Wu Jian woke up early the next morning with Wu Meiying sleeping by his side. He sat up in bed and stretched his arms, feeling the joints in his elbows and back pop. After shaking Wu Meiying awake, he got dressed and watched as the girl slowly roused herself. He slipped on his training gi, which was dark gray and had the image of a dragon coiling around a cherry blossom. The light weight fabric was comfortable and settled on his shoulders nicely.

“Jiaaaaan… is it morning already?” asked Wu Meiying with a yawn.

“It is. You should probably get back to your compound before Wu Tiantian comes to rouse you. You know how angry she gets when you aren’t in your room.”

“Haaaah. I wish I could just stay here.”

“If you could do that, it would make things a lot easier.”

Wu Meiying stepped off the bed, slipped on her cloak and gown, and walked over to him. She reached out her hands, and he responded by slipping his in hers. Then she leaned over and gave him a small kiss.

“I’ll see you at the dining hall,” Wu Meiying smiled.

He returned it. “Yeah. See you.”

Wu Meiying left, and Wu Jian finished making himself presentable. He was soon stepping outside of his complex and walking toward the dining hall. Having slept in today, the sun had already risen by the time he walked outside, and its warmth suffused his body.

The dining hall was already filled with hundreds of Wu clansmen. Wu Jian sat down and when a servant girl came over with a bowl of congee, he asked her to bring a second bowl for Wu Meiying. The woman nodded once and rushed off to fulfill his request.

“Hmph. I see you showed up,” someone said after the servant girl left.

Wu Jian turned to Wu Yong, who was glaring down at him with a look of irritation. It had been a while since he and Wu Yong had their altercation. A lot of Wu Jian’s feelings toward the older boy had settled down, but it looked like his older half-brother had begun to hate him even more.

Standing beside Wu Yong were his two flunkies. Wu Ming and Wu Fei had their arms crossed and were glaring at him like he had insulted their ancestors. They were still intimidating to Wu Jian, who had yet to truly get over the trauma of being bullied for so long, but he tried his best to ignore the fear gripping him. He would never move forward if he let fear control him.

“Of course, I did,” Wu Jian said. “I am the one who challenged you. Why wouldn’t I show up?”

“Cowardice, perhaps?” Wu Yong suggested with a sneer.

“… That was the old me,” Wu Jian said quietly. “I used to be afraid of you, but I’m not going to run anymore.”

For whatever reason, his words irked Wu Yong even more, causing his face to turn puce. The older boy walked up until he was standing directly above Wu Jian, looking down at him with eyes like glaciers. Wu Jian pinched his thigh hard. The pain kept him from reacting to the obvious intimidation tactic.

“Is that so? You’re not gonna run away from me, are you?” Wu Yong’s lips curled into a cruel smile. “Then why are you shaking?”

Wu Jian clenched his hands as he struggled to contain his shaking. His lips trembled against his will.

He was scared, so scared, but he had no desire to remain like this. He would no longer allow his fear to keep him from moving forward.

“See that?! You’re still scared of me!” Wu Yong crowed in delight.

“What a coward!”

“He’s like a frightened baby.”

Wu Ming and Wu Fei chortled and jeered at Wu Jian, who struggled to keep himself in check, to keep the fear at bay and the tears of humiliation from falling. He didn’t want to admit that his older half-brother still scared him.

The dining hall had gone silent by now. Everyone knew about the challenge between Wu Jian and Wu Yong, and they were curious to see how this confrontation would play out.

Wu Jian tried to ignore them. It was hard though. He could feel their eyes on him. They were no doubt laughing at how scared he was. He was tempted to squeeze his eyes shut and block out their condescending looks, but he didn’t. Through sheer force of will, he kept his eyes open, stood up, and turned to face Wu Yong. There was only one thing on his mind right now.

He couldn’t cower.

He needed to be stronger.

If he could not become stronger, then Wu Meiying may disappear from his life. She would be taken from him. And he would never see her again. That thought alone allowed him to push his fear back.

“You should… save your taunts for after you beat me,” Wu Jian said, and though he hesitated, he still managed to get the words out. He felt proud of himself. This was one of the few times he had been able to stand up to his half-brother.

Wu Yong, Wu Ming, and Wu Fei all stopped laughing. Their eyes became cold.

The rest of the hall was silent as well. No one spoke. No one ate. Wu Jian was tempted to believe everyone had even stopped breathing as they watched the confrontation take place.

“Fine,” Wu Yong ground out through gnashed teeth. “I’ll just beat you during the strength competition. You had better remember those words of yours, Baby Jian. I’m going to make you eat them.” He looked at his two flunkies. “Come on.”

Wu Yong stalked off, Wu Ming and Wu Fei following after him. Wu Fei looked back at Wu Jian for a moment. There was something odd about his gaze, but then he turned around and followed Wu Yong toward an empty seat, where the three of them began eating.

Wu Jian sighed in relief and slowly sank back down. His heart was pounding.

“That was very brave,” someone said.

“Mei…”

Wu Meiying smiled brightly. “I’m very proud of you. It takes a lot of courage to stand up to your bully in front of everyone like you just did.”

Wu Jian felt his cheeks heat up. “Thank you, but it was nothing serious.”

“Hm hm. Trying to play it cool, I see. That’s pretty cute. Now, let’s eat. The strength test is happening in just a bit.”

“Right.”

Wu Jian and Wu Meiying quietly ate. Conversations sprang up all around them. Most of it was about him. Wu Jian could once more feel their eyes on him. What were they saying about him? Were they talking about how brave he had been when confronting Wu Yong, or were they making fun of him for looking so scared? He wanted to know. Yet he also didn’t want to know.

Breakfast soon ended and Wu Jinsu entered the dining hall. All the clansmen turned to look at him.

“Will everyone follow me? The strength test is beginning soon.”

Everyone stood up and began filing out of the dining hall. Wu Jian and Wu Meiying were among those who stepped outside. With Wu Jinsu leading the procession of young boys and girls, they traveled north across the compound.

The Wu Clan’s strength competition was held outside of the Wu Clan compound. To reach it, they passed through the north gate, which was smaller than the main entrance, and followed a rugged dirt road surrounded by trees. They eventually came upon a large terrace hanging over a cliff. This was not part of the West Fang Mountain but a smaller mountain located within a few minutes walking distance. 

The strength competition ground was built like an arena into the side of a mountain. There was an area for those who were over the age of sixteen to sit, tertiary seating that could probably fit most of the clan, or so Wu Jian suspected. It certainly looked big enough.

His father, his mother, Wu Taohua, and two of the three elders were already present. They sat underneath an elegant pagoda at the very top, where they had a perfect view of the testing ground. Elder Wu Jinsu made his way over there and sat in an empty seat. Meanwhile, Wu Jian, Wu Meiying, and the other Wu clansmen under the age of sixteen made their way down to the testing ground.

The testing ground was a mostly empty space made of stone. At the far end was a staircase leading to a giant cube. The cube was nearly two times taller than the average adult and pitch black. Wu Jian and the others had seen this many times. Every six months, the Wu Clan’s young children would be brought to this testing ground, where they would test their strength and sometimes hold competitions.

Wu Jian’s heart hammered in his chest as he, not for the first time, wondered whether he was ready for this.