My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion

The people who originally split up due to unexpected changes have now regrouped.

After a brief exchange, it was clear that neither side suffered much loss, and in the end, there were more scares than real danger, although the path through the Bone Dissolving Pool was much slower and more perilous.

The underground space within the tower is without daylight, making it difficult to discern time, but the sweeping feeling of exhaustion was undeniable. Based on everyone's physical sensations, it was estimated to have been seven or eight hours, although in reality, it should be more.

Physical strength was exhausted, and Primordial Qi was utterly depleted, so for now, the only option was to rest a little before making any further moves.

The White Lotus Sect and the Daoists separated to each side of the wide space, one to the east and the other to the west. The White Lotus Sect members fell asleep immediately, snoring loudly, while the Daoists acted more gracefully, focusing on breathing exercises and meditating with their eyes closed.

There was a faint sound of conversation in the air, not very loud, like it had blended into the white noise of the space. Even after a day's combat, no matter how exhausted, the tension in their hearts could only be relieved by whispered conversations.

Yin Weiyin looked over and saw Qing Yuan bowing his head near a torch, gently stroking his Magic Sword, wiping the stains off with a cloth. No one was beside him, and the flickering firelight outlined a faint and cool silhouette.

Previously full of incomprehension, seeing this scene now solved some of the puzzles. Chen Yi was not only fond of Xiao Yin's pitiful demeanor, but also enamored by icy purity.

Given that, it's no wonder how they got involved.

It seems,

He was seeking the shadow of her, Yin Weiyin, in others!

Thinking of this, Yin Weiyin felt both unhappy in her heart and immensely proud. It is often said that a wife is inferior to a concubine, but that's not entirely true. The two were a married couple, yet in their past interactions, there was no sign of the wife being inferior to the concubine, and even if he cheated, he did so with someone who had a trace of her essence, which shows how deeply he felt.

If she were to leave him silently, perhaps in his old age, he would hold Qing Yuan, who embodied her shadow, and sigh, "Now it stands tall like a canopy."

After pondering this, Yin Weiyin finally moved her body, calmly and seemingly unintentionally approaching Qing Yuan.

A breeze seemed to pass by, causing the firelight to flicker slightly at the corner of her eye. Qing Yuan glanced sideways and saw Donggong Ruoshu's face come into view.

Yin Weiyin looked up and down at this woman who could only be described as cool, contemplating how to start the conversation.

"Ghost Lord," Qing Yuan suddenly spoke.

Yin Weiyin was slightly taken aback, finally responding after a moment and pointed to herself, "Are you... calling me?"

"Yes," she paused for a moment, then continued, "Everyone privately refers to you as Ghost Lord."

Yin Weiyin's eyebrows furrowed slightly. The Daoists face unknown deities and spirits by addressing them as "Venerable God," "Divine Monarch," or "High True Saint," but she appeared human on the surface and her origin was unknown, making people wary, so secretly calling her "Ghost Lord" was understandable, but... it sounded too unpleasant.

Yet, now that a conversation was opened, Yin Weiyin conveniently sat down, watching her brushing the long sword across her lap and preparing to gently inquire, "Why do you practice swordsmanship?" to subtly guide the conversation...

"What is your relationship with him?" Qing Yuan asked.

?

Yin Weiyin froze for a moment.

Infinite Heavenly Venerable, how bold this little wildcat has become!

Yin Weiyin's shoulders trembled slightly, originally thinking this woman would be ashamed and flustered, but unexpectedly, she was so bold... No, it might not be bold after all. Along the way, she and Chen Yi had shown no excessive closeness, implying the relationship was not widely known. It seemed the woman intended to intimidate by association, attacking first...

Yet, it was also amusing; since she was not personally here, she was mistaken as a pushover.

Ha, attacking first?

Yin Weiyin pondered slightly, then weakly replied, "Naturally... we're a married couple."

"..."

Qing Yuan's cold eyes narrowed, keeping her head down for a long time before she spoke:

"Is that really so?"

"He admitted it himself," Yin Weiyin revealed a sweet, happy smile, "We got married long ago."

A moment of speechless silence.

Qing Yuan didn't even need to look askance at that traitor. In the past, the gap in strength between the two was significant, and she could suppress him; now, his face was so thick as to be impervious, watching would only bring trouble.

