“Absolutely not. I forbid you from going anywhere near the Twin Fang Mountains.”

“But Father—”

“Do not ‘but Father’ me. My decision is final. You may have begun to finally grow a spine, but the Twin Fang Mountains are far too dangerous for children.”

After their lessons, Wu Jian and Wu Meiying visited his father’s residence to ask for his permission to travel to the Twin Fang Mountains. Their hope was to find a natural treasure that would increase Wu Jian’s strength or somehow enhance his training. It seemed like their visit might have been in vain, however.

Located near the northernmost quadrant of the Wu Clan compound, his father’s residence was a lot larger than Wu Jian’s own. It housed not only his father, but also his mother and his father’s second wife. While this building belonged to the clan head, it did not have much in the way of ostentatiousness. Lightly decorated with some portraits and landscape paintings, the only object of real interest was the beautiful Zen Garden located off to one side of the complex. It was covered in snow right now, but once it thawed, it would become a sprawling land of beautiful flowers and bonsai trees.

Wu Jian stood in the reception hall. This was where his father received all of his guests. His fists shook as he received his father’s stern glare, which intimidated him and made Wu Jian feel small and insignificant. Even if he wanted to argue, the indomitable presence pushing down on him prevented even a sound of complaint from leaking out of his mouth.

“Y-yes, Father. I understand,” Wu Jian said at last.

“Hmph.” His father looked at him for a moment longer, then snorted as if he was disappointed with something and turned around. Wu Taohua remained behind for a moment to give Wu Jian a smirk before she, too, turned around and followed his father.

Wu Jian stood in the reception hall for a bit longer, then wordlessly turned and made his way outside, where Wu Meiying was waiting with a scowl marring her pretty face.

“I can’t believe Uncle Yōushì is forbidding us from exploring the mountains. Doesn’t he realize this is all for your training? You would think he’d be happy that his son is showing an interest in growing stronger, but nooooo, he’s still as restricting as ever,” she complained.

Wu Jian said nothing as he took Wu Meiying’s outstretched hand and began walking off. He should have seen this coming. Of course, his father wouldn’t let them travel to the Twin Fang Mountains. They were dangerous, filled with all manner of magical beasts and who knew what else. There was no way his father would let his heir travel somewhere so deadly.

Even though he knew that, he was still reticent and felt a small measure of resentment against his father, but he was too meek to do anything more than sigh and silently lament. He might have stood up to his older half-brother. However, standing up to a boy a few years older than him was far easier than standing up to the man who controlled the entire Wu Clan.

The difference between one and the other was like heaven and earth.

Since asking his father for permission to leave had been a bust, the pair went to the library and began looking for a book to keep their attention. They would normally read a fiction story. This time, however, they chose a book on clan laws and time honored traditions. It was not a very interesting read, but it contained important information that Wu Jian would need to know if he was to become clan head.

“What do you think we should do now?” asked Wu Jian after maybe fifteen minutes of silence.

“It looks like we don’t have much choice.” Wu Meiying looked around for a moment as if to make sure no one was listening, then leaned in and whispered into his ear. “We’ll have to sneak out tonight.”

“Do you think we can?” Wu Jian asked back.

“Of course.” With a prideful smile, Wu Meiying winked at him. “Who do you think I am? I’ve already memorized all of the Wu Clan’s patrol routes, and I even know an area of the wall we can climb over. It’s on the south side of the compound and it isn’t guarded very well. We can head over there tonight and slip out unnoticed.”

“I don’t know. That doesn’t sound like a good idea…”

“It might not be, but if you don’t do this, do you think you’ll be able to grow strong enough to challenge Wu Yong in the next strength competition?”

“Well…”

“We both know you won’t. You’re working hard, but you are too far behind to make up the difference with hard work alone. Also, do you think you’re the only one who works outside of class? They only teach us the basics because they expect us to train on our own time. It’s a test they give us. Only people willing to work hard for themselves earn the right to the clan’s resources. I’m sure Wu Yong does the same thing. So you need something to help you increase the speed you can refine your body.”

“You’re right, but…”

“Come on, Jian. I don’t want to lose you. I need you to be stronger so we can stay together.”

Wu Jian could feel his resolve slipping. Not even his natural cowardice could compete with Wu Meiying’s soulful eyes and earnest desire. The desperation in her gaze was impossible to ignore. More than his fear of upsetting his father, he was worried about disappointing the girl next to him.

He capitulated.

“Okay. We’ll sneak out tonight. I’ll be counting on you,” Wu Jian said.

Wu Meiying’s smile brightened. “Just leave everything to me.”

They continued to read and talk during breaks between chapters, then left the library after waving goodbye to Grandpa Son. As they stepped outside, someone walked over to them, her lips curling into a smile, long robes flowing around her legs. Her dark eyes were the same color as Wu Jian’s. Hair styled into an elaborate bun pinned together with hair ornaments was arrayed neatly atop her head, showing the nape of her neck. She was not wearing any makeup, but she didn’t need it.

