Wu Yōushì sat in his office, going over the clan’s finances and setting next year’s budget. It was a thankless job. He’d have much rather been training, but sacrifices were sometimes necessary for the betterment of the clan. It was important to catalog how much they made, how much they spent, and estimate how much they could afford to spend next year. Allocating the clan’s budget was one of his jobs.

The Wu Clan has always held the position of top dog in Zahn City, but thanks to Wu Meiying and her strange powers, they had managed to raise even higher. He was certain neither the Juishi or Ming Families would be able to touch their clan, even if they teamed up.

Because of Wu Meiying, they had discovered several mining deposits that contained mithril. While the mithril was impure, even tainted mithril fetched a high price, especially this far out in the countryside. A deal had been made with the Zhou Family, who had transported the materials to the auction house in Dahua City. That agreement alone had netted them enough money to fund the clan for ten years.

It was greedy of him to want more, but he hoped that Wu Meiying’s ability would help them find other deposits. If they could claim a mineral deposit of black gold or sky dragon iron, both of which were exceedingly rare crafting materials, they could become one of the wealthiest clans in the Shang Kingdom.

Of course, he didn’t have much hope for that. The Shang Kingdom lacked such resources. Their nation was well-known for its fertile lands and low-quality cultivation resources. They produced enough food to export it to other nations. By that same token, they did not possess much in the way of crafting materials. Likewise, they had an abundance of cultivation resources for cultivators up to the Asura Realm, but they lacked the resources needed to let their cultivators advance past that. And all the mines where their ores were harvested belonged to either the crown or one of the Three Great Sects.

As he read over several documents detailing their next business venture (also a result of Wu Meiying’s ability to predict the future), Elder Wu Jinsu burst into the room. His face was red as if he had run for several days without rest.

“Huff… huff… Lord Yōushì… huff… carriage… here…”

It was rare to see one of his elders look so out of sorts. Wu Jinsu was the youngest among the clan elders, but he had a good head on his shoulders. To see this man look so flustered set him on edge.

“Calm down, Elder Jinsu,” Wu Yōushì said in a calm voice, though he did frown. “Take several deep breaths, and tell me what has happened.”

Elder Wu Jinsu placed a hand against his chest and took a number of calming breaths. Then he began again. “A carriage just arrived. It is unmarked. We thought it might be a trap or maybe someone coming to ask for Wu Meiying’s hand in marriage again… but it actually contains Emperor Hou Jun! He’s in the reception hall right now and—”

That was about as far as Elder Wu Jinsu got. Wu Yōushì leapt to his feet and marched out of the room as swiftly as he could without running. His heart was thumping against his chest as he hurried to the reception room. His thoughts were awhirl, traveling so swiftly through his head that he didn’t know what to think or feel.

Did Wu Meiying predict this would happen? Did she know the emperor would arrive today?

He burst through the doors and looked around, easily spotting the emperor. He was pacing the reception hall. Back and forth he walked as though his nervous energy couldn’t be contained. Wu Àiliàn and Wu Taohua were also present, staring at the older man in concern.

Emperor Hou Jun was older than him by several hundred years, but he didn’t look it. His hair was flecked with gray, and he had a small goatee that lent him a distinguished air. The clothes he wore were understated but still magnificent and did an admirable job of hiding the man’s powerful physique. Wu Yōushì would recognize this man anywhere.

“Your Imperial Majesty!”

Emperor Hou Jun stopped pacing and turned his head. His eyes lit up when he spotted Wu Yōushì.

“Brother Yōushì,” he said in a hurried manner.

Wu Yōushì walked over and began to kneel, but Emperor Hou Jun stopped him by placing his hands on Wu Yōushì’s shoulders.

“There’s no need to bow, my friend, especially right now,” the emperor said. “I apologize for arriving unannounced and even more for what I’m about to say, but I need your help. My daughter snuck out of our carriage while we were in transit to your clan’s home. You have to help me find her.”

“Ah?”

Hearing that Emperor Hou Jun’s daughter was missing made Wu Yōushì realize why the man was so distraught. It had been over a decade since he had seen the emperor, but that did not mean much. He remembered how often this man would talk about what he would do if he had a daughter back when they served in the military together. Wu Yōushì was sure Emperor Hou Jun doted on his daughter, which made it all the more concerning that she had gone missing on their way here.

“Emp—no, Brother Jun, do not worry. We will mobilize the entire Wu Clan and find… find… huh…”

“Brother Yōushì?” Emperor Hou Jun said, tone questioning when Wu Yōushì trailed off.

He had suddenly remembered something from this morning.

“Also, you will be receiving an important visitor today. I recommend getting ready to receive them beforehand. Oh! And he’s going to be rather worried, so please do your best to calm him down and assure him that his daughter is fine.”

Was this moment what Wu Meiying had been referring to when she said those words? That was the only possibility that he could think of. She knew this was going to happen and warned him in advance so he would be prepared.

Once again, he couldn’t help but marvel at that girl’s mysterious powers. Yet he was also fearful of them. How could a girl who hadn’t even stepped into the realm of cultivation possess such a power? Just who were her parents? Her background must be unfathomable indeed, but there’s little to be done about it now.

