The words came out smoothly, but after he finished speaking, both Buxiu and Granny Xun stared at him with puzzled expressions.
"What?" he snapped. "Can't I kill her?"
"Setting aside whether you could actually bring yourself to do it," Buxiu said, "both Granny and I think Ming Guniang doesn't seem like someone who would betray you so easily. There might be some hidden circumstances."
"Indeed," Granny Xun muttered. "If she really did betray you, why would she have rushed back to save us in such a hurry back then? The moment she heard you were at Cyan Tile Courtyard, she charged straight there without hesitation. It would've been pointless otherwise."
Ji Bozhai froze. "What did you say?"
Startled, Granny Xun thought for a moment. "Pointless?"
"Not that. The sentence before."
"Ming Guniang charged straight to Cyan Tile Courtyard the moment she heard you were there."
Ji Bozhai frowned. "Are you certain? I didn't see her there at all."
"Something must have gone wrong along the way," Buxiu said. "But she definitely headed there at the time. When we saw her later, she had a burn on her wrist and was calmly telling us you were fine, that we shouldn't worry."
His heart tightened. Ji Bozhai leaned back in his chair, recalling the events.
Back then, he had been in Cyan Tile Courtyard, using the Mystic Dragon to shield his surroundings while facing several assassins. He hadn't noticed if anyone had approached from behind. When he turned to look, the charred wooden pillar from the corridor outside the moon gate was collapsing—right onto the wall beyond.
Could her wrist injury have been from that?
But if she had come all that way, why would she have just watched without entering?
A sudden realization struck him. Ji Bozhai stood abruptly. "Where's Zheng Tiao? Bring him here."
Granny Xun shook her head. "When I arrived earlier, I ran into Lord Zheng leaving. He said his wish had been fulfilled and he was returning to Flying Blossom City first, asking me to inform you when I had the chance—by my estimate, he should have just left the city gates by now."
That martial fanatic had chased him all this way just for another fight, and now that it was over, he couldn't care less.
Ji Bozhai let out an angry laugh and immediately set out, chasing after him in a beast-drawn carriage beyond the city gates.
Zheng Tiao was admiring the sunset on the horizon, lamenting the loneliness of life, when a black Mystic Dragon abruptly yanked him off his carriage.
Rolling twice on the ground, he frowned and looked back. "Daring to expend so much energy when your injuries haven't even healed."
Ji Bozhai strode forward, hauling him up by the collar. "Whose Following Beast is the white cat?"
Zheng Tiao tensed, quickly averting his gaze. "Go see for yourself at the Six Cities Tournament. Why ask me?"
Ji Bozhai scoffed, staring him down. "Would I really be able to find that white cat at the Six Cities Tournament?"
Hearing his tone, Zheng Tiao seemed to realize he already knew something. Hesitantly, he probed, "You've noticed something off about her?"
"I have. Now I just need you to explain everything so I can confront her properly," Ji Bozhai replied smoothly.
Martial fanatics were often simple-minded. Falling for the bluff without second thought, Zheng Tiao sighed. "I fought her for seven years and never won once. I thought reuniting here might finally settle the score, but now her meridians are ruined, and she's even become a woman."
"I've already fought you again. Seeing me would only remind her of the past and make her more upset, so I decided to return to Flying Blossom City first."
A storm raged in Ji Bozhai's eyes.
In the entire Azure Cloud Realm, there was only one person who had fought Zheng Tiao for seven years without a single loss—the Ming family heir, Ming Xian.The white cat being Ming Xian's Following Beast didn't surprise him, but Ming Xian being... Mingyi?
At the inner courtyard banquet, the one kneeling trembling before Qian Li was her; the one sitting in his lap drinking and laughing coyly was her; and the one waiting at the crossroads with a lantern for his return was also her.
A figure once hailed as heaven's favored child, now fallen into the mud, utterly debased, unwilling to speak of past glories—yet in his moment of peril, she had released the white cat that could expose her identity to save him.
If this act held no trace of affection, even the tiles on the Cyan Tile Courtyard walls wouldn't believe it.
Taking a deep breath, Ji Bozhai almost laughed but pressed his lips together, merely asking Zheng Tiao, "How is it you couldn't defeat a woman in seven years?"
"You really know how to hold a conversation," Zheng Tiao said expressionlessly. "The world has always believed Essence Power was a gift bestowed upon men by the heavens, yet no one expected a woman could cultivate it to stand above ten thousand others—you only got the upper hand because she was poisoned. If you'd faced her in her prime, you wouldn't be laughing!"
The last words were nearly a roar.
Seeing the usually taciturn man so uncharacteristically agitated, Ji Bozhai couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright, I understand."
"Understand what? You understand nothing. Ming Xian was truly formidable, so for her to endure living in such ruin is no small feat," Zheng Tiao snapped. "Anyone can accept spending their life stuck at green-tier Essence Power, but not everyone can bear having been born with pure white Essence Power only to fall from grace."
His voice grew impassioned before he forcibly calmed himself. "Back then, I admired her for her immense power. Now, I admire her for her resilience."
Noting the intensity in his eyes, Ji Bozhai waved dismissively. "You'd better go. The docks will close soon."
Zheng Tiao huffed. "Others bid farewell with lingering reluctance, even composing poems for posterity. But you—not a shred of sentiment in your send-off."
With that, he whistled, and his Following Beast swiftly carried him toward the docks.
Ji Bozhai stood there for a long while, digesting Mingyi's true identity before slowly heading back to the city.
Just inside the gates, he encountered Situ Ling's carriage.
"Lord Ji, heading to the envoy's residence?" Situ Ling poked his head out, grinning as he waved a scroll. "Perfect timing. There's someone else you might want to meet while you're at it."
He had previously promised Da Si to confront Bo Yuankui, but Bo Yuankui had been recuperating from his injuries for days and was only now reported to have improved.
Ji Bozhai paused, eyeing the scroll with narrowed eyes. "Found the arsonist?"
"My lord is as sharp as ever, discerning at a glance." With the streets crowded, they couldn't speak freely, so Situ Ling handed him the scroll and withdrew into the carriage. "Ming-jie is waiting at home for me to dine, so I won't keep you any longer."
Ji Bozhai: "..."
Why had he ever said Situ Ling had a bright future? Now he could strangle the man—every word out of his mouth was infuriating.
Clutching the scroll, he walked a distance before opening it. A glance at the name was enough; he snapped it shut and continued toward the envoy's residence.
Bo Yuankui was less recuperating from injuries and more from illness. Somehow, after visiting the inner courtyard, he had fallen gravely ill and now sat coughing in a Grand Tutor Chair, wrapped in a cloak.
When Ji Bozhai entered, the man was uncharacteristically composed. "You've finally come."
"Greetings, Lord Bo.""Sit down, I'll have someone serve you tea." Bo Yuankui coughed lightly twice, his gaze still fixed on the clouds at the horizon. "I never would have guessed Minister Ji is such a sentimental person. It's not apparent at all."
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