ADAPTED FROM BAI LU CHENG SHUANG'S LOVE IN THE CLOUDS
YOUNG JI BOZAI
Want to eat?
Then look carefully.
Even my dog is nobler than you.
-Kneel, and you may eat. -I will not kneel!
-Will you kneel or not? -I will not!
You are nothing but a wretch
your own parents abandoned at the border.
Do you understand?
Defy me again, and I will break your legs!
I…
I wasn't abandoned.
I wasn't!
I must get out of here alive.
Search over there!
Don't let him escape!
The painting is right there.
There wasn't a single trap on the way.
The defenses are so lax that it feels wrong.
I don't think the traps are absent.
They just haven't been triggered.
They're waiting for us to walk right into them.
Lord Ji,
it's my duty to protect you.
Even thunder from the underworld should fall on me.
If something happens to me,
so be it.
But if anything happens to you,
who will hold the household together?
Let me go in your place.
Go, then.
He actually let me go?
Unbelievable.
No traps at all.
Even if there's the slightest risk,
it should be me who takes it.
"Chapter 14,
Ming Yi Takes Risks for Wealth."
Are you all right?
We got the painting.
That's what matters.
Feeling for me, aren't you?
More attacks?
Look out!
Are you hurt?
You've been struck by a Soul-Devouring Arrow.
Let's head back now.
Lord Ji, we should take the valuables too.
I can buy you more later. Let's go.
No, we need to stage a burglary.
The more convincing, the better.
I see.
JUDGMENT HALL
The portrait of the Bo clanswoman was stolen
right under your nose.
Situ,
you just took office and already made such a blunder.
You must get to the bottom of this.
The work of the Judgment Hall still relies on you, Lord Hanfeng.
Tell me what you need me to do.
That is what I value in you, your tact and discernment.
At yesterday's banquet, I noticed that Ji Bozai
showed keen interest in that painting.
If you can search Wugui Sea thoroughly
and clear Immortal Ji's name,
that would be best.
Immortal Ji is a warrior.
I have no solid evidence right now.
To storm Wugui Sea based on flimsy suspicion would be rash.
If he confronts me,
I have neither the reason nor the power to prevail.
How is that rash?
Searching Wugui Sea is simply to find out if thieves broke in.
That's your way of protecting Immortal Ji.
He has spiritual veins, and I don't.
Who will be protecting whom?
Aren't you reversing our roles?
Didn't you just say you would follow my orders?
I said you could give orders,
but I never promised to carry them all out.
Outrageous!
How dare you speak to His Lordship like that?
Never mind.
Yan Xiao.
You'll go.
Yes, Your Lordship.
Yan, what brings you here at this hour?
Ji, you might not know,
but the Judgment Hall was robbed last night.
I've been ordered to make routine inquiries.
Sorry to disturb you.
The Judgment Hall was robbed?
What does that have to do with Wugui Sea?
Besides, isn't there a new chief in place?
Talk about a dog chasing a mouse.
Who's the mouse here?
Who's the dog, then?
The thief stole not only treasures,
but also the fairy portrait displayed at Lord Hanfeng's banquet.
Over that worthless thing,
the thief got struck by a Soul-Devouring Arrow.
A new broom sweeps clean.
Chief Situ has ordered me
to investigate everyone who saw the painting at the banquet.
As a humble physician, I have to follow his orders.
Investigate away.
Help him put on the injury detector.
This proves
I wasn't hit by a Soul-Devouring Arrow, right?
Of course.
It was a baseless suspicion.
Good.
Now that you've done your job,
I'll be on my way.
Please wait, Ji.
One of the banquet guests,
Fairy Ming Yi, hasn't been examined yet.
Did you wake up too early and lose your wits?
Did you even hear yourself?
Do you really think a lowly fairy
can go in and out of the Judgment Hall at will?
Here's the thing, Ji.
The array at Judgment Hall's main entrance
was forcibly broken last night.
Until it's repaired, anyone can come and go at will.
So, Chief Situ ordered that even fairies without spiritual veins
must be examined.
Who came so early in the morning to spoil my plans?
Didn't I tell you to wait in the chamber?
Why did you come here?
I waited so long, and you still didn't return,
so I grew impatient.
What's the hurry?
Fairy Ming Yi, you came just in time.
Immortal Yan, you're an early bird.
It makes sense.
You're a single man, so you don't know
that people can't bear to be disturbed sometimes.
If you need to examine anything, do it quickly.
