“Hmm.” Chu He nodded. “So young, with so little training, yet such strong Yuan Power. It’s indeed irritating.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Luo Jiaoyang said, hands on hips. “Who’s jealous of him? I’m talking about him as a person! He’s so cold, impossible to connect with! He injured me on the battlefield earlier and left without a word!”
Fan Yao laughed, “If he had crouched down to show concern, wouldn’t you have felt even worse?”
“That’s true, but I just feel he lacks humanity,” Luo Jiaoyang grumbled, turning to look at Ming Yi. “It’s good you left him. A nice girl like you—he truly doesn’t deserve you.”
A sudden silence fell around them. Even Ming Yi, who was forging, looked up and raised an eyebrow in his direction.
“What’s wrong? Am I incorrect?” Luo Jiaoyang raised his chin. “Tomorrow, I’ll move into the empty courtyard next to the Forging Institute. With me guarding, he won’t have any business here…”
“What are you guarding?” Ji Bozai’s friendly voice sounded behind him.
Luo Jiaoyang’s scalp tingled. He immediately turned around, assuming a defensive posture, and said irritably, “How do you walk without making a sound?”
Ji Bozai looked at him coldly. “As a high-level fighter, if your movements can still be detected, you might as well go home and feed pigs.”
Luo Jiaoyang snorted, saying sheepishly, “Our training is over for today. You’re not going to control our casual chats, are you?”
“There’s a tea-tasting competition in Flying Flower City in the middle of the year. The Master intends for us to go and gain some experience,” Ji Bozai said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “The tea tasting competition isn’t about individual ability, but team cooperation. From what I see now, you’ll inevitably drag me down, so I’m requiring everyone to practice for two more hours.”
“Who do you think you are? You want us to—” Luo Jiaoyang jumped up angrily but was held back by Chu He’s hand.
“He has a point. Although the tea tasting in Flying Flower City isn’t a formal competition, people from six cities will participate. We lack practical experience, so it’s a good opportunity to gain some. To avoid embarrassing Mu Xing, extra practice is necessary.” Chu He stood up, pulling Fan Yao along. “Let’s go.”
Luo Jiaoyang followed reluctantly, not forgetting to turn back to Ming Yi and say, “We’ll come back later.”
Ming Yi found his lively personality amusing, much better than the gloomy people in her former team. With him around, the team shouldn’t be boring, so she smiled slightly.
However, this smile had a different meaning in Ji Bozai’s eyes.
Although they had said there would be no more entanglement, and that she was free to do as she pleased, wasn’t smiling at another man in front of him a bit provocative?
Twitching the corner of his mouth, Ji Bozai stepped onto the training ground.
Thus, from dusk until late that night, Luo Jiaoyang was thoroughly trained, inside and out. When he finally collapsed, he couldn’t even cough up blood.
The person beside him crouched down concernedly and asked kindly, “Are you alright? Can you still stand?”
Luo Jiaoyang: “…”
Fan Yao was right. Getting this one bit of concern from Ji Bozai made him feel even worse.
Seeing that he still wanted to continue training, Fan Yao had a sudden inspiration and said to Ji Bozai, “It’s getting late. Isn’t it quite far for you to return to your residence? Why don’t you stay at the Yuan Shi Institute? We can come back in the morning.”
Luo Jiaoyang rolled his eyes as he listened. Ji Bozai was a madman who wouldn’t stop once he got started. Even if they said this, he wouldn’t possibly—
“Alright,” Ji Bozai relented reluctantly. “There’s not much time left before the tea-tasting competition. Please come at dawn tomorrow.”
Luo Jiaoyang was stunned. As he was helped up and walked out, he still couldn’t believe it. “He just let us go like that? Why?”
Fan Yao smiled through gritted teeth, “With your brain, it’s better to say less.”
The three of them escorted Ji Bozai to the door of the empty courtyard. Hearing the forging sounds from next door, Ji Bozai frowned deeply. “This place is really noisy.”
If it’s noisy, then change your lodging—that’s what Luo Jiaoyang was about to say, but Chu He beside him seemed to know what he was going to say and immediately covered his mouth. Fan Yao continued, “Although it’s a bit noisy here, it’s close to the training ground, which is convenient for practice. Please bear with it, sir.”
“Fine,” Ji Bozai said condescendingly, carrying several large bundles of luggage that had been packed at some unknown time, and stepping through the gate of that courtyard.
So, when Ming Yi opened her door early the next morning, she saw a familiar face peeking out from the door opposite.
Her mouth twitched, and she bowed to him before turning to get her meal.
The food at the Yuan Shi Institute wasn’t great, but fortunately, Xiu Yun was a good cook. She only needed to get some fresh vegetables and meat from the kitchen, and she could have a good lunch.
However, seeing Ji Bozai’s face as soon as she opened the door had quite an impact on her. All the way, Ming Yi kept thinking about how this man, who was used to enjoying life, had come to stay at the Yuan Shi Institute. Had he abandoned all those concubines in his mansion? They might still be waiting at the door with lanterns. Even if they weren’t, he surely couldn’t be accustomed to the food here.
As if to prove how well she knew him, just as she finished this thought and returned to the Forging Institute with her groceries, she saw a large ingot of gold fall into Xiu Yun’s palm.
“I’ll trouble you from now on,” Ji Bozai said politely with a nod.
Xiu Yun’s eyes sparkled, and she almost jumped up. “Sir, just go about your business. Come for your meal at noon!”
Ming Yi: “…”
Ji Bozai nodded to Xiu Yun and then walked out. As he passed by her, he didn’t even glance at her, appearing righteous and single-minded. It made her feel as if she had been presumptuous, that this man wasn’t intentionally approaching her, but truly just wanted to eat better.
But when she calmed down, she thought again, how could there be such a coincidence in the world? If Ji Bozai didn’t like her, there were thousands of ways he could avoid her. Yet he chose to come right before her eyes. If this wasn’t an ulterior motive, what was it?
Xiu Yun, that silly girl, ran up to her excitedly and showed her the gold. “This is a good deal! Using the Yuan Shi Institute’s ingredients to cook, we can get such a large piece of gold in a month!”
It did sound profitable when put that way. Ming Yi was silent for a moment, then patted Xiu Yun’s shoulder. “Save it up. We’ll be able to go to Flying Flower City soon.”
Her eyes sparkling, Xiu Yun twirled on the spot, her eyebrows dancing as she said, “Great!”
Her expression was so vivid that it made others want to be happy along with her. Ming Yi smiled and teased her, “What’s so great? Is it great that you’ll be able to see Zheng Tiao?”
“No, no,” the young girl in front of her immediately blushed. “I didn’t… I meant the flowers in Flying Flower City are beautiful. It would be nice for us to go see them!”
“Oh? I don’t believe you.”
“Really!” She grabbed Ming Yi’s clothes, so flustered that even her neck turned red. Her eyes were watery and filled with guilt.
The young girl’s feelings were clear as day and utterly adorable.