The Magus Era

　

Bo Qiujia?

People had been talking loudly in the hall while music was being played. Maids wearing beautiful dresses that made them look like butterflies were walking around and serving all kinds of great wines and delicate dishes.

A few senior earls and marquis brought some performers to make some sideshows for the purpose of entertainment, earning applauses of many others. The great hall became noisier and noisier, such that except Ji Hao, no other people noticed Bo Qiujia’s move.

Ji Hao raised his head, looking at Bo Qiujia closely from head to toe.

Bo Qiujia was tall and sturdy, wearing a white robe, his long hair hung loosely on his back, wearing a pair of straw shoes. On the outside, a gale was blowing along with heavy snow, and the ground was covered up by a thick layer of accumulated snow. However, Bo Qiujia’s pair of feet and shoes were both perfectly clean, without even a single stain on them.

His skin was snow-white, even having a mysterious silver luster, which made him look like a silver statue, clean, pure, without being stained by any dust. His strange appearance gave him a weird, unworldly, and lifeless vibe.

What made Ji Hao’s heart beat fast were Bo Qiu Jia’s pair of eyes.

Bo Qiujia had an odd, angular face, and his pair of eyes were deeply hollowed. At first glance, his eyes seemed to be no different from the eyes of ordinary people, but if one looked closely, one would find that his pupils were dim golden in color, with dim golden streams of light rotating slowly in his pupils. It made his pupils look like a bottomless whirlpool, that could catch people’s attentions anytime and be able to devour people’ souls.

Seeing Bo Qiujia move over and start the conversation, Ji Hao blandly threw out a question, ”Bo Qiujia? You don’t look like a Southern Wasteland man. The Southern Wasteland can never raise a man with a tender skin like yours.”

Bo Qiujia lowered his head, glanced at his white and slim hands, instantly grinned and said, ”Earl Yao, you’re as smart as people said. With a single glance, you…”

Ji Hao impatiently interrupted him. Such a low-level ass-kissing, it might work to those simple Southern Wasteland men, but to Ji Hao, these words were like buzzing made by flies and were pure noise without any actual meaning.

Frankly, and even a bit rudely, Ji Hao said, ”Cut the crap. Even the silliest person can tell that you’re not a Southern Wasteland man. Whether I’m smart or not, it’s not your place to say. As the old saying goes, only thieves and traitors would show other people excessive attentions for no reason. Just let it out, what do you want from me?”

Bo Qiujia shut his thin lips tightly that made his lips look like a sharp pair of swords.

He seriously looked at Ji Hao from up to down, as if this was the first time he saw Ji Hao. He remained silent for a while, then nodded to Ji Hao, slowed his language speed down and said seriously, ”I have been too arrogant, Earl Yao. You are a sensible man.”

Man Man held a bowl of wine and reached her head out from under Ji Hao’s arm. She narrowed her eyes, looked at Bo Qiujia and said, ”Ji Hao surely is a sensible man, he’s smart.”

Holding the bowl up, Man Man drank the full bowl of wine straight up, then said satisfyingly. ”This wine is not bad, Ji Hao, do you want some?”

Ji Hao patted Man Man’s little head and said gently, ”You go watch the shows. This Mr Bo Qiujia seems to have something to say to me. Despite the fact that I truly want to punch him on the head right now, we have to be reasonable after all, right?”

Man Man narrowed her eyes again with a fierce beam of light flashing across that pair of eyes, then threw a threatening glance at Bo Qiujia and said coldly, ”My seventh brother never has good people around him. Ji Hao, beat him up if you need to, don’t worry…”

Man Man turned around, grabbed Ji Xia and the other few Gold Crow Clan people, gulping the wine while throwing handfuls of jade coins towards the middle of the hall to those performers, who had been working very hard on their shows, from time to time. They laughed all the time, seeming to be having some real fun.

This ten-year-meeting was a ceremony that allowed Emperor Shun, his ministers and all those earls and marquis to stay close to each other and get to know each other. It was completely different from regular meetings regarding government affairs. Therefore, all those earls and marquis had been quite relaxed now, laughing, drinking and eating while enjoying the banquet.