Don't waste our time.
This is an injury detector.
If you've been struck by a Soul-Devouring Arrow,
it'll cause pain that eats into your bones.
If not, you will feel nothing.
Fine. Examine me and get it over with.
Why so nervous?
I was messing with you.
Did you really think I sneaked into the Judgment Hall?
Are you done?
Should we keep testing until the next Qingyun Tournament?
Why not just go back and tell your real master
to frame us outright?
That would be a quicker way to get what he wants.
Sorry for troubling you.
So tiring.
Let's head back.
Next time, come later.
As expected, Yan Xiao examined even me.
-How are you feeling? -I'm really fine, Lord Ji.
Thanks to you casting a spell beforehand to hide my wound,
they couldn't see I was injured.
All they had was that shabby artifact to test me with.
And I didn't show the slightest sign of pain.
Ming Yi!
I'm fine.
It's just an arrow wound and a check for injuries.
Every Qingyun Tournament left me worse than this.
That brat Ji Bozai
actually let me test the Judgment Hall's traps.
Truly ruthless.
But
if a small price like this
can earn his trust,
it's worth it.
Even though this wound
has brought you closer to the Golden Millet Dream,
you must never take such risks again.
Someone's coming. Hide, quickly!
All right.
I shouldn't have fainted.
I could've applied it myself.
Lord Ji.
If it hurts, tell me.
What's wrong?
Every time I was hurt before,
I was never allowed to complain.
This is the first time someone has said that to me.
You went through so much at Moonlit Blossoms.
You'll never
need to go back again.
What medicine is this, Lord Ji?
It stopped the pain so quickly.
Blood-Calming Powder.
Blood-Calming Powder?
It's a rare medicine.
You really spared no expense.
Don't move.
Warriors treasure their spiritual power above all.
-Lord Ji, you need not waste it… -You were injured because of me.
How could I turn a blind eye?
What is it?
Is the medicine backfiring?
I…
I'm hungry.
Feel free to look around!
Come and take a look!
-Cabbages from our own fields! -Thank you, Lord Ji.
Fresh cabbages!
Take a look!
-Cheap and fresh! -Take a look!
-Come and take a look! -Make way, please.
Sir, madam, would you like some fine silk?
-Take a look! -Scented sachets!
-Have a look! -Lord Ji, this place is delightful.
Zhang Tai used to bring me here for fun.
See those spirits? They've all taken human form.
-Have a look here! -Isn't it fascinating?
-Take a look at the sachets! -Come take a look!
All homegrown!
-No, thanks. -Flowers!
-You can… -Immortal,
buy some flowers for the lady beside you!
…find anything here.
-There's nothing you can't buy. -Fresh flowers! Take a look!
GRANNY'S EATERY
-You bought quite a lot this time. -Yes.
My husband asked me to.
Hurry and cover it up.
It won't taste good once it's cold.
Madam.
What would you like?
Two scallion pancakes.
Here you go.
Thank you.
What's wrong?
Aren't you hungry?
Scallion pancakes are my favorite food in the world.
Do you like them too, Lord Ji?
You actually remembered.
I never forget anything.
Is it really that easy to please you?
It's just a pancake.
Eat it before it gets cold.
This is from Her Majesty.
Scallion pancakes, your favorite.
We wish you victory in the tournament.
-Your Highness. -Your Highness.
We'll be waiting for you!
-You can do it! -Yes.
Your Highness, we'll be waiting for you!
I wonder how Mother is doing.
I must neutralize the poison soon
and return to Yaoguang Mountain.
Ming Yi?
What's wrong?
Does the wound still hurt?
Let me see.
It… It's healed.
Oh, well…
What's the matter?
Lord Ji, why are you so good to me?
I'm just a little fairy from Moonlit Blossoms.
Having a place to stay at Wugui Sea
is already a dream come true.
If Wugui Sea gets a true mistress one day,
you'll surely cast me aside.
So, why even bother to remember what I like to eat?
That only feeds my wishful thinking.
She actually has true feelings for me?
When did I ever say I'd cast you aside?
So, are you saying
you won't leave me?
Is that right?
I understand.
I won't leave you.
What?
Ming Yi's gamble has paid off!
After taking the Moonshade Grass, Fairy Ruo Shui
has recovered.
Your Lordship, did you just go to the Huansha Market with Ming Yi?
While stealing the portrait for me,
she deliberately took other treasures
to make it look more like a theft.
