Immediately after leaving the Great Wall, Zhou Lihua’s caravan traveled east until it met the Snow River, then followed the river north before curving around and traveling south-east. They had to stop at several towns and villages along the way.

It was an enlightening experience.

“There’s something odd about this town,” Wu Jian murmured as he stared at it from within their carriage.

Zhou Lihua was leaning against him and resting her head on his shoulder, but she sat straight and peered out the window with him. When she saw what he did, she cast him a sad smile.

“The Zhou Kingdom is very wealthy… but that wealth is only shared among the elites.”

The village they were passing through was the definition of poverty. Houses were made of rammed earth like mudbricks. They were small and looked cheap. Mudbricks were made from mixing sand, clay, and travel, then pounding it until hard. Every roof was made from thatch. At his kindest, Wu Jian could say the structures had an earthy appearance. If he was being honest, they looked like hovels. Even the lowliest peasant in the Shang Kingdom had better homes than this.

“I’m beginning to understand why so many people talk ill of this kingdom. It’s clear the emperor cares little for his people,” said Wu Jian.

Zhou Lihua pursed her lips and slowly nodded. “Emperor Cì Shā is well-known for his insatiable greed. No matter how much wealth he accrues or how much power he gains, it is never enough. Do you know what the people of other nations call him?”

“The Pig Emperor,” Wu Jian answered.

“Mmm. The Pig Emperor. He is as greedy as a pig and several times more ambitious.”

Their caravan passed several young children who leaned against the wall, their emaciated frames speaking of the hardships they had endured. Wu Jian was unable to withstand the sight. He slowly closed the curtains, removed his mask, and leaned back in his seat.

“You would think the other nations would do something about this,” he said after a time. “The Xia Dynasty is literally right next to them. Why haven’t they done anything?”

“Do you think invading a kingdom is that easy?” asked Zhou Lihua with an amused smile.

“No.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I know it’s not that easy. I understand why no one has done anything… but that doesn’t mean I like it.”

“You’re not the only one.”

The thirteen kingdoms had endured to this day for hundreds of years because of the Three Celestial Sects. They were the ones who kept the peace. Of course, they could have taken over the Xaio Continent themselves, but they had learned from the mistakes of previous sects that tried to do the same. No matter how powerful the sect, it would eventually be brought down from within if it grew too powerful.

Power was important, revered, but it was also a poison that slowly ate at people’s sanity. When a group, be they a clan, a nation, or a sect grew too powerful, it invited both fear and jealousy from others. That fear would eventually lead others to act against them. The White Tiger Clan was destroyed for that very reason.

This was why none of the Three Celestial Sects became involved in ruling the continent.

However, because the Three Celestial Sects had adopted a policy of noninterference, they could not make a move against a country without just cause. Sadly, the mistreatment of ones’ people was not considered just enough. The only way they would act was if the Zhou Kingdom did something like invade another country.

Before his thoughts could drift too far into darkness, a pair of hands on his face jolted him out of his reverie. Zhou Lihua turned his head so he was facing her. Her smile was that of a devious minx about to play a prank.

“Let us not think about matters we cannot change. I believe a distraction is in order,” she said.

“A distraction?” He quirked an eyebrow but decided to play along. “What kind of distraction?”

“The best kind,” Zhou Lihua answered before dragging his face down.

Zhou Lihua’s lips were plump and soft. He took her lower lip between his teeth and nibbled on it. Perhaps in response--or perhaps not, he didn’t know--Zhou Lihua pushed her tongue against his lips. She licked his lips, then pushed further. The sensation of her tongue caressing the inside of his mouth caused his entire body to tingle.

Their position was awkward, so Zhou Lihua soon shifted, bringing her right leg over his waist to straddle him. Her hands went to his hair. She scraped her nails against his skin, messing up his hair as she plundered his mouth.

“Mmmm…”

“Aaah…”

“Hmmm…”

They couldn’t make too much noise, lest they be discovered. Knowing that Zhou Lihua’s entourage was literally right outside of this carriage added a layer of danger that sent a thrill up Wu Jian’s spine. He grabbed her hips, lamenting the clothing that kept him from feeling her skin directly, as the sound of their lips smacking against each other echoed within the small interior.

“Haaah… W-Wu Jian… don’t leave a mark…” Zhou Lihua panted as Wu Jian started attacking her neck.

“I know…” he mumbled with his lips pressed against her skin.

He wanted nothing more than to mark her like she’d done him, but they couldn’t afford that. No one had said anything to their face. However, how could they not know about the suspicion they were under? Though they had done their best to pretend they were only friendly acquaintances in public, there was no way to completely disguise the affection they had for each other.

Perhaps if they were older, more experienced, they could have pretended to be no more than friends. Wu Jian was more than willing to blame their actions on youthful recklessness if people questioned him. In that regard, at least, Zhou Wen was right to keep an eye on them.

I wonder where that woman is now? Why did she not come with us? Surely she wouldn’t let her charge out of her sight like this?

“No thinking about another woman while you’re with me,” Zhou Lihua said as she pulled him into another kiss. “I’m.” She kissed him.” The only.” Peck. “One.” Another kiss. “You should.” She kissed him again, and this time, she drew it out for as long as he could. Wu Jian thought she was trying to suck his soul from his body. “Be thinking about.”

