My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion
Chapter 123 - 104 How Is It So Easy?

Chapter 123: Chapter 104 How Is It So Easy?

The sword’s body was thin and narrow, its edge razor-sharp, yet its hue was a heavy and solemn black. It did not emit a chilling gleam but bore an imposing presence. The blood groove was smooth, its curvature slightly concave, resembling an Eight-sided Han Sword rather than a standard Han Sword. Engraved on the blade were the characters: "A heart like Ruo Shang’s mournful, yet its aftermath like peace restored."

Zhou Yitang gazed at it once more before sliding the sword back into its scabbard.

"Is this... the sword you’ve prepared for him?"

Yin Tingxue asked curiously.

Even she could discern that the origins of this sword were extraordinary. Its blade, so thin it resembled rice paper, was striking. Just looking at its body imparted a feeling of seeing its shadow without a gleam—an aura of mystique. She couldn’t fathom how much effort and offerings Zhou Yitang had invested into crafting such a sword.

"Yes,"

Zhou Yitang replied softly, then added:

"You should return now."

"Back to him, right?

Honestly, I prefer staying with you,"

Yin Tingxue said softly.

Back on the lake during their conversation, she had felt tense and fearful. But after several days of interaction, she realized Sword Armor wasn’t an unapproachable person. Being around Zhou Yitang required no constant vigilance, and she gradually relaxed.

Yet, when she was with Chen Yi, Yin Tingxue often found herself nervously uneasy.

"If it weren’t for him, you and I would be unrelated,"

Zhou Yitang said in an unusually gentle tone.

"Even if you’re not the Demon Sect Saintess this time... I still bear my biases."

Bias in the human heart is a mountain hard to move.

"Back then, he also said that because I was once the Demon Sect Saintess, I would inevitably develop a cruel disposition and commit atrocities like exterminating entire families in the future,"

Yin Tingxue rarely broached the subject of her relationship with Chen Yi.

"I told him, ’One becomes red near vermilion and black near ink; people can change. If I don’t join the Demon Sect and stay by his side, I’ll naturally act as a good person.’"

Zhou Yitang appeared deep in thought.

Then, she softly asked:

"Why would he say that to you?"

She wanted to understand the underlying motives, seeking clarification.

"He... wanted to consummate the relationship with me..."

Yin Tingxue confessed honestly.

Zhou Yitang let out a cold laugh.

As expected, he hadn’t changed.

Leading Yin Tingxue along a path, Zhou Yitang brought her to the edge of a dark river. She informed her that Chen Yi would come here—it was a route he had to take.

"Once you leave the underground palace, you’ll need to decide whether to follow him to Yin Sword Mountain or stay in the Capital City. It’s your choice,"

Zhou Yitang said softly.

Yin Tingxue didn’t know what to do. She neither nodded nor shook her head. She didn’t want to leave the Capital City, yet she must follow Chen Yi.

Seeing this, the one-armed woman felt a moment of compassion and revealed:

"Don’t worry, by then... he probably won’t be so vicious anymore."

Upon hearing this, Yin Tingxue’s face lit up with a bit of joy. But quickly, she reconsidered—after severing three corpses, Chen Yi’s temperament had changed drastically. Could this process be too ruthless? She felt a natural surge of empathy as her joy waned, leaving her conflicted.

From afar, a hurried figure dressed in a golden-threaded vestment robe approached—Yu Zhen Yuanjun.

Zhou Yitang turned around and was just about to gesture respectfully when Yu Zhen Yuanjun anxiously exclaimed:

"Master Zhou, he headed directly for the main burial chamber!"

In that moment, Yin Tingxue noticed Sword Armor’s normally composed demeanor falter slightly. She froze on the spot, her wide eyes expressing a rare shock.

It felt as though a meticulously devised plan had unraveled completely.

"How could he..."

Zhou Yitang lowered her gaze, sighing deeply after a prolonged silence.

"If that’s the case... there’s only strategy left."

Yin Tingxue blinked,

Chen Yi... What on earth is he doing?

"...I hope this was an accidental misstep,"

Yin Tingxue thought to herself.

