My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion-Chapter 785 - 490: Effective (Two-in-One)_2

The cold wind battered the doors and windows.

The tall woman's gaze suddenly turned sharp, her presence imposing.

Zhu E took a half step back, pondering silently for a moment.

The warm room felt like it had plunged into an ice cave, with not a sound to be heard. Qin Yue wasn't crying either; she curled up on the soft couch, her eyes unblinking.

Zhu E had mentioned similar words before, but Qin Qingluo severely disliked them and reacted intensely, so Zhu E temporarily shelved the topic. However, now that she was about to leave the Southern Border, unsure of when she would return, she wasn't worried about Qin Yue not eating or dressing well, just that the child wouldn't regard Qin Qingluo as her mother.

It's well known that before the age of one, it's the best time for a child to recognize their parents.

After a long pause, Zhu E softly said:

"A child relies on milk to recognize their mother. If that person finds out and casually finds a woman to feed her, wouldn't the child no longer belong to the Prince?"

"It's better if she's not mine."

Unexpectedly, after a moment of contemplation, Zhu E said:

"...Fine, then send her away."

Qin Qingluo kept asking, "Where to send her?"

"Send her to Yin Sword Mountain, hand her over to the Sword Armor. He will surely understand once he sees her. The ties of gratitude and loyalty are severed, and he won't return to the Southern Border anymore."

Even though she knew the words were half true, when Qin Qingluo heard them, she suddenly felt a void in her heart,

"...Aunt Zhu, can you bear it?"

"I can't bear it, but I have to feed her well. I expect her to take care of me in the future. Who knows, when she grows up, she might not respect her biological mother, recognize him instead of you, and take your money to go to him..." Zhu E's voice was sorrowful.

With those words, Qin Qingluo suddenly felt her chest swell with intensity.

The imposing woman was silent for a long time,

"I will make my own decision."

Receiving this reply, Zhu E nodded slightly, looked at Qin Yue with reluctance, and then walked out of the warm room.

The bamboo and silk lamps were still lit. In the flickering light, the once proud feminine Prince slightly lowered her head, seemingly lost in contemplation or standing motionless.

After an unknown amount of time,

Qin Yue, unable to stave off hunger, let out a couple of cries, and it was these cries that caused the Prince to slightly raise her delicate head.

She exhaled a breath, turned around, and opened the door to call a maid to find a wet nurse.

Before long, the maid hurriedly returned, reporting, "Prince, the wet nurses have all gone home to visit their families. The Princess gave them a half-day off."

Qin Qingluo was momentarily stunned, understanding that Zhu E had done this deliberately.

She suddenly felt at a loss, her chest swelling even more intensely. After sending the maid away, Qin Qingluo squeezed back into the warm room and once again looked at the child she called a cursed child.

Revulsion, hatred, glaring, hostility—many negative feelings swirled in the serpentine eyes, along with some... bewilderment.

The daughter stared at her with wide eyes, her gaze fixed on her mother's bosom without moving, greedily sucking on her fingers.

When Qin Qingluo regained her senses, she was startled to find her hand placed at her neckline, which she lowered with a cold voice:

"What are you looking at? Starving."

Unable to bear the grievance, Qin Yue cried loudly.

The crying was very loud.

The female Prince let out a heavy breath of exasperation.

.........

.........

Far away, Chen Yi suddenly felt a pang of inexplicable anxiety.

His steps halted, causing Yin Tingxue, who was following closely, to feel puzzled.

The little fox immediately sensed something, asking in confusion, "Heartache?"

"Hmm..."

Chen Yi responded, the heartache was unprovoked, like an electric shock of dull pain radiating from within, catching him off guard.

"Why does it suddenly hurt?"

"Maybe I'm connected with someone," Chen Yi replied offhandedly.

These words were said casually but, at this moment, seemed meaningful, involuntarily reminding him of his newborn daughter.

After wandering the Jianghu for a long time, he frequently thought of Qin Qingluo and Zhu E and even more often of this child he had never met. Every time he did, he couldn't help but worry.

Chen Yi found himself fearing that Qin Qingluo might treat her poorly.

If she couldn't handle herself, wouldn't the female Prince handle her daughter?

