Severing Time & Space

Meeting Zhou Lihua

The Zhou Clan had a compound located outside of Zahn City. It was five hours away on carriage, which meant Wu Jian spent most of his time watching the passing scenery while his father meditated.

He glanced at Father out of his peripheral; the man sat with his eyes closed, head down, and arms crossed. He didn't seem to be paying attention to anything.

Wu Jian looked back out the window. He wanted to say something to his father, but he couldn't think of anything to say. It had always been like this. Father felt so distant. He wondered if this was what it meant to be the head of a clan.

I'm not sure I like the idea of being a clan head anymore. Granted, I've never been big on the idea of succeeding Father to begin with, but I always thought I needed to become clan head in the future to make him proud. But I really don't want to be cold and distant like this.

He wondered if other clan heads were this distant. All Wu Jian knew was what Father did. He had no other examples to follow, so he didn't know if Father's way of doing things was normal, or if there were as many ways to lead a clan as there were stars in the sky.

He hoped it was the latter. If there was no recourse except to become clan head, Wu Jian wanted to be the kind of clan head people could come to when they had problems.

The Zhou Clan compound eventually came into view. Wu Jian couldn't help but let out a whistle of admiration.

"Wow. That's really something."

"The Zhou Clan is not the most powerful clan in Zahn City for nothing," Father said. Even he sounded a little envious. "Even their branch families have more wealth than a small clan like ours."

The compound was similar in design to the Wu Clan compound. Same architecture. Same general layout. But that was where the similarities ended.

Everything was so much bigger and more majestic that it made their clan compound look miniscule in comparison. Pillars surrounded the gate and held aloft a curved roof that extended well beyond the exterior walls surrounding the compound. Beyond the walls, he could see trees and buildings of a stately design. The largest among them was a massive pagoda situated in the very center, with maybe six levels and a large statue of a dragon soaring into the heavens at the very top. The color scheme was red, gold, and black, which created a stark contrast with the surrounding trees.

I've never seen something so impressive before. And this is just a branch family. I don't dare to imagine what the Zhou Clan's main compound looks like.

When they arrived at the gate, a pair of guards stepped forward and spoke to the driver. He must have been showing them their invitation. The massive gate opened a moment later and their carriage was allowed through.

Their carriage drove along the cobblestone of the Zhou Clan compound only to stop after reaching a delegation of people. The driver opened their door and Father stepped out. Wu Jian followed him outside, trying to keep his heart from thundering in his chest. His nerves were getting to him now that he was finally here.

The delegation consisted of only three people. The one at the very head was none other than Zhou Zu, the branch family head. He wore stately silver robes and his hair was neatly tied behind his head with a silk cord. Behind him was an elderly man with pure white hair, thick eyebrows, and a fu manchu. With his pure white robes, he made Wu Jian think of an old philosopher.

However, it was the girl who captured his attention.

Zhou Lihua was dressed in a white, blue, and red hanfu. The top half was a startling shade of blue and seemed sleeveless at first glance. He realized only after a moment that the top half was actually a vest. Sleeves extended from inside the vest, pure white and flowing like water. The bottom half of her hanfu was red and decorated with flower petal embroidery. As a soft breeze past through the clearing, her outfit changed colors.