He desperately wanted to convince himself to let her pass—things had come to this, and even if he dragged her down now, she wouldn't complete the wedding rites with him.
Yet his feet felt unbearably heavy, rooted to the spot. He stood rigidly beside their bridal carriage, the wind lifting his wedding robes, the identical dragon patterns on their garments now a cruel joke.
Ji Bozhai raised his hand and issued a Challenge Certificate to Zhou Zihong.
Mingyi's expression darkened, and she immediately issued one to him as well. That protective stance, as if she feared he might harm her beloved even slightly.
He laughed coldly. "You think adding yourself will make you a match for me?"
Mingyi smiled back. "I don’t think so. I just want to die with him."
Ji Bozhai: "..."
He hid his trembling fingers in his sleeves, his face regaining composure. "If that’s what you wish, then I’ll grant it."
An Azure Dragon surged from behind him, its roar shaking the heavens.
"Your Majesty!" Yan Xiao rushed forward, grabbing his arm. "Think twice!"
"About what?" he asked icily.
"The grand plan is at hand—Bright City Lord cannot be harmed," Yan Xiao pleaded frantically. "And besides... there are so many witnesses here."
Yes, so many people watching his humiliation. And she had the heart to let them.
Ji Bozhai lowered his gaze, recalling the Mystic Dragon, suddenly exhausted. "Fine."
Mingyi frowned at him and withdrew her Challenge Certificate as well. "Your Majesty is letting us pass?"
"When I married, you hated me for keeping it from you. Today, you marry, and I hate that you didn’t bother hiding it from me." His voice was hoarse. "Mingyi, in this lifetime, Ji Bozhai has only ever loved you. I wanted to spend the rest of my life making amends—sharing your bed in life, your grave in death, never parting."
His voice, infused with Essence Power, carried across half of Sunspire City.
Mingyi's heart lurched. She stared at him in disbelief. "Have you lost your mind?"
Announcing it so publicly would only deepen his disgrace. His prideful nature—how could he?
"If I don’t say it now, I never will," he said. "You insist on marrying someone you don’t love. I can’t stop you. But I’ll keep waiting—until you let go of the past and give me another chance."
Zhou Zihong's hands tightened slightly on his knees.
Mingyi narrowed her eyes. "Thank you, Your Majesty. Zihong is the one I love."
"I don’t believe you." Ji Bozhai scoffed. "I’ve been loved by you. I know what it looks like when you truly love someone. At most, you’re intrigued by him."
With that, he stepped back, allowing their bridal carriage to proceed.
Mingyi felt unsettled. She slammed the carriage window shut and stared blankly at the dragon patterns on her robes.
As she had wished, today Ji Bozhai tasted the same shame and disappointment she had felt upon learning the truth. The bitterness in her heart had finally been purged.
Yet... she didn’t feel any happier.
"Did Minister Superior suddenly propose to me just to spite him?" The man beside her spoke abruptly.
Mingyi snapped out of her thoughts and turned to him. "I won’t deny that was part of it—I held resentment. But it wasn’t the only reason."
Zhou Zihong nodded, his lips pale. "People grow greedier over time. At first, I thought it would be enough if Minister Superior stayed in my Will Abode. Then, I thought marrying you would be enough. Now... I want your heart to belong only to me."
Mingyi turned to look at him.Zhou Zihong smiled faintly, lowering his gaze. "Love isn't something grand. It's filled with selfishness and possessiveness, breeding jealousy and resentment. Even I am no exception."
"Your Majesty says I'm gentle and considerate, but that's only part of me. I also have stubbornness and obstinacy, anger and resentment," he asked. "If it's the entirety of me, would Your Majesty still wish to marry?"
Mingyi was momentarily at a loss for words. Before she could speak, the man beside her chuckled softly. "So he wasn't wrong. Your Majesty is marrying someone you don't love. What you like is gentleness and consideration, not Zhou Zihong."
The wheels of the bridal carriage rolled forward. Mingyi opened her mouth to argue but found herself at a loss.
A person might only experience true love once in their lifetime. Any subsequent stirrings of the heart are merely compromises. She couldn't muster the same passion she once had for Ji Bozhai for anyone else—she had already exhausted all her emotions. She knew this was unfair to those who came after, but there was nothing she could do.
Life could be lived in a haze of confusion, but Zhou Zihong seemed unwilling to remain in that haze.
The bridal carriage entered the open gates of the inner courtyard. Outside, the crowd buzzed with congratulations, but inside the carriage, a heavy silence prevailed. No one spoke another word.
The day of the expedition arrived swiftly. By the time Azure Snow City received the news, Ji Bozhai had already led the Vanguard camp to the ferry.
Conventionally, emperors would temper their bloodlust after ascending the throne and avoid leading battles personally, as their safety was paramount to the nation's stability.
But when the scouts returned to the inner courtyard to report, their faces were pale. "Your Majesty has gone mad."
Ji Bozhai was like the King of Hell incarnate, charging at the forefront, cutting down enemies as if they were mere vegetables. Even his own injuries couldn't halt his relentless advance.
Inspired by him, the morale of the five-thousand-strong Vanguard camp soared, enabling them to breach the city walls defended by twenty thousand men.
The lord of Azure Snow City had initially intended to confront Ji Bozhai about the offending Azure Snow merchant and voice his grievances. But upon witnessing the carnage, he hastily sent envoys to negotiate peace overnight.
"With the unification of the Six Cities, Azure Snow is naturally my territory. Yet when I bring my people to my own land, I am met with resistance, and now you speak of peace?" Wiping the blood from his face, Ji Bozhai sneered. "Then let us fight—until the last gate of Azure Snow is shattered."
The Mystic Dragon soared through the clouds, its black Essence Power spreading like a mist, mingling with blood as it enveloped the city walls.
The moment Mingyi stepped out of the beast-drawn carriage, Yan Xiao dragged her urgently to the battlefield.
"He's been mad since your wedding day. We couldn't stop him. Headmaster Qin said his killing intent grows heavier by the day. Fearing he might slaughter the entire city, we had no choice but to call for you."
Had Yan Xiao looked closely, he might have noticed Mingyi's pallor. But he didn't. Instead, he anxiously pointed toward the dark figure at the front lines.
Without hesitation, Mingyi summoned her Shield and flew toward him.
Heads rolled across the ground, and the sword in his hand was chipped from relentless strikes. Ji Bozhai panted heavily, sensing someone behind him. His bloodshot eyes narrowed as he swung his sword back without looking.
Yet, when the blade was but an inch away, he forced himself to stop.
Mingyi stood behind him, frowning at the blood covering his body.
There was too much of it. His azure robe was dyed black, and blood continued to drip from its edges.The murderous aura on his face faltered as Ji Bozhai slowly calmed down, his expression gradually returning to normal. The sword in his hand lowered to the ground. "Why have you come?" he asked.
"I bring 130,000 reinforcements from the central army to assist," she replied, producing the Military Tally from her sleeve. "Your Majesty may deploy them as needed."
With a cold glance at the Military Tally, Ji Bozhai turned away and continued gripping his sword. "You keep it."
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