It took a full day before Wu Jian was fully recovered. He would have liked to say that his time spent convalescing had been relaxing, but the truth was that it had been anything but. Mei Xilan had been visiting him almost every day--much to Hou Jingshu’s frustration. He didn’t know why the young princess disliked Mei Xilan so much, but apparently, something about the cold woman’s attitude rubbed her the wrong way.

Wu Jian was smart enough to understand what was going on here, at least. He knew that Mei Xilan had some kind of feelings for him. A woman would not invest so much time and attention on a person they felt nothing for, but the biggest question on his mind was why? Why had she suddenly started paying so much attention to him? Was it because he defeated her? That couldn’t be all there was to it, could there?

At the moment, Wu Jian was sitting on his bed as Hou Jingshu and Zhou Lihua fed him slices of fruit. He would have preferred meat. However, when he told them that, they both shot him down, saying something about how a patient should eat foods that were less heavy. He didn’t understand it. What was wrong with meat?

“Sorry I haven’t been able to visit you until now,” Zhou Lihua apologized.

“It’s okay. Family issues?” asked Wu Jian.

Zhou Lihua nodded as she sliced up a mandarin with a simple cutting knife. “Yeah, they haven’t let me go anywhere ever since the tournament ended. I’ve been stuck inside of their residence ever since Lord Zhou Chaoxiang arrived. Zhou Wen has been keeping an eye on me, too. It’s like she didn’t want me visiting you.”

“But they’re letting you see me now?”

“Mmm. I don’t know if they had a change of heart or what, but they said it was okay now,” she said.

“Hmmm,” Wu Jian murmured.

“Open your mouth,” Zhou Lihua said as she held a mandarin slice out for him.

Wu Jian obediently opened his mouth and let her place the fruit inside, then closed his mouth. A slightly tart, slightly sweet burst of flavor hit his tongue as he bit into the mandarin slice. He chewed as Hou Jingshu hummed thoughtfully.

“Big sis! Big sis! Feed Yōuměi too!”

Yōuměi tugged at Zhou Lihua’s elegant hanfu ruqun with her teeth, then placed her head on the young woman’s lap.

Zhou Lihua had been shocked when she heard Yōuměi speak for the first time. Wu Jian had to explain that she had reached the Human Limit Realm and thus gained the ability of speech. Wu Jian wondered what shocked her more, however. The fact that Yōuměi was speaking, or how Yōuměi sounded like a child? That young voice truly did not match her massive and intimidating appearance.

“Hmmm. These are supposed to be for Wu Jian… but I guess I can give you some.”

“Yay!”

“Your family is always so mysterious, Lihua,” Hou JIngshu said as Yōuměi opened her mouth wide to be fed.

“They’re confusing is what they are,” Zhou Lihua sighed as she fed Wu Jian another mandarin. Meanwhile, Yōuměi had placed her head on Zhou Lihua’s lap as though waiting for another morsel. The alchemist smiled as she fed the panther some more. “I can’t figure out what they want from me, and I feel like they’re keeping secrets from me. I don’t like that. Also, Zhou Wen has been acting… weird.”

“Weird how?” asked Wu Jian.

“Like she’s always watching me whenever I’m around, and she sometimes disappears randomly and won’t return for a few months. This was before you arrived, Jian. She hasn’t vanished since then, but I suspect it’s just because she hasn’t had a reason to.”

“Maybe she was given a task by your clan head?”

“I thought the same thing at first and didn’t pay much attention to what she did, but it’s been bothering me more and more these days. Where does she go when she disappears? What is she doing?”

Wu Jian didn’t blame Zhou Lihua for not trusting Zhou Wen since he also thought she was strange. He had nothing to base his suspicions off of, but something about the woman rubbed him the wrong way. Even so, Wu Jian trusted his instincts.

Too bad there was little he could do about them. He couldn’t go against the Zhou Clan, especially not on a mere hunch. They were far too powerful for that.

Their conversation shifted to more pleasant topics like what they would do once they got back home. Zhou Lihua planned to lock herself in her room and concoct more pills for them. The Zhou Clan had decided to gift her with some rare and powerful ingredients. They wanted her to make pills for them, but she planned to sneak some to him and Hou Jingshu.