Otherwise, she couldn’t shake the feeling of an ominous premonition about Zhou Yitang.

Guanyin Bodhisattva, please don’t let that wicked man succeed.

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

Chen Yi carried Lin Wanxiao, who was unconscious, leading at the front, his mind rife with thoughts.

Min Ning followed closely behind, her head bowed as if pondering something.

Her hand occasionally waved through the air, as though wielding an invisible blade, her movements guided by her thoughts. She would stop midway when the feeling seemed off, then try again.

Interrupting his train of thought, Chen Yi glanced sideways at Min Ning and asked:

"You... Did you have some new insight?"

Min Ning paused her hand mid-air and gave a slight nod.

"However... It doesn’t feel quite right. I think I’ve grasped about one-third of it. Maybe it’s because I don’t use a sword but rather a blade."

Chen Yi’s eyes gleamed as he replied softly:

"Tell me your impression. It could be useful to me."

Min Ning tilted her head in confusion. She scratched her ponytail and nodded,

"Alright, but it might not be accurate—it could mislead you."

"No problem,"

Chen Yi withheld half a sentence,

This is to prepare for the next move.

These days, Yin Weiyin and Lin Wanxiao had contributed a considerable amount of True Qi to him—a total of seventy years. Adding the fifty years he previously held, he now possessed one hundred and twenty years of True Qi.

Even with one hundred and twenty years of True Qi, it wasn’t enough for him to ascend from the fifth to the fourth rank. In Martial Arts, the gap between the fifth and fourth ranks was like the breadth of an entire river. Back then, even the White Willow Sect’s weakly restored fourth-ranked master, You Xu, had overwhelmed him to the point he barely could retaliate.

Thus, he needed Min Ning’s future-in-the-top-ten martial enlightenment for guidance.

Min Ning grasped at that faint sense, organized her thoughts, then described:

"Alright, listen closely. The Sword Intent on that bronze sword was calm upon departure but fierce upon striking. When facing an opponent, it disregards flaws in their technique and instead targets the essence of their intent. To shatter their intent is to shatter their technique. It grows stronger when challenged..."

Once Min Ning finished narrating, Chen Yi’s interface already displayed a new Cultivation Technique.

[Yinzai Sword Fragment (Unmastered)]

Unhesitatingly, Chen Yi poured all his one hundred and twenty years of True Qi into the cultivation technique.

[Min Ning has grasped aspects of Zhou Yitang’s swordsmanship. You borrowed her understanding but due to limitations in your perception and talent, you failed to achieve the key insight. A year’s effort yielded no results.]

[Ten years of reflection led you to recognize the core issue: the swordsmanship from Yin Sword Mountain requires Taoist and Martial Dual Cultivation, as inseparable as yin and yang itself. You finally attempted to wield the sword, albeit crudely, thereby stepping onto the proper path.]

[Forty years passed in an instant. Though you have sword techniques, you remain unable to cultivate their true Intent. Yin Sword Mountain, known for accepting only female disciples, has its reasons. After extensive investigations, you learned the connection lies between sword techniques and mental methods; the latter being exclusive to women. With incomplete sword techniques and without the mental methods, your progress remains slow, especially as it’s a fragmentary text—the effort-to-reward ratio is disproportionate.]

[Seventy years later, diligence overcame your inadequacies. You spent the span of a typical person’s lifetime refining your swordsmanship and finally gained preliminary insight.]

[One hundred and twenty years of perseverance allowed you to grasp a sliver of the Sword Intent. Following the Intent with your sword strikes, you managed to achieve small success—your cultivation of the Yinzai Sword advanced moderately.]

[Yinzai Sword (Moderately Achieved)]

Chen Yi shut his eyes briefly, sensing the lingering Sword Intent left by Zhou Yitang.

Moments passed before he exhaled heavily.

The group passed through a long corridor, seeming to emerge into a vast space. Anhou furrowed her brow slightly and stepped forward.

"Yi’er, stop for a moment."

Chen Yi halted without questioning her.

He saw, by the underground dark river encircling the main burial chamber, amidst the blue-green glimmer, a one-armed woman standing with a back profile. Beside her, she held a girl with a braided bun, evidently waiting there for a while.

