Wu Jian ended up climbing out the window, which was terrifying. A single glance down was enough to reveal how high up they were. The ground looked like a vast stretch of land, the trees like specks in the distance. He would die if he fell. It was enough to make him sweat.

He climbed up the surface, which was smooth enough that he worried about slipping, and eventually reached the rail. Wu Jian peeked out to make sure no one was there before climbing onto the deck. This particular sections of the deck looked to be relatively unused, which was good. The Captain’s Cabin was right underneath it. Anyone passing would have questioned what he was doing if they saw him.

“What are you doing?”

“GYAAAA?!”

Wu Jian nearly slipped when he spun around to face the person behind him. He took several deep breaths and adjusted his mask because it had slid slightly off his face. The last thing he needed was for this person to recognize him.

“Geeze, you almost gave me a heart attack!” Wu Jian accused.

“Ah. Sorry.” Wu Yong rubbed the back of his neck. “I just saw you over here and wondered what you were up to.”

“Just enjoying the sights, I guess,” Wu Jian said, turning to the view of the rising sun. “I didn’t want to get in the way of anyone working.”

Wu Yong nodded. “Makes sense. Anyway, you should probably come down to the mess hall or you’ll miss breakfast.”

“Right.”

This airship had three floors. The first was dedicated to living quarters, the second was the mess hall and storage, and the last was where the sealing array that controlled this vessel was located. No one was allowed in there except authorized personnel. A single mishap could deconstruct the entire array and cause the airship to crash.

The mess hall was a vast space filled with chairs and tables. Numerous people were already sitting down. Half the crew must have been eating.

Wu Jian and Wu Yong wove their way between tables and people. Several people recognized Wu Yong and greeted him.

“Morning, lad! Another bright day, eh?”

“I see you found the newcomer!”

“How’s the morning treatin’ yah?”

Wu Yong seemed quite popular, which didn’t surprise Wu Jian. It might have had they just met. After traveling with his half-brother, however, he had come to realize that the young boy who bullied him was gone, replaced with a good person who had strong moral convictions.

Not only was Wu Yong a good person, but he helped out wherever needed. Wu Jian had seen him helping hoist sails, clean the deck, and carry heavy cargo. He had become the kind of person that Wu Jian could be proud to call a brother.

I feel guilty that I can’t tell him I’m alive…

“Wu Yong! Wu… er… Jian Wu! Over here!”

Wu Jian’s musings were interrupted by Hou Jingshu waving them down. She and Zheng Yawen were sitting at a round table, just the two of them.

They sat down at the table beside the two young women. A maidservant came by shortly after to place food in front of them. It was congee with a mixture of fruits and nuts already mixed in and a side of honey. For protein, they were serving freshly caught salmon.

“We’ve got a bit of a treat today,” Hou Jingshu said with a smile. She picked the salmon apart with her chopsticks, put a small piece in her mouth, and gave a smile bright enough to illuminate the world. “We don’t normally get fresh salmon because we live so far from the ocean, but the crew packed some up for us before we left Hǎiyáng City.”

“Fresh fish is a treat when you live in the mainland,” Wu Jian agreed.

Since the salmon was getting such a rave review from Hou Jingshu, Wu Jian decided to try it first. He could see why she loved it so much. The salmon had a refreshing taste that captured the essence of the ocean. It was light on the seasoning. He tasted a bit of salt, pepper, and some other spice that he couldn’t identify, but all that did was help enhance the overall flavor of the fish.

However, the congee was the real treat. Wu Jian felt a burst of nostalgia the moment he put a spoonful in his mouth. It did not have the strong flavors of the Qing Province nor the medicinal seasonings of the Ming Province. The flavors were much milder and relied on the actual food rather than the seasonings to bring out the flavor.

A soft giggle made Wu Jian look up at Hou Jingshu. “What’s so funny?”

Hou Jingshu hid her smile behind her hand. “Nothing, really. I was just thinking about how you never remove your mask even when you eat.”

“Ah. Well… yeah…”

Wu Jian couldn’t afford to remove his mask since Wu Yong was sitting right next to him. It was inconvenient though. He had to lift the mask, stick the spoon or chopsticks in his mouth, lower it while chewing, and repeat the process. If only he could change his appearance, that would make everything so much simpler.

“You two seem a lot closer than before. Did something happen between you two?” asked Wu Yong.

“Nothing happened!” Hou Jingshu snapped.

“Not to my knowledge. Why do you ask?” asked Wu Jian at the same time.

Wu Yong scratched the side of his head. “Well… if you say so. Maybe I’m just imagining things.”

