Luo Jiaoyang felt puzzled. “Why is he angry again?”
Fan Yao hesitated to speak, while Chu He helplessly rubbed his face. “You are… thickheaded.”
They couldn’t treat Miss Ming like she wasn’t a lady just because she was capable. She was Ji Bozai’s person; how could he suggest sharing a room with her?
However, Miss Ming didn’t seem to have feelings for Lord Ji either. Otherwise, how could she agree to this?
“Ming Yi,” Qin Shangwu decided to speak up after some thought. “You should share a room with Bozai. His temperament is unstable, and he just learned about his background. I’m worried he might cause trouble if he can’t control himself. With you watching him, I’ll feel more at ease.”
With him saying this, Ming Yi couldn’t refuse. She could only nod: “I almost caused trouble for Master and everyone today. Thank you for your understanding, Master.”
Waving his hand, Qin Shangwu said to her, “Though our Muxing City is small, we understand the concept of sharing glory and shame. Since you’re willing to help us forge weapons, you’re one of us now. There’s no need to talk about understanding or not.”
Originally, she hadn’t planned to truly join the Muxing City team, as she was accustomed to fighting for Chaoyang City’s glory. But now…
Ming Yi bowed to Qin Shangwu without saying more.
They soon settled in at Fanghua Mansion. By evening, Ming Yi saw Ji Bozai reluctantly enter her room. He didn’t even look at her properly, just laying out a bedroll in the outer room.
The room was so quiet they could hear each other’s breathing.
Ming Yi spoke first: “It might not be easy to leave this place. Is the Lord prepared?”
Ji Bozai gave a faint “Mm” in response.
The surroundings fell into silence again.
Ming Yi sensed he was angry but didn’t quite understand why. Too many things had happened today, each worthy of his anger, and she didn’t know where to start comforting him. She simply turned and went to sleep.
Ji Bozai felt this person was clueless. He had come over on his initiative, and she didn’t even try to console him once before going to sleep.
And she fell asleep so quickly. In no time, her breathing became even and deep.
Lying on his side with eyes open, Ji Bozai was too angry to sleep.
He felt that everything that happened today was trivial, except for her attitude. What did she mean by “There’s a screen in the room, it’ll be fine if we’re separated”? Separate what? He was so far from her, yet he could still smell the fragrance from her body. How dare she let others share a room with her?
It wasn’t jealousy; he just felt she had no sense of propriety!
Did that mean that him sleeping here now, in her eyes, was no different from Luo Jiaoyang?
His eyes narrowed as he turned and sat up, looking towards the screen.
Ming Yi was exhausted both mentally and physically today and slept deeply. She didn’t notice when he walked over, only suddenly opening her eyes when he was about to touch her.
“My Lord, aren’t you tired?” Her eyes were hazy, full of sleepiness.
Ji Bozai laughed angrily: “The floor is hard, makes one even more tired.”
Thinking it made sense, Ming Yi moved over, making space for him: “Then you can sleep here.”
After saying this, she closed her eyes and went back to sleep.
“Do you think you’re about to die, so nothing matters?” He knocked on her hard bed.
Ming Yi was jolted awake and turned her head to look at him in confusion.
Wrapped in the blanket with only her bare face showing, she looked like a lotus emerging from clear water, naturally beautiful without adornment. Ji Bozai’s gaze softened, and he slightly pursed his lips: “The scallion pancakes I brought you before, were they tasty?”
Her eyes grew even more confused. She softly reached out to rub her eyelids: “My Lord has brought me scallion pancakes many times. Which time are you talking about?”
“The time with the antidote inside.”
“Oh, the one with the antidote…” Ming Yi yawned.
Midway through her yawn, she suddenly opened her eyes wide, so startled she hiccupped: “What did you say?”
“The antidote for Lihengtian. I only had that one bottle. If someone uses this poison on me in the future, I’ll have no cure.” He looked at her coldly. “Haven’t you noticed your meridians are no longer being corroded?”
Ming Yi was now fully awake.
There was no light in the room, but they were close enough that she could faintly make out the contours of his face. It was Ji Bozai himself, not someone playing a trick on her.
“You… you mixed that bottle of antidote into the scallion pancakes and gave it to me?” She stuttered a bit. “But… but why? Back in Muxing City, I was of no use to you.”
“You’re of no use to me now either,” he sneered. “I just wanted to see what you’d be like if you lived a bit longer.”
Ming Yi’s mouth gaped open, unable to react for a long while.
What would she be like if she lived longer? She hadn’t thought about it. She only thought about going to many places while she was still alive, sleeping with a man, doing all the things she hadn’t dared to do before.
But now, he was telling her she had taken the antidote.
Her mind buzzed. Ming Yi wanted to laugh, yet also felt like crying. She grabbed the hem of his clothes, her voice hoarse: “Do you like me? Otherwise, why would you give me your last bottle of antidote?”
“If I didn’t like you, you would have died a thousand times over,” he lifted his chin. “But you liked me first, that’s why I like you.”
Did he have to compete over who liked whom first?
Laughing and crying at the same time, Ming Yi choked out: “Thank you.”
“Everything in this world comes at a price. Don’t rush to thank me,” Ji Bozai waved his hand. “I gave you the antidote, so your life is mine now.”
Her smile gradually stiffened. She pursed her lips and asked, somewhat pale: “Does my Lord want me to continue being a concubine?”
Indeed, that was what he had thought. No woman had ever left his side so willingly and without any lingering attachment.
But seeing her somewhat desperate expression, he suddenly felt a bit reluctant.
“Is being by my side so unbearable for you?”
“My Lord has his own life to live, and I have mine. It seems our lives can’t be lived together.” Ming Yi lowered her eyes. “I can assist my Lord in competitions, or complete some tasks for you to repay the debt.”
His heart inexplicably tightened, and Ji Bozai’s face darkened: “You think you have a choice?”
“My Lord has already given me the antidote. Isn’t it up to me to choose?” She raised an eyebrow. “Can the antidote be spit out now?”
This expression of hers, playing tricks, was exactly like his when he was being shameless. She was imitating him.
Ji Bozai snorted a laugh and lay down beside her: “I really shouldn’t have saved you.”
Ming Yi also laughed: “My Lord is merciful.”
“You know well whether this is mercy or something else.” He turned his back to her. “It’s like casting pearls before swine.”
Having mixed with those dancing girls for so long, Ming Yi wasn’t truly ignorant of romance. It’s just that Ji Bozai’s sincerity was too rare; most of the time it was just teasing and flirtation. She used to laugh at those foolish women who fell for it, and now she wouldn’t be a fool herself.
Giving her the antidote was certainly worthy of gratitude, but this gratitude should be expressed in helping him win, not in other ways.
What a Fighter wants most is certainly victory!
So, when training began the next day, Qin Shangwu noticed that Ming Yi had changed.