My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion-Chapter 687 - 449: I Leave, You Stay (Combined 2 in 1)_2

"It's a pity you won't accompany me to Western Shu; now I'll lack someone to keep my bed warm on this journey."

Chen Yi chuckled and replied, "Me, keeping your bed warm?"

"Your martial arts may be better than mine for now, but that won't last. Here's the arrangement," Min Ning paused, speaking earnestly, "Ten days make a cycle—I warm your bed for two days, you warm mine for one day, then we rotate, and rest on the last day."

"Tsk, you've really planned it out."

Chen Yi couldn't help but imagine, given how infrequent their reunions were. Despite having known each other for so long, the extent of their intimacy was limited to the one time before leaving the capital. Compared to Yin Weiyin, the female crown surely shared far more moments of closeness with him.

Still, following her to Western Shu would mean traversing vast distances and wandering the Jianghu there, with no telling when they'd return to Yin Sword Mountain.

"I can't defy my master's orders; I need to return to Yin Sword Mountain." Chen Yi sighed deeply.

"Boring." Min Ning didn't press him further. "Guess I'll just use a few more blankets."

They didn't dwell on the topic any longer.

Chen Yi glanced around the cave. Aside from the ancient bell that seemed to resonate with clarity and introspection, there was nothing else of note.

"...Let's get ready to leave. See if there's anything here we can take, then head out."

Just as he was about to step forward, Min Ning suddenly called out to him.

Chen Yi turned back and asked, "What's wrong?"

Min Ning stared at him and said straightforwardly, "If you truly face Wu Buxu first, you will lose." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Chen Yi's expression grew indecipherable. After a moment, he asked, "Why?"

"Wu Buxu will suppress his own abilities to a lesser realm. While his martial arts won't be absolutely superior, countless people have still fallen to his hand. Therefore, this is a battle of heart states." Min Ning spoke carefully, "Right now, your heart state can't compare to mine."

Chen Yi neither shook his head nor nodded.

Min Ning smiled brightly and continued:

"How about we delay this and decide it with swords later?"

Though she was smiling, her gaze was as sharp as a blade. Chen Yi looked deeply into her eyes—straight as a sword's edge, unyielding and unmoved by external matters. If one's heart resides within the sword, concepts like glory or disgrace inherently cease to matter.

To decide by the sword,

or perhaps... to convey the heart through the sword.

......

"Wind Cloud Sword—this is my latest technique."

"Named the same as your sword?"

"Yes, named just like my sword." On their journey back, Min Ning walked ahead, lightly stroking the inscriptions on the blade through its scabbard. "I've even thought of its epithet: 'When the sword strikes, the winds and clouds pass.'

"Sounds not half bad?" Chen Yi commented.

Min Ning turned her gaze to him, probing, "Do you think... it could become a new Martial Arts legend?"

Chen Yi hadn't encountered such a sword in his previous life, but he speculated that if judged in the future, it undoubtedly would. After all, she was the master of the Spring and Autumn Sword; even an arbitrarily chosen name would ensure her blade was renowned in the Jianghu. The only question was whether the name itself was pleasing.

Come to think of it, whether "Gale Cutter" or "Wind Cloud Sword," she'd always chosen poetic names early on, imagining her fame sweeping across the land... Wasn't she chasing honor and avoiding disgrace too?

At that moment, Min Ning gazed at the sky. Thick black clouds pressed heavily against the mountain peaks; fierce winds howled through the forest, scattering chaotic leaves, as ominous flashes of lightning occasionally illuminated the terrain in stark white before plunging it back into pitch darkness. Chen Yi, dressed in black, looked like an indistinct shadow.

"Quite a lot of wind and clouds..." Min Ning murmured, as if to herself.

Chen Yi returned from his reverie and said, "Slay Wu Buxu, and they'll all disperse."

"I'm afraid the one to die will be you." Min Ning spoke bluntly, then suddenly asked, "On your way through Jianghu, have you ever..."

The next words seemed difficult for her to utter. She hesitated for quite a while.

Chen Yi, puzzled, asked, "What?"

Min Ning steeled herself and blurted, "Have you ever bought dirty books?"

?

Chen Yi had been expecting something else entirely and was about to laugh, but something crossed his mind, causing his expression to freeze.

Feigning nonchalance, he coughed twice and said, "No."

