It had been quite a while since Wu Jian had seen Huǒ Shuchang, and it was clear their time apart had been good to the older man. He looked and felt much stronger now. Wu Jian also could not sense his cultivation, which meant he must have reached the Deva Realm. What sort of opportunities had his friend encountered after they parted ways?

“What are you doing here, Shuchang?” asked Huǒ Pànguó with a snarl.

Huǒ Shuchang grinned. “What do you mean? Didn’t I just tell you? Your loud voice is causing a disturbance. We can’t continue with the auction when you’re making such a ruckus.”

As Wu Jian tilted his head, wondering what was going on here, Huǒ Shuchang looked at the cloaked figure who had mysteriously taken to hiding behind him, then at him. The young man’s eyes lit up. For a moment, Wu Jian thought he was going to greet him, but sadly, Huǒ Pànguó decided to speak up first.

“Hmph. These people have a Phoenix Token, but they are not members of our clan. They must have stolen it--and I believe the little thief who did so is that cloaked person there,” Huǒ Pànguó pointed Huǒ Yulie. “I was merely trying to make them remove their hood so I could ascertain the truth.”

Liar, Wu Jian thought. Do you really think you can deceive us with that bullshit? Who do you think you’re trying to fool?

But it wasn’t like Wu Jian could say anything. Huǒ Pànguó was the eldest son of the Huǒ Clan’s head, which meant he was akin to a god in this city. Well, maybe calling him a god was an exaggeration, but he wielded vast power. It wasn’t just his own power either. He had the power of his clan behind him. Wu Jian could ill-afford to make this man his enemy.

“Ha ha ha ha!” Huǒ Shuchang placed his hands on his hips, threw his head back, and laughed.

Huǒ Pànguó scowled. “What is so funny?”

“You’re funny! Heh heh heh. There is no thief. Do you really think anyone could steal one of our tokens? Don’t be absurd. In either event, that token was not stolen.” Huǒ Shuchang pointed at the token in Huǒ Pànguó’s hand. “I gave that to them.”

“W… what?” Huǒ Pànguó looked like he’d been struck dumb.

“I gave it to them. More specifically, I gave it to him.” Huǒ Shuchang pointed at Wu Jian, then grinned. “It’s been a long time, Jian Wu. I see you’re doing well. Look at how much stronger you’ve become!”

“I should be the one saying that. I didn’t think you’d reach the Deva Realm so soon after we left. Or ever,” Wu Jian said.

“Did you really have so little faith in me?! I’m hurt.”

“You’ll live.”

Huǒ Pànguó didn’t look like he knew what to do, but Wu Jian was more focused on his conversation with Huǒ Shuchang than he was the petty older brother. Quite a lot of time had passed since they journeyed together. Even so, Wu Jian seamlessly slipped into the familiar banter from back then. It was oddly comforting to talk to this man. Huǒ Shuchang had found Wu Jian when he was at his lowest point and helped him out a lot. Perhaps that was why.

“Anyway,” Huǒ Shuchang suddenly turned to Huǒ Pànguó and held out a hand. “I’m gonna have to ask you to give that back.”

“... Fine.”

With a disgusted snort, Huǒ Pànguó threw the token on the floor and stomped out of the room, leaving the poor attendant who’d come with him quivering in fear. Huǒ Shuchang sighed as he picked up the token. He handed the token to Huǒ Yulie, who accepted it without saying a word.

“Well, now. This wasn’t quite how I expected us to meet again,” Huǒ Shuchang said with a chuckle.

“Me neither,” admitted Wu Jian.

“Anyway, since you’re here, we should catch up,” Huǒ Shuchang suggested.

Wu Jian shrugged. “Sure.”

They paid the attendant, who handed over the expensive wooden box and left the room in a hurry. She probably needed a change of underwear. The situation had been pretty tense back there, and she was just a small Anima Realm cultivator. He was pretty sure the poor girl had wet herself.

Wu Jian sat down with the box in his lap. Huǒ Yulie sat on one side and Mei Xilan on his other. Huǒ Shuchang had been about to sit beside him, but he was unable to thanks to the cloaked young woman. He looked at her, then at Wu Jian with a quirked eyebrow. He got a shrug in response. What did he want Wu Jian to do about this? He had no control over Huǒ Yulie’s actions.

