Wu Jian was still on cloud nine as he left the arena alongside the other Wu Clansmen. He remembered having people slap him on the back, congratulat him on his victory in the tournament, and tell him how amazing he was all the way back home. Part of him was annoyed. He didn’t get to speak with Wu Meiying or Hou Jingshu because everyone was crowding around him. Another part of him was exalted.

Was this not the recognition he had longed for?

Was this not what he had been striving for?

He was still just a young boy, after all, and what young boy didn’t enjoy being praised?

After returning home, Wu Jian was taken to his father’s residence instead of his own. He split off from Wu Meiying and Hou Jingshu as he followed Father, Mother, and Wu Taohua. Neither Father or Wu Taohua spoke, but Mother chattered enough for all three of them.

“I was very impressed by how well you fought, Little Jian,” Mother said with a bright, beaming smile. “I knew you were strong now, but I don’t think I understood just how strong until I watched you fight. Ah. That said, you really shouldn’t be so reckless. Watching you sacrifice your arm like that during your fight against Zhou Lihua scared me so much. You should think about how your family feels when they see you get injured like that. Do you know how worried I was? It felt like my heart was going to stop beating.”

Mother… really likes to talk a lot.

“Ah, um… s-sorry. I’ll try to be more careful next time.”

“That’s all I ask. Anyway, now that you’ve won…”

And off she went again. Wu Jian was honestly impressed his mother could talk so much, but she had always been the sort who could speak about anything and everything. He remembered the one time a visiting dignitary from the Zhou Clan had come over once because rumors about Wu Meiying had begun circulating in Zahn City. Not only had the man not been able to get a word in edgewise, but he had been turned so upside down that he ended up going back to the Zhou Clan without having ever discussed his reason for visiting.

I might have even felt sorry for him if I hadn’t known his reason for visiting. Good job, Mother. I’m glad you’re around to protect Mei with me.

She might not have intended to keep the dignitary from discussing a possible marriage between Wu Meiying and some member of the Zou Clan. In fact, Wu Jian was certain the idea had never crossed Mother’s mind. But he was still grateful. Wu Meiying was his, and he would never give her to another.

They soon arrived at Father’s residence and entered the entrance hall. After removing their shoes and wandering further in, Father directed them toward the reception hall. He sat down on a throne-like chair. Mother and Wu Taohua stood on either side of him, one smiling broadly and the other wearing a very gentle expression that she would have never directed at him years ago.

Wu Jian knelt on the floor before his father, his back straight, hands resting on his thighs.

He did not speak. He merely waited in respectful silence.

“You did well in the tournament,” Father said after a moment of silence.

“Thank you, Father.” Wu Jian bowed his head.

“Haaaah. Is that all you have to say, dear?” asked Mother with an exasperated expression.

Wu Jian’s head snapped up and he looked at Mother, who was staring at Father with the look of a woman who was fed up, then looked at Father, who was… blushing? Wu Jian blinked. Then he rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating. He wasn’t. The tips of Father’s ears and some of his cheeks had turned red.

Father is blushing. What in the nine heavens is going on?! I’ve never seen Father look so embarrassed before! Is this the power Mother has over him? Someone once told me Mother was a very dangerous woman, but I never believed them until now.

“Ahem.” Father coughed into his hand several times and turned his head. “Yes. Well, I am, uh, very proud of you… of how you have grown, I mean. Go-good job.”

Wu Jian almost couldn’t believe what he was seeing, what he was hearing! His father was not only congratulating him, something he hadn’t done even when Wu Jian scored over 6,500 on his last strength test, but he was blushing right down to the roots of his hair. Was this really the intimidating man he had been so fearful of as a child?

Father had for the longest time been someone whom Wu Jian had both admired and feared in equal measure. The man seemed as unmovable as a mountain, colder than the most freezing winter, and more powerful than a magical beast. Few were the times they interacted. Father was often distant like an unreachable island floating in the sky. He still remembered how his father’s cold eyes penetrated his heart like daggers stabbing his chest. While they interacted a lot more now, it did not change how intimidating the man could be.

And now he looks like a young boy who got caught trying to filch sweets from the kitchen. I don’t know what to think.

