“This is bliss…”

“Is it really?”

“Yes, it really is.”

Wu Jian stared down at the woman using his lap as a pillow. Scintillating blonde hair several shades close to brown traced artful curves across her body and trailed down the chair like a curtain. He ran his fingers through those locks. Her hair was softer than the finest of fabrics. It was a clear indication that she spent a lot of time grooming herself. Most alchemists had greasy hair because of the chemicals released when they were refining pills.

Zhou Lihua’s body was a work of art. He glanced at her wide hips as she lay on her side and wondered what it would feel like to grab those hips whilst in the throws of passion. He shook his head. There would eventually come a time when that happened, but it was not now.

Focus, Wu Jian. Don’t lose your wits.

“Can you tell me more about our itinerary?” he asked.

“Mmmmm. I suppose,” Zhou Lihua said drowsily. She turned over until she lay on her back, eyes half-lidded and drowsy staring at him. “We’ll be making our way across the border to the Zhou Kingdom. A giant wall spans from one end of the border to the other, touching the Ice Phoenix Mountain Range and the Saintly Sword Mountains. It’s called The Great Wall.”

Wu Jian nodded. “I hear it was made after a war several hundred years ago between the Shang and Zhou Kingdoms.”

“Yes. It was a small war but one that took a large toll on both kingdoms. It only ended because the Heavenly Sword Sect intervened. After the war, The Great Wall was built to prevent hostilities from rising again. I have not seen it myself, but I have been told that The Great Wall is one of the largest manmade structures in the entire world. It is also the only wall that spans across two kingdom’s borders.”

“Sounds impressive,” he said.

“I guess. Frankly, I don’t care about it one way or the other.” She paused to stare at him. “You stopped petting my head.”

“Apologies, My Lady.” Wu Jian rolled his eyes as he began petting her head again.

“Eh heh heh,” Zhou Lihua looked kind of silly with that dopey smile on her face. He had never seen her smile like that before.

“How long will it take to reach the border?”

“Two days. Reaching the border is the shortest part of our trip. The longest stretch comes after we’ve entered the Zhou Kingdom. We’ll have to travel north to curve around the Snow River, then head south and follow the river until we reach Kěnéng, the Zhou Kingdom’s capital. That will take about sixteen days, give or take, and we’ll have to stop at several towns along the way.”

Wu Jian nodded.

The Snow River, also known as the Xue River in some parts, began in the Northern Jin Kingdom. Snow from the mountains melted during the summer and flowed down the river. Once it reached the Zhou Kingdom, it was heated up by natural underground volcanoes. Kěnéng, the capital, spanned the entire river. It was known by many as the resort capital of the world because there were hundreds of natural hot springs spaced across the river. Kěnéng was also the largest city in the world, though it was not the most populous.

“By the way, was it okay leaving Yōuměi behind like that?” asked Zhou Lihua.

“Well, it does feel weird not having her with me. Yōuměi has been by my side the entire time, but it should be fine.”

“That’s not what I meant. She’s very powerful. I was thinking it might have been a good idea to take her with us in case things go south.”

“Do you think they will?”

“I don’t know. I hope not. But you never know.”

Wu Jian didn’t think they would need to worry. The Zhou Clan was the most prominent clan on the Xaio Continent. Only a fool would dare make trouble with them, and while Cì Chuān acted like an idiot, he did not strike Wu Jian as a fool. He wouldn’t try to kidnap Zhou Lihua, especially now that she was officially a member of the main household.

“Don’t worry. Even if something does happen, I’m confident that I’m strong enough to deal with it,” said Wu Jian.

Zhou Lihua smiled. “You are strong, but don’t forget that the Zhou Kingdom has several Deva Realm experts. You still haven’t even reached the Human Limit Realm yet.”

“Don’t remind me…”

While Wu Jian had not broken through yet, he still had confidence in his abilities. He had been able to defeat Human Limit Realm Cultivators while at the Asura Realm’s first subrealm. He was now a peak Asura Realm Cultivator, so he should be able to fight someone at the Deva Realm if he went all out, though winning might still be too high a hurdle.

Two days passed relatively quickly. Cultivators didn’t need as much sleep as normal people, so they traveled through the night and soon arrived at The Great Wall. Wu Jian and Zhou Lihua spent most of their time in the carriage.

Zhou Lihua acted like a needy young woman longing for affection during those two days. Wu Jian suspected it was because she had never been able to spend time alone with him, and with Zhou Wen no longer around to get in their way, she was able to really enjoy their time together.

At times, she would lounge on his lap, rubbing her cheeks against his thighs. During other times, she would curl herself on his lap and do her best to leave marks all along his neck. Wu Jian was grateful that he healed quickly. They would sometimes get outside to stretch their legs, and he didn’t want anyone to notice the hickeys she gave him.

They hadn’t gone beyond making out and heavy petting. Wu Jian had slipped his hands into her clothes and directly caressed her bare skin, but that was the furthest they had gone. Anymore and Zhou Lihua said she would be unable to control herself. They couldn’t afford to get too intimate because it might give their relationship away, which would be bad for a number of reasons--not the least of which was how it could threaten Zhou Lihua’s position. The last thing either of them wanted was for her to be expelled from the clan.

At least, for now.

***

The Great Wall was just as massive as the rumors said. Wu Jian stared at the wall through the carriage window. They were still more than a lî away, and yet, he could already see it towering over them.

Massive bricks had been used in The Great Wall’s construction, each one about the size of an adult male. They were layered one atop the other. Several watchtowers stood at even intervals. He thought he saw specks moving up there, but even his eyesight wasn’t good enough to see that far yet.

“There it is,” said Zhou Lihua. “What are your thoughts?”

