The southern district of the capital city of the Azure Wind was where a certain passed-down vendor stall was selling dumplings.

Qiao Heng had received the vendor from his father when he died. Thankfully he had taught his son for long enough that he could continue on the legacy.

With the help of his friend, they kept up the work for a long time where things happened but nothing that emerged as something that could be bragged out, at least not as he could brag that a Young Lady of nobility came and ate his dumplings.

She had even said that his skills were commendable if lacking in ingredients for a proper setup for somebody of her status.

Never mind that it was not in his budget to attempt to even sell it, who would buy it, even if he did?

It’s not like nobility was coming to him every day that he could even pay for everything.

Still, the Young Lady had said that she would visit again, so just in case he did buy some stuff just for her.

It had pained him to invest so much without any guarantee of success but if the Young Lady did come again, he would treat it as payment for an increased reputation for even having the Young Lady come for his dumplings.

‘ Thankfully I am not the only one investing this time. ‘ With that thought, Qiao Heng looked at his friend who had paid half the investiture for this. ‘ I wonder if he's my lucky star for being used in such a way or if he was cursed for something like that to happen to him. Either way, I wonder when the Young Lady will pay a visit. ’

“ Heng, look. ” Alerted by his friend Tao He, he looked in a particular direction and saw the girl that had been occupying his thoughts lately. But then he looked better and saw someone else in her company.

The servant that had bluish-purple eyes was familiar to him, even if she was dreamy in a sense, she was not important to him. No, business was the number one goal, and you ain't gonna be eating on beauty unless you are said beauty in question.

No, this third girl would bring him even more money, as she was the other daughter of the Yu Clan Lord, Yu Lijuan.

‘ Even though she was beautiful, too bad she was born of a concubine but with Lady Jiao bringing her here, my reputation will still increase. Should I count as finally having gained Heaven's sympathy and they are helping me now? ’ Thought Qiao Heng, the owner and cook of his little vendor.

Checking for the dumplings that were cooking and the fire that made it all possible he nodded with satisfaction and faced the incoming ladies with a smile on his face.

Once the girls reached his vendor, he and his friends gave a bow as was customary and said the greeting as was customary for nobility. “ Greetings, Young Ladies. ”

That said, Qiao Heng went on, while his friend stayed quiet as they had agreed that all interaction between them would be placed upon his shoulders, especially with how it all went down last time they were graced with their presence.

“ Thank you for gracing us with your presence. Will it be the same as last time? ” He asked the Young Lady in front of him.

“ Yes, exactly the same. ”

“ Very well, your order has been received, Young Lady. ” He acknowledged with a smile on his face but he did not mention anything extra. No, that would be his surprise for the Young Ladies.

When he came upon the idea of doing this, his mind told him that it would grant a bigger result if it was presented as a surprise than just simply being told so.

Once the young woman was gone to take a seat by the side of the vendor, he and his friend upped their game and made the delivery not long after.

This time both of them had an agreed way of delivery. Tao He would deliver the dumplings and he would deliver the side dishes and sauces for the Young Ladies.

Moving closer to them they heard the older sister of the two sisters speak. “ I am still unsure of it. ”

“ Come on, you have seen it. ” He heard Young Lady Jiao say. “ You can't tell me that it did not affect you at all. I refuse to believe it. Especially with how red your face had gotten. ”

“ Don't you dare mention anything in public! ” While placing everything down, he heard Young Lady Lijuan demand.

Once everything was placed down, he saw the Young Ladies look at him for a moment before he, the youngest of them, spoke the obvious.

“ Qiao Heng, was it? ” The older one asked. Plastered with a smile on his face as she knew his name he answered. “ Yes, Young Lady. What can I do for you? ”

“ I remember my younger sister saying that you did not serve side dishes before? What changed? ” She asked him, probably fishing for an answer that would satisfy her.

“ Lijuan, dont ask the obvious. ” Jiao answered first. “ He is using my presence as marketing. The extra dishes are there to tempt me to stay and pay him more visits. Isn't it? ”

“ I will not lie to the Young Lady. That is indeed my goal. I will not interfere any longer. Please enjoy my cooking. ” With that said he and his friend went back to tending to the vendor and other customers.

