My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion

The soft and tender embrace was unabashed, leaving Chen Yi momentarily stunned.

"Why are you here?"

Feeling the familiar touch, Chen Yi quietly transmitted his voice in secret.

Zhu E smiled faintly and responded softly with a secret transmission:

"The Prince wants to plant a covert pawn in the Capital City, so I accompanied him here."

This indeed aligned with Qin Qingluo's modus operandi. Besides, the one saying this was Zhu E—she wouldn't lie to him. So, Chen Yi nodded, turned his face, and deeply glanced at Feng Lan, who lay on the ground.

"What's her situation?"

Zhu E pondered briefly, then speculated:

"Perhaps the Prince sent her to test you."

Chen Yi shook his head and chuckled. He recalled that during their first meeting, Qin Qingluo had sent one of her tributes to test him.

Merely sending this Feng Lan for a test, even if she figured out his preferences, what good would that do?

Chen Yi turned his head and looked at Zhu E again:

"Why are you in this side room?"

"I guessed the Prince might have some scheme, and happenstance allowed me to overhear, so I hid here beforehand," Zhu E answered with a lingering smile, as she clung to Chen Yi's arm.

Chen Yi gently stroked her face—it was soft, delicate, and fair, almost as if it could burst at a touch. His fingertips wandered over her skin, as though they were softly praising her.

Zhu E closed her eyes slightly to savor the moment.

Watching her expression, Chen Yi smiled faintly. To say he was deeply in love with this Princess, yearning to fold her into his arms, wasn't entirely true. Affection isn't something that comes just because you want it to—even love at first sight is merely the culmination of hidden storms in one's heart. Especially since she had once plotted against him.

Yet now, she was unwavering in her loyalty, and her allure was undeniable. In bed, she was all kinds of accommodating, and given his partiality for gentle and submissive women, it was hard to avoid intimacy.

Moreover, he still needed her loyalty. As for whether he'd truly bring her into his household in the future, Chen Yi had his own plans.

Zhu E leaned closer, her skin glowing with moisture, her brows and eyes reflecting the exotic beauty of the Southern Border. She raised her hand and caught Chen Yi's gaze before lightly tracing circles on his chest with her fingertips.

One circle after another.

She purred seductively, "Shall we have a round? That woman isn't fit to impersonate the Prince—I can."

Chen Yi's eyes suddenly turned stern.

Zhu E flinched, her fingertip pausing, worried she'd said the wrong thing.

Chen Yi suddenly said in a low voice, "You're Zhu E—why would you need to impersonate someone else?"

Zhu E's lovely eyes halted momentarily.

Chen Yi leaned close to her ear and said, "I'm fond of Zhu E as she is, not a Zhu E pretending to be Qin Qingluo."

Zhu E's heart skipped, her face flushing visibly. She lowered her head, a little embarrassed despite being a married woman, her forehead gently resting against Chen Yi's chest.

"What's your courtesy name?"

"...Liao Hao."

"It's lovely. Am I the first man to know your courtesy name?"

"Mm... Bright Venerable."

"No need to call me Bright Venerable—just call me 'my husband' instead; it's less likely to expose us. Liao Hao, in private, I'll sometimes call you that."

Chen Yi held Zhu E close; the Princess was already soft all over, her hands and feet noticeably warm, nearly melting entirely into Chen Yi's embrace.

He shot her a glance and said, "The walls have ears."

Zhu E understood, reflecting for a moment before chanting a spell. She then lightly slapped Feng Lan, who lay on the ground.

Her throat twitched, and her voice had completely changed with her breath now faintly altered.

"Alright, alright, as the Young Master wishes, this servant shall impersonate the Prince of Annan for you."

Outside, faint footsteps were heard. It seemed they assumed the pair was about to engage in intimate actions, and thus decided it wasn't appropriate to linger and continue eavesdropping.

Chen Yi lowered his head, holding the soft beauty in his arms. Her appearance was enticing and alluring, and for a moment, his throat felt dry, nearly unable to resist.

He'd never quite tried this before…

Moreover, Zhu E's words unintentionally made Chen Yi's eyes narrow slightly.

If it truly were Qin Qingluo, that tall and imposing woman, proposing such a thing…

Zhu E's eyes shimmered, meeting Chen Yi's gaze, as though drawing him in.

Yet Chen Yi had more pressing matters to attend to. He said, "Enough, fooling them is enough—don't play around."

Zhu E lowered her eyes in slight disappointment.

Facing her expression, Chen Yi chuckled softly and let her go, sitting down.

Zhu E sensed something, and obediently sat down as well.

"I need to ask you something." With that, Chen Yi pulled out a piece of golden paper from his sleeve.

When the golden paper was handed to Zhu E, the red-clad woman visibly froze for a moment, then began trembling uncontrollably:

"The Two Sects Scripture?"

"Exactly. It's said this was gifted by Gongsun Guan to Du Bingkun's father, but why?"

Chen Yi had come to Jinya Pavilion partly to inquire about Du Bingkun's situation from Li Jisheng.

Zhu E held the golden paper in both hands, her beautiful eyes unable to hide a fervent passion. She murmured:

"The Sect Hierarch behaves unpredictably; even the Wisdom Saintess is unable to decipher his true intentions. All that is known is that his actions stem from Divination."

Divination refers to seeking answers from the Bright Venerable or his Divine Envoys. Since the position of Bright Venerable remains vacant, his Divine Envoys often carry out matters in his stead.

With this in mind, Chen Yi had reason to suspect that gifting the golden paper to Du Bingkun's father wasn't due to any life-saving favor.

It was possible—even likely—that Gongsun Guan had intentionally allowed himself to be saved by Du Bingkun's father.

All for the sake of eventually…

It falling into his own hands?!

Chen Yi's doubts deepened.

No matter how suspicious Chen Yi was, for the red-clad woman, this served as yet another undeniable proof of Chen Yi's identity.

Zhu E held the golden paper for a long time in a trance, before whispering:

"Husband, why don't you leave with us? Return to the Southern Border's main altar. With this as proof, as long as Zhu E persuades the Wisdom Saintess, no one would dare question…"

"No."

Before she could finish speaking, Chen Yi interrupted.

Zhu E's eyes were full of confusion.

Staying in the Capital City as a mere tool for the demonic Empress, compared to returning with them to the Southern Border, was unequivocally the superior choice.

However, she didn't realize that Chen Yi had other plans for leaving the Capital City and another destination in mind.

Furthermore, even if he truly joined the Southern Border Sect, it would undoubtedly aggravate Qin Qingluo further. Setting aside whether she would defiantly ignore Zhu E's persuasion and drink the abortion brew, even if she did give birth, she'd still use the child as leverage against him.

Only by convincing Qin Qingluo that he didn't care about their daughter could she truly be safe. Only by diminishing himself as an enemy in her mind, allowing Qin Qingluo to gradually forget his role as a father, could he ensure their daughter was deeply cherished in her heart.