Since the meeting had ended in a confrontation, Wu Jian found himself wandering through the village with little to do. Youmei, Hou Jingshu, and Zhou Lihua were by his side. A heavy silence hung over them.

This village isn’t very big.

It was something he had already noticed, but it seemed the population in this village only measured in the hundreds, making it the smallest community he had visited. That also explained why his group drew so much attention. Villages like this were usually close-knit communities where everyone knew each other, and social life revolved around shared activities such as farming, fishing, and communal festivals.

That explained why nobody came up to them. While the villagers didn’t look at their group with suspicion or mistrust, he felt a definite sense of caution coming from the people around them. These people were wary of outsiders. It made this village feel like a microcosm of the Suit Kingdom as a whole.

“What should we do now?” asked Hou Jingshu.

“That’s… a good question,” Wu Jian ran a tired hand through his hair. “What should we do? I guess the first order of business would be to find Mei Xilan. We can discuss what to do next once she’s around.”

Shuchang suddenly returned from one of the food stalls, knelt down, and offered a meat skewer to Youmei. “Here you go, kiddo.”

“Yay! Meat!”

Wu Jian believed he meant for her to grab the skewer. That wasn’t what happened.

“Yeowch?!”

Wu Jian snorted in amusement when Youmei opened her mouth wide and clamped down on the meat skewer and the hand that fed her. Shuchang grimaced as he pried his hand out of her mouth. It was covered in slobber and bite marks.

“My hand isn’t food, you know,” he muttered bitterly.

“What do you make of the situation?” asked Wu Jian.

Shuchang tilted his head and crossed his arms. “I’m honestly not sure what to make of it. I have so many questions right now.”

“Like?”

“For starters, you remember what Liang Wei was doing when we met him right?”

“Of course.” Wu Jian nodded.

Zhou Lihua furrowed her brow. “He was kidnapping women.”

“Exactly. What reason would he have to do that?” asked Shuchang.

“To hold them for ransom, I assume?” asked Wu Jian with a shrug. “Or maybe to put pressure on the Undying Sun Sect? While the sect is controlled by Qiang Bao, he does have elders. I might be mistaken, but I think those women were all related to the Undying Sun Sect in some way.”

“You’re not wrong. I recognized a few of those women. One of them was the direct disciple of an elder named Huang Kai,” Shuchang said. She was one of the women he had slept with. He remembered hearing them moaning through the walls in his room one night. Hou Jingshu had heard it as well and took that as a direct challenge to be louder than them.

“We can ask Liang Wei when we find him,” Hou Jingshu said.

“And we’ll likely find him with Mei Xilan,” Zhou Lihua added.

Their group began searching in earnest for Mei Xilan. They decided to split up to cover more ground. It was a small village, but the sooner they found her, the sooner they could discuss the matter at hand.

She was not in the marketplace, so Wu Jian traveled further out. He wandered past buildings and watched as villagers went out of their way to avoid him. It took a while, but he eventually found Mei Xilan standing near a watermill. He made his way over to her, but then he spotted Liang Wei and heard him say something, so he quickly hid behind a tree and listened in.

“Look, I said I’m sorry. Please forgive Zhǐhuīguān Rén Xuě. He’s been through a lot.”

“And I haven’t?”

“You have. Of course, you have.”

“But he should get preferential treatment?”

“That’s not what I’m saying!”

“Then what are you saying?”

“I’m just asking you to be a little more understanding of his position!”

“Understanding goes both ways, and he clearly has no desire to understand my position.”

“That’s--”

“Do not say that isn’t true. It’s easy to tell from the way he spoke to me that he holds the Sui Royal Family in contempt. He couldn’t care less about the struggles and hardships it took me to reach this point, how many times I came close to death in my quest for power so I can liberate my nation. I’ve no intention of dealing with a man like that. If he wants my help, he can kowtow until he creates an indent in the shape of his face.”

“Please don’t be like this…”

“I should be the one saying that. If you’re not going to take my side, then you can leave.”

“But…”

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“Leave.”

“…Yes, Sui Mei Gōngzhǔ.”

Liang Wei gave Mei Xilan a martial bow that showed deep respect despite how he had been dismissed, then turned around and walked off. Wu Jian kept his back pressed against the tree. The man didn’t even notice him as he disappeared into the village.

“You can come out now,” Mei Xilan called.

Wu Jian sighed, then smiled as he walked out from around the tree and went over to Mei Xilan. He didn’t say anything, instead opting to look at the river as it flowed into the village. This river was basically the life of the village. Numerous irrigation canals had been dug out to direct the flow of water toward the fields and rice paddies. The crystal clear water was clean and pure, and he could see fish swimming around in it.

“Do you think I was too harsh?” asked Mei Xilan.

Wu Jian shook his head. “There’s a lot here that I don’t understand, but I do understand how you’re supposed to treat royalty. You are also much stronger than Rén Xuě and he needs your aid more than you need his. Even I know that the way he went about asking for your help is wrong. Also…”

“Also?” Mei Xilan tilted her head with Wu Jian trailed off.

Furrowing his brow, Wu Jian spoke slowly. “Also, there is something odd about Rén Xuě that I can’t put my finger on. It might have to do with how he was having Liang Wei kidnap women. Myself and the others theorized he might be using them as hostages but…”

“You suspect something else?”

He shrugged. “Maybe.”

Another moment of silence passed. A gentle breeze blew past them, rustling their clothes and hair. The breeze was cool, and it carried the scent of fresh water.

“Anyway, let’s go back to the others,” he said at last.