Still from the distance, he saw Young Lady Jiao pick up the chopsticks and take a dumpling, dipped it into the sauce, and ate it slowly to enjoy the taste.

Right after her, her servant did the same.

Seeing both of them enjoying it, Qiao Heng knew he had made the right choice in the investment.

When he saw Young Lady Lijuan shake her head, as she saw the girls enjoying the dumplings, he saw her do the same. Only for her facial expression to show him that she too realized that the dumplings indeed were good.

Satisfied, even more, he began steaming another batch. Midway to being done with them, he felt a spike of pain on his left side. It was much but it had alerted him that his friend was seeking his attention.

Wondering what it was, he turned around only to see his friend point at somebody.

That somebody was another one of nobility. For a moment he thought that word had already spread to reach other nobility and now one of them had come to seek out his dumplings.

Too bad that imagination lasted for very little as he recognized the color being used on the silk that made up the young men's hanfu.

Seeing the young man approaching their direction slowly, only made his guts signal even more that this was a bad thing.

He saw his gaze look around as if searching for something. “ Tao He, why am I suddenly getting a bad feeling about a Young Master from the Xia Clan approaching us, instead of celebrating it? ”

“ That probably has to do with the fact that the Young Lady Jiao provoked the said Young Master and now he's here for revenge. ” Hearing it said like that, did make him remember the rumor that appeared two days before and the one that appeared yesterday.

“ Pig shit, you genuinely are cursed. ” Qiao Heng said to his friend, in retaliation for the bad feeling that he was feeling.

“ What? I don't understand? Why would I be cursed? ” Tao He wondered, baffled by how his old friend badmouthed him.

“ Is it not obvious? You caught the bad luck. ” He said. “ If it was not for you being used and making an impression on her, she would have forgotten us by the next day. Look where it got us now. ”

“ Bull shit, now you're just spouting nonsense. She came again because of your skill, not mine. ”

Hearing it said, they both looked at each other for a moment and made a momentous decision with their intent to delay their argument for later.

“ Should we pack what we can and get out of here before the fight begins? ” Tao He asked his friend and boss.

Wondering the same thing, Qiao Heng looked at his vendor for a moment before focusing on the people in question. Once he observed for long enough he noticed a discrepancy.

Everybody knew that the southern part of the city belonged to the Xia Clan, despite the Yu Clan also having their mansion in this part of the city, yet when he looked at the two guards following Xia Jingjie, the Young Master and son of the Prime Minister, while two young women belonging to the Yu Clan had no such guards.

Which was weird as no Lady would leave their Clan residence without them. It has happened with Young Masters but not with their counterparts.

If something happened to the woman in question it would spell disaster for them and the Clan's reputation.

‘ So why would it be so? ’ Qiao Heng thought in his mind when a possibility appeared to him.

Acting on a whim he left his workplace and with a few steps he was by the table with the Young Ladies in question. For a second he rethought what he wanted to say.

Then he ditched caution to the wind and hopped on the small nugget of earned recognition from the Young Lady, that she would forgive his behavior, after all, he still remembered the way she had asked others to now bow to her.

“ Young Lady, please don't fight here near my vendor. ” He said and bowed deeply as he said that. “ It is the only thing that is sustaining my family. Please I beseech you to not fight here. Please. ”

“ Why would I be fighting here? ” He heard her ask, after a small eternity of waiting for her to finish the dumpling that she had taken a bit off.

“ Jiao, I think I know. Look behind you. ” Qiao Heng, heard the older sister say. Despite still bowing, he angled his head to observe in the same direction from which the Young Master was coming.

As Qiao Heng, looked at the Young Master in question, he immediately saw recognition appear on his face as he gazed in the direction of the Young Lady. A second later he made his way to their side.

“ Those summer sky-colored clothes? Is it who I think it is? ” He heard the Young Lady ask.

