My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion
Chapter 192 - 171: Is This Considered Jealousy?

Chapter 192: Chapter 171: Is This Considered Jealousy?

"...Don’t say I’m being unruly, will you?"

As she spoke, her voice grew weaker and weaker, and her body seemed on the verge of collapse.

Since returning from the underground palace, this was the first time she had questioned Chen Yi like this.

Because she feared him, even her questioning was so soft it bordered on pitiful.

Seeing her like this, Chen Yi contemplated for a brief moment and said:

"Alright, I won’t pursue it any further."

After thinking more, he added:

"You must remain this well-behaved."

She let out a sigh of relief, her legs momentarily weak, and Chen Yi seized the chance to pull her into his arms.

Holding her like this immediately brought to mind her taste. If Yin Tingxue weren’t watching nearby, Chen Yi honestly would have wanted to hold her a little longer.

Falling helplessly into his embrace, Yin Weiyin felt a surge of rejection in her heart but still followed up with a question: "Can you promise me?"

Chen Yi, a bit more unrestrained now, replied meaningfully: "That depends on you."

Yin Weiyin’s gaze flickered. She gritted her teeth, "You want?"

"Quite want."

"Then fine... Find a place with no one around." She guided his fingertips, pulling them toward the fabric over her chest. "Let’s both make it quick."

But Chen Yi drew his hand back and chuckled faintly:

"Where is your mind wandering? I only wanted a kiss."

As the Jianghu Guests who had entered the Scripture Pavilion gradually stirred awake, Chen Yi had no intention of letting anyone hear something they shouldn’t or leaving behind a scandal for himself. He naturally wouldn’t act recklessly here.

Besides, since she had kept herself pure for him, if possible, he didn’t mind earning the favor of this female crown either.

It’d be convenient to pair her up with Yin Tingxue as sisters.

Yin Weiyin visibly froze, her ears burning red with an inexplicable sense of embarrassment.

Not because of the awkwardness of thinking too far, but because he only wanted a kiss.

Between her and him, there had already been many occasions. It wasn’t like kisses hadn’t happened, yet each time, it was Chen Yi taking the initiative while she passively responded.

To speak of it, her memory of her first kiss was vague; she didn’t even know how, in some unclear manner, Chen Yi managed to steal it.

You can’t outfox the wolf without sacrificing your sheep. The princess pressed her lips together, then timidly stood on tiptoe and leaned forward to kiss him.

Soft lips met, and standing a step higher on the stairs, she pressed herself against him entirely.

The female crown’s lips were icy, but soon, they were warmed and ignited by Chen Yi’s. Yin Weiyin felt like a lamb walking into the wolf’s den, yet she tried her best to relax, to enjoy.

Held tightly by Chen Yi, she couldn’t help but feel herself becoming inexplicably soft, almost liquid, while he...

Why did he suddenly seem a little gentler?

Initiating the kiss herself, he didn’t seem as forceful as before.

A long moment later, it was Chen Yi who willingly pulled away, leaving the female crown gasping for air, her face blooming with blush as a thought crossed her mind.

This was the first time she had kissed him voluntarily...

Yin Weiyin touched her lips; unthinkingly, the kiss left a trace in her heart.

As though it were her true first kiss.

Chen Yi smiled faintly, watching her, and casually said, "I’ll agree to it for now."

The female crown slowly registered everything before she nodded and then turned to leave.

Meanwhile, the princess standing nearby hesitated, looking left and right, caught in a moment of mild embarrassment.

"What’s wrong?"

Chen Yi turned his head and wiped a trace of moisture from the corner of his lips.

Yin Tingxue felt something strange she couldn’t quite describe.

Him flirting left and right—wasn’t he bringing disgrace to the household? If he ended up having children, wouldn’t they die of shame...

Lowering her face in dejection, she vaguely thought of him as an unrestrained mother.

Was this jealousy?

It didn’t seem so... but why not make use of it?

Yin Tingxue’s thoughts danced in chaos.

Chen Yi noticed Yin Tingxue stepping closer, as if wanting to say something, and asked:

"What’s going on? Little fox."

"Don’t keep doing this..."

Yin Tingxue hesitated before attempting to sound upset:

"If you keep this up, I’ll get jealous, okay?"

She had an inexplicably heart-grabbing demeanor, and Chen Yi froze momentarily.

Yin Tingxue observed his reaction nervously, wondering if she’d made a mistake.

After a long pause, Chen Yi broke into a grin, seemingly understanding, as he ruffled Yin Tingxue’s hair:

"You little fox."

Hearing the pleased tone in his voice, Yin Tingxue softly probed:

"Is this considered jealousy? I don’t know—you need to tell me, otherwise I can’t make you happy."