“I suppose that will do,” Mother said with a resigned smile. “You always did have trouble expressing yourself.”

“A-anyway, a party shall be held tonight in your honor,” Father continued, trying to get his groove back. “Our servants will be preparing an outfit for you to wear. Since this is a special occasion, we will also need to have Hou Jingshu wear something special… and Wu Meiying, too, I suppose. You never go anywhere without that girl.”

There still seemed to be a good deal of reluctance in Father’s voice when he talked about Wu Meiying, but she had proven herself useful to the clan, and so it seemed he was beginning to accept her as Wu Jian’s partner and future bride. That was good. The last thing he wanted to do was fight Father for the title of clan head like he had done to marry Mother.

Now that he was thinking about it, Father probably wasn’t as reluctant because Wu Jian was also stronger. It went without saying that he was likely to succeed his father as clan head eventually. If Wu Meiying were to marry him, it was obvious she would become further tied to the clan, which could only benefit them in the long run.

“I understand, Father,” Wu Jian said, bowing his head again.

“Hm hm hm.” Quiet chuckling caused Wu Jian to look at his mother. She wore a somewhat disturbing smile that he had never seen before. He shivered in quiet dread as she turned to Wu Taohua. “I am going to help Little Jian get into a suitable outfit. Tao, would you help prepare something for Little Meiying and Little Jingshu? You have a better sense of style for women’s fashion than I do.”

“I suppose I can,” Wu Taohua said in her usual calm, collected voice. Despite her voice not changing, there was a noticeable smile on her face, and it wasn’t the gentle kind she normally wore either. “Someone has to, after all.”

Father sighed and scratched the back of his head. “Just don’t go overboard, you two.”

“Of course we won’t, dear.”

“Do not worry, husband. I have always and will always continue to act with prudence.”

Have Mother and Wu Taohua always gotten along like this?

Perhaps it was he was remembering wrong, but he thought these two didn’t get along. If nothing else, Wu Jian had been certain that Wu Taohua coveted Mother’s position as Father’s first wife. Was that not the case?

Wu Jian wasn’t sure why, but the sight of these two conspiring together caused his heart to freeze over. He could only pray that he, Wu Meiying, and Hou Jingshu would be able to make it out of the clutches of these two unscathed.

***

“Hmmm. This is no good. No good at all. It’s too plain. Too… boring.”

Wu Jian felt sweat rolling down his face as he stood underneath his mother’s scrutinizing glare. She walked around him, a hand on her chin, eyes narrowed as she looked him up and down. He felt like a rat being eyed by a cat.

“Change out of that. I’ll find something more suitable.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Wu Jian sighed as he undid the sash around his waist, then removed the upper and lower garments. The upper garment was called a yi. It was an open cross-collared garment. The lower garment was known as a chang, and it was basically just a skirt that went all the way down to his feet.

These were the traditional clothing of the Shang Kingdom. They were made from the silk of the Giant Grass Tarantula, a magical beast that was bread in captivity. This silk was the main export of the Shang Kingdom and was what allowed a small kingdom like there’s to survive. Wu Jian had studied his history and economics. The Shang Kingdom was under the protection of the Celestial Sword Sect in exchange for providing silk at a reduced price.

While he removed his clothes until he was in nothing but his undergarments, his mother rummaged through the Wu Clan’s selection of clothing. Everyone had their own clothes. However, the Wu Clan also had their own dedicated clothier, whose job it was to design clothing for special occasions and sometimes everyday use.

The room they were in was part of the clothier’s shop. It contained a large number of premade clothes for men and women. Mother was sweeping through the store like the wind as she searched for just the right outfit that he could wear to tonight’s celebration.

I wish she would just pick something. Does it really matter what I wear? Maybe I should tell her to stop worrying so much? No. No. If I did that, Mother would lecture me. I don’t want to stand here for several hours, listening to her ramble on about the importance of one’s appearance.

“No… not this… this won’t work either… oh! That could—but no. I don’t like it’s color…”

Wu Jian could only stand by helplessly as his mother grabbed and discarded several articles of clothing before finally selecting the one she believed would fit him best.

“Ah ha! This! Try this on, Little Jian. I think it will be perfect for you.”

