Though he spoke decisively, after finishing, both Bu Xiu and Matron Xun looked at him with puzzled expressions.
“What?” he asked irritably. “Can’t I kill her?”
“Let’s set aside whether you could bring yourself to do it,” Bu Xiu said. “Both Matron and I feel that Miss Ming doesn’t seem like someone who would easily betray you. There might be some hidden circumstances.”
“Indeed. If she truly betrayed us, why did she rush back so urgently to save us? As soon as she heard you were in Qingwa Courtyard, she ran there without looking back,” Matron Xun muttered. “It seems unnecessary.”
Ji Bozai froze. “What did you say?”
Matron Xun was startled and thought for a moment. “It seems unnecessary?”
“Not that, the sentence before.”
“Miss Ming rushed to Qingwa Courtyard without looking back as soon as she heard you were there.”
Ji Bozai frowned. “Are you certain? I didn’t see her in Qingwa Courtyard at the time.”
“We don’t know what happened in between, but Miss Ming went in that direction. When we saw her later, her wrist had a burn mark, and she casually said that you were fine, telling us not to worry,” Bu Xiu explained.
Feeling a tightness in his chest, Ji Bozai slowly leaned back in his chair, recalling the events.
At that time, he was in Qingwa Courtyard, using Xuanlong to protect the surroundings while facing several assassins. He hadn’t noticed if anyone had approached from behind. When he looked back, the burnt wooden pillars of the corridor outside the moon gate were falling, landing just outside the wall.
Could her hand injury have been from that fire?
But if she had come all that way, how could she just watch without entering?
A sudden thought struck Ji Bozai, and he stood up. “Where’s Zheng Tiao? Call Zheng Tiao here.”
Matron Xun shook her head. “When this old servant came over, I met Lord Zheng leaving. He said his wish was fulfilled and he was returning to Feihua City. He asked me to inform you when I had the chance—by now, he should have just left the city gates.”
That martial arts fanatic came all this way just for another duel, and once it was over, he cared about nothing else.
Ji Bozai laughed in exasperation and immediately set out, riding a beast carriage towards the city gates.
Zheng Tiao was admiring the evening clouds and contemplating the loneliness of the world when he was suddenly swept off his carriage by a black Xuanlong.
He rolled on the ground twice and frowned at the figure behind him. “You dare exert yourself like this when your injuries haven’t healed?”
Ji Bozai strode forward, grabbed him, and asked directly, “Whose familiar is the white cat?”
Zheng Tiao’s expression tightened, and he quickly averted his eyes. “Go see for yourself at the Six Cities Tournament. Why ask me?”
He sneered, staring intently into Zheng Tiao’s eyes. “Can I still encounter the white cat at the Six Cities Tournament?”
Judging by his tone, it seemed he already knew something.
Zheng Tiao hesitantly probed, “Have you discovered something unusual about her?”
“I have. I’m just waiting for you to clarify so I can confront her,” Ji Bozai answered smoothly.
The martial arts fanatic, true to his nature, fell for the trick without much thought. He sighed deeply and said, “I fought against her for seven years without a single victory. I thought I could settle the score here, but now her meridians are destroyed, and she’s become a woman.”
“I’ve already had another duel with you. I figured seeing me would only remind her of the past and make her more upset, so I decided to return to Feihua City first.”
Ji Bozai’s eyes were filled with shock and turmoil.
There was only one person in the entire Qingyun Realm who had defeated Zheng Tiao for seven years straight—the Ming family’s eldest son, Ming Xian.
He wasn’t surprised that the white cat was Ming Xian’s familiar, but Ming Xian was… Ming Yi?
The person trembling before Qian Li at the inner courtyard banquet was her, the one sitting in his lap drinking and laughing coyly was her, and the one waiting for him at the crossroads with a lantern was also her.
The legendary prodigy had fallen to dust, become utterly humble, unwilling to mention past glories, yet released the white cat that could expose her identity to save him in his time of peril.
This gesture, if not born of some affection, even the tiles on Qingwa Courtyard’s walls wouldn’t believe it.
Taking a deep breath, Ji Bozai wanted to smile but held back, only asking Zheng Tiao, “How did you lose to a woman for seven years?”
“You know how to converse,” Zheng Tiao said expressionlessly. “People always thought Yuan power was bestowed by heaven upon men, never imagining a woman could cultivate it to surpass thousands—you just took advantage of her being poisoned. Otherwise, if you faced her former self, you wouldn’t be smiling!”
The last half of the sentence came out almost as a roar.
It was rare for the usually taciturn Zheng Tiao to lose composure like this. Ji Bozai couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, I understand.”
“What do you understand? You understand nothing. Ming Xian was truly formidable, so for her to be willing to live on after such devastation is incredibly difficult,” Zheng Tiao said angrily. “Anyone can accept cultivating green Yuan power for a lifetime, but not everyone can accept falling from grace after being born with pure white Yuan power.”
He became somewhat agitated but then restrained himself to calmness. “Before, I admired her for her strong Yuan power. Now, I admire her for her resilience as a person.”
Seeing the look in his eyes, Ji Bozai waved his hands repeatedly. “You should go now. The dock will close soon if you’re late.”
Zheng Tiao replied irritably, “Others bid farewell with reluctance and even compose poems, but you show no sign of seeing me off at all.”
With that, he whistled, and his beast mount carried him swiftly towards the dock.
Ji Bozai stood there for a good while, digesting the revelation about Ming Yi’s identity before slowly returning to the city.
Just as he entered the city gates, he encountered Si Tuling’s carriage.
“Is Lord Ji heading to the envoy’s residence?” He poked his head out, smiling and waving a scroll in his hand. “Perfect timing. There’s someone else here you might want to meet.”
He had previously agreed with the Grand Minister to confront Bao Yuanqui, but Bao Yuanqui had been recovering from his injuries for several days and only today was reported to have improved.
Ji Bozai stopped and looked at the scroll in his hand, narrowing his eyes slightly. “Have you found the arsonist?”
“My lord is indeed wise, knowing at a glance.” With people coming and going on the street, they couldn’t say much more. Si Tuling handed him the scroll and retreated into the carriage. “Elder Sister Ming is waiting for me at home for dinner, so I won’t accompany you further, my lord.”
Ji Bozai: “…”
Why did he ever say Si Tuling had a promising future? Now he truly wanted to strangle him—every word he said was irritating.
Clutching the scroll tightly, he walked a short distance before opening it. After glancing at the name, he closed it and continued towards the envoy’s residence.
Bao Yuanqui was less recovering from injuries and more from illness. Somehow, after visiting the inner courtyard, he had fallen seriously ill. Now he sat in an armchair, wrapped in a cloak and coughing.
When Ji Bozai entered, Bao Yuanqui was unusually calm, merely saying, “You’ve finally come.”
“Greetings, Lord Bao.”
“Sit down. I’ll have someone bring you tea.” Bao Yuanqui coughed lightly, his gaze still fixed on the clouds in the distance. “I didn’t expect Lord Ji to be such a sentimental person. It doesn’t show at all.”