“…Okay.”

***

They met back up with the others. Nobody had given them a place to stay, so they asked around to see if there was an inn. There wasn’t. This village was so small and nobody ever came here except a few merchants once or twice a year that they didn’t have a single inn. What they did have was a small communal house used for merchants when they arrived. The villagers said they could use it.

The house was a modest yet functional structure, reflecting the simplicity and practicality of rural life. It was made primarily from locally sourced materials. Wu Jian saw a combination of bamboo, wood, and thatch being used. It all blended seamlessly with the surrounding natural environment and its design was characterized by its efficiency, with a focus on maximizing airflow and natural light while still providing shelter from the elements.

The main structure consisted of a raised wooden platform, elevated above the ground to protect it against floods during the rainy season. It was supported by sturdy wooden stilts, which were firmly anchored into the earth below. The walls, meanwhile, were constructed from woven bamboo panels. This allowed for adequate ventilation and still provided a modicum of privacy and security. Atop the building was the roof, thatched with palm leaves and grass, creating a gently sloping silhouette that helped to shed rainwater and provide shade from the sun.

As they entered, Wu Jian saw that the house was divided into several functional areas, each serving a specific purpose. There was the central living space, the heart of the home, which served as a multipurpose area for cooking, eating, socializing, and sleeping. Low wooden tables and floor cushions provided seating and sleeping arrangements. Meanwhile, a simple hearth occupied one corner of the room for cooking and heating.

Adjacent to the main living area, there were several smaller rooms and alcoves used for storage, extra sleeping quarters, and domestic activities such as weaving and pottery-making. These rooms were separated by movable partitions.

While the others sat down around the table, Zhou Wen went about preparing tea. Her unobtrusive nature made it easy to forget she was even there. Wu Jian had been startled when she finally spoke up.

“I asked around about Rén Xuě while searching for Mei Xilan,” said Zhou Lihua. “He was born into a humble family in a small fishing village. His life was simple back then, but that all changed when the Undying Sun Sect seized control of the kingdom and ruthlessly crushed anyone who opposed them. From what I understand, the first few months after the sect took control of the kingdom was quite bloody. The standing army and several villages rose up. However, they were all squashed with ruthless efficiency. Everyone who was involved was either killed or captured and… made an example of.”

“Meaning they were publicly executed,” Wu Jian said with a sigh. He gestured for Zhou Lihua to continue.

“Rén Xuě’s family were among those made an example of,” Zhou Lihua paused for a moment as though to gather her thoughts. “The village he came from had been suspected of housing dissidents.”

“Is there any truth to that?” asked Hou Jingshu.

Zhou Lihua shrugged. “Who knows? There might have, or it might have been a lie. It won’t change the outcome. Rén Xuě had been out hunting when it happened, so he hadn’t been present when they captured his family, but they and the entire village were executed and their bodies were left to rot. This includes his younger sister, his wife, and his son.”

Wu Jian placed his hands on the wooden panels behind them as support to lean back. He stared at the ceiling, idly tracing the cracks.

Having faced a similar situation with his family, he could well understand how this man must have felt. Rén Xuě had likely sworn vengeance against the Undying Sun Sect. That was what Wu Jian would have done in his shoes. It was what Wu Jian was doing, though his enemy was someone far beyond his power to deal with right now. Of course, just because he had lost his loved ones didn’t mean he had the right to be an ass. Mei Xilan had lost her entire family too. His situation wasn’t all that unique.

Zhou Wen came over and served them all tea. Wu Jian glanced at the steaming cup placed in front of him. The scent wafting was sweet. He took a sip and jolted at its delicate flavor. While not a tea connoisseur, he recognized this. It was called Longjin tea, also known as Dragon Well tea, and it originated on a small island that was part of the Ten Kingdoms Alliance. It was the only place that grew it. The cost of this tea alone was enough to keep a small sect running for over a year.

The Zhou Family is certainly mysterious…

Zhou Lihua continued talking after taking a sip of her tea. “The story goes that, filled with rage and grief, Rén Xuě swore vengeance against the Undying Sun Sect and dedicated his life to fighting. He quickly rose in power and prominence, going from the first subrealm of the Hunger Realm all the way to the Human Limit Realm in just a few short years. He gathered like-minded individuals and formed the resistance. Up until now, they haven’t done much more than harass the Undying Sun Sect. Even with Rén Xuě’s strength, they lack the power to truly put a dent in their enemy. However, they have been able to avoid being outright crushed through use of superior strategy and constantly staying on the move.”

It was a classic story. Wu Jian had actually read about similar stories in history books back when he lived with his family. A young man’s family is destroyed by tragedy, and the young man swore vengeance, leading an army to crush the overwhelmingly powerful enemy. Most of those rebellions ended tragically for the resistance. In a world like theirs, a single cultivator had the power to turn the tides. Qiang Bao was far more powerful a cultivator than Rén Xuě. He didn’t have a hope of winning.

He’s not powerful enough to win against Qiang Bao… and from what I understand, that man isn’t even the biggest threat. There’s still Soul Eclipse. He has to know that he doesn’t stand a chance, so how does he hope to accomplish…

Wu Jian’s eyes widened as a thought occurred to him.

“I think I might have figured out why Rén Xuě is having Liang Wei kidnap the women of the Undying Sun Sect,” he said, causing everyone to look at him. Even though he still wore his mask, the others jerked away from him as though they had seen something frightening.

“You, uh, figured it out?” asked Hou Jingshu.

He nodded once, decisively. “I believe so… and you’re not going to like it.”