One can only hope, Wu Jian thought sardonically.

Wu Jian took the clothing she offered him and began the process of putting it on. The fabric felt soft against his skin. It was made from a higher quality silk than what he normally wore. At a guess, he would have said this was the finest silk available in the Shang Kingdom. When he finished putting everything on, Wu Jian looked in a nearby mirror to see what he looked like.

The outfit he wore was a yi and chang, both black, but this one had a golden dragon traveling from the left side of his skirt all the way to his right sleeve. The embroidery was highly detailed. The glistening scales looked like they might come alive at any moment and the snarling visage of the dragon’s powerful muzzle invoked a sense of awe. The dragon coiled around his body as though becoming his armor. Finishing the outfit was a gold sash and black boots.

The outfit was simple, but Wu Jian felt it lent him a powerful, refined air worthy of a clan heir.

“There! You look great! Don’t you think you look good?” Mother asked.

Wu Jian studied himself a bit more, turning around while keeping his eyes on the mirror so he could see himself from several different angles. Several moments passed. Then he slowly nodded.

“I do like this. I think it looks good,” he said.

“Right? It suits you perfectly. The black really compliments your dark hair, and the contrast brings out your porcelain skin. Hm hm. And the dragon is a nice addition to bring color to what would be an otherwise dreary outfit. It screams power and refinement. Dragons are a symbol of wealth, power, and prosperity. I think they suit you as your symbol. Well? Isn’t your mother amazing?”

Mother looked so proud of herself as she stood there with her arms crossed that Wu Jian couldn’t help but smile a bit. She was always a little silly and overly eager when it came to, well, just about everything. He had often heard the other clansmen call his mother a free spirit.

Wu Jian couldn’t disagree with them. How could he? This woman was like the wind.

“You are amazing,” he agreed readily.

Mother blushed and held her hands to her cheeks. “Oh, geez! If you say that with such a straight face, I’m gonna get embarrassed! Anyway, come on. Little Meiying and Little Jingshu should be finished getting dressed by now as well.”

Wu Jian dutifully followed his mother as she went around to another part of the store, where they found Wu Taohua standing before a pair of curtains. It looked like the curtains had just been set up. Wu Taohua turned to them when they entered, smiled, and gestured toward the curtains.

“I was wondering when you would get here. The girls finished changing before you,” she said.

“Blame Mother,” Wu Jian responded with a dry smile. “She’s the one who kept making me change.”

“I feel like I’ve suddenly been betrayed,” Mother mused before clapping her hands. “Anyway, let’s see their outfits! Oooh! I can’t wait to see what they look like! I bet they’ll be stunning!”

Wu Taohua smiled as she pushed the curtains to the side, and Wu Jian felt like all the breath had been stolen from him.

His eyes first strayed to Wu Meiying. She stood before him in a white and blue hanfu. The yi was completely open at the front, long and flowing. The sleeves were much wider and more voluminous than normal. Behind the open yi was an undershirt made from a type of glimmering chifon. Embroidered upon the shirt was a pink cherry blossom, its petals spread out in full bloom. The chang was made from a lighter blue and descended all the way down to the floor, hiding her feet. More cherry blossoms were embroidered to the bottom as though they had fallen to the earth.

While the dress itself was stunning, the way her hair had been done into ornate braids that looped around her head and revealed her slender neck were what really caught his attention. Her collarbone was completely visible.

While Wu Meiying’s hanfu was tasteful and full of grace, Hou Jingshu’s was like a work of art. Her chang was made from a fabric of deep purple that gradiated to red as it traveled further down. In the other words, the top was purple and the bottom a startling crimson. The yi was a darker shade of purple, but there was red lining the collar. This outfit was much tighter than Wu Meiying’s. It didn’t reveal even a hint of skin and instead showed the contours of her budding figure.

Hou Jingshu’s hair was not done up like Wu Meiying’s. Instead it was long and flowing as it traveled down her back like waves, making her look both heroic and feminine. He was reminded of a story he once read about a warrior princess that had fought off invaders of her country for centuries.

I don’t believe I have ever seen a more beautiful sight.

The vision of loveliness before him had left Wu Jian speechless.