There was a large docking bay inside of the Imperial Royal Palace. It was roughly the size of two courtyards. The Lóng Tiānkōng docked on an elevated platform and connected to a balcony that traversed much of the room via the boarding ramp.

Hou Jingshu led the procession off the airship. She glanced at Wu Jian. Even through his mask, his amazement was obvious. She couldn’t contain her smile.

“This is the first time you’ve ever seen the interior of a docking bay, isn’t it?” she asked.

“Yeah. It’s huge,” he said. He sounded like a little kid, which made her giggle.

Her reaction didn’t go unnoticed by the people around them, but she did her best to ignore the whispers. She was already aware of the rumors about her new secret lover. It was something of an open secret now. She was sure the rumors would spread before long, but she wasn’t concerned. Wu Jian was more than just her lover. He was her fiancé, and even if he had to hide that fact, she refused to let their relationship stay secret.

She turned to address Yu Chuanguang. “Once you’ve had a chance to settle in, can you please inform the Shang Imperial Academy about my return, and also help process Jian Wu’s enrollment?”

“Of course, Your Highness. Please leave this matter to me,” Yu Chuanguang said with a bow.

“Thank you. Also, please process… Yin Wuhan’s body and prepare a burial for him.”

“I will. I shall also inform his family.”

“Thank you…” She took a deep breath to steady herself, then turned to Wu Yong and Zheng Yawen. “You two are dismissed for now. Thank you for accompanying me all this time. Please get a good night’s rest.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” the two said at the same time.

“All right. Jian Wu, follow me,” Hou Jingshu said, taking him by the hand and pulling him behind her. “I’ll show you to your room.”

The Hou Family’s palace was a magnificent, multi-building complex. It featured numerous courtyards with shaded walkways connecting each building, and the buildings served as rooms for each member of the family. The emperor’s was the largest building located in the very center. It was a towering structure of massive columns and dragon statues sitting on a sloped roof that extended far beyond the walls. Bright red and gold paint glimmered in the light. It looked like several sections of the wall were made from pure gold too.

“The guest complex is over here,” Hou Jingshu said.

Wu Jian took one look at the guest complex and balked. “It’s even more ostentatious than my father’s place…”

“Well, it is part of the royal palace.”

What she called a guest complex looked more like something a rich noble would live in. She understood how different this must have been for someone who had lived in the countryside like him. It might not have been the same size as the other buildings, but it was easily two times larger than the Wu Clan’s library. It had three floors. A pair of lintel posts stood on either side of a stairway leading up to the entrance.

Hou Jingshu led him to the entrance, opened the door, and stepped inside. He followed her in and closed the door.

“Mask off,” she ordered.

“So pushy,” Wu Jian muttered as he removed his mask.

Hou Jingshu pushed him against the wall and claimed his lips barely a second after the mask was removed. Wu Jian wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. Without her breast bindings keeping her chest wrapped, her breasts pushed into his chest, causing them to squish. She wondered if he could feel her heartbeat, but that would have been impossible.

“We barely had any time alone on the ride here,” Hou Jingshu said, breathing heavily after kissing him hard enough that his lips felt bruised. “And we haven’t had another chance to do… that… since our first time.”

“Ah. Yeah. That.” Hou Jingshu’s blush as she mentioned “that” caused him to blush as well. “It’s not like we can. That first time was incredibly risky of us.”

She nodded. “It was rather reckless. I don’t think anyone knows. Zheng Yawen might have her suspicions, but she has no evidence to prove something happened. Still, we can’t really afford to do that again.”

What happened that night had been a result of their boiling emotions overflowing. Hou Jingshu had been so shocked she’d mistaken his appearance as a dream and gone all the way. Had she a chance to think about it and realize it hadn’t been a dream, she would have not done what she did. But it was too late to change things. She also didn’t regret sleeping with him. No matter what happened in the future, this was the man she would marry. No one else even had the right to touch her.

“We probably shouldn’t do that anymore… until we’re wed, I mean,” Wu Jian admitted.

“Yeah… it’s also not fair to Zhou Lihua or Wu Meiying,” Hou Jingshu said, though she was disappointed. She wouldn’t lie. She wanted to feel his body against hers again, feel him inside of her, filling her up. Just remembering that night made her shiver. All of her nightmares had been replaced by dreams of her first night with Wu Jian. She would some times wake up in the middle of the night to discover she’d been playing with herself in her sleep.

It had been quite mortifying when Zheng Yawen discovered her like this one morning.

“I need to see Father, but it shouldn’t take long. I’ll be back soon, so just wait for me here.”

Wu Jian smiled at her. “Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Thank you.”

She leaned up to give him one last kiss before reluctantly parting ways. She traveled the familiar path to her father’s residence. Several maidservants appeared and bowed to her as she passed, and she acknowledged them all with a smile.

“Is it just me, or does Her Highness seem a lot happier?”

“It’s not just you. She’s practically glowing.”

“Oh, my. You don’t think she found someone, do you?”

“Hmhmhm. This is just between you and me, but my husband was onboard the Lóng Tiānkōng when they picked up Her Highness. He said she found herself a lover on her travels.”

“Oh, my! That’s so scandalous!”

“Shhh! Not so loud!”

Rumors have already spread to the maids…

Hou Jingshu tried not to blush as she made her way down the hall. She knew it would happen, that it was only a matter of time, but she didn’t expect rumors to spread less than an hour after they docked. It seemed the soldiers were unable to keep their mouths shut. No doubt all of Shang Imperial City would learn of her lover soon.

Which means it won’t be long before he hears about it too.

She shook her head as she reached a large door guarded by a pair of peak Asura Realm cultivators. They tapped their halberds against the ground as she approached.

“Welcome, Your Highness.”

“Hello, is Father awake?”