While they spoke, Zhou Lihua continued feeding him. Hou Jingshu had granted her this right because of how they hadn’t seen each other in so long. Yet it was clear from her pout that the Shang Kingdom princess was not quite pleased at being left out. He would have said something, but this woman was stubborn. She wouldn’t change her mind once she had decided on something.

Someone knocked on the door while they were talking. All three of them turned toward the door.

“Hello?” came a somewhat familiar voice. “Jian Wu? It’s Húndàn Wang. Can I come in?”

Wu Jian glanced at Hou Jingshu and Zhou Lihua, then placed his mask on and said, “You can come in.”

The door opened and Húndàn Wang walked in, though he paused when he saw all the people present. His eyes lingered on Hou Jingshu for a moment longer than necessary.

“I didn’t realize you had company. Perhaps I should come back another time?”

“You’d be wasting your time. They’re not going to leave,” said Wu Jian.

“I… see…” Húndàn Wang made a face, but then sighed and stepped up to the bed. “I have a few things to say, but first, let me congratulate you on your victory in the tournament. Your battle with Mei Xilan was inspiring.”

“Thank you,” said Wu Jian, accepting the praise.

Wu Jian wasn’t sure why this man was here, but something seemed different about him. He seemed a bit more mature now than he had when they first met.

“Anyway… what I wanted to say was that… I think you are worthy of being beside Her Highness. I realize that now. I also realize how lacking I was. I had eyes, but I was blind to both the depths of your feelings and your competence. Please accept my apology. Also, I hope you will take care of Her Highness from now on.”

“I accept your apology… and that’s not something you need to tell me. I will always take care of Jingshu,” Wu Jian said.

Hou Jingshu smiled. “The fact that you’ve realized this now is a sign of your own growth. I’m glad you were able to realize all this on your own.”

Rubbing the back of his head, Húndàn Wang blushed. “You think so? Thanks, I guess.” He paused. “I’ll be leaving for the Heavenly Sword Sect soon. I don’t think I’ll be around when you go into the Sacred Grounds, so I wanted to say this now.”

“In that case, allow us to wish you well when you reach the Heavenly Sword Sect. I’m sure you’ll excel there,” said Hou Jingshu.

“Thanks,” Húndàn Wang said with a genuine smile.

***

Wu Jian was fully recovered the next day. He was able to bathe, get dressed, and meet up with Hou Jingshu, Yu Chenguang, and the others for breakfast. The group had expressed their relief that he had recovered. Yu Mao, the precocious little devil, had talked his ear off about how cool he was during his fight with Mei Xilan.

Speaking of, she hadn’t come to visit him the other day, but he supposed she was with Hua Xue. He thought it was a good thing. Wu Jian didn’t know what to do with that girl yet. If he was being honest with himself, he wasn’t as interested in her as he was the head elder of the Ice Phoenix Sect. Mei Xilan was strong and beautiful, but that was it.

Zhou Lihua and the Zhou Clan had already left. She had said her goodbyes to him yesterday, and what a goodbye it had been. The soft sensation of her lips and the taste of her tongue still lingered in his mouth. He wished they could have done more, but Zhou Wen had arrived at the most inopportune time to tell her they were leaving.

I really don’t like that woman…

“Are you two ready to enter the Sacred Grounds?” asked Yu Chenguang.

“I’m ready,” Wu Jian said.

“So am I,” added Hou Jingshu, though she paused. “However, I’m still confused about where the Sacred Grounds are. They don’t belong to the Saintly Sword Sect, so they should not be here. Where is it located?”

Yu Chenguang leaned back, eying Yōuměi as she ate a massive slab of meat on the floor. He shook his head before looking back at them.

“The Sacred Grounds is located in a small cave north-west of here. It’s about equal distance between the Shang Imperial City, Saintly Sword Sect, and Ice Phoenix Mountain. In fact, our three factions based themselves in these locations because the Sacred Grounds was equidistant from them.”

“What exactly is the Sacred Grounds?” asked Wu Jian.

Yu Chenguang smiled. “You’ll see when you get there.”

