Severing Time & Space

The Vivacious Princess, Part III

Zahn City was much bigger than the Wu Clan compound. Wu Jian knew that, comparatively, there were many cities far larger than this one, but he had no frame of reference to let him know how much bigger. He had never been to another city. To him, this city was a massive and sprawling series of buildings and roads. Most of the roads were made of dirt, but the main street was paved with cobblestone.

The cobblestone road was something the Wu Clan had contributed to. According to Grandpa Son, the roads and buildings of Zahn City were not very well maintained until their clan had set down its roots here. The city began flourishing after that.

Of course, this was all relative. This was a small city compared to most. It did not have a very large population, and it did not contain all the amenities of larger cities, but the people were happy. That was what mattered the most.

Wu Jian and Wu Meiying were walking down the main street, which was where most of the street vendors and shops were located. All the other roads branched off from this one, creating a sprawling network of interconnected streets that twisted together. The main street was marked by the tallest building in the city: The Auction House.

The Auction House was owned by the Zhou Clan. They were not a clan from Zahn City. The Zhou Clan was one of the most powerful families within the Shang Kingdom. They owned and operated all of the auction houses within the kingdom, and Wu Jian had even heard a rumor that they owned auction houses in several other kingdoms. He couldn’t imagine how powerful a family like that was.

“Well, we’re here. What should we do, Mei? You wanna go shopping, or are you looking for something specific?”

Wu Jian glanced at Wu Meiying as they walked side by side, holding hands. He didn’t know if it was because they were wearing hanfu with the Wu Clan family symbol stitched into their clothing, or if it was just because Wu Meiying was a beautiful girl, but they attracted a lot of attention. People turned their heads to watch them walk by. Some leaned in to whisper in their friends’ ears. His companion didn’t seem to notice, however. She wore a smile as she picked up the pace and led him around.

“Let’s just walk around for now. I believe we’ll find something interesting if we take some detours we don’t normally use.”

Wu Jian didn’t know what Wu Meiying had seen this morning, but he suspected they would be meeting with someone very soon. He had determined this after they spoke with his father.

An important guest has arrived in Zhan City and is going to meet with Father. Mei mentioned something about this person’s daughter, which means she must be who we’re going to meet.

Since it seemed they would be meeting this person eventually no matter what, Wu Jian decided to just enjoy his time with Wu Meiying. They were often training or exploring the surrounding forests in search of medicinal ingredients that could boost their physical prowess. It was not often they took time off like this.

It was a rare chance that he wouldn’t let slip by.

They grabbed some Ci Faan from a street vendor and ate while they walked. The Ci Faan was made with sugar, sesame, and red bean paste. It was very sweet. Wu Jian preferred savory foods, so while he took a few bites, he ended up giving half of his to Wu Meiying, who devoured it within seconds. She had a sweet tooth like nobody’s business. Wu Jian had once watched in amusement as the girl ate out an entire sweet shop during one of their visits into the city.

The poor store owner’s pale face as he watched his confectionaries get devoured had been priceless.

At some point, they traveled through a small alley, but then stopped several meters before the end. The reason was because of the shouting that echoed to them.

“What do you think you’re doing to this poor animal?! Stop that this instant!” a girlish voice echoed through the alley.

“Do you hear that?” asked Wu Jian.

“Yes. It sounds like something interesting is happening. Wouldn’t you say?”

“And I suppose the person shouting is the one we’re supposed to meet?” Wu Meiying just smiled at his question, causing him to heave a sigh. “Well, let’s go see what kind of trouble this person has gotten themselves into.”

Picking up the pace, they traveled through the alley and came out on the other side, which opened into a small clearing surrounded by trees.

Zahn City was built within the forest surrounding the Twin Fang Mountains. While many of the trees had been cut down to make way for buildings, quite a few had been left up to provide natural decorations to the city.

Six people were standing within the clearing, though five of them were confronting one person. Wu Jian didn’t know any of these people. The five standing on one side were all boys wearing the clothing of commoners. They looked young, about his age or maybe a little older, and their faces were covered in dirt, but none of them caught his interest.

It was the other person who captured Wu Jian’s attention.

If anyone ever asked him, he would have said that Wu Meiying was the most beautiful girl in the entire world, but even he could not deny that his heart skipped several beats as he looked at the pretty girl standing fiercely with her arms spread out. She wore an elaborate Tang Dynasty dress made from varying shades of pink and white. Her glossy brown hair descended like waves down her head, though he could tell it had been held in an elaborate bun at one point because of the hairpin she was currently brandishing as a weapon. She had a soft chin, pink lips, and wide eyes that were innocent but fierce as she glared at the group of boys.

Wu Jian wondered why she was glaring so, but then he noticed the small cat hiding behind her. The poor creature’s fur was matted with blood and it was shivering. He easily connected the dots after seeing that.

“We should help her,” Wu Meiying said.

So this is why we came into the city today.

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get in there,” Wu Jian didn’t waste time as he stepped forward to help the girl.