“There you two are. I figured you would be here,” the woman said.

“Mother,” Wu Jian said in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

His mother smiled. “I heard about what happened between you and Yōushì. Walk with me a bit? I’d like to talk to you.” She turned her smile on Wu Meiying. “Would you mind if I stole my son away from you for a moment?”

It was a polite way of saying she would like to speak with Wu Jian alone, but it was also odd that his mother would be so polite to a young girl not even a third her age. She would never be this polite with anyone else. The reason for her attitude was because of how attached at the hip he and Wu Meiying were. She knew that wherever Wu Jian was, Wu Meiying was not far behind.

“Of course, Aunty Àiliàn.” Wu Meiying gave the woman a traditional martial bow. Then she looked at Wu Jian and smiled. “I will wait for you right here.”

“Okay. I’ll try to come back quickly,” Wu Jian said.

His mother smiled as she watched them, which caused Wu Jian’s ears to feel warm, but he went over to her and followed as she wandered away from the library. They passed several people as they walked. Each person bowed to his mother just like Wu Meiying had. She smiled politely at them as she walked by, her every gesture elegant and refined.

“Little Mei adores you quite a bit,” his mother said.

“I love Mei a lot, too,” Wu Jian admitted.

His mother raised a hand to hide her mouth behind the long sleeves of her ruqun hanfu, giggling. “I know. You have said so many times. I’ve honestly lost count of how many times you have told us you’re going to marry her. Yōushì does not approve of you marrying a girl of unknown background—oh! But don’t worry. While he might not approve now, I am sure he’ll come around. Little Mei is a very intelligent girl and has great potential. I’m sure he will eventually see that she’ll make a great wife for you in the future.”

“I hope so,” Wu Jian said.

Wu Jian’s love for Wu Meiying was one of the only matters he ever stood firm on. He still remembered the first time he told his father that he was going to marry Wu Meiying, and how his father had said he was being ridiculous and childish. His father had said he could not marry a girl who had just appeared randomly in a basket one day. That had been the only time Wu Jian ever yelled at his father.

His butt still smarted from where his father had whipped him.

They eventually made their way through a garden covered in a light layer of snow. Wu Jian’s breath frosted as he exhaled. The cold caused his nose to turn red.

“I know he might seem harsh, but your father really does love you,” his mother began. “As the clan head, he must be stern and uncompromising. He has to put the clan first. This has led him to believe that he cannot show favoritism toward anyone, not even to his own son. That can make him difficult to approach, but I promise you that he loves you very much.”

“I know,” Wu Jian said after a short pause.

He was aware that his father cared for him. The man would not have gifted him those expensive alchemy pills if he didn’t. Those pills had come from his father’s personal storage. That was why he didn’t argue with his mother.

She smiled as if aware of his thoughts and feelings. “The reason he doesn’t want you traveling to the Twin Fang Mountains is simply because it’s far too dangerous. They might not be far from here, but stepping onto those mountains is like stepping into a completely different world. There are a number of powerful magical beasts who live there. Rumor even has it that one of those magical beasts has reached the Asura Realm.”

Wu Jian held his breath.

The Asura Realm was the fourth realm in a person’s cultivation and the highest realm attainable in the Shang Kingdom due to their country’s lack of higher grade cultivation resources. All of the Shang Kingdom military’s cultivators were at this realm. His father had also reached the first subrealm of the Asura Realm, making him the strongest person in Zahn City. Learning that a magical beast living nearby had reached a comparable level shocked him.

“I understand,” Wu Jian said.

“Good. I am glad to hear that,” his mother said with a tender smile as she reached out and ruffled his hair. Wu Jian closed his eyes at the feeling of her soft, warm hands. He knew it was probably bad for him to feel so comforted by his mother, that it made him look weak in front of others, but he could not deny that her gentleness soothed him.

They returned to the library not long after his mother had said what she needed to. Wu Meiying was waiting for him, quietly standing by the library entrance and ignoring the young boy who was trying to talk to her. Wu Jian vaguely recognized the other boy as someone from their training class—Wu Yan, he thought the boy’s name was.

“Listen, the annual strength test is coming up soon, and if I score above three thousand, I want you to be—”

When Wu Meiying saw Wu Jian, her eyes lit up. She ignored the boy still trying to talk to her and wandered over to him. Wu Yan, who was left standing there with no one to talk to, stood frozen in indecision before his cheeks and ears turned bright red. He huffed and stomped away.

“Welcome back,” Wu Meiying said.

“I’m back,” Wu Jian replied.

His mother smiled at the two of them. “I still have some duties I must attend to, so I’ll leave you both here. I hope the rest of your day goes well.”

“Thank you,” Wu Jian and Wu Meiying said at the same time.