After Wu Taohua discovered Wu Meiying and Hou Jingshu sleeping in Wu Jian’s bed, Father began stationing guards by both the door and the window to prevent them from entering again. Not even Wu Meiying with her prophetic vision could slip past them. While Wu Jian had argued with his father for a time, he soon understood that nothing he said would make the man budge.

“You’re a young man who is just beginning to step into adulthood. It does not matter if you’re engaged to Hou Jingshu. I cannot have you and her sleeping together until your wedding night.”

While it was not tradition to save yourself until marriage, Father was a very proper man. He believed in propriety and doing things right. Wu Jian also believed the reason he was so adamant about this was because Hou Jingshu was the Emperor’s daughter. Perhaps he would have been more lax if that had not been the case.

Then again, maybe not.

Wu Jian did understand Father’s concerns. He agreed they were far too young to engage in any sort of sexual activity, but he didn’t think just sleeping in the same bed together warranted this kind of response.

Wu Meiying had complained loudly about how she was no longer allowed to sleep with him. Wu Jian had listened to her for almost an hour as she released a stream of expletives he would have never expected before she ran out of breath. While his first love and best friend ranted herself into exhaustion, Hou Jingshu had looked both relieved and disappointed.

The days were growing longer and warmer.

It would be summer soon.

Wu Jian woke up early in the morning to the sound of cicadas chirping. Getting out of bed, he opened his window and ignored the two guards standing on either side as he peered at the sun rising above the mountain. It was still dawn. The sun hadn’t fully risen, so it cast an array of oranges and yellows across the sky.

With light now filtering in through the window, Wu Jian rummaged through his drawers and grabbed his hanfu. It was pitch black. However, coiling around the skirt’s hem and traveling up its torso was a golden dragon. Unlike Wu Meiying’s hanfus, his was a bit plainer and only featured the dragon for decoration.

Exiting his building and stepping into the light, Wu Jian walked to his training ground, where Wu Meiying and Hou Jingshu were already waiting. The two were dressed in garbs perfectly suited to combat.

Wu Meiying wore a purple Tai Chi-fu, a long-sleeved shirt tied together with golden silk strings that went down the front. Gold lined the hem and cuffs, and there was a design akin to clouds and flowers near the hem. Her pants were a purple so dark they bordered on black. Wrapped around her ankles were golden cords and on her small feet were a pair of slippers. Her hair had likewise been tied into a bun on her head, though there was still so much of it that a good portion trailed down her back, stopping at the knees.

Meanwhile, Hou Jingshu’s outfit was far more elaborate. It was white and red, contained multiple layers, and was more gown than martial arts uniform. The top layer that covered her torso and trailed down to about the middle of her hips was white, it was tied together at the waist, and featured a high collar. The red dress underneath the outer layer trailed down to her ankles and showed off her silk slippers. A pink cord tied around her waist.

Her long brown hair was braided, the ends tied with a pink ribbon and ending in a small fish tail. She also had two ribbons tied around her bangs near her ears. The new articles highlighted her preternatural blush, which further enhanced her lovely blue eyes.

Perhaps it was because he had begun seeing her as a woman, but Wu Jian found himself being drawn to her expressive gaze.

“You two look amazing,” Wu Jian exclaimed with honest admiration.

While Hou Jingshu blushed, Wu Meiying wrapped an arm around the other girl’s shoulder and grinned. “Don’t we?”

“S-stop that!” Hou Jingshu muttered.

“Why? It’s true. We look great.”

“Whatever. A-anyway, since the competition is today, should we do anything special for our training?” asked Hou Jingshu with an embarrassed sigh.

“Trying to change the subject?” asked Wu Meiying.

“Yes!”

“Actually, we shouldn’t train today since we’ll need to conserve our energy for the fights,” Wu Jian said.

“Then we should just do some light stretches,” Wu Meiying said.

Wu Jian agreed with her, and the three did basic stretches to limber up and get the blood flowing before they made their way to the cafeteria. There were already a lot of people present. Most of them were chatting before the trio entered, but they stopped and turned toward them. Wu Jian could hear the conversations start back up again as they sat down.

He tried to listen in but could only make out bits and pieces of each conversation.

“How do you think Wu Jian and Wu Meiying will do in the competition?”

“Hmm. I suppose it depends. Last year, I was certain Wu Jian would have won if he hadn’t drawn a bad hand.”

“I heard about that. He was forced to fight all the strongest people before finally facing Ming Shen in the finals, right?”

“Yeah, and because he was so exhausted by the time the finals happened, he lost. However, I’m certain he’s stronger than Ming Shen.”

Wu Jian didn’t let himself be bothered by the people talking about him. A maidservant came over balancing three trays in her arms. Each tray contained a bowl of congee and another bowl filled with nuts and berries. The woman set the trays down in front of them and smiled.

“Good luck during the competition,” she said.

“Thank you,” the three replied in unison.

“What can you tell me about the competition?” asked Hou Jingshu as the maidservant left.

“There’s not much to tell that we haven’t already told you,” Wu Jian said as he scooped some congee onto his spoon and blew on it. “It’s a competition that anyone can enter, not just the three clans. We call it the Three Clans Competition because it's funded by us.”

