“D-did I hear that right? His master is Feng Tiansheng?”

“No way! Why would anyone choose that cripple to be their master?!”

“Jian Wu must have been dropped on his head one too many times as a child.”

“And here I thought Jian Wu was someone special. Guess I was wrong. He might be strong, but he’s an idiot.”

Wu Jian heard the people all around him talking, but he didn’t care. Let them talk. The peanut gallery was called such because they had nothing to offer but unsolicited and unhelpful comments. He was more interested in the reaction of Luo Feng and Gao Shen. While the former looked like he had been forced to eat shit, the latter…

“Gya ha ha ha ha ha! Feng Tiansheng?! Seriously?! He’s your master?!”

… was laughing. He seemed to find something humorous in this situation. Wu Jian could only smile as the man held a hand to his stomach and laughed loudly enough to rattle windows.

“Is that a problem?” asked Wu Jian, voice mild, placid even, like a tranquil lake in the middle of a secluded forest.

Gao Shen chuckled some more and even wiped a tear from his eyes as he spoke. “A problem? Not at all--unless you consider the fact that your master is a cripple without any prospects. I did hear that he had once been hailed as one of the strongest elders of the Heavenly Sword Sect, but that was a long time ago. Now he’s just an alcoholic who lives away from people. To be honest, I don’t know what’s more surprising: that he accepted a disciple despite being a cripple, or that you were willing to become his disciple. Did you know he was a cripple?”

“Mei told me about what happened to him after I became his apprentice.”

“Mei…?”

“Ah… Wu Meiying,” Wu Jian said.

Gao Shen took in a deep breath and blew it out. “I did not know you referred to the Lady Oracle by such an intimate name.”

“Is that a problem?” asked Wu Jian.

Gao Shen’s face twitched. It was like he was attempting to smile but couldn’t quite manage it.

“I am going to tell you this for your own good… since you’re new. The Lady Oracle is the most august individual in the entire Heavenly Sword Sect after the sect master himself. Many people look up to her, and many more wish to claim her. Despite the number of men going after her, not a single one of us have ever managed to get even close to her, and yet, here you are, calling her by an intimate nickname. You’re going to earn yourself a lot of enemies that way. I suggest, for your own safety, that you refrain.”

Wu Jian could tell from Gao Shen’s voice that the man was sincerely warning him rather than attempting to drive him off like Luo Feng had been doing. He did not know much about Gao Shen other than what faction he controlled, but it seemed like he was a very straightforward young man who believed in fair play. In other words, he was the kind of guy that Wu Jian couldn’t bring himself to hate.

So how should I proceed…?

While he did not mind riling up snobbish elitist pricks like Luo Feng, he also was not the kind of man who would treat such an honest person with disdain… but he also wanted to fight this man. Perhaps… hmm… a friendly rivalry? Would that work? He was certain this man was the type of person who enjoyed rivalries. He nodded to himself. Yes, that was how he would deal with this man.

“I don’t mind having a lot of enemies.”

“E-excuse me?”

Wu Jian shrugged at Gao Shen’s baffled expression and explained himself. “Don’t you know that the best way to grow stronger is to engage in combat against formidable opponents? How can I hone my skills if I don’t have any enemies to fight?”

“Ah…?”

Gao Shen appeared confused, but only for a moment. His eyes went wide, then narrowed, and then a smile peeled back his lips and revealed pearly white teeth.

“I see! I see, I see! So that’s what you’re doing here! Ha ha ha ha! It seems I underestimated you!”

Wu Jian grunted several times as the man began slapping him on the back. Youmei hissed at Gao Shen like an angry cat, but the man completely ignored her as he continued to laugh.

“Well… far be it from me to stop you if that’s your intent. However, you should know that I won’t stand idly by if you’re going to get any closer to the Lady Oracle.”

“I’d expect nothing less,” Wu Jian said.

“Good. Very good. In that case, the next time I see you, it will be as enemies. You had better prepare yourself.”

Gao Shen left, chuckling and muttering to himself. Wu Jian could have listened in, but he was more interested in Luo Feng… who seemed to have disappeared some time during this conversation. He looked around but couldn’t find any trace of the man. Had he gone back to inform his master of what happened? That seemed likely. Elder Zhou Zhang was an old nemesis of Master Feng Tiansheng.

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“Master, what was all that about? Youmei didn’t understand,” Youmei said. It was the first time she spoke since Luo Feng confronted them. He had told her to keep quiet whenever something like this happened. She really was a good girl.

“It’s fine if you don’t get it. Let's just say that I’m going to have a lot of enemies soon.”

Youmeei tilted her head. “Is that good?”

“It is for me. Anyway, let’s head home. I want to relax before I have to get back to training.”

“Okay!”

Wu Jian and Youmei traveled back to their domicile, and while they did, word of the confrontation between him, Luo Feng, and Gao Shen spread far and wide across the Heavenly Sword Sect. It was not long before every important individual knew about his apprenticeship under Feng Tiansheng and his closeness with Wu Meiying. With each retelling of the event, it became even grander, causing fact to become fiction in a way that even Wu Jian could have never expected.

It would not be long before numerous enemies came knocking at his door.

