Severing Time & Space

Eavesdropping

A loud bang like someone had just slammed something onto a table echoed from beyond the window. Wu Jian shared a look with Wu Meiying. Just then, a voice emerged from the other side.

“Damn that Ming Han! Who does he think he is?!” Wu Jian heard Father’s harsh and grating voice as it boomed from inside the building.

“He has been getting a lot bolder lately,” Mother said.

“Haaaah. It looks like I was right to send you along to shadow them, Taohua,” Father said with a sigh.

“You were,” came Taohua’s voice. “Had I not been there, I have no doubt Ming Han would have seriously injured Wu Jian.”

“Do you think he would have killed him?”

“… No. Ming Han might be vicious, but he is not stupid. If he injured Wu Jian, he could claim it was because he was protecting his son and accidentally went too far. He could not do that if he killed him. Fists might not have eyes, but a man of his caliber is more than capable of holding back against someone who’s not a threat. He also knows it would incite your wrath and there would be no recourse other than for one clan to exterminate the other.”

“And the Ming Clan isn’t strong enough to contend with our clan,” Mother added.

It sounded like they were talking about what happened in Zahn City today. Wu Jian scooted a little closer as if that would help him hear what was being said better. He pressed up against Wu Meiying. Her unique floral scent filled his nose, but at the moment, most of his attention was fixated on the conversation between his parents.

“That might not be the case anymore,” Father said. “I’ve received reports that say the Juishi and Ming Clans have already allied themselves in preparation for Ming Shen’s marriage to Juishi Meirin. On their own, neither the Ming or Juishi Clans pose much of a threat, but together, they could prove troublesome.”

“I have also heard rumors of a mercenary company being spotted along the borders outside of Zahn City,” Wu Taohua stated.

“You think the Juishi and Ming Clans hired a mercenary group?” asked Mother.

“We don’t know, but we can’t exclude the possibility. There isn’t much reason for a mercenary company to come here other than because someone hired them,” Wu Taohua said.

“And there aren’t many people who can hire mercenaries outside of the three clans of Zahn City, and the Zhou Clan… but the Zhou Clan has no need to hire mercenaries. They have their own forces, which are more powerful than any mercenary company that can be found in the countryside,” Father added.

“I suppose you bring up a good point,” Mother admitted. “I guess that just means we will have to be more careful from now on.”

“Yes, we will have to remain cautious for a while. I’ll let the elders of our clan know so they can pass my orders on to the others. On a brighter note, I received a letter from Wu Yong. It seems he is doing well at the Imperial Academy…” Father continued, but by that point, neither Wu Jian nor Wu Meiying were paying any attention.

Wu Meiying looked up from where she was tucked underneath him. He could see the statement in her eyes. She was telling him they had heard everything they needed to, so he nodded, and together they crept away from the window. They were both moving slowly. Wu Jian thought they were being silent, but then he accidentally stepped on a branch, which released a loud snapping sound.

“Who’s there?!”

Wu Meiying grabbed Wu Jian’s hand and scrambled around a corner of the building just as the window opened and Father peered outside. They peeked at him from where they were hiding, though they ducked back and pressed their backs to the wall when he turned in their direction.

“Is something wrong, dear?” asked Mother.

“… No. I just thought I heard someone sneaking around, but I guess it was just a rodent,” Father said as he slowly closed the shutters.

Wu Jian and Wu Meiying both breathed sighs of relief.

“That was close,” Wu Meiying whispered.

“Yeah. Sorry about that. I almost got us caught,” Wu Jian said, also whispering.

“It’s fine. We didn’t get caught, and that’s what matters. Anyway, we heard what we needed to, so let’s go back.”

“Right. Lead the way.”

With Wu Meiying once again in the lead, they made their way back to his room, climbed in through the window, and closed it behind them. Wu Jian sighed in relief once they were safely inside. He removed his cloak and shoes, then sat on the bed, placing his hands behind his back.

“You were right. We learned something really interesting just now,” he said.

“It was even more interesting than I thought it would be,” Wu Meiying admitted as she also removed her cloak and shoes before sitting next to him. She was wearing a somewhat translucent nightgown made of a light blue fabric. Wu Jian thought she looked enchanting and found himself mesmerized for a moment, but he shook his head to dispel the thoughts plaguing him.

“The question is, what should we do about this?” asked Wu Jian.

Wu Meiying lifted her legs off the floor and began doing small flutter kicks. Wu Jian spent a moment watching her small feet kick back and forth. Then she stopped kicking, canted her feet inward, and used the toes of her left foot to clutch her right. It was a surprisingly dexterous move that he could not do himself. However, he had watched Wu Meiying pick up articles and objects off the floor with her toes, and she had even pinched him with them before. They were tiny but surprisingly strong.

“I don’t think there’s anything we can do about this,” Wu Meiying admitted. “It’s not like we’re strong enough to fight off a band of mercenaries.”

He and Wu Meiying were still just twelve years-old, which meant they hadn’t reached the Age of Majority, sixteen, when they would become adults and attempt to break through to the Hunger Realm. Until they broke through, it would be impossible for them to fight anyone outside of the Body Forging Realm.

There was a massive difference between realms. Someone at the Hunger Realm, even just the first subrealm, was so much more powerful than someone at the Body Forging Realm that it was like the difference between heaven and earth. That difference only became more marked the higher someone climbed up the cultivation ladder. Someone at the first subrealm of the Anima Realm was at least two times more powerful than someone at the ninth subrealm of the Hunger Realm, and cultivators at the Asura Realm were at least three times stronger than someone at the ninth subrealm of the Anima Realm.

“I guess, for now, we should just focus on getting stronger and leave everything else to the adults,” Wu Jian said at last.

“I think that’s a good idea,” Wu Meiying agreed.

“We should also tell Hou Jingshu about what we heard.”

“We definitely should. We can’t leave her out of this.”

“It’s also really late now. Think we should go to bed?”

“In a bit. Before that, there is something we need to do.”

Wu Jian turned to Wu Meiying, who wore a mischievous grin. He felt his lips twitching as he realized what she wanted.

“It has been awhile, hasn’t it?”

“Yes. I’ve been holding myself back on account of Jingshu… but I simply can’t hold it in anymore. Wu Jian, you need to kiss me.”

Wu Jian would have said something, but Wu Meiying chose that moment to pounce.