My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion

Zhu E lowered her face, bent her waist, and shrank her chest slightly to clearly see Chen Yi.

Chen Yi looked at her still bearing the appearance of the Empress Dowager. In truth, her adopting this visage was not without the intent to scare away the nameless old nanny. Thinking of this, his heart softened somewhat.

"Liao Hao, come closer." Chen Yi called.

Zhu E made a sound of acknowledgment and buried her face even lower.

Chen Yi then lifted his head and pecked her on the forehead.

He didn't kiss her lips, leaving Zhu E uncertain of his intentions.

Chen Yi said lightly, "I kissed Yin Tingxue like this too."

Upon hearing this, Zhu E covered her mouth and laughed softly, a warm feeling flowing through her heart.

After a while of her joy, Chen Yi asked, "When will you return to the Southern Border?"

Zhu E replied truthfully, "It won't be long, we must return early as many in the army are waiting to celebrate the New Year."

Chen Yi said, "I will see you off. If... that woman still sends people to kill you like today, let me know."

Why would Zhu E refuse? She nodded and said, "Then... I'll often write letters to you, with or without matters to discuss, I'll write."

Chen Yi chuckled, "Alright."

Lying in Zhu E's arms, seeing the willow leaves turning yellow by the lakeside, he could still imagine the beautiful scenery of early spring when willows sway gently in the breeze. Feeling the warmth of her thighs, Chen Yi did not feel completely free from concern towards this demon cult woman but felt it wasn't impossible to let go just a bit.

So, Chen Yi, after a moment of pondering, voluntarily said:

"Did you know Qin Qingluo is pregnant with my child?"

..................

"Cough, cough, cough!"

By the tree roots in the forest, Qin Qingluo coughed twice, her tall figure slightly bent.

Min Ning seeing this, asked with some concern, "Where are you feeling unwell?"

"Still... alright..." Qin Qingluo's voice was as faint as a wisp of smoke.

There was discomfort for sure; the assassin's knife was laced with poison, and anyone would perish within three days. Yet, she possessed an inch of glazed light, making her immortal, and her body was gradually recovering.

More than for herself, Qin Qingluo worried whether Zhu E might be affected by the poison through a shared link.

But upon recollection, Qin Qingluo worry lessened significantly—Zhu E was of Southern Border Miao descent, naturally knowledgeable in acupoint suppression to curb the poison within.

Apart from the poison, Qin Qingluo always felt something blocked, unconsciously thinking her chest was against something, propped on something.

Fortunately, there was no major harm.

Qin Qingluo herself felt fine, not meaning Min Ning perceived it so.

Min Ning, looking at this woman prince appearing so frail, felt things were dire; should she just die this way, explaining to Chen Yi would be difficult.

"I'll apply some ointment for you," Min Ning suggested after thinking.

Being females, Qin Qingluo didn't refuse, pulling open her clothes from the collar to reveal a smooth white arm and a gold-embroidered dudou with double dragons playing with a pearl.

This uniquely styled dudou was naturally sewn for her by Zhu E.

With Zhu E's disguise technique, she had no need to skip wearing a dudou, nor to bind her chest with cloth strips.

Seeing the dudou, Min Ning hesitated, exclaiming, "You're a woman?"

Qin Qingluo, noticing her astonishment, found it amusing and said with a slight curve of her lips, "I know you are one too."

Min Ning paused, somewhat unresponsive.

The double dragon embracement appeared full and firm, a sight she hadn't seen so... capable of nursing a child, except on her sister Min Ming...

Seeing her so startled, Qin Qingluo said quite at ease, "Aren't you going to apply the ointment?"

"Oh... oh... alright."

Min Ning nodded repeatedly, then somewhat flustered, fished out the ointment from her bosom and hurriedly applied it, her hand slightly trembling due to being struck dumb by the double dragons playing with the pearl.

Not just men, women also tend to have their eyes drawn to grand sights.

Back to it, like herself, she was dressed as a man; wouldn't that mean...

Min Ning thought of a certain possibility, inexplicably in a panic.

"Can't you move faster?" Qin Qingluo interjected.

"Oh oh."

Upon her urging, Min Ning responded immediately.

The light green ointment spread across the skin, Min Ning saw the wound healing swiftly, inwardly marveling at this female prince's astounding recovery—simply not of ordinary humans.

