My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion-Chapter 623 - 411 How Coincidental

The ashes from the burning flames floated in the wind, scattering onto Wei Wuque's face.

Wei Wuque brushed aside the ashes at the corner of his eye, crouching down to inspect the chaos before him.

His deputy, Luo Shuo, spoke up, "Chief, this was discovered this morning. They ambushed our comrades in this woodyard and set it ablaze to cover their tracks."

"How did we discover this?"

"There are signs of struggle in the nearby alley, and traces of mud ten zhang away. Our brothers were being followed."

Wei Wuque stroked his chin thoughtfully. "If they managed to track us, they must also know our base is located in the Cui Feng Courtyard."

"Should we move to another hideout?"

"There's no need. We have numbers on our side. Too much movement will alarm the enemy." Wei Wuque brushed the ashes on the ground and added, "But... why would they burn it?"

...... 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Just a few steps from Yuanfeng Building, in a shadowy alley, two figures leaned against the wall. They exchanged a glance before speaking in hushed tones:

"There's movement inside Yuanfeng Building."

"They've clashed. Let's move!"

One man wore ornate robes, a jade pendant on his waist, and a fur hat. The other was dressed in gray attire, sporting a headscarf and carrying a single-handed curved blade at his waist. The two figures slipped into the building in an instant.

Following the sounds, their footsteps creaked against the wooden corridor. They looked up and noticed faint traces of blood seeping from the stairs ahead, startling them both.

One of them nodded and stealthily approached the door, pushing it open slightly.

Suddenly, a flash of cold steel darted out, aiming straight for his forehead to pierce through.

The man in ornate robes jerked his head to the side just in time, the blade grazing past his cheek. He reached for his weapon to retaliate, but upon seeing Chen Yi's appearance, abruptly halted his movements.

"Master Min?"

The man in ornate robes quickly spoke and raised a hand to stop his gray-clad companion behind him.

Chen Yi raised an eyebrow slightly, realizing he was being mistaken for Min Ning in this city. He responded, "You recognize me?"

The man in ornate robes pointed to his waist insignia, cupping his fists. "Xique Pavilion, Shao Jia."

The other person also cupped his fists and said, "Xique Pavilion, Qiao Yi. I've heard our chief mention you before."

Within Xique Pavilion, most people abandoned their original names the moment they entered. Only the chief and deputy were allowed to keep their real names, but even then, they rarely used them, preferring their aliases instead.

The two presented their insignias. Chen Yi slowly sheathed his blade and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"We're disguised as visiting diners, here to bait the Western Jin spies." Shao Jia glanced at the two groaning "drunkards" on the floor and said, "It seems these are the ones?"

Chen Yi shook his head. "They're not."

Shao Jia frowned in confusion. "Why do you say that?"

Chen Yi replied, "The bait is too obvious. Those Western Jin spies are cautious. It's unlikely they'd be caught so easily."

Qiao San, similarly puzzled, crouched to inspect the drunkards on the floor. "Then who are these people?"

"The housekeeper must not have stopped them. They're likely from Yuanfeng Building… I suspect the master of Yuanfeng Building is an enemy of the Lonely Smoke Sword."

Chen Yi paused, then continued, "Just like Jiang Shangli, those Western Jin spies are in hiding, as are the enemies of the Lonely Smoke Sword."

The two Xique Pavilion operatives sighed. Being outsiders, they were unfamiliar with Shantong City and the northern frontier, forced to search openly in broad daylight.

"It seems we'll need to reevaluate our approach."

After heaving a sigh, Shao Jia turned to Dong Gong Ruoshu and said, "Given the circumstances, it's unsafe to remain here. Miss Chen, please return with us to Cui Feng Courtyard."

Dong Gong Ruoshu glanced at their insignias and nodded.

She was about to step forward when Chen Yi raised a hand to block her.

Both Shao Jia and Qiao Yi looked at Chen Yi, skeptical of his sudden behavior. They were well aware of Dong Gong Ruoshu's immense importance to the palace, so Chen Yi's actions raised suspicion.

Chen Yi spoke, "Don't let her operate under the name 'Chen Yi' any longer."

Though puzzled, Shao Jia nodded without countering, refraining from challenging Chen Yi's stance with his rank in Xique Pavilion.

Chen Yi chuckled coldly. "Using her as bait… just make sure you remember she's a woman, not a man."

Shao Jia sighed. "Fair enough. It's an unfortunate reality. Miss Chen's unique identity leaves us no other choice."

"… I understand."

The atmosphere turned somber, devoid of any relief from the near-death encounter. Chen Yi's expression remained unreadable, seemingly dissatisfied with Xique Pavilion's arrangement.

After a while, Chen Yi asked again, "Where are your other people?"

Qiao Yi replied, "Of course, at Cui Feng Courtyard. Don't worry, we'll ensure her safety, though it seems the enemy spies have already seen through this plan."

"Do you have anyone nearby for support?"

"Naturally… but it's inconvenient to disclose to outsiders."

