Severing Time & Space

Hidden Pride

While the ruckus down below was loud, the viewing booth was silent. Wu Yōushì, Wu Taohua, and the two elders sitting next to them didn’t know what to say. Only Wu Àiliàn seemed capable of talking.

“Well, now. That was very impressive. Right, dear?” she asked her husband.

Wu Yōushì blinked as though snapping out of a trance. He glanced at his wife, then his lips twitched. It was small. Most people would have never been able to spot it, but there was definitely a smile on his face. Wu Àiliàn grinned back at him.

“It was. He has grown greatly in the last six months.”

Wu Àiliàn puffed out her chest. “That he has. I remember when you said he was too meek to ever make something of himself. I hope you remember this moment.”

Wu Yōushì winced. “To be fair, it did not seem like he would ever become strong enough to benefit this family.”

“And so you thought it was best to ignore him and focus on training someone more worthy? Someone like Wu Yong?”

Wu Àiliàn glanced at Wu Taohua, who merely returned her look with a cold stare. She didn’t necessarily dislike her husband’s second wife. However, it was also true that they had never gotten along. Wu Àiliàn was bright and cheerful. She believed in living life to the fullest every single day. She was a free spirit. In direct contrast, Wu Taohua was cold and methodical. She believed in logic and thought showing emotions like Wu Àiliàn did was detrimental to the clan. They were total opposites in every way.

“There’s no way this can be possible,” Elder Wu Wei muttered in shock. “How could a frail boy like that gain so much strength so quickly.” He cast a suspicious glance at Wu Yōushì. “Did you aid him?”

“Are you accusing me of breaking our laws by aiding someone who hasn’t proven themselves?” asked Wu Yōushì, his voice cold.

“No… of course not.” Elder Wu Wei shook his head and retracted his statement. “Apologies. I am just shocked. We all know how hard it is to grow stronger without the aid of alchemy pills, medicinal plants, elemental essence, or natural treasures. I was merely stunned that Wu Jian could grow so much without any of that.”

The Wu Clan did not have the money to buy vast amounts of alchemy pills, which was the most common method of increasing someone’s strength and cultivation. That was why only those who had proven themselves received such benefits. A person who had the talent and drive to grow stronger was more worthy of those resources than someone who did not.

“Rest assured, I did not aid Wu Jian in any way,” Wu Yōushì lied.

Only he and Wu Àiliàn knew the truth, that Wu Yōushì had dipped into his personal stash of alchemy pills and given some to Wu Jian at her behest. He had also not said anything after realizing that Wu Jian had acquired a Silver Lotus when he snuck into West Fang Mountain with Wu Meiying.

Wu Yōushì did not show how much he cared about his family. As the head of the Wu Clan, he needed to remain aloof and impersonal. Only by separating his feelings and sentiments from his decisions could he act in the best interest of the clan. He only had one weakness.

Wu Àiliàn.

He and Wu Àiliàn were never meant to be married. She had just been a random village girl whom he had met during one of his journeys, but they had fallen in love, and he had brought her home and married her against the previous clan head’s wishes.

At the time, it had been reluctantly allowed because he was not going to become the clan head. Wu Wei was.

As the next clan head, Wu Wei tried several times to force Wu Yōushì into marrying someone from the clan, but he refused each and every time. It eventually came to a head when Wu Wei tried to cripple Wu Àiliàn’s cultivation and thus making her unfit to marry into the clan.

That had flipped Wu Yōushì’s reverse scale. He challenged Wu Wei in a fit of rage, mercilessly defeated him, and ended up becoming the clan head by sheer accident.

Wu Wei would have died that day if the former clan head hadn’t protected him. Wu Yōushì and Wu Wei had never gotten along. Truth be told, the only reason the head elder had been allowed to live and even ascend to this honored position was because of the former clan head’s ruling. He had deemed Wu Wei’s actions irresponsible but also something that had been done for the good of the clan. The only punishment he recieved was one year of solitary confinement.

Wu Yōushì had thought about banishing the head elder many times, but since then, the man had not acted out and only seemed to have the clan’s best interest at heart. It was as though he had turned over a new leaf. With no evidence of wrongdoing to banish Wu Wei, Wu Yōushì had no choice but to let him remain.

“If Wu Jian has gained strength, then it is by his own hand. I played no part in it,” Wu Yōushì assured the elder.

“Of course. I should have known better,” Elder Wu Wei said with an amicable smile that nevertheless hid his dark thoughts. Wu Àiliàn was not fooled by his grandfatherly appearance one bit.

“Let’s continue the strength test,” Wu Taohua said in a soft voice.

Everyone agreed and the Wu Clan’s strength test continued.