“What do you mean by that?” Ji Sihou frowned. Inexplicably, she felt uneasy.
“As I mentioned to Your Highness earlier, the poison Lihengtian was developed in a slave camp in Muxing City. Among that batch of test subjects, only one person survived,” Ming Yi said with a smile. “Can you guess why he survived?”
Lihengtian was a poison specifically targeting Fighters. Only those with extremely strong meridians could withstand it, but such individuals wouldn’t end up in slave camps.
Ji Sihou was momentarily bewildered before her expression turned serious again. “Why should I guess about that? They’re just slaves. What difference does it make if one survived?”
Some people from Muxing City listening nearby were displeased. Luo Jiaoyang immediately retorted, “What’s wrong with slave camps? Ji Bozai came from a slave camp. Can any of you defeat him in single combat now?”
Chu He wanted to cover his mouth, but it was too late. As soon as the words were spoken, everyone in the hall was stunned.
Ji Bozai’s background was known to many, so this revelation wasn’t surprising. However, mentioning it in this context made things rather delicate.
Indeed, how did someone with such strong meridians as Ji Bozai end up in a slave camp?
…
Ji Bozai helped Ming An onto Muxing City’s beast carriage, clearly sensing the man’s body stiffen.
He asked, “Are you unwell somewhere?”
Ming An replied somewhat awkwardly, “No, thank you, Lord Ji.”
As they walked a few steps forward, Ji Bozai suddenly felt something was amiss. “This should be our first meeting. How do you know my surname?”
Ming An was taken aback, somewhat surprised. “Didn’t Ming Yi tell you anything?”
“Tell me what?” he asked, puzzled.
Ming An fell silent, shook his head, and then asked, “Where is Ming Yi now?”
“In the inner hall of Chaoyang City.”
Pausing his steps, Ming An hesitated for a moment before turning to him. “Then let’s go there as well.”
Ji Bozai frowned. “Are you sure?”
They had just rescued him; why return to that place?
Ming An nodded firmly, sighing with a smile. “Although the Ji clan has wronged me, they are still my late wife’s maternal clan. I promised my wife I wouldn’t let her maternal clan come to harm.”
Ji Sihou was already close to being convicted when he left. What could be changed by going back now? Ji Bozai was skeptical, but seeing the man’s insistence, he said nothing more. He changed direction and led him towards the great hall.
On the way, Ming An suddenly said to him, “Ming Yi never intended to harm you. She even felt she had taken away the wealth and status that should have been yours, feeling indebted to you. But in truth, she owes you nothing. The real culprits are Ji Sihou and me.”
Having heard those words in the hall earlier, Ji Bozai had guessed it was related to him. But hearing it from Ming An’s mouth still shocked him, and his hand unconsciously tightened.
“Do Ming Yi and I share a blood relation?”
“No,” Ming An shook his head. “Ming Yi is my child. My late wife and Ji Sihou, though from the same clan, were already beyond five generations of kinship.”
Ji Bozai’s expression relaxed, and he chuckled lazily, “Then there’s nothing worth mentioning.”
Ming An:?
How could this be his reaction? Was the focus of this matter the blood relation between him and Ming Yi? Shouldn’t it be about his background? As someone who had been away for many years, wasn’t he curious about his origins at all?
“I should have died at fifteen, but a family saved me. In my eyes, they are my true family. As for who my birth mother or father is, I don’t care,” Ji Bozai said calmly, noticing his gaze. “Whatever you intend to do today has nothing to do with me. I only want to leave Chaoyang City safely with my people.”
To be honest, this man’s temperament was quite similar to Ji Sihou’s, only caring about what mattered to him, and being utterly indifferent to everything else, even blood ties.
Ming An looked at him deeply and pursed his lips.
The atmosphere in the great hall was extremely tense. When Ji Bozai entered alone through the side door, he suddenly felt countless gazes fall upon him.
Confused, he looked up at Ming Yi, only to see her quickly avert her eyes.
What was she feeling guilty about?
Looking further up, he saw the Grand Master on the main seat carefully examining him, his gaze profound, filled with joy yet also deep sorrow.
“What is it?” he asked.
Luo Jiaoyang tugged at his sleeve, gesturing for him to look to the side.
Ji Bozai turned his head and met Ji Sihou’s face, joyful yet slightly manic.
Previously, from a distance, he couldn’t see clearly, but now up close, he noticed this person’s features were five parts similar to his own – with handsome brows and eyes, a straight nose, and thin lips.
If there were doubts before, Ji Bozai’s appearance now excited those around.
“They look so alike as if cut from the same mold!”
“Ji Bozai is actually from our Chaoyang?”
“The Ji clan’s bloodline is indeed powerful. He’s now so strong in ability. He even defeated Yuyue City at Feihua City before!”
“This truly is a blessing in disguise!”
Ji Sihou was so excited that she grabbed him directly: “You are my son? But your meridians?”
She examined his wrist, where scarlet meridians meandered.
“My meridians only manifested when I was ten,” Ji Bozai said coldly, in stark contrast to the joy of the person before him. “They weren’t naturally red, nor were they cultivated by your Chaoyang City.”
“What do you mean by that? You are my child, my bloodline.” Ji Sihou instinctively glared at him, but realizing this person wasn’t close to her, she softened her expression. “That’s right when I gave birth to you, your bloodline wasn’t obvious. So it manifested later.”
She turned and knelt before the Grand Master: “This proves that the bloodline of my Ji clan can help Your Majesty fulfill your long-cherished wish!”
The previous anger was replaced by this heaven-sent joy. Ming Li smiled and waved his hand. “After all this commotion, it’s just a case of a child being mistakenly swapped. Although Ming Xian is female, she has won the championship for our Chaoyang for seven years. Her merits are enough to offset the crime of deception.”
“Your Majesty!” Consort Meng became anxious. They were about to order the extermination of the Ji clan, how could he suddenly change his mind?
But the Grand Master ignored her, only waving his hand: “You be quiet.”
He then looked kindly at Ji Bozai: “I’ve long heard of this Fighter’s reputation, never expecting him to be of our Chaoyang bloodline. Since that’s the case…”
“Your Majesty, please wait!” Consort Meng stood up. “Based on just a few words from this Ming Xian and their slightly similar appearances, to forcibly recognize someone else’s top-tier Fighter as our royal bloodline, isn’t that too hasty?”
Everyone present could see that this was Ji Sihou frantically trying to find a way out for herself. How could it be such a coincidence that the child she abandoned could survive until now and even become a top-tier Fighter?
“The Ji clan is deceiving the monarch and coveting fame and fortune, attempting to disrupt our royal bloodline. I implore Your Majesty to punish them justly!” Consort Meng glared at Ji Sihou, then looked at Ming Yi. “And you’re just making groundless claims. Just because a high-level expert emerged from a slave camp, does that necessarily mean he’s Ji Sihou’s child?”