My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion-Chapter 52 - 39 This is Not My Move

In Chen Yi’s courtyard.

A homing pigeon hovered gracefully in the air.

Dusk settled heavily, the Capital City shrouded in a veil of amber haze. The outlines of pavilions and towers blurred into obscurity, and with them, the boundary between man and ghost seemed to dissolve.

Min Ning, now sober, shook her head to clear her thoughts and raised a hand to catch the pigeon.

Chen Yi asked:

"From your sister?"

Min Ning nodded, removed the note from the pigeon, glanced at it briefly, and handed it to Chen Yi.

"It’s for you."

Chen Yi took the note and read: Outside the west suburbs of the Capital City, Huaisui Village has a demon ghost. Please, households, exterminate it. This is also Grand Secretary Lin’s wish. From Wuyong Building.

This is also Grand Secretary Lin’s wish... It seems Wuyong Building, after being reprimanded by the Empress Dowager that night, has decided to align itself with the Lin Party.

Even so, this request marks the first collaboration Wuyong Building has sought since aligning itself.

Though, on that evening, apart from stealing Min Ming’s first kiss, I had done nothing else.

Speaking of which, Min Ning probably doesn’t know about that incident.

"Why are you staring at me?"

Min Ning noticed his gaze and asked.

Chen Yi chuckled and shook his head, shifting the topic:

"Now, it’s time to teach me that one strike."

Min Ning snorted coldly and unsheathed her knife, named Wuzanian.

Gripping the hilt, she spoke solemnly:

"The essence of a strike lies in clarity of mind during its execution and mastering the secrets of flowing fortune. The movement of True Qi—all about which meridians it flows through to which pressure points it impacts—powers the force. The strike itself is merely a form; the essence lies within, like troops rallying under banners. The form is the surface, fluttering in the wind like military flags; the essence is the core, under which armies gather."

"Quick-to-learn martial arts, like Zhao Zilong’s Eighteen Spears, prioritize form over essence. One can master them in as little as three to four months, but they’ll stagnate afterward. In contrast, difficult-to-master martial arts place much greater emphasis on essence. Once truly understood, one becomes an expert of unparalleled skill. As Zhou Jianjia of Yin Sword Mountain once said, ’A sword borne of true intent can cut down three hundred soldiers.’"

Listening to Min Ning’s detailed explanation of the principles behind the strike, Chen Yi found it somewhat tedious and interjected:

"Cut to the point already."

Min Ning frowned and responded:

"Impulsive and restless—how do you expect to become a true master?"

Chen Yi grinned and said:

"I can just remain a master standing behind Min Ning, the great hero."

Min Ning heard the suggestive remark and cast a menacing glare at him.

"Fine, listen closely. Qi currents must first sink to the Qi Sea point, rise to the Shenque point, and circulate along the Hand Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian..."

As she spoke, Min Ning danced lightly, her blade moving fluidly with her body. Then, holding her breath, she delivered a horizontal slash.

The powerful gust generated by the blade rushed past Chen Yi’s face, stirring his sash dramatically.

Having finished her demonstration, Min Ning sheathed her knife, tilted her chin up proudly, and said with a hint of smugness:

"Alright, your turn. Try it yourself and see just how difficult it is. If you’re this eager to progress, don’t expect me to demonstrate it again. Let’s see how poorly you mimic me."

Chen Yi unsheathed the Brocade Spring Blade, glanced at the training panel, and chuckled:

"Indeed, it’s challenging."

As his words fell, Chen Yi focused deeply.

Without hesitation, he infused the technique with twenty years’ worth of True Qi.

[From Min Ning, you encountered "Wind Breaks, Rain Cuts." Her insight left you astonished, and you witnessed the technique’s power. Among peers in the same cultivation realm, barring those who specifically train their physiques, no one could withstand this strike.]

[You spent five years comprehending the strike, practicing its execution repeatedly. Though your moves mirrored Min Ning’s exactly, you failed to match her mastery of its essence.]

[Another five years passed, during which your exhaustive practice bore no fruit. You ceased training it altogether. Yet, in moments without a blade, you gradually began grasping its essence. Three months later, upon wielding a blade again, you succeeded in matching Min Ning’s execution precisely.]

[Five more years yielded intermittent discipline. In your oscillation between diligence and laxity, you progressively understood the principles underlying the strike and surpassed her insight.]

[By the twentieth year, spring broke winds, summer cut rains, autumn felled leaves, and winter scattered snow. As spring returned, four seasons cycled, and the impermanence of life etched itself into the technique. The strike transcended Wind Cuts, Rain Breaks. Its true essence permeated your being, achieving mastery of its blade art.]

[Wind Breaks, Rain Cuts (Perfect Mastery)]

[Remaining True Qi: One hundred and thirty years]

Chen Yi tightened his grip on the Brocade Spring Blade, his stance slightly hunched. Emulating Min Ning’s actions, he maneuvered his feet to sense the flow of Qi and attempted his first strike.

Watching Chen Yi’s blatant mimicry, Min Ning spoke with a wizened tone:

"This strike, named ’Wind Breaks,’ anchors itself not in form but in essence. That’s why it is nearly impossible to master quickly; it demands mental clarity and patience. This technique, which I have merely begun before its full refinement, will later be called Wind Breaks, Rain Cuts when perfected and documented into a blade manual. At its peak, I imagine it will slice through even fierce storms, severing..."

Boom!

