That night, Wu Jian had fallen asleep the same as usual, and just like the previous night, he woke up when Youmei began shaking him awake.

“Master. Master. Youmei hears the music again.”

Wu Jian wasn’t a light sleeper, but he could sleep lightly if necessity dictated it. He woke up easily, then woke Hou Jingshu and asked her to get the others. He got dressed while she hurried into the hallway to rouse their companions.

“Can you follow the sound?” Wu Jian asked Youmei as he placed his mask over his face.

“Of course!” Youmei thumped her chest with a fist. “You can leave all that to Youmei!”

“Then let’s go. The others can catch up with us.”

They exited via the window. There were no buildings nearby for them to leap to, but they were both Deva Realm cultivators, so they flew through the sky. Because they didn’t want to be spotted, they flew just above the roofs and stuck close to buildings.

“We’re coming up on the source of the sound, Master.”

“All right. Take us there.”

They flew over one building and that was when Wu Jian saw it--several women walking along the street.

All of them were dressed in delicate and alluring nightgowns that embodied the essence of femininity with every gentle sway of fabric. Crafted from a silk so fine it must have come from a magical beast, it caressed the women’s skin like a whisper and showcased the wonderful curves of their bodies, accentuating every contour with a subtle yet mesmerizing allure. While all the designs were different, a few things remained the same, such as the delicate embroidery that framed the decolletage in a tantalizing display of femininity.

Each woman was beautiful, something he noticed right away. They were also barefoot. Their white jade feet were the kind expected of high-class ladies. They were so white and pure that the dirt and grime caking their skin from walking barefoot stood out all the more.

Leading them away was a cloaked figure. Wu Jian could see nothing of this person. Covered from head to toe in a cloak so thick he could not even determine their gender, this person held their hands to their cowled face. Just barely visible as it emerged from the shadows was a long wooden object that looked like an instrument.

“That’s them! The source of the music is coming from them!” Youmei shouted.

The person who had been leading those women away glanced up at the shout. While Wu Jian saw nothing beyond their cowl, they had obviously made eye contact, for the person stopped playing the music, whirled around, and began running. Wu Jian clicked his tongue.

“Let’s hurry after them!”

“Yes!”

All the women who had been getting led around had ceased moving after the figure stopped playing music. Wu Jian guessed they were still locked in a trance, but without the music directing them, they couldn’t do anything. Hopefully, they would recover and go home on their own. He didn’t want to be responsible for getting them all home safely.

He flew after the figure alongside Youmei. This person was only at the Human Limit Realm. Wu Jian normally would have caught up with them by now, but the person he was chasing knew these streets far better than he did. Even with the advantage of flight, he found himself staying one step behind the person they were pursuing.

“Dammit. Youmei, can you capture them with your shadows?”

“Youmei will do her best!”

Youmei flew onto a building, crouched down, and placed her hands on the roof.

[Shadow Entrapment]

The shadows all along the building, adjacent walls, and ground suddenly writhed as though alive. Wu Jian almost gawked when the shadows rose up like they were solid. This was his first time seeing shadow manipulation on such a massive scale. This must have been the result of Youmei’s increased power upon reaching the Deva Realm.

Down below, the figure had been forced to stop moving, skidding to a halt before they could run smack into the wall of shadows. They turned around as though to go the opposite way. However, the way back was also blocked by a mass of shadows. After hesitating for a moment, the figure tried to leap into the air, but as they bent their knees to jump, the shadows around their feet suddenly latched onto their legs. The figure looked down, and then all the shadows in the area converged around them, wrapping around their entire body except their head.

“Good job, Youmei.”

“Heheh.”

Youmei giggled as Wu Jian began rubbing her head. She released a soft purring noise that came from the back of her throat.

The others would be here soon, but Wu Jian wanted to get a headstart since waiting wasn’t his style. He landed on the ground next to the figure. They now looked like a giant jianbing, which was a type of wrapped crepe stuffed with various fillings. He could feel the figure’s eyes on him as he walked around them. Stopping in front of them, Wu Jian reached out to remove their cowl, pausing only slightly when the figure jerked away.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

He soon removed the hood and raised an eyebrow as the face of a striking young man with sharp features and a defiant expression appeared before him. He had piercing dark eyes that gleamed with intelligence and determination, complimenting his angular face, high cheekbones, and strong jawline. His dark hair fell in tousled waves around his face, adding a sort of rugged charm to him. He couldn’t have been much older than Wu Jian himself.

“Now who are you, exactly?”

“…”

“Not gonna talk? I have ways of making you sing like a canary, you know?”

“I refuse to speak with the enemy! Just hurry up and kill me,” the young man said.

Wu Jian sighed. “Listen you…”

The sound of feet hitting the ground alerted Wu Jian to more people. He turned around and saw Hou Jingshu, Mei Xilan, Shuchang, Zhou Lihua, and Zhou Wen walking toward him. Meanwhile, Youmei emerged from his shadow, having used Shadow Walking to reach him.

“Wu Jian, is that the person who’s been kidnapping women?” asked Hou Jingshu.

He nodded. “Seems like it.”

“Have you had a chance to question him?” inquired Zhou Lihua.

“I did ask him a question… but he’s quite stubborn.”

