My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion-Chapter 774 - 485: Mom! (Two in One) _2

"You're willing to acknowledge this?"

Yin Tingxue didn't respond. She only vaguely heard certain sounds.

The wind...

The hurried sound of the wind breaking through the air, as if a sword was approaching.

The panic on her face abruptly vanished. Instead, she climbed up briskly, took a deep breath, and said, "Stop… stop now…"

"Stop?"

The Gu Huo bird found it instinctively amusing.

"Even without this tripod, I could keep grinding you down for an entire day—until you willingly call me 'Mother.'"

Outside the building, the world was utterly silent, the Cloud Mountains stacked layer upon layer.

The Gu Huo bird suddenly turned her head.

In the next instant, a streak of white light tore through the clouds, dragging a long rainbow like a comet, and the overwhelming Sword Qi slashed straight toward the small building.

The Gu Huo bird's form shot up. She met the sword head-on, enveloped in swirling white mist. The dense fog rolled and boiled like boiling water, triggering a chaotic eruption that knocked her adopted sons and daughters to the ground. The thick mist exploded and scattered within the small building.

When the mist cleared, the Gu Huo bird floated back to the ground with a face full of fear. Bloodied tears ran across her body, while smoke and dust filled the air. Half of the small building had been severed by that single sword strike.

From the distance, a figure slowly emerged through the mist.

"Let's see… who dares to claim to be her mother."

The voice wasn't loud or quiet but just enough to fall within the building.

The Gu Huo bird, already pale-faced, became even paler, almost bleached like paper, her gaze frozen in horror. In her hand, the No-Life Tripod cracked with a deep fissure.

What kind of destructive power is this?!

Could this… be the mother that girl mentioned?!

The Gu Huo bird's peripheral vision trembled as she looked back cautiously.

Yin Tingxue also turned her head at this point, blinking at the Gu Huo bird with silent messages as if voicing unspoken words.

The Gu Huo bird shuddered violently, trembling like a sieve.

Feigning authority and bullying others with borrowed power…

Such are the tides and fate!

With teeth gnashing, it twisted its body and shouted fiercely at Yin Tingxue, "Mother!"

...

"Gone a few hours, and you're already surrounded by sons and daughters?"

In the chaotic hall, Chen Yi sat boldly in a chair, holding Yin Tingxue in his arms.

Yin Tingxue glanced at herself being carried by him, feeling both astonished and embarrassed. She softly murmured, "Indeed…"

Chen Yi chuckled, pointing at her and said, "Come back now."

"Don't hold me..."

"I'll hold onto you—so what?"

"It's embarrassing..."

"You're the one embarrassed, not me."

The Gu Huo bird knelt on the ground. Her adopted sons and daughters had long been knocked unconscious by the aftershock waves. Blood-covered, she looked on with humiliation and unwillingness at that man.

So… it's him...

Yin Tingxue's spirit quickly returned to her body. She opened her eyes and instinctively struggled to get up, but Chen Yi pressed her into his embrace. Unable to move, she quietly leaned against him and obediently lay on top of him.

To the Gu Huo bird's eyes, this scene was undoubtedly a waste of heavenly treasures.

But when Chen Yi glanced at her, she immediately trembled violently, lowering her head submissively.

"This item—is it the No-Life Tripod?"

Chen Yi examined the small tripod in his hand with interest.

"…Indeed… It's one of the White Lotus Sect's Holy Artifacts, rumored to guide spirits back to the Vacuum Home."

Chen Yi glanced at the monsters lying soullessly all over the floor.

The Gu Huo bird trembled again, her voice shaking as she explained, "In truth, this was retrieved by the White Lotus Sect from a Secret Realm. It's a sacrificial artifact used for refining souls. As for these monsters… not a single one isn't deserving of death."

The intricate patterns on the tripod caught Chen Yi's attention as he lowered his gaze to deliberate. If it was merely used to refine souls, why would the White Lotus Sect venerate it as a Holy Artifact?

It might be worth keeping to inspect with the Heavenly Eye.

As for the Gu Huo bird...

Chen Yi cast her a glance. With a slight lift of his finger, a streak of Sword Qi could easily end her life, fulfilling his commitment to the Fengqing Mountain monsters.

Sensing the killing intent, the Gu Huo bird fell to the ground with a loud thud, begging with a trembling voice:

"Immortal Master slaying demons and banishing evildoers is undoubtedly an act of great merit. This humble spirit does not plead for her own life but only for mercy upon my adopted sons and daughters. Little Four and Little Five, for instance, consume only pure energy… They've never feasted on humans. Immortal Master… please show benevolence!"

Chen Yi sneered coldly.

Just then, he felt his sleeve being tugged slightly. Looking down, he saw Yin Tingxue shaking her head.

"Change… the method." Her voice was faint.

Chen Yi lowered his eyes and pondered briefly.

Killing is an option, but sparing is also an option...

While thinking, he recalled a principle he once taught Yin Tingxue: If one is strong enough, the power to decide life and death lies in their own hands. Furthermore, if it could bring Yin Tingxue some joy, it wouldn't be entirely unacceptable.

