~~~

Night Forest Nation did not earn its name lightly.

Mountains, grassy plains, and hills. All those have long since faded away, replaced by acres of forest that extend across the entire country. It is not like the Summer Forest, which awes people with its trees of all shapes, colors, and sizes. No, the Night Forest is completely submerged in mist instead, its color gradually changing from blue to purple depending on the time of the day. The sight is eerie, yet at the same time…

“Beautiful, is it not?”

Liu Jin turns to Lu Mei. Like him, she is admiring the forest below them, a task made easier now that the flame-wheeled wagons have slowed down, and their altitude has started to drop, a sign they are not far from their destination.

“It is. Although… it is not quite what I expected. I thought this would be a much colder land.”

“Because of the Yin Qi?” Lu Mei guesses. He nods. “People usually make that mistake. Yin Qi may be associated with cold, but that doesn’t mean Yin Qi can only manifest in that form. An excess of Yin Qi can lead to many geographical curiosities beyond low temperatures.”

It is not something Liu Jin had been unaware of. Still, his experiences with Xiao Shuang and Meng Yue had caused Liu Jin to strongly associate Yin with ice and cold. In reality, the properties of Yin Qi, much like the properties of Yang Qi, are far broader than that.

“And here, it manifests through illusions,” Liu Jin sums up.

“Indeed. Like the Young Master said, this land naturally generates illusions. These act as a natural barrier, but they also make the land difficult to control. Even those who live here find it hard to navigate the forests surrounding the city.”

“You are pretty knowledgeable.”

“That should be pretty and knowledgeable, but I will forgive you this once.”

Despite himself, Liu Jin smiles. Then he checks to see if he hasn’t been hit by a Charm Technique just to be on the safe side.

“How magnanimous of you. What I meant is that the preparation given to you by the Red Sky Pavilion must have been quite thorough to include so much information about a minor country.”

To his surprise, Lu Mei holds a hand over her mouth to hide a giggle. “You think this is something I learned from the Red Sky Pavilion? Cute, but no. It is nothing of the sort.”

Liu Jin is left blinking. “Then how…?”

“I used an ancient method.” Lu Mei leans closer to him as if about to divulge a secret. “Perhaps you might have heard of it? It is called the art of asking other people.” Upon seeing the look on his face, she giggles some more. “Did it really not occur to you to just ask? No, wait, let me guess. You are the type that goes about gathering information in needlessly roundabout ways.”

Liu Jin refuses to answer on principle. Besides, doing so with any degree of honesty would reveal he hadn’t even done that much. It had been Khong Hu’s sudden intrusion that had taught him most of what he knew about the Bright Phantasm Sect.

“Your poor dear,” Lu Mei pats his cheek with mock sympathy and moves to sit next to him. “People are resources. If you don’t use them, they’ll waste away and spoil themselves.”

“You just said something horrible with a completely straight face.”

“Horrible things tend to be true. You should be glad to have heard it from someone like me. Imagine if it were an ugly old man saying it. The effect of those words would have been completely revolting. However, because they come from me, it is now a piece of advice you’ll be able to call upon in the future. Thank the Heavens that allowed you to meet me.”

Her shoulder lightly bumps against his for emphasis. Liu Jin sighs.

“If this is the Heavens’ kindness, I’ll have to tell them to be crueler.”

“I don’t get it.”

Lu Mei and Liu Jin turn towards Huang Shing. He, along with Bei Hong, has stopped looking out the window in favor of staring at them.

“Is that how courtships are supposed to work?” Huang Shing asks Bei Hong. “Yi Jiao and I were never like that.”

“Courtship?” Bei Hong chuckles. “No, that’s nothing of the sort. That, my friend, is trouble. Nothing but trouble.”

“Oh?” Lu Mei takes on a haughty expression. “You speak of women with such authority, yet I do not recall a single time in which you have indulged in such things.”

“That you call it indulging says everything there is to know,” Bei Hong counters. “I do not need to visit the Dead Plains to know I have no desire to ever be there. Women are the same. I have seen the folly of others. My mind is made up. I shall have standards, or I shall have nothing.”

Lu Mei rolls her eyes. “If you’re still sticking to that list of nonsense, you shall have nothing.”

Huang Shing blinks. “A list? What list?”

“It is the most important list—”

“Don’t.” Lu Mei interrupts, actually glaring at Bei Hong. “It is bad enough you believe that. Don’t pollute the heads of others.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Liu Jin says, seeing a rare chance to annoy Lu Mei. This time it is his shoulder that bumps against hers. “I thought he had some good points. Troublesome women are no good.”

“That just shows how young you are. Men can only be truly satisfied when they feel they have overcome great odds. The greater the challenge, the greater the satisfaction. That is why troublesome women like me are the best.”

“So you’re admitting you are trouble.”

“I can certainly not say I am easy.” Ruby red lips curl into a proud smile. “By default, that makes me difficult.”

Liu Jin laughs. The wagon gives a little jump.

“We’re landing!” Huang Shing says, excited. Indeed, the mist-covered forests are growing larger, and a city can now be seen in the distance.

Night Phantasm City.

At last, they have arrived.

