The girl before her had phoenix eyes full of spring charm and a friendly smile. Xiuyun looked at her, hesitating for a while before finally blurting out, “Don’t you want to get angry?”
Ming Yi tilted her head and asked, “Why should I be angry?”
“Ji Bozai is such a good catch, and she snatched him away!” Xiuyun widened her eyes. “Isn’t that enough to make your blood boil?”
“He was never mine to begin with, so why should I be angry?” Ming Yi looked at her exaggerated expression with amusement. “You seem more concerned about it than I am.”
“Of course! Which young lady in Muxing City doesn’t want him? Just thinking about it for you makes me furious.” Xiuyun rolled her eyes, then lowered her gaze. “But then again, in situations like this, Tianji is the most formidable. She learns faster than all of us and has already reached the fourth chapter of ‘The Combatant’s Manual.’ The instructors occasionally praise her, saying that if she has talent, she could become a female combatant. How can you compare to her?”
Ming Yi listened without a word.
Thinking she was upset, Xiuyun quickly added, “But you’re truly much more beautiful than her.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Xu Tianji, watching from the main seat, was furious. That fool Xiuyun never did anything right. She was supposed to pour salt on the wound, but instead, she was chatting away.
Seeing that the envoys from the two main cities had already taken their seats and started talking, she couldn’t turn around to call someone else. She could only kneel behind Ji Bozai and wait.
“When I came last year, this platform in your city was still new. I didn’t expect to see moss growing on it this year,” Zuo Ping said to the Chief Minister with a smile. “We should visit more often.”
No one was pleased to hear this. Several combatants below darkened their faces, and even the Chief Minister could only force a smile. “The envoy is witty.”
“I’m speaking the truth. Among our six cities, yours has the most stable performance. For seven or eight years straight, you haven’t made it to the top three cities. I can even recognize some of the roads in this main city now.” He smirked.
It was the truth, but it was infuriating to hear. If it weren’t for the death of their heir, Muxing City wouldn’t have been so powerless for so many years, allowing them to come and collect tribute annually.
Luo Jiaoyang’s face turned ashen, and Fan Yaochu He and others were also seething with anger. But they had lost, so they had no room to retort.
The atmosphere on the Tage Platform was tense.
Ji Bozai casually poured himself a cup of wine, then raised it to Zuo Ping. “Your Excellency has an excellent memory. Next year, if we go to Xincao City, we’ll have to trouble you to show us the way.”
His words caused an immediate uproar. Everyone felt as if they had someone to back them up and immediately vented their pent-up frustrations:
“That’s right, Xincao City is at the bottom of the top three cities. Next year, it might be our turn to visit Xincao City.”
“I heard houses in Xincao City often collapse. Is that true?”
“The platform in Xincao City must have even more moss. We should visit more often.”
For the first time in many years, Zuo Ping encountered someone from Muxing City who dared to talk back. He was stunned for a moment before fixing his gaze on Ji Bozai. “You have quite the nerve.”
Ji Bozai smiled slightly. “I’m also speaking the truth.”
“I know you,” Zuo Ping sneered. “You just got lucky and beat Zheng Tiao. You didn’t even continue to compete after that, yet you’re riding on the false reputation of being able to fight on par with the Ming family’s direct descendant.”
“You—” Liang Xiuyuan was angered by this and raised his hand, sending a burst of Yuan Power towards Zuo Ping.
Zuo Ping had been waiting for them to make the first move. He immediately counterattacked, his light purple Yuan Power forming a large bell that carried the force of a thunderbolt, heading straight for Liang Xiuyuan and Ji Bozai.
In a normal competition, this might have been acceptable, but he unleashed such a powerful attack while seated, completely disregarding the presence of Muxing City’s Chief Minister nearby.
It was clear he didn’t take the entire Muxing City seriously.
The people of Muxing City seated around were all enraged, cursing loudly. Some combatants immediately waved their hands, releasing Yuan Power to try and block him.
However, Zuo Ping’s purple Yuan Power was not only strong but also belonged to a superior meridian. The ordinary red, orange, yellow, and green Yuan Powers flying towards it were snapped like bamboo twigs.
Xu Tianji was so frightened she stood up.
But the large bell stopped about ten meters away from Ji Bozai’s group at the main seat, as if it had hit an iron wall, emitting a huge, muffled sound followed by a piercing echo.
Zuo Ping frowned slightly. Before he could see clearly what it was, he felt his body lighten.
“Muxing City has its rules of hospitality. If you want to compete, there are plenty of places here.” Ji Bozai landed in the center of the arena and released his hold, letting Zuo Ping down.
Zuo Ping stumbled as he landed, unable to steady himself. A chorus of boos erupted from the crowd. Irritated, Zuo Ping glared at Ji Bozai. “What did you use just now?”
“Just a little trick, not worth mentioning.” He casually deployed the Realm of Mingzhan and asked amiably, “Do you like purple?”
Zuo Ping felt this was a provocation. Everyone in the six cities knew his Yuan Power was purple.
“What if I do?”
Ji Bozai nodded and changed the surrounding Realm of Mingzhan to a purple color. A pure, rich purple.
Zuo Ping finally realized something was amiss.
Everyone’s Yuan Power had a color, usually influenced by their meridians. The better the meridians, the purer the color. His purple, though not very concentrated, was considered top-tier. How could this man produce it so easily?
But the Yuan Power he had just used was black, wasn’t it?
A sudden gust of wind arose, causing the grass and trees on the Tage Platform to rustle. Ji Bozai stepped on the platform and sincerely said to Zuo Ping, “Rest assured, Envoy. Muxing City has few weeds, and all our pavilions and buildings are sturdy. They won’t collapse. Please, go ahead.”
Xincao City was known for its lush vegetation. Newly built houses would soon be surrounded by intertwining tree roots that damaged the walls. When it rained, the houses would be washed away. This had been a constant source of mockery from the other two top cities. Zuo Ping was tired of hearing about it, and he hadn’t expected to hear such offensive remarks in this lower-tier city.
Enraged, Zuo Ping immediately summoned his Yuan Power, intending to teach this upstart a lesson.
The spectators around all stood up excitedly. Muxing City had been bullied for too long, and it was rare to have someone like Ji Bozai who could make them feel proud. They all wished they could join in and give Zuo Ping a kick or two.
Xiuyun was also watching excitedly, but when she turned to say something to Ming Yi, she found her dozing off in her seat.
“What’s wrong with you?” She quickly shook her awake. “The fight has started. Don’t you want to watch?”
Ming Yi rubbed her sleepy eyes. “I didn’t sleep well in the woodshed last night… What’s there to see? Ji Bozai has pure black Yuan Power. He can easily defeat Zuo Ping, pinning him down within twenty moves.”
Xiuyun rolled her eyes at this. This village girl, who didn’t understand combat arts at all, dared to make such bold statements. Zuo Ping was very powerful; he had even defeated their previous heir. Even if Ji Bozai was strong, saying he could win in under twenty moves was too disrespectful.