My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion

Inside the side chamber.

Li Jisheng detailed his plan to test Chen Yi, while Qin Qingluo listened without expressing much opinion.

Though she didn't know what sort of appearance Feng Lan, the top courtesan of Jinya Pavilion, had, she was certain Li Jisheng had calculated the odds. In such a renowned pavilion, even if Feng Lan didn't embody National Beauty, she wouldn't be far from it.

Time passed silently until the door was tapped lightly, and a maid returned with news.

Qin Qingluo inquired, "Has he entered?"

"He came out quickly, clothes neat and proper," the maid replied respectfully.

Qin Qingluo frowned slightly.

Clothes neat and proper—did he not even touch her?

Wasn't he supposed to be hopelessly lecherous?

Beside her, Li Jisheng sighed and said, "Prince, didn't I tell you? This young man shuns female company. Perhaps he has the love of Long Yang."

Hearing this, Qin Qingluo's expression grew more serious. She had personally refuted Li Jisheng's Long Yang remark before—it simply wasn't true.

Hence, the current situation suggested that Chen Yi, despite harboring lustful thoughts, could suppress them. It seemed her earlier assessment was mistaken—he indeed possessed a measure of strategy and restraint.

This man, clearly lustful as a starving ghost, yet refusing to step into the trap—could it be… he has already seen through the hidden schemes and chosen to stop at the right moment? Such meticulous thinking.

She mused to herself.

A short while later, the maid returned again and said:

"That Chen Yi seems to have gone back inside."

Li Jisheng, bewildered, remarked, "He didn't fancy Feng Lan earlier, so why would he go back? For what reason?"

"Miss Feng Lan offered to impersonate the Princess of Annan, and then he eagerly entered again," the maid explained pointedly.

Qin Qingluo's complexion turned ashen, her anger brimming: "..."

Li Jisheng paused in disbelief, muttering reflexively:

"So this man… is fond of forbidden women?"

"And it seems… this time particularly indulging."

"Why particularly indulging?"

The maid hesitated, then carefully added:

"Apparently, Miss Feng Lan not only proposed to impersonate the Princess, but also the Prince himself…"

Qin Qingluo's face alternated between pale and furious: "..."

What nonsense about strategy and restraint!

Li Jisheng, standing nearby, awkwardly fell into silence for a moment. His thoughts betrayed him—this maid truly lacked any tact; even if it were the truth, such remarks shouldn't be voiced aloud.

After a long while, when Qin Qingluo's expression steadied back to normal, Li Jisheng finally apologized:

"This maid is foolish, lacking in discernment, and doesn't know what ought to be said, my apologies…"

"A straightforward nature is still preferable to one filled with deceitful twists and turns," the Prince of Annan responded dismissively.

Li Jisheng nodded in agreement.

To be fair, he had somewhat expected this. Jinya Pavilion's intelligence sources were vast, reaching even the domains of the two bureaus and one guard, and there had long been whispers about Chen Qianhu and Min Ning's romantic involvement; that they admired each other mutually. Hence, he was highly confident that Chen Yi wasn't interested in women.

Now the maid's report seemed to reinforce this point. Truth be told, Li Jisheng was tempted to take the opportunity to boast—perhaps remark something along the lines of, "Though the Prince Mansion's intelligence reaches far, it ultimately can't rival my Wuyong Building," expressing that while others know, he knows better. However, with the Prince of Annan himself present, Li Jisheng held his tongue.

The conversation having reached its end, Li Jisheng switched topics:

"Jinya Pavilion is famed for its beautiful scenery; this isn't mere self-congratulatory talk. Prince, would you and Princess care to stroll through the gardens and enjoy the view?"

Qin Qingluo shook her head lightly and replied, subdued:

"Thank you for Pavilion Master's kind offer, but with no one currently overseeing the army, we cannot linger. After finishing this cup of tea, we must take our leave."

............…

"Since you possess the Two Sects Scripture, why not seek the… other legacies?"

Zhu E held out the golden paper to Chen Yi with both hands, speaking softly:

"There are four pieces of this golden paper, symbolizing the legacy of the four Great Ming Envoys."

Chen Yi smiled and said, "That is precisely my intention."

The celestial and Buddhist forces weave their strategies, the heavens fracture—rather than being a mere chess piece and becoming the Bright Venerable, it's far better to rise as a chess player. What's more, with the world on the brink of upheaval, if you don't seize the legacy, there will surely be others who will.

Zhu E's eyes sparkled at his words, and she responded gently:

"If that is the case, sir, perhaps you might wish to follow us back to the Southern Border headquarters. There, upon meeting the Sect Hierarch, I could explain the scripture's teachings to you. You've been drifting in the Capital City for so long, surely you've yet to truly understand the nature of the Bright and Dark Sects."

The red-clad woman leaned forward as she spoke, her pliant and delicate form emitting a heady fragrance. Her allure momentarily stalled one's heartbeat.

