My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion

"Prince, are you so conflicted because you've already made up your mind? If so, why not simply follow your heart?"

Qin Qingluo was slightly startled upon hearing this.

After a while, she let out a laugh. The gloom between her brows scattered entirely as she said:

"Fine, then this person—I've decided. I'm killing them."

Min Ning saw her sudden clarity and pressed further, asking, "What is the Prince thinking?"

The female Prince did not conceal the murderous intent in her heart. After all, this was their final meeting—there was no meaning in hesitating anymore. Thus, she said:

"I just said a moment ago: What if the person who has wronged you the most turns out to be the one who treats you the best? What would you do then?"

"Indeed."

"If that's the case, then before they become the best person, it's better to kill them first and be done with it."

Qin Qingluo calmly remarked:

"If they don't get the chance to treat you well, there will be no struggle."

"When it's time to cut, cut swiftly, and don't let chaos linger."

Min Ning sighed, her heart tightening. When Qin Qingluo asked the question, she too had her own thoughts. Though she also wished to embrace the idea of "cutting swiftly," her first thought was of killing, then repaying the debt.

Killing and being done with it, versus killing and repaying a debt—though similar, they were fundamentally different. At that moment, Min Ning abruptly realized that although she and Qin Qingluo had a connection, their mindsets and perspectives were worlds apart. The paths before them would also diverge greatly.

As for which path was better… only heaven would know.

......…

The night was thick as threads, and it was time to fill their stomachs. Qin Qingluo summoned the servants to prepare a feast, a variety of dishes spread across the table. Zhu E, ever thoughtful, asked Chen Yi what wine he preferred. He requested a jar of rich daughter's red.

The four of them took their seats. Given the events of their last gathering, Min Ning fixated her gaze on Chen Yi, unrelenting. Yet Chen Yi, ever thick-skinned, maintained his usual carefree demeanor, bantering as though unaffected by his young lover's stare.

Zhu E took small bites, chewing with care. Seated beside Chen Yi, she would occasionally serve him food, while from her shadowed position, Qin Qingluo's expression was somewhat inscrutable.

Chen Yi picked up a piece of stewed lamb. The meat was tender and fatty, and he said, feigning nonchalance:

"Southern Border doesn't serve lamb well, does it?"

Zhu E replied with a smile:

"What do you mean, not well? Sir, don't listen to the ramblings of those scholars from the capital. Nanwei is far from a barren desert where no grass grows. While it's true there can be more miasma, we're never lacking when it comes to food."

Chen Yi bit into the lamb. Swallowing, he chuckled lightly and said:

"That's a relief. I was just worried that if one day the Prince Mansion welcomed an heir, and the Prince's children couldn't eat lamb, it would be quite the embarrassment."

His tone was neither too loud nor too soft, but as the words landed, the expressions at the table shifted dramatically.

Min Ning's phoenix-shaped eyes widened slightly, full of shock. She whipped her head toward Zhu E. The woman in red, enchanting to her very bones, froze momentarily before covering her mouth, her face brimming with delighted surprise.

As for Qin Qingluo, her chopsticks trembled slightly. After casting a deep glance at Zhu E, she seemed to have anticipated it all along, regaining her composure as she continued serving herself food.

Her chopsticks hovered midair, as though, in the next moment, they might pierce straight through Chen Yi's unguarded throat.

Chen Yi silently raised his bowl a little higher.

Zhu E scooted her petite frame, shaped like a young niece's, a bit closer to Chen Yi. She didn't look at Qin Qingluo but instead stared directly at Chen Yi and said:

"The only question now is whether it'll be a boy or a girl."

Chen Yi glanced at Qin Qingluo and remarked:

"That's a question you should ask the Prince. After all, it's their child."

Zhu E giggled, her every movement laden with allure. She looked toward Qin Qingluo, who lowered her head and avoided her gaze.

For Qin Qingluo could hear the double meaning in his words, but she chose not to respond.

Min Ning couldn't help but feel her mind swirl, her emotions tangled. Even though she already knew Chen Yi was a man of many desires, what woman wouldn't dream of exclusive devotion? It was only after encountering Zhu Yu's enlightenment that her mindset had broadened somewhat.

Once she collected herself, she glanced at Zhu E, then at Qin Qingluo, and suddenly remembered the matter of borrowing lineage.

The tall woman lifted her gaze, smiling warmly as she said:

"We are confidants. Whatever is on your mind, feel free to speak."

Unwilling to face Zhu E, Qin Qingluo could only look toward Min Ning, hoping for some small measure of consolation.

After all, wasn't that what confidants were for?

Min Ning hesitated briefly before slowly offering congratulations:

"Then… congratulations on the addition of a precious heir?"

Qin Qingluo clenched her chopsticks tightly, the veins of her arm bulging.

Seated in the head position, perfectly backlit, her subtle movements were hard to discern unless one paid close attention.

A moment later, the female Prince exhaled a heavy breath. Her confidant was inevitably unaware of the undercurrent, still assuming that she and Chen Yizhen were old acquaintances—acquaintances who could borrow lineage.

At that moment, Chen Yi stood up, raising his cup of wine, and said:

"I offer a toast to the Prince."

From the shadows, the female Prince raised her cup, her smile cold and forced as she replied:

"I, in turn, must toast Commander Chen. Your contributions in this matter are significant."

Chen Yi drained his cup in one go, lightly patting Qin Qingluo's shoulder as he sincerely remarked:

"I only fear that my efforts were insufficient—that neither the Princess nor the Prince are satisfied. Is this outcome acceptable to the Prince?"

"Naturally, it is."

As Qin Qingluo spat out these four words, her tone was nearly gritted through her teeth. She tried her best to maintain her image in Min Ning's presence.

You ask if I'm satisfied?

Aunt Zhu is already pregnant with that bastard—how could I *not be* "satisfied"?

What's next? Must I also get pregnant myself to be truly "satisfied"?!

After the toast, the two returned to their seats.

At this point, as if sensing the stiffening tension, the Princess Zhu E spoke slowly:

"To be honest, I've suspected for a while now, though I wasn't certain. Now that there's a child involved, I can't help but think back to when I was little. These past days, I keep dreaming of those days—running and running around the osmanthus tree, until my hair was covered in fallen blossoms."