The woman prince's complexion gradually gained a few shades of rosiness, blood circulation smoothened, she sighed lightly, "Much better."

Min Ning nodded slightly, her phoenix eyes still drawn to that double dragon embroidery, unable to shift her focus away.

Originally symbolizing auspiciousness and prosperity, the double dragons had become fearsome and aggressive, like a fierce taotie vying with the sun and moon.

In the past, during the sultry summers at home, between sisters, Min Ning had seen her sister wearing a dudou; it did not arouse any feeling in her then, no matter how beautiful or curvaceous her sister was. To a younger sister, it felt rather ordinary.

But now, seeing an almost identical shape on someone else, the impact doubled.

Adding on top, the female prince inherently had a large frame, almost rivaling her sister, only further exacerbated by her unshakable heroism.

Min Ning's brows furrowed slightly in awkwardness.

Seeing Min Ning's astounded expression, the female prince, not prone to modesty, let out a clouded breath and said, "Many maidens at the Prince Mansion look at me like this too."

Min Ning returned to her senses, unintentionally repeating, "Look at you like this?"

"Of course, although I stand eight feet tall, after disguise, boasting of my charms is not an exaggeration," Qin Qingluo smiled naturally and continued, "Yet, being gazed upon as a woman is rare."

Embarrassed, Min Ning turned her face aside.

Qin Qingluo remained indifferent, gazing into the distance, speaking slowly, "Care to chat, if you don't mind?"

Min Ning, in her mind, realized she was ultimately a rebellious traitor, feeling some repugnance; besides, since she was also disguised as a man, there came an unexplained irritation, so she said, "I've nothing to chat about with you."

Qin Qingluo caught her expression and said meaningfully, "Don't want to hear about me and that guy?"

The face of the Thousand Households slowly turned back. After hesitance, she responded hoarsely, "Say it."

Seeing this, the female prince laughed heartily. The laughter stirred her wound, causing a few coughs.

She wiped her mouth and said, "Better not speak of it."

Min Ning snorted coldly, resolute, "Even if you don't, I can guess it anyway; given that scoundrel's nature, he surely... put you both through... that thing, news of the An Nan Prince Mansion having no offspring for years were, you borrowed seeds from him to win his allegiance, as an alien royal of different surname, you personally mounted the horse..."

Before finishing, she heard the female prince say wistfully, "I'm the horse."

Min Ning was stunned, her eyes widening slightly.

Qin Qingluo lightly curled her lips, showing a hint of bitterness, without elaborating further, instead changing the topic, "Min Thousand Households, at such a young age, already attaining the Sixth Rank, amidst the whole Jianghu, is a talent bestowed by heaven."

Min Ning returned to her senses, even though at that moment Qin Qingluo spoke in a wistful tone, barely uttering such words, showing that the female prince was open-hearted by nature.

The young heroine felt a bit of danger in her heart, but being broad-minded, she temporarily pushed it aside and replied:

"The prince flatters me. Talents bestowed by heaven are unworthy before the prince."

Qin Qingluo accepted outright: "Naturally."

"…Returning to the topic, which rank is the prince's martial arts now?" Min Ning asked curiously.

"It should be... Fourth Rank, alas... a false Fourth Rank."

Amidst her martial heroism, the female prince bore a trace of sorrow, her fists slowly clenched. After a while, contemplating on her past narrow escape from death, she thought it surely was fate, raising a sprig of courage, openly saying:

"So what? When I regain my martial will, it will be like a resurrection."

These words seemed directed at both Min Ning and herself.

Min Ning, naturally aware that entering the martial Fourth Rank, martial will served as the stepping-stone. Hearing Qin Qingluo's tone, this female prince seemed to have her martial will shattered, prompting her to ask:

"The prince's martial will is dispersed?"

"Correct," Qin Qingluo at this point didn't evade, lifting her eyes to Min Ning, "Do you know how to discuss martial will?"

Min Ning shook her head sincerely, "I'm merely Sixth Rank, how could I discuss martial will? I only know... a justified strike with a blade can weather the storm."

The female prince hearing this, nodded approvingly, "Then you are a genius."

"Genius?"

"Your heart already possesses intent, yet the technique remains unseen, achieving learning without a master; who isn't a genius?"