Wu Meiying had been found by his wife, floating in a basket on the river behind the Wu Clan complex. He would have suspected someone from Zahn City had abandoned her, but she had come from up north. Zahn City was to the south. There was nothing up north beyond Twin Fang Mountains save the Ice Phoenix Mountain Range and the sea beyond it.

Wu Yōushì shook his head, sighed, and placed his hands over the emperor’s. “Brother Jun, it is fine. Your daughter is safe.”

“What? Huh? What? How do you know this?”

The befuddled look on the emperor’s face was almost priceless. It was the first time Wu Yōushì had ever seen the man look like this. Unfortunately, he didn’t know how to explain how he knew the emperor’s daughter was safe, so the emperor continued to panic despite his reassurances.

***

The first thing Wu Jian and Wu Meiying did was get Jingshu something to eat. Her belly had rumbled barely a second after they walked onto the main street. If Wu Jian had to guess, the scents from various food stalls had whet her appetite, already stimulated from her adrenaline-pumping encounter with those boys. Seeing her embarrassed blush had caused them to smile, and they had gone up to a street vendor selling sweet buns. The young girl had watched Wu Jian with rapt attention as he ordered several different types of sweet buns for them.

The way Jingshu ate made him think she wasn’t used to eating with her hands. She had stared at the sweet bun like it was a foreign entity when he first handed it to her. He remembered how she had looked at him like she didn’t know what to do with it, and the strange expression she had worn after he told her that she just needed to bite down on it.

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“This tastes so different from what I am used to,” Jingshu said as she bit down and chewed her food. She didn’t seem to mind the difference, if the happy smile she wore was any indication. “The food I normally eat is cold by the time it gets to me.”

“That’s strange. Why would your food get cold before it can reach your plate?” asked Wu Jian.

“Ah. Um, no reason,” Jingshu mumbled with a small blush lighting up her cheeks.

It was obvious that Jingshu was hiding something from them, but he didn’t think it was a big deal. They would find out eventually. That being the case, it was better to simply enjoy their time together before they had to deal with whatever situation had brought this young noble girl to Zahn City.

“Now that we’ve got some food, let’s show Jingshu around,” Wu Meiying suggested. She grabbed Wu Jian’s hand, something that Jingshu did not fail to notice. She stared at their linked hands with something akin to envy.

Wu Jian glanced at Wu Meiying, who simply smiled and nodded, then reached out toward Jingshu with his other hand. She stared at his hand with a nonplussed expression.

“Hold my hand so we don’t get separated,” he said.

“Ah. Oh. Um.” Jingshu’s cheeks had already been a bit pink, but now they were bright red. “I don’t, um, think that is very appropriate behavior. Um…”

“Then… why don’t you hold my pinky? That should be okay, right?” Wu Jian suggested, curling every finger except his pinky. He wiggled it as if to entice her.

“Well… I suppose if it’s just pinkies… it should be fine…”

Jingshu reached out and curled her pinky around Wu Jian’s. Her fingers were soft. He could tell from how delicate they were that she had never worked hard a day in her life. These were the hands of a young noble lady, delicate as though they might rip at the slightest mishandling, though they were also surprisingly strong. He suspected she had been taking alchemy pills to increase her physical strength so she could break through the Body Forging Realm to the Hunger Realm when she turned eighteen.

They walked hand in hand, and pinky in pinky, through the streets of Zahn City. Wu Jian and Wu Meiying showed Jingshu all of the more important sites first, like the auction house, the medicine shop, the gambling parlor, the testing ground, the colosseum, and of course, the library.

“This is our favorite place,” Wu Meiying said when they finally arrived at the library. “The Wu Clan has a big library, but this one has several books that we don’t, so we like to come here and read sometimes.”

The library was a one-story building that appeared longer than it was wide and shaped like a rhombus. On either side of the slanted roof with red tiles were a pair of qilins, rare magical beasts that were said to be the source of all knowledge. These legendary hoofed creatures that sported the head of a dragon, the body of a dear, and the tail of an ox were rumored to all be born at the Deva Realm, making it one of the strongest magical beasts in existence.

Wu Meiying glared at the qilins as they entered, but her attention diverted toward the large shelves and isles filled with books. Wu Jian had once asked her about her strange hatred of qilins. The girl had smiled, shrugged, and told him that she couldn’t explain it, but she just didn’t like them.

“What kind of books do you read?” asked Jingshu, suddenly excited.

“We read all kinds of books. A lot of the time, we read books about cultivation and training, but this library doesn’t have many of those and none of them are better than what we have in the Wu Clan. Whenever we come here, we like to read stories about young cultivators going on adventures,” Wu Meiying said.

“Then have you read A Tale of Love and Woes?” asked Jingshu.

“Oh? You’ve read that one, too?” asked Wu Jian.

“Of course! That was my favorite book growing up! I just love the main character! He’s so cool and handsome, and the lengths he goes to in order to protect his love is just… just inspiring!” Jingshu sighed with a dreamy look in her eyes as if she was imagining the story play out in her head. “I always wished someone like that would come and sweep me off my feet.”