Those performers who had been performing in the middle of the hall were even happier. Some of them were spraying fireballs out of their mouths, some were ceaselessly shedding fresh petals while others brought thousands of ants, directing them to split into two armies and perform battle formations. Same as many earls and marquis, Man Man had been throwing jade coins towards these performers as rewards all the time. The income these performers were going to make today would be enough for them to live happily and comfortably for hundreds of years. Thinking of this, they worked even harder.

All noises quieted down around Ji Hao and Bo Qiujia. Ji Hao fiddled with an exquisite three-legged wine cup that was carved out of a beautiful piece of jade while staring at Bo Qiujia coldly.

”I don’t think we’re strangers.” Ji Hao slightly flicked his finger. A stream of cyan mist flashed across between his fingers.

”We are indeed to strangers.” Bo Qiujia sighed slightly. Just now, Ji Hao showed a special stream of power that only belonged to Yu Yu and his disciples. By doing this, he revealed his identity. Bo Qiujia slightly clapped his hands, and followed his move, a hazy silhouette of a tree flashed on his palm.

”I am Priest Bo Qiujia. Nice to meet you, my friend.” Bo Qiujia looked at Ji Hao seriously and said, ”Prince Tianming is chosen by the Dao of nature, and should be the next human emperor. Since you, my friend, and Man Man have already decided to be each other’s companion, you are Prince Tianming’s family. Therefore, you, my friend, should help Prince Tianming attain the throne of the human emperor with all your power.”

”I knew this kind of trouble will come.” Ji Hao sighed heavily. He conveniently put the wine cup on the long table in front of him and said, ”I have beaten him up literally just now, and you are actually shameless enough to come to ask for my help.”

”Earl Yao, your wisdom impressed me.” said Bo Qiujia blandly, ”Prince Tianming stepped into the argument between you, Earl Yao and Gong Gong Wuyou, but at your convenience, you started a conflict with Prince Tianming in front of everyone. It seems like you have offended two princes at the same time, but in fact, you, Earl Yao, smoothly managed to keep yourself out of the real trouble…Earl Yao, you’re a man with true wisdom.”

”Stop talking rubbish! If I was dumb, why would my Shifu take me as a disciple?” said Ji Hao in a bland tone, ”If Zhu Rong Tianming wants something, he should fight for it himself. I will not exert my full strength for him. And, Bo Qiujia, don’t try to play tricks with me… you can’t afford the price.”

Bo Qiujia remained silent for a while, still not wanting to give up, and said, ”Earl Yao, you are from Southern Wasteland after all. Prince Tianming is…”

Ji Hao narrowed his eyes, teasingly looked at Bo Qiujia and said, ”I am from Southern Wasteland, so I have to do everything for Zhu Rong Tianming to help him attain the throne? How the hell does that work? All these earls and marquis have seen with their own eyes that I beat him up twice in public. That means I am not on his side at all. I will never help him, not even a little bit.”

Swinging his sleeve, Ji Hao continued coldly, ”If he wants the throne, let him fight for it himself. It has nothing to do with me or my Yao Mountain territory, and neither has anything to do with my Gold Crow Clan. Our Gold Crow Clan is a Regius dependent clan of Prince Tong Gong…You don’t expect our Gold Crow Clan to even move a single finger to help Zhu Rong Tianming!”

Po Qiujia smiled bitterly and said, ”Earl Yao, you’re indeed decisive. You have cut off all connections once after you saw me!”

Ji Hao smiled coldly and his tone turned harsher and harsher, ”Bo Qiujia, how can you be so dumb to believe that I would help you? Don’t you know the name of my Shifu? How dare you even think about it?”

Bo Qiujia remained silent for another while and said seriously, ”If Prince Tianming attained the throne, your sect would become the main religion of the entire humankind, and you would be able to share the natural fortune that belongs to the entire humankind, how’s that?”

Ji Hao gave and cold and faint smile. He turned around, picked up a handful of jade coins and gently threw it out.

”Asking somebody to act against his own interest, this is the thing that only dumbos will do.”

Bo Qiujia’s look changed, but then he saw a tall, strong and handsome young man holding a wine cup, walking up to Ji Hao step by step.