"...Saying it like this," Min Lesser Hero awkwardly scratched her head, "I truly am a genius."

Qin Qingluo, seeing this discreet hero, amusingly thought, apart from Chen Yi, her view of Min Thousand Households wasn't bad, so she advised, "Many matters, aren't to fixate upon; however, the path of sword and blade demands that fixation. You have boundless potential; if you came to my Southern Border Prince Mansion, you would surely be received as a distinguished guest."

Hearing her discourse on sword and blade, Min Ning naturally asked deeply, "The prince uses a spear and understands sword and blade?"

Remembering someone, Qin Qingluo's eyes dimmed: "I am attempting to study swordsmanship to later counter swordsmanship."

Min Ning objected, "My grandfather said, the more one practices swordsmanship, the more they won't understand spear usage."

"Oh?"

"My grandfather counts as a master of short weapons. Understanding short versus long weapons, short relies on the breath within, a single strike, one blade, shattering all forms; conversely, long concerns the multiple breaths within, birthing from one to two, then three, then myriad forms."

As this female prince wasn't a person from the capital, Min Ning naturally boasted on Min He's behalf.

"Multiple breaths within..." Qin Qingluo's eyes brightened, seemingly understanding, "In this way, myriad forms overcome a single blade?"

To conquer long with short requires one strike to shatter all forms, as in the Medicine Temple, Chen Yi's killing sword held such momentum, yet she retreated uncertainly, subjected to conquering long with short.

Hearing this, the female prince felt a new understanding rise, for as able to shatter myriad forms with one blade, could prevail against ten million techniques; nonetheless, what of a hundred thousand techniques, or a million, or ten million, how could they be overcome?!

Such a rationale wasn't foreign to Qin Qingluo, for knowing differed from realizing. Therefore, this was the first time her heart felt enlightened.

As this Min Thousand Households indicated, her focus lay not upon the spear but distracted by swordsmanship, leading her astray and descending into error.

Birthing from one to two, then three, then myriad forms...

Qin Qingluo's heart attained clarity.

Her blood surged and martial intent seemed on the verge of re-condensing.

Yet suddenly, her heart trembled unexpectedly.

In her mind flickered Zhu E's face, instantly recalling, her heart's sole "one" capable of birthing myriad forms was no longer hers.

Recalling that day, her heart ached, genuinely ached a lot.

Min Ning, noticing her changing expression, queried repeatedly, "You… what's the matter?"

Qin Qingluo returned to her senses, sighed, "Nothing."

Her brows furrowed with bitterness, why at such a crucial moment would she suddenly think of that person; was he truly an insurmountable barrier?

And quite inexplicably, her body felt slightly warm…

Was the medication working too well?

Just as Qin Qingluo intended further reflection, noise arose from the forest.

"Search over here, and see if any more demonic cult members linger."

"These demonic cult members are devious, even disguising as people of Xique Pavilion. Upon sight, kill them, do not spare!"

"Yes, they claimed I was tricked, yet how could the West Factory Thousand Households Chen Yi, so loyal to the state, deceive me?"

......

Hearing this, Min Ning realized her Jinyiwei colleagues arrived, promptly standing up and saying to Qin Qingluo:

"Not good, they're searching over here, let's leave quickly."

The female prince gathered her garments, nodding slightly, just as Min Ning was about to support her, she declined with a gesture.

Min Ning stated seriously, "You're still injured, if I don't protect you, I'm afraid..."

Qin Qingluo glanced aside, smiling mischieviously, she pointed towards the treetop far off, indicating subtly, then briskly leapt up.

Whoosh!

The female prince's figure vanished abruptly, foliage flying, dust swirling, like a painting pierced through with a void, Min Ning turned her head sharply, seeing her already perched on the treetop.

The branches swayed gently, Min Ning's phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, and a clear voice echoed far,

"Even severely injured, I, the sovereign, won't fall short of you."

Min Lesser Hero's lips parted slightly, her face displaying continuous astonishment.

The sense of danger in her heart intensified rapidly,

The Prince of Annan disguised as a man, same as her.

The Prince of Annan's martial arts seemed superior to hers.

The Prince of Annan also stood taller, and compared to her, exhibited greater openness.

It felt as if she had completely lost…

So did it mean… she was about to be replaced?