It was impossible to travel straight to the Sui Kingdom. While mountains weren’t normally an obstacle for air-fairing vessels, the mountain range surrounding the Sui Kingdom was home to dangerous airborne magical beasts. This airship might have had a lot of cultivators, but most of them couldn’t even fly. They would be of no help in an aerial battle.

The ship set down in the Zhou Kingdom, which was connected to the Sui Kingdom via the Siwang Mountains--the mountain range that surrounded the entire kingdom. Within the Zhou Kingdom, only Kěnéng, the kingdom’s capital, had a dock for airships. Wu Jian had not seen it last time, but he had seen vessels flying in the skies heading toward it.

It had been a long time since Wu Jian set foot in the Zhou Kingdom. He honestly never thought he would come back to this country after what happened. The last time he had come here was as a bodyguard for Zhou Lihua when she took part in the alchemy competition. After the tournament, they had been ambushed by a pair of women under the employ of this kingdom’s second prince and the Zhou Kingdom had launched an invasion of the Shang Kingdom. There was plenty of bad blood between their two nations.

The heat and moisture from the hot springs immediately assailed Wu Jian as he exited the airship with the others. This dock featured an open-air structure. It lacked any covering or overhead enclosure, leaving the interior exposed to the elements. Wu Jian wondered how they kept rain out. Zhou Lihua asked when he answered. They apparently had a barrier that activated during stormy weather to protect the interior.

Kěnéng looked more or less the same as he remembered. The multiple tiers located on the southern side of the city, with its enchanting hot spring waterfalls, reminded him of a layered cake. Each waterfall flowed into hundreds of pools, which further flowed into numerous hot springs for people to enjoy. Every building was a compound made of wood and cement, with raised pavilions, wooden columns and paneling, and yellow glazed tiles roofs.

Every inn seconded as a hot spring, and the one they found was called The Humble Unicorn Inn. Nestled right before a waterfall that fed into the hot spring, this inn looked every bit the impressive refuge. The soothing sound of water cascading down the natural hot spring waterfalls nearby created an atmosphere of serenity that enhanced the architecture, which harmoniously blended into the surroundings. While the compound looked similar to all the other ones, this one had the addition of vines and colorful flowers draped across its exterior

A proprietress greeted them as they entered. She was a middle-aged woman with a matronly appearance. She asked about the number of rooms they would have and how long they would be staying. They only intended to stay for a single night, and they got two rooms. Mei Xilan, Zhou Lihua, and Zhou Wen would share one room. Wu Jian, Shuschang, and Youmei would share another.

The guest rooms were elegantly appointed with wooden furnishings that exuded warmth and comfort. All the interior walls appeared to be made of wood, but they were reinforced with concrete, and the doors were traditional rice paper doors with beautiful paintings of a unicorn relaxing by a pool of crystal clear water. Each room had a large window that provided a breathtaking view of the tiered hot spring waterfalls. Guests could choose from a variety of room types. Wu Jian and the others decided to get two spacious suites.

While guests could take their meals in their rooms, everyone agreed to dine at one of the inns restaurants so they could discuss their plans. There were two places to eat. One was an open-aired terrace that allowed guests to savor their meals with a gentle breeze. They chose to get a private booth at the other restaurant since there was no telling if any Sui Kingdom spies had already seen them.

This inn catered to international guests, so they had a variety of different foods. Wu Jian decided to get something from the Shang Kingdom. Perhaps it was because of all the traveling he did, but he was beginning to miss home. He chose peking duck with rice and warm soup and stinky tofu.

“Now that we have made it this far, I need to tell you all how we’re going to get into the Sui Kingdom,” Mei Xilan began.

“I’m assuming we’re not going to take the mountain pass?” Wu Jian asked.

“Correct. Siwang Pass is far too dangerous. The Undying Sun Sect zealously guards the pass. They have established numerous checkpoints to ensure nobody they want to prevent from entering can enter. We would have no choice but to fight our way through, and that would give the Undying Sun Sect time to prepare for us.”

“Does that mean you know of another entrance?” asked Shuchang.