With a sigh, Huǒ Shuchang sat in one of the empty chairs--or he was about to. He paused upon seeing Hua Xue.

Wu Jian would have rubbed his eyes if he could. He was sure he was seeing things, but Huǒ Shuchang seemed to disappear from his chair and reappear before Hua Xue, his hand already grasping one of hers. It was enough to make him sigh. Right. He had forgotten this man was kind of a playboy.

“Oh, mysterious beauty. Please tell me your name. I wish to burn it in my soul,” Huǒ Shuchang said.

Ugh. Seriously. When did you use such horrible pickup lines? Wu Jian grimaced.

Hua Xue stared at Huǒ Shuchang with a cold look, then spoke with a voice that could have frozen someone’s heart. “On account of you being Jian Wu’s friend, I won’t immediately turn you into an icicle, but I suggest you let go of my hand right this instant. Your friendship with him has only prevented you from being immediately frozen. It will not save you if you continue to hold it.”

Huǒ Shuchang went into a full body shudder as he let go of the woman’s hand, stood back up, and backed away. He rubbed the back of his head and grinned sheepishly.

“My bad, my bad. I couldn’t help myself. Even though you’re wearing a veil, I can tell you’re a woman of incomparable beauty.”

Wu Jian sighed. “I see you haven’t changed at all. It’s good to know that some things never change.”

“You, on the other hand, have changed a lot.” Huǒ Shuchang finally sat down in the empty chair and studied Wu Jian. “You seem a lot mellower now than you were back then. To be honest, I was pretty worried about you. Standing beside you sometimes felt like I was next to a rabid beast.”

Wu Jian was glad no one could see his grimace. “Was I really like that?”

“Oh, yeah. All you cared about was getting stronger. You killed without question. Remember that young man who attacked us? The arrogant young master guy? I told you not to kill him because it could cause trouble later on down the road, but you did without moment’s hesitation.”

Wu Jian did remember who Huǒ Shuchang was talking about, though he couldn’t remember that man’s name. Ugh, had he even been given a name? He was sure that man had told him who he was, but he was just another face in the crowd. There were dozens of arrogant young masters like him in this world. If Wu Jian was given a spirit coin for every young master he met, he would be rich.

“If that’s how you saw me, maybe I have changed a little,” Wu Jian admitted.

“Not a little. A lot,” Huǒ Shuchang confirmed. “Anyway.” He looked at the cloaked figure sitting next to Wu Jian. “Isn’t it about time you took off that cloak, little sis?”

“…How didst thee knoweth twas me?” asked Huǒ Yulie as she pulled back the cloak and removed the facemask.

Huǒ Shuchang raised an eyebrow as he placed his elbows on his knees and leaned forward to pin her with a look. “Seriously? Everyone heard you bidding for that item right there. Anyone who’s ever heard you speak would recognize your voice. You really didn’t think this through, did you?”

“Urk. I just did want to help Jian Wu acquireth yond item.”

“I figured as much.” Huǒ leaned back and shrugged. “I’m not saying what you did was bad. I’m just saying that it was easy for myself and that bastard, Huǒ Pànguó, to recognize your voice.”

I assumed as much.

Wu Jian nodded to himself as his thoughts were confirmed. Huǒ Pànguó had definitely recognized Huǒ Yulie’s voice and come in to confirm whether it was really her. They were lucky. Had he confirmed who she was, it could have caused a lot of trouble. Wu Jian wouldn’t be surprised if Huǒ Pànguó tried to accuse them of kidnapping a member of their family, and since Huǒ Yulie was obviously very important to the clan (she was being locked away in that Sanctuary place), the situation might have devolved into them getting the death sentence.

“Mrrr. I hadst not considered yond,” Huǒ Yulie confessed.

“I’m not surprised. Given how you’ve lived until now, I doubt the thought would cross your mind,” Huǒ Shuchang said.

Huǒ Yulie pouted at him. “What is yond did suppose to cullionly?”

“Aaaaaaanyway, Jian Wu! I wanna hear your opinion about my little sis! She’s cute, right?”

