My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion
Chapter 138 - 118: The Life of Widowhood

Chapter 138: Chapter 118: The Life of Widowhood

"You’ve entered the Spring and Autumn Registry?"

The one-armed woman asked softly.

"Indeed. In a few days, when the new Supervisor of the Eastern Factory arrives, it will be time."

Chen Yi returned to his residence but did not go to the main hall. Instead, he turned toward the guest room to recount the recent events to Zhou Yitang.

Since returning from the underground palace, Zhou Yitang had stayed in his home temporarily to recover from her injuries.

After contemplating for a moment, Zhou Yitang said:

"I know you carry a strange poison. I had thought you would sever the Three Corpses and ascend to demand accountability. But..."

Chen Yi smiled and added for her:

"But you didn’t expect that I couldn’t sever the Three Corpses, and now my cultivation level has plummeted, making it impossible to demand anything."

Currently, Zhou Yitang was still recovering, trying to mend both bodily and soul injuries from the loss of her intact Magic Sword. Right now, her cultivation level was no higher than Fourth Rank, and even after healing completely, she would barely reach Third Rank, no more than Second Rank at best.

"Exactly."

Zhou Yitang nodded and said,

"But the poison in your body..."

Her words trailed off.

Chen Yi looked at her pale complexion; his heart ached slightly. He then said:

"I have my ways. You should stay here and focus on healing. Besides, you’re now merely Fourth Rank, barely reaching Third Rank. Even if you entered the imperial palace to demand fairness for me, you might not obtain it.

Rather than exposing the truth of your drastic cultivation decline, it would be far better for you never to take action again. Let the name of the Ninth under Heaven be my shield, forcing the Empress Dowager to hesitate."

Not too many people were aware of Zhou Yitang’s cultivation decline after her recovery. Even those with extraordinary discernment could only guess that she had suffered some injuries—not overly severe ones—as long as they didn’t face her in combat.

"Your reassignment is welcome."

The one-armed woman commented,

"It will give you a chance to practice the Living Sword again."

Chen Yi had always known that his master disliked him killing people.

"Alright. I just don’t know yet where I’ll be reassigned."

Chen Yi replied after pondering briefly.

Zhou Yitang fell silent for a moment upon hearing that. After a brief pause, she seemed to recall something and said:

"Tomorrow, I need to go out."

Chen Yi was momentarily stunned. Her personality wasn’t usually one for announcing such things ahead of time. If she wanted to leave, she simply left.

Even with her current decline in cultivation, Zhou Yitang was still Sword Armor-ranked at Yin Sword Mountain. If she wanted to leave, not even three of him could stop her.

The one-armed woman noticed his confusion, turned her face slightly as though wanting to explain further, but ultimately refrained.

"Oh, alright. Who are you meeting?"

Chen Yi asked.

"Your senior sister."

Zhou Yitang replied,

"After returning, I’ve already seen her a few times. Some matters remain unresolved, and she cannot help but feel perplexed."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yi’s thoughts drifted. He smiled and asked:

"Like before, keeping things hidden from her?"

He recalled years ago when he broke his master’s sword, it had been while Lu Ying was far away on her path of cultivation. Taking the opportunity of her absence, he had drugged and sealed his master’s Martial Arts and Taoist Skills before wandering the Jianghu with her.

When they returned to Cangwu Peak at Yin Sword Mountain, Lu Ying had also returned, unaware of anything. She believed the peak remained the same, with harmony between master and disciple.

For Lu Ying’s sake, Zhou Yitang had rarely humbled herself, pleading with him to keep Lu Ying in the dark at all costs.

At Yin Sword Mountain, in the places Lu Ying could see, master remained master, and disciple remained disciple, harmonious and respectful. But in the places she could not see, it was utter rebellion—betrayal of the master, desecration of the elders.

"Master, but how long can this be kept secret?"

Chen Yi asked with a smile.

"For a lifetime."

Her tone was matter-of-fact.

