The journey from Shāméiguī to White Tiger City was long and full of danger. Not only were there many powerful magical beasts who made the desert there home, there were also many more bandits here than in the Shang Kingdom. This was all due to the scarcity of resources. The Qing Province lacked many of the natural resources Hou Jingshu took for granted. Due to lack of water, food, and other daily necessities, a lot of people who lived here turned to banditry.

Their group had come under assault many times in the past month. Fortunately, they did not travel in a large caravan. As a small group of four, many bandits figured they wouldn’t have much in the way of resources. To further enhance the illusion, they wore cloaks that looked like rags.

Most of the attacks they came under were from magical beasts, who could not tell the difference between someone of wealth and those who lacked it. Fortune favored them once again. They did not run into any magical beasts that could pose a serious problem.

Their first stop was Shui, an oasis that looked more like a watering hole. It was barely big enough to be called a pond. Hou Jingshu would have called it a puddle if she could. In either event, they were able to replenish their water, buy some food from the small village surrounding it, and continue on the next day.

Shuimei was a much larger oasis. To get there, they traveled north-east for almost two weeks.

Hou Jingshu noticed there were less magical beasts on this path. She thought that odd at first, until Zheng Yawen explained that this place was under stricter management because the route between Shuimei and White Tiger City was more important. Several patrolling mercenary groups seemed to emphasize this fact. They were even stopped several times because the mercenaries thought they were bandits due to their raggedy clothing. Hou Jingshu would never forget her embarrassment when one of those groups called them slobs.

That was fortunately the only real trouble they ran into. A few bandits blocked their path, but they were all easily dealt with, and they soon reached White Tiger City.

“This is a fairly prosperous city,” Hou Jingshu said as they walked through the streets. It was nowhere near as busy as Shāméiguī, but there were still quite a few people.

“I imagine this place has so much traffic because of its proximity to the White Tiger Sect Ruins,” Wu Yong said.

“You’re correct,” said Zheng Yawen. “This city doesn’t have much in the way of resources. Even the oasis it possesses is comparatively small. But it’s close to the most important places in the entire Qing Province. Every rogue cultivator below the Human Limit Realm comes here for the chance to enter the White Tiger Sect Ruins. It’s especially busy right now because they just finished hosting the tournament to determine which rogue cultivators would be allowed to enter.”

The tokens served as more than just a pass. You couldn’t even enter the White Tiger Sect Ruins without one. These tokens contained a unique chi signature that allowed cultivators to get passed the barrier. Anyone without a token would be repelled.

Since it was late evening, they found a room for the night. Due to the tournament having ended not long ago, there were several inns with rooms available, and they found one that was better than most but still not the most luxurious. They needed to keep up appearances. No one could know of their wealth or they might suspect something was up. Avoiding trouble by pretending to not have much money was their best means of protection right now.

Hou Jingshu was tired enough that she could scarcely be bothered to remove her clothes before she flopped on the bed and fell asleep. They had walked across the desert for days on end. She had never spent so much time walking in her entire life.

They set out for the White Tiger Sect Ruins the next morning. It was only a day’s travel from White Tiger City. Not only that, but it was easy to spot.

The White Tiger Sect Ruins was marked by the tornado surrounding it. It extended into the sky and created something like a dome that prevented anyone from entering, a raging cycline of swirling chi that blocked the ruins from their sight. Hou Jingshu had never seen anything like it.

Standing near to the raging tornado were several hundred people. They were spread across a several hundred meter space. Some people had set up tents, and a few even had large buildings that they must have stored inside their storage space, but most people simply slept in sleeping bags under the stars. It was easy to tell who was from a clan and who was a rogue cultivator based on how they set up their campsite.

Nearly a dozen Human Limit Realm cultivators acted as guards to prevent arguments and settle disputes. They were dressed in thick cloth, chainmail, and lamellar armor. It looked impressive but also incredibly cumbersome and hot. She wondered how those people could wear something so heavy without dying of dehydration. They had to be sweating in that armor.

“Do you four have a token?” asked one the guards. He was patrolling the perimeter in a group of four.

“We do. Here they are,” Hou Jingshu said as she summoned four tokens. The guards inspected them, nodded, and let them had into the crowd.

“I’ve never seen a campsite quite like this before,” Wu Yong mumbled as he turned his head left and right, as though he wanted to take in the sight of all the different people.

“It looks like there are a variety of people from other nations,” said Yin Wuhan.

“It is only natural that so many people from other nations would come here. The White Tiger Sect Ruins are one of the few intact sects from ancient times,” Hou Jingshu said. She had read up on this before they left. “It was supposedly a sect from before the War of Ascension, which split the Xiao Continent into thirteen nations. It was so powerful that several sects that were just as powerful as the current Heavenly Sword Sect banned together to destroy it. Even then, those sects were weakened to the point where they were destroyed in turn.”

Hou Jingshu couldn’t imagine how powerful this sect must have been in its heyday. The Heavenly Sword Sect was currently the strongest existence on the Xiao Continent, but according to the books she had read, the White Tiger Sect had been many times stronger. It, along with four other sects based on the four celestial deities, were said to have ruled over the continent before the war that erupted and created the thirteen current nations.

“You certainly know a lot about this,” said Wu Yong.

“Of course. It’s my duty to know.”

Hou Jingshu was about to say more, but she felt something tickle the edge of her awareness. It felt like eyes on her. She looked around in curiosity.

