My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion
Chapter 186 - 165 Prince of An Nan Qin Qingluo

Chapter 186: Chapter 165 Prince of An Nan Qin Qingluo

"A blade can kill, but it cannot perform."

"Since you’re here to test me, bear in mind that blades and swords have no eyes. Make a mistake, and you die."

The voice was not loud, but it was enough for the three on the second floor to hear clearly.

Chen Yi was hardly someone bound by martial virtue. Since they had provoked him willingly, even if it was merely a test, he might as well kill a chicken to warn the monkeys.

The bell tower fell into utter silence. The female attendant beside the two women had already raised her eyes, ready to counter Chen Yi should he suddenly strike.

Meanwhile, the woman with her hair tied back had softened her expression and spoke with a long-faced grin:

"What a fierce killing intent. But I fail to understand—how come even Ye Ming, such a seasoned figure, couldn’t detect your murderous aura?"

She was a tall, imposing woman whose stature seemed almost too much for a small horse-drawn cart to bear. Her questions carried an air of authority.

Chen Yi remained silent, for the old man in the gray robe hadn’t initially intended to fight to the death. Disrupted by Chen Yi’s provocation, he acted impulsively, which ultimately led to his demise.

The reason the gray-robed elder couldn’t sense the murderous intent was simple—being struck down from within and already dead killed any intent he might have harbored.

These matters were certainly not something Chen Yi intended to explain to the woman.

"Interesting. Quite interesting."

The woman with the tied-back hair spoke repeatedly, seemingly indifferent to the elder’s death, as if the latter was insignificant,

"How exactly did you do it?"

Chen Yi glanced at her briefly. Exposing his cards? What, was he an idiot?

"Since I’ve been here, this is the first time I’ve encountered someone so intriguing."

The woman turned her head and addressed her companion:

"Wouldn’t you agree, Madam?"

Chen Yi gave the two women a surprised look, silently cursing inwardly.

"Such sharp killing intent—a skilled practitioner indeed," the red-robed lady said with a light laugh, "Cleaner and more decisive than many in the mansion. Truly rare to find."

"Though a bit too ruthless. It requires some tempering,"

The tied-back-haired woman observed Chen Yi with a mix of amusement and admiration. However, Chen Yi ignored her and instead gestured for Yin Tingxue to come over.

Yin Tingxue obediently walked to his side. In this kind of situation, her usual approach was to stay quiet and listen.

"Your wife?" the tied-back-haired woman asked.

"Yes," Chen Yi replied.

The woman chuckled, then glanced sideways at her red-robed companion: "Shame she’s not as captivating as my own wife."

Yin Tingxue lifted her gaze to scrutinize the red-robed lady’s mature and alluring figure. Instinctively, she nodded.

There was no helping it—the gap was too vast.

In this regard, she could only vie for superiority with Min Ning.

Chen Yi had intended to chide her, but upon seeing her earnest reaction, he couldn’t stop himself from laughing quietly.

"So, no more testing?" Chen Yi turned to ask.

"No need. For an attendant, it’s not worth getting into a life-or-death fight. But you... you truly are a budding talent of the Martial Arts world." The tied-back-haired woman stood with her hands clasped behind her, her gaze holding genuine admiration and even a trace of longing.

Chen Yi couldn’t discern these women’s origins, particularly the silent female attendant whose breath was nearly imperceptible, leaving her martial arts skill level an unknown. Hence, he replied coolly,

"Thank you for the praise, Madam."

"I hope you won’t hold it against us for any prior offenses," the red-robed lady said with a graceful smile.

Chen Yi suppressed his stirring urge to retaliate, his expression remaining indifferent: "Spare me the courtesy. Just speak your mind."

The red-robed lady quietly cursed his lack of entertainment value, while the tied-back-haired woman smirked and said:

"I reckon your reason for coming here must be to find the heir of the Joyful Sect—the one named Liu Baili, who is now hiding within the Medicine Buddha Tower."

Chen Yi’s thoughts shifted subtly, even as he asked in confusion, "If that’s the case, why are you still lingering here?"

"The answer is simple. Unlike ordinary Central Plains Buddhist towers, the Medicine Buddha Tower is a diamond-throne style from the distant land of India. It’s completely sealed from the inside out.

According to various inquiries, unlocking the tower from the outside requires four Heavenly King statues. At present, martial artists across the Jianghu are all busy searching for these four statues."

The tied-back-haired woman revealed this calmly, as this wasn’t much of a secret to the many martial artists congregated here.

After hearing her explanation, Chen Yi cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for enlightening me, Madam. We shall take our leave now."

