Luo Jiaoyang was puzzled. "Why is he angry again?"
Fan Yao hesitated to speak, and Chu He wiped his face helplessly. "You really are a blockhead."
Just because Ming Guniang was capable didn’t mean she wasn’t a woman, right? Besides, she was Ji Bozhai’s person—how could Luo Jiaoyang even suggest sharing a room with her?
But then again, Ming Guniang didn’t seem to have any feelings for Lord Ji either. Otherwise, how could she have agreed so easily?
"Mingyi," Qin Shangwu finally spoke up after some thought. "You should share a room with Bo Zhai. His temper is unstable, and he just learned about his origins. I’m worried he might lose control and cause trouble. If you keep an eye on him, I’ll feel more at ease."
With that, Mingyi couldn’t refuse. She nodded. "Today, I nearly brought trouble upon our teacher and everyone else. Thank you for your leniency."
Qin Shangwu waved his hand. "Though Star Yearn City is small, we understand the meaning of shared honor and disgrace. Since you’re willing to help us with Artifact Crafting, we stand together as one. There’s no need to speak of leniency."
She hadn’t originally planned to truly join Star Yearn City’s ranks—after all, she was accustomed to fighting for the glory of Sunspire City. But now...
Mingyi bowed to Qin Shangwu without another word.
The group soon settled in at Fanghua Residence. By evening, Mingyi saw Ji Bozhai reluctantly enter her room, not even glancing at her as he laid out a bedroll in the outer chamber.
The room was so quiet they could hear each other’s breathing.
Mingyi was the first to break the silence. "Leaving here might not be easy. Are you prepared, my lord?"
Ji Bozhai responded with a faint "Mm."
Silence fell again.
Mingyi sensed his anger but couldn’t pinpoint the reason. There had been too many incidents today—any one of them could have upset him. Seeing no way to console him, she simply turned over and went to sleep.
Ji Bozhai found her utterly clueless. He had come here willingly, and yet she didn’t even bother to coax him before falling asleep?
And she fell asleep so quickly—her breathing soon evened out into a steady rhythm.
Lying on his side with his eyes open, Ji Bozhai was too irritated to sleep.
Everything that had happened today felt trivial compared to her attitude. What did she mean by, "There’s a screen in the room, so it’s fine"? Fine how? Even from this distance, he could catch the faint scent of her fragrance. How could she even consider letting an outsider share her room?
It wasn’t jealousy—he just thought she had no sense of propriety!
Did that mean, in her eyes, his presence here was no different from Luo Jiaoyang’s?
Narrowing his eyes, he sat up abruptly and glared at the screen separating them.
Exhausted both physically and mentally, Mingyi was deep in sleep and didn’t stir until he was nearly upon her. Then her eyes snapped open.
"My lord, aren’t you tired?" Her gaze was bleary, heavy with drowsiness.
Ji Bozhai scoffed in amusement. "The floor is hard. It’s even more tiring."
Thinking it over, Mingyi shifted inward on the bed, making space for him. "Then you can sleep here."
With that, she closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep.
"Do you think you’re about to die, so nothing matters anymore?" He rapped his knuckles against the unyielding bed frame.
The vibration startled her awake, and she turned to look at him in confusion.
Wrapped in the blanket, only her bare face peeked out—like a lotus emerging from clear water, naturally unadorned. Ji Bozhai’s gaze softened slightly, and he pursed his lips. "The scallion pancakes I brought you earlier—were they good?"Her eyes grew even more bewildered as she weakly rubbed her eyelids. "You've brought me scallion pancakes many times, my lord. Which time are you referring to now?"
"The one with the antidote hidden inside."
"Oh, the one with the antidote..." Mingyi yawned.
Mid-yawn, her eyes suddenly flew open, and she hiccuped in shock. "What did you say?"
"The antidote for Sky of Eternal Regret. I only had that one bottle. If someone poisons me with it again in the future, I'll have no cure left." He glared at her coldly. "Didn't you notice your Meridians stopped corroding further?"
Mingyi was fully awake now.
The room was unlit, but they were so close she could vaguely make out the contours of his face. It was Ji Bozhai himself—no one else playing tricks on her.
"You... you gave me that antidote... mixed in with scallion pancakes?" she stammered. "But... but why? Back in Star Yearn City, I was of no use to you."
"You're of no use to me now either," he scoffed. "I just wanted to see what you'd look like if you lived a little longer."
Her mouth hung open as Mingyi struggled to process this.
What would living longer look like? She'd never considered it. She'd only thought about visiting many places while alive, sleeping with a man, and doing all the things she'd never dared before.
But now he was telling her she'd taken the antidote.
Her mind buzzed. Mingyi wanted to laugh, but tears threatened instead. Clutching the hem of his robe, her voice turned hoarse. "Do you... like me? Otherwise, why would you give me your last bottle of antidote?"
"If I didn't like you, you'd have died a thousand times over." He tilted his chin up. "But you liked me first, so then I liked you too."
He had to win even this argument?
Between laughter and tears, Mingyi choked out, "Thank you."
"Everything in this world comes at a price. Don't thank me yet." Ji Bozhai waved his hand dismissively. "Since I gave you the antidote, your life now belongs to me."
Her smile stiffened. Pressing her lips together, she asked faintly, "Does my lord want me to remain your concubine?"
That had indeed been his thought—no woman had ever left his side so unceremoniously before.
But seeing her somewhat despairing expression, he suddenly felt a pang of reluctance.
"Does being by my side truly make you so miserable?"
"My lord has your own life to live, and I have mine. Our paths don't seem meant to intertwine." Mingyi lowered her gaze. "I can assist you in competitions or complete tasks to repay my debt."
An inexplicable tightness gripped his chest. Ji Bozhai's expression darkened. "Since when do you get to choose?"
"You've already given me the antidote, my lord. Shouldn't the choice be mine?" She raised an eyebrow. "Unless you want me to vomit it back up?"
Her shameless expression mirrored his own when he was being thick-skinned—she'd clearly learned from him.
Ji Bozhai snorted and lay down beside her. "I really shouldn't have saved you."
Mingyi smiled too. "My lord is merciful."
"Whether it's mercy or something else, you know the truth." He turned his back to her. "Like a bull chewing peonies."
Having spent so much time among those dancing girls, Mingyi wasn't truly ignorant of romance. But Ji Bozhai's sincerity was rare—most of it was just teasing and flirtation. She used to laugh at those foolish women who fell for it, and now she absolutely wouldn't become one of them.Giving her the antidote was certainly something to be grateful for, but this gratitude should only be directed toward helping him win—nothing else.
What a Fighter desires most is undoubtedly victory!
Thus, when training began the next day, Qin Shangwu noticed that Mingyi had changed.
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