Qin Shangwu looked at Ji Bozai with satisfaction, examining him from left to right, then happily stroked his beard. “From now on, if there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to ask me. If I’m not around, go ask Tianji. She lives not far from Shangwu Hall.”
At this, Ji Bozai’s expression turned serious. “It’s rare that Miss Tianji knows some combat techniques. It would be better for her to guide the taciturn fighters. This disciple doesn’t need it.”
Qin Shangwu was somewhat surprised. “People outside say you’re fond of beauty, but I didn’t expect you to push away a beautiful woman offered to you.”
“How could I have the mind to look at beauties in the Yuan Shi Academy?” Ji Bozai chuckled softly. “Next year, this disciple still wants to win.”
“Good! Good!” Qin Shangwu was delighted and immediately said, “I’ll have her move to a room further away when I get back.”
“Thank you, Master.”
Sitting up straight, Ji Bozai thought, this wasn’t about staying faithful to anyone. He simply preferred to focus on one thing at a time – either indulging in pleasure at Huaman Lou or dedicating himself to studying at the Yuan Shi Academy. The two would never mix.
Moreover, this Yuan Shi Academy truly had some remarkable features. The crystals he couldn’t find even at high prices outside were casually placed here as if they were worthless. The academy also allowed fighters to bring one personal attendant inside.
Bu Xiu didn’t have Yuan Power, so the academy’s crystals were of no use to him. After some consideration, Ji Bozai decided to bring Twenty-Seven.
Bu Xiu had already investigated Twenty-Seven’s background. He was also a poor soul from a slave camp who had learned some combat techniques in Chaoyang City. But for some unknown reason, he had offended someone and was being hunted. By chance, he had hidden in Ji Bozai’s mansion, seeking not wealth but safety.
Nothing could ensure one’s safety better than developing profound Yuan Power.
Ji Bozai thought Twenty-Seven would agree immediately, but to his surprise, he stood before him and shook his head. “This one only wishes to live as an ordinary person and spend the rest of his life in peace.”
Ji Bozai felt he lacked ambition. A fighter who had lost his fighting spirit was useless, no matter how high his Yuan Power was.
He was about to wave his hand to dismiss him when his eyes swept over Twenty-Seven’s robe and suddenly focused. “Where did you go today?”
Twenty-Seven lowered his eyes, quickly glancing over himself before answering, “Just in the servants’ quarters. I didn’t go anywhere else.”
“Is that so?” Ji Bozai stood up and walked in front of him. With a slight raise of his hand, a small piece of moss from the toe of Twenty-Seven’s shoe fell into his palm.
“This Ji Mansion is newly built. Even the servants’ quarters are clean and new. Where did you get this from?”
Feeling his heart sink slightly, Twenty-Seven pressed his lips together and remained silent.
He wasn’t good at lying. The more he spoke, the more mistakes he would make.
Ji Bozai’s expression gradually darkened.
Outside, the sky was beginning to brighten. Mingyi woke from a night of nightmares to find Ji Bozai sitting by her bed.
Startled, she reached out to touch him. “My Lord?”
Ji Bozai came to his senses and smiled at her. “Yesterday, I originally wanted to return with you, but things were delayed there. Fearing you’d wait too long, I let you go ahead – is my darling angry with me?”
He had specifically waited here for her to wake up to say this.
Mingyi looked at him with a complex expression. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she was smiling. “How could My Lord say such things? Important matters take precedence. How could this slave throw a tantrum over it?”
“My darling is most understanding.” He gathered her loose hair in his hand, stroking it. “With you here, this mansion doesn’t need a mistress.”
These words… it wasn’t clear if they were sarcastic or something else.
Mingyi looked up at him and found his eyes full of sincerity as if he was truly praising her.
She quickly shook her head. “This slave is of lowly birth and doesn’t dare accept such praise.”
Ji Bozai chuckled softly, producing a pure gold butterfly hairpin set with jewels, and handed it to her. “In a few days, there’s a welcoming banquet in the inner court. You’ll accompany me.”
Welcoming banquet?
Mingyi was confused for a moment before belatedly remembering that Muxing City had lost the Six Cities Conference, becoming one of the lower three cities. According to custom, they had to host a welcoming banquet in the main city, inviting people from the upper three cities to drink freely.
Of course, drinking wasn’t the main purpose. The main purpose was to pay tribute. Every year, the upper three cities would take away a great deal of grain, livestock, silk, cloth, gold, silver, jewels, spices, jade, and other items from the lower three cities. The amount taken depended on their mood, but the unwritten rule was that the value wouldn’t exceed half of the city’s annual tax revenue.
Previously in Chaoyang City, Mingyi had never attended a welcoming banquet, after all, with her there, Chaoyang City had never fallen out of the top three.
Now in Muxing City, it could be considered… well, broadening her horizons.
She smiled and agreed, looking at the hairpin.
It had to be said, that as long as one didn’t fall in love with him, Ji Bozai was a perfect man. He was sweet-tongued, good-looking, and not bad in bed. More importantly, he was both generous and had good taste. This hairpin was grand without losing its charm, able to hold its own on grand occasions without overshadowing others.
But there was one problem.
Who would Chaoyang City send this year?
Ji Bozai hadn’t slept all night. Mingyi prepared a warm, fragrant bed for him to rest, then planned to find Twenty-Seven to inquire about news.
However, after searching everywhere, she couldn’t find him.
Mingyi was puzzled. She circled the mansion again and again, unexpectedly running into Bu Xiu.
“What is the young lady looking for?” Bu Xiu asked.
Mingyi lowered her eyes. “I wanted to send some silver to Zhangtai to help her live comfortably, but halfway there, I dropped the silver. I’m looking for it now.”
Bu Xiu frowned and quickly called several people to help search. Mingyi glanced at those people but still didn’t see Twenty-Seven.
She couldn’t ask directly. Bu Xiu was also very suspicious, and there was no guarantee he wouldn’t discover that she and Twenty-Seven knew each other, which would be troublesome. Mingyi thought for a moment, then pretended to be annoyed and raised her head. “Everyone in this mansion is loyal and clean. Surely no one would dare to pocket the money without saying anything.”
Bu Xiu said, “The old servants wouldn’t dare, but recently the mansion has been short-staffed, and we’ve hired many new servants.”
“Then bring them all here for questioning,” Mingyi said, stamping her foot in distress. “Twenty taels of silver, that’s worth several thousand bei coins.”
Her love for money was well-known throughout the mansion. Bu Xiu didn’t find anything suspicious and immediately went to call all the newly hired servants since her arrival.
Mingyi scanned the group, her heart sinking slightly.
Twenty-Seven wasn’t there.
“They’re all here,” Bu Xiu told her. “Except for one who committed an offense last night. He was beaten to death and thrown into the wild burial ground outside the city.”
Her fingers suddenly tightened. Mingyi clung to a glimmer of hope. “Someone was beaten to death? What was his name?”
Bu Xiu glanced at her, slightly confused. “The young lady probably doesn’t know him. He was called Twenty-Seven.”
“…”
Her mind exploded with a buzz. Mingyi’s lips turned deathly pale.
She knew she shouldn’t show such an expression, and she knew she couldn’t let Bu Xiu discover anything amiss. But when those words came out, she really couldn’t maintain her composure. Her hand shot out and grabbed Bu Xiu’s collar, her eyes filling with red bloodshot lines. “Who beat him to death?”
A gust of wind swept through, and the lush courtyard suddenly felt as cold as deep winter.