He truly had a way with it, not even half a year after separating from her, and there's another.

Thankfully, she now had two hands and could still count them.

"Why did you ask this?"

Yin Weiyin looked at her silence, waiting until it seemed she had recovered, then said quietly:

"So you and him... don't have anything unsavory going on, right?"

Qing Yuan's mouth twitched, as if unsure how to respond, only managing after a while, "No, never did."

"Oh... there better not be," Yin Weiyin warmly advised.

"Hmm."

Although her response was brief, the female crown could imagine her feeling heartbroken inside, thoroughly enjoying it.

Ripples stirred in Heart Lake, spreading outward, seeing this, she sighed in her heart, realizing she was obsessed with such illusory matters, reflecting on her insufficient cultivation, then quietly reciting the Supreme Forget Love Technique to gather her thoughts.

Critically advantageous self-blame.

While distractedly reciting the Supreme Forget Love Technique, what Yin Weiyin didn't know was that while she was observing Qing Yuan's every move, Qing Yuan was doing the same.

If Donggong Ruoshu were truly so naive and unaware of the world, she should have stopped after asking that one question.

The phrase "there better not be" seemed like gilding the lily.

Qing Yuan's eyes slightly dimmed.

Could it be she was also... wearing a disguise?

The innocent, worldly-oblivious guise could fool the majority on earth, but in her eyes, it was merely... clumsy.

People cannot imagine what they haven't experienced, yet once they do, they will notice previously ignored details.

Shang Yang knows the horse's strength, Bi Gan sees the human heart; if she hadn't supported single-handedly, how would she have known he grew up... Qing Yuan felt puzzled; recently, her mind had been prone to disturbances.

Returning to the topic, some things cannot be discerned without personal practice, within Donggong Ruoshu's shell, rather than being an unknown existence, she seemed more like... an acquaintance.

"You... truly are... a married couple with him?" Qing Yuan asked somewhat nervously.

Yin Weiyin snapped back to reality and replied, "Yes."

"Well, I..." Qing Yuan paused for a moment, hesitating before uttering, "I like him."

Yin Weiyin was momentarily stunned, not expecting Qing Yuan to be so direct, the cool air beneath which gave an impression inconsistent with itself.

But seeing her turn her head, avoiding eye contact, then remaining silent while quietly stroking the sword's edge, it seemed she was waiting for a response.

This is...

Hoping for approval from her, the First Lady?

Yin Weiyin's nose twitched slightly, this woman had an eye for observation, knowing when to bow her head, beneath her cool exterior lay a keen mind, far superior to that one-armed individual.

Though she considered herself as the First Lady, throughout the years, she maintained her broad-mindedness, rarely exerting her status as First Lady to oppress others, thus his confidant rarely showed respect, she always saw through yet said nothing, with an elder's demeanor, capable of embracing others.

Now that someone had conceded, it was not impossible to show a kind face in return...

"If you like him, then like him. Liking is your own affair; I can't stop it,"

Yin Weiyin paused briefly and suddenly felt like she was rashly opening up. Realizing she needed to set limits, she added:

"However, I do not agree much."

Qing Yuan appeared somewhat surprised, saying, "What... do you mean by that..."

"Your liking is your matter; my disagreement is mine."

"... Why disagree?"

She responded as if it were a given: "Disagreeing is just disagreeing."

Qing Yuan's face cooled as she said, "I'm asking, what qualifies you to disagree?"

The Immortal Lady's sharp tone was displeasing, the implication clear, suggesting that if she let go of pride and made a concession, being a concubine or secondary wife wouldn't be inconceivable.

How could Yin Weiyin not know; she'd heard this tone from Min Ning before.

"You're asking what qualifies me?" she smiled prettily, then lazily said: "Because... I'm his First Lady."

Qing Yuan's expression solidified, seemingly stunned.

Yin Weiyin triumphed and cruelly added salt to the wound with a smile as she leisurely stood up and walked away.

In the flickering firelight, that silhouette was drawn out immensely, appearing strange and grotesque.

Qing Yuan remained silent, allowing shadows to cover her face,

After a long while, the corners of her mouth slightly curled, as if in mockery,

First Lady, is it....