My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion

After noon, Min Ning briskly headed to Chen Yi's residence.

In no time, she arrived outside the courtyard gate. The hall doors were wide open, and Chen Yi was leisurely sipping tea. Without a doubt, the young concubine must have prepared it for him. She served him diligently, and as long as he didn't mistreat her, she had no complaints.

From a distance, Chen Yi noticed the figure in fitted attire. She had started to imitate him—the sword now strapped to her back, the blade at her waist. She stood straight at the entrance.

After finishing the tea in his hand, Chen Yi stood and went to greet her.

"So, you've come," Chen Yi was somewhat surprised to see Min Ning drop by, and teased with a smirk, "What's this… couldn't wait any longer?"

Min Ning, displeased by his frivolity, took a deep breath to suppress her annoyance. Remembering her plan, she stiffened her expression and said, "I have business with you. If not, I wouldn't bother."

Chen Yi stroked his chin thoughtfully. He had been contemplating visiting Qin Qingluo. However, traveling to the Prince of Annan's military camp without a legitimate reason might attract unwanted attention, which could stir up trouble back at the palace.

"You're here to ask me to investigate something with you?" Chen Yi asked.

Min Ning gave a slight nod.

Chen Yi replied, "Then there's no time to lose. Let's go."

Using this investigation as an excuse, he planned to head to the Capital Region, sixty li outside the city, to meet the woman pregnant with his child—his prince.

Min Ning wasn't the type to dawdle. The two went to the West Factory, saddled two horses, and leaped onto them. One man, one woman, riding side by side along Vermilion Bird Street, they headed straight out of the city gates.

"You're not curious about the case I want to look into?" Min Ning suddenly asked.

Chen Yi thought for a moment before saying, "What's there to ask? For me right now… it's all the same."

Min Ning glanced at Chen Yi, suspicion flickering in her gaze.

Noticing her expression, Chen Yi suddenly remembered how she had once taught him a move—Wind-Slicing Rainstrike. The technique had been incredibly useful, becoming a staple in his repertoire. Now, after returning from the underground palace, she had grasped Zhou Yitang's Sword Intent, attempting the combination of both sword and blade styles. Chen Yi figured it wouldn't hurt to teach her a move in return, proving to her that he wasn't lying.

Chen Yi asked, "Want me to prove it to you?"

Seeing his confident demeanor, Min Ning was skeptical but still nodded.

Without further ado, atop his horse, Chen Yi drew the Hou Kang Sword from his back. With a sudden burst of strength, he thrust it straight forward.

The sword light erupted like thunder, and a gust of sideways wind exploded on either side of him. The burst was so strong it blew Min Ning's hair into disarray atop her horse.

Her steed whinnied in fright, rearing up on its hind legs. Min Ning nearly lost hold of the reins. Her eyes widened, as she clearly felt the overwhelming sword intent contained in that strike.

"Destruction Zen Sword—my own creation."

Chen Yi didn't even look back to see her astonished expression.

Min Ning gripped the reins tighter, calming her horse. Afterward, she carefully replayed the strike in her mind. The more she thought about it, the more she noticed its brilliance. Her hands trembled slightly.

"You… you've reached the Fourth Rank?"

She asked incredulously.

"Indeed," Chen Yi replied with a smile.

Min Ning's mind became a mix of emotions. Although the difference between Fifth and Fourth Rank lay in martial understanding, and there were legends in Jianghu about suddenly reaching Fourth Rank overnight, to witness it herself in just a few short days unsettled her profoundly.

It had been less than a year,

But was this still the same Chen Yi who once stole her Cultivation Technique?

A flicker of jealousy arose but was forcibly suppressed by Min Ning. She gave a half-mocking, half-reassuring smile. So what if he reached Fourth Rank? He was still just a starved ghost chasing after beauty.

Even so, she couldn't help but feel curious,

"How has your martial arts progressed so quickly?"

"My rapid improvement came with some risks of forceful methods. My foundation isn't particularly stable, and my learning is quite scattered,"

Chen Yi explained atop his horse, turning to her with a grin:

"But someday, I'll wait for you in the Top Ten of the Martial Rankings."

Min Ning's cheeks flushed slightly at his words but she shook her head, snorting lightly:

"I can't tell if Chen Qianhu wants to wait in the Top Ten for me or if he's trying to catch up to his Ninth-Rank shifu, just to see her support herself single-handedly on a bedside."

Chen Yi's eyes widened a little as he blurted out:

"How do you know about that…"

Min Ning spat in disgust, muttering curses about his shamelessness.

