My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion-Chapter 39 - 29: Isn’t This What You Like?

"This matter... isn’t appropriate, Acting Supervisor."

Upon hearing Chen Yi’s request, the records officer hesitantly spoke.

Chen Yi asked:

"What’s inappropriate?"

During that assassination attempt, Chen Yi had already pieced together the intentions of the Ding’an Party.

The group of scholars who claimed to be deeply concerned for the nation and its people had decisively resolved to topple the Lin Party at any cost. The chaos at the city gates would inevitably affect innocent bystanders, and anyone who had ever served the Lin Party would not be spared.

They would never give up on trying to eliminate him.

Instead, the attacks would come in waves.

To protect oneself, there were only two options: either flee the Capital City immediately, living henceforth in anonymity, or force the Ding’an Party to pay a monumental price before they succeeded in killing him, making them reconsider if the cost was worth it.

Chen Yi naturally had no intention of leaving the Capital City. Aside from the strange poison afflicting him, there was also the upcoming Praying Place event to subdue bandits and exorcise demons—neither of which allowed him to leave just like that.

The only viable option now was to set a trap for the Ding’an Party.

The records officer hesitated and cautiously reminded him:

"Acting Supervisor, most of these case files have already been reviewed by Supervisor Xue. Supervisor Xue believes there are basically no issues in them."

Chen Yi could clearly tell this was a veiled warning, hinting that even Supervisor Xue dared not provoke the Ding’an Party too much.

The records officer, observing Chen Yi’s silence, continued:

"Could this be some kind of misunderstanding? Acting Supervisor, if possible, perhaps you could deliver an invitation to the Prince Mansion to explain the matter in detail?"

Chen Yi let out a cold laugh.

Anyone could send an invitation to the Prince Mansion, but at present, he certainly could not.

At that village, he had killed over ten members of the Jinyi Guards, leaving no room for negotiation.

The Ding’an Party would never take Xue Youge’s life, which was why Xue could coexist peacefully with them.

The Ding’an Party refrained from targeting Xue Youge for two reasons: first, Xue was a fifth-grade expert, and eliminating him would be too costly; second, he was a eunuch and chief archivist for the Directorate of Ceremonies—killing him would amount to openly provoking the Empress Dowager who controlled court affairs.

But Chen Yi was a different story. Though backed by the Lin Party, his footing was unstable—he was merely a pawn the Lin Party could sacrifice in critical moments. Moreover, he was not a formal Supervisor, only an Acting Supervisor.

What’s more, after the Praying Place event, Lin Ge’lao would meet his end. Once the Lin Party’s great tree fell, Chen Yi would surely be abandoned. If he didn’t act soon, the situation would become even more perilous.

"If I tell you to investigate, you investigate. If you won’t, then I’ll do it myself."

Chen Yi pushed aside the records officer and spoke coldly.

The two records officers, realizing that Chen Yi’s mind was made up, dared not delay. They hurriedly began combing through the archives.

Chen Yi silently observed the scene.

After standing for nearly half an hour, the two records officers gathered most of the case files concerning the Prince Mansion and piled them on the table.

Chen Yi was about to step forward when suddenly there was a knock at the door outside the archive room.

Who could it be?

Chen Yi thought as he opened the door.

Min Ning stood at the doorway with her arms crossed, her expression cold and indifferent.

She said icily:

"I need to talk to you."

Chen Yi looked puzzled and glanced at the two records officers.

"Leave us."

The two records officers nodded meekly and quickly stepped out of the archive room.

Min Ning turned around and slowly closed the door.

"What is it?"

Chen Yi had just spoken.

"What do you think?"

Min Ning took a bold step forward, closing the distance between them.

The sound of her footsteps was firm and resolute.

Before Chen Yi could react, the confident woman disguised as a man reached out, placed her hand on his shoulder, and suddenly pushed—pinning him against the wall.

Her arm pressed against his shoulder aggressively, as if determined not to let him escape.

A ’wall slam’?

Chen Yi hadn’t even comprehended what was happening before Min Ning glared at him fiercely, closed her eyes, and pressed her delicate lips against his.

Have I just been... ’wall-slammed’?

Chen Yi was dumbfounded.

