My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion

The gust of a fist tore through the air by his ear, as silver needles revealed their lethal intent before him.

Chen Yi slightly shifted his stance.

Qin Qingluo swept past him, her fist connected with that silver needle and, with terrifying momentum, smashed fiercely into Du Juan's face.

The crackling sound of shattered bones echoed. Du Juan's face caved in and fragmented entirely.

The roaring wind, long after Qin Qingluo had thrown the punch, only then began to subside gradually.

Qin Qingluo crouched halfway down before slowly standing up. The silver needle lodged deep between her knuckles; without concern, she yanked it out. A faint sound of cracking bone followed, and blood gushed down in streams.

Chen Yi gazed at this towering woman in silence for quite some time before he finally spoke:

"Thank you."

Qin Qingluo, staring down at her bloodied right hand, replied without looking at him:

"I knew this punch wouldn't kill you."

Chen Yi laughed and asked:

"So, if this punch could have killed me, you'd have delivered it without hesitation."

Qin Qingluo did not deny it, remaining silent.

Chen Yi could see the murderous intent in her heart. He lowered his eyes slightly and said with a chilling tone:

"It seems you still need to be taught a lesson."

With that, he made a gesture as if pulling a ponytail.

Qin Qingluo instinctively shivered, a wave of cold dread rising from her Ren and Du meridians up to the nape of her neck.

She clenched her blood-stained fist.

Moments passed before she finally lowered her hand, saying nothing.

For people seething with hatred so deep it cuts the soul, words rarely come. Their emotions harden into loathing, their faces darken, and Qin Qingluo was no different.

Even though Chen Yi could be considered to have done her a favor, the hatred she felt far surpassed any gratitude.

Sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting a towering shadow upon her figure.

That man slowly approached, his voice as grating as maggots burrowing into bone:

"Back then, the Princess begged me to save you, clutching at my sleeve. Did you know that?"

Qin Qingluo looked down on the man who was a full head shorter than herself, her snake-like pupils ferocious, as though she could erupt at any moment.

The glint of killing intent flashed in her eyes.

The veins on the back of her bloodied hand bulged fiercely.

Chen Yi appeared oblivious, speaking leisurely:

"She even said that she had already sworn loyalty to me and that she'd persuade you to do the same. Honestly, I'm looking forward to the day when you call out in soft, surrendering tones…"

"Shut up."

The tall woman's clenched teeth finally forced out her words.

Chen Yi chuckled. She asked him to shut up, but if he obeyed so easily, wouldn't he lose face?

He narrowed his eyes slightly and, standing before her, gently lifted a strand of her hair. At the moment he touched her hair, he felt the faint tremble within her towering frame—barely perceptible.

Though her eyes burned with loathing like a dragon scorned, her body had already begun to yield.

"Speaking of which, do you know the Princess's taste?"

As he spoke, Chen Yi lightly gripped her ponytail, fully confident that with a single tug, she would stumble and fall.

Though he and Qin Qingluo had only spent mere days together, between them lay the presence of the An Nan Princess—a connection that linked their senses.

The Princess's submission intertwined with Qin Qingluo's suppressed resentment, forming a complex emotion that only the individuals involved could truly comprehend—something Chen Yi couldn't even begin to imagine.

"Oh, I almost forgot—you're not me. You wouldn't understand."

Qin Qingluo clenched her fist, blood dripping from her knuckles as she tightened her grip until it seemed she might strike at any moment.

Chen Yi glanced with satisfaction at the golden hairpin nestled within her hair.

She saw him smirk faintly before he turned his back to her, walking away with an unhurried stride.

Once his back was to her, his smile vanished; unless utterly necessary, he would never belittle his woman frivolously.

His gaze fell upon Du Juan's lifeless body.

Throughout that battle, neither of them exchanged a single word.

To think, after all those days of bloodshed and mortal combat, this was the first time these two enemies had joined forces against a common foe.

And their cooperation… was unexpectedly effective?

Qin Qingluo's voice rumbled in a low timbre, lingering in her throat before she finally murmured with a heavy tone:

"...She's coming."

Chen Yi blinked in mild confusion, then followed her gaze to look ahead.

Using her sword's sheath to part the obstructive branches, Min Ning furrowed her brows as she approached, the scent of blood in the air reaching her nose.

So it was Min Ning.

Min Ning walked closer, lowering her gaze to see the corpse on the ground. Her scrutiny moved swiftly from the dead body to Chen Yi.

She could tell the fight had only concluded a short while ago.

Chen Yi spoke softly, "Thank you, Yue Chi..."

Min Ning took a deep breath before responding, "You'll have to give me an explanation later."

Chen Yi understood Min Ning's temperament all too well.

Given her disposition, she wouldn't normally get involved in such matters. It was only Zhu E's manipulation combined with her belief that she herself had undergone some change, and her faith in Chen Yi's motives, that moved her to lend her aid.

Without Min Ning, their plan wouldn't have stood a chance.

"There's naturally a reason for this," Chen Yi nodded slightly before asking, "Speaking of which... where's the Princess?"

"She went to scout the route; she'll meet up with us later." Thinking of that fox, Min Ning didn't bother concealing her displeasure as she replied.

Chen Yi was about to nod when, suddenly, he turned his head sharply. His eyes froze on Du Juan's corpse, where he detected a faint thread of energy emanating from the remains.

This energy was nearly imperceptible.

If not for his Heavenly Vision, it would have been impossible to detect.

But this energy strand stretched far and thin, leading him to sense something in the distance…

An unnamed old woman was stepping through the void!

Her figure flickered in and out of sight.

Without hesitation, Chen Yi spoke:

"Min Ning, take the Prince and leave!"

Though Qin Qingluo had sustained severe injuries, the protective barrier of a single Glazed Light meant she could recover with time and would not perish outright.

But having a Glazed Light didn't preclude being captured alive.

And the nameless old woman, a Martial Arts master of the second rank, loomed before them like an unmovable mountain.

Min Ning didn't pause, nodding slightly toward Qin Qingluo before signaling with her gaze. She then led her away from the lake's edge.

The breeze stirred across the lakeside willow trees. In early winter, the branches had lost their green vitality and were now a hue of orange-yellow, bent brittle under their own weight.

Chen Yi planted a blade and sword firmly into the ground and stood resolutely beside Du Juan's corpse, awaiting the arrival of the nameless old woman.

Time passed, though he couldn't tell for how long.

A chill like frost spread from his marrow to his thoughts.

Silent and imperceptible, the old woman had already arrived behind him, tightening his throat as if it were about to shatter.

By the lakeside, in one flash, the countless willow branches snapped into thousands of shards, cascading like thunderbolts into the lake and stirring monstrous waves.

And by his ear came a voice, booming like thunder:

"Whelp of the Chen family!"