As for the spygrass at home, I blocked its vision with spells.
The Judgment Hall found no clues,
so the case is closed for now.
But Yan Xiao still has men watching me.
I went out to let them think
I spent my days in pleasure.
That serves us well.
-I understand, but… -I haven't had my revenge.
I have no mind for other things.
JADE RABBIT HALL
I saw these medical books while cleaning the side hall.
Do they belong to the Princess?
No, these are Immortal Yan's.
Back when he served at the Jade Rabbit Hall,
these were his favorite books.
Immortal Yan?
You mean Immortal Yan Xiao, the one serving Lord Hanfeng?
Yes.
But doesn't the Princess despise him?
When he was a guard at the Jade Rabbit Hall,
the Princess favored him greatly.
Later, he studied medicine on his own, passed the Immortal Examination,
and clung to Lord Hanfeng's power.
Once he rose to prominence, he changed.
He even hid His Majesty's condition from the Princess.
Naturally, she came to dislike him.
Your Highness, aren't you going to visit His Majesty?
Let's go.
BOUNDLESS MISTY WATERS
Insolence!
The Princess is here to see His Majesty.
Step aside.
His Majesty is in seclusion.
No one is allowed to disturb him. Please return, Your Highness.
Father has been unconscious for so long.
Whose order was this?
Lord Hanfeng's?
Has the Jixing Palace already fallen under his rule?
Your Highness, please go back.
Today, I will see
whether my words still hold weight in this palace.
Step aside!
Your Highness.
Those guards defied my command,
yet you can make them obey.
His Majesty truly needs peace.
Perhaps Your Highness has been coming too often,
and they feared it would disturb His Majesty.
Those servants were out of line.
I will discipline them.
Servants?
Since when do you have the right to call them that?
Halt.
Without His Majesty's permission, no one enters.
I only came to deliver books.
I just want to pick them up.
Go ahead.
RADIANT SUNLIGHT ON ALL CREATURES
You used to trail behind us like a dog.
After reading a few medical texts,
you think you can soar to power in one leap?
You think you can become a physician?
What a ridiculous dream!
Are you here today for the warrior selection
to be held in three days, Your Highness?
Thanks to your superb medical skill,
my father must still be lying unconscious, isn't he?
Does the reason for my visit even matter?
In the end, you are the one who decides
whether he wakes to attend the selection,
aren't you?
Surely you jest, Your Highness.
The selection is important.
His Majesty will not be absent.
Then I suppose I should thank you, Immortal Yan.
And when Ji Bozai and I have our wedding,
we will also have to rely on you
to make sure Father is present, right?
With heaven's blessing,
His Majesty will recover for sure.
But are you certain your wedding with Ji Bozai
will truly happen?
I heard Immortal Ji already turned you down.
Yes,
that's what makes it all the more challenging.
I will work very hard to win his heart.
So, Your Highness will marry no one else but him?
Of course.
Who else could I marry?
You?
Immortal Yan, don't flatter yourself.
Once, I was deceived by your handsome face.
But now, I see
that you are nothing special,
even somewhat repulsive.
Even if you marry Ji Bozai,
it doesn't mean you will always control the Shouhua Academy.
At the end of the day, he's just a warrior.
-Why do you have to…? -Because I like him.
Don't you understand?
If I didn't truly like him,
why would I stake my marriage on him?
If I didn't truly like him,
why would I tolerate his arrogance
and womanizing ways?
-If I didn't truly-- -Enough.
Aren't you great at putting on an act?
This isn't like you.
Xiao!
Xiao, have you been waiting long for me?
I'm still not grown up yet.
But when I am, I'll marry you, all right?
Are you coming in or not?
Haven't you played enough?
Stop meowing. If you want to come in, hurry up.
I'm locking the door soon. No waiting after that.
What are you doing?
Stop meowing already.
-I've got news for you. -I was talking to the cat.
Guess what good news I brought back.
First,
your younger brother Ming Xin
was carried back to Yaoguang Mountain.
He won't be getting out of bed for at least a month.
Really?
How did he manage to become even more useless?
I've got nothing to say about that brother of yours.
Still, it works in our favor.
At least no one will bother us for now.
Second,
this is the portrait you drew from memory.
I've found out who it is.
You know who it is?
You'd never guess it.
Stop teasing. Just tell me!
All right…
I was just about to tell you.
The fairy in the portrait
is named Bo Yulan.
She came from the Bo clan, which was once renowned across the Six Realms
for its traveling physicians.