Rather than real jealousy, it was more like pretending to be jealous. Chen Yi recognized that she didn’t fully grasp the concept; her gaze was different from Zhou Yitang’s. Rather than looking at a husband entangled with others, it was more like watching a mother behaving improperly with someone else.

"It doesn’t count."

At these words, Yin Tingxue’s eyes dimmed in disappointment.

Seeing her expression, Chen Yi couldn’t help but chuckle:

"Fine, let’s count this one time."

Yin Tingxue’s face lit up with joy. This was the first time she succeeded at pleasing Chen Yi after their agreement—like the first stroke of a "正" character. However, there was nothing nearby to mark it down.

Find some paper then; this was the Scripture Pavilion, surely there was paper and ink.

As Chen Yi watched her delight, he worried it might lead to dependency and said:

"But just this once. If it’s not real jealousy in the future, it won’t count."

Yin Tingxue furrowed her brows in visible reluctance.

Chen Yi softened his tone:

"I don’t want to dote on you like a daughter. Understand?"

The little fox felt a bitter pang in her chest, inexplicably sorrowful, mumbling:

"...I didn’t take you for my mother."

.........

About half an hour later.

Leaves intertwined, a pavilion scattered with dry foliage. Yin Tingxue sat obediently on a stone seat, unusually quiet. Her small bundle contained brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone—all brought from the Joyful Sect.

On the paper marked with the first stroke of the "正" character, she folded it into a small square and carefully stored it within the deepest part of her bundle. She was determined to bring it back; if Chen Yi randomly decided to deny it later, she’d face trouble.

Meanwhile, Yin Weiyin sat not far from Chen Yi. Having left the Scripture Pavilion, Chen Yi blended inconspicuously among the Jianghu Guests to avoid garnering attention and eventually arrived at this pavilion, waiting for Yin Weiyin.

"Tell me—what did you learn from Soul Searching Xue Qingsheng?" Chen Yi asked.

Soul Searching differed from summoning spirits; the latter typically required forty-nine days outside of Demon Extermination Day, while Soul Searching often took just one day.

Yin Weiyin began: "I’ve searched thoroughly regarding what you asked. The recipe for the Flesh Relic Decoction originates from the Western regions, just as Joyful Sect’s cultivation technique hails from Western Purhan Temple."

"This is common knowledge."

"However, contrary to popular understanding, Jianghu rumors claim that Joyful Sect stole its techniques from Western Purhan Temple. Yet, according to what Xue Qingsheng knows, a senior monk once devoted to Medicine Buddha was expelled from the temple. Wandering far, he eventually arrived in the Central Plains, where he took on a disciple and passed down all the methods of the West. That disciple later became the founder of Joyful Sect."

This revelation caught Chen Yi off guard. If Xue Qingsheng’s knowledge was accurate, it pointed to a dispute within the sects of the Western Secret Sect.

The sect worships five Buddhas, as does Joyful Sect. Four are identical, but the Eastern Buddhahood differs entirely. Western Secret Sect honors Akshobhya Buddha, while Joyful Sect venerates Medicine Buddha.

This indicates that Akshobhya Buddha replaced Medicine Buddha in the Western order, which led to the latter’s faction being expelled, even violently eradicated...

Chen Yi’s gaze darkened in thought as his travel pouch sat nearby, close to Yin Tingxue.

The little fox eyed the pouch, recalling the Heavenly King statue inside, and felt a growing itch.

A faint voice seemed to urge her to touch it.

Touching it... should be alright, no?

She crept closer, her movements light...

"As for the exact origins of the Flesh Relic Decoction, according to Xue Qingsheng, while it came from the Western regions, it also didn’t." Yin Weiyin continued reporting.

Chen Yi looked toward her and asked, "What do you mean?"

"His soul mentioned that in the founder’s later years, the Medicine Bodhisattva appeared to him in a dream, claiming to entrust a grand mission spanning millennia. Thus, he was gifted the recipe for the Flesh Relic Decoction..."

As Yin Weiyin spoke these words, the princess’s small hand lightly brushed the travel pouch.

Boom.

With no sound, a dazzling white light instantly consumed Yin Tingxue’s vision. All she could see was endless whiteness, the surrounding space swirling and shifting.

She didn’t know how long had passed before the light gradually dissipated. Rubbing her eyes, she found herself standing within Yintai Temple.

Before her lay the temple floor covered in layers of red maple leaves, and in the main hall stood a statue of a Bodhisattva carved from stone.

Everything felt like an illusion.

Yin Tingxue stared, her mouth agape in astonishment.

As she reached out hesitantly, a voice suddenly called from behind.

"Tingxue."

That voice—it was familiar, yet unfamiliar enough to strike her with a peculiar resonance.

Yin Tingxue turned around, her mind blanking completely.

A bhikkhuni stood amidst the gentle falling snow, bearing an uncanny resemblance to her mother... but only by three parts.