While her father may have been cured, that didn’t mean he was healthy enough to run a nation, which meant Hou Jingshu was still in charge until he healed. That did not sit well with Loong Chen. The man had tried several times to make her leave, but she refused each time. She had a duty to fulfill, and until such a time as her duty was done, she would continue to work for her nation.

He did eventually stop asking. She wondered why for a while, but she eventually learned that he had begun amusing himself with Wu Jian. Of course, she only learned that after one of their spars got out of hand and they destroyed a training ground. After she lectured them, she asked them to move far away for their spars.

They did.

But their sparring got worse.

It wasn’t unusual now to hear the explosions and see flames shooting into the sky in the distance. That had caused quite the panic, and it had taken some time for her to calm the citizens down. She would have lectured them again, but she knew there was no point. Hou Jingshu also understood why Wu Jian was battling Loong Chen with everything he had.

He wanted to be stronger.

They had spoken about it before, and Wu Jian had confessed that he believed he would have been able to arrive sooner if he was stronger. There was truth to his words. It might have been easier for him to return during this crisis if he had been stronger. Since Hou Jingshu was not able to refute them, she had no choice but to accept his reasoning.

She grabbed a glass of water and took a drink as these thoughts and more flitted through her mind, but then she focused on the man before her, Yu Chenguang.

“How goes the relocation?”

“It’s proceeding smoothly. There have only been a few hiccups. The biggest issue are not with the people who lived in the capital. They’re fine. However, the people whose homes were in the path of the Ming Province are finding it hard to return to their normal way of life.”

“Well… we did have to burn their fields,” Hou Jingshu smiled with self-deprecation.

Burning the fields and anything that might prove useful to the enemy was a sound tactic that destroyed the enemy’s ability to gain supplies from anything other than their supply lines. However, it also meant the people who returned would have a hard time picking up the pieces. She didn’t even know how long it would take before they could begin regrowing crops.

She looked at the map, which split the Shang Kingdom into fourteen provinces. Hou Jingshu already knew what each province specialized in. Some were fertile lands that grew alchemy ingredients, but about forty percent of their lands were farmlands for crops. The Shang Kingdom was a breadbasket nation that always had a surplus of both low-level alchemy ingredients and crops. Of course, their crop yield had taken a hit since the Hong Province had been one of their most productive farmlands.

“We still produce a surplus of crops in other provinces. Tell the Yang and Chen Clan to divert twenty percent of their monthly crop yield away from exportation and deliver them to the Hong Province. Hong Ming will be in charge of distribution them to the people,” she said at last.

“It will be done,” Yu Chenguang said with a martial bow. Then he smiled. “You’ve really come into your own, Your Highness. I can see you becoming a great queen one day.”

Hou Jingshu smiled. “Thank you, but being queen is not something I long for.”

The meeting lasted a little while longer. Since the war was over, many of the clans had already left. Yu Chenguang would send a messenger to deliver her orders to Yang Huang and Chen Mu--the leaders of the Yang and Chen Clans.

Hou Jingshu soon found herself wandering down the hall. She was on her way to visit her father, who had been doing much better. He no longer slept all day, though he still needed more rest than most. She was forced to stop, however, when Hou Chao walked out from around a hallway.

“Sister…”

“Hou Chao… should you be up like that? You were quite injured as well,” she said politely.

“I’m fine. The doctor said I should move around.”

“Oh. Well, that’s good then.”

“...”

“...”

Well, this isn’t awkward. I can’t think of a single thing I can or should say to him.

Hou Jingshu had not gotten along well with her brother in many years. She couldn’t even remember the last time he had a kind word for her. Now that he seemed to no longer hold any animosity for her, she thought it was the perfect time to patch up their relationship, but she didn’t know what to say.

“Where’s… that guy?” asked Hou Chao.

“Guy?” Hou Jingshu tilted her head.

“You know, uh, your partner…”

“Oh.” She smiled. “He’s probably sparring with Loong Chen. I believe he wants to take advantage of that man’s presence to grow as strong as possible.”

“Right. Yeah. Makes sense.”

“Right.”

“...”

“...”

More awkward silence. Hou Jingshu wondered at this helpless feeling. Shouldn’t it be easier to talk to your family than anyone else? And yet, she found that she had no idea what to say to this man, her own flesh and blood. He seemed to be having the same problem. His head was now tilted down and he looked at the floor as though it was the most interesting thing in the world.

“So, um, listen,” Hou Chao began, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked at everything but her. “I just… well…”

I guess it’s hard for him too, Hou Jingshu mused. He had spent most of his adult life hating her, so to suddenly no longer feel that hate must have left him as confused as her. Was he also trying to path things up with her?

“I’m about to have lunch,” Hou Jingshu said suddenly. “Would you care to join me?”

Hou Chao perked up. His eyes widened. After a moment, he nodded.

“Yeah, I’d like that… sis.”

***

Wu Jian felt like a mountain had slammed into him. Loong Chen’s fist contained a strength he’d never felt before. The moment it struck, it felt as if all the organs in his body had burst like overripe fruit.

He lay in a crater, staring up at the clear blue sky. He was having breathing problems. Every lungful of air he took brought with it a sharp pain like needles stabbing into his flesh. He couldn’t move either. Matters only became worse when his transformation wore off. Pain struck every nerve in his body, but he couldn’t do a single thing about it, such was his exhaustion. Wu Jian couldn’t even move.

