Having lived for nineteen years, Mingyi had never tasted the flavor of love. After all, she had been raised as a boy and couldn’t bring herself to fancy other boys. As for other girls… though she found them beautiful, she had never felt her heart stir for them either.
So Xiuyun’s behavior intrigued her.
Would someone truly throw everything aside for the one they loved?
The first man she had sought out had taught her that a so-called "beloved" was merely a companion for idle moments and a partner for pleasure. If nothing went wrong, all was well—but if trouble arose, such a person could be discarded or replaced at any time, hardly something precious. She had never seen the kind of look in Ji Bozhai’s eyes that Xiuyun had.
Rubbing her chin, Mingyi thought perhaps she had simply picked the wrong man. Once they reached Flying Blossom City, she’d find another to test the theory.
Distracted, she accidentally voiced the thought aloud.
Xiuyun’s eyes widened as she stared at her, then hastily glanced around, afraid someone might have overheard. "Y-you’re Ji Bozhai’s woman. Even if you’ve parted ways, we women of the Azure Cloud Realm are taught to remain faithful to one man. Even if cast aside, remarriage is forbidden, let alone—"
"I don’t know the rules for women in the Azure Cloud Realm," Mingyi said bluntly, now that she’d been heard. "And I don’t plan to follow them."
With so little time left to live, she’d do as she pleased.
Xiuyun was stunned by her nonchalance, taking a long moment to recover.
The Azure Cloud Realm imposed numerous harsh rules on women—they couldn’t learn Combat Skills, couldn’t possess Essence Power, couldn’t engage in trade, couldn’t hold office, couldn’t remarry, couldn’t neglect their in-laws, couldn’t remain childless… Having grown up under such oppression, Xiuyun had long since accepted them as normal.
But she had never imagined someone could so brazenly defy them.
What was worse—she found Mingyi’s attitude rather appealing.
This was far too heretical. Improper, utterly improper.
Shaking her head, Xiuyun tried to reel her thoughts back in and stammered, "I’ll go prepare lunch."
With that, she fled faster than a rabbit.
Mingyi watched her retreating figure with amusement, though her smile soon faded into worry—was she really going to have lunch with Ji Bozhai later?
Once, she had found him a feast for the eyes, but after so long, she had grown tired of the sight. Coupled with their recent unpleasantness, she wasn’t keen on seeing him.
Yet, as fate would have it, before lunchtime arrived, Qin Shangwu summoned her to the training grounds.
"For the Divine Artifact Hall segment of the Six Cities Tournament, we’ve never had an Artifact Smith to instruct them," Qin Shangwu said kindly. "Since everyone’s here today, you’ll fill that vacant spot and help them train."
The vast expanse of the training grounds dredged up too many memories of past battles, making her uncomfortable. Mingyi wasn’t keen on the idea and quickly searched for an excuse.
But Qin Shangwu added, "Ten thousand Shell Coins for the session. Someone will deliver them to the Artifact Crafting Hall later."
…Memories be damned. One had to keep moving forward.
Rolling up her sleeves, Mingyi took her place in the empty spot to Ji Bozhai’s left rear. "Mentioning Shell Coins makes it sound so transactional—how embarrassing. Have them delivered in the evening when Xiuyun is free."
Qin Shangwu chuckled and gestured to the surroundings.
A violet Nether Domain descended over the training grounds, within which Essence Power simulated the weather and winds of Moonchase City.The next Six Cities Tournament was to be held in Moonchase City, a place shrouded in heavy fog where people and livestock blurred together beyond a few feet, often leaving travelers lost. Thus, they always relied on the moon for direction.
In such an environment, the Divine Artifact Hall's segment of the competition tested not only the power of the Divine Tools but also one's sensitivity to the surroundings and ability to discern enemy positions. Encountering unexpected situations would further challenge their survival skills in the wild.
Qin Shangwu had chosen the most difficult setting—once the fog rolled in, their vision was as if covered by a white cloth, leaving them only with the sound of their teammates' heavy breathing.
"What kind of lousy place is this?" Luo Jiaoyang, standing to Mingyi's right, grumbled discontentedly. "How are we supposed to fight when we can't see anything..."
No sooner had he spoken than a precise burst of Essence Power, laced with poison needles, shot straight toward his throat.
"Watch out!" Mingyi reacted swiftly, pulling him aside just in time. She then instinctively frowned and scolded in a low voice, "Who told you to speak? In this place, sound is everything. Whoever makes noise becomes a live target."
Luo Jiaoyang froze for a moment, instinctively wanting to apologize, but then he gave Mingyi a startled look.
How did she know all this?
Mingyi snapped back to reality, realizing she had overstepped. Quickly, she poked Ji Bozhai's back with Star River Sunset, signaling him to move first.
Ji Bozhai said nothing, simply grasping her wrist in response.
His warm palm sent a jolt through her, and just as she was about to shake him off, he whispered, "Hold onto each other. Don't let anyone get left behind."
Oh. So it was for the sake of the team.
Mingyi suppressed her irritation and reached back to grab Fan Yao and Chu He, only to find after some fumbling that they had already linked hands, all hanging onto Ji Bozhai's left arm.
Their position exposed, attacks came one after another. With no time to spare, they sprinted toward the moon's direction, searching for the pre-buried Divine Tools.
During the competition, the buried artifacts weren't limited to those crafted by their own Artifact Smiths—each city had hidden many. What they found and whether they could use it all came down to luck.
So when Fan Yao dug a shovel out of the sand, Mingyi wasn't the least bit surprised.
She pulled out Star River Sunset and placed it on the ground.
Ji Bozhai and the others had intended to keep searching ahead, but upon seeing her action, they quickly gathered around to shield the artifact's glow.
Originally an offensive Divine Tool, Star River Sunset now, for some reason, conjured a thumb-sized Facing Sun when placed on the sand. The sun wobbled unsteadily, out of sync with the surrounding starry river, and soon tilted toward a specific direction. Meanwhile, the other stars clustered in varying numbers, each pointing toward certain spots.
Mingyi gestured to them: the direction of the Facing Sun indicated the most useful artifacts, while the areas with more clustered stars held lesser ones.
It could do this too?
For the first time, Ji Bozhai regarded the profession of Artifact Smiths with genuine respect.
Truly, each trade had its masters. Relying solely on luck, they wouldn't have stood a chance in this round.
Retrieving Star River Sunset, Mingyi led them forward.
Truth be told, being guided by a woman wasn't exactly a point of pride for Chu He and Fan Yao, who felt somewhat awkward. But Mingyi's directions were uncannily accurate—no sooner had they run ahead than they unearthed "Thundering Force."
Fan Yao wiped his face and clasped his hands toward Mingyi in acknowledgment.Mingyi didn't pay much attention, glancing at the Star River Sunset before leading them to the location of the next high-grade Divine Tool. But this time, what they unearthed was the Sunspire City's unique "Fire Tree Silver Flower," which they had never used before.
She looked at Ji Bozhai and gestured earnestly: This one is powerful—you take it.
He frowned: I don’t know how to use it.
Shooting him a disdainful look, Mingyi grabbed his hand and placed it on the Fire Tree Silver Flower's intricate trigger mechanism.
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