do not yield if a noble clan attempts to push you around.”

Hou Jingshu slowly raised her cup to her lips. The fruit wine was sweet. A little too sweet for her tastes, but this was Fengli Cai’s favorite drink.

“Thank you for the warning,” she said, setting her cup down. “I am aware of my position and what I must do, but it’s a good reminder.”

Fengli Cai nodded, then changed the subject. “Tell me, where is Jian Wu? I expected him to be with you.”

“Jian Wu is currently… away,” she confessed.

The other woman raised an eyebrow. “Away where?”

Hou Jingshu frowned, wondering if she should say, but it wasn’t like keeping this a secret would benefit her. She told Fengli Cai that he had been assigned to escort Zhou Lihua to the Zhou Kingdom for the Young Alchemist Tournament. The woman’s expression didn’t change. However, Hou Jingshu thought she could sense the disappointment radiating from her.

“It is unfortunate that he is not here. His strength would surely be useful.” Hou Jingshu agreed. “I sensed his potential during the tournament. That young man will grow into an extraordinary powerhouse--provided he is not killed by those who fear his potential. I believe his strength will be necessary if you wish to solidify your position.”

Hou Jingshu had no desire to solidify her position. She did not long for dominion but merely wanted to cultivate and fight strong opponents. Fate had simply decided she would be the one who controlled the fate of the Shang Kingdom. It truly was a cruel mistress.

“Hopefully, he will arrive soon,” Hou Jingshu said.

“You cannot dare to hope. We must assume he is either dead or stuck inside of the Zhou Kingdom… or he has betrayed us,” said Fengli Cai.

“Jian Wu would never do that!” Hou Jingshu slammed her hands on the table, causing the cups to jump, and glared at Fengli Cai. “Since you asked that I drop formalities while we are in private, allow me to say this. If you ever dare to utter such sacriligous views again, I will never forgive you. I do not care that you are my father’s wife or the daughter of a Heavenly Sword Sect’s elder. Do not test my patience.”

Fengli Cai calmly met Hou Jingshu’s glare. She took a sip of wine and let the silence linger. Hou Jingshu did not back down and continued to stare hard at the woman who dared insult the man she loved.

“If you are that defensive over him, then I have no choice but to believe you. You’ll not hear me utter another word against him,” Fengli Cai said at last.

“Thank you,” said Hou Jingshu.

“There is another reason I called you here anyway,” Fengli Cai admitted.

Hou Jingshu warily eyed the woman. “And that is?”

“My son. He has been acting suspiciously lately. The reason I decided to come here was to keep an eye on him. I would also like you to have some people keep watch as well.”

“You think… he might be a traitor?” Hou Jingshu couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She did not like Hou Gun anymore, but he was still her brother.

“I am not sure. All I know is that his behavior as of late has been erratic. That is why I would like it if you could have people watch him. Better to be safe than sorry.”

“I suppose… very well. I’ll ask Yu Chenguang to have Hou Gun watched.”

“Good.”

Hou Jingshu was dismissed soon after. Yu Chenguang and everyone else would still be asleep at this point in time, so she decided to speak with him about Hou Gun tomorrow. It wasn’t long before she made it to her residence. She haphazardly discarded her clothes, slipped off her shoes, and flopped face first onto the bed. As she closed her eyes, her thoughts went out to the young man who had disappeared from her life.

Wu Jian… please, come back to me.