Colorful Essence Power continued to assault the Mystic Dragon coiled over the Ji residence. Though it agitated the creature, none of the attacks managed to breach its thick Luminous Scales.
Luo Jiaoyang watched, disheartened. "He's clearly younger than us."
Fan Yao shook his head and withdrew his hand. "Essence Power is ninety percent talent and ten percent training. Ji Bozhai is exceptionally gifted and has never slacked in his practice. It's only natural we can't match him."
"But he's too vicious! If we don't eliminate him today, he'll cause more harm in the future, and we'll be even less of a match for him!"
"Look at his Essence Power—even after battling Xue Sheng, none of our combined attacks could break through. How can we possibly eliminate him today?"
Luo Jiaoyang grew furious. "All this talk—you're just afraid of his influence!"
Fan Yao's expression darkened as he prepared to argue, but Chu He stepped between them. "Enough quarreling."
They had come united to demand justice from Ji Bozhai, yet now they were turning on each other in the face of the Mystic Dragon. Luo Jiaoyang felt stifled and angrily made to withdraw his Essence Power.
But whether due to carelessness or loss of control, the moment he flicked his wrist, someone by the side gate collapsed with a cry.
"Ah—"
The group was startled. Fan Yao shot Luo Jiaoyang a reproachful look, while Luo Jiaoyang hastily waved his hands. "I didn't mean to!"
They cultivated Essence Power to one day protect Star Yearn City from oppression—never to harm ordinary people.
"Miss! Miss!" Servants rushed out from the gate, crowding around the fallen figure. Luo Jiaoyang hurried over and peered down.
On the ground lay a stunning young woman, no more than eighteen, with jade-like skin and a willow-slender frame. Her delicate hands clutched her chest, her eyes filled with pain.
"My apologies!" Luo Jiaoyang quickly bowed.
Mingyi groaned weakly, lifting her gaze with visible grievance. "This humble girl merely wished to fetch some Antidote for my lord. If this gate is forbidden, a word would have sufficed—was it necessary to strike me down?"
"I truly didn't mean to... Wait, which lord did you say?" He froze.
"What other lord could there be? This residence has only Lord Ji—no others." Supported by her maids, Mingyi shakily rose, hiding her face behind a folding fan with a sorrowful air. "Ganging up on him is one thing, but to strike when he's vulnerable..."
The group outside exchanged puzzled glances.
Ji Bozhai was poisoned? When did that happen? He seemed fine after yesterday's selection. Was this a trick?
Yet the young woman before them wore genuine distress, her brows knit with restrained anger. She didn't seem to be lying.
After a pause, Luo Jiaoyang softened his tone. "How did your lord come to be poisoned?"
"How would this humble girl know?" Mingyi glared. "He returned from the selection yesterday in such a state, vomiting blood. Official Yan barely stabilized him just now, only for you all to..."
She bit back her anger, forcing a bitter smile. "Never mind. My lord forbids me from meddling. By all means, continue your fight. Just allow this girl passage—else if Lord Ji succumbs to the poison, your victory would be tainted."Luo Jiaoyang flushed red from her retort, turning helplessly to Fan Yao. "He's injured and still fighting all of us?"
Fan Yao pondered for a moment. "I noticed something earlier. With Ji Bozhai's temper, the Mystic Dragon would have charged straight at us instead of just coiling to defend the manor. But I didn't expect he was poisoned."
Luo Jiaoyang scratched his ear irritably and shouted at the others still attacking in the distance, "Hold your hands first!"
Mingyi watched him warily, as if guarding against some feigned retreat tactic.
He found it both amusing and exasperating. "Miss, we're not ruthless villains either. If Lord Ji hadn't killed someone yesterday, we wouldn't have stormed your manor in anger today."
"If his killings broke the law, the Adjudicator would handle it," Mingyi said, her eyes full of bewilderment. "Surely you know what the Adjudicator does?"
Of course they knew. They all understood the life-and-death stakes of the selection trials. But Xue Sheng was...
Wait. Fan Yao suddenly realized, "The poison in Ji Bozhai—was it from Xue Sheng?"
"Impossible! Xue Sheng was a good man. He'd never poison anyone during the trials," Chu He shook his head.
Though they said so, everyone knew the truth. If someone else had poisoned Ji Bozhai, the city would have been in an uproar long ago. Given Ji Bozhai's current importance, who could poison him and walk away unscathed?
Unless that person was already dead.
The group fell silent. Luo Jiaoyang stubbornly insisted, "We don't know anything about this. The man's dead—who can say for sure? Today we just came to... exchange pointers with Lord Ji..."
"Right. Since it's such bad timing, we don't have to keep disturbing you here..."
Mingyi pretended not to understand their implications. Seeing them step aside while talking, she hurried past with her maid, feigning a trip to fetch medicine.
But she didn't go far before changing direction and slipping back into the manor through the western gate.
"Are you alright, miss?" Granny Xun rushed over anxiously. "I heard you were hurt?"
"Not at all. See? Completely unharmed." Mingyi twirled before her, then peeked curiously. "Have those people left?"
"They're still standing outside," Granny Xun chuckled. "But they've stopped attacking. They just need a way to save face now. Magistrate Meng will go out again shortly to smooth things over."
As she spoke, she gently brushed the dust from Mingyi's skirt with tender care.
Ji Bozhai, accustomed to dominance, rarely bothered with explanations—either you killed him or you left, no third option. Normally this was fine, but now, severely injured yet still forcing himself to fight, the household watched anxiously with no solution.
Fortunately, Ming Guniang was here. Straightforward and bold, she said whatever needed saying, much to the servants' satisfaction at the gate.
Their lord was no villain!
If Granny Xun had initially seen Mingyi as merely a sweet girl, she now regarded her as half a mistress. Though Mingyi lacked the dignity or grace befitting a lady of the house, she cared deeply for the lord and defended him at every turn—that mattered more than anything.
She hoped the lord would remember Ming Guniang's kindness and not neglect her even after taking a proper wife.
As the group strolled leisurely toward the main courtyard, a shadowy figure moved ahead of them, arriving first to stand before Ji Bozhai.After eating and resting for a while, Ji Bozhai's complexion had improved significantly. He glanced at the person who had climbed in through the window and immediately asked, "Is she alright?"
Zheng Tiao landed and stood by the window in silence for a long moment before replying, "That Dancing Girl of yours is quite formidable. She'll be fine."
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