Ji Bozai turned his head, remembering that Ming Yi’s meridians were damaged. She could only use this method to circulate her Yuan Power, having no other choice. It was like drawing water – while others used wooden buckets, Ming Yi had to use a bamboo basket. She had to expend twice the effort and wait until after ten moves to use her Yuan Power.
Chu He couldn’t help but look at her with admiration.
Ming Yi appeared completely at ease, not seeing this as any hardship. She was even contemplating how to improve her techniques.
The door of the front wing opened, and Ji Bozai let out a muffled groan as he leaned against the doorframe.
Her facial features softened as she quickly went to support him, her lips pursed. “I said I’d come get you. Why are you in such a rush to come out?”
Glancing outside, Ji Bozai said with pale lips, “That person is not easy to deal with. If he’s seriously injured, it will be difficult to explain to Prince Gong.”
“I’ll explain,” Ming Yi said calmly. “If you injured him, it would be disrespecting Prince Gong’s face. If I injured him, it just means he’s incompetent.”
Everyone knew she was a female fighter appointed by the Bureau. Given Mu Xing’s contempt for women, if he lost to her, the Tan family wouldn’t even have the face to demand an explanation.
Ji Bozai smiled faintly but coughed twice, frightening Ming Yi. She hurriedly supported him as they walked out, continuously reminding him to be careful.
Yan Xiao followed behind, his conscience as a physician urging him to remind Ming Yi that external injuries wouldn’t cause coughing so quickly. Ji Bozai wasn’t feverish or catching a cold; the coughing was just a shameless attempt to gain sympathy. However, Ming Yi’s eyes were fixed on Ji Bozai, and Yan Xiao felt that even if he spoke up, she wouldn’t listen.
Yan Xiao rubbed his face, suppressing his conscience.
Ming Yi helped Ji Bozai back, fed him medicinal soup to protect his wounds, and changed his external medicine before heading to Qin Shangwu’s courtyard.
News of the Young Master Tan’s severe injury spread quickly. The Tan family and Prince Gong’s people seemed to have been waiting and soon gathered in the main hall. However, they didn’t expect Ming Yi to be the one who came.
Qin Shangwu was originally somewhat troubled. Ming Yi had struck too hard; the man might not be able to get out of bed for half a year. But as soon as Ming Yi entered, she fell to her knees, sobbing, “Master, what should we do? Will they come after me? I truly didn’t mean to! Who knew that one palm strike would send him flying so high—”
His mouth twitching, Qin Shangwu coughed lightly to remind her, “The gentlemen are all here.”
Ming Yi turned her head, seeming to notice them for the first time. Her little face instantly turned pale. She quickly stood up, sighing repeatedly, “I’ve lost my composure. I apologize.”
The Tan family’s faces turned ashen, while Prince Gong’s people bowed to her, “We didn’t expect the Golden Hairpin Fighter’s Yuan Power to increase so rapidly in just half a year.”
“I just went to Chaoyang City and broadened my horizons,” Ming Yi said pitifully. “My Yuan Power hasn’t increased much at all.”
Chaoyang City – Tan Zhongyue had been there too and had always prided himself on it.
The Tan family wanted to speak but were choked by her words. After a moment of silence, they angrily asked, “With such severe injuries, what do you propose we do?”
“What else can be done?” Ming Yi blinked. “Naturally, he must recuperate well. After all, there was a challenge letter. Surely you wouldn’t violate the rules of fighters and forcibly hold me accountable?”
Prince Gong’s people turned back to look at the Tan family in surprise. “There was a challenge letter?”
“Yes… but according to reason, how could sparring in the Yuan Shi Academy lead to issuing a challenge letter? This is an intentional serious injury.”
Ming Yi shook her head, “Injuries during sparring are common for fighters. How does someone getting injured become my intentional serious injury? Master Ji is also injured and bedridden, does that mean Young Master Tan intentionally seriously injured him? As for the challenge letter, I’m just a woman who only knows the rules of rural sparring and rarely fights in the Yuan Shi Academy. How would I know that sparring doesn’t require a challenge letter?”
She patted her chest, “Fortunately, I issued a challenge letter at the time. Otherwise, with Prince Gong’s household and the Tan family coming together, what would a helpless young girl like me do?”
She had Ji Bozai’s favor and was the Golden Hairpin Fighter appointed by the Grand Secretary – how could she be called a helpless young girl? The Tan family was furious, but with the challenge letter in place, they truly couldn’t hold her accountable. They could only ask Ji Bozai to explain.
But as luck would have it, Ji Bozai had been injured by Tan Zhongyue.
Remembering this, Qin Shangwu’s face darkened, “The Six Cities Tournament is in just half a month. Your young master injured Bozai at this time – what was he thinking? I must report this matter to the Bureau.”
The previously arrogant demeanor immediately subsided. The Tan family looked helplessly at Prince Gong’s people, who were also at a loss. They could only stand up and bow to Qin Shangwu, “With the competition approaching, if this news spreads, it will inevitably cause unrest in the city. We hope the master can be understanding.”
This meant they wanted to downplay the incident.
Qin Shangwu nodded with a stern face, then said to Ming Yi, “You should be more careful next time. How can you use so much force in sparring?”
“I understand,” Ming Yi obediently agreed.
Then she successfully left the hall, stopping by the kitchen on her way back to get a plate of snacks. She distributed them among the other young ladies, keeping only one piece for herself.
“What about me?” Ji Bozai’s dark eyes held a hint of grievance.
Ming Yi bit into her snack, “You never liked these before.”
“I like them now,” he pouted. “I want to eat.”
Half a pastry stuck in her throat as Ming Yi frowned at him. Before she could remark on how spoiled he had become, he leaned in and lightly kissed her lips.
The pastry was sweet and delicate. Ji Bozai licked his lips, satisfied, and lay back down. He then sucked in a sharp breath, clutching his wound, hoping to elicit sympathy. But he only saw Ming Yi roll her eyes.
He had brought this upon himself.
“Can’t you see we’re all here?” Luo Jiaoyang’s face was scrunched up in disgust.
Ming Yi continued eating her pastry with a blank expression, “This gentleman has never cared about face— where were we just now?”
“We were saying that the Tan family can’t follow us to the Six Cities Tournament anymore,” Fan Yao clenched his fist.
Chu He was also happy. Without these nobles interfering, they could have a proper fight.
“The Six Cities Tournament is not as simple as you imagine,” Ming Yi looked at them. “Compared to all the previous sparring matches, it is the most complex and time-consuming. You need to be well-prepared. Let’s not even talk about whether you can win. Even if you do win, more challenges are waiting for you afterward.”
These challenges didn’t just refer to sparring matches.
Ji Bozai understood, but Luo Jiaoyang and the others were somewhat confused. They hadn’t even seen the competition venue yet, so how could they think about matters so far ahead?
Regardless, the Six Cities Tournament was approaching, and top fighters from various cities were emerging. They didn’t want to bring shame to Mu Xing City.