My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion

"...…"

"Otherwise? Do you think I'm forcing you to take me as your master?" Li Wenhuo widened his eyes and asked him.

Chen Yi was momentarily speechless, took a breath, and changed the topic:

"I wonder, sir, why have you come to the Zhi Ge Office?"

Li Wenhuo slowly sat back down, holding the gun in his hands, and opened his mouth slowly:

"I have an undutiful disciple who left the sect, named Hu Youxing. It's said he has joined the Prince of Annan's forces. Recently, he issued a challenge here, wanting to settle matters, and since he learned from me directly, I can't not go."

At first, Chen Yi thought it would be quite troublesome, but it turned out to be a common Jianghu dispute. As the saying goes, teach a disciple and starve the master. It's not uncommon for rebellious disciples to betray their masters. Each major sect has its share; the most severe cases involve leaving the sect entirely, often turning against the master with swords drawn, battling fiercely, causing the master to suffer greatly. Isn't that right... you with the surname Chen and given name Yi, styled Zun Ming?

And Li Wenhuo's journey was to the Prince of Annan's camp, so he needed someone to escort him. The task seemed simple, and Chen Yi did not decline.

"Then without further ado, shall we set out immediately?" Chen Yi asked.

For those in the Jianghu, the most disdained thing is delaying. At Chen Yi's words, Li Wenhuo stood up, rolled up the cloth wrapping his long gun, and tied it securely on his back.

Simply giving a brief reply, Li Wenhuo strode out the door.

Chen Yi also picked up his sword and followed, while Luo Nan Wu called for a servant in the government office to prepare the horses, and soon enough, two horses were brought to the front of the office.

However, the alley outside the office was too narrow for horseback riding, so the two of them walked out of the alley.

Li Wenhuo walked ahead, with Chen Yi following behind him, thinking along the way that according to the time, it was less than a month before the new year, and the last batch of people should be withdrawing soon.

This might be... the last time he would see the two of them.

Thinking of this, a sense of farewell emerged in his heart, but upon closer thought, it was somewhat amusing.

With Zhu E it was fine. They could be considered mutually affectionate, but with Qin Qingluo... it was complicated. Even though Qin Qingluo was carrying his daughter, they were still enemies. Thinking of this, Chen Yi couldn't help but shake his head with a smile.

Speaking of which, by now, Qin Qingluo probably still didn't know this herself.

Even if she went back that day to take some birth control soup, Chen Yi believed that Zhu E wouldn't actually let her drink it.

As Chen Yi walked through the alleys, step by step towards the exit, suddenly, Li Wenhuo in front of him stopped.

The old man frowned, turned around, and placed his hand on the gun on his back.

"Who is it?"

With these words falling, Chen Yi also sensed a strand of energy from behind him advancing towards the back of his neck.

The moment he turned around.

A flash of sword light swept past.

The cold gleam almost brushed past his shoulder. Chen Yi reached out sharply, intending to grab the person by the wrist.

However, the latter twisted his body, spinning the sword in a horizontal slash.

Chen Yi stepped back briefly and halted when he saw the person's face.

Meanwhile, Li Wenhuo, about to throw a punch, noticed it, and Chen Yi sidestepped to intercept the punch.

Li Wenhuo looked puzzled, paused his actions, while Chen Yi looked at the person and said with a smile:

"Min Yuechi, what are you playing at again?"

Min Ning casually pulled off the black veil covering her face, tossed it aside, and raised an eyebrow, saying:

"Just trying to scare you a bit."

Chen Yi was stunned for a moment, saying repeatedly: "What made you suddenly think of appearing here?"

"I went to your house to find you but you weren't there. I heard you went to the Zhi Ge Office, so I came over." Min Ning said with a smile, "Did it scare you?"

A hint of melancholy was still present between her handsome brows, but her smile had now gained a touch of carefree cheer. This kind of first-seeing-sword-then-seeing-person appearance, coming and going like the wind, left Chen Yi momentarily flustered.

Something seemed to have happened, and she appeared even more chivalrous than before.

