My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion-Chapter 661 - 437: Min Ning Wants to Steal a Bride?

After a small disagreement, the three of them finally realized none harbored ill intentions, and so they proceeded together.

The sky was dim. Emerging from the cave, a dark brownish hue loomed over the forest. A thin layer of mist shrouded the dense trees. When Lu Ying lightly touched a tree, she felt a faint tingling sensation, as if lightning might strike at any moment.

Lu Ying glanced at the other two women. Min Ning walked at the front while Yin Weiyin trailed behind. Their mutual hostility was evident. The entanglement of grudges between the two was something Lu Ying didn't quite understand. She had once heard Min Ning was close to Chen Yi, then later heard Chen Yi married Yin Weiyin, likely making this unresolved knot of emotions tied to him.

What's so great about him anyway?

Lu Ying shook her head, thinking there wasn't anything particularly remarkable about him. In terms of martial arts, could he surpass her master? In terms of handsomeness, surely there were more dashing men in the world. As for storytelling, his skills were mediocre at best, far from the level of the seasoned storytellers...

Such were her thoughts when she lifted her head to see that, though no rain fell, the sky remained ominously dark.

The mist, though thin, curled through the forest. They had walked for quite some time but still hadn't managed to escape the dense woods. Lu Ying vaguely felt that they were circling the same area.

Min Ning had noticed this earlier and furrowed her brows. The place where the hilt of her sword met the scabbard was wrapped in strips of cloth.

At a fork in the mountain path, a shrine came into view.

The shrine was dilapidated; within was an inscription bearing the words "Primordial Chief General Red Heart Protector Three Five Train King Heavenly Monarch Mighty Spirit Manifested Venerate." The plaque was soiled and spotted with mud, clearly untended for ages.

Min Ning brushed the plaque aside, checking to see if anything was hidden inside the shrine.

Lu Ying, startled, exclaimed, "Why are you casually moving the shrine's tablet?"

Before Min Ning could respond, Yin Weiyin chuckled, "What a martial artist's way—always so crude, forgetting the saying that three feet above your head resides the gods. Daoist friend Lu, do forgive her."

Min Ning couldn't be bothered to retort and instead turned to Lu Ying, asking, "What's the story with this?"

Lu Ying straightened the tablet, muttered some auspicious phrases, and then replied, "This is the shrine of Wang Lingguan, the Mountain Guardian General… Shrines dedicated to him are often placed along mountain paths. There's a saying that goes: before ascending the mountain, first pay respects to Wang Lingguan."

"No wonder it's here."

Hearing this, Min Ning made a quick assessment of their location.

That is to say, they were currently near the foothills, still quite far from the mountain peak where the Sword Intent was at its strongest.

Lu Ying stared at the chain of words on the plaque. It spelled out Wang Lingguan's full title, so it was no surprise that Min Ning hadn't recognized it as Wang Lingguan's shrine. Usually, it would be marked with the far simpler "Supreme Celestial Spirit Officer."

"Truly the work of the Quanzhen Sect," Lu Ying muttered under her breath.

Min Ning turned her head and asked, "What's the difference between the Quanzhen Sect and your sect?"

"The Quanzhen Sect has three 'mosts': the most rules, the strictest precepts, and the most fastidious practices," Lu Ying replied breezily. "Our Yin Sword Mountain traces its roots to the Northern Emperor Sect."

The Quanzhen Sect was particularly known for its focus on personal cultivation and retreat. They were rarely seen performing public rituals for blessing or calamity warding; instead, they were more likely to explore secret realms or engage in secluded training.

Lu Ying recalled that Zhou Yitang possessed a method for cutting off the three corpses, a technique that originated from a branch of the Quanzhen Sect.

To cultivate through such techniques was to gravitate closer to the Quanzhen Sect's ethos.

She paused briefly and added, "In short, compared to other Taoist sects, the Quanzhen Sect places greater emphasis on solitary pursuits of immortality."

Min Ning cast an almost imperceptible glance at Yin Weiyin.

Yin Weiyin's thoughts filled with disdain. The Golden Boy and Jade Girl method of their Taihua Mountain Sect remained distinct from the practices of the Quanzhen Sect. Only someone like Min Ning, a mundane fool, could conflate the two.

Min Ning glanced back at the shrine and said,

"To put it more bluntly, the Quanzhen Sect is just more selfish, isn't it?"

Though both were Taoist sects, Lu Ying dared not agree so openly. She said instead, "That's not quite it…"

Min Ning brushed off some dried leaves stuck to her scabbard and remarked, "Back when I heard stories from the storytellers about the Song and Yuan dynasties, I remember them saying that Qiu Chuji of the Quanzhen Sect went to ally with the Mongol Khan. I've read little, so I may be biased. Don't take it personally, Immortal Lu."

Lu Ying was just about to say something when Min Ning suddenly spun around.

In less than half a breath, her blade was unsheathed, pointing directly at the mountain path.

"You've got it wrong, benefactor. We Quanzhen Daoists are not people who only care for ourselves."

It was only then that a voice came forth, revealing how quick Min Ning had been to draw her blade.

Lu Ying craned her neck for a look and saw a grey-clothed Taoist emerging from the mist-shrouded mountain path.

He stepped forward into the cold gleam of the blade, clasped his hands, and respectfully said,

"Blessings of Infinite Heavenly Venerable. This humble one means no harm. Please lower your blade."

Min Ning replied, "We martial artists have seen too many wild demons and ghosts to dare put the blade away."

The grey-clothed Taoist was not offended. He nodded in understanding. Both Lu Ying and Yin Weiyin curiously studied the sudden appearance of the Taoist. They noticed that while he walked along the path, he cast no shadow beneath him.

A wandering ghost.

Encountering such a Taoist ghost in this Sword Pool Secret Realm was unexpected. Though clad plainly, his demeanor revealed little about him, yet it seemed he had held no small station in Chongyang Temple during his lifetime.

Min Ning asked, "Who are you?"

"It's been so long, I've forgotten my worldly name and my Taoist title. I only remember that in life I was the eighth-generation Disciplinary Elder of Chongyang Temple."

"How long ago was that?"

"Roughly three hundred years." The Taoist thought for a moment and added, "That was when a Zhu Emperor rose in Fengyang."

So, he was from the Ming dynasty. Min Ning clicked her tongue in astonishment.

The atmosphere eased a little. The grey-clothed Taoist walked out from the mist, stopping about ten feet away. He bowed toward the shrine, then turned his gaze and asked,

"Are you three planning to ascend the mountain?"

The three of them nodded slightly.

The grey-clothed Taoist continued, "The mist in this mountain is dense. Without someone to guide you, even if you walk a hundred miles, you'll only end up circling back to where you began…"

His words were clear. The three of them had already noticed something strange on their journey, but still...