“He is. Please, go inside.”

“Thank you.”

The guards opened the door and Hou Jingshu stepped inside. Her father was indeed awake. He sat up with the aid of several pillows. It appeared he had been looking out the window, but he turned to her and smiled as she walked over.

“My daughter, you have been gone for a long time. Come. Sit.”

“Father… I’m glad to see you’re awake.”

“And yet you still look so sad.”

“That’s because you still look awful.”

“Still as blunt as ever.”

While the words could have been taken as a joke between father and daughter, the truth was that her father did look horrible. His muscles had atrophied to the point where his ribs were now visible. Even with the aid of pills, his body was unable to retain any nutrients, which destroyed his physique and left him very weak. It caused an ache to appear in her chest every time she saw him.

“I’m glad you are awake. I feel like it’s been forever since we last spoke,” Hou Jingshu said as she sat beside the bed, grabbed her father’s hand, and held it between hers.

“Hmmm. Today was a rare day. I feel quite energetic. Were I a little stronger, I would have loved to go outside.”

“I’ll make sure you can one day. Father, I’ve been searching high and low for the ingredients needed to cure you. I only need one more ingredient,” she said those words to encourage him, but he looked rather sad.

“I am sorry, my daughter. It appears I have placed a great burden on you.”

“It’s not a burden at all! It’s my honor to help you!”

Father looked at her with eyes that were a little foggy, but far clearer than they had been in a while. He smiled after a few moments.

“Hmm. You are a good daughter… unlike my unfilial sons.” He paused and studied her more closely. “By the way, you seem much happier than I remember. Has something good happened?”

It was immediately clear to Hou Jingshu that he was unknowingly referring to how she found out Wu Jian was alive. Everyone else had already commented on her “glow.”

“Uh… well… yes, a few good things have happened. I have all but one of the ingredients needed for the Nirvana Soothing Pill, and I have reached the Seventh Subrealm of the Asura Realm. I also met someone from our kingdom while I was exploring the White Tiger Sect Ruins, and he has agreed to join the Shang Kingdom Imperial Academy.”

“It seems a lot has happened. Congratulations on reaching the seventh subrealm. That is an incredible feat. Even I did not reach that realm until I was in my twenties.” He patted her hand. “Tell me about this cultivator you found.”

Hou Jingshu talked for what felt like hours. Every word out of her mouth was an anecdote describing how amazing Wu Jian was, though she did not let Father know that he was in fact the same young man he had wed her to so long ago. She told him about how he saved her from Retou Meng, how they had begun journeying together, and all the dangers they had braved side by side. Father had a knowing smile on his face as she spoke.

“You appear to think quite highly of him,” he said at last.

“I do. I’ve never met anyone who’s more amazing,” she said.

“And when did you fall in love with him?”

“Oh, that was when--ah!”

Hou Jingshu blushed bright red when she realized she had fallen for her father’s wiley trap. She glared at him, but he just smiled.

“Don’t worry. I will not say anything about this. You deserve to find happiness. If this man can make you happy, then I would rather you stay with him than be forced into a loveless marriage. I… already did that once. And it brought you so much pain.”

“D-don’t say that, Father. I might not have been happy at first, but I grew to love Wu Jian.”

“Hmmm. And see how it turned out?” Father looked so sad, and his shoulders were drooping. “I still remember… how devastated you were when news of the Wu Clan’s destruction reached our palace. It was my actions that caused you to suffer. Had I not made you go there…”

“Had you not brought me to the Wu Clan, I would never have become the person I am today. Please… don’t blame yourself. I hate seeing you like this,” Hou Jingshu said.

He smiled. “Yes, you are right. I should try to be more positive.”

Hou Jingshu would have loved to talk with her father more, but she realized he was beginning to tire out, so she adjusted his pillows for him and held his hand as he fell asleep. She remained that way for several long seconds. His hand was so frail and thin. It renewed her determination to find the last ingredient she needed for that pill.

She left her father’s bedroom and looked at the guards.

“Have either of my brother’s been here recently?”

They shook their heads.

“Hou Gun left for the Saintly Sword Sect several days after you did, and Hou Chāo has not returned from the Burning Hands Sect for many months.”

“I see. Thank you.”

It was good that neither of them were present right now. She did not want them interrupting her time with Wu Jian. Hou Gun was particularly nosy, and he would try to dig up information on Wu Jian once he learned of their relationship. Nothing pleasant would come of that, so the longer Hou Gun stayed away, the better.

She found Wu Jian on the second floor of the guest building, legs crossed, hands forming a seal as he meditated. It looked like he was lost in his meditations. Since she didn’t want to disturb him, she found a chair and sat herself on it, then watched.

His cultivation is rising, though it’s very slight. He’s at the sixth subrealm, so he’ll need stronger alchemy pills than the ones he has been using. It looks like his cultivation method also doesn’t focus on gathering chi. He said it relies on comprehending the Dao of Space. The fact that he has been able to raise his cultivation so fast is simply evidence of his incredible talent and hard work.

Even though his cultivation did not rise much, it felt like he had become much stronger. There was a quantifiable change within him. Hou Jingshu felt like the hairs on her scalp were prickling as spatial distortions formed around his body.

Then he opened his eyes. They were a bright golden color, though they shifted to black soon enough.

“Welcome back. How is your father?”

“He was doing better today, but he is still bed-ridden. He was awake, which rarely happens. I’m happy I got to talk with him.”

“I’m happy as well. I hope we can find the last ingredient we need to cure him.”

“We will. In fact, I was going to visit Zhou Lihua. She might have news on where we can find the last ingredient.”

“Zhou Lihua, huh. Do you mind if I tag along?”

“That was the plan. Come on. We’ll take a carriage through the city. You’ll be able to see the sights as we travel to her family’s estate.”