Before he could gather his thoughts, she leaned in further, her chest under the official robes brushing against him softly. Her flushed face was mere inches from his, as if possessed, as she proactively kissed his lips.

Her kiss carried long-held courage and decisiveness.

Chen Yi hesitated briefly but slowly enveloped her daringly darting tongue with his own, his hands holding her trembling back.

After what felt like ages, their lips parted.

"What on earth... was that for?"

Chen Yi asked, still somewhat dazed.

"To repay a debt..."

Min Ning replied through gritted teeth, blushing furiously:

"You scoundrel... isn’t this exactly what you like?"

Chen Yi, stunned at first, quickly understood.

So, it all came down to that martial arts manual he had secretly left at her home...

Chen Yi couldn’t help but laugh.

"What’s so funny?"

Min Ning’s blush deepened as she asked in an annoyed but quiet tone.

Her questioning expression only made Chen Yi laugh harder.

Min Ning, wracked by both embarrassment and anger, had her hand already resting on her blade hilt, itching to strike him dead.

Chen Yi hurriedly restrained his laughter, forcing a neutral expression, seeing which caused Min Ning’s demeanor to slightly soften.

She pushed him away, crossing her arms tight against her chest.

"Thank you... Thank you for returning it."

Chen Yi touched his lips and spoke quietly:

"You didn’t need to repay me..."

Min Ning avoided his gaze, her eyes lowered.

"If I didn’t, my conscience wouldn’t rest easy.

Besides, you... you’re still plotting something against my sister..."

Chen Yi understood instantly.

This kiss wasn’t only an act of repayment; it was also a shield for her sister. Min Ning hoped to ignite Chen Yi’s passion for herself and weaken the draw her sister held over him—to divert attention until his interest waned.

Min Ning, like a protective hen shielding her chick, was eager to protect Min Ming. It seemed Min Ming had a similar mindset. Now, as Min Ning stepped deeper into his life, Chen Yi realized he was edging closer to achieving his perfect ending involving all female protagonists.

Thinking of this, aside from physical desire, a sense of pity welled deeply within him.

But outwardly, Chen Yi chuckled:

"If repayment is what you insist, then there’ll be much to repay in the future."

Min Ning’s face turned even more crimson, her lovely expression trembling in distress.

Chen Yi strolled leisurely close to her ear, teasingly whispering:

"One day, when Min the Young Hero triumphs across Jianghu, someone might ask: why does Young Hero Min preserve her black history as a Jinyi Guard?"

Min Ning appeared startled and took several steps back, her ears bright red. She glared at Chen Yi but could only mutter weakly:

"You’re insane!"

Suddenly, outside the room, the sound of urgent pigeons cooing pierced the air.

Min Ning’s ears perked up as she swiftly shoved Chen Yi aside. Moving to the window, she pulled it open—where a gray pigeon landed on her arm with a small cylinder tied to its claw.

Min Ning retrieved a note from the cylinder. After reading it carefully, her expression tensed.

"My sister’s in danger!"

Chen Yi immediately leaned in to look as well, seeing just a few words written on the note: Urgent, Baihua Building.

..............

Dusk descended, the autumn air thick with its chill.

Min Ming rested her fingers on the strings of her zither, occasionally glancing sideways at the woman in white meticulously brewing tea.

By her side, two maidservants knelt with closed eyes as if meditating, but upon closer examination, their faces appeared paper-white, devoid of life.

From the side, it was clear these two maidservants were nothing more than human-shaped paper figures.

And it was this deception—creating human figures from folded paper—that defeated all the hidden martial artists within Baihua Building.

As the last note of the zither faded, Min Ming hesitated before asking:

"I wonder why Immortal Yin graces this humble entertainment house with her presence today?"

Yin Weiyin chuckled softly:

"Go ahead and play your zither. Do you know ’Guangling Melody’?"

Min Ming nodded, though sharing the room with this woman made her scalp prickle.

It wasn’t just because the Immortal had stormed Baihua Building and brought all its hidden masters to their knees with her paper-figure technique, but also because of the innate detachment she exuded toward ordinary mortals.

Min Ming couldn’t shake the feeling that this Immortal regarded people below her on the mountain like mere animals living mundane lives.