“Ooooi. You still alive, brat.”

Wu Jian would have scowled at Loong Chen’s uncaring voice, but even that required more effort than he could bring. All he could do right now was close his eyes and try to recover. He ignored the sharp pain every breath taken caused and focused on gathering the energies of heaven and earth into his body, allowing the chi to travel through his meridians and hopefully speed up the healing process.

Poke.

Poke poke.

Poke poke poke.

Wu Jian opened his eyes and glared at the man poking his cheek with a stick. Loong Chen was kneeling next to him. He grinned the moment their eyes met.

“Oh, looks like you’re alive, after all. Such a shame.”

“... Screw you.”

“Look at that! He speaks!”

Wu Jian grunted as he sat up. His body ached, but he placed his hands on either side and pushed himself to his feet. He stumbled, then fell forward, where he proceeded to claw his way out of the crater.

The area around them looked like a warzone, with more craters, scorchmarks, and gouged earth every direction he looked. He could see why Hou Jingshu had made them come all the way out here. This land served no purpose, which made it the perfect place to destroy.

He summoned some alchemy pills and popped them into his mouth. He should have done this sooner, but the idea only just occurred to him. As he surveyed the damaged lands and let his wounds heal, he found Yōuměi lying on her side, and so he limped over to his magical beast companion and knelt down.

She’s just unconscious. Good.

Yōuměi was still breathing, which was good. It wasn’t like he expected Loong Chen to kill his companion, but this man was so strong that he could kill either of them with his pinky, so one could never be too careful. He actually hadn’t wanted Yōuměi to get involved with his training, but the young panther had adamantly requested they train together like they used to. Wu Jian could hardly refuse.

Yōuměi had been knocked out of the fight pretty quick. She’d tried to merge into Loong Chen’s shadow but found herself unable to, then received a punch that took her out. He had never seen Yōuměi be unable to merge with a shadow before. Wu Jian could only assume Long Chen had some means of preventing it. He didn’t know if it was something all Perfection Realm cultivators could do, or if this dragon was just special.

“You lasted a little longer this time. Seems you’re getting used to using your power,” Loong Chen said.

“Well… yeah… I’d be dead if I didn’t.”

“Ha ha. That you would.” Loong Chen’s chuckles soon dissolved as he stared at Wu Jian curiously. “By the way, brat.”

“I’d prefer if you used my name.”

“If you want me to use your name, then you gotta make me respect you. I only call people I respect by their names. Anyway, brat, why are you trying so hard to get stronger? I admire your determination, but there are easier, less painful ways to increase your strength.”

Wu Jian didn’t say anything for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. Then, in a soft voice, he said, “Because I don’t have time. You’re right. I’m sure there are plenty of ways to gain strength that don’t rely on getting as close to death as possible, but those methods are slow. They take time. And I don’t have that much time.”

“Oh? You say that like something’s gonna happen if you don’t get stronger now.”

“It might. Who can say.”

“Well, I certainly admire your guts, but listen to me and listen well, brat. The method you’re using right now is definitely a good one. Dangerous, but good. However, acquiring strength by taking yourself to the border between life and death has its own weaknesses. Power acquired too quickly is easy to abuse. That kind of strength is also very unstable. If you really want to gain strength and maintain a strong base, then you also need to gain strength the normal way, through quiet meditation and reflection.”

Wu Jian stared at the man with a raised eyebrow. The advice was good, but…

“Never thought I’d hear you give sound advice like that.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?! Are you saying I don’t give good advice?!”

“I’m just saying you strike me as the hotheaded type.”

“Tch. I’ve been alive since before your great grandfather was even a reflection of his great grandfather’s eyes. I’ve learned patience, and I’ve gone through the motions. I act however I want now because I earned that right with my own hard work.”

Wu Jian didn’t know if this man was being honest. He was a dragon. Weren’t they born strong? He wanted to ask more, but the chance slipped away when Loong Chen turned his head.

“Someone’s coming. Oh ho. And it’s quite the cutie, too.”

Wu Jian woke up Yōuměi before gingerly climbing to his feet. The cat seemed confused, but he gave her an alchemy pill to heal her, then looked up at the sky as someone came flying down. It was…

“Mei Xilan?”

The young woman with snow-white skin and silvery hair landed lightly on her feet. Her white hanfu billowed around her. He thought he caught a glimpse of bare thigh, but it happened so fast he might have imagined it. She surveyed the area for but a moment before glancing his way with her almond-shaped eyes. Her irises were almost white. He supposed calling them silver would have been more apt.

“... Jian Wu?” she asked uncertainly.

“Yeah…”

“Forgive me. This is my first time seeing you without your mask.” Her cheeks became just a little red. “You’re much more handsome than I expected.”

“Eh?”

Wu Jian pressed a hand to his face and realized, with shock, that she was right. His mask had obviously been destroyed during his battle against Loong Chen. He never bothered putting a new one back on because he didn't think anyone would come here. Should he put one on now? No, there was no point now that she had seen his face.

“Well, um, thanks,” Wu Jian said.

Her expression did not change after catching sight of him, but she did walk over and take his arm.

“It has been a long time. I’m happy to see you,” she said at last.

“Uh… yeah, good to see you too,” he muttered.

“Oi. What is going on here, brat? Are you cheating on my apprentice?” asked Loong Chen.

“Shut up,” Wu Jian muttered.