Severing Time & Space

You Stink

Wu Jian awoke with a sharp gasp. He looked wildly around for a moment, but then settled down when he realized where he was. The sturdy ceiling overhead and familiar shoji screen door of the hospital wing was one he recognized thanks to the many times he had come here. Calming down, he tried to recall what happened after his fight against Wu Yong, but he couldn’t.

“I see you are finally awake,” a voice said.

He would have jumped if he wasn’t so tired. Turning his head, he blinked several times at the woman whose cold face never seemed to change.

“Aunt Taohua…”

The person sitting on the chair was Wu Taohua. Her hair was currently let down instead of tied into a bun. It was much longer than he thought it would be. Each strand looked black, but it became a brownish color when the light hit it, proving that it wasn’t pure black like Wu Meiying’s hair. Somehow, this hairstyle gave her a much softer appearance than normal. She looked almost kind.

Wu Taohua stood up, pushed the chair had been sitting in back, then lowered herself to the floor. She prostrated herself. Wu Jian was so surprised that he could do nothing but stare.

“I owe you a great apology. My son has disgraced himself before you. I was… unaware of what he was doing to you, and I assumed you were just being childish and weak. I never imagined my son would let his jealousy of you get the better of him like this.”

Wu Jian stared silently for a moment, then tried to sit up—only to discover that he couldn’t move because something was clinging to him. He looked down and found a cute face surrounded by black hair. It was, of course, Wu Meiying, fast asleep as she hugged his waist.

“She has not left your side since you were brought here,” Wu Taohua said when she raised her head. “Wu Yōushì and the elders tried to remove her, but she was adamant about remaining by your side. That girl is… quite the spitfire. She reminds me of Àiliàn in that way.”

“Yeah. Once she decides to do something, nothing can stop her,” Wu Jian said with a smile. He removed Wu Meiying’s arms from around him, then slowly sat up, wincing only a little at the pain in his chest. His entire torso was wrapped in bandages.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Wu Yong took a pill during your duel that increased his strength many times over. That’s how he was able to break your guard and injure you to this extent—your forearms and ribs are broken by the way, so you shouldn’t move too much. Once we realized what was happening, Elder Jinsu moved to subdue Wu Yong while the rest of us came down to help. We carried you to the hospital and Wu Yong was confined. You have been unconscious for an entire day.”

“Which means the tournament is over,” he mused.

But Wu Taohua shook her head. “The tournament never happened.”

“Oh. I see. Sorry. It seems that is my fault.”

“No. The fault lies with my son, not you.” Wu Taohua, for the first time since he had known her, wore an anguished expression. “I never imagined my son would take a pill like that. I don’t even know where he got it, and we cannot question him now either.”

“Why? Did something happen?” asked Wu Jian.

Wu Taohua gave him a bitter smile. “Alchemy pills that increase a person’s strength like that come with a cost. It increased his strength at the cost of destroying his muscles. Right now, he is in the room across from you. Wu Shaolin is doing everything he can to save my son… but it does not look good.”

“I’m—”

“Do not apologize.” Wu Taohua held up a hand to stop him. “I will be disgraced if you do. I am the one who is here to apologize for my son’s reprehensible behavior.”

Wu Jian was still in shock as he tried to think of what he should say. He had always believed this woman hated him. She always treated him coldly and acted like he was beneath her notice. She only taught him alongside her son because Father commanded her to, but it was always obvious she did so reluctantly.

Scratching his head, he finally said, “About that pill… I think the one who gave it to him was Wu Fei.”

Wu Taohua’s body shook and her eyes went wide. “Are you certain of this?”

Wu Jian nodded. “Just before the battle, Wu Fei was talking to Wu Yong about something. I couldn’t hear what he said. However, I think he was telling Wu Yong to use that pill if it seemed like he would lose.” He paused, then gave a self-deprecating smile. “But I have no proof.”

“No. That is enough.” Wu Taohua went silent for a moment, then spoke in a soft voice. “Wu Fei is Elder Wu Wei’s grandson. He was originally going to become the head of the Wu Clan, but my husband, your father, defeated him in single combat and was named head instead. It is possible that he is attempting to pave the way for his son to take over by eliminating you and Wu Yong in one fell swoop.”

There were laws about who could and couldn’t become clan head. A branch family member was unable to vie for the position no matter how strong they were. Wu Hong was a great example of that. However, the son or grandson of an elder could be elevated to the position if they proved themselves stronger than the current heir. That was how Wu Jian’s father became the clan head.

“You should be wary of Wu Fei from now on,” Wu Taohua said after another moment.

“I understand. Thank you for the warning,” Wu Jian said.

Wu Taohua nodded, stood up, and bid him goodbye.

“If you ever need my help for something, please let me know. I will do everything I can to help you, to make up for my failure to properly educate my son,” Wu Taohua said before leaving.

Wu Jian, now left alone, idly stroked Wu Meiying’s hair as he thought about what had happened. He had always been worrying about Wu Yong, always fearing his older half-brother and not the other boy’s two lackeys, but now it looked like Wu Yong was just a puppet, and the true puppet master was actually Wu Fei’s grandfather. He would need to be more careful from now on.

This situation seems a lot more complicated than I first thought. What is Wu Wei planning? What does he hope to gain by doing this?

Wu Jian didn’t understand. Perhaps he was just too young.

“Jian…” Wu Meiying mumbled softly under her breath. Wu Jian smiled, though her next words wiped the smile right off his face. “You stink. Take a bath.”

Wu Jian grumbled to himself. It wasn’t his fault he smelled so bad. He hadn’t been able to take a bath since the strength test. With a sigh, he continued to stroke the sleeping Wu Meiying’s hair.