The Bo clan?
The clan that created the Heavenly Grief and Golden Millet Dream?
Exactly. The portrait's ability to move
also comes from one of the Bo clan's secret arts.
I sneaked into the Langhuan Pavilion of Jixing Abyss
and checked the records.
They said the Bo clan
had long lived in seclusion on Zhangwei Mountain.
But over 20 years ago,
a mountain fire broke out,
and the clan was nearly wiped out.
Since then, there's been no trace of them.
It wasn't a natural fire.
Someone clearly started it
to get the Heavenly Grief and Golden Millet Dream.
My master studied the Bo clan in depth.
He once told me
never to believe everything written in books.
The Bo clan was likely destroyed
for having something others desired.
Someone was after their medicine.
So, Ji Bozai is connected to Bo Yulan?
No wonder he has the Golden Millet Dream.
Does this mean he is a descendant of the Bo clan?
That would make sense.
But then why was Bo Yulan's portrait in Mu Qibai's hands?
Could it be
that Mu Qibai killed her?
If I were Ji Bozai,
I wouldn't be sitting around eating dried fish.
I'd be out for revenge.
How did Ji Bozai end up in the Sunken Abyss?
There are plenty of crimes that could send someone there.
What I mean is,
maybe Ji Bozai was framed.
Think about it.
How old was he when he was sent to the Sunken Abyss?
No one can commit crimes before they even learn to walk, right?
If Ji Bozai was framed,
are the people in the Sunken Abyss truly criminals at all?
I am late.
Please forgive me, Lord Hanfeng.
What did you find out yesterday?
Was Ji Bozai the one who stole the painting?
No wound from the Soul-Devouring Arrow was found.
Could there be another explanation?
The Judgment Hall lost a great deal of treasure.
Perhaps the theft was really for money,
not for the painting itself.
I have failed in my duty.
Did the spygrass you placed in Wugui Sea catch anything?
Please see for yourself.
After I left Wugui Sea,
this is all Ji Bozai did.
-Slow down, Lord Ji. -When was I ever fast?
The spygrass has been watching him all this time,
and this filth is all it recorded?
Forget it.
The warrior selection in three days
requires His Majesty's presence by law.
Make sure nothing goes wrong on your end.
Understood.
I will take my leave.
Your Lordship.
Ji Bozai is likely aware of our surveillance.
Summon Xun Ming back.
Understood.
Master,
I bow to you on my knees.
I only hope
you will not regret taking me as your master today.
Master, your compassion and healing arts
saved my life.
I will never regret it.
Master,
in three days,
I will offer the blood of our first enemy
as tribute to you.
SHOUHUA ACADEMY, JIXING ABYSS
WARRIOR SELECTION, JIXING ABYSS
-Amazing! -Excellent!
Wonderful!
Being the Chief of Judgment Hall is such a hassle.
You have to show up everywhere.
The preliminaries have already started,
and Ji Bozai still hasn't shown up.
Can Tianji handle it alone?
You should call her "the Venerable" now.
Sure, in person.
But we're talking in private here.
Back then, you were a guard at Tianji's palace,
and I was her study companion.
Given how close the three of us were,
in the mortal world,
we would be called "childhood sweethearts".
And their silly son.
How could you be our son?
Tianji and I were never like that.
What are you talking about?
You know what? I envy you sometimes for being so clueless.
How am I clueless?
I know everything about Tianji.
There are still many people
who don't recognize her as the Venerable.
Even if Ji Bozai doesn't show up,
His Majesty will surely come to support her, right?
Rabbit candy. Your favorite.
Nice move.
Perfect timing for a strike.
The first half of the selection is over.
Please wait for the second half.
-That move is good. -I will surely win this time.
-It’s hard to be perfect. -That move of yours is indeed incredible.
Your Highness, half the rounds are done,
and Immortal Ji still hasn't appeared.
Immortal Ji is here.
Who's that beside him?
-That's inappropriate. -Who's that beside him?
Isn't that the fairy from Moonlit Blossoms?
He brought a female companion?
That's so disrespectful to the Princess.
I've heard of your exploits before, Immortal Ji,
but I didn't expect to witness one firsthand today.
Your affection is enviable.
But this is a warrior selection.
Do you really need a female companion?
-Exactly. -Exactly.
You are embarrassing the Princess!
You're wearing an amulet your child gave you, aren't you?
-What? This is… -How arrogant.
She's my amulet too. w arrogant.