“Is something wrong, Your Highness?” asked Zheng Yawen.

“No… it’s nothing,” said Hou Jingshu. She turned back around and began talking once more, but she couldn’t help but wonder about that strange feeling she’d had just now.

***

That was too close!

Wu Jian felt his heart hammering as he made his way toward the campsite he shared with Huǒ Shuchang. He pressed a hand to his chest and clutched the fabrics of his shirt. Never in a million years would he have expected to see Hou Jingshu all the way out here. What was she doing here? Well, obviously, she had come here to enter the White Tiger Sect Ruins, but why? Why would she come to such a dangerous location?

She almost spotted me. If it weren’t for my mask, she would have discovered me for sure. And I need to be more careful. I can’t believe I almost called out to her.

The strongest compulsion to call out her name had come over him the moment his eyes landed on her. He’d wanted so badly to race over and pull her into his arms that resisting the desire almost caused physical pain. Wu Jian had not realized how much he missed Hou Jingshu until this moment. It was only after he remembered Wu Meiying’s words that he pulled himself back.

“Never take that necklace off under any circumstances. It will keep you safe. Also… please try not to let anyone who knows you personally see your face. That necklace has the power to mask your presence within time, but it will unravel if too many people recognize you.”

No one who personally knew him could know he was alive. Wu Meiying’s enemy would be able to find him if someone recognized him, and while the necklace he wore kept him safe, its affects would lose potency and unravel if too many people learned that he was alive.

I hate this, but for now, I should avoid letting her know I’m alive. Still… I don’t feel comfortable knowing she’ll be in such a dangerous place with only four bodyguards. None of them are at the Asura Realm either.

Hou Jingshu was the strongest person in that group. If he was not mistaken, she was half a step into the Asura Realm, which was impressive for a sixteen year old. She would be seventeen within a few months, but that hardly mattered. Only members of powerful nations or sects reached the lofty heights she had.

I was surprised to see Wu Yong with her…

He had not seen his brother in many years. After the Wu Clan Strength Test, Wu Yong had been sent away to the Imperial Capital. This had been done to treat his injuries, teach him a lesson, and further his education. He had heard from his father that Wu Yong had joined the Imperial Royal Academy, but that was the extent of Wu Jian’s knowledge about what his half-brother had been up to.

I don’t know what he’s doing with Hou Jingshu, but it’s good to see that he’s alive.

Wu Jian no longer held any bitter feelings for his half-brother. Wu Yong was the only other Wu Clansmen alive now. If possible, he wanted to mend the relationship between them, though that would have to wait. He still couldn’t let anyone know he was alive.

This situation has become a lot more complicated now.

Wu Jian soon found his campsite. He and Huǒ Shuchang were located near the front of the camp. This was because Wu Jian had been in the semi-finals. Their campsite was actually just a few chih away from Shā Ying Yue’s. Both she and they had a tent set up and a fire. She wasn’t alone. Several other people were with her, though they looked much older. Their leader was a broad-shouldered man with dark skin and numerous crisscrossing scars on his face. He was a half-step Asura Realm cultivator and the vice commander of the Crimson Sands.

He gave Wu Jian a bad feeling.

“Welcome back, Wu. Dinner is almost ready… why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?” asked Huǒ Shuchang upon noticing Wu Jian’s complexion.

“It’s just your imagination,” said Wu Jian as he sat down.

“No. No. I’m pretty sure your face is paler than normal. It looks like you’ve been bloodletting.”

“Again. That’s just your imagination.”

“Tch. Fine. Be that way. Anyway, here. Dinner.”

“Thank you.”

Wu Jian accepted the bowl he had been given. It was filled with a spicy beef stew. There were all kinds of cuts inside, including beef tongue and liver. He blew on his spoon to cool the steaming stew down, then slid it inside of his mouth, enjoying the robust flavor that hit his tongue.

Huǒ Shuchang was a surprisingly good cook.

“We only have to wait a few more days before the White Tiger Sect Ruins open up. Maaaaan, I’m so excited. I didn’t think I’d actually get to enter these ruins in my lifetime.”

“Me neither,” admitted Wu Jian.

“That’s because you didn’t know they existed until a few days ago.”

“So?”

“So, unlike you, I’ve known about these ruins since I was a kid. I’ve always wanted to explore them, but I didn’t think I’d get a chance. So there.”

Wu Jian rolled his eyes at his friend’s weirdly competitive words, but it wasn’t like Huǒ Shuchang was the only competitive person. Wu Jian knew he could be just as bad.

They soon finished eating, and Wu Jian managed to feed Yōuměi several bowls as well. She had not left his shadow for many days. He felt bad about not letting her out, but they both knew she needed to stay hidden to act as his trump card. An ace was only good if no one knew you had it up your sleeve. Once someone knew you had a trump card, they could prepare a counter for it.

Fortunately, they had both gotten stronger during this one month. Wu Jian was now at the ninth subrealm of the Anima Realm, and Huǒ Shuchang was at the fourth subrealm of the Asura Realm. His battles in the tournament had pushed him to break through, and then he broke through again shortly after they arrived at the White Tiger Sect Ruins. While Yōuměi was still half a step into the Asura Realm, the three of them combined would be more than a match for anyone below the Human Limit Realm.

“Huǒ Shuchang? Is that you?” someone suddenly called out, and the young man sitting beside Wu Jian stilled like he’d been dumped in a frozen lake.