My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion
Chapter 126 - 107: If the Heart is Burdened by Sorrow, Thereafter Shall Come Wellness

Chapter 126: Chapter 107: If the Heart is Burdened by Sorrow, Thereafter Shall Come Wellness

She was taller than him, and more stubborn than him.

The two golden "镇" characters hovered horizontally in midair. Chen Yi, calculating against the unsuspecting Zhou Yitang, struck first while she was momentarily softened by a trace of warmth, pinning this sword-armored renowned figure on a mere square inch, rendering her immobile.

Looking down at her from above like this—this was the second time. The first time was in their past life. He had also succeeded in ambushing her back then, forcing her to kneel on the ground. But this time, even though Zhou Yitang was pressed into a deep pit, she still stood tall.

"Don’t you want to know how I discovered it?"

Chen Yi asked.

Zhou Yitang said nothing nor looked at him, her eyes lowered indifferently.

It seemed as though she was the one overlooking him.

"At first, I couldn’t figure it out. Even though my instincts told me something was off the first time I encountered you, I dismissed it.

But on the Heavenly Altar, when I coincidentally struck down a middle-class corpse again, that’s when I realized someone was pulling the strings. Yet I didn’t suspect you immediately."

The one-armed woman remained silent.

"But, in the bronze sword you left with Min Ning, you embedded a trace of Sword Intent. Not only that, but earlier you secretly left another trace of Sword Intent on her, enabling her to defeat Xue Chengdong, a Fourth Rank expert. When she joined me, I began sensing your interference.

Apart from her, there’s also Yin Tingxue—you protected her, even taking her by your side."

The one-armed woman still showed no expression.

Chen Yi sneered:

"In the end, you care too much about me."

Zhou Yitang suddenly lifted her head, her gaze dark and filled with unrelenting hatred.

Chen Yi softly remarked:

"I’ve said,

Your sword is obsolete."

Her cold, thin lips curved slightly, her smile complicated.

"Then why must you learn it?"

Chen Yi silently stared at her, offering no response, instead saying:

"The Supreme One has no self, the Divine One has no merit, the Saint has no fame.

I am not the Supreme One, not the Divine One, nor the Saint... I am but a mortal. You want me to sever the three corpses and ascend to sainthood, yet that is not my true wish—it is yours."

Zhou Yitang did not answer; it seemed like assent.

Once again, she fell into his hands. He was her softest spot, and he exploited this vulnerability twice to subdue her. Was it his intention to break her sword again this time?

It was as though they’d returned to that rainy night—the downpour relentless, its dense curtains obscuring vision. The one-armed woman exhaled deeply.

The blade tip pressed against her pressure point, poised to pierce at any moment. She had always disliked this version of him—the man wielded his sword like a killing blade, an aura befitting a Broken Swordman who turned swords into knives, not like her.

In her past life, she perceived his vigorous passions and rejected him outright, only to have her sword broken by him. She felt she had failed to teach him well, causing him to betray his master.

For a teacher, having their proudest disciple become a traitor—it was only natural to feel shame and hatred.

To avenge her broken blade, and to teach him properly, she vowed to sever his three corpses, to extract the kindness buried deep within his three souls and Seven Spirits. This lifetime had been meticulously planned for that purpose, yet in the end it fell apart. Perhaps, as he said, she still... cared too much about him, even unable to make his beloved woman a mere pawn.

Several times she suspected that Chen Yi also remembered their past lives, but she was unwilling to believe it, for she had awaited this new cycle to start afresh.

"Are you going to break my sword again?"

Zhou Yitang asked calmly.

Chen Yi stared at her, then smiled and asked:

"If I break your sword, will you come back in your next life to do this all over again?"

"I’ll be more thorough."

She answered bluntly.

Chen Yi’s gaze grew sharp.

Zhou Yitang glanced at him sideways and said flatly:

"You might as well kill me, let me give up entirely."

Chen Yi gripped the knife handle tightly, as if ready to thrust at any moment.

Zhou Yitang kept her gaze hollow, awaiting the strike.

Then let him stab—single-edged blade, meant for killing. It was said among mortals that blades untouched by blood lack killing intent, but once they spill blood, they emanate an awe-inspiring force, looping into dragons. Let him slit her throat, let her sword-arm die here in this forsaken underground palace, leaving behind a skeleton. If he killed her, severed his emotional ties with a sharp blade, she would relent—for when the heart is as broken as Ruo Shang, what follows is liberation.

Suddenly, catching the faint stir of a breeze, Zhou Yitang opened her eyes, her gaze complicated.

Unexpectedly, Chen Yi sheathed his blade, waved his hand at Anhou, signaling for her to lift the suppression.

Her body suddenly freed, Zhou Yitang stared at him with an inscrutable expression. At this point, with victory fully in his grasp, he unexpectedly released her, showing no fear of her counterattack.

Both of them knew full well—unless he killed her, breaking her sword again would never untangle their karmic ties. Yet he chose to let go, neither breaking her sword nor killing her. What did he truly want?!

"I’ve broken your sword once before."

Chen Yi spoke slowly,

"This time, I’ll choose differently."

He turned away, facing the bronze door, and walked towards it.

Zhou Yitang’s calm facade faltered, her expression froze in astonishment, before she slowly stepped forward to follow.

"You want me to go inside so badly,"

Pausing before the bronze door, the man who wielded killing blades drew his sword, stroking its engraving, his voice unusually gentle at this moment,

"Then let’s go—I’ll go inside with you."

Zhou Yitang’s gaze flitted, then settled deeper. She said:

"You said it."

Chen Yi replied softly:

"Mm, when the heart is as broken as Ruo Shang, what follows is liberation.

I’ll make you abandon this obsession with severing my three corpses."

The one-armed woman answered with a mere smile.

Watching this scene from afar, Anhou furrowed her brows but said nothing, only smiling bitterly.

A child grows up,

and must make their own choices.

Chen Yi took out a bronze box from his chest, containing two fragments of Tushan Clan corpses, and handed it to Zhou Yitang.

Zhou Yitang received it, rotated her wrist, and the box vanished without a trace—a unique storage method of those from the mountains, known as Square Land.

Anhou slowly stepped forward, pressing her hands against the bronze door.

The nine tails on her body flared briefly before dimming gradually, flickering away entirely. Chen Yi suddenly felt a pang of distraction—the Tushan Clan member who viewed him as her child would soon return to the seal, while Anhou, who treated him as a blade, would remain in the mortal realm.

Upon the door, the yin-yang fish dulled its brilliance. With a thunderous rumble, the door began pushing open from within. Anhou collapsed limply as though her soul had been drained. Chen Yi scooped her up and handed her to Yin Weiyin and Min Ning, who had hurried over.

A pitch-black corridor came into view—hazy and dim, devoid of light. Zhou Yitang didn’t glance back but stepped forward first.

Chen Yi slung his sword across his back, with Min Ning’s gift, "No Distractions," at his waist—a sword and a knife. He turned for a final glance, noticing a small figure—it was Yin Tingxue. The little fox stood on the stone bridge and waved at him when she saw him look.

Chen Yi smiled, nodded, and followed Zhou Yitang into the corridor.

With a resounding rumble,

the bronze door gradually closed behind them, sealing their path.