“ Yes, that's Xia Jingjie, the one that began all this. ” The older sister answered.

“ I see. Qiao Heng, raise your back, I will forgive you this time due to your fear of the possibility but don't let it repeat itself. ” Resetting his spine he looked at the Young Lady that stared at him from a seated position.

“ What you seek I can't promise you. ” Sadness overwhelmed him, but the next words brought him back to reality. “ But what I can promise you is that should a fight happen, I will reimburse you for the damage. In the worst case, I will buy you a place to set up a small restaurant, as I have taken a liking to your dumplings. But that implies that you're alive to see it happen. Go to your friend and pack up. ”

Unsure of the near future, Qiao Heng made his way back and began packing what he could in a hurry. Tao He said nothing and helped out.

Once he was done, he used the water from the bamboo steamer and doused the fire beneath it, and together they both made some distance between the two children of status.

***

Jiao sighed as he observed the young man approaching her and was followed by two guards.

After seeing what she needed to see, she turned around and focused back on the meal before her. With her chopsticks, she picked up another dumpling, dumped it a bit with sauce, and ate it.

A few moments later the footsteps stopped not far from her and the table.

“ Jiao, it has been a long time since we last saw each other. ” She heard the young man say. She turned around her head slightly and glanced at him for a moment.

Xia Jingjie was a handsome man in her eyes.

He had a nice facial bone structure that many ladies favored but only if you had a niche for soft-faced guys instead of rugged men.

Ignoring him, Jiao went back to chewing her dumplings, but only after she made a snap with her thumb and middle finger.

The said action quietly executed a Spiritual Art that she had prepared for this moment.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

For a moment silence reigned around her table. Well, a silence only if she ignored the quiet shuffling of people away from them.

Looking at them, Jiao knew that they had recognized that something would happen, so they ran away, with whatever they could bring with their hands.

“ Now I am given a cold shoulder, even after what you did to gain my attention. ” The young man said.

“ Maybe if you had properly introduced yourself my Mistress would grant you the attention that you seek. ” Jiao heard Fang say.

“ Is that so? Hmm, Mistress? ” She heard him say. “ I see what this is now. After all the fake rumors you began spreading about me, now even a servant thinks she can stand on equal ground with me. ”

“ Me being a servant has nothing to do with your actions. ” Fang replied with a rebuttal to him. “ Is it not proper courtesy to introduce yourself first to strangers? ”

“ Strangers? Is that what we have become now? ” Jiao heard him ask with a slightly haughty voice.

“ Indeed that is what you are now, Xia Jingjie. ” Now my sister injected herself into the conversation. “ It may not be so for you but it is for my little sister. To her, you are a stranger, just like I was a stranger to her. In truth, the same could be said for our whole Clan. ”

“ I… I am confused, Yu Lijuan. Explain, how is that possible? ” Xia Jingjie asked.

“ How would I know that? ” Lijuan exclaimed. “ All I know is that after your visit three years ago, my sister lost her life for a short while due to your actions. Following her revival, she has lost all memories that she had made in this life. Others may have replaced them, but what is gone will never return. It is for that reason that you should introduce yourself before even thinking of progressing this happening. ”

“ I see. ” Jiao heard him say. After that, he turned silent for a few moments before finally giving a greeting. “ I Xia Jingjie of Clan Xia greet Yu Jiao of Clan Yu. ”

With that said, Jiao turned her head around and saw the young man giving the customary palm over fist greeting to her.

“ Greetings to you too. ” She said and turned her whole body around but she still did not stand up. In fact, she leaned back on the table with her left elbow and crossed her legs for better prose while looking at his smiling face.

The smile wasn't overbearing or anything close to it. If somebody else saw it, they could say that it was a gentle smile, but what Jiao felt from that smile was something else.

What she sensed was a slight relief.

“ You know, there is one thing I must say before we finish what began in the past. ”

Seeing the nod, Jiao began. “ Despite being a… child killer, I can see why the younger innocent me saw in you. Your face is handsome enough to trick most young girls into doing your own bidding. ”

Hearing the word child killer, the three girls saw his smile vanish and in their place appeared a coldness that emanated from his eyes and focused on Jiao.

