My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion
Chapter 196 - 175 Who Asked You to Block?

Chapter 196: Chapter 175 Who Asked You to Block?

The dagger came straight at him, but midway, it trembled and twisted upward forcefully.

Using Qi to control the weapon.

The assassin’s pupils contracted sharply, but in the next second, a wine bowl smashed into his face, shattering with a loud crash.

Wine seeped through his nostrils and lips, and the assassin collapsed to the ground with a livid face, foaming at the mouth.

A sudden upheaval left everyone in the inn standing up in shock, dumbfounded at the scene.

Chen Yi paid no heed to the assassin and instead lunged to the side with a swift kick.

The sound of air being torn apart echoed as a swordsman couple attacking him suddenly retreated. Chen Yi took the opportunity to draw his blade, confusion clouding his heart.

Where did this assassin come from, and why was this swordsman couple—whom he’d just met briefly—showing hostility toward him?

As if to answer his doubts, a voice rang out from the inn’s courtyard, crisp but carrying undeniable authority.

"Honored warriors, this man is Chen Yi, a former Thousand Households of the West Factory. Cruel in nature, merciless in methods, he has caused turmoil in the court. The An Nan Royal Mansion has issued multiple bounties for his death — one thousand gold taels to whoever kills him!"

Though the voice was not deep, it penetrated the walls and echoed in everyone’s ears. Chen Yi sharply turned his head and saw the black-clad woman stepping forward with ghost-like agility.

Ye Ming, holding a soft sword in hand, wielded a sharp, needle-like cold gleam, resembling a venomous snake’s fang dripping poison.

She was already within three feet of Chen Yi.

Life and death hung by a thread!

Ye Ming was seventy percent confident that she could kill him with one strike.

At this moment, Yin Tingxue suddenly broke free from Chen Yi’s grip, shielding him as she shut her eyes in terror.

Chen Yi’s pupils contracted sharply as the soft sword was mere moments away from piercing through Yin Tingxue’s skull.

The sound of shattering echoed, threatening to pulverize her small head right before his eyes.

And yet, he hadn’t won her heart, nor had she begun to love him...

The soft sword stopped mere inches from her brow, bending outward inexplicably. Ye Ming’s pupils contracted as her body twisted, the immense impact traveling along the blade. Her figure swirled in mid-air like a serpent, eventually absorbing the force as she was flung backward.

In the blink of an eye, faced with this perilous moment, Chen Yi instantly understood. With a vehement tug, he pulled Yin Tingxue back.

"Are you insane?!"

His roar caused Yin Tingxue to squeeze her eyes shut tighter. Even she couldn’t understand why she’d impulsively darted forward in that instant. She was simply terrified, terrified that blade would kill Chen Yi right in front of her.

Just like that time, she had been frightened of her critically ill mother breathing her last in front of her.

In the next second, Yin Tingxue was slung over Chen Yi’s back, and after assessing the situation, he dashed out of the inn in the blink of an eye.

Inside the inn, it was unclear how many An Nan Royal Mansion assassins still remained.

Barging into the crowded square outside, the throng swelled, creating commotion. Though the words of the red-clad woman had spread, amidst the sea of faces, who could recognize Chen Yi?

Soon, Chen Yi vanished into the crowd.

"He escaped?"

In the courtyard, Qin Qingluo asked coolly.

"I failed to stop him," Ye Ming replied expressionlessly, retracting her soft sword and reporting with calm resignation.

The Prince of Annan didn’t seem to take it to heart. Instead, he leisurely unwrapped a cloth from a spear. The weapon, over nine feet long, was deep purple in color, its shaft made of hardwood: light yet tough as iron. It was said that the spear had been used by the gun master Zhu Diji before his fame and was named "Purple Lightning," a legendary weapon of its generation.

"Prince, the monk’s words seem true. That girl is likely... the Purity Saintess,"

Said Aunt Zhu, the Princess of An Nan, turning her gaze. The spot beneath the tree was vacant, not a sign of the nun.

Upon seeing this, Qin Qingluo spoke softly, "Instruct everyone not to harm that girl. Besides, she isn’t easy to touch either."

Aunt Zhu shot her niece a delighted smile, then asked,

"And what of Chen Yi, Prince? What are your plans for him?"

"Simple—kill him outright. For grievances old and new, there’s no reason to leave him alive."

