Wu Yōushì sat in his office, going over the clan’s finances and setting next year’s budget. It was a thankless job. He’d have much rather been training, but sacrifices were sometimes necessary for the betterment of the clan.

Thanks to Wu Meiying and her strange ability to predict the future, the Wu Clan had been able to secure themselves the top position of Zahn City’s three clans. They had discovered several mining deposits that contained mithril. While the mithril was impure, even tainted mithril fetched a high price, especially this far out in the countryside. A deal had been made with the Zhou Family, who had transported the materials to the auction house in Dahua City. That deal alone had netted them enough money to last the clan for ten years.

As he read over several documents detailing their next business venture (also a result of Wu Meiying’s ability to predict the future), Elder Wu Jinsu burst into the room. His face was red as if he had run all this way, and he was out of breath.

“Huff… huff… Lord Yōushì… huff… carriage… here…”

“Calm down, Elder Jinsu,” Wu Yōushì said in a calm voice, though he did frown. “Take several deep breaths, calm yourself, and tell me what has happened.”

Elder Wu Jinsu placed a hand against his chest and took several calming breaths. Then he began again. “A carriage just arrived. It is unmarked. We thought it might be a trap or maybe someone coming to ask for Wu Meiying’s hand in marriage again… but it actually contains Emperor Hou Jun! He’s in the reception hall right now and—”

That was about as far as Elder Wu Jinsu got. Wu Yōushì leaped to his feet and marched out of the room as swiftly as he could without running. His heart was thumping against his chest as he hurried into the reception room.

Did Wu Meiying predict that this would happen? Did she know the emperor would arrive today?

He burst through the doors and looked around, easily spotting the emperor. He was pacing the reception hall. Wu Àiliàn and Wu Taohua were also present, staring at the older man in concern.

“Your Imperial Majesty!”

Emperor Hou Jun stopped pacing and turned his head. His eyes lit up when he saw Wu Yōushì.

“Brother Yōushì,” he said in a hurried manner.

Wu Yōushì walked over and began to kneel, but Emperor Hou Jun stopped him by placing his hands on Wu Yōushì’s shoulders.

“There’s no need to bow, my friend, especially right now,” the emperor said. “I apologize for arriving unannounced and even more for what I’m about to say, but I need your help. My daughter snuck out of the carriage we were in while on our way here. You have to help me find her.”

“Ah?”

Hearing that Emperor Hou Jun’s daughter was missing made Wu Yōushì realize why he was so distraught. It had been over a decade since he had seen the emperor, but that did not mean much. He remembered how often this man would talk about what he would do if he had a daughter back when they served in the military together. Wu Yōushì was sure Emperor Hou Jun doted on his daughter, which made it all the more concerning that she had gone missing on their way here.

“Emp—no, Brother Jun, do not worry. We will mobilize the entire Wu Clan and find… find… huh…”

“Brother Yōushì?” Emperor Hou Jun said, tone questioning when Wu Yōushì trailed off.

He had suddenly remembered something from this morning.

“Also, you will be receiving an important visitor today. I recommend getting ready to receive them beforehand. Oh! And he’s going to be rather worried, so please do your best to calm him down and assure him that his daughter is fine.”

Was this what Wu Meiying had been referring to when she said those words? That was the only possibility that he could think of. She knew this was going to happen and warned him in advance so he would be prepared.

Once again, he couldn’t help but marvel at that girl’s mysterious powers. Yet he was also fearful of them. How could a girl who hadn’t even stepped into the realm of cultivation possess such a power? Just who were her parents?

Her background must be unfathomable indeed, but there’s little to be done about it now. I have no manner of finding out what kind of background she has.

Wu Meiying had been found by his wife, floating in a basket on the river. He would have suspected someone from Zhan City had abandoned her, but she had come from up north. Zahn City was to the south. There was nothing up north beyond Twin Fang Mountains save Ice Phoenix Mountain Range and the sea beyond it.

Wu Yōushì shook his head, sighed, and placed his hands over the emperor’s. “Brother Jun, it is fine. Your daughter is safe.”

“What? Huh? What? How do you know this?”

The befuddled look on the emperor’s face was almost priceless. It was the first time Wu Yōushì had ever seen the man look like this. Unfortunately, he didn’t know how to explain how he knew the emperor’s daughter was safe, so the emperor continued to panic despite his reassurances.