“Oh, I’m sure someone like that will come along a long sooner or later. In fact, they might appear before you sooner than you think,” Wu Meiying said. She looked at Wu Jian, who tilted his head curiously, but then she smiled, shook her head, and pulled them along. “Come on. Let’s see if there are any new books available.”

The library was quite large despite being only one-story tall. An old woman manning the front desk greeted them after they entered. She knew them since they were regulars. Wu Jian and Wu Meiying greeted the woman before leading the curious Jingshu deeper into the library.

“Hmmm. The selection here is a bit small,” Jingshu mumbled as she thumbed through the spines of several books.

“You think so?” asked Wu Jian.

“Ah. I mean… um… there’s a library where I’m from that is quite a bit bigger, but it’s still large for a city out in the sticks… er, no, wait. That’s not what I meant. I didn’t intend to insult your city or anything.”

“You have an awful habit of speaking before you think, don’t you?” asked Wu Jian. When all Jingshu did was blush, he and Wu Meiying chuckled.

They spent some time in the library, roaming through the aisles, but they soon discovered there weren’t any new books, so they left not long after. Jingshu had already read the ones that interested her before coming here. That made sense. If she lived in a bigger city, she would have a much larger selection and most of these books were probably already available.

“We should head back to the Wu Clan. I’m sure Jingshu’s father is worried sick about her,” Wu Meiying said as she looked up at the sky.

“Wait. Why would I go to the Wu Clan?” asked Jingshu.

“Because that’s where your father is right now. Why else?” said Wu Meiying.

Jingshu stared at them with a look that all but said she was still confused, but she didn’t question Wu Meiying and followed them as they left Zahn City proper. None of the clans who made Zahn City their home lived in the city itself. All of them lived in compounds on the city outskirts.

The group of three walked down a cobblestone road lined with trees. Jingshu looked curiously at all the foliage, making Wu Jian wonder if she had ever seen so much forestry before. He didn’t think she lived anywhere near Zahn City. She definitely came from a city much bigger than this one.

It wasn’t long before the Wu Clan compound came into sight. The entrance gate on the southernmost corner was large and painted vermillion to make it stand out from the surrounding forests. Two guards normally stood at the gate, but there were currently over fifteen of them, and several were surrounding an unadorned carriage that nevertheless displayed a great deal of wealth.

“Ah! That’s Father’s carriage! He really is here!” exclaimed a shocked Jingshu.

“Hmhmhm.” Wu Meiying thrust out her chest. Her expression all but demanded praise. “I knew you were coming since this morning. That’s why Wu Jian and I went out today. It was all so we could meet you.”

Jingshu whirled on her. “That’s amazing! Can you predict the future?!”

“Maybe.”

Wu Meiying was not often the type to brag about her foreknowledge. It seemed Jingshu was a special case.

As they reached the front gate, all the guards turned in their direction.

“Ah! The young master is back!”

“Jian Gōng Zǐ! Meiying Xiǎo Jiě! Welcome back!”

“Oh? It looks like you have a friend with you. Who is this?”

As the guards surrounded them, Wu Jian calmed them all down. “Is Father in? We need to talk to him.”

“Ah.”

The guards all looked at each other with caution. A tense silence filled the air for a moment before one of the braver guards stepped forward.

“Lord Yōushì is indeed home… but now might not be the best time.”

“Why not?” asked Wu Jian with a furrowed brow.

“Well, it seems he has an important guest…”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Wu Meiying declared. “That guest is this girl’s father. Please, show us to Uncle Yōushì.”

All the guards looked uncertain still, but they didn’t question Wu Meiying, which went to show how solidified her place within the Wu Clan was now. Two of the guards opened the gate, and the others formed up around them and led the trio inside. They soon reached the reception hall. As they walked inside, Wu Jian immediately noticed his father standing next to an older-looking man who appeared to be on the verge of panicking.

“Father!” Jingshu called out as she pushed past the group of guards.

The man’s head snapped up. Relief flooded his face.

“Ooooh! Jingshu! My daughter!”

“Father, I am so sor—”

Jingshu looked like she was trying to apologize, but her father swept the girl into a hug, silencing whatever she had to say. He pulled her close and almost sobbed. He seemed quite inconsolable.

Wu Jian watched the father and daughter pair, pondering. So this is her father? Hmm. I don’t recognize him, but he seems to be good friends with my father. Just who is this man?

“Oh, Jingshu! I’m so happy to see you are okay! I was so worried when you disappeared like that! Please, do not do that again!”

Wu Jian’s father, his mother, and Aunt Taohua watched the scene with the others, looking quite unsure of themselves. Wu Jian similarly wasn’t sure what to do. Should they give this obviously doting father and his daughter some privacy? That would be the right thing to do, surely, but the father didn’t even seem to realize he had an audience. It didn’t seem to matter if they left or stayed.

As the rather shameful scene continued, Wu Jian caught Wu Meiying’s eyes. She smiled at him with a mischievous grin. He shook his head. He still didn’t know how, but she had known about everything that would happen today. That was incredible. Wu Jian reaffirmed his vow to get stronger, so he could continue to stand by this amazing girl’s side.