My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion
Chapter 199 - 178 The Little Fox Girlfriend!

Chapter 199: Chapter 178 The Little Fox Girlfriend!

Yin Tingxue’s neck felt a belated chill, startled, she looked at him.

Chen Yi didn’t speak, merely gazed back at her with calm intensity.

This look of his, she always feared— not because he wanted to bully her, but because he had made a decision, a decision she didn’t want but couldn’t change.

Yin Tingxue opened her mouth, but the words caught in her throat, unable to come out. The cold wind made the mountaintop frigid, and even the flowers on the edge of the cliff trembled in fear.

Chen Yi calmly said to her:

"If you want to say something, just say it."

At the inn, the moment the soft sword came thrusting forward, Chen Yi had a fleeting sense that Yin Tingxue might die from this strike.

Although Zhou Yitang’s Sword Intent ultimately saved her life, Chen Yi still felt a hollow emptiness inside, because at that very moment, the girl’s life and death had escaped his control.

She shielded herself to block the sword, and instead of feeling touched, Chen Yi felt panic— he was terrified Yin Tingxue might die for his sake.

If she kept acting like this, who knew under which sword she would perish?

For the first time, he regretted bringing Yin Tingxue out of their safe confines.

Neither of them spoke as the oppressive night weighed down with eerie silence, broken only by the faint rustle of falling leaves. Yin Tingxue grew increasingly uneasy. As she often did, she timidly took a small step forward, hoping to lean into his embrace.

But Chen Yi took a step back.

The girl’s heart chilled instantly, goosebumps rising all over. She looked at Chen Yi, choked briefly, then said:

"I don’t want to..."

Yin Tingxue waited for a response, but none came, plunging her deeper into despair.

With a trembling voice, she asked, "Not even Yintai Temple, is that off-limits too?"

"We’ll talk about it after you’ve had a child."

At last, he responded, but it was a chilling remark. The wind whipped at her sleeves, and Yin Tingxue felt as if she’d fallen into an ice cavern.

The perceptive girl sensed that Chen Yi didn’t ever want to let her leave again.

He probably intended never to allow her to visit Yintai Temple either, trapping her in the courtyard to obediently bear one child after another, snuffing out even the tiniest fragment of freedom.

She had always feared him, and hated him too. Just when she’d thought he’d softened slightly, he now wanted to push her back into the cage she once escaped.

The overwhelming sorrow stiffened Yin Tingxue’s body. She reluctantly stepped forward, but Chen Yi retreated another step.

The young woman of noble birth looked at him with wavering hesitation, her lips trembled. After a long while, she spoke with bitterness:

"...Not even a hug is allowed?"

Seeing her tearful eyes glisten, Chen Yi instinctively raised his hand, and Yin Tingxue immediately threw herself into his arms.

The little fox gasped deeply, inhaling and exhaling as though she had just returned from the gates of death. Her nose filled with his scent.

She sniffled, clutching tightly onto Chen Yi, silently pleading for him to soften and relent a bit.

"Your heart constantly drifts elsewhere, never staying at home," Chen Yi finally spoke after a moment of contemplation.

The outside world was far too dangerous.

The sword that nearly claimed Yin Tingxue’s life brought forth a torrent of thoughts in Chen Yi’s mind— the Heaven King statue that caused strange events with every touch, the sudden hostility from Prince of Annan Qin Qingluo, this land saturated with traps set by immortals and Buddhas—it was a place where a single misstep could mean he’d lose Yin Tingxue forever.

The mother-daughter game seemed to have silently run its course; he didn’t want to worry about her life and death anymore, nor did he intend to continue playing protector.

"Take out paper and ink," Chen Yi said.

The girl in his embrace shuddered, her stiff back pressing against his palm. She stammered:

"I just... I just finished writing on it..."

Chen Yi said nothing.

"I didn’t mean to upset you, can you let it go this time?"

Tears welled up in Yin Tingxue’s eyes; her voice was delicate, fragile. She didn’t even dare admit her intentions were good, afraid it would provoke the man in front of her.

Chen Yi seemed unmoved: "I’ll help you write a few more strokes, make it a negative tally."

Yin Tingxue trembled even harder, desperately pressing herself closer to him.

"Don’t try to use tenderness on me, this time you can’t escape." Chen Yi’s voice softened, yet his words became even more terrifying, "When we return, you’ll learn embroidery. The first set of clothes for the child will be sewn by its mother."

Yin Tingxue clung to him even tighter, a silent act of resistance.

Sensing her defiance, a flash of cruelty crossed Chen Yi’s gaze. He grabbed her shoulders and said:

"Even if you’re unwilling, you must obey. Understand? You have no choice."

Yin Tingxue froze with dread, her tears coming to an abrupt halt.

You have no choice...

Such familiar words. The first time they had met, he had said the same thing—that she had no choice—and forced her into becoming his concubine, depriving her of all autonomy.

"I don’t want..." she instinctively murmured, then quickly stopped, fearfully looking at him, pleading, "Can we not talk about this, please?"

