My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion

Her breath was as fragrant as orchids, her beautiful eyes growing ever hazier, like the mist on a rippling lake. Her body trembled slightly at some unknown moment, and beneath the Korean-style dress with its half-sleeved bodice cinched at the waist, her full curves rose and fell erratically.

Such a scene of a nun caught in the throes of spring longing brought Chen Yi's mind instantly back to the recent moment when she'd been seated on his face.

Korean women were known for their beautiful hair.

Chen Yi's throat grew a bit dry.

The women who knew him all understood—he was never one to remain composed in the presence of beauty; on the contrary, he was one thoroughly enslaved by desire.

All the more so when Dong Guifei, even though she couldn't quite compare to Yin Weiyin, was still a woman who was only judged against the unparalleled Yin Weiyin herself.

And ever since Dong Guifei set aside the burden of her nunhood with her mantra of "form is emptiness," her eyes had turned as seductive as silk threads.

How could he, a man of such standing as a commander over a thousand households, endure such a trial?

Knock, knock!

Two knocks sounded at the door. Just as Chen Yi had been about to lean in closer, he straightened himself abruptly, snapping back to clarity.

"The tea is ready."

"Wait a half incense stick's time," Chen Yi replied, then turned to Dong Guifei, instinctively saying, "Jueyin, this seems... rather contrary to Buddhist Law. Could it be that all Korean nuns are like this?"

A single moment of intimacy on a spring night was worth more than a thousand pieces of gold—this truth was not lost on Chen Yi.

But if Dong Guifei were to follow Min Ming's lead and set a trap, it'd be he himself who would fall into it.

Chen Yi spoke slowly, "What's more, those few words of yours about form being emptiness are merely a comfort to yourself. Do you truly think Buddhist Law teaches something against one's true heart?

One must understand that outside the heart, there is no law."

Comforting herself...

Dong Guifei had wanted to say something, but found herself at a loss for words.

Her cheeks were burning, rendering her speechless. Those few words of "form is emptiness" had indeed served as a means of self-comfort, and now that Chen Yi had exposed her so directly, she suddenly saw it clearly.

If she truly didn't care, if she truly regarded the flesh as no more than a "stinking skin-sack," she'd have dealt with this distraction with ease long ago.

Dong Guifei—a nun adhering to strict marital precepts—had held the precepts of the Buddhist Sect in high regard. Yet at this moment, when someone used the same doctrine to counter her, she didn't know how to respond.

Not responding was one thing...

But the effects of the Jade Spring Balm...

...were growing increasingly intense, crawling under her skin like a swarm of ants.

Before Dong Guifei could speak, however, Lin Wanxiao's figure, following a soft "Please come in," entered as she pushed open the door.

In that instant, Dong Guifei retreated, withdrawing herself once more.

She positioned herself on a meditation cushion, assuming a serene, meditative posture. Seeing Lin Wanxiao enter, she nodded slightly, saying, "Greetings, Madam."

Lin Wanxiao returned the bow with a respectful curtsy. Earlier, Chen Yi had given her a rough account of Jueyin's background—that of meeting a nun in a derelict temple, engaging in pleasant discourse, and developing a deeper bond over Buddhist teachings. Such stories, let alone in real life, were already clichés in countless folk tales.

The young woman approached gracefully, placing a bowl of tea before Jueyin. She then pulled a chair closer and sat beside Chen Yi, offering him another bowl of tea she held in her hands.

Chen Yi hesitated briefly, but upon seeing Lin Wanxiao's gentle smile, he accepted the tea.

The way she presented the tea reminded him of Yin Tingxue.

Yet when Yin Tingxue presented tea, she would stand properly in front of him, holding the tea high with both hands, entirely in the manner of a dutiful concubine.

Lin Wanxiao, on the other hand, handed the tea over while sitting beside him, exuding a gentle and refined demeanor.

Lin Wanxiao was quite interested in their conversation. She first asked what they had been discussing regarding Buddhist Law, prompting Dong Guifei to suppress the burgeoning heat coursing through her and join in. Dong Guifei, who hailed from Huangyue Temple as the nun Jueyin, answered Lin Wanxiao's questions about Buddhist Scripture without reservation. Her words flowed with such brilliance that even Chen Yi, let alone Lin Wanxiao, was utterly absorbed.

"Although the lawyer carries her hair unshorn, she truly speaks with profound understanding of Buddhist principles, far surpassing many elder nuns who have long since severed their mundane attachments," Lin Wanxiao praised, pressing her palms together in a reverent salute. Then, out of curiosity, she asked:

"That said, Lawyer, why do you practice with your hair unshorn?"

Dong Guifei chuckled softly and replied:

"Because the mundane worries in my heart, I've already set aside."

Lin Wanxiao took a moment to process this, then marveled at the wisdom in the response. The two women soon fell into lively conversation, laughing and talking amiably, which did not escape Chen Yi's notice. Lin Wanxiao's gentle nature made her someone who could get along well with anyone.

However, as the discussion continued, Dong Guifei's cheeks grew noticeably redder. Her slim legs, folded in a lotus position, pressed together unnaturally tightly, near to being seamless.

Lin Wanxiao let out a soft "Oh?" and asked, "Lawyer, your face is so red!"

"...Form is emptiness…" Dong Guifei's voice trembled slightly, attempting a witty retort: "It's because Madam sits lovingly at her husband's side, blushing herself, that she perceives this nun's face to be red."

Following her words, Lin Wanxiao indeed flushed an even deeper shade of red.

Chen Yi, naturally, could not let the matter of Jueyin being affected by the Jade Spring Balm become known to Lin Wanxiao. He promptly interjected:

"Wanxiao, when was the last time you entered the palace?"

Lin Wanxiao turned her head to answer but, upon meeting his gaze and seeing her own flushed reflection in his eyes, she glanced away again, replying sideways, "It was four or five days ago. Speaking of which, the Empress Dowager privately mentioned to me that if you accompany me into the palace, you may enter at any time."

"And if I were to go alone?" Chen Yi asked.

"That might not be possible. The Empress Dowager stated clearly that she would no longer allow you to enter the palace alone," Lin Wanxiao recalled the scene, faintly remembering the slight anger on Feng Yan's face.

A widow like Lin Wanxiao would have no way of knowing the true reason behind this.

The Empress had made such a declaration entirely because Chen Yi had been quite self-satisfied at the time.

Chen Yi lifted his chin with his fingers, pondering for a while before saying:

"Then accompany me to the inner palace, and when the time comes, I'll leave a trace of Sword Intent on you. Afterward, you and Xiuhe can return."