Ji Bozai snorted, his words both insulting and complimentary: “Since Your Excellency can’t figure it out, you might as well continue thinking of me as cold-blooded and heartless. After all, I’m here today to speak on behalf of the Grand Judge.”
At the mention of the Grand Judge, anger flashed in Bo Yuankui’s eyes. “He broke his promise first. How dare he try to speak with me now?”
Years ago, when Mu Xingcheng lost its heir and fell from the Upper Three Cities, under attack from all sides, it was Qi Shu himself who rushed to Zhuyue City to propose marriage to his adopted daughter. He had knelt before the Fallen Star Stone and sworn to treat her well, ensuring a life of wealth and status.
But what happened? He even dared not send news of her death back to Zhuyue City, letting her die so ignobly!
Though adopted, Bo Yuankui had loved her as his daughter. The girl was kind and gentle; she could have found a good family. Instead, for the sake of an alliance between the two cities, she boarded the bridal sedan with tear-filled eyes. Before leaving, she had turned to him and said, “This parting means we’ll rarely meet again. Take care, Father.”
At the time, he thought she spoke from resentment, as Mu Xingcheng and Zhuyue City were the closest of the Six Cities. He believed he would have many chances to visit her.
Little did he know her words would become a cruel prophecy.
Bo Yuankui took out the bamboo hairpin, his expression grief-stricken. “You should have given this to me when I first entered the city.”
“There were watchful eyes around. It wasn’t possible,” Ji Bozai said calmly. “Only that concubine could be used, and she had to find an opportunity to send it to you. It was difficult.”
Concubine…
Bo Yuankui gripped the bamboo hairpin tightly. “For a young woman, it’s better not to be someone’s concubine.”
Knowing he spoke from emotion, Ji Bozai took no offense and simply said, “Outsiders don’t know the complexities involved. I ask that Your Excellency blame it on drunken misconduct and express your apologies firmly. This matter can then be resolved.”
“I understand. I’ll go see Qi Shu tomorrow,” he said in a deep voice. “I want to see how he intends to hold me accountable.”
With the conversation at this point, Ji Bozai didn’t continue. He glanced outside and suddenly asked, “Has Envoy Dan been coming and going frequently lately?”
The envoy’s quarters were directly opposite, and their comings and goings were visible to each other. Bo Yuankui, bedridden, didn’t know, but his servant spoke up under his gaze: “Not so frequently recently, but a while ago he was out early and back late. One day, when this lowly one got up at the first quarter of the Mao hour to empty the night pot, I saw Envoy Dan hurriedly leaving with his attendant.”
Ji Bozai raised an eyebrow. “Do you remember the date?”
“It was around the 27th of May.”
The very day the Ji residence caught fire.
Ji Bozai understood. He stood up and nodded. “Then I’ll pay a visit next door. Your Excellency, please rest and recover.”
Bo Yuankui grunted in response and closed his eyes. The servant escorted Ji Bozai to the door, bowing with lowered eyes.
Ji Bozai strolled into Dan Er’s courtyard.
Someone was practicing in the yard. A gray leopard floated in the air, not yet having developed its soul, controlled by its master, putting on a fierce display.
Seeing Ji Bozai, it immediately pounced, baring its three-foot-long fangs and swinging its whip-like tail at his neck.
The spirit was strong, but the foundation was weak. Ji Bozai slightly raised his hand, and the Dark Dragon roared out, coiling around once to bite off the leopard’s tail before returning to his body.
The leopard, not yet realizing its tail was gone, froze for a moment before fleeing back into its master’s body in panic and pain.
“I didn’t know Lord Ji had arrived. Please forgive the offense,” Dan Er emerged, shielding the practicing attendant behind him, and bowed.
Ji Bozai returned the gesture with a smile, sincerely praising, “As expected of Chaoyang City. Even a mere attendant can manifest Yuan Power into a beast. It seems he could fight Physician Ji to a draw.”
Dan Er’s mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
Everyone knew Physician Ji’s Yuan Power was mediocre, failing the preliminary test of the Six Cities’ Grand Meeting year after year. Yet with his strong backing, he always participated. Comparing him to the Prince of Yong, even without knowing the prince’s identity, Dan Er couldn’t bring himself to smile.
He even began to doubt: with such weak Yuan Power, could the Prince of Yong truly replace Ming Xian?
“I didn’t come for anything else,” Ji Bozai suddenly dropped the Realm of Oblivion, twisting his wrist casually. “I just wanted to ask Your Excellency for an explanation.”
His heart sinking, Dan Er looked around.
The guards in the courtyard were all isolated by the Realm of Oblivion. Behind him was only the Prince of Yong, who couldn’t even save himself, let alone defeat Ji Bozai.
He lowered his eyes. “What explanation does Lord Ji seek from me? There must be some misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding?” Ji Bozai chuckled. “The person who gave you the map has confessed. What misunderstanding could there be?”
He laughed with a hint of anger, his gaze fixed and determined as if holding all the cards.
Dan Er was puzzled. How could Ming Yi have confessed to him? It would bring her no benefit.
No wonder Ji Bozai escaped so easily; it turns out she had betrayed him.
Somewhat angry, Dan Er said in a deep voice, “You believe the words of a fugitive from Chaoyang City? She betrayed you first; she could very well be trying to sow discord between us.”
“I believe her,” Ji Bozai said calmly. “Now I just want an explanation from Your Excellency. Otherwise, as a brash man, I won’t care about the friendship between our two cities.”
As he spoke, the Dark Dragon appeared again, coiling around the entire Realm of Oblivion.
If the dragon’s tail tightened, both he and the Prince of Yong would die.
Dan Er’s expression finally changed. He lowered his eyes and said, “I’ll tell you.”
The Dark Dragon stopped coiling, its head turning towards him and the Prince of Yong, exhaling.
Feeling this powerful Yuan Power, Dan Er pressed his lips together and said in a low voice, “That Miss Ming by your side was originally Ming Xian, the legitimate son of the Ming family in Chaoyang City. Her meridians were destroyed, and she could no longer bring glory to Chaoyang City. So she had to ask me to eliminate you to secure Chaoyang City’s position in the Upper Three Cities next year.”
The logic was sound, the blame shifted, and with the bombshell of Ming Yi’s identity, Dan Er confidently waited for Ji Bozai to lose his composure in shock.
However, the man before him remained as still as a jade mountain after hearing this. Far from being shocked, he didn’t even raise an eyebrow.
Thinking Ji Bozai hadn’t understood, Dan Er frowned and said, “Ming Yi is Ming Xian, and Ming Xian is Ming Yi. The girl by your side is here to harm you.”
Ji Bozai dug in his ear. “I’m not deaf. Your Excellency need not be so loud.”
“You…” Dan Er couldn’t understand. How could he not be surprised by such news?
“More than why Ming Xian would appear as a girl in Mu Xingcheng, I’m curious about why Your Excellency would betray her,” he said with a meaningful smile. “Ming Xian won the top spot for Chaoyang City for seven years and is now working hard to eliminate me to pave the way for Chaoyang City. As a high official of Chaoyang City, why would you turn around and betray her?”
Dan Er was speechless, instinctively averting his gaze. “With my life at stake, I naturally had to tell the truth.”
“If Your Excellency truly had Chaoyang City’s interests at heart, you should have shouldered this responsibility alone. After all, the map was in your hands, and only your name was on the judge’s case file,” Ji Bozai looked at him meaningfully. “But you didn’t.”