***

The first thing Wu Jian and Wu Meiying did was get Jingshu something to eat. Her belly had rumbled barely a second after they walked onto the main street. Seeing her embarrassed blush had caused them to smile, and they had gone up to a street vendor selling sweet buns. The young girl had watched Wu Jian with rapt attention as he ordered several different types of sweet buns for them.

“This tastes so different from what I am used to,” Jingshu said as she bit down on the sweet bun. She didn’t seem to mind the difference if the happy smile she wore was any indication. “The food I normally eat is cold by the time it gets to me.”

The way Jingshu ate made him think she wasn’t used to eating with her hands. She had stared at the sweet bun like it was a foreign entity when he first handed it to her. He remembered how she had looked at him like she didn’t know what to do, and the strange expression she had worn after he told her that she just needed to bite down on it.

“That’s strange. Why would your food get cold before it can reach your plate?” asked Wu Jian.

“Ah. Um, no reason,” Jingshu mumbled with a small blush lighting up her cheeks.

It was obvious that Jingshu was hiding something from them, but he didn’t think it was a big deal. They would find out eventually anyway. That being the case, it was better to simply enjoy their time together before they had to deal with whatever situation had brought this young noble girl to Zahn City.

“Now that we’ve got some food, let’s show Jingshu around,” Wu Meiying suggested. She grabbed Wu Jian’s hand, something that Jingshu did not fail to notice. She stared at their linked hands.

Seeing this, Wu Jian reached out with his other hand. She stared at his hand with a nonplussed expression.

“Hold my hand so we don’t get separated,” he said.

“Ah. Oh. Um.” Jingshu’s cheeks had already been a bit pink, but now they were bright red. “I don’t, um, think that is very appropriate behavior. Um…”

“Then… why don’t you hold my pinky? That should be okay, right?” Wu Jian suggested, curling every finger except his pinky. He wiggled it as if to entice her.

“Well… I suppose if it’s just pinkies… it should be fine…”

Jingshu reached out and curled her pinky around Wu Jian’s. Her fingers were soft. He could tell from how delicate they were that she had never worked hard a day in her life. These were definitely the hands of a young noble lady, though they were also surprisingly strong. He suspected she had been taking alchemy pills to increase her physical strength so she could break through the Body Forging Realm to the Hunger Realm when she turned sixteen.

They walked hand in hand and pinky in pinky through the streets of Zahn City. Wu Jian and Wu Meiying showed Jingshu all of the more important sites first, like the auction house, the medicine shop, the gambling parlor, the testing ground, the colosseum, and of course, the library.

“This is our favorite place,” Wu Meiying said when they finally arrived at the library. “The Wu Clan has a big library, but this one has several books that we don’t, so we sometimes like to come here and read.”

The library was a one-story building that appeared longer than it was wide and shaped like a rhombus. On either side of the slanted roof with red tiles were a pair of Qilins, rare magical beasts that were said to be the source of all knowledge. These legendary hoofed creatures with the head of a dragon, the body of a dear, and the tail of an ox were rumored to all be born at the Deva Realm, making it one of the strongest magical beasts in existence.

“What kind of books do you read?” asked Jingshu, suddenly excited.

“We read all kinds of books. A lot of the time, we read books about cultivation and training, but this library doesn’t have many of those and none of them are better than what we have in the Wu Clan. Whenever we come here, we like to read stories about young cultivators going on adventures,” Wu Meiying said.

“Then have you read A Tale of Love and Woes?” asked Jingshu.

“Oh? You’ve read that too?” asked Wu Jian.

“Of course! That was my favorite book growing up! I just love the main character! He’s so cool and handsome, and the lengths he goes to in order to protect his love is just… just inspiring!” Jingshu sighed with a dreamy look in her eyes as if she was imagining the story play out in her head. “I always wished someone like that would come and sweep me off my feet.”

“Oh, I’m sure someone like that will come along a lot sooner than you think,” Wu Meiying said. She looked at Wu Jian, who tilted his head curiously, but then she smiled, shook her head, and pulled them along. “Come on. Let’s see if there are any new books available.”

They walked into the library and were greeted by the old woman manning the front desk. She knew them since they were regulars here. Wu Jian and Wu Meiying greeted the woman before leading the curious Jingshu deeper into the library.