"Ah, fate plays tricks on men. Heaven truly ignores the Prince’s appreciation for talent," the red-clad woman murmured dramatically, before her face turned cold. "Letting him die easily would be too kind. That the Prince wouldn’t tear him limb from limb in the end—it only shows his love for talent."

Qin Qingluo chuckled at this, her laughter vibrant yet unmoving, much like a cobra lifting its head.

"If I don’t kill him, someone else surely will. That demon queen survived because of him — then today, he dies in her place," Qin Qingluo’s snake-like eyes gleamed with vicious focus as she moved with deliberate steps, ascending the stairs. "To die for his lord’s honor — for someone like him, that would almost be a worthy end."

Before long, word would spread among the Jianghu Guests gathered at this sect’s ruins about who Chen Yi truly was.

Because Qin Qingluo, with her photographic memory since childhood and exceptional skill at painting, would ensure it.

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

Dusk had fallen.

Racing through the winds, Chen Yi carried Yin Tingxue on his back, traversing countless miles before stopping at a mountain cave.

Chen Yi set Yin Tingxue down, exhaled a deep breath, then glared at her fiercely.

The little fox was frightened by his look, shivering and retreating half a step as she said, "I didn’t mean to..."

"Who told you to step in?" Chen Yi’s voice was cold.

Seeing him like this terrified Yin Tingxue, leaving her anxious and motionless as she shook her head and whimpered softly, her hands nervously clutching the hem of her clothes.

"Better that sword kills me than for you to intervene—do you understand?"

Chen Yi’s complexion darkened further as he thought of how the blade had been mere inches from Yin Tingxue. Had it been any closer, it would have claimed her life on the spot.

"Do you think Zhou Yitang’s Sword Intent is some miracle cure-all? That’s a trump card, not something for you to use recklessly."

Yin Tingxue bit her lip, not daring to respond, clutching the corner of her clothing tightly.

Chen Yi exhaled heavily and continued coldly:

"I know your intentions were good, but that doesn’t give you a reason to act that way. When that sword came, I wasn’t unprepared. You just complicated things for me."

Under the Shangqing Heart Method, time slows down, and with three True Yuan breaking through three realms, the mental method has also improved significantly. Chen Yi had clearly seen the trajectory of that sword.

Yin Tingxue dodged his gaze, mumbling:

"But the result... the result was good."

"And what if next time it goes wrong?" Chen Yi rebuked, genuinely frustrated.

What if next time it goes wrong...

Yin Tingxue’s heart skipped a beat, reminded of something her mother had once said.

Unknowingly, Chen Yi seemed to resemble the mother from her memories more and more.

It must be an illusion...

Yin Tingxue trembled even more, her fear making her heart pound uncontrollably.

Seeing her remain silent, Chen Yi grew angrier and barked:

"When you return, you’ll stay home and have children for the rest of your life. Don’t leave again!"

Yin Tingxue looked up, startled, sensing his genuine fury. His anger left her frozen in fear, unable to speak. Tears streamed down her face in silence.

She had just started tracing the first stroke of the character "正" (meaning "justice or upright") but had already upset him...

"Don’t..."

Yin Tingxue choked out her plea, glancing at his livid expression, before losing the courage to say more.

Chen Yi sighed as he noticed her crying, trying to calm his mood.

Truth be told, chastising her like this wasn’t entirely fair. But if he didn’t drill this into her, she might endanger herself again next time.

And all of it stemmed from the An Nan Royal Mansion.

Those two women—the one with the tied hair and the one in red—was one of them the Prince of Annan, disguising herself as a man to take the throne?

"Whether she’s an alien Prince or a different kind of king," Chen Yi muttered darkly. "If they threaten Yin Tingxue and want to kill me, all of them might as well die."

No matter the power behind the Prince of Annan, since their killing intent was so deep, there was no room for negotiation. And worse, they didn’t just go after him but targeted the people he cared about—this left Chen Yi with no choice but to act. Who cared who they were!

Just as Chen Yi turned to scold Yin Tingxue further, murder came suddenly—emerging from the forest in the fading light. A burly man stepped forward, leaves crunching beneath his feet.

"There’s someone called Zhang Xuqu, with the Jianghu nickname Tongbei Divine Ape. I’ve heard... his Qinggong is extremely fast."

Fixing his gaze on Chen Yi, Zhang Xuqu did not launch an immediate attack. Instead, he smiled faintly and asked:

"I wonder—how fast is your blade?"