With that, Chen Yi took Yin Tingxue’s hand and strode out of the bell tower without looking back.

Once their figures had disappeared from sight, the red-robed lady burst into laughter,

"This man dared to kill in front of the Prince—with the victim being one of his attendants. Such audacity!"

"That old mutt Ye Ming deserved it. Wasted the mansion’s resources for so many years, yet remained stuck at the Sixth Rank."

The tied-back-haired woman showed no sign of anger but rather a measure of admiration:

"Aunt Zhu, this man is different. He’s almost on par with Ye Ming himself."

The silent female attendant showed no reaction upon hearing the comparison to herself.

"Even if he’s skilled in martial arts, what difference does it make? No man can outmatch us merely because of talent," the red-robed lady said with a smile. "They’re all cut from the same cloth."

"Aunt Zhu, underestimate the heroes of the world at your peril. Despite the flowing river, I, Qin Qingluo, am ultimately nothing more than mortal."

With no one around, Prince of Annan, Qin Qingluo, spoke without pretense and referred to the red-robed woman as "Aunt." Her voice carried a hint of laughter as she gazed off into the distance,

"This man’s courage is exceptional, his actions decisive. I’d like to investigate him further. If possible, I might send him to hunt down that individual."

"Are you referring to...?"

"Who else could it be?"

Qin Qingluo’s eyes gleamed coldly, clearly holding that person as a dangerous adversary and a thorn in her side,

"I wonder how he compares to that West Factory Thousand Household, Chen Yi."

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

Below the towering Buddha statue in the plaza, the air buzzed with voices,

Youths with wandering spirits, wealthy heirs, stoic hermits, scruffy beggars, Buddhist mages—countless figures from across the Jianghu filled the scene, their calls echoing everywhere as they bargained for items that caught their eye. Some argued over prices, and others sought quarrels. The sect’s green-tiled halls teemed with bustling noise and minor skirmishes.

Where there are people, there is Jianghu. In this great mix, the more people there are, the greater the semblance of order, whereas smaller numbers mean heightened risks to life. Though many of the martial artists gathered here sought treasures, they maintained relative harmony and stability in their interactions.

Chen Yi led Yin Tingxue through the bustling crowd, stopping briefly to ask someone for information. He learned that for some unknown reason, the Joyful Sect was filled with arrays. To enter even one random building, one would need to unravel its array enchantments. Without doing so, breaking in forcefully might range from damaging the door to destroying the entire building along with its trapped occupants.

Nobody presently knew the whereabouts of the four Heavenly King statues. There was an extreme shortage of monks, Taoists, and other experts capable of breaking the arrays.

Chen Yi, unfamiliar with array magic, felt a mounting sense of difficulty upon hearing this news. Meanwhile, Yin Tingxue wandered about, curiously browsing various stalls with her bright almond-shaped eyes.

"Tang Kumai has appeared!"

An exclamation suddenly broke out from somewhere, and within moments, nearly half the plaza turned to look.

"That Tang Kumai who annihilated the Joyful Sect has shown up here!"

"What’s she doing here?"

"No one knows. Apparently, some disciples from Yin Sword Mountain stumbled into the Scripture Pavilion and got trapped inside. She’s working on breaking the array."

......

The noise layered on itself, as countless individuals paused their movements and hurriedly began heading toward the Scripture Pavilion.

Like a school of fish in the river, the crowd flooded in a single direction.

Chen Yi furrowed his brows, clearly deep in thought.

Disciples from Yin Sword Mountain trapped inside the Scripture Pavilion... Could it possibly be Lu Ying?

With this speculation pressing on him, Chen Yi led Yin Tingxue and made his way toward the Scripture Pavilion.

The majestic Scripture Pavilion stood atop a pedestal of white marble, its main structure supported by a towering tree. Its curving eaves resembled dragon horns, and the verdant sheen of its roof was adorned with eight mythical dragon sculptures. The surrounding crowd formed a dense ring around the pavilion, with the innermost layer standing ten paces away from the steps—none daring to approach farther.

This was because Tang Kumai stood directly before the pavilion, wielding a sword with one hand while forming a sword technique with the other, chanting incantations as she worked to dispel the array.

From afar, Chen Yi watched the scene, his mind racing.

To enter the array or not?

Without knowing the situation inside and with Tang Kumai already clearing the enchantment, rashly intervening could harm his own prospects and add chaos to an already difficult situation...

While weighing his options, Chen Yi was about to step back.

Yin Tingxue suddenly grabbed his sleeve.

Chen Yi turned to her in confusion, only to find her tilting her head as though she had heard something...