Yet, before anybody could comment on it, it vanished and the smile returned. “ Jiao, I think you are mistaken about something. You jumping into the lake after hearing my marriage refusal was your own choice. It's not my fault that you could not stomach my rejection. Besides, if losing your memories is true, then there is even less reason for you to be antagonistic towards me. ”

“ Ha, ha ha hahaha. ” A loud laughing sound came out of Jiao as she processed the words she heard. “ Xia Jingjie, you are under one huge misunderstanding. ”

“ Don't give me that perplexed look, I will explain it to you and everybody else that gathered here today. Your hidden guard included. ” With that Jiao looked in the direction of the workers in the distance. Then she looked in certain directions and met the gaze of those that thought they were hidden from her perception.

In their gazes, she saw shock that she had perceived them. “ First let me correct you on one thing. It does not matter if you accept it or not, Xia Jingjie, you are a child killer. It does not matter if you had meant it or not. It does not matter if you have done it yourself or not. Your actions caused a 13-year-old girl to die, and since that girl is me, you will henceforth be known as a child killer. ”

“ That… ” Xia Jingjie tried to say something but was interrupted by Jiao who raised her hand to stop him.

“ Now onto your misunderstanding. ” Jiao continued. “ Just because I have called you a child killer objectively does not mean that I am antagonistic to you. Oh, no, you are completely wrong on that front. I am not antagonistic towards you. In truth, I am thankful that you are a child killer. I am not sure what caused me to be born with broken meridians. Whatever the case was, even with the help of Elder He Shoushan, at most I would have lived a mortal life, if short even for a mortal, and been sent for my next reincarnation. ”

There Jiao stopped to build the right momentum for the next words that would come out of her mouth. “ But you changed that. Your actions provoked my Destiny. That action manifested the hidden condition of forceful reincarnation bringing me back to life, with the price being all Karmic connections cultivated till that moment. Making me lose all memories and all affection towards my new family. ”

“ That… ” Still unsure of how to reply to what he was hearing, Xia Jingjie stood silent without saying a word. He looked at Yu Jiao who he barely recognized after not seeing her for three years.

That she had changed so greatly did not make it easier, but the way she carried herself at this moment made said change even more apparent.

Focusing back on the girl that used to have a crush on him, he spoke. “ If you're so thankful then how about you stop calling with that nasty word you used on me. At the same time, you could stop spreading false rumors about me. ”

“ Haha. ” Again she laughed at him, only this time she did not stand still but stood up and made her way towards him.

Immediately his guards entered their prepared combat stances.

In response, she raised her hands into the air. “ Woah, there is no need to be that agitated. I won't be doing anything. ”

Despite having a feeling that she wasn't telling him the truth, he motioned for the guards to relax and let her approach but being smart he prepared his Qi just in case.

When she was a hand length before him she brought forth her right hand in a curious way.

“ In my past life, it was customary to shake one's hand when people greeted each other and agreed on something. ” She said. “ With this handshake that I am offering, there will be no grievances around that even between us. Do you agree? ”

Still sensing that there was a trap here, he knew he had no choice but to take her hand. If he did not he would be the one admitting that he was in the wrong for not attempting a closer.

Still, he prepared himself as best as he could. He sharpened his mind to not miss anything that she would attempt and did the same thing that Jiao had done.

He grasped her hand firmly while looking into her eyes. “ Good, with this the Karmic Debt between us regarding that event is considered evened out. ” That was when he noticed the smile in her eyes and deployed his Divine Sense to be able to react to anything.

Alongside a stronger grip with her right hand, that defied her smaller hand, he saw her left hand in the shape of a palm arc in the direction of his right cheek.

With speed, he intercepted his hand halfway there and smiled in return but then the unexpected happened, Jiao’s left arm split in two.

One half stayed where he stopped it but the other one continued and less than a second later he felt the slap on his cheek.