~~~

Night Phantasm City is not particularly large. That is the impression Liu Jin gets as the flame-wheeled wagons land. It is not even half the size of Eastern Port City. Its walls look sturdy, but no more than that. Though Liu Jin supposes there is no need for imposing walls when the forest surrounding the city serves as the first and strongest line of the defense.

It is already well into the afternoon when they land on the Bright Phantasm Sect’s front yard. There is a welcoming party ready for them, a crowd of people dressed in blues, whites, and purples. Those seem to be the colors of the Bright Phantasm Sect. Most of the people welcoming them are in the Nascent Realm. Only the adults have crossed into the Spirit Realm. Fewer still have managed to break past that barrier.

A mansion, likely the Patriarch’s house, can be seen many yards away. It is four stories tall and rather elegant looking. That is to be expected. Even though this Sect is not as grand as the Eternal Flame Clan or even the Xiao Sect, it is not as if they are poor. The Bright Phantasm Sect is one of the most important factions in the Night Forest Nation. Such is their status.

Yet, they look at them like they’re gods.

The sheer reverence in their eyes is such that Liu Jin immediately becomes uncomfortable. He doesn’t know what he has done to be looked at like that.

Then he thinks about it a little more and realizes he should have expected this. While he still considers the flame-wheeled wagons a fairly incredible thing, much of the initial awe Liu Jin felt upon seeing them has faded. Liu Jin had, after all, spent hours sitting inside them. However, the same cannot be said for the Bright Phantasm Sect. These people watched them come down from the skies, leaving a path of flames behind them, and emerge dressed in fine robes.

Lu Mei is already considered a beauty among those in the Eternal Flame Clan. How much more beautiful is she considered here? Neither Huang Shing nor Bei Hong is ugly, and Feng Zhi’s features are undeniably striking. Then there is their power to consider. Despite being in their teens, two of them are in the Spirit Realm, and two of them might as well be.

Feng Zhi is in the Earth Realm.

Even though he’s no more than sixteen, he has already reached the sixth of all cultivation realms. Impressive does not begin to cover his strength.

Five people. All of them powerful. All of them beautiful.

From that perspective, the awe with which they’re being looked at is only natural. To the people of the Bright Phantasm Sect, they might as well come from a different world.

“Welcome! Welcome, honored guests” A blue-haired man with a long beard steps up to greet them. He’s dressed in fine blue and purple robes, far more elegant than those of everyone else in the crowd. He’s likely the Patriarch of the Bright Phantasm Sect.

He is in the first level of the Earth Realm.

The same level as Feng Zhi.

Even though he’s at least decades older than the Young Master of the Eternal Flame Clan, their cultivation level is the same. The message being sent is clear.

The Eternal Flame Clan is superior. Be in awe and be grateful.

“Patriarch Wong Rao,” Feng Zhi says in greeting, offering him a clasped hands salute. “It is good to see you are doing well.”

“It is a joy to see you as well, Lord Feng Zhi,” Patriarch Wong says in reply. “To think you’d even remember my name! Why, you were just a young child when we last met! Truly, you are too kind!”

“Nonsense. Of course, I remember Patriarch Wong. You showed much patience with my young, reckless self.”

Patriarch Wong laughs. “Lord Feng Zhi is surely exaggerating. As I recall, you were a stern lad with much discipline. It gladdens me to see the man you have become.”

“Those words are simply too much. You do me much honor.”

They are overdoing it.

Those are Liu Jin’s most sincere thoughts as he watches Feng Zhi and the Bright Phantasm Sect’s Patriarch try to out-praise each other. There is probably some deep meaning to this sort of excessive formality, but right now, Liu Jin cannot even begin to guess it.

“It is you who honors us, Lord Feng Zhi,” Patriarch Wong says, going on the offensive. “Our Bright Phantasm Sect is made better by the presence of you, honored guests from the Eternal Flame Clan.”

“The Bright Phantasm Sect is a valued ally of the Eternal Flame Clan,” Feng Zhi counters. “We do not come here to stand above you, but rather to reinforce the bonds of friendship that exist between our Sects.”

The effect of those words is noticeable. The welcome party behind Patriarch Wong suddenly stands up straighter, prouder. The awe with which they took at them is still there, but there is joy now for Feng Zhi has acknowledged them.

They are just words, of course, but words have power.

