My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion
Chapter 120 - 101: Zhu Xiu Dies and is Revived

Chapter 120: Chapter 101: Zhu Xiu Dies and is Revived

"Damn you, Chen Zunming!"

When the voice rang out, Chen Yi jolted.

The hand that had been taking liberties with Lin Wanxiao immediately loosened its grip.

Min Ning wiped the blood off her face, glaring at him with raw intensity. Her phoenix eyes flared with layered anger and an inexplicable hint of... grievance.

Chen Yi opened his mouth, seemingly ready to say something, when the Empress Dowager clasped her hands at her waist and walked forward leisurely, her every move graceful and composed.

"What are you looking for me for?"

The Empress Dowager furrowed her brows and asked:

"I am his mother."

The moment those words were spoken, Chen Yi stumbled backward and almost fell.

Yin Weiyin glanced up, snickered a few times, then quickly checked herself and stepped back.

Min Ning, upon clearly seeing the Empress Dowager’s face, couldn’t suppress her panic and instinctively started to kneel in salute. Chen Yi, however, stepped forward and pressed her shoulder.

"Stand up, stand up, it’s alright."

Chen Yi said.

Min Ning saw the Empress Dowager remaining silent, looked at her again, then at Chen Yi, blinking as her fury dissipated.

"What’s going on here?"

She lowered her voice to ask, and Chen Yi sighed:

"It’s a long story. About the injury on your face..."

Upon hearing this, Min Ning pushed Chen Yi away forcefully, pulling out a family-heirloom medicine from her coat and applying it to the wound.

Seeing that it was only a minor injury, Chen Yi exhaled in relief.

Zhou Yitang’s divination turned out to be accurate—Min Ning was safe and sound, save for a small wound. Presumably, Yin Tingxue must also be unharmed.

"Tell me, what’s really going on?"

After applying the medicine, Min Ning crossed her arms and asked pointedly.

.........

After painstakingly summarizing the situation, Min Ning finally nodded.

"So, someone is orchestrating things from behind the scenes to sever your three corpses?"

"Yes, and that person is surprisingly knowledgeable about the Tushan Underground Palace."

Min Ning thought of something, glanced at the bronze sword in her hand, and said meaningfully:

"This sword... someone intentionally left it for me. It contains a fragment of sword intent that protects me. Though it may not necessarily be the same person."

At these words, Chen Yi tilted his gaze sideways, lost in thought.

"Could there be two opposing factions at work?"

Min Ning asked aloud.

"Not sure—maybe."

Chen Yi shook his head, deflecting the question.

When Min Ning mentioned that the bronze sword was deliberately left and harbored a fragment of sword intent, the primary person Chen Yi thought of was Zhou Yitang.

In this underground palace, only she could achieve something like this.

However... what was her true motive? Was it merely to protect Min Ning? But she clearly didn’t know Min Ning. Yet... if her reasoning was related to Min Ning’s martial arts talent, it seemed plausible, though still somewhat tenuous.

Could she be the same person seeking to sever the three corpses? If so, why? She had no reason to do so...

Of course, it might not be the same person at all.

As conflicting thoughts collided, Chen Yi found himself struggling to draw conclusions. This encounter in the underground palace was completely different from his previous life.

In the past life, Chen Yi had collected nearly all of Tushan’s remains on his own before entering the main burial chamber, where he fought side by side with the injured Zhou Yitang against the Tushan Clan’s final lingering obsession, ultimately sealing it successfully.

Soon afterward, once Zhou Yitang had recovered from her injuries in the capital, he accompanied her to Yin Sword Mountain.

But now, the Tushan Clan, possessing the Empress Dowager, treated him as though he were her son, offering him little threat. He no longer needed Zhou Yitang’s cooperation to confront the Tushan Clan.

Could this shift in circumstances be why the events in the underground palace had turned out so differently?

The more Chen Yi thought, the less certain he was, feeling the clues were insufficient to piece together a complete answer.

"Your Majesty, why did you... become like this?"

Chen Yi turned around to ask.

The Tushan Clan shook her head, murmuring:

"I don’t know either. I was originally attached to that old woman, but one day someone dug up her grave, and so I ended up here."

Chen Yi understood that the "old woman" the Empress Dowager mentioned was none other than the late Grand Empress Dowager.

"Speaking of which, Your Majesty, what is this method of resurrection you used?"

Chen Yi recalled a matter.

If memory served, the main burial chamber of the Tushan Underground Palace was a place of resurrection; however, the precise method remained unknown to him.

The Tushan Clan lowered her gaze, seemingly searching her memories—not just her own but those of the Empress Dowager as well.