"Swear a binding Heart Demon Oath."

...

"It's been a while, Tingxue."

When that figure with flowing hair and stunning beauty appeared in her view, Yin Tingxue was startled—it was Dong Guifei.

Why is she here?

Yin Tingxue strained her ears to catch onto something, to uncover the truth, but she heard nothing.

It seemed Dong Guifei had already prepared for such a situation.

The shackles on Dong Guifei's wrists remained fastened and were far from being undone. Being made of black iron dark as ink, even Chen Yi couldn't figure out how to release them upon close inspection.

"There's no need to bother looking," Dong Guifei said. "The key's in her hands—it cannot be unlocked."

Without a word, she leaned in closer, the faint aroma from her hair curling into the air, enveloping the senses. Chen Yi raised his brows slightly.

Something was amiss.

"Have you been trusted while following her around all this time?" Chen Yi asked casually, setting the shackles aside.

"Not entirely. She… seems to regard me as half a daughter-in-law, confiding in me at times, but she's still very wary of me," Dong Guifei paused before explaining further. "This time, her southern expedition is due to the chaos caused by the White Lotus Sect, which has engulfed nearly all of Hu-Guang. Even the revered Dragon and Tiger Mountain had to seal its gates and seek aid from the Taoist templars worldwide. As for the local governor and Capital Commander, the reports of consecutive victories they sent are undoubtedly deceiving, illustrating the level of corruption in Hu-Guang's bureaucracy. Hence, she mobilized the Forbidden Army to quell the rebels, with most units consisting of her loyal inner circle. It's essentially an imperial campaign."

"An imperial campaign? She thinks herself the Empress Dowager Xiao, doesn't she?" Chen Yi sneered.

After the Battle of Gaoliang River between Song and Liao, Emperor Taizong Zhao Guangyi launched a second northward expedition with three armies advancing simultaneously, only to face Empress Dowager Xiao leading the Liao forces to a decisive victory. The Northern Expedition during the Yongxi era was thus abandoned.

Yin Tingxue raised an eyebrow, recalling the many stories she had read to him, including narratives from the Song, Liao, and Jin dynasties. This was due to the fact that the current period, with Great Yu and Jin Yu coexisting, had yet to achieve unification. Many Great Yu scholars likened the present state to "the Song facing the Liao" or "akin to the Song and Jin."

Dong Guifei remained indifferent to Chen Yi's dismissive remark. She simply looked at him and said, "I suppose you won't be able to save me."

Chen Yi was initially surprised but quickly understood. "You appeared here deliberately."

Thinking about it, it made sense—how could Dong Guifei have appeared in such a place, coincidentally bumping into him?

"Indeed," Dong Guifei replied breezily, with a hint of amusement. "Whether it's a trap or not, if I need saving, you'll certainly try to save me. She figured this out perfectly. I had my reservations initially, but she said… I'm your woman… You wouldn't refuse to save me."

Chen Yi's face held no anger, for it was just as Dong Guifei had said.

This had always been the case.

Yet now, one matter was more puzzling.

Chen Yi asked, "…What is she thinking?"

"How would I know? She still distrusts me," Dong Guifei replied lightly, as though serving as a mouthpiece. "But she knows your whereabouts; she simply doesn't want to meet you in person."

This woman's mind often operated in peculiar ways, as Chen Yi took a deep breath. Some women were just like this, often doing things that defy logical reasoning. As for the rationale, nobody could grasp it.

"Have my movements been exposed?" Chen Yi inquired further.

"Messages from Yin Sword Mountain as well as predictions from various sources. She deduced that the individual traveling southbound with the Sword Box must be you, given your ties to Sword Armor," Dong Guifei explained slowly.

Chen Yi nodded slightly.

Previously faking his death at Yin Sword Mountain, he hadn't exactly kept his return a secret. Coupled with the spies from the imperial palace stationed at Yin Sword Mountain, her ability to deduce this was indeed ordinary logic.

The Gaoli girl approached closer silently, her laughter like the soft jingling of silver bells. "You don't know how many inns I've visited and how many counties I've crossed in the past few days…"

The atmosphere subtly shifted.

Chen Yi glanced sideways at her, aware of Dong Guifei's mastery in manipulation but chose not to refuse her approach.

Within the dense shadows of the forest, Dong Guifei lifted her gaze toward him and murmured softly, "If my body doesn't carry traces of you, it'd be hard to explain…"

"What is she, a bloodhound?"

Before his voice could settle, Dong Guifei's toe tipped delicately as she leaned against Chen Yi's chest.

Chen Yi turned his head to glance back. Yin Tingxue, quiet and understanding, retreated a few steps to one side, deliberately turning her back on them. As to whatever curses she muttered inwardly, Chen Yi wasn't concerned.

Returning his focus, Dong Guifei raised her shackled hands high. A feigned stance of frail helplessness overwhelmed her.

Her breathing grew sharper, and beneath the rugged terrain of her intricate curves, warmth exuded.

Come to think of it, he was growing tired of Yin Tingxue's stark simplicity.