Wasn’t she just lying to herself? Wanting to avoid the topic, as though she really had a choice? In the end, she would have to concede, just as she had when becoming his concubine. Resistance was useless. Even tenderness achieved nothing...

Yet Yin Tingxue still didn’t want to face it. She would avoid it for as long as she could.

"Then what do you want to talk about?" Chen Yi asked coldly.

He had seen through the girl’s thoughts, so this time, he wouldn’t let her escape.

Yin Tingxue wiped away her tears, her eyes still red. She didn’t actually know what else she wanted to say, she just didn’t want to confront his cruel words.

She had upset him, and the tally on the paper had turned negative.

Chen Yi saw her remain silent and pressed further: "What do you want to say, hmm?"

It was as if he wouldn’t even grant her the chance to evade things anymore.

"I want to say..." Yin Tingxue stammered for a long while, then suddenly, as if enlightened, said: "I— I said that I’d... I’d try to love you, didn’t I?"

Chen Yi nodded, smirking coldly: "So, you still want to persuade me to change my mind."

"No, no..."

Yin Tingxue hurriedly spoke. She was terrified to discuss the topic further; if so, then even the sliver of self-delusion she held would be destroyed.

After hesitating for quite some time, she cautiously asked:

"Then... can we start by being friends?"

Friends? Chen Yi never expected her to say something like this. She was already his concubine, her delicate body wholly his—what difference would it make whether they were friends or not?

Chen Yi wasn’t planning to let her go but was willing to let her avoid the matter for now—to give her this small reprieve. After all, she kept running circles in her escape attempts, but once they returned home, she would still be at his mercy.

What’s more, he did truly wish to win her heart.

"Oh?"

Chen Yi pondered for a moment and teased:

"So, you mean you want to be my girlfriend?"

Girlfriend... how strange this word sounded?

How odd...

Yin Tingxue thought to herself, but seeing his tone soften, she didn’t dare let the opportunity slip by. Without thinking further, she quickly said:

"Yes, yes, I’ll be your girlfriend. From now on, we’ll first be kindred spirits, and you’ll be my boyfriend too."

After speaking, she shrank into his arms, nervously watching him as though walking on thin ice, her heart pounding wildly.

She wasn’t unfamiliar with romantic tales of love brought to life in poetry; she had dreamt of marriage and children before. But why did it have to be this man...?

He wanted her love, wanted her to bear his children, yet also wanted to trap her forever...

"Can we... be boyfriend and girlfriend, alright?"

Seeing he hadn’t responded, Yin Tingxue asked quietly,

"You’re skilled in martial arts, well-read, and even know how to cook. I really want to be your girlfriend..."

But after saying this, despair filled her gaze. Chen Yi hadn’t reacted at all, and her heart sank completely.

When it came down to it, what was she even avoiding? She was already this man’s concubine. Running in circles had no purpose; her escape attempts were futile. Could she truly escape? She never had before!

Just as Yin Tingxue fell into utter hopelessness, she heard Chen Yi’s laughter close to her ear.

"Alright, then I’ll let you be my girlfriend."

Yin Tingxue froze, her stiff back loosening in relief.

"Re—really?"

In the distance, the mountain ranges blurred in the night, stars scattered across the sky, dazzlingly radiant. For a fleeting moment, the night’s silence condensed, even the monks’ chanting seemed to pause in the girl’s ears, making everything surreal, dreamlike.

Had he agreed?

Yin Tingxue blinked in disbelief:

"I’m your... girlfriend now?"

Chen Yi smiled, pulling her into his arms. "Of course."

Yin Tingxue opened her mouth wide in surprise, then burst into laughter. She’d escaped, truly escaped.

And not only was she no longer merely a concubine, she had become his friend. Perhaps he would listen to her more from now on; did this mean she had a higher position? Yes, it seemed so. He appeared to be happy, gently holding her in his arms.

The tightly wound string suddenly released, and despite the cold winds atop the mountain, she didn’t feel a chill. Yin Tingxue burst into tears of joy, overwhelmed to the point of crying, shouting into the wind:

"I’m your girlfriend now!"

The feeling was indescribable; the wind whistled, jeering at the spectacle, the mountaintop leaves rustled in response, and the stars hung high above.

It felt like surviving a catastrophe. Yin Tingxue, at this moment, was utterly elated. After enduring so much grievance with Chen Yi for so long, this was the first time she’d felt this kind of happiness.

"Who’s my girlfriend?" Chen Yi asked gently.

"Yin Tingxue is your girlfriend, Yin Yintai is your girlfriend!"

She giggled foolishly, repeating the words.

She had thought she couldn’t escape this time, that things were unmovable— otherwise, why else would such a strange idea as friendship even occur to her? Yet, miraculously, she had found a way out. Was this the Guanyin Bodhisattva working her magic?

Chen Yi watched her with a smile and asked again:

"So isn’t the little fox my girlfriend too?"

The girl stepped slightly away from Chen Yi, standing atop the mountain, the cold wind making her shrink back slightly. Behind her stretched a sky full of stars; blushing, she replied shyly:

"The little fox, the little fox is your girlfriend too..."