“You’re right,” Wu Jian murmured against her lips. “Don’t worry. There’s no one else on my mind right now.”

“That had better be the case.”

Zhou Lihua seemed tired of sitting up. She pushed him down until he was lying across the carriage seat, then laid on top of him. Wu Jian was glad she had hampered his mouth with her own. Her full breasts were pushed into him, ready to spill out of her alchemist robes as they squished against his chest.

She’s not wearing chest bindings…

Women with a significant bust often wore chest bindings to prevent their breasts from jostling during everyday life. It was particularly important for cultivators to wear them because high speed movements and combat could actually hurt if they didn’t have something to keep them from swinging around. There was no way Zhou Lihua would forget to wear something like that.

Which meant she’d neglected to wear it on purpose.

Knowing this caused Wu Jian to lose some of his reason. What he wouldn’t give to slip his hand between her robes, but, pressed as she was against him, he couldn’t take her chest in his hands. This, too, was likely something she had done intentionally. Zhou Lihua knew what she was doing to him. She couldn’t not know.

As if to confirm this, the young woman stopped kissing him to smile deviously. “I didn’t realize you learned to use a staff for combat.”

“Ha ha. You’re quite the joker. Do you enjoy torturing me?” asked Wu Jian with a dry laugh.

She grinned and slipped a hand into his pants. “I do. It’s very fun.”

“If you’re not going to do something with that hand, I suggest you remove it,” he growled.

“Who said I’m not going to do anything?”

Wu Jian bit his lip as her soft hand wrapped around him. Zhou Lihua had to shift onto her side to properly grab him, but once she had him in her grasp, she gently caressed him. The feeling of her delicate fingers was electric. He felt like she was using a lightning technique to activate all of his nerve endings.

“Oh my.” Zhou Lihua’s eyes widened in surprise. “You can get bigger?”

Wu Jian was about to say something, but someone knocking on the door startled them into inaction. It felt like cold water had been dumped on them. The burning passion that had been driving them had been doused, allowing their sanity to return and realize how stupid they were being.

“Young Miss, it is already quite late. We were thinking of setting up camp soon,” said Zhou Chao.

Zhou Lihua climbed off Wu Jian and sat on the other couch, while he sat back up and tried to readjust himself. He winced and crossed his legs. It was uncomfortable, but it was better than what would happen if someone entered and saw them.

“Is it that late already?”

“…Night is beginning to fall, Young Miss.”

“Hmm. I understand. We’ll be out in just a minute.”

“Very well. We’re going to set up the tents now. Come out when you’re ready.”

The sound of fading footsteps reached their ears. Zhou Lihua tilted her head, then sighed when the sound vanished. She glanced at Wu Jian and giggled.

“That was close,” she said.

“Too close,” Wu Jian agreed. He shifted his legs and winced. “I don’t think I’ll be able to leave the carriage for a while.”

“Hmm. Can you not just make it go away?”

Wu Jian gawked at her. “You think I can just make this disappear? Have you any idea how hard that is? Especially after what we just did?”

Despite wanting to yell, Wu Jian kept his voice down to a whisper. He was quite proud of himself. Zhou Lihua had no idea how difficult it was to calm down his extra appendage after what happened. Women might have it rough in ways no man could ever know, but there were some problems only a man had that women would never experience--and this was definitely one of them.

“How long will it take to calm down? We don’t have much time. They’ll get suspicious if we take too long.”

“And who’s fault do you think it will be if they do get suspicious?”

“Yours for taking too long.”

Wu Jian rolled his eyes as Zhou Lihua giggled again, clearly enjoying herself. He couldn’t blame her. This was the first time they had been alone together for an extended period of time. He was just as excited.

It took a bit longer than he would have liked, but he did calm himself, and they left the carriage before too much time had passed. Most of the camp was already set up. The tents used were round and bearing the Zhou Clan’s crest and colors. Several smaller tents were centered around one large tent, which was where Zhou Lihua would sleep. Zhou Chao was directing the clansmen under his command to prepare food. Meanwhile, Wong Jiu sat beside a campfire.

“Are you truly prepared for this tournament?” the old alchemist master asked as they sat down beside him. “It feels to me like you’re not even thinking about it.”

“That’s because if I thought about it, I would do nothing but worry, Master.” Zhou Lihua shrugged. “I thought it would be best to keep myself distracted so my anxiety won’t get the best of me.”

“Is that why you always have your… friend stay in the carriage with you?” he asked. His hesitation made it clear he believed there was something more going on.

Zhou Lihua smiled brightly. “Of course. I cannot play Cultivator Cards by myself.”

“You and that card game,” Wong Jiu sighed.

Cultivator Cards was a popular card game that used playing cards based on famous cultivators throughout history. Though he had seen Hou Jingshu play against Yu Mao, Wu Jian had never played before, so Zhou Lihua had taken to teaching him the basics. They had played several matches already and he had lost every single one of them.

He wished he could blame his losses on his deck, but Zhou Lihua had given him pretty good cards. Wu Jian just did not have the experience necessary to beat someone who actually knew what they were doing. Zhou Lihua was, in fact, a very avid CC player and would often play against other Zhou clansmen in her free time.

Who would have guessed.

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