Mei Xilan shook her head. “There was a secret entrance in the Imperial Palace that led out of the Sui Kingdom… but my servant who had come with me destroyed it to prevent the Undying Sun Sect from following us.”

Her servant was long gone. She had died protecting Mei Xilan while they were on the run.

“So how are we going to reach the Sui Kingdom?” asked Zhou Lihua.

“Surely we’re not gonna climb the mountain range,” Shuchang said with a laugh. When Mei Xilan said nothing, he paused and looked at her with shock etched upon his face. “Come on, this is the part where you laugh and tell me there’s no way. Why aren’t you laughing?”

“We will indeed be climbing up the mountain range,” she announced.

“Fuck.”

Mei Xilan ignored Shuchang’s swearing. “We’ll travel from Kěnéng to Shuwang City in the Northern Jin Kingdom. Then from there, we’ll journey up the Snow River. There’s a series of caves that we can use to climb up most of the mountain range. We’ll ascend the rest of the way, then climb down the mountain toward Shengshi Forest.”

The Northern Jin Kingdom was a frigid land, so cold airships couldn’t travel that way because the liquid spirit crystals would freeze. Some attempts had been made to create a sealing array that could protect the airships. However, nothing had worked thus far and so airships never traveled that far north.

Because they were trying to travel incognito, it would take over a month to reach Shuwang City. It would take another month to reach the Snow River’s end, where the river connected to caverns underneath the Siwang Mountain Range. The plan was to buy supplies early tomorrow morning and head out soon after.

Once dinner ended, everyone returned to their room. Wu Jian planned on soaking in the hot spring with Shuchang. However, Zhou Lihua had slipped a sheet of paper into his hands that said “come to the hot springs later tonight,” and so he abstained, telling his friend he wanted to take some time to center himself.

“Suit yourself,” Shuchang said with a shrug. “I’ll go find some pretty girl to flirt with then.”

“Have fun,” Wu Jian said in return. He had no doubt that Shuchang would find a girl who was more than willing to enter the hot springs with him. This inn had a two mixed baths. One was meant for families, but the other was meant for couples.

The night wore on, and Shuchang never returned. He had probably found a woman to spend the night with. Wu Jian glanced at Youmei, who was sprawled on his bed like a decadent and lazy house pet. He shook his head, stood up, and slipped out of the room. A glance at the girls’ bedroom revealed nobody coming out. The lights from inside were also off. He assumed everyone was asleep.

Located in the heart of the inn were its hot spring pools. They all varied in temperature to ensure guests found the perfect warmth to soothe their wary bodies. He entered the mercifully empty changing room, removing his clothes and folding them into a storage bin. Someone else had already removed their clothes. He found a familiar outfit neatly folded in one of the storage bins.

She’s already here…

Wu Jian took a deep breath as he wrapped a towel around himself and entered the hot spring bath. The strong scent of sulfur and minerals hit him. He almost flinched. His sense of smell had been enhanced ever since he gained Byakko’s blood. While the smell was almost too much, the appealing visual aesthetics of the hot spring was something he couldn’t deny enticed him. An overhang and walls on his left and right protected them from view. Lush vegetation on the other side separated them from the flower rivers that fed into the various hot springs. A slide fed water into the spring.

But what stole his attention was the woman.

Zhou Lihua sat with her legs submerged in the spring water, a towel covering her front and not her back. He had a perfect view of the woman’s feminine curves. The sensual lines of her figure as she sat there was breathtaking. Her butt stuck out to him, partly because he had anal sex with her several times already, but also because it was quite big and shaped like a pair of bubbles. She had done her hair up in a bun, wrapped with a towel. The clear line of her neck and shoulders were equally enticing.

“Wu Jian,” she smiled as she turned her head. “Don’t just stand there. Join me.”

After rinsing himself off, Wu Jian sat down beside Zhou Lihua.

“It’s quite the view, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is.”

“You’re not even looking at the waterfalls.”

“The waterfalls aren't nearly as pleasant to look at.”

“Flatterer. Have you gotten better at complimenting women?”

