Mingyi choked slightly, lowering her eyes as she said, "Everyone has a mother. When you were born, your mother just wasn't by your side."
"You call someone who abandoned me after birth a mother?" Ji Bozhai scoffed. "Just a stranger at best."
If there had been extenuating circumstances, it might have been different. But the people at the Slave Arena told him he had been left there by a group of well-dressed individuals. They had deliberately noted the location of the Slave Arena, as if intending to return for him someday.
Yet, nineteen years had passed. He waited day and night, but no one ever came looking for him.
Waiting too long for anything breeds resentment, let alone waiting for one's parents amidst endless torment and suffering. So, by the age of ten, Ji Bozhai stopped waiting altogether. He simply assumed they were dead. If he ever discovered they were still alive, it wouldn’t matter—he no longer held any expectations, nor would he acknowledge any so-called blood ties.
If they stayed out of his way, fine. But if they proved to be as meddlesome as Mingyi’s so-called Empress, he wouldn’t show them the slightest mercy.
The woman beside him looked at him, hesitating to speak.
"What?" Ji Bozhai raised an eyebrow. "In your state, are you still trying to 'enlighten' me?"
"No," Mingyi shook her head. "I just think... you're admirable."
Cold and decisive, utterly unburdened by sentiment.
The Empress had already tried to kill her again. Mingyi thought to herself—there was no need to show any mercy anymore. Wasn’t the Empress just afraid her true identity as a woman would be exposed, dragging her maternal family down with her?
After sharing a meal with Ji Bozhai, Mingyi deliberately returned to retrieve the flamboyant dress he had once gifted her.
With the Bright Moon Earring dangling from her ear and her slender frame wrapped in shimmering silk, she turned gracefully—once more a peerless beauty.
Ji Bozhai watched her, slightly unsettled. "Why the sudden change of attire?"
Mingyi didn’t answer directly. Instead, she said, "The inner court of Sunspire City is the place I know best. I know where the Empress’s private dungeon is. With a map, you could take advantage of the chaos in the inner court tomorrow and rescue Ming An."
His brow twitched slightly. Ji Bozhai leaned back against a wooden pillar, arms crossed. "A risky endeavor like this offers me no benefit. Why would you think I’d help you?"
"After it’s done—" Mingyi lowered her gaze, "I’ll tell you who your birth parents are."
The smirk on his face faded. Ji Bozhai straightened, staring at her intently.
Mingyi didn’t dare meet his eyes, busying herself with arranging the jewelry on the table. "Among the group that sent you to the Slave Arena back then, Ming An was likely one of them. Of course, this is just speculation. Only Ming An knows the full truth of what happened. If you rescue him, everything will come to light—"
Before she could finish, a hand clamped around the back of her neck.
Ji Bozhai gripped her firmly, his voice icy. "You knew who my parents were from the very beginning. Is that why you approached me?"
Mingyi remained silent.
Outside the window, the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a golden glow through the lattice and into the inn’s room. It should have been a warm scene, but an oppressive, murderous aura slowly filled the space, making it hard to breathe.
Ji Bozhai couldn’t accept that something so monumental had been revealed so casually, as if she had set a trap for him from the start.
Recalling all the kindness she had shown him before, he smirked humorlessly. "You wouldn’t happen to owe me some great debt, would you? Here to repay it before you die?"Her eyelashes fluttered slightly as Mingyi gave a bitter smile. "Even at death's door, I still have a conscience. Instead of praising me, you look like you want to kill me. Lord Ji, surely you're not still hung up on matters of sincerity?"
His heart sank abruptly, and Ji Bozhai's hand on the nape of her neck trembled slightly.
Indeed, Ming Xian, the esteemed heir of the Ming family in Sunspire City—even if he had fallen into dire straits, he should have had plenty of options once he recovered. The only reason he had entered the inner court as a Dancing Girl was to get close to him.
What kind of debt could he possibly owe to willingly degrade himself like this just to be by his side? A blood feud? The murder of his mother?
As unease grew in his heart, Ji Bozhai's voice turned icy. "I despise being played for a fool."
"Your Lordship is peerlessly brilliant—how could you ever be a fool?" Patting the hand resting on her neck, Mingyi chuckled softly. "Even without your intervention, I won't live much longer. Why rush things now?"
Ji Bozhai suddenly calmed down.
He studied the reflection in the bronze mirror carefully.
She was composed, serene—her eyes dull.
Yes, she believed her time was short, which was why she cared so little.
But what if she lived longer? Would she still remain so indifferent when faced with certain things?
Withdrawing his hand, Ji Bozhai took a deep breath. "Give me the map."
Mingyi rose to fetch paper and brush, sketching out the map for him.
Sunspire City was truly a place she had poured her heart and soul into. The map of the inner court was meticulously detailed—every stone pillar, every lantern, every dog, even every cracked tile was marked.
Ji Bozhai took the map and fixed his gaze on her. "Will there be danger tomorrow?"
"Yes." Mingyi lowered her eyes. "But it has nothing to do with you. If I'm lucky, I might return to Flying Blossom City. If not, I’d trouble you to pass a message to Xiuyun—tell her I still prefer Sunspire City, and that she should live well in Flying Blossom."
"Nothing to say to me?" He raised an eyebrow.
Mingyi paused briefly before meeting his gaze. "I hope Your Lordship remains forever free, never becoming a tool in someone else's hands."
It sounded like a blessing—yet also like advice from one who had learned the hard way.
Ji Bozhai snorted coldly, clutching the map as he turned to leave.
Naturally, he would never become someone else's tool. In this world, everyone else was merely an instrument for his vengeance.
The last traces of twilight vanished from the horizon. Mingyi spent the entire night preparing meticulously. Early the next morning, as Qin Shangwu stepped outside, he saw Mingyi already waiting, bowing to him. "Master."
Startled by her attire, Qin Shangwu frowned. "You—"
"Today is about meeting an old acquaintance. Master, please indulge her," Ji Bozhai said as he emerged from behind, bowing to Qin Shangwu in passing.
Luo Jiaoyang and the others, ever eager for drama, immediately crowded around Mingyi. "Won't they recognize you like this?"
"Even if they notice, they wouldn't dare acknowledge it. Ming Xian was a man, after all."
"How amusing. I’d love to see the reactions of those Sunspire City folk."
Qin Shangwu was reluctant to stir trouble—this was Sunspire City’s territory, and causing a scene might make their return difficult. But when he glanced at Ji Bozhai, his usually prudent disciple showed no concern. Perhaps he already had a contingency plan.
Mingyi had helped them greatly. If she had a wish to fulfill, Qin Shangwu hesitated for a moment before deciding to turn a blind eye.In the Azure Cloud Realm, women held lowly status. Even in the prosperous and enlightened Sunspire City, women were only fit to be maids or bear children. Even Empress Si Hou had to use the side gates when entering or leaving the inner courtyard.
Yet today, the hem of a crimson skirt brushed against the threshold of the inner courtyard's main gate.
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