While Wu Yong dismissed his musings as a figment of his imagination, Wu Jian could have sworn Zheng Yawen was looking right at him with a knowing gaze. He did his best to pretend he wasn’t paying attention to her. She had no proof that anything happened last night, so there was no need to worry about them getting found out.

…Right?

Their group split up after breakfast. Wu Yong went off to help the crewmembers and Zheng Yawen said something about maintaining her weapons. That left Wu Jian and Hou Jingshu alone.

“Wanna spar?” asked Wu Jian. “I haven’t seen the training room yet.”

“Sure! I’d love to spar with you. It’ll be just like old times,” Hou Jingshu said as she led him to the training room.

Just like old times, huh?

It would not really be just like old times. Back then, it was always him, Wu Meiying, and Hou Jingshu, so they were missing one person. But he understood what she meant. He was also excited!

This will be a great chance to test the benefits of Byakko’s blood.

The training hall was large, consisting of a main floor made of lacquered wood. People were already making use of the floor space. Commander Yu Chenguang was putting his men through their paces, having them flow through the set forms of the Shang Military’s martial arts. It was quite the impressive sight. Nearly two dozen men were standing in lines as they went through a series of motions.

“You’ve never seen our military’s martial arts, have you?” asked Hou Jingshu.

Wu Jian shook his head. “I haven’t.”

“The style our military uses is called Wing Chun. It was the style used by the first emperor. It’s a concept-based fighting style that favors relatively high, narrow stances with the elbows close to your body. You position your arms across your vital points with your hands in a vertical wu sau position. It puts the practitioner in a position to make readily placed blocks and fast-moving blows to vital striking points down the center of the body.” Hou Jingshu paused before smiling a little. “I tried to practice the style once or twice, but it’s unsuited to me.”

Wu Jian agreed. “It sounds like that style is mostly used for intercepting and countering attacks. You’re much too strong for the style to benefit you.”

“That’s kind of you to say.”

Hou Jingshu was wearing a dress, so she went into an adjacent room and came back out in a training gi. She had also undone her complicated hair. Zheng Yawen was going to be really disappointed.

Wu Jian and Hou Jingshu went to one of several sparring mats, which were located on the far side of the room, away from where the men were training. They stood several dozen chih away from each other. Since this was a sparring session, they did not use a weapon.

The two placed the fists of their right hands in the palms of their left and bowed at the same time. No words were spoken as their sparring session began.

Wu Jian shocked himself when he blasted forward, but he was even more shocked by how easy it was for him to see even the tiniest details while moving at such high speed. He would have expected everything to be blurry.

Let’s see how she deals with this!

Launching several punches and kicks at a rapid rate. The attack was explosive. Hou Jingshu was sent stumbling backward, but she recovered quickly and attacked with an even more ferocious attack. Her fist literally rent the air as she struck.

Wu Jian grinned as he caught the attack on his forearm. It stung, but he ignored it and retaliated. His punch missed, but the resulting shockwave was enough to knock Hou Jingshu back again. He then spun around on his left heel and launched a strike that landed on her torso.

“Ugggh!”

Hou Jingshu gritted her teeth as she caught the attack with her arms. Wu Jian’s eyes widened as the woman roared, lifted him off the ground, and slammed him down. The air was driven from his lungs, but he rolled across the floor to avoid her foot, which would have smashed his face in.

This is… incredible! I can’t believe how much stronger I’ve gotten! And my reflexes are so much better!

Wu Jian avoided several of Hou Jingshu’s attacks. It felt like she was moving in slow motion. He then landed another kick to the woman’s gut, lifting her off the ground and sending her back.

Despite the incredible blow she had taken, Hou Jingshu was grinning. She looked at him with an expression so fiercely joyful that he wondered if this was really the woman he’d slept with last night.

Deciding to end it, Wu Jian raced forward and threw another punch with all his strength and weight behind it. His intention was to knock Hou Jingshu flat on her back.

That wasn’t what happened.

His eyes widened as the girl roared at him like some kind of fierce animal, like a dragon, and attacked with just as much ferocity as he was. Her strikes were not nearly as fast, but they were heavy. Each blow was enough to rattle his bones.

Wu Jian recognized almost immediately that he and Hou Jingshu were evenly matched in strength. They had the same cultivation level, but that didn’t always mean much. Wu Jian was much stronger than the average cultivator. Plus he now had Byakko’s blood enhancing his body. However, while Wu Jian was strong because he trained his physical body to its utmost limit, Hou Jingshu had a Perfect Physique.

A Perfect Physique was a very rare physical condition that made cultivators uniquely suited to physical combat. Their bodies were perfectly maintained and balanced at all times even without exercise. They also excelled at enhancing their bodies with chi.