While Wu Jian was having a conversation with Zhou Lihua and Hou Jingshu, Mei Xilan had walked up to the trapped young man. Wu Jian went silent as he realized this. He turned to look at the pair. They were staring at each other in shock.

“Liang… Wei…? Is that you?”

“Xiǎo Jiě Mei Xilan?”

“Eh…?” Wu Jian, Hou Jingshu, and Zhou Lihua mumbled at the same time.

***

The young man’s name was Liang Wei. He was an old acquaintance of Mei Xilan. His father was Liang Hueng, and he used to work as captain of the guard for the Sui Family, which meant Mei Xilan and Liang Wei used to spend a lot of time in each other’s presence. Wu Jian didn’t know if they could be called childhood friends. From the story the pair told, it sounded like they had been on friendly terms, but their respective social statuses kept them from being true friends. That was the sense he got.

Because they didn’t want anyone to see them, the group had gone back to the inn and crept in through the window. They didn’t want anyone to see Liang Wei or overhear their conversation. That was why they traveled to Wu Jian’s bedroom. It was bigger than the other two since it was being used to house “a wealthy merchant and his wife”. They had been given a suite.

Wu Jian leaned against the window, his arms crossed. Youmei and Hou Jingshu were sitting on the bed. The little panther girl was kicking her feet in the air just like a regular child. The Shang Kingdom princess was sitting properly with her feet underneath her bottom and her back straight. Spread out around them were the others.

Mei Xilan and Liang Wei sat on a pair of pillows opposite each other.

“But really, I’m so glad you’re alive,” Liang Wei was saying. “We had heard rumors that you had survived the attack all those years ago. Alongside rumors of your survival came rumors that the Undying Sun Sect had sent assassins to kill you. All of us were very worried about you.”

“Pardon my asking, but who is all of us?” asked Mei Xilan.

“Everyone in the resistance,” answered Liang Wei.

Liang Wei was a member of the resistance, which was a nameless force that had been resisting the Undying Sun Sect’s rule ever since the monarchy was overthrown. It was composed of people who had belonged to the Sui Kingdom’s military and various officials who had worked for the nation. After the royal family was overthrown, the Undying Sun Sect had tried to annihilate every last trace of the royal family’s influence, which meant killing the officials and highly placed military leaders who refused to join them.

“We’ve stayed silent this entire time, building our forces and biding our time for the day we can destroy the Undying Sun Sect and restore the monarchy. We haven’t made a move, partly because we lack the manpower needed to take on the Undying Sun Sect, but also because we lacked a reason to fight… but now that you’re here, we can finally begin making our move.”

The way Liang Wei stared at Mei Xilan with undisguised hope made it clear what his desire and intentions were.

Mei Xilan Sui was the legitimate heir to the Sui Royal Family. As the rightful heir to the throne, her survival gave the resistance a legitimate cause to fight for. They could rally behind her to legitimize their cause. Mei Xilan could not only serve to give the resistance the moral high ground, but she could also be used as a symbol of hope for the people, giving them a reason to rise up and resist the Undying Sun Sect.

The average citizen was indifferent toward who was ruling the nation; for many citizens, especially those living in challenging circumstances, the primary concern was meeting their basic needs for food, shelter, and safety. In the face of daily struggles and hardships, they would always prioritize immediate survival over political ideologies or changes in leadership.

This issue was compounded by other factors as well. The average citizen often felt powerless in the face of larger political forces. Many believed that their individual actions or opinions had little impact on the ruling regime or state of affairs and, as a result, they chose to focus on their personal lives and immediate concerns over engaging in political activism.

Wu Jian had also heard that the Undying Sun Sect, while not awful, did not condone any form of opposition. The few people who spoke out against what happened had all mysteriously vanished. Nobody knew what happened to them. While the Undying Sun Sect did not come out and say they were responsible, it was obvious who had caused those people to disappear. The knowledge that they could just be made to disappear at any time prevented citizens from taking action. It was rule through fear.

Mei Xilan could change that. Her survival and claim to the throne could symbolize a potential change in leadership and governance. The resistance could frame her as a beacon of hope for a better future, inspiring the citizens to rally behind her cause and work toward overthrowing an oppressive regime.

And while the average citizen did not care much for politics, that did not mean they felt nothing. Humans were emotional creatures. If they could appeal to the citizen’s sense of justice by framing their struggle as one for freedom and peace, they could convince the citizens to mobilize by appealing to their collective moral conscience.

A lot of this would depend on how they play their cards. Wu Jian did not know much about politics, so he could not say how successful they would be, but if the person in charge was smart, they would be able to galvanize the citizens now that Mei Xilan had arrived.

“Can you take us to meet the person leading the resistance?” asked Mei Xilan.

“Of course,” Liang Wei said. “I know our leader will be happy to see you.”

“Where is the resistance base located?” asked Wu Jian.

Liang Wei sent him a mild glare. There was no killing intent, but it was filled with disdain and maybe even jealousy. However, he still answered the question.

“We have bases all over the Sui Kingdom. The one we’ll be going to is located in a small farming village. Our leader should be making his rounds there right now.”

There was no time like the present, and so, with their destination set, the group decided to begin moving right away.