Chen Yi inhaled deeply and handed the unconscious Lin Wanxiao to Anhou.

Then, he strode forward decisively.

"Yi’er!"

Anhou called out urgently.

Chen Yi paused briefly, giving her a reassuring smile in return.

Approaching the dark riverbank, he met the one-armed woman’s gaze head-on. His fists clenched, he offered a respectful salute.

"Master Zhou, we meet again."

He glanced at the slightly uneasy Yin Tingxue and spoke softly:

"Thank you, Master Zhou, for safeguarding my wife’s well-being."

The term "wife" fell like a rock into her ears, and Yin Tingxue felt Zhou Yitang’s hand tighten painfully around hers.

Yin Tingxue grew flustered, wishing desperately to kick Chen Yi hard.

"No need for formalities,"

Zhou Yitang replied lightly.

"It was a minor effort."

After she spoke, she released the girl, allowing Yin Tingxue to move uneasily closer to Chen Yi. She glanced back one last time at Zhou Yitang, noting her expression remained calm.

Turning her focus to Chen Yi, she readied to call out to him but was taken aback when he stepped forward and pulled her into an abrupt embrace.

"Little fox, did you miss me?"

His sudden public display of affection rendered Yin Tingxue’s cheeks crimson. She stammered:

"Yes..."

"Don’t lie,"

Chen Yi retorted, delivering a pat to her lower back.

Blushing heavily in embarrassment, Yin Tingxue could only block with one hand while guarding herself with the other.

"I’d rather you openly say you didn’t miss me than lie otherwise."

"I... I didn’t miss you..."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yi gave another playful pat.

Yin Tingxue grew flustered to the verge of tears, her almond-shaped eyes swimming in grievance.

"This is your punishment for not missing me,"

Chen Yi teased with a grin.

Yin Tingxue could only nod repeatedly in surrender.

She felt a chill creeping up her spine.

Their confrontation had somehow led her to suffer instead...

The one consolation was that Sword Armor wouldn’t take any action against her.

Zhou Yitang observed the playful scene with a passing thought dissipated. Then, her gaze shifted to a figure in the distance—someone from the Tushan Clan. Momentarily baffled, she asked:

"That’s Tushan Clan? She follows you?"

"Yes. For some reason, she seems to regard me as her son,"

Chen Yi replied nonchalantly.

Zhou Yitang lowered her gaze in contemplation. After a pause, she slowly spoke:

"If that’s the case, then it seems... she’s willing to return to the seal?"

"Probably,"

Chen Yi answered coolly.

The ever-aware Yin Tingxue glanced between Chen Yi and Zhou Yitang, uncertain of their conversations’ cryptic intentions. She felt the two shared an ambiguous rapport—part instinctive trust, part probing intent.

"I have five sets of remains. Adding the ones in your possession should suffice to reseal her,"

Zhou Yitang suggested.

"Only two are permitted to enter the main burial chamber—one yin, one yang, one female, one male. You and I can enter together to perform the sealing."

As she spoke, her gaze turned to the distance.

If it weren’t for the failure to sever Chen Yi’s lower corpse at the Heavenly Altar, nor his sudden change of course toward the main burial chamber, she wouldn’t have revealed herself or resorted to this plan.

Yet, the proposal was bait. She and Yu Zhen Yuanjun had already entered the main burial chamber earlier using the Secret Technique.

Had circumstances permitted, Zhou Yitang intended to lead Chen Yi through mazes of conjecture before ultimately trapping him in the chamber. However, such indirectness didn’t suit her temperament; it would have made her motives obvious. Better she lay her cards on the table altogether.

Bearing in mind his nature, Zhou Yitang anticipated he would verify her possession of the five remains, investigate the chamber’s exterior conditions, deliberate over several possibilities, and only then throw logic aside to take the risk.

Prepared for this scenario, Zhou Yitang could wait patiently—even if this outcome was unfavorable. Having already accounted for contingencies, she was firmly equipped.

"Alright... we’ll head inside tomorrow,"

Chen Yi replied with a smile.

Startled, Zhou Yitang lifted her gaze.

How could he... so easily walk into this trap?