Unusually, the palm was bigger than it should be.

It hit the right side of his head and delivered enough force to launch him sideways.

Thankfully being prepared for the hit aside from being launched from his position, all that it did was rattle his mind a bit and make his right ear ring.

Shaking his head Xia Jingjie stood up while shaking his head and focused on the direction he had come from.

There he saw the same girl who hit him blocking the swords of his guards barehanded.

It wasn't unusual with those that practiced the Heavenly Jade Mantra, but he saw no Jade Skin Armor on her hands.

“ Ming, Ling, return. ”

Immediately both guards stopped attacking and returned to his side.

Massaging the aching right side of his head, Xia Jingjie spoke coldly. “ For somebody who said that we should bury the said grievances you sure are quick to give up on your word. Looks like whoever you are now, pales to the innocent girl you replaced. ”

Shaking her head, Jiao replied. “ Well, I won't be calling you an idiot just because you can't see the obvious, child killer. Open up those ears of yours, for what I am about to tell you. Every single word I have said so far has been the truth. The grievances regarding the event that I clearly don't remember ever participating in, are in the past. I simply don't care for them. The reason I hit you is for something else. You have a few moments to think of them, and even if you can't I will tell them to you as I beat you up. ”

That said, she spread her arms to the sides. Then he saw that arrogant servant that dared to badmouth him, stand up and close in on her Mistress.

With a few motions from her and Jiao, the outer ware of the hanfu that she wore was gone.

What was left were leather clothes that resembled a male outfit only adjusted to a woman's curves.

Then he saw her bundle up her hair behind her head into a weird bun with his Divine Sense still on her.

“ So, have you figured out the reason? ” She asked him but then shook her head and spoke crassly as if any ladylike behavior she had exhibited before had vanished. “ Guess not if your silence is any indication. Then again, your eyes probably got stuck on my body's curves to think without your manhood interfering. ”

“ Here is how this will go. ” She continued. “ This will be a fight between you and me. Any interference of your guards will be considered cheating. If that happens I will cheat in return. Then again if you're scared of doing this, I will allow you to go on your knees and beg for forgiveness for the things that you have caused. If you do, the war between our Clans won't happen. With that said, what is your choice? ”

“ Hmph. ” Was all that sounded before he flexed his right hand and concentrated on the ring on his middle finger.

In the next second, a two-meter-long spear appears in the same hand. Its whole body was black and all over its shaft, one could see markings that depicted various changes that happen in the summer of every year.

“ Oh, a Spatial Ring? Now is that not a surprise. I heard you could buy a city with one of those. ”

Ignoring the comment he gazed at his guards and gave an order to not interfere. With their agreement, he massaged the right side of his face one last time as the ringing had yet to stop and stepped forward.

Twirling the spear for a moment he positioned the spear behind his back while approaching Jiao slowly. In the last three years as the tension shifted between the Clans, he had fought those practicing the Heavenly Jade Body Mantra.

He knew only those at the Foundation stage could summon the Jade Skin Armor so whatever Jiao had used to block those swords was not a Jade Skin Armor.

Once he was close enough for his liking he stood there glaring at the girl before him.

“ Want to know an interesting fact about history? ” She asked him casually as if his presence posed no danger. “ Due to the large history between our clans, I have been given a description of all the moves in the Blazing Summer Sky Mantra. From the Spear art that your Clan uses to the Spiritual Arts that made you famous. But the same does not apply in reverse. ”

Pondering those words, Xia Jingjie realized what she meant. “ You're not practicing the Heavenly Jade Mantra? ”

“ No, but I did base my Power on it since I had an identity to defend after all. Now enough fairness has been given, who will make the first move? ”

Without even waiting for her to say who, Xia Jingjie executed his movement art, plus a piercing spear art.

One blink later, he noticed that Jiao had moved her head away slightly while one of her hands had nicked the spear angle of attack.

“ Ugh, that was fast. Looks like this will be a fun fight. BIOS - Combat - Second Gear. ”

With those words, the smile she had been sporting vanished, and Xia Jingjie noticed a calculating spirit eying him.