Chen Yi appeared slightly swayed and replied with a drawn-out tone: "Oh?"

Zhu E edged closer, the precariously fastened folds of white fabric lightly pressing against him. She urged him sincerely to join the sect: "The so-called Great Ming Venerate Buddha is merely rhetoric for the lay believers. Those people cannot grasp the true essence of the Bright and Dark Sects, so we must borrow names from Buddha. Zhu E fears that sir, dwelling in the Capital for so long, has heard only superficial teachings—not the true doctrine."

Her breath was fragrant like orchids.

Chen Yi, however, smiled intriguingly at her, asking with deep meaning: "Are you persuading me to join the Divine Sect?"

Zhu E was about to nod when she suddenly felt a rush of urgency, her words halting.

She felt a strange unease, yet couldn't pinpoint its source.

After a long silence, she heard him pose a question instead: "Does the Divine Sect believe in me, or do I believe in the Divine Sect?"

Her eyes widened slowly as realization dawned—it hit her like a thunderbolt. Her legs weakened, and she collapsed back into her seat, stammering uneasily:

"Zhu E has erred… Zhu E has forgotten sir's teachings… I beg you to punish me…"

As she spoke, she was about to kneel, but Chen Yi supported her gently, softening his tone: "Liao Hao, don't be afraid. How could I punish you over such a matter? As long as you remember this in your heart, you are my Saintess—I wouldn't wish to punish you."

Zhu E wanted to say more, but he pulled her into his embrace. Warm and supremely gentle, his arms melted her words into silence. Her cheeks flushed as she basked in the intimacy with this man, his statement—"I wouldn't wish to punish you"—so earnest it nestled deeply into her heart.

"Then, do you understand what I meant by my words?" Chen Yi asked.

She exhaled faintly, replying in soft surrender:

"I understand now. There is no real doctrine—the Bright Venerable himself is the true doctrine. Pity that although I am a Saintess, my earlier foolishness blinded me to this simple truth… Surely the Purity Saintess realized this earlier, which is why she continues to follow him."

Seeing her fragile demeanor, Chen Yi stroked her hair and cryptically remarked:

"But I have punished the Purity Saintess before."

Zhu E trembled, staring at him in disbelief before bowing her head.

So it's… only her he won't punish!

Zhu E melted completely into his embrace, her heart sinking entirely into oblivion.

She was not the first Saintess to follow him, and when she hadn't grasped his identity earlier, she even plotted to kill him—a grave sin indeed. Yet he didn't hold it against her; on the contrary, he… he… cherished her deeply.

Her heart thudded wildly. As a Southern Border maiden, she was most vulnerable to such profound affection. Though she had long been married, Qin Qingluo regarded her as half a mother, often teasing her, while Qin Qingluo shook his head and smiled. Their bond was strong, but after all—wasn't real marriage.

Unthinkable that a married woman like her could experience this intimate romance—to feel, as though for the first time, like a true wife.

In Chen Yi's deep eyes, she glimpsed her reflection—the red-clad woman gazing back into his vision, her stare locked in a trance. In a flicker, her gaze landed on one glaring detail.

This detail was the silver hairpin in her hair.

Whereas Qin Qingluo's hairpin… was gold.

She instinctively touched her hairpin, her face turning aside, feigning casualness: "Earlier, hearing sir ask the courtesan to imitate the Prince—surely that moment you desired her more. You didn't know how to proceed then, so you came to me instead."

Chen Yi didn't respond directly but noted her actions.

"Ah, it seems I've guessed correctly—sir still prioritizes the Prince.

It makes sense, doesn't it? A woman's unattainable heart is more alluring, while someone like me, who has already yielded, begins to lose intrigue."

Zhu E chuckled lightly, but bitterness colored her words.

"Do you know who I care for most?" Chen Yi suddenly asked, his voice detached from the moment.

Zhu E hesitated, unsure, but responded: "Of course—the Purity Saintess."

Chen Yi clasped her hand fiddling with the silver hairpin, answering softly:

"She, like you, also wears a silver hairpin."

Fragrant incense, the mingling scents of frankincense and myrrh, swirled faintly through the room. Zhu E felt his visage blur, as though a vast cloud moved across the sky, leaving only its shadow.

Zhu E had fallen deeply, irretrievably enamored.

The world adored Southern Border maidens, though they condemned them as outsiders. Intriguing yet spiteful—often mocked as infatuated witches, destructive enchantresses, likened to concubines like Da Ji, whose presence spelled ruin for nations and families.

The maxim rings true: A fox spirit beguiles its master…

But who beguiled whom first—the fox spirit or the master?

Zhu E couldn't tell anymore.

If he didn't forbid her, she might have already shed her robes.

As for the Prince…

Qingluo, you are skilled in martial arts, can't you bear with it for now? Just endure a little longer…

Your aunt has played the Princess of Annan for so long,

Couldn't you let her savor it?