***

Wu Jian’s training continued apace, but it was not like he could get by on training alone. Experience was also important, which was why he found himself standing in the Mission Hall.

It was called the Mission Hall because it was where disciples gathered to take on missions and tasks that served the sect’s interests and contributed to their personal growth as cultivators.

Stepping into the hall, Wu Jian was struck by the harmonious blend of ancient aesthetics and martial grandeur. The pagoda-style roof was multi-tiered and adorned with intricate, azure-colored tiles. Thick, wooden pillars, meticulously carved with depictions of legendary swordsman, stretched from the floor to the ceiling. Lying in the hall’s center was a spacious atrium paved with polished black marble, shaped like a sword’s blade. At the heart of it all stood a towering, sword-shaped column, resembling a sword thrust into the ground, and etched upon its surface was a list of names of past disciples who had achieved greatness.

Wu Jian walked up to the mission board. There were several, each one sitting against the wall, crafted from dark wood and adorned with sword designs. Scrolls containing mission details were posted on the boards.

A lot of people were already present, but they quickly moved out of the way and began whispering to himself when he walked up. Youmei wasn’t with him today. Wu Meiying was house sitting for him. He had decided to let her pamper their cat magical beast. He could have taken her with him on this mission, but he believed it was important for him to accomplish it alone.

Of course, there was another reason he wanted to do this alone.

The types of missions a disciple could accept were myriad and many, everything from artifact retrieval to magical beast extermination. Each mission presented different challenges. He saw a couple of escort missions, which might be a good idea. The problem with escort missions was they didn’t guarantee combat. As he looked around, one particular mission caught his eyes. It was a magical beast extermination mission. The beast in question was called the Azure Sovereign Serpent.

He reached out, prepared to grab the mission, when someone else tried to grab it at the same time. That person was a young woman with auburn-colored hair, almond-shaped eyes the same color as verdant forest, and skin like freshly fallen snow. She wore a dress that was much shorter than most, stopping at just above her knees. It was completely lacking in color. Pure white and embroidered with crystal patterns, the basic outfit only seemed to enhance the young woman’s appeal.

Her hair was quite long, though it had been tied into intricate braids that sat upon her head, a single pin pushed through them. The pin was designed to resemble a jian. He glanced at the handle and noticed how intricate it looked. A masters craftsman must have made it.

Greener eyes than any he had seen appeared to glow like fireflies at night. They were set upon a small face that appeared youthful but contained wisdom. She had a small, cute nose, and full red lips whose glossiness was surely the envy of many women. Those lips were currently pursed.

Just as he stared at her, she was staring at him.

“You are Jian Wu, are you not?” she asked with a lilting voice like a cool breeze.

“I am. And you are?”

“Mei Ling.”

“The leader of the Crystal Lotus Faction?”

“Oh? You have heard of me?”

“Mei told me about you.”

“Mei… you mean Wu Meiying, the Lady Oracle? So it’s true that you have given her a pet name?”

“Is that the rumor going around? Well, it’s not wrong.”

“Hmmm…”

“Do you want this mission quest?”

“I do. The Azure Sovereign Serpent has parts that I need for an alchemy pill I wish to have concocted.”

“So you don’t particularly care to fight it? The Azure Sovereign Serpent, I mean?”

“Not particularly.”

“If you let me accept this quest, I will let you have the parts.”

Mei Ling raised an eyebrow. “Why would you give me something so valuable?”

He shrugged. “Because I have no use for them. All I want is a strong magical beast to fight so I can hone my skills.”

Silence permeated the Mission Hall as Mei Ling stared at him. While her expression was carefully blank, her gaze was not unfathomable, certainly nothing like Hua Xue’s mysterious expressions. He could practically read this woman like a book. Her eyes, more than her face, revealed her inner thoughts.

“Very well,” she said at last. “I am willing to let you fight the Azure Sovereign Serpent.” Wu Jian almost breathed a sigh of relief. “However, I will be going with you.”

He furrowed his brow even though she could not see it. “Why would you want to go with me?”

“To make sure I get the parts I need.”

“You don’t trust me?”

“Would you trust someone you just met?”

“Fair point.”

Wu Jian could not fault her for not trusting him. After all, he did not trust her either.

After grabbing the scroll, they went up to the mission counter, where a young man looked back and forth between the pair. Wu Jian set the scroll on the table.

“We’re taking this mission.”

“Erm… both of you are taking it? Together?”

“Is that a problem?” asked Mei Ling.

“Uh… no, it’s no problem.” The man picked up the scroll. “Mission to exterminate an Azure Sovereign Serpent magical beast. This mission will take you outside the Heavenly Sword Sect, and it’s supposed to take over a week. You’ll want to pack accordingly.”

“Of course” Mei Ling said as if she’d heard all this before.

This was Wu Jian’s first time hearing it, but he understood enough about magical beast hunting to know he needed to pack plenty of provisions. Their mission was soon logged into a giant book. The two parted ways outside of the Mission Hall after agreeing to meet tomorrow at the Earthbound Gate. As he walked down the road to his house, he glanced up at the sky and wondered what tomorrow would bring.