“You must have taken some crooked path,” Zuo Ping stared at him intently. “Let me guess, poison? Or perhaps some powerful magical crystal?”
His voice was quite loud, and his malice was undisguised.
The people of Muxing City around them were angered: “What do you mean by that? Where would Muxing City get poison from?”
“Indeed, if poison could be this powerful, why would anyone bother cultivating?”
“Everyone knows Muxing City has been poor for over a decade, where would we get any magical crystals?”
As the crowd grew agitated, Zuo Ping remained deaf to their protests. Seeing that Ji Bozai didn’t respond, his expression grew more excited: “I’ve hit the mark, haven’t I? I’ve seen plenty of fame-seekers like you, using some underhanded methods and thinking you can surpass your predecessors. What a joke!”
“Muxing City’s bloodline is inferior, you should always remain one of the bottom three cities.”
Xiu Yun, hearing this, was furious. She grabbed a bowl from the table and threw it at him: “You’re the inferior one!”
Her action seemed to inspire others, and suddenly countless bowls and chopsticks flew towards Zuo Ping, along with half-eaten snacks and dripping cabbage stems.
Zuo Ping sneered, waving his hand to release a burst of Yuan Power that shattered all the kitchenware on the ground.
His action only angered the crowd more, and they threw whatever they could grab from the table. Ming Yi watched as Xiu Yun threw her chopsticks and soup spoon, then her braised beef and lotus-shaped pastry. When she ran out of things to throw, she looked up at Ming Yi’s hairdo.
“Not these,” Ming Yi quickly protected the gold hairpins and pearl ornaments in her hair. “They’re very expensive!”
Xiu Yun stomped her foot in frustration, then stood up and threw her seat cushion at Zuo Ping.
“What a bunch of desperate lowlifes,” Zuo Ping effortlessly blocked these objects, his eyes filled with even more mockery. “Is this all you can do?”
Ji Bozai calmly watched him laugh, and when he had finished, spoke softly: “Your talent is too low. Even with diligent study and hard practice, you can only be a mediocre Yuan Power user. You really shouldn’t have come to see me today.”
The smile slowly faded from Zuo Ping’s face, darkness welling up in his eyes: “What did you say?”
“You’re over ten years older than me, yet your Yuan Power is still only purple, and a pale purple at that, the color impure. Your control is also weak, only able to form simple shapes like swords or needles,” Ji Bozai patted his shoulder sympathetically. “Seeing me must be very upsetting for you, isn’t it?”
Blood vessels crept into Zuo Ping’s eyes as he glared, nearly bursting with rage: “Ji Bozai—”
“I haven’t even used any good magical artifacts, nor have I seen any crystals above purple grade,” Ji Bozai sighed, lowering his gaze. “If I had such things, I probably wouldn’t be this weak now.”
Ming Yi, listening from afar, choked on her saliva.
This man’s tongue was far too sharp.
Someone with Zuo Ping’s temperament could hardly endure such provocation. He immediately tried to attack again, but as soon as he raised his hand, Ji Bozai’s Yuan Power pressed down on him like a mountain, preventing him from using even a fraction of his power.
“My Lord, let it go,” It was the people from Xincao City who came to smooth things over, half-supporting, half-dragging Zuo Ping back to the main seats. “We still have to collect tribute.”
At the mention of this, Zuo Ping’s expression finally improved a bit. He remembered that he was still part of the upper three cities, while Ji Bozai, no matter how powerful, was still from the lower three cities.
Taking a deep breath and raising his chin, Zuo Ping was about to speak when Ji Bozai interjected: “Indeed, collecting tribute is important. After all, it’s the last time.”
“…” The chopsticks in his hand snapped in two.
Bo Yuankui smoothed things over at the right moment: “Why haven’t the people from Chaoyang City arrived yet?”
Zuo Ping gritted his teeth, reluctantly replying: “They said they were delayed and would arrive later.”
Bo Yuankui nodded, then turned his face away with a sneer: “In previous years, Chaoyang City always took the top position. We could wait for them then, but this year the leadership has changed hands. I didn’t expect the Chaoyang City envoy to still put on such airs.”
The crowd listened in silence, realizing that even among the upper three cities, relations were not harmonious.
However, when it came to Chaoyang City, which had consistently held the top position for years and had only stumbled this year, despite the jabs, when the Chaoyang City envoy stepped onto the Tage Platform, everyone on the main seats instinctively stood up.
The Grand Minister and Zuo Ping stood naturally, while Bo Yuankui was halfway up before remembering he was this year’s leader, and sat back down with a cold face.
Xu Tianji glimpsed the newcomer and was slightly surprised: “It’s him?”
Ji Bozai looked up to see a dark robe embroidered with silver threads depicting a hundred beasts floating past his eyes, settling gracefully into the seats of the upper three cities.
“That’s Si Shou Dan Er from Chaoyang City,” Xu Tianji came to his senses and quickly whispered to him, “This man is skilled in beast taming, both an official and a merchant. Many of the high-grade companion beasts in the six great cities come from his hand.”
Dan Er rarely appeared even in Chaoyang City, so it was unexpected for him to come as an envoy to Muxing City.
Ji Bozai nodded, not paying much attention. His companion beasts were all randomly picked up from the roadside, so he wasn’t very interested in beast taming.
However, as soon as Dan Er sat down, his gaze fixed directly on Ji Bozai: “I’ve arrived at an inopportune time. Has Lord Ji already demonstrated his skills?”
“Yes, he has, and quite impressively,” Bo Yuankui interjected.
If anyone else had come from Chaoyang City today, he would have certainly made some snide remarks. But since it was Dan Er, Bo Yuankui felt it wouldn’t hurt to show him some respect, especially since he still needed a high-grade companion beast from him.
“Oh?” Dan Er smiled, then sighed, “I wonder if I might still have the honor of witnessing it.”
The Grand Minister looked towards Ji Bozai, intending to accept on his behalf, as this was after all the envoy from Chaoyang City. But before he could speak, Ji Bozai said calmly: “Muxing City has been short on food for days due to the tribute. I’m hungry and truly don’t have the strength. Please forgive me, sir.”
What blatant lie was this? There was a large pile of food right in front of him.
Zuo Ping sneered, about to expose his lie, when Dan Er spoke: “That’s alright. If you’re willing to exchange ten moves with my companion beast, this year’s tribute from Muxing City to Chaoyang City can be reduced by half compared to last year.”
This statement caused an uproar throughout the venue.
Half the tribute reduced, that was a significant amount, just to let Ji Bozai exchange a few moves?
Hadn’t Zuo Ping just struck gold then?
“Has he gone mad? He could surely find a chance to spar with Lord Ji even without offering tribute,” Xiu Yun muttered.
Ming Yi had been fully alert since Dan Er’s appearance and was now struggling to tear off a suitable piece of gauze from her underskirt to use as a face veil.
It was truly a stroke of bad luck. Of all people, why did it have to be Dan Er?
She wasn’t afraid of Dan Er, as they had met before and he knew her current situation. But still—
“Old She, I can make this decision, right?” Dan Er looked at the person who had accompanied him.
That person responded with a sound, his black and white mixed hair slightly lifted by the wind.