My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion
Chapter 156 - 136: Who is that woman?

Chapter 156: Chapter 136: Who is that woman?

When Chen Yi stopped, Zhou Yitang stepped into the courtyard. She glanced at Chen Yi and said:

"Practicing swordsmanship again?"

Her tone was indifferent, neither warm nor cold.

"Just passing the time."

Chen Yi did not hurry to sheath his sword. Instead, he slowed down his movements and held the sword in a poised stance, saying:

"I humbly ask Master for guidance."

The one-armed woman looked at his sweat-soaked tunic.

Still claiming he was just passing the time,

yet he was drenched in sweat—who knows how many hours he’d been practicing?

Zhou Yitang shook her head, letting out a faint laugh, and countered:

"Oh, really just passing the time?"

Chen Yi blinked, paused his movements, and lowered his head with a theatrical sigh:

"Not exactly. I was thinking of a girl. She’s very pretty and, like you, fond of swordsmanship. So, I thought I’d practice the Yinzai Sword a bit more, to present her with skill as an offering and seek her favor."

Was it Min Ning, the future master of the Spring and Autumn Sword, he was referring to? Or... is there another?

"...Who is that woman?"

The one-armed woman’s voice grew a shade colder.

Chen Yi suddenly smiled and said:

"Her name is Zhou Yitang, styled Zhu Yu. Master, have you heard of her before?"

Zhou Yitang’s expression remained composed as she calmly said:

"Ridiculous."

Chen Yi sighed and feigned a devastated look.

Zhou Yitang shot him a sidelong glance, a glimmer of light reflecting in her hand as she drew out a worn book from beside her, tossing it over.

Chen Yi quickly caught it in his hands.

It appeared to be the complete Sword Manual of Yin Sword Mountain. But as Chen Yi flipped through its pages, he noticed many modifications.

Several sections had annotations in red ink. In some places, additional pages had been inserted. Techniques for sword movements, postures, and the manipulation of True Qi—all carried edits and notes. As he turned the pages, he reached the final one and saw a line written in the blank space at the bottom:

[This Sword Manual has been slightly modified to suit men. Women should not practice it.]

Seeing these words, Chen Yi suddenly understood something.

It turned out that his master, at some unknown point in time, had meticulously revised the Sword Manual of Yin Sword Mountain solely so he could better practice the Living Sword technique.

Chen Yi took a deep breath, carefully storing the manual away, feeling a deeper sense of guilt towards Zhou Yitang.

Zhou Yitang did not look at him. Instead, she pushed open the hall door, sniffing slightly as if catching a scent.

Her expression turned slightly frosty as she cast a suspicious glance at Chen Yi. The latter, however, stood there nonchalantly, even shrugging his shoulders.

After contemplating for a moment, Zhou Yitang walked unabashedly towards the bedroom.

Yin Tingxue lay sound asleep on the bed, her delicate nose rising and falling with each breath. Zhou Yitang, however, showed no hesitation as she brusquely shook her awake.

"Did he practice swordsmanship?"

The one-armed woman asked directly.

"He... he did..."

Yin Tingxue, still half-asleep, murmured drowsily:

"Practiced for three or four hours."

Having spoken, she closed her eyes again and drifted back to sleep.

Zhou Yitang finally felt reassured. It seemed this rebellious disciple was not merely putting on a show for her but had genuinely been practicing swordsmanship.

As for that scent... it was nothing more than the product of indulging oneself after a long session of practice. For someone in his prime, enduring the monotony of extended training and occasionally indulging in small comforts was normal.

With this thought, she felt a twinge of guilt for her earlier suspicion.

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

After dinner, having teased Yin Tingxue once more later that evening, Chen Yi donned a black long robe, put on bracers, slung a sword onto his back, and secured a saber at his waist.

The Swordsmanship manual Zhou Yitang had given him had been specifically modified to suit him. Thus, without hesitation, he infused fifty years of True Qi into it.

Now, only thirty years of True Qi remained.

However, he still had three True Yuan orbs left.

Two of these came from the Taichua Goddess during that night in the underground palace, while the other resulted from days of teasing Yin Tingxue.

Thinking of this, Chen Yi turned and, smiling, pinched the little fox’s cheek.

She was fast asleep, clearly exhausted from today.

"In a few days, I’ll really take you to Yintai Temple. Be good, alright?"

Chen Yi spoke softly as he brushed her hair.

It sounded less like he was speaking to her and more like he was speaking to himself.

Opening the door, Chen Yi stepped out into the courtyard, glancing at the ink-black night sky.