After a long pause, the Tushan Clan looked up and said:

"Yi’er, have you heard of Zhu Xiu?"

"Zhu Xiu?"

It wasn’t Chen Yi but Yin Weiyin who spoke up in astonishment:

"The Black Emperor Zhu Xiu of the Absolute Heaven sealing fame?"

According to the Records of the Grand Historian, the Five Emperors of antiquity were Huangdi, Zhu Xiu, Di Ku, Yao, and Shun, with Dayu being a descendant of Zhu Xiu. Thus, Zhu Xiu was revered as the ancestor of the Xia dynasty.

"In the Classic of Mountains and Seas, it is recorded that the snake transforms into fish, and Zhu Xiu resurrected after death."

Yin Weiyin murmured to herself.

Perhaps because she had skinship with Chen Yi, the Empress Dowager regarded her with approval and signaled her to continue.

"In ancient times, there was a saying that snakes and fish shared the same origin. A snake would die and transform into a fish, and a fish would die and return as a snake. The Black Emperor Zhu Xiu resurrected precisely during the transition of snake to fish, appearing as a half-human, half-fish being—called the Fish Maiden in the Classic of Mountains and Seas."

Yin Weiyin recounted the mythos of antiquity.

Chen Yi listened intently. Due to the Taichua Goddess’s legacy, this female crown indeed possessed vast knowledge of ancient myths.

"My resurrection method is the same as Zhu Xiu’s. In the moment between life and death, one preserves the soul and revives afterward."

The Tushan Clan narrated gently,

"This method reduces attachment to the original physical shell, thus preserving the soul."

Though the speaker seemed indifferent, the listener was keenly attentive, and Chen Yi caught something in her words.

Currently, my upper corpse and middle corpse have been severed, leaving only the lower corpse untouched. This is likely because I hesitated at the crucial moment and resisted with my own willpower.

To sever my lower corpse, one must resolve my deepest attachments. If my assumption is correct, the person attempting to sever my three corpses is exceptionally familiar with the Tushan Underground Palace and will inevitably lure me to the main burial chamber to use Zhu Xiu’s resurrection method to sever my final lower corpse.

As the framework of the mastermind’s plan began to take shape in his mind, Chen Yi thought for a bit, then spoke:

"Your Majesty, I need your assistance with something."

"I’ll help with ten thousand things if need be."

The Tushan Clan responded.

"Just one matter will suffice. I need Your Majesty to leave behind some inscriptions nearby."

Chen Yi said slowly.

For some reason, Lin Wanxiao felt a wave of unease, glancing at Chen Yi, who didn’t notice her gaze.

"Your Majesty only needs to inscribe eight characters: ’With a woman’s body, rule the realm.’"

When Wu Zhao declared herself King Zhuanlun, she used the Great Cloud Scripture to justify her claim, with one pivotal phrase: ’With a woman’s body, rule the realm.’

Since I can only confirm the donkey-headed Crown Prince for now, I’ll sow discord between him and his collaborator behind the scenes.

Min Ning gazed at Chen Yi’s composed demeanor, dazed for a moment.

It seemed just like then, when she overheard the news Chen Yi had deliberately leaked beyond the door... only to fall into his trap in the end.

Evidently, he was plotting again.

Even here in the Tushan Underground Palace, he remained the cunning West Factory Thousand Households who manipulated the Eastern Factory’s demonic sect with deft precision.

Each move he made seemed to grasp the critical fulcrum of the situation, cutting into others’ vulnerabilities like a blade.

Min Ning came back to herself and shook her head bitterly...

She didn’t approve of him, yet said nothing.

So long as Chen Yi didn’t use such tactics to harm righteous people...

Still... How could she guarantee that?

Min Ning lowered her phoenix eyes.

Instinctively, she stroked the hilt of her sword, before recalling something...

"Take this."

Chen Yi suddenly heard Min Ning speak and turned around.

He was met with the sight of the Min family’s heirloom blade, "No Impurity," held out before him.

"Since you’re without a sword, use this."

Min Ning placed her cherished blade in his hands and patted it lightly.

Seeing Chen Yi’s surprise followed by a solemn nod, Min Ning let out a long exhale, feeling a bit more at ease.

Min the young hero wasn’t someone who tolerated injustice; her nature simply didn’t stand for malevolence.

She could accept him, but she wouldn’t wish for him to turn into a man steeped in wickedness.

Beyond this and her family, she wouldn’t ask for more, for some things could never be demanded.

She admitted her donation of the sword had a hint of ulterior motive, but if lending him a touch of righteousness would serve him well, then so be it—for she was indeed starting to accept him...