The tumultuous emotions fell into Yin Tingxue's ears, and the little fox hung her head low, not saying a word.

"Hey, why aren't the two Daoists moving?"

Li Chenghang had already walked a distance, turning his head to call out.

"No problem, we're catching up right now."

With that said, Chen Yi pulled Yin Tingxue along to catch up.

Speaking of the morning, after performing a ritual for the Li family to absolve spirits, he naturally got to know the eldest son of the Li family, Li Chenghang, who led the ghost marriage ceremony. As the saying goes, forming virtuous connections leads to good outcomes, especially for a Daoist with spellcasting abilities. Li Chenghang warmly invited the two to the town to celebrate, and Chen Yi did not refuse, accepting the offer.

"Daoist Long, where were we, oh yes, discussing how this marriage was arranged by my late father..."

"Yes, how is your esteemed father?"

"My father passed away three years ago; I returned to mourn him. I'll be resuming my post next year when there's an opening." Li Chenghang led the way, "I've just finished my mourning period, otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to fulfill my father's regret."

Chen Yi nodded slightly, understanding these matters due to Great Yu's emphasis on filial piety.

He thought for a moment and asked, "Who is the ghost matchmaker for arranging this yin marriage?"

In the mortal world, if there's no matchmaker, even an agreed marriage cannot be made privately, as the important concept is 'open and honest marriage.' Ghost marriages also require a ghost matchmaker, often the temple attendant of the City God. Chen Yi casually inquired, hoping Li Chenghang would introduce them, offering Yin Tingxue an opportunity to gain insight.

Sure enough, Li Chenghang said, "Of course, it's the temple attendant of the Lu shrine in town."

"Could you introduce us?"

"It's not difficult, but the Lu temple attendant might not be available; she's been overwhelmed these past days." Li Chenghang paused and added, "The local deity has not been very effective recently."

Chen Yi raised an eyebrow after hearing this,

"From your words—was it effective before?"

Throughout the world, it's common to see ineffective gods, but it's rare to find effective ones.

Li Chenghang gave an affirmative reply, "Indeed, it was very effective before. My father once sought blessings to pass the provincial exam and truly secured the 'provincial graduate' status. I didn't believe it initially but later sought blessings before my own exam and became a recommended person, not dishonoring the family legacy."

Chen Yi raised his eyebrows again.

Oh,

That's quite interesting.

...…

As the sun set, the reddish glow of dusk illuminated the small town, reflecting the celebratory red paper debris left from the fireworks for the Lantern Festival.

When the Lantern Festival arrived, even as night approached, the town remained bustling with people.

At the town entrance, a wanted poster was displayed. It was issued by the county not long ago but was posted now with the advent of the New Year Lantern Festival. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The person in the drawing was grotesque, followed by their name and many misdeeds.

"Is this that Chen Yi, Chen Qianhu?"

Li Chenghang kept walking, turning his head to glance at the poster,

"Didn't expect him to look so uncouth."

"Indeed!"

Chen Yi raised his voice slightly, sounding as if he were indignantly outraged.

He glanced at the image on the poster, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, thinking his father-in-law was abusing his power.

Yin Tingxue glanced sideways at the poster, then remarked, "He doesn't look that impressive."

Chen Yi looked at her, just pinching her little hand. The little fox shrank back but didn't complain of pain. He thought she was merely sulking and chose not to quarrel with her.

Walking past the town's main area, Chen Yi looked around, eventually pausing again.

On the left stood a dilapidated City God Temple, its gate half open, with weeds sprouting from the cracks in the stone slab. Despite the bustling crowd, hardly anyone glanced at it, and there were only a few offerings inside.

During the festival, would the City God Temple be this neglected?

Chen Yi furrowed his brow; most people had a habit of praying to any deity available. Whether it was Buddha Bodhisattva on the altar or immortal deities, it didn't matter much. Many temple-goers couldn't distinguish the three Buddhas of the Main Hall, yet they still diligently offered incense.

On such a festive occasion, even stray roadside gods received a few incense sticks. So why not the City God? Yet here, nobody worships the City God at all.

Is the City God above worldly affairs?

Or... is the local deity too effective...

Is praying to him enough?