Chapter 47: The Dragon and the White Cat

 White mist swirled endlessly around him.

Within the fog, Ji Bozhai dreamed.

He stood waist-deep in a vast river, its waters dark and cold. Beneath the surface churned countless flesh-eating fish, their sharp teeth flashing whenever the water rippled.

The river stretched endlessly before him.

Deep. Wide. Merciless.

To survive, he wrapped himself in a thick shield of Essence Power, inching toward the distant shore step by painstaking step.

But the journey was long, and his strength was limited.

His Essence Power drained far too quickly.

Before he could reach the shore, the protective shield flickered and weakened.

The fish sensed it immediately.

With violent splashes, they surged forward. One broke through the thinning barrier and clamped its jaws around his arm.

Pain exploded through his body.

It shot from his arm up his spine and into his skull like lightning.

Ji Bozhai shouted, violently tearing the creature away and hurling it back into the river. Gritting his teeth, he gathered every last thread of Essence Power he had left.

Still, it was not enough.

He simply wasn’t strong enough.

That was why his shield had failed.

Why it had been so fragile.

---

Meanwhile, in the estate’s main courtyard, chaos had erupted.

A massive Mystic Dragon formed from black Essence Power coiled through the air, circling above the buildings with murderous intensity. Its presence radiated such oppressive force that the servants fled in panic.

Maids scattered in every direction.

Servants ducked behind pillars or sprinted for cover.

Even Granny Xun and Buxiu stood helpless, staring anxiously at the raging dragon.

“Where is Official Yan?!” Granny Xun demanded urgently.

A servant soon returned with grim news.

“I asked the inner courtyard,” he reported. “Official Yan is currently taking the Grand Minister’s pulse. He won’t be able to return for another hour.”

The words only deepened their worry.

What were they supposed to do until then?

Granny Xun turned instinctively toward Mingyi.

Yet instead of trembling in fear like everyone else, Mingyi merely stood there frowning slightly.

After a moment, she spoke.

“Has your lord… been mistreated before?”

Both Granny Xun and Buxiu froze.

They exchanged puzzled glances before looking back at her.

“Why would you ask such a thing, Miss?” Granny Xun said cautiously.

Mingyi lowered her gaze slightly, as if embarrassed.

“When I practiced dance in the inner courtyard before,” she said softly, “I often suffered mistreatment as well. Whenever I became seriously ill, I would feel restless and frightened—even thrashing about in my sleep.”

The explanation seemed reasonable enough.

Their guarded expressions softened, though a trace of awkwardness remained.

“Miss has endured hardships,” Granny Xun said gently.

Mingyi shrugged faintly.

“I came from humble origins. Such things are to be expected.” She paused thoughtfully. “But someone of his status… why would he…?”

Buxiu studied her face carefully.

After a moment, he seemed to decide she truly cared for his master.

So he told her.

“Before participating in the last Six Cities Tournament,” Buxiu explained, “the lord lived in the Slave Arena.”

Mingyi’s eyes widened slightly.

“At the age of ten,” he continued, “an overseer discovered that the lord possessed Essence Power. Wanting to curry favor with the Grand Minister, the man forced him to train in advanced Combat Skills.”

“He was still a child then.”

“Though extremely talented, his body simply couldn’t endure such brutal training. His progress was slower than the overseer wanted.”

Buxiu’s voice darkened.

“And whenever he failed to master the Combat Art Codex assigned to him… the overseer beat him.”

Mingyi’s pupils trembled.

Her face slowly turned pale.

She had known Ji Bozhai grew up in the Slave Arena.

But she had assumed it was simply a harsh upbringing.

She had never imagined something so cruel.

If they knew he possessed rare talent for Essence Power, why not nurture him properly?

Why torture him instead?

What kind of twisted logic was that?

Mingyi unconsciously bit her nail, pacing back and forth with growing agitation.

“What did you do when he was like this before?” she asked.

Granny Xun sighed and shook her head.

“The lord never allowed us to see him in such a state,” she said quietly. “Whenever something like this happened, he would recover somewhere unknown before returning.”

“This is the first time we’ve witnessed it.”

“And only because Miss brought him back.”

Self-recovery.

Mingyi frowned deeply.

That method consumed enormous amounts of Essence Power and could severely damage a fighter’s meridians if done recklessly.

Ji Bozhai truly showed no mercy even to himself.