Wu Meiying picked up where he left off as Wu Jian placed the spoon in his mouth. “Because the competition only allows people under the age of sixteen, there aren’t that many normal citizens who participate, but we do get maybe a handful each year. The competition will start with a preliminary round. After the preliminaries, fifteen competitors will be selected to participate in the real tournament. None of the clans will take part in the preliminaries though. This is just for the commoners who want to participate. The tournament is bracketed. Who fights who is decided by the head elders of each clan to ensure no foul play is involved… at least, that is the intent.”

“You think there will be cheating?” asked Hou Jingshu. She scooped up some congee, sprinkled some berries over it, and took a bite.

“I don’t think there will be cheating. I know there will be cheating,” Wu Meiying stated.

“The last competition was rigged in favor of the Ming Family. I was forced to fight against all the best combatants, including Wu Meiying in the semi-finals, and so I was exhausted by the time I fought Ming Shen. Meanwhile, Ming Shen only fought weaklings throughout the whole tournament,” Wu Jian added.

“Right. I remember you told me that.” Hou Jingshu went silent for a moment. “It does sound like there was cheating involved.”

“We suspect the Ming Family bribed the elders to have their way, but we were unable to find proof. We can’t accuse them when all we have is speculation,” Wu Meiying said with a shrug.

Hou Jingshu tilted her head. “I guess that means we should be as careful as possible during the competition. Maybe we should come up with a strategy in case something like that happens this time?”

“Good idea. Though there are only so many strategies we can use to counter something like this,” Wu Meiying said.

They finished eating in silence, then waited patiently for everyone else to finish. Wu Jian glanced over at the head table, where Father, Mother, Wu Taohua, and the three elders were sitting silently and watching over everyone. A long while passed like that. Eventually, however, Father stood to his feet and everyone who had been talking and eating settled down to hear what he had to say.

“The Three Clans Competition starts today, and I know many of you youngsters are eager to show off your talent. Remember that today is your greatest time to shine. Those who bring honor to the clan shall be rewarded. I hope you will all do your best to show why the Wu Clan is the strongest in Zahn City.”

A great cheer went up after Father finished his speech. The noise was enough to cause the tables to rattle.

Elder Wu Jinsu stood up and spoke out next. “All of you, it is time to leave. Let us head to Zahn City.”

Everyone in the dining hall stood up. Wu Jian, Wu Meiying, and Hou Jingshu were among them. Wu Jian placed his arms around the girls’s waists so they would not get separated by the throng of people pushing and shoving their way out. Once outside, everyone spread out a bit more, but they all made their way toward the clan compound’s main entrance.

Hou Jingshu had once told him that it was common in the capital for clans to travel in extravagant carriages, but that was not how people did things here. The group had no choice but to walk to Zahn City. The only ones not walking were Father, Mother, Wu Taohua, and the three elders, who all rode on horses decorated with the banners of the Wu Clan.

The Wu Clan compound was closer to the Twin Fang Mountains and therefore at a higher elevation than Zahn City. The path traveled at a decline as they walked, winding around copses of trees that slowly opened up to reveal vast wheat fields. These fields were owned by the Wu Clan and were their primary source of income. Even now, branch members were tending to the fields, and many of them waved as their procession traveled by.

Zahn City eventually came into view.

They became the center of attention the moment they entered the city. Everyone stopped what they were doing to watch their procession pass by. Because he, Wu Meiying, and Hou Jingshu were the stars of the Wu Clan, they walked directly behind Father, Mother, Wu Taohua, and the elders on their horses. Wu Meiying glared at Elder Wu Wei’s back. It was such a vicious look that he thought she might bite him.

“You okay?” Wu Jian asked.

“I am fine,” Wu Meiying mumbled. “But I think we should keep an eye on Wu Wei. I’m sure that old coot will try to do something unpleasant during the tournament. If possible, I’d like to catch him in the act so he can be expelled from the clan.”

Wu Jian and Hou Jingshu both nodded.

Before long, the arena came into view. It was a large, two-story building shaped like a square. Lintel posts lined the exterior and the roof’s tiles were plated with gold. The graceful curved shape of the roof was typical of Shang Kingdom architecture. The upturned eaves on the roof corners, which were pointed in the four cardinal directions, each featured a different beast: the Azure Dragon of the East, the Vermillion Bird of the South, the White Tiger of the West, and the Black Tortoise of the North.

There were already hundreds of people traveling inside, though many of them made way when the Wu Clan went up to the entrance. An interior decorated with marble floors, artful columns, and illustrious statues of legendary cultivators greeted them. This arena was owned by the Zhou Clan, which explained why everything was so much more extravagant than what Wu Jian was used to.

“Well, well! If it isn’t the Wu Clan! Now that you’ve finally arrived, the Three Clans have all gathered together! Gya ha ha ha!” a voice spoke out.

Everyone turned to see a group of people walking toward them. Two men stood at the front of this group. Wu Jian recognized Ming Han, the leader of the Ming Family, easily enough. The other man had silver hair and looked far older than anyone else. His hair trailed down his head, bangs framed either side of his face, and wrinkles lined his mouth, nose, and eyes. Despite his ancient appearance, his eyes were sharp and looked deadly.