Severing Time & Space

Tournament Day

After Wu Taohua discovered Wu Meiying and Hou Jingshu sleeping in Wu Jian's bed, Father began stationing guards by both the door and the window to prevent them from entering again. Not even Wu Meiying with her prophetic vision could slip past them. While Wu Jian had argued with his father for a time, he soon understood that nothing he said would make the man budge.

"You're a young man who is just beginning to step into adulthood. It does not matter if you're engaged to Hou Jingshu. I cannot have you and her sleeping together until your wedding night."

While it was not tradition to save yourself until marriage, Father was a very proper man. He believed in propriety and doing things right. Wu Jian also believed the reason he was so adamant about this was because Hou Jingshu was the Emperor's daughter. Perhaps he would have been more lax if that had not been the case.

Then again, maybe not.

Wu Jian did understand Father's concerns. He agreed they were far too young to engage in any sort of sexual activity, but he didn't think just sleeping in the same bed together warranted this kind of response.

Wu Meiying had complained loudly about how she was no longer allowed to sleep with him. Wu Jian had listened to her for almost an hour as she released a stream of expletives he would have never expected before she ran out of breath. While his first love and best friend ranted herself into exhaustion, Hou Jingshu had looked both relieved and disappointed.

The days were growing longer and warmer.

It would be summer soon.

Wu Jian woke up early in the morning to the sound of cicadas chirping. Getting out of bed, he opened his window and ignored the two guards standing on either side as he peered at the sun rising above the mountain. It was still dawn. The sun hadn't fully risen, so it cast an array of oranges and yellows across the sky.

With light now filtering in through the window, Wu Jian rummaged through his drawers and grabbed his hanfu. It was pitch black. However, coiling around the skirt's hem and traveling up its torso was a golden dragon. Unlike Wu Meiying's hanfus, his was a bit plainer and only featured the dragon for decoration.

Exiting his building and stepping into the light, Wu Jian walked to his training ground, where Wu Meiying and Hou Jingshu were already waiting. The two were dressed in garbs perfectly suited to combat.

Wu Meiying wore a purple Tai Chi-fu, a long-sleeved shirt tied together with golden silk strings that went down the front. Gold lined the hem and cuffs, and there was a design akin to clouds and flowers near the hem. Her pants were a purple so dark they bordered on black. Wrapped around her ankles were golden cords and on her small feet were a pair of slippers. Her hair had likewise been tied into a bun on her head, though there was still so much of it that a good portion trailed down her back, stopping at the knees.

Meanwhile, Hou Jingshu's outfit was far more elaborate. It was white and red, contained multiple layers, and was more gown than martial arts uniform. The top layer that covered her torso and trailed down to about the middle of her hips was white, it was tied together at the waist, and featured a high collar. The red dress underneath the outer layer trailed down to her ankles and showed off her silk slippers. A pink cord tied around her waist.

Her long brown hair was braided, the ends tied with a pink ribbon and ending in a small fish tail. She also had two ribbons tied around her bangs near her ears. The new articles highlighted her preternatural blush, which further enhanced her lovely blue eyes.

Perhaps it was because he had begun seeing her as a woman, but Wu Jian found himself being drawn to her expressive gaze.

"You two look amazing," Wu Jian exclaimed with honest admiration.