“Well spoken, and indeed, reinforce those bonds we shall! We have prepared a humble feast for you. I hope you enjoy our hospitality.”

“I am certain we will.”

~~~

The five of them are given seats of honor. The food is rich and plentiful. The music is festive. The people are happy. Yes, the welcoming feast the Bright Phantasm Sect has prepared for them is not lacking in the slightest.

Lu Mei handles the attention as if she were born for it. Many are those who stare longingly at her, and a brave few try to interact with her. She handles them with ease. Even Huang Shing, the one who looks more awed by the party, manages to entertain the people around him with stories of his adventures. He’s apparently had quite the life before joining the Eternal Flame Clan.

Feng Zhi and Patriarch Wong talk merrily at first. Then, as everyone becomes distracted by the festive mood, their voices lower as they drift into more serious matters.

Yes, there is nothing wrong with the feast.

Liu Jin is just no good with people. That is all there is to it.

The moment he finds an opportunity, he sneaks out of the banquet hall. It isn’t particularly hard. Bei Hong and Huang Shing are loud, and Lu Mei is Lu Mei. The three are all good for drawing attention away from himself.

It is not proper. He knows that much. Liu Jin is not ignorant of what is expected of him on social occasions like this. He had been instructed on such things by Old Jiang and also by the Xiao Sect during the days leading up to his wedding. The proper thing to do would have been to stay and allow himself to be admired.

However, the sheer reverence with which he was stared at back there was enough to make him uncomfortable.

“Was the banquet not to your liking?”

Panic surges in him but only for a moment. Liu Jin quickly smoothes over his face as he turns around to address the person whose presence he did not sense, a young man with the same blue hair as Patriarch Wong and many people in the Bright Phantasm Sect, likely a side effect of all the Yin Qi in the area.

Liu Jin instantly recognizes him.

They were introduced upon taking their seat at the table. He is Wong Shou, the son of Patriarch Wong and as such, the Young Master of the Bright Phantasm Sect. Unlike Feng Zhi, who is still a teenager, Wong Shou is already in his early twenties.

“Young Master Wong,” Liu Jin says, nodding in greeting. “The banquet is marvelous. Rather, it is me who is apparently lacking.”

“Nonsense,” Wong Shou says. “Forgive me if I implied anything untoward. Doubtlessly, asking you to sit in a crowded room when you probably wished to relax after the trip was insensitive of us.”

“Not at all. It is a formality, and not obliging it reflects poorly on me. You have my apologies for any offense.”

“No offense was given, so no apology is necessary.” Wong Shou chuckles and shakes his head. “Oh, dear, look at me. When my father was talking to Lord Feng Zhi, I could not help but think they were both overdoing it, but look at us now.”

“Formality does make odd demands of us.”

“Let us not oblige it then and speak plainly,” Wong Shou declares, causing Liu Jin to blink in surprise before smiling.

“I would very much like that.”

“Great!” Wong Shou smiles. “Allow me to start. I am also not fond of overly crowded places. They wreak havoc on my concentration. That someone from the Eternal Flame Clan shares this characteristic makes me feel validated.”

“I am glad my presence is enough to put the young lord at ease.”

“Of course your presence puts me at ease,” Wong Shou replies. “Putting aside my personal preferences, you are of the Eternal Flame Clan. It is your reputation that ensures we can keep our hold on this area. As you can imagine, we are all very happy to have you here. Happy and nervous. Since we’re being frank, I’ll apologize in advance for any future trouble my Sect members may cause you in their eagerness to please. Please, do be patient with them.”

He sounds so sincere that Liu Jin is left blinking.

“I am sure I’ll find some way to bear it,” he says in reply. “It may even make for a nice distraction. As I understand it, my duty here will be to be seen by others and little else.”

To his surprise, Wong Shou grimaces.

“Ah… I am afraid I must disappoint you in that regard. Lord Feng Zhi is most likely hearing this from my father, so there is no need to hide it. As of late, we have been dealing with a troublesome band of marauders.”

Liu Jin frowns. “Someone is stealing from your lands?”

Wong Shou shakes his head. “It would be good if it were that simple. I am afraid the situation is a bit more curious. These people do not steal. They destroy. Due to the mist, it is hard to notice and hard to prevent. I am fairly sure that, as we speak, my father is asking for Lord Feng Zhi’s aid in this matter. You will probably find yourself patrolling the forests quite often as a show of cooperation.”

Liu Jin thinks about it for a moment. Being in the forest would mean being away from all those worshipful gazes.

“I find the proposition is not a distasteful one.”

“Truly?” Wong Shou asks, surprised.

“Quite.”

“In that case, Lord Qing, I feel this is the beginning of a very fruitful relationship.”

~~~