“Hmmm. The selection here is a bit small,” Jingshu mumbled.

“You think so?” asked Wu Jian.

“Ah. I mean… um… there’s a library where I’m from that is quite a bit bigger, but it’s still large for a city out in the sticks… er, no, wait. That’s not what I meant.”

“You have an awful habit of speaking before you think, don’t you?” asked Wu Jian. When all Jingshu did was blush, he and Wu Meiying chuckled.

They spent some time in the library, roaming through the isles, but they soon discovered there weren’t any new books, so they left not long after.

“We should head back to the Wu Clan. I’m sure Jingshu’s father is worried sick about her,” Wu Meiying said as she looked up at the sky.

“Wait. Why would I go to the Wu Clan?” asked Jingshu.

“Because that’s where your father is right now. Why else?” said Wu Meiying.

Jingshu was still very clearly confused, but she didn’t question Wu Meiying and followed them as they left Zahn City proper. None of the clans who made Zahn City their home lived in the city itself. All of them lived in compounds on the city outskirts.

The group of three walked down a cobblestone road lined with trees. Jingshu looked curiously at all the foliage, making Wu Jian wonder if she had ever seen so much forestry before. He didn’t think she lived anywhere near Zahn City. She definitely came from a city much bigger than this one.

It wasn’t long before the Wu Clan compound came into sight. The entrance gate on the southernmost corner was large and painted in vermillion. Two guards normally stood at the gate, but there were currently over fifteen of them, and several were surrounding an unadorned carriage that nevertheless displayed a great deal of wealth.

“Ah! That’s Father’s carriage! He really is here!” exclaimed a shocked Jingshu.

“Hmhmhm.” Wu Meiying thrust out her chest. Her expression all but demanded praise. “I knew you were coming since this morning. That’s why Wu Jian and I went out today. It was all so we could meet you.”

“That’s amazing!”

Wu Meiying was not often the type to brag about her foreknowledge. It seemed Jingshu was a special case.

As they reached the front gate, all the guards turned in their direction.

“Ah! The young master is back!”

“Master Jian! Mistress Meiying! Welcome back!”

“Oh? It looks like you have a friend with you. Who is this?”

As the guards surrounded them, Wu Jian calmed them all down. “Is Father in? We need to talk to him.”

“Ah.”

The guards all looked at each other with caution. A tense silence filled the air for a moment before one of the braver guards stepped forward.

“Lord Yōushì is indeed home… but now might not be the best time.”

“Why not?” asked Wu Jian with a furrowed brow.

“Well, it seems he has an important guess…”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Wu Meiying declared. “That guest is this girl’s father. Please show us to Uncle Yōushì.”

All the guards looked uncertain still, but they didn’t question Wu Meiying, which went to show how solidified her place within the Wu Clan was now. Two of the guards opened the gate, and the others formed up around them and led the trio inside. They soon reached the reception hall. As they walked inside, Wu Jian immediately noticed Father standing next to an older-looking man who appeared to be on the verge of panicking.

“Father!” Jingshu called out as she pushed past the group of guards.

The man’s head snapped up. Relief flooded his face.

“Oh! Jingshu! My Jingshu!”

“Father, I am sor—”

Jingshu looked like she was trying to apologize, but her father swept the girl into a hug, silencing whatever she had to say. He pulled her close and almost sobbed. He seemed quite inconsolable.

Wu Jian watched the father and daughter pair, pondering. So this is her father? Hmm. I don’t recognize him, but he seems to be good friends with my father. Just who is this man?

“Oh, Jingshu! I’m so happy to see you are okay! I was so worried when you disappeared like that! Please, do not do that again!”

Father, Mother, and Aunt Taohua watched the scene with the others, looking quite unsure of themselves. Wu Jian similarly wasn’t sure what to do. Should they give this inconsolable father and his daughter some privacy? That would be the right thing to do, surely, but the father didn’t even seem to realize he had an audience. It didn’t seem to matter if they left or stayed.

As the rather shameful scene continued, Wu Jian caught Wu Meiying’s eyes. She smiled at him with a mischievous grin. He shook his head. He still didn’t know how, but she somehow knew about everything that would happen today. That was incredible. Wu Jian reaffirmed his vow to get stronger, so he could continue to stand by this amazing girl’s side.