In four days, his name would be inscribed into the Spring and Autumn Name List. For now, he needed to seize the time to finish the task regarding the Joyful Sect and uncover the source of the Elixir of Fleshly Rebirth.

If he remembered correctly, at this point, the Joyful Sect was likely being eradicated in secret by multiple factions.

"Heading out of the Capital City to the Capital Region requires extra caution."

Chen Yi muttered to himself and took a deep breath.

The Prince of Annan’s army was still stationed sixty miles outside the Capital City. Though retreat seemed imminent, they had not yet fully withdrawn—only some of their elite units had left. Chen Yi refused to believe that this foreign prince, who had been stationed at the Southern Border and had dealings with demonic sects and other forces, would not have experts ranked fifth-grade or above under his command.

Donning a simple bamboo hat, Chen Yi activated his Qinggong and stepped out of the Capital City.

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

Winter rain pelted down on the city walls. About ten Imperial Guards rode on horseback, led by a rugged-faced martial artist at the forefront. A heavy Horse-slaying Saber was strapped to his back, exuding a chilling aura of bloodshed, like someone who had emerged from a mountain of corpses.

The Joyful Sect case had already been reported to the Zige Bureau, so the palace had dispatched Imperial Guards to accompany the Zige Bureau officials to the Capital Region for investigation.

Following behind the group of Imperial Guards on horseback, Min Ning harbored complex emotions.

Her horse took steady steps forward, the sound of hooves resonating steadily as her mind wandered to Chen Yi. In the dim night, her thoughts grew increasingly unfocused.

By now, her elder sister must have provoked him. In a day or two—perhaps even tomorrow—he would likely come to confront her. Min Ning dreaded this outcome. She and Chen Yi had made promises before, but now... she didn’t know what to do.

And so, this afternoon, she had planned to seek him out, prepared to beg for his forgiveness. She had even been ready to sacrifice herself for the sake of atonement. But she didn’t expect that person to be so... shameless!

In her fury, she turned and left.

"Sigh..."

Min Ning let out a deep sigh, regretful of her earlier decision to walk away. Given his character, the more humiliation she endured, the more likely he’d let her elder sister off. And yet, she couldn’t bring herself to cross that barrier in her heart.

That invisible barrier stood between them, separating the two. Min Ning wasn’t even sure what it was. But with that barrier in place, let alone enduring humiliation, even offering herself seemed impossible.

Yet if she didn’t... then what should she do?

Min Ning bit down lightly on her lip in frustration.

"Commander Min."

A voice from ahead interrupted her thoughts. Lifting her gaze, Min Ning saw the speaker—none other than the rugged-faced martial artist with the Horse-slaying Saber leading the group.

It was the first time Min Ning had seen this man. She’d only heard his name from her grandfather before. The world was filled with swordsmen, yet few wielded Horse-slaying Sabers. The reason lay in its nature as a battlefield weapon: clumsy in single combat or street brawls. But this man had made a name for himself with one.

His name was Chou Gang. Twenty-six years ago, he had wielded a Horse-slaying Saber to storm the Western Jin Capital, defeating three sixth-rank experts from the Hidden Dragon List’s top ten. He had even crossed blades with the now-legendary Broken Swordsman, exchanging three moves before losing—a defeat he took pride in to this day.

Although the Broken Swordsman had not yet risen to fame at the time, the fact that Chou Gang managed to exchange three moves with him spoke to his solid foundation. Wherever he went, he was hailed as a formidable warrior and hero.

Now serving as a minister in the Zige Bureau under Great Yu’s jurisdiction, his martial prowess was rumored to have stagnated since being listed in the Spring and Autumn Name List. Min Ning estimated his ranking to be between the fourth and fifth grade.

Many experts lost their momentum after making it onto the Name List. The confines of the Name List were notorious—once entered, one fell under the control of the Heavenly Family, forbidden to kill without an imperial decree.

Thus, for people of the Jianghu, the Spring and Autumn Name List was both revered and dreaded.

"Minister Chou, is there something you wish to ask?"

Min Ning inquired.

Chou Gang glanced at her and asked in a somber voice:

"I’ve heard that you’re acquainted with Chen Qianhu, the one who earned great merit in rescuing the Emperor?"

"It’s common knowledge. Why does Minister Chou ask?"

Min Ning replied, puzzled.

"Because,"

Chou Gang paused, a flash of menace crossing his eyes,

"I was acquainted with Bai Liu Blade, You Xu, who was killed by him."