The words caused Wu Jian to frown. Too bad no one could see it behind his mask. Then he glanced at Yu Qian, who had been silent this whole time. The young man hadn’t spoken at all and seemed to be lost in thought. Was he upset that he lost to his rival in the tournament? Wu Jian wanted to ask about it, but… well, maybe it was better to leave him be. He wouldn’t want someone getting in his business when he was upset.

Breakfast soon finished and everyone left their residence. This would be the last time they would see it, and Wu Jian couldn’t help but turn back to look at the place where they had stayed.

The Saintly Sword Sect felt empty now that most of the guests had left. There were only members of the sect walking to and fro. Many of them stopped when their group passed by and offered a martial bow as a sign of respect.

Several people were already waiting near the entrance of the Saintly Sword Sect. Of course, Húndàn Qie and Teng Qigang were both present. Húndàn Wang was not just like he had said the other day. Hua Xue was also present, as were the three Ice Fairies. Mei Xilan had even taken a step toward him, but Hua Xue grabbed her arm. The young woman looked at the head elder of her sect, saw the older woman shake her head, and slowly settled down behind her again. Xian Fen and Xun Xi both looked at their companion in shock.

Jia Xinyue was there, but the young man looked out of place. He seemed nervous. It was understandable since, out of all the people here, he was the only one who didn’t really earn his place there. Hou Gun had originally been slated to join them. However, for some reason the first prince had abdicated his right to the Sacred Grounds. Jia Xinyue was the sixth runner up, so he had earned the place by default.

“Glad to see you all could make it,” Húndàn Qie said with a pleased smile. “The Sacred Grounds is a few days' travel from here, but we’re going to speed the process up by taking my personal ship. Head Elder Qigang, I’ll leave the sect in your hands.”

Teng Qigang offered a martial bow. “Please rest assured, Sect Master.”

“Hmmm.” The sect master nodded, then looked at the others. “Well? Come along. It is time for us to leave.”

Everyone followed after Húndàn Qie. Mei Xilan somehow was able to slip over to him without her head elder noticing. Hou Jingshu grabbed Wu Jian’s arm and glared at the younger girl, who didn’t seem to react at all. Wu Jian glanced at Mei Xilan, but since she wasn’t saying anything, he focused on where they were going instead.

At least, that was his plan until Mei Xilan grabbed his arm too.

“What are you doing?!” hissed Hou Jingshu.

“I am merely holding his arm,” Mei Xilan said. “Is that a problem?”

“It is! Why are you latching onto him like this?!”

“Because I want to.”

“Well, I don’t want you to. Let go right now.”

“I will not.”

Wu Jian took a deep breath, then blew it out. “Mei Xilan…”

“Call me Xi’er.”

“I’ll stick with Mei Xilan, thanks.” Adding the “re” suffix to someone’s name was a sign of endearment, and he wasn’t that close to her. “Please let go of me. I appreciate the attention, but you are making Jingshu uncomfortable.”

“… Very well. My apologies.”

It was hard to tell because her face remained blank, but he wondered if Mei Xilan was disappointed as she let go of his arm--not that it mattered. He wasn’t about to sacrifice the comfort of his woman by granting favor to another, especially when he felt nothing for Mei Xilan. Hou Jingshu was far more important to him.

They soon reached a docking bay. It was a massive space even larger than the docking bay in the royal palace. Five ships sat inside. Most of them were relatively small, though they were still large compared to a standard boat. Each one looked like they could carry maybe ten or fifteen people.

The biggest one among them looked even larger than the Shang Kingdom’s pride and joy, the ship he rode on after reaching the Shang Kingdom from Qing Province. It was decorated with the colors of the Saintly Sword Sect. Several sails were currently furled up, but there were six masts. A pair of wings sat on either side, currently folded up, but Wu Jian could imagine how they would look unfurled. At the bow was a figurehead, a carved statue of a man wielding a sword. The man had an austere aura about him. Maybe it was the Saintly Sword Sect’s founder?

“This is the Zhang Jian Tang, and it is the ship we’ll be using to travel to the Sacred Grounds,” said Húndàn Qie, looking quite proud.