Wu Jian felt very put on the spot when, as one, Hua Xue, Mei Xilan, and Huǒ Yulie turned to look at him. The looks on their faces as they stared at him made it clear they were all expecting different answers. Mei Xilan Huǒ Yulie were the most frightening. Hua Xue did not seem to care much, but she did look amused. Her lips were quicked in a slight smile.

He wanted to deck Huǒ Shuchang in the face.

“Ah… well, she’s very pretty,” Wu Jian admitted.

“I am?! doth thee truly cullionly yond?!”

Huǒ Yulie leaned so close that Wu Jian wanted to back off, but he couldn’t because Mei Xilan was on his other side. He was forced to put up with the girl getting nose to nose with him… or he would have been had Mei Xilan not yanked on his arm and pulled him back.

“Do you not know what personal space is?” asked Mei Xilan.

“Thou art one to speak! Unhand that gent this instant!”

Wu Jian didn’t know if he should laugh or cry as the two began fighting. He sort of expected Mei Xilan to act this way since she’d been like this since the end of the tournament, but what about Huǒ Yulie? They had just met. There was no way her feelings were that strong, and he didn’t believe for a second that she was interested in him because of his smell. Just what was going on?

He was somehow able to wrestle himself away from the pair and wound up standing beside Huǒ Shuchang’s chair. The older man teased him, but Wu Jian spat insults right back. Despite how vitriolic he sounded, he was genuinely happy to see his friend, and it was nice catching up.

The auction continued and a number of items were sold off, all of which went for prices well beyond what he remembered from the Shang Kingdom auction. None of the items interested him, though Huǒ Shuchang half-heartedly bid on a few. Wu Jian noticed he only bid on items that his older brother seemed interested in. He was probably doing it to be spiteful.

“So, Jian Wu, I take it you’re here for the tournament?” asked Huǒ Shuchang.

He nodded. “That’s right. Mei Xilan and I are representing the Shang Kingdom.”

“The Shang Kingdom, huh? I remember you told me you’re from there. So that’s how it is. Well, I know you’ll do well. I hope we’ll get to compete against each other.”

“You’re also taking part?”

“Of course, as a member of the Huǒ Clan, I have to take part. I heard the elders are cooking up something special for this tournament, though I don’t know what.”

“So this tournament is going to be different from the other ones?”

“That’s what I’ve heard, but it’s just a rumor,” Huǒ Shuchang shrugged.

Wu Jian placed a hand under his chin and pondered what this meant. He had entered a lot of tournaments, and most of them were all the same. Two people battled one-on-one in a bracketed style tournament. The winner of one round would go on to fight the winner of another until only one was left standing.

“I wonder why there are so many tournaments,” Wu Jian suddenly said.

“What’s that now?” asked Huǒ Shuchang.

“Everywhere I go, there are tournaments happening. I’m just wondering why there are so many.”

“I can answer that,” Hua Xue said. “It is because the universe respects strength. The strong are revered. What better way to display your strength than with a tournament?”

“That seems so… simplistic though,” Wu Jian said.

Hua Xue shrugged. “Reasons do not need to be complicated. Of course, that is not the only reason. Tournamnents are also entertaining and bring in lots of money every year. People pay for tickets, they place bets on who will win. The amount of money a tournament can generate is nothing to scoff at. It is the best way for a nation, a sect, or even a clan to make money.”

“Well… I guess that makes sense,” Wu Jian said with a sigh. Even so, he was beginning to hope this would be the last tournament he ever took part in. They were starting to wear on his nerves.

As the auction came to a close, Huǒ Shuchang stood up and went over to Huǒ Yulie with a kind smile.

“It’s time for you to head back, Sis. I’ll help you sneak back into the Sanctuary,” he said.

“Must I truly wend backath to the Sanctuary? I wish to remaineth beside Jian Wu.”

“You’ve really gotten attached to him, haven’t you? Well, not that I don’t understand. But we both know you can’t. It’s not like I want you to go back there, you know? However, if you remain beside Jian Wu, you’re bound to cause problems. What would happen if Father found out?”

“Mrg… I understand. I shall returneth with thee to the Sanctuary,” Huǒ Yulie bit her lower lip as she conceded. Wu Jian thought he saw tears gathering in the young woman’s eyes, but they were gone when he looked away.