Ming Yi’s ears reddened at Xiu Yun’s sudden praise. She hastily averted her gaze and gently pushed her away. “What’s there to like? Get back to work. At least learn how to use the molds today.”
“Alright!” Xiu Yun smiled sweetly and jumped back to her tasks.
The two disgruntled students turned to seek justice from Master Qin, but they hadn’t gone far when Ji Bozai blocked their path.
“L-Lord Ji?” they stammered.
Ji Bozai seemed irritated, his whole body radiating impatience. “Why are you causing trouble for her?”
“We… we just thought that you…”
“My affairs with her are none of your concern.”
The two quickly read the situation. They realized Ji Bozai’s troublemaking wasn’t because he disliked Ming Yi. On the contrary, it might be because…
One of them stepped forward, his eyes glinting. “I have a way to make Miss Ming receive an iris flower. Then, my Lord, you could naturally keep her by your side.”
“Yes, my Lord. She’s just a woman after all. Even if she can forge weapons, she’s still just a woman. It shouldn’t be difficult to handle her. Why bother…”
“Your concern is unnecessary,” Ji Bozai said, stepping aside to let them pass.
The two wanted to say more but finally left hurriedly.
Women were easy to handle – Ji Bozai knew this better than they did. In this world, women were like rootless duckweed. With power and status, there were always ways to obtain them, just as he had done before.
But Ming Yi wasn’t raised as a typical woman. In her mind, she was born equal to men, and in terms of Yuan Power, she could even look down on others. She was a mountain, she could be an ocean, but she would never willingly be duckweed.
Forced fruit might quench thirst, but he preferred sweetness.
Glancing at the sky, Ji Bozai left the Yuan Academy and headed towards the city gate.
Today was the day She Tianlin was returning to Chaoyang City. He hadn’t told Ming Yi, partly to avoid a painful farewell, and partly because he knew what she was doing now. As long as he didn’t meet her, he could pretend not to know and let her do what she wanted.
Ming Yi had an exceptional talent for forging, but for many years it had been overshadowed by her powerful Yuan Power and seemed less important. Now, if this talent could become her motivation to live, She Tianlin thought it was good. Whether it was Chaoyang City or Muxing City, he only had this one disciple, and her survival was what mattered most.
Carriages filled with tributes flowed out of the city. She Tianlin sat in his carriage, about to close his eyes for rest when it suddenly stopped.
His heart leaped with joy, and he immediately lifted the curtain.
Outside stood not Ming Yi, but Ji Bozai. He stood with his hands behind his back, nodding slightly. “I’ve come to see Master off.”
The joy in his eyes faded. She Tianlin pursed his lips. “Come up, then.”
The curtain lifted and fell again. Ji Bozai sat on the side seat, looking at the elder who had some issues with him. He said seriously, “There are some things I’d like to ask Master about.”
“Hmm.”
“How did Ming Yi get poisoned?”
She Tianlin’s eyelids twitched as he glanced at Ji Bozai. “Why do you ask?”
“Master should know that I might be able to cure the poison in her body,” Ji Bozai said calmly. “But I only have one bottle of antidote, and I won’t use it on her lightly.”
If he wouldn’t use it on her lightly, what was there to discuss? She Tianlin felt a twinge of annoyance but calmed himself. After carefully examining Ji Bozai, he said in a low voice, “The Empress of Chaoyang City, her mother, feared she wouldn’t obey, so she had someone find this poison to feed her. Originally, they provided the antidote regularly, but the place storing the antidote was burned down by the Meng clan. That’s why her poison flared up, destroying her meridians.”
Could there be a mother in this world who would use poison to control her child?
Ji Bozai remained silent for a while, then sneered, “I suppose it’s a good thing I was born without a mother.”
She Tianlin’s expression finally softened. He sighed, “You and she were both born into unfortunate circumstances, yet you’ve found each other. If you have a way to save her, please do. You can ask me for anything, as long as it’s within my power.”
Ji Bozai snapped back to attention, raising an eyebrow. “What if I want Master to go easy on us during the Six Cities Tournament?”
She Tianlin raised his hand, pointing the black hole of his “Thousand Arrows Pierce the Heart” weapon at Ji Bozai’s forehead, anger rising in his voice. “Young man, watch your words.”
The Six Cities Tournament was a sacred event, not something to joke about.
Ji Bozai lowered his eyes. “I was just kidding. Even if Master doesn’t go easy on us, I will win that match.”
“I don’t care how you win or whose divine weapon you use to win, but the moment she steps into Chaoyang City, she’ll be in mortal danger. If you can’t protect her, don’t bring her,” She Tianlin withdrew his weapon. “Don’t harm her.”
The city that once took pride in her now wanted to destroy her completely? Ji Bozai thought coldly that these cities were truly heartless and unworthy of genuine devotion. Only she had been foolish enough to give seven years of her life.
“Is there anything you’d like me to pass on to her?” Ji Bozai asked as they approached the city gate.
She Tianlin rummaged around and produced a piece of high-quality rare iron. “She’ll need this in the future.”
“Thank you.” As the carriage stopped, Ji Bozai stood up to bid farewell and disappeared beyond the curtain.
She Tianlin continued sitting in the carriage. After a while, he realized something was amiss and cursed, “I gave that to Ming Yi, what’s he thanking me for? Who does that brat think he is?”
Ji Bozai returned to the city, casually bought some scallion pancakes, and had them delivered to Ming Yi along with the iron.
Ming Yi recognized the rare iron as a gift from Old She, but she was puzzled by the scallion pancakes. She picked one up, sniffed it to ensure it wasn’t poisoned, then ate it. It was perfect timing, as she hadn’t eaten yet due to her busy forging schedule.
Life in the Yuan Academy was fulfilling but somewhat tiring. She forged during the day and practiced in secret at night. Whether it was because the spiritual energy was more abundant here or not, her meridians gradually became less painful, and her Yuan Power began to increase.
Luo Jiaoyang and the others didn’t like Ji Bozai, but they enjoyed coming to the Forging Hall to chat with Ming Yi. Even if they just sat on small stools at the entrance, they always had endless topics to discuss, mostly related to divine weapons, but it was lively nonetheless.
“Using this ‘Sun in the East,’ I got the upper hand against Ji Bozai today,” Luo Jiaoyang said excitedly, looking at Ming Yi with hopeful eyes. “Do you have any more powerful divine weapons that could help me defeat him outright?”
Ming Yi smiled as she continued forging. “If such powerful items existed, this world would revere forging masters instead of fighters.”
Luo Jiaoyang scratched his head. “But don’t you have more advanced divine weapons here?”
“Do you need Miss Ming to spell it out for you?” Fan Yao said irritably. “Miss Ming means that since you have purple Yuan Power, you can only use divine weapons compatible with purple Yuan Power. Even if she gave you more powerful weapons, you couldn’t use them.”
The group laughed, and Luo Jiaoyang snorted, muttering, “That doesn’t stop me from disliking Ji Bozai. No matter how talented he is, he’s still detestable.”