“I think it’s just been so long that you don’t remember how often I paid you compliments.”

“Hee-hee. Maybe.” Zhou Lihua smiled at him before turning back to the view. Her expression was a bit wistful. “It’s been so long since I’ve had a chance to relax like this. I’ve done nothing but study alchemy since apprenticing under Master Yun Chi. I enjoy it. However, I do feel like it was time for a well-deserved break.”

“It’s almost a shame that we only get to rest for a single day,” Wu Jian said with a nod.

She nodded. “Yeah. We’ll be heading out tomorrow. I wish we could stay for at least another day, but we can’t afford to stay in one place too long.”

While they hadn’t been attacked on the trip to the Zhou Kingdom, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t be attacked during their time here. The Undying Sun Sect had spies everywhere. That was the only explanation for how they knew where Mei Xilan was when they had traveled to the Southern Tang Dynasty. Since the assassins had failed, he suspected they would come after them with sect members instead.

“Let's not talk about that for now. We’re supposed to be relaxing, right?”

“You’re right.”

Wu Jian finally slid into the waters, which was hot enough that he warmed right up. He suspected this might also be a medicinal bath because his muscles began to feel better shortly after entering.

Zhou Lihua glanced at him, smiled like a mischievous cat, and slid into the water as well… right on his lap. He stiffened in more ways than one when her firm, lush backside came into contact with his crotch.

“Lili…”

“Mmmm. It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”

“Too long.”

“Heheh. You must have suffered so much being in the Heavenly Sword Sect. You’re so close to Mei, and yet, you can’t do anything with her. That must have been torture.”

“It… was, yes.”

“We should do something about that.”

Zhou Lihua pulled the towel away from his hips, grabbed him in a firm hold, and lined herself up. He bit the inside of his lip as she lowered himself on him. The way she moaned as he took her made him think of heavenly nymphs singing in delight. She panted a little as she leaned back, and he had a clear view of her chest. Stiff twin peaks capped with light pink enticed him. He reached out and slowly felt her chest, hefting them up.

“Have these gotten bigger?”

“MMmm. I am a growing girl.”

“You’ve grown quite magnificently.”

He began rocking his hips a little, but his mobility was limited. Zhou Lihua moaned and panted as she placed her feet on either side of his thighs and began moving in concert. It felt nice, but he wanted more, and so he planted his feet on the ground as well and speared his hips upward.

“Ooooh?! Jian…!!!”

Wu Jian took a hand off her chest and stuck his fingers inside of her mouth.

“You need to be quiet, we don’t know who is listening…”

Zhou Lihua sucked on his fingers as she moaned, and it was such a lewd sound that he felt himself becoming more aroused than before. However, that clearly was not what Zhou Lihua was after. She removed his hand from her mouth and placed it on her neck.

“If… if you want me… to be quiet… you know what to do…”

“Ah… yes.”

Wu Jian flicked Zhhou Lihua’s nipple one last time before placing both hands on her neck and squeezing. A raspy sound escaped her throat, but her sphincter tightened in response. Zhou Lihua’s ears and cheeks were already quite red. However, they became an extra shade darker as she clenched her teeth.

Asphyxiating Zhou Lihua was a careful balance. Wu Jian didn’t want to hurt her. He squeezed until she could just barely breath, until her raspy pants echoed in his ear. Zhou Lihua, lost in the throws of passion, soon reached down between her legs. Wu Jian could only see a little of what she was doing. The ripples made it hard. However, he could imagine how she played with herself, and her tight rear end responded to her actions.

Zhou Lihua’s ending came all too soon, and Wu Jian followed soon after. He groaned into her shoulder and slowly released his hold on her neck. Zhou Lihua took several deep gasps as she leaned against him. Some of his semen leaked out from her backdoor and began floating in the water, which he worried might be bad. Would the inn staff be upset at them for cumming in their hot spring? He hoped they wouldn’t realize it was them.

“Jian… can we stay like this for a little while longer?” asked Zhou Lihua as she leaned further against him.

He wrapped his arms around her waist. “Of course. We still have some time left.”

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