“I’m really impressed that you can keep up with me!” Hou Jingshu said as they traded blows. “Very few people can match me in pure martial arts!”

“Well… I have trained pretty hard,” Wu Jian grunted as he blocked a punch. His forearm stung.

He stumbled backward, and Hou Jingshu launched another punch as if sensing an opportunity. Wu Jian did not take her attack head on this time. He diverted her attack by striking her forearm with his palm, then leaned forward to land a blow with his elbow. It would have struck Hou Jingshu’s kidney had she not twisted her body. She moved her own elbow to intercept the attack.

A shockwave released from the point of impact caused them both to stumble backward.

Wu Jian shook out his elbow. It felt a little numb. Then he waded back into the match.

Hou Jingshu wore a fierce grin as their sparring continued. It was very different from how she used to look. Her expressions back when they were younger were always filled with such concentration that she looked almost constipated, but now she looked to be enjoying herself.

Wu Jian waited until Hou Jingshu overextended herself, then grabbed her arm and pulled her into a kick. The sound of his foot meeting her stomach rang out. Hou Jingshu was launched off the floor, but she flipped around, landed on her feet, and burst forward with such speed that even Wu Jian was taken aback.

She’s fast! However, it’s all linear. She can’t change directions.

He dodged to the side, but he felt the air billow as Hou Jingshu passed him. The girl skidded to a halt, turned around, and threw a punch.

“You… seem to like fighting quite a bit,” Wu Jian grunted. He blocked two strikes with his forearm, then raised his left leg to intercept her kick. The resulting shock caused him to spin on one foot, but he simply used that momentum to release a kick of her own. It was blocked by a forearm.

“Do I? I think it’s because of my cultivation method, even though I haven’t mastered it,” Hou Jingshu tried to land a blow to his kidney, but he retracted his leg, spun around, and met her fist with his foot. They took a step back and she continued talking. “Nine Heavenly Dragons Embodiment is a cultivation method that requires me to embody the traits of a dragon. Dragons are fierce, strong, and full of pride in our prowess. I can’t be a dragon if I don’t enjoy showing off my strength.”

There were as many cultivation methods as there were stars under the sky, and the more eccentric the method’s requirements, the more powerful it normally was.

Wu Jian’s own cultivation method was extremely mysterious. It required understanding a power few people even knew existed. The Dao of Space was dangerous. One small slipup could find Wu Jian without his limbs. He had almost lost a hand while trying to practice folding space.

Sweat formed on Wu Jian’s and Hou Jingshu’s brows as their spar continued, as they traded fists and feet at lightning speed. Neither of them used any chi. This was a spar of pure martial ability. It was a spar meant to push their physical techniques to the limit.

And Wu Jian found himself being pushed back.

What the heck?! Why isn’t she tiring out?! I’m getting exhausted over here, yet she’s still raring to go! Could it be that I haven’t fully integrated with Byakko’s blood yet, or is this a result of her cultivation method combined with her Perfect Physique?!

Even though their strength was about equal, Wu Jian was slowing down as he ran out of energy, while Hou Jingshu only seemed to get stronger the longer this fight went on. He could even feel her cultivation rising! She was getting closer and closer to the seventh subrealm! This must have been part of her cultivation method. She embodied a dragon, which was a symbol of strength, so the more she trained her strength, the greater her cultivation soared.

She’s incredible! But I don’t want to lose!

He would need to take a calculated risk to win. Yes. If he just stepped forward and accepted one of her attacks, he could launch a powerful counter that would paralyze her. Even she had weak points that he could target.

And so, Wu Jian took a step forward—

—and slipped when he stepped on a puddle of sweat.

“Ah?!”

“Kya?!”

Wu Jian fell onto his back, and Hou Jingshu’s feet became entangled with his when he went down, causing her to pitch forward.

“Ooof!”

The air was driven from his lungs as Hou Jingshu landed on top of him. He gasped and tried to regain his breathing, but it was hard with someone’s weight on top of him.

“Wu Jian… you okay?” asked Hou Jingshu.

“Hmm… I’m… fine…” Wu Jian said between gasps.

He didn’t realize it at first, but Wu Jian eventually became aware of how close Hou Jingshu was. Their noses would have been touching had the mask not separated them. He could feel her body against his. She was warm and soft. Perhaps it was because he remembered last night, but his hands went to her hips as though it were natural.

Hou Jingshu stared into his eyes. She reached out to lightly brush her fingers against his mask. The entire world seemed to have disappeared around them.

“Can you two please get up? You’re distracting my men,” said Yu Chuenguang.

And just like that, it felt like someone had dumped a large bucket of ice on them.