“Well… it’s definitely big, but not much else,” he admitted.

“I think so too. Its size is most impressive, but it’s kind of plain.”

Then again, it wasn’t like a wall meant to keep the Shang and Zhou Kingdoms from fighting needed to be decorated. Its purpose was to be imposing and prevent another war, and it served that purpose well enough.

They were stopped by a group of guards once they reached the wall. A massive portcullis mounted in vertical grooves sat between two watchtowers. The guards stood before it, preventing them from going further.

The guards were not wearing profound spirit armor but normal lamellar armor made of leather. While their armor might not have been much to look at, all of them were at the Asura Realm’s first subrealm.

One of the guards was an older gentleman with long black hair and dark eyes. His height put him a head or two taller than Wu Jian, and while his body was thin, it was easy to see the muscles hidden underneath his custom lamellar armor. He had a feminine face that made Wu Jian think of someone else he knew. Who was it again…?

“Halt. I see your caravan bares the Zhou Clan crest. Apologies, but even if you are members of the Zhou Clan, we must do a quick search to make sure you’re not bringing any contraband into the Zhou Kingdom. It’s protocol, you understand,” said the man.

“Of course. You are Yong Mihong, correct? Feel free to inspect our carriages,” said Zhou Chao.

Now I remember! He’s Yong Hai’s father!

Wu Jian barely interacted with Yong Hai. Outside of the few times that man had glared at him during his time at the Shang Kingdom Imperial Academy, he had never seen him, and it wasn’t like they had ever spoken. It had taken a bit more effort than normal to dredge up that memory. Now that he had, he could see that the son looked just like the father.

“I will also have to inspect any storage rings in your possession.”

“…I suppose that is fair. We shall let you inspect our storage rings.”

It was often considered rude to inspect someone’s storage rings, and Yong Mihong had to know this, but he supposed protocols were protocols. While there were not many items that could be considered contraband, some kingdoms had placed bans on certain items. The Shang Kingdom, for example, had banned the Blood Burning Pill, which was a tier 4 pill that increased a cultivator’s strength at the cost of reducing their lifespan.

As Zhou Chao handed over his storage ring, he spoke to Yong Mihong. “It is quite late. Misstress Lihua has been inside of her carriage for much of the trip. Do you have any rooms available to stay the night?”

“We have several. I will allow your people to use some of the empty rooms for yourselves.”

“That would be much appreciated.”

A soldier came up to their carriage and asked that they release their storage rings for inspection. Wu Jian and Zhou Lihua handed over their rings. They waited as the guard checked the contents, though his eyes widened when he searched Lihua’s ring.

“What the…?”

“Have you never seen alchemy ingredients before?” asked Zhou Lihua with a smile that caused the young man to blush.

“No… at least, not so many in one place. A-anyway, here are your storage rings back,” the young man mumbled.

“Thank you.”

Zhou Chao directed the carriages to the side, then had his men detach the horses from their harnesses. A stable stood not far from them. Yong Mihong let them use the stable and had several men prepare feed and water for their horses. Meanwhile, Wu Jian and Zhou Lihua exited their carriage.

“Li’er,” said Wong Jiu as he emerged from his own carriage.

“Master.” Zhou Lihua smiled. “Did you have a pleasant journey?”

“Do not try and act coy with me, Li’er. Come. I’m sure you have not practiced alchemy at all during this time, so I am going to instruct you some more. We must make sure your alchemy is up to snuff before we arrive in Kěnéng.”

“Of course, Master.” Zhou Lihua turned to him. “I suppose we’ll have to part ways for now.”

“Yeah. Have fun,” said Wu Jian, waving as she left with her master.

Because he was just a “bodyguard,” Wu Jian was directed to the same room as Zhou Chao and his men. He wasn’t comfortable sleeping with so many unfamiliar people. What if one of them tried to take off his mask? It sucked, but he knew there was no choice except to put up with it.

Once they had been shown to their rooms, the group was directed to the mess hall, a simple but large room with wooden chairs and tables strewn across it. The group sat down as one and were served a dinner of freshly caught boar stew. This region of the Shang Kingdom was home to several large boars. Food made from it was considered a local specialty of the surrounding towns. The most Wu Jian could say about the food was that it had a very bold and gamey flavor.

“You really don’t remove that mask, do you?” asked Zhou Chao.

“Correct. I vowed to never remove my mask until I restore my honor,” Wu Jian lied.

“That’s some impressive dedication,” Zhou Chao continued with a broad smile. “I really admire it.”

“Thank you,” Wu Jian said uncertainly. He had not interacted with Zhou Chao for many years, but the last time they had spoken, the young man had hated him because of how close he and Zhou Lihua were. This man’s personality differed greatly from what he remembered.

“But man, am I glad we have you with us,” said another clansman.

The person next to him nodded. “Yeah. Having the Strongest Youth on our side is a great boon for us. I doubt there will be any trouble that you can’t handle.”

“The Strongest Youth? What is that?” asked Wu Jian.

While the others looked at him in shock, Zhou Chao smiled. “You must not pay much attention to the rumors going on about you. That’s your nickname. The people have taken to calling you the Strongest Youth ever since your victory in the Shang Kingdom National Tournament.”

He nodded. “Ah. You’re right. I don’t pay much attention to rumors, and I don’t care what people say about me.”

“Hah! That’s how it should be. The strong don’t care about the opinions of others. What need is there to be bothered by rumors when the strength of your fists can move mountains,” Zhou Chao said with good cheer. “You know what? I like you. Come, let us drink!”

Wu Jian sighed as the man tried to shove alcohol onto him. Zhou Chao might have been much nicer and more mature now than he had when they were younger, but he wasn’t all that sure he liked his current personality either.

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