After not seeing each other for a few days and being stood up, Chen Yi felt a bit like absence made the heart grow fonder. He stretched out his hand intending to give her a hug, but Min Ning stepped back to prevent him from succeeding.

She glanced at the two horses brought out by the Zhi Ge Office and asked:

"Where are you going?"

"Heading towards the Prince of Annan." Chen Yi replied.

"Take me with you?" She asked without hesitation.

"Sure." Chen Yi nodded slightly.

Just now, it seemed he saw, between the words, she had suppressed some jealously and then cast it aside.

Li Wenhuo, acting like an old third wheel on the side, didn't say much upon seeing this scene. After all, these young folks from Jianghu really do make swift decisions without any need for him to wait by their side.

Exiting the alley, Chen Yi was the first to mount his horse, while Min Ning swung herself up behind him, casually wrapping her hands around his waist.

When Min Ning's hands locked around him, Chen Yi's heart stirred slightly, but having seen such things before, he quickly steadied himself. Little did he know, Min Ning seemed to sense it and, moments later, leaned against his back.

There was a slight softness on his back.

This slightly teasing action made Chen Yi's Hou Kang Sword tremble slightly.

Min Ning's face also turned a bit red, but as she was behind Chen Yi, he couldn't see it.

In the past, Min Ning wouldn't have done such a thing.

Even if riding the same horse with him, she would sit upright, maintaining a distance.

But ever since encountering that fellow who called himself "Zhu Yu," Min Ning vaguely felt that being more carefree and straightforward with him wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

As for whether this lacked the modesty a woman should have, Min Ning didn't entirely not care, but when with him, what did modesty matter?

This rascal likes it this way, doesn't he?

The three of them, with two horses, headed out of the Capital City, witnessing along the way the bustling and lively scenes as the city approached the end of the year. Even though they weren't in the market, it was lively and bustling, with some households already sweeping the roads in front of their doors in advance.

Leaving the Capital City, they traveled about thirty miles until the horses were tired and needed to rest temporarily.

These free-roaming horses could run thirty to forty miles in one go, which was considered excellent, while warhorses, usually Mongolian or Western horses, could often cover seventy to eighty miles in one go.

Most of the horses kept by the Zhi Ge Office were ordinary free-roaming horses, unlike the Eastern and Western Factories, which had warhorses allocated. The reason was simple: the factories had military status, while the Zhi Ge Office was a civil office.

So the three of them temporarily rested on the road. This area wasn't exactly desolate, but it was sparsely populated; passing through the forest, they found an abandoned temple to rest in.

The plaque read "Qinghu Earth God Temple."

They decided to hitch their horses in front of the temple, tied them to the pillar, stepped over the threshold, and saw an Earth God statue inside, covered in cobwebs, with a person lying beneath it.

The person seemed injured, waking up at the sound of movement outside, pushing himself up while tightly gripping the sword beside him.

Seeing the three enter, he was extremely vigilant, asking:

"May I ask where the three of you are from?"

"It's none of your business; we're just passing through for a rest."

Li Wenhuo spoke.

The swordsman nodded slightly upon hearing this, still wary.

Li Wenhuo, casually sweeping away the dust on the floor, sat down without another word to the person.

In Jianghu, unexpected events are common. There's no need to fight to the death, nor to extend a helping hand; everyone is just a passerby.

Seeing this, Chen Yi also said nothing more. Now, with strength at the Fourth Rank of Martial Arts, he naturally rested when needed, especially after scouting the surrounding terrain before entering.

Chen Yi and Min Ning were about to sit when suddenly, the sound of clashing swords and knives was heard outside the temple.

"Chase, that Chu Hunan must be ahead. Everyone calls him the Shadowless Sword; does he think his Qinggong is truly shadowless?!"

The voice echoed through the woods, the swordsman inside raised his head slightly, looking extremely tense.

Raising his eyes, Chen Yi saw several figures with swords and knives coming from outside the Earth God Temple.

It seemed like they were after the injured swordsman.

Min Ning and Li Wenhuo were a bit tense; the latter still remained calm, while Min Ning had already placed her hand on the hilt of her sword.

Chen Yi quietly stood up and then...

stepped aside to open a path.