And how did she know? It wasn't something an average woman would say, but Min Ning wasn't one to keep secrets. She answered directly:

"Back in the underground palace, your concubine asked if I grew tired of holding myself up single-handedly. At first, I didn't think much of it, but afterward, as I recalled the scene, I pieced it together."

Now whenever she thought of Chen Yi, Min Ning's straightforward nature led her to overthink this and that.

"Why didn't you think of it at the time?"

Min Ning instinctively replied:

"I didn't care about you that much back then."

In the next heartbeat, realizing what she had just said, Min Ning belatedly blushed. She then coughed, feigning sophistication.

Chen Yi sidled closer with a wide grin, clearly eager to catch a glimpse of her expression.

Annoyed, Min Ning inhaled sharply and almost went to draw her blade. After fumbling for a moment, she remembered she'd already gifted it to him. Just her luck...

The breeze from the Capital City brushed against Min Ning's slightly flushed and annoyed face.

She didn't like it. Turning her head away, she raised her hand to shield herself from the wind.

Chen Yi, unrepentant troublemaker, teased, "You're blushing?"

"Are you sick in the head?" Min Ning gritted her teeth.

"And still incurable," Chen Yi quipped with a laugh.

"If you're sick, don't look at me!"

"I'll look."

"What gives you the right?" Min Ning fumed.

Chen Yi reached out and knocked lightly on her head. "Because I like you."

Min Ning froze. Those were her own words once.

She whipped her reins, urging her horse into a gallop to leave this shameless scoundrel behind. But when she turned back, Chen Yi had also whipped his reins to pursue her.

Seeing he couldn't be shaken off, Min Ning snapped angrily at her horse, "Haven't you eaten?"

With that, she gritted her teeth and landed a heavy lash with her whip.

The horse: "..."

The fine steed bolted forward, widening the gap significantly. Only when Min Ning caught her breath and looked back did she realize she'd lost Chen Yi entirely—he was nowhere in sight.

Min Ning glared indignantly at the horse. "Why'd you run so fast?"

The horse: "..."

Reining in the horse and slowing its pace, Min Ning waited for a while. Soon, she heard Chen Yi's approaching footsteps but didn't bother turning her head.

Taking a deep breath, Min Ning said, "Don't you dare flirt with me for no reason."

"Why not?"

"Because you like me," Min Ning grumbled gloomily.

Satisfied after one more glance at her, Chen Yi turned his attention back to the road, lost in thought.

Knowing she cared for him, Chen Yi felt a pang of guilt, considering that he was on his way to flirt with another woman. Slowing his horse to match her pace, he asked:

"What is it you want my help to investigate?"

Returning to the topic at hand, Min Ning answered directly:

"Zige Bureau Minister Chou Gang is missing. Do you have any leads?"

Chen Yi fell silent for a moment.

Do I have any leads? I personally killed him—what could I possibly say?

Min Ning didn't press him further when he remained quiet. She didn't immediately suspect anything, but felt a bit awkward.

After all, investigating this case was merely an excuse—to set a trap for Chen Yi.

She'd already found the Yuchun Ointment in her elder sister's room and intended to use it as soon as possible to execute her plan.

But to approach Chen Yi, she needed a believable reason. Dropping by unannounced could give him a chance to toy with her—and if he discovered her true motives, he might devour her completely, leaving not even bones behind.

As luck would have it, when Min Ning returned to the Eastern Factory, she stumbled upon an urgent case. The palace had issued orders for a thorough investigation into the matter.

Zige Bureau Minister Chou Gang—Min Ning had met him once before. Her impression of the man was neither good nor bad, making him a suitable excuse. She rolled up the case file and brought it with her.

While Min Ning schemed, Chen Yi also had plans of his own.

Chou Gang, soon to be immortalized in the annals of history, destined to join Zige Bureau, could technically be considered… a colleague.

Killing a colleague with his own hands, no matter the reason—it would inevitably cause trouble if discovered.

After a moment of thought, Chen Yi said:

"I suspect this matter is related to the Prince of Annan. With my current martial prowess, I'll go investigate directly."

Min Ning had no objections. After all, investigating the case was just a pretense.

She carefully touched the porcelain vial hidden in her bosom.

Min Ning took a deep breath.

This drug wasn't meant for Chen Yi.

She had already thought it through. If it were meant for him, he would certainly see through it…

But if she used it on herself...

Could someone like him… really stand by idly?

At that thought, Min Ning's face inexplicably grew warm. She silently cursed herself:

Why am I suddenly full of such devious ideas?