Chen Yi understood. Ever since childhood, Lu Ying had been at Cangwu Peak of Yin Sword Mountain. She’d always regarded her master as a mother. That was precisely why Zhou Yitang wanted to hide the truth. If Lu Ying were ever to learn that her deeply respected master, her revered maternal figure, had been treated this way—humiliated in both obvious and subtle ways—it would feel like the sky had collapsed.

Wives hiding affairs from their husbands, widows hiding indiscretions from their children—such has been the way of things since ancient times.

When Chen Yi remained silent for a long while, the one-armed woman’s gaze sharpened, her eyes carrying a trace of killing intent as she stared at him and asked:

"Not willing to agree? Must you humiliate your master this way?"

Chen Yi shook his head with a chuckle and said:

"Of course, I’ll agree. I only feel a bit sorry for Senior Sister. I hide things from her; you hide things from her. It makes her seem like..."

Chen Yi stopped abruptly, leaving the words unsaid.

Zhou Yitang’s ears flushed red but remained stoic, turning her face away silently.

At this moment, the sound of hurried horse hooves suddenly echoed from the courtyard.

Chen Yi walked out of the guest room and saw Min Ning’s anxious expression. It was clear something had happened in the Eastern and Western Factories.

He quickly moved to the door. Upon hearing the news, Chen Yi’s face darkened instantly before rushing off with Min Ning toward the West Factory.

Zhou Yitang was about to close the room door when she saw a petite figure cautiously approach. It seemed the person had come to find her but had held back upon seeing Chen Yi earlier.

Now, Yin Tingxue stepped toward the guest room with a book in her hands: Records of Violet Elixirs. It was something Chen Yi had once forced out of Yin Weiyin.

"What are you here for?" Zhou Yitang asked.

Upon hearing this, Yin Tingxue pushed the book forward slightly and said:

"Master Zhou, can you teach me Alchemy?"

"What kind of elixir?"

Zhou Yitang frowned in confusion.

Yin Tingxue had neither become a monk nor started cultivation. She had no need for external elixirs. Indiscriminate use of medicine was harmful and beneficial to no one.

The young fox hesitated for a moment, then softly said:

"Con... Contraceptive Pill."

.........

The faint glimmer of dawn accompanied the crowing of roosters, descending upon the Capital City. Lin Wanxiao stared blankly out the window, and without realizing it, the silver needle in her hand pricked her fingertip.

A drop of blood trickled out, jolting her awake. It turned out four days had passed since returning from the underground palace.

Lin Wanxiao had not returned to the Lin residence. The Lin estate had been sealed long before the Empress Dowager returned to the palace. She had nowhere else to go and had no choice but to return to her family home, entering through the side door. She waited nearly an hour at the gate before someone finally let her in.

Once back, she paid respects to her stepmother and her elder brother from the primary branch. The others avoided seeing her. When she returned to her quarters, it wasn’t until late into the night that a maid came to serve her.

The fall of the Lin Party had turned her, once married into the Lin household, into a plague.

In past years, at her wedding banquet, she’d relied on the Lin family’s influence to host guests from all corners, basking in glory. But now, with the tree fallen and the apes scattered, her family wished desperately that she could be reduced to nothing more than a concubine severed from familial ties.

Lin Wanxiao did not respond to this. She simply changed into a plain white mourning dress and called for a maid to bring her some needlework. With winter approaching, the drizzle made everything damp and cold. In this deep courtyard, dressed only in mourning clothes, she shivered from time to time but uttered no complaints.

Finally, her loyal childhood maid Xiuhe, who had not accompanied her to the Lin estate when she married, could no longer bear watching. Acting on her own, Xiuhe went to other rooms seeking warm clothing, only to return empty-handed, with a glaring red slap mark on her face.

"Madam, they’re all bullying you!"

Xiuhe knelt on the ground, clutching Lin Wanxiao’s legs and sobbing.

Lin Wanxiao merely sighed and said:

"The fact that they let me come back is already more than I could have hoped for."

As she spoke these words, her mind abruptly flashed to the sound of blades slashing throats in the underground palace. Her hands numbed, and the silver needle fell to the ground.

A strange dizziness overtook Lin Wanxiao.

Thoughts of Chen Yi haunted her. Even outside of nightmares, his memories entwined with her.

The life of a widow was not easily endured...