"Really? Don't men just like those kinds of things?" Min Ning raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"...Why do you even ask that?"

Min Ning replied matter-of-factly, "If you die, I'll burn them for you—to preserve your dignity."

"...You're oddly considerate."

"So, do you or don't you?" she suddenly pressed with an air of indignation.

Chen Yi decided not to deny it any longer. "Fine, yes. Happy now?"

Min Ning had always been a straightforward Jianghu heroine, so telling her made little difference. Chen Yi couldn't help imagine the reactions of his three legitimate wives—Zhou Yitang might just scoff; Yin Weiyin could nonchalantly brush it aside; but if the little fox found out, it would be a calamity. Just picturing her surprise and soft murmurs of comfort was utterly embarrassing, stirring up layers of guilt...

"Still obsessed with lust, I see." Min Ning sighed, a hint of disappointment coloring her tone—a mentor's frustration at unfulfilled potential.

Oddly enough, seeing so many muddy aspects of Chen Yi, Min Ning suddenly felt that his unchanged lustful nature wasn't entirely bad.

Perhaps this was an opportunity—for her to do something, to help him in some way...

Back at the Absolute Sword Cavern, amidst walls etched with sword marks, Lu Ying sat deeply within, her eyes closed as if lost in meditation. Chen Yi vaguely sensed something but couldn't quite confirm it. Not wanting to disturb her, he only noted how she seemed utterly absorbed.

Walking ahead, Min Ning turned to the edge of a rocky cliff to practice her sword techniques. She didn't bother speaking to anyone and said not a word to Chen Yi.

Yin Weiyin observed their entrance—their positioning, with notable distance between them—and couldn't help but wonder.

She approached quietly and asked in a hushed tone, "What happened between you two?"

"Between us? Nothing." Chen Yi replied.

Despite his words, Yin Weiyin noticed a faint droop in his gaze and felt a pang in her chest.

Could he have argued with Min Ning because of her?

Though that sounded oddly gratifying, if such quarrels planted seeds of discord and led to an irreversible rift, it would entirely be her fault.

Yin Weiyin thought carefully, then suggested softly, "I just feel like something happened between you two."

Chen Yi didn't hide anything and said, "We'll duel with swords later."

Yin Weiyin's suspicions grew more certain; the atmosphere between them lacked harmony. Picking up on her expression, Chen Yi faintly guessed her thoughts and smiled, "Don't overthink it."

Not just them—now even this foolish woman could sense the schism between him and Min Ning, a tension quietly aging like twilight. He leaned against the wall, letting out a long breath. Were they growing so distant that jesting and playful banter were all that could conceal their hostility?

Yin Weiyin grew more uneasy and asked, "Would you tell me about it?"

Chen Yi hesitated for a moment before nodding. He really did want to confide, so he recounted their experience in the Black Mysteries Cave—charting his shifting heart state upon entering, the thrill of defeating wandering warriors, and finally their confrontation and agreement to duel later.

"She said she'd never leave me."

"What kind of 'never leave' are we talking about?"

Chen Yi Mused aloud, "In the underworld, didn't I say I wouldn't leave you? And now she says she won't leave me. It seems like we both have people we can't abandon. Do you understand this kind of connection?"

"I understand," Yin Weiyin remembered how they hadn't yet married in the underworld back then. "She sees you as a furnace."

"You understand what..."

Chen Yi exhaled in exasperation, turned away, and said pointedly:

"Does my dear wife still want to play furnace herself?"

Yin Weiyin shrank back slightly, murmuring:

"I'm just trying to cheer you up."

Chen Yi ignored her and pulled her firmly into his arms. The female crown let out a soft squeak, her body tilted as she nestled against him. In the dim, shadowed evening, the two embraced closely, hearts nearly touching. For a moment, Yin Weiyin rarely glimpsed the intricacies of his inner world.

She heard Chen Yi's heartbeat—heavy and burdened, full of conflict and entanglement, its sound resonating deeply, plodding on.

Neither of them spoke. That persistent sound thrummed faintly, like melting snow mingling with the world. Chen Yi thought back to his departure from Min Ning—the fire in her spirit, and the gloom weighing on his own. He had imagined their reunion in the Jianghu as two storied heroes, yet now she shone with unrestrained vigor, while he was overshadowed by hesitation. Beat by beat... his heart pounded faintly with a trace of panic...