Suddenly, an explosion of wind howled like a dragon leaping from the abyss. Blade light flashed, splitting the heavens and earth into nearly imperceptible halves. The cleaved air condensed into gusts, colliding sideways with such force that a nearby water vat resonated like a temple bell.

Min Ning’s initial pride warped into stunned disbelief as her eyes widened. Reflexively, her hand went to her knife hilt in unease.

After executing the strike, Chen Yi sheathed his blade with satisfaction, praising:

"This strike isn’t bad. If I were to encounter Huang Liuqing from the White Willow Sect again, relying on this killing move, the outcome might be far from certain."

Min Ning had once slain an equal-level opponent, the demon Li, with this strike. After perfecting it, Chen Yi reckoned he could dispatch two such adversaries at once.

Min Ning’s grip loosened from her hilt, disbelief painted across her face as she stammered:

"Where did you learn this strike?"

Chen Yi glanced at Min Ning and winked playfully:

"From you, of course. Didn’t you teach me?"

Min Ning’s eyes widened further:

"I taught you? ...But–but this isn’t my technique!"

The essence of the strike had far surpassed Wind Breaks, Rain Cuts—clearly leagues beyond her version!

Executing the same strike herself could never yield such results.

Min Ning’s thoughts spiraled, her head overwhelmed with disbelief.

Gazing at Min Ning’s shock, Chen Yi instantly grasped her confusion and decided to tease her. Lightly patting her shoulder, he joked:

"Sorry, I refined it to perfection for you."

Min Ning was so infuriated she nearly spat blood. After cycling through surprise, shock, and contemplation, she suddenly came to terms with the situation, falling into silent acceptance.

This strike, after all, was derived from Chen Yi’s ruthless encounter in the rain-drenched alley, where he had slain a notorious figure with twenty-one consecutive blows.

For him to surpass her understanding was, undeniably, reasonable. Yet achieving such refinement in mere moments... What exceptional martial arts talent was this?

Min Ning laughed bitterly. Initially intending to make him her True Disciple, she now realized she might not even qualify to take him as one herself.

Although Chen Yi found her dejected expression amusing, he held deep respect for Min Ning’s own natural gifts.

His perfection of the blade technique relied on external cheats; Min Ning’s progress, however, came solely from her inherent talent.

"Alright... Let’s discuss my grandfather now."

Min Ning committed his strike firmly to memory before decisively shifting the topic.

"As I recall, your grandfather was implicated in the Prime Minister’s case. At the time, the Prime Minister was... Zhang Yan, Zhang the Grand Secretary?"

The position of Grand Secretary was often interchangeable with Prime Minister.

"Twelve years ago, during the twenty-fourth year of Emperor Qingying’s reign, Zhang the Grand Secretary proposed the Immortality Method to the late Emperor. The Emperor tasked my grandfather with leading one hundred Brocade-clad Guards across the empire to search for ingredients for this so-called divine elixir. When he returned with the ingredients, officials suddenly rose in rebellion, impeached Zhang the Grand Secretary for disrupting the court, and accused him of rampant corruption. The Prime Minister’s case erupted, resulting in Zhang’s downfall and implicating my grandfather in the aftermath."

"Still, my grandfather shouldn’t have died. Despite benefiting somewhat from Zhang the Grand Secretary, his punishment should have been limited to dismissal. That’s why my father always insisted that there was more to the case. Later, my father tirelessly wandered in pursuit of the truth, only to drown mysteriously during a mission. Two months later, my mother, overwhelmed with grief, followed after him."

Min Ning’s voice turned raspy as the story unfolded.

"So, what’s your take on this?"

Min Ning fixed her gaze on Chen Yi, her tone earnest:

"I believe the late Emperor intentionally ordered my grandfather’s death!"

"Your grandfather retrieved the divine elixir, yet the Emperor sentenced him to death. Why? And given the Emperor never achieved true immortality, does that mean the elixir was a fraud?"

Min Ning shook her head in response to Chen Yi’s questions:

"I don’t know either. That’s why I want the truth. Moreover, following this incident, Grand Secretary Lin was inducted into the inner cabinet and gradually gained the favor of the late Emperor, consolidating his Lin Party."

"You mean to say—the primary beneficiary, Grand Secretary Lin, is the most suspicious?"

Chen Yi recalled how Grand Secretary Lin, after turning sixty, had become notably obsessed with cultivating daoist skills.

"Exactly... You wouldn’t happen to be affiliated with the Lin Party, would you?"

After a moment’s hesitation, Min Ning asked.

"I am who I am."

Chen Yi replied cheekily:

"Perhaps I’m your ally."

"Hmph, no sense of propriety."

Min Ning exhaled in relief.

"So, do you have any ideas?"

Having already cleared this instance once before, Chen Yi certainly had ideas.

However, revealing them outright served no purpose and might even alter key plans. Besides, Min Ning might not believe him instantly.

After some thought, Chen Yi decided to nudge her in the right direction:

"Think for a moment. Right now, there’s suppression of evildoers at the Praying Place, a mingling of yin and yang, the blurred line between humans and spirits. To uncover the truth of that incident, what’s the best method?"

Min Ning furrowed her determined brows, pondering for a while.

"What method? What connection is there?"

Chen Yi tapped her forehead and answered straightforwardly:

"Ask your grandfather directly!"

"Ask my grandfather? He’s long departed from this life."

Seeing Min Ning’s growing confusion, Chen Yi sighed and revealed:

"Summon his spirit!"