My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion-Chapter 83 - 68 Did the Same Thing to Me

The weather was slightly dreary, yet the Lin Manor was still lit with lavish lanterns. Inside and out, the streets were bustling; literary scholars and poets entered the gates of the Lin Manor under the warm hospitality of its attendants. The close ones addressed each other as brothers, the opportunists by their titles—merriment abounded amidst the lively crowd.

It was precisely at such times that people could witness firsthand the immense political power of the Lin Party in court. The ornamental beasts and birds on the officials’ uniforms could line an entire street.

"What has your sister been up to lately?"

Chen Yi turned and asked.

Besides Yin Tingxue, he had with him a guard—not another, but Min Ning herself.

"I don’t know. It seems like she’s fulfilling an old matchmaker’s request to teach a certain esteemed guest,"

Min Ning replied.

Even she had no clear idea of what her sister was busy with.

All she knew was that, a few days ago, during one of their private sisterly chats, she had unintentionally revealed her feelings for Chen Yi—that she was willing to accept him.

She still remembered the way her sister’s face paled instantly.

It wasn’t jealousy but fear—fear of her younger sister placing herself into the lion’s den. There was also... sadness at the thought that one day, the sisters might part ways because of it.

With sorrow in her eyes, her sister had once asked Min Ning a tearful question: "Does he truly want you, or does he want the ’you’ disguised as a man?"

The question left Min Ning at a loss.

But Jianghu heroes live free-spirited lives, and Min Ning didn’t dwell on it much. Either way, she thought, she would take life one step at a time.

"A courtesan teaching an esteemed guest? What could she teach? Zither, chess, calligraphy, or painting?"

Chen Yi spoke offhandedly as he shielded Yin Tingxue, pushing his way through the bustling crowd.

He wasn’t worried about Wuyong Building causing any harm to Min Ming. Wuyong Building wasn’t foolish—it maintained various connections with court officials and naturally understood the rules. Since it was offering Min Ming as a gift of goodwill, it certainly wouldn’t dare cross the line. After all, should Min Ming gain favor one day and whisper in someone’s ear, Wuyong Building might face disastrous repercussions.

"It seems like she’s teaching someone from the East Palace,"

Min Ning replied.

Chen Yi mentally searched through his memories but found no impression of such a person.

He stopped pondering the matter, squeezed through the crowd, and quickly entered the Lin Manor, with Min Ning closely following behind.

None of the three noticed that, beyond the crowd, a one-armed woman stood elegantly on the rooftop, her eyes intently focused on Yin Tingxue.

.........

As soon as they stepped into the Lin Manor, their eyes were drawn to the famed "Ten-Step Pavilion." Though its original name was "Golden Scroll Pavilion," it was forever renamed after the censor Li Qing remarked during his impeachment of the Lin Party: "A pavilion every ten steps, truly akin to the Epang Palace." The stone-path courtyard was lined with ornamental stone lanterns, and despite it being midday outside, the interior remained aglow with countless lights. Passing through individual rooms, faint traces of incense could be detected in the air.

All this splendor left Chen Yi a bit awestruck, but the Princess Consort only gave it a cursory glance, unimpressed.

The stark contrast between the two was evident—it was hard to believe one was the other’s concubine.

Outside the main banquet hall, where literary scholars and their families had already gathered, there were dozens of arranged desks encircling the grand marble courtyard. At the head sat Elder Lin in full Daoist robes, his downcast gaze dismissive of worldly affairs.

At that moment, attendants arrived—a servant led the scholars into the hall, while maids guided their families to tour the estate. Chen Yi, somewhat concerned about Yin Tingxue, was about to take the little "fox" out for a stroll.

Suddenly, Second Young Master Lin Yan approached.

"Thousand Household Commander Chen, how have you been?"

"How have you been?" Chen Yi returned the greeting with a fist salute.

He then glanced at the lady beside Lin Yan. Trailing behind him was a well-bred young mistress.

She had an oval face, slightly arched willow brows, and her cheeks bore a light, modest makeup. At a glance, her gentle and poised demeanor shone through with an unassuming clearness, her pale forehead exposed. There was not a single flaw in her features. Even so, Chen Yi blinked and reassessed her, suddenly finding that her beauty had a hint of frailty to it.

No other than Lin Wanxiao.

"Thousand Household Commander Chen, may I ask...this lady is...?"

Lin Yan, appearing slightly displeased, took the initiative to ask.

Understanding he was referring to Yin Tingxue, Chen Yi simply stated,

"She’s my wife."

The Princess Consort blinked, seemingly taken aback.

She hadn’t expected Chen Yi to refer to her as his wife.

He could have straightforwardly labeled her as his concubine—this man, who usually relished humiliating her, had not chosen to do so in front of others.

Despite her animosity and bitterness toward him, she always submissively bowed her head without voicing her thoughts. He clearly knew this; he could’ve used it as an excuse to demean her publicly.

Does this mean... in his heart, does she hold some degree of importance?

Yin Tingxue raised her delicate brows, her lips curling upward slightly,

How wonderful—giving him her chaste body truly made him treat her a bit better...

In the future... could she perhaps get him to take her out more often, or even return to Yintai Temple occasionally?

The corner of Chen Yi’s eye caught a glimpse of Yin Tingxue’s joy. He smiled faintly as well.

But as his lips curved, a sudden and inexplicable chill ran down his neck.

"Then, may your noble wife accompany my humble wife to appreciate the garden and flowers, while Thousand Household Commander Chen joins me for a moment,"

Lin Yan said politely, though there was an unmistakable firmness in his tone.

Chen Yi released Yin Tingxue’s hand, motioning for her to join Lin Wanxiao, with Min Ning following as her escort.