"Tell me where. I'll personally escort her."

"You don't trust us?" Shao Jia paused briefly, then cast a glance at Chen Yi's sheathed blade. "If you're that concerned, you're welcome to follow us."

"Follow you…?"

...…

Elsewhere.

Wei Wuque furrowed his brows, touching the ashes on the ground. "But… why would they burn it?"

"It's likely to cover their tracks."

"That doesn't make sense. Burning generates smoke. They burned it last night, and we discovered it this morning." Wei Wuque spoke slowly, "They didn't burn it to cover their tracks."

"Then what for?"

Just then, someone rushed in to report: "Chief, we can't find several of our brothers' insignias."

Wei Wuque's pupils contracted sharply: "They've disguised themselves as our men!"

...…

"Follow you… to the gates of hell?"

At that moment, Chen Yi suddenly moved.

The instant Chen Yi acted, Qiao Yi lunged forward, his sleeve trembling violently as a shimmering blade slid out, vibrating fiercely with True Qi, slashing toward Chen Yi's throat.

Without haste, Chen Yi tilted his face slightly, the blade narrowly grazing his throat. Just as Qiao Yi readied the blade for a horizontal strike, Chen Yi raised his knee sharply.

The immense force of the blow to the abdomen caused Qiao Yi to double over like a shrimp. His body catapulted backward. Using his hand, he struck the ground midair, leveraging the rebound to spring further away.

Chen Yi thought to himself, "Impressive."

Now, this is what those long-hidden Western Jin spies are capable of.

Qiao Yi aimed to crash into a wall and flee, but Chen Yi's unparalleled Treading the Clouds technique had already begun. The first two steps appeared comically slow, as if a child were play-acting. Seeing this, Qiao Yi's face displayed joy, but by the third step, the distance between them halved instantly, his expression stiffening. With the fourth step, Chen Yi was already upon him.

Chen Yi didn't draw his blade. Instead, he pinned Qiao Yi's face with a reverse grip and slammed him into the ground, aiming to capture him alive.

The wooden floor cracked and splintered, shards flying everywhere. Qiao Yi's face twitched, and before Chen Yi could restrain him by sealing his acupoints, Qiao Yi gritted his teeth with remarkable willpower.

With a burst of blood from his mouth, he bit down forcefully.

The venom concealed in his teeth seeped out, and Qiao Yi died on the spot.

Chen Yi narrowed his eyes and turned his head, spotting Shao Jia nearly at the window of the corridor, just one step away from leaping out of Yuanfeng Building.

Before the fight even began, Shao Jia had bolted at high speed. The two had coordinated their escape in separate directions to maximize their chances.

If Chen Yi pursued, he might risk letting one of them get away. This time, however, things were different.

Chen Yi executed the fifth step of Treading the Clouds.

For a moment, his figure seemed to blur and disappear. Dong Gong Ruoshu only realized Chen Yi had moved when she saw him in another spot, leaving an afterimage where he had been standing moments ago.

The foolish girl stood in stunned bewilderment.

Shao Jia leaped, half his body already out the window, when he suddenly felt a chill in his back.

His body lost all control. Looking down, he saw a blood-drenched blade protruding from his abdomen. With a backwards pull from Chen Yi, Shao Jia collapsed helplessly onto the floor.

Staring at Chen Yi, Shao Jia's lips moved, his face full of terror, blood bubbling from his throat.

Chen Yi looked down at the convulsing Shao Jia with an ambiguous smile and said, "I almost thought you'd keep the act going."

Shao Jia's bloodshot eyes filled with determination. Knowing his death was upon him, he opened his mouth wide, ready to mimic Qiao Yi by biting down to shatter the poison in his teeth.

But before his teeth could close, a chilling voice stopped him.

"No need for that. I'll help you."

Before he could self-poison, Chen Yi's blade pierced through his left chest, tearing apart his heart.

Chen Yi withdrew the blade and glanced at the two corpses. "They were impressive."

Then, as if pushing the tide, he began sowing rumors to lure out the Lonely Smoke Sword's enemies.

The two drunkards had been a distraction.

The spies had hidden themselves, waiting for this perfect opportunity to target Dong Gong Ruoshu.

If not for him…

Dong Gong Ruoshu might have truly fallen into their hands.

The foolish girl, despite witnessing the events unfold, still failed to fully grasp what happened. When Chen Yi approached her, she stared blankly and asked, "How… how did you figure it out?"

Chen Yi casually flicked the blood from his blade, sheathed it, and replied, "If they were truly from Xique Pavilion, why would they address you as 'Miss Chen'?"

Dong Gong Ruoshu's eyes widened.

She belatedly recalled that the operatives of Xique Pavilion had never called her Miss Chen.

Just then, a piercing and frantic scream echoed from outside the building.

"Murder!"

Chen Yi's eyes turned icy, his expression deadly. He halted midway through sheathing his blade.

A scream the moment someone dies…

How conveniently timed!