After a moment of thought, she said decisively,

“Bring me a basin of hot water. I’ll check on him.”

Granny Xun was startled.

“Ming Guniang, please don’t go,” she urged quickly. “The lord is unconscious. His Essence Power may lash out and harm you accidentally.”

Mingyi waved her hand dismissively.

“I’ll stay out of the way,” she said lightly. “My life isn’t worth much right now. But the lord carries too many responsibilities.”

She glanced toward the courtyard where the black dragon raged.

“If people discover he collapsed like this, it will only create unnecessary panic.”

Granny Xun and Buxiu exchanged looks again.

Mingyi might sometimes seem greedy or lacking in refinement.

But at moments like this, she was willing to risk her life for their master.

Among all the people who had come and gone beside Ji Bozhai, she might actually be the most sincere.

After a brief pause, Buxiu nodded.

He ordered a servant to fetch a basin of hot water and handed it to her.

Mingyi took it—

And nearly dropped it immediately.

“Ah!” she yelped. “Why is this basin so heavy? Was it forged from gold?”

Grumbling under her breath, she poured out some of the water before lifting it again.

Then she marched straight toward the courtyard where Essence Power surged violently.

The black Mystic Dragon sensed her approach instantly.

It roared furiously, baring its fangs as it swooped down to block her path.

Mingyi didn’t even look at it.

She simply continued walking while muttering about the ridiculous weight of the basin.

The dragon grew furious.

With a deafening cry it soared into the sky, circling once before plunging downward with terrifying speed.

Servants screamed and scattered in terror.

Even Granny Xun and Buxiu hurriedly retreated.

The dragon puffed itself up proudly as it charged toward Mingyi.

Yet she remained completely unmoved.

A strand of her Essence Power gathered quietly beside her, condensing into the form of a pure white cat.

The cat landed gracefully on the ground ahead of her.

Then it calmly tucked its paws beneath its body.

When the massive dragon swooped down—

The cat lifted one paw.

Smack.

It struck the dragon squarely on the snout.

The dragon froze midair.

Then it snarled angrily and opened its jaws wide as if to swallow the cat whole.

The cat raised its paw again.

Smack.

The Mystic Dragon fell silent.

Its enormous body hovered awkwardly in the air while it stared at the tiny white cat.

The cat stared back indifferently.

After a long, tense moment—

The dragon slowly shifted aside.

Its massive tail moved reluctantly, clearing the path.

Mingyi walked straight past it, still muttering about the basin.

Behind her, the white cat dissolved quietly into mist.

The Mystic Dragon remained suspended there for a moment in awkward silence.

Finally, as if nothing embarrassing had just occurred, it turned away and resumed terrorizing the servants elsewhere.

---

Inside the room, Ji Bozhai lay rigid on the bed.

His body was soaked in blood from the earlier injuries. Fresh crimson continued to trickle from the corner of his mouth.

The meridians on his wrists bulged darkly beneath his skin.

Mingyi set the basin down and wrung out a cloth.

Without hesitation, she opened his robes slightly and placed the warm cloth gently over his heart.

The sudden warmth made his body tense.

Though he didn’t wake, the tightness in his wrists eased slightly.

Mingyi sat beside him patiently.

Whenever the cloth cooled, she replaced it with a fresh warm one.

All the while she chatted casually.

“You’re already amazing,” she said lightly. “No one in the six cities can beat you in Combat Skills now, so there’s really no need to be so tense.”

“The kitchen is stewing goose meat today. You can eat some when you wake up.”

“Essence Power isn’t easy to cultivate, my lord. Use it sparingly.”

She paused thoughtfully.

“Actually, the bloodstains on your robes look rather striking. I doubt anyone in the markets sells fabric like that.”

She kept talking.

And talking.

Inside Ji Bozhai’s dream, the river gradually disappeared.

The flesh-eating fish vanished.

Even the water itself faded away.

All that remained was a buzzing noise.

Endless.

Annoying.

Like a swarm of bees hovering around his head.

Finally unable to tolerate it any longer, Ji Bozhai opened his eyes.

Outside, the Mystic Dragon sensed the change immediately.

With a flick of its tail, it shot through the doorway and dissolved back into his body.

Mingyi jumped up dramatically.

“Whoa!” she exclaimed loudly.

“Such powerful Essence Power!”

She clutched her chest exaggeratedly.

“You scared me to death!”