The Lin Family Young Lady smiled graciously at Yin Tingxue, exuding an unmistakable elegance. Yin Tingxue took a liking to her at once—such a woman, evident from her virtues, was the epitome of a wise and kind wife.

"This way, please."

The Lin Family Young Lady softly said, leading the pair toward the garden for a floral outing.

Yin Tingxue followed closely. Though accustomed to opulence at the Prince Mansion, she couldn’t help but let out an audible "Wow" upon entering the garden. Evergreen trees, pines, and spruces formed a verdant canopy, enveloping the area like a hidden mountainous forest. The soil-paved pathways intertwined with assorted flowers and concealed green lamps. Beyond the dense verdure awaited a semicircular pavilion overlooking a lotus pond, where the light autumn lotus winds gently brushed by. Even after witnessing the lavishness of the Prince Mansion up close, Yin Tingxue seldom encountered such a scholarly and artistic scene.

"This pavilion is called ’Autumn Lotus Pavilion.’ My husband named it before he passed his imperial examinations. It’s inspired by the verse ’Autumn laurels in three seasons, lotuses stretched ten leagues.’ He even personally wrote this couplet. When I returned to my parents’ home, I once mentioned this to my sisters—they were simultaneously shocked and amused: ’Who knew the son from the Lin Family could recite Liu Yong’s verses?’"

A few casual sentences sufficed for Yin Tingxue to perceive the Lin Family Young Lady’s benevolence. She couldn’t help but think—if she were to become a woman like this, would Chen Yi treat her better?

Then again, upon closer thought, she realized it wasn’t likely. The Lin Family Young Lady’s gentle grace came naturally, whereas her own humility and compliance stemmed from coercion and pressure.

Yin Tingxue ascended the pavilion and began admiring the expanse of the lotus pond. The picturesque view—a remnant of autumn lotuses against a backdrop of weeping willows—had a tranquility that felt timeless. The trees, though predominantly tinged yellow at season’s end, retained streaks of green life. Even though most of the lotus flowers in the pond had already withered, the sight of their withered remnants carried its own poetic charm.

The Princess Consort relaxed slightly, finally able to catch a breath. Whenever she was home, even in Chen Yi’s absence, she could never quite escape a subtle tension in the air.

Min Ning, on the other hand, showed no interest in the scenery, remaining vigilant of their surroundings at all times.

The wind swept over the lake, carrying with it faint notes of lotus decay. Yin Tingxue inhaled the faint fragrance; it brought her peace. For a fleeting moment, she felt as though time itself had slowed.

Suddenly, ripples churned across the pond, and a small boat emerged from the midst of the fading lotuses. Seated upon the boat was a woman, who, with her sole remaining hand, beckoned toward Yin Tingxue.

Yin Tingxue froze.

The next second, as her senses jolted back into focus, she found herself already aboard the small boat.

Turning her head, she was ready to cry out for help when she suddenly realized: everyone around her had stopped moving. The world seemed frozen in time.

Startled, she looked frantically toward the one-armed woman, blurting,

"...Who are you?"

Zhou Yitang did not answer but instead studied Yin Tingxue carefully.

The words of Yu Zhenyuan regarding accepting a disciple on her behalf came to Zhou Yitang’s mind. She neither approved nor objected but felt wary of Yu Zhenyuan’s choice to venture into the inner depths of the Demon Sect. The danger would be immense, as the Demon Sect’s chief, Gongsun Guan, ranked seventh on the martial rankings and commanded High Beam Mountain. Even Zhou herself dared not directly infiltrate those ranks.

Zhou Yitang’s sharp gaze remained fixed on Yin Tingxue as she coldly remarked,

"So this time... you’re not the Demon Sect Saintess."

Yin Tingxue trembled with fear, her eyes full of uncertainty as she stared at the one-armed woman,

"How do you..."

Before she could finish, a cold laugh stopped her short.

"You refraining from massacre and extermination—it’s something I’ll have to grow accustomed to,"

the woman said with an icy tone that sent a faint chill down Yin Tingxue’s spine.

After a long pause, seeing the woman withholding further words, Yin Tingxue cautiously asked,

"Why... are you looking for me?"

"Chen Yi," Zhou Yitang replied.

"What else could it be."

Yin Tingxue hesitated briefly before lowering her voice,

"Him? Did he offend you...? Did he do something wrong to you? But you shouldn’t find me—I, I can’t control him."

The woman before her didn’t seem like a villain. That much Yin Tingxue could sense.

Zhou Yitang raised an eyebrow at her response—can’t control him? A Demon Sect Saintess, someone trained in the Heavenly Ear Technique, powerless against a mortal, a West Factory Thousand Household Commander?

How long had he even been in the world? Three years her junior at most—what could he possibly have seen of grand schemes cloaked in tender emotions, merely performing a charade of false love? At his age, men were quickest to lose reason and act foolishly for the sake of so-called love...

"You can’t control him? You’ve robbed him of his True Yuan yet say you can’t control him?" Zhou Yitang stated plainly.

Yin Tingxue grew increasingly nervous and aggrieved—robbed him of his True Yuan? It was clearly *she* who had suffered under his cruel hand, endlessly exploited and humiliated.

Zhou Yitang’s eyebrows furrowed slightly as she began to sense something amiss.

Was this so-called Demon Sect enigma not regarding him as a mere cauldron for cultivation?

"What exactly is your relationship with him?" she finally asked.

Yin Tingxue, hearing the question, timidly replied,

"Concubine... I’m his concubine."

When she spoke, she nervously glanced at Zhou Yitang, fearing the woman’s wrath might manifest by hurling her into the lotus pond.

Yet unexpectedly, the one-armed woman’s gaze softened with an inexplicable sorrow as she coldly asked, freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

"Did he do to you... what he once did to me?"