Retreating a step behind, Jingjie retreated a step and began thrusting his spear towards her torso.

Jiao on the other hand began using her hands as deflecting tools for his spear. Every time his spear was close to her vulnerabilities she used her whole body to dodge but the greatest impact was the timely hits to the flat spear blade that enabled the rest of her body to dodge.

Noticing that she avoided the spear blade unlike how she did with the swords of his guards, he began twirling the spear in his thrusts and that was when he first noticed it.

Even before his Divine Sense had told him that there was something between her hands and the blade of the spear every time she deflected his attack. But this time he felt the resistance of his spear pierce the invisible thing.

Immediately there was a shift in Jiao’s body language, but it was the next thing that surprised him the most.

Stopping his attack he retreated for a bit before observing the gauntlet-like thing wrapping her hands.

From the way its color shined it was easy for him to guess that it was made of Jade. In the same way, as most Jade Skin Armors do when created by those of the Yu Clan who practice the full Mantra or were granted a Heavenly Jade Tablet.

But that was where the similarities ended. The gauntlets wrapping Jiao’s hands were far thicker and they looked as if it was woven with small metal plates.

There were lots of lines that conformed to some pattern that made no sense to him, but the most curious things were the mark on the back of the hand and the different colored jewels that dotted the plates between each finger joint and some above the knuckles.

When he looked at the jewels they looked like they led from the fingers towards that pattern on the back of the hand. ‘ Wait, those are not jewels, but different colored Jade. Still, I don't think I have seen a mark like that before? ’

The mark looked like two elongated teardrops chasing each other, with a small circle of the opposite color on the head of the teardrop. ‘ Wait, that's not a simple color on the gauntlet but black and white Jade. ’

“ From the way your eyes are glued to my gauntlet I can tell you're interested in them. Want to know about them? If you beat me I don't mind saying a few things. ”

Hearing the joking sound in her voice brought a bit of dichotomy when he looked into her eyes that showed only calculations.

Ignoring her bantering, Xia Jingjie executed his Blinding Spear Rush again with the spear twirl to see if the appearance of the gauntlets changed anything when he noticed it. No longer was his spear piercing as it had done that one time.

And it showed as Jiao became more emboldened in her defense as she no longer had to fear the spear. Her gauntleted hand began to actively deflect his spear blade no matter how it touched his spear blade.

Noticing that, Xia Jingjie, changed his tactics. ‘ If the hands are protected, then what about the rest of the body? ’

With that thought, he began executing more sweeps and slashes against her sides and legs. At the same time, he switched to movement arts that focused more on agility instead of pure thrusting power.

Now every step he did and attack that he executed, brought him to the side of Jiao’s body and every time it did he would execute another sweep/slash/pierce.

When Xia Jingjie finally admitted that he was not able to whittle away the skillful defense that Jiao exhibited, he retreated to think of a different way of engaging the girl before him.

Taking a breath and exhaling to even out his breath, he spoke. “ That is a skillful defense that you possess. Those memories you gained must be quite special if it took you only three years to reach this point. ”

“ Maybe? Maybe not? All I can say is that Gao Junjie was quite thorough in ingraining the basics into my body. Anyway, are you done probing me? So far I have not felt that heat that your Clan is famous for. ”

“ Hmph. ” He obliged her and pushed his Qi into the spear and ignited it with the Blazing portion of the Mantra. Immediately the spear gained a flame-ish character as the heat around it began to make the air shiver around it.

“ Good, now I too can get serious. ” She said and the gauntlet around her hand grew in size and separated from her hands.

Once they were done growing they appeared to be close in size to a grown man's chest floating beside Jiao.

Observing them for a second, he noticed something that had slipped his mind before.

The various line patterns were glowing and the two elongated circles were circling each other as if they were made of liquid and not of solid Jade.

“ Come, Xia Jingjie, show me what a Foundation expert of the Xia Clan is. ” He heard her say again in that smiling voice without the smile that accompanied it.