My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion

After the commotion, both women were exhausted.

On ordinary nights, Chen Yi would sleep with Yin Tingxue in his arms. But since the female crown was staying overnight for the first time, he contemplated for a moment, then withdrew his hand from Yin Tingxue and placed it around her elder cousin's waist.

Beneath the covers, the tired little fox suddenly felt an empty space at her waist. She groggily turned her head to find that he had turned away and was now lying with his back to her.

Yin Tingxue pursed her lips, lowered her small face, feeling an unfamiliar emptiness at her waist. She wasn't accustomed to it, so she tucked the blanket tighter around herself, wrapped her arms and legs around it, and curled up further.

She was so exhausted from the day that she quickly fell asleep.

The female crown, however, hadn't yet drifted off. Her heart was bleeding as his hand settled on her; she trembled uncontrollably for a long while before calming down.

Being held like this while sleeping was a first for her. This feeling, she thought, was enough just for one time—ideally not even half a time.

What's more, he had… drained ten years of her cultivation.

"Are you unhappy?"

His voice reached her ears, and Yin Weiyin shivered.

Goosebumps spread as she murmured softly, "No…"

Chen Yi pulled her even closer, feeling her fear, and sneered, "You agreed to this, didn't you? Trying to play tricks now—won't it all just come back to haunt you in the end?"

Yin Weiyin trembled harder upon hearing his words, tears welling in her eyes, as she whispered, "It's my fault, I deserve it, isn't that enough…"

Even though her heart resented it with every fiber, she still became more compliant. Chen Yi felt the warmth and fragrance of the person in his arms, his gaze lowering as he mulled over something.

After a long pause, he laughed softly and asked, "Tell me, what's your cultivation level now?"

Yin Weiyin was overwhelmed with despair at the thought. She muttered, "Core Formation Stage—early phase…"

She had always been one of the most talented among the generations of Taichua Goddesses; otherwise, why would Yu Zhen himself personally seek her out to take her as his disciple? At twenty years old, she had broken through to the Core Formation Stage, reaching its peak. Her cultivation journey had always been smooth and untroubled.

Until she met Chen Yi—her downfall.

The person in his arms seemed ready to cry, fragile and devastated. Chen Yi softened his tone slightly as he revealed:

"Originally, I didn't intend to take away ten years of your cultivation."

As he spoke, his hand stretched out, resting on her, coaxing her to lower her defenses.

After being tormented for so long, Yin Weiyin had grown numb. She didn't push him away; her chest rising and falling as she breathed.

"If you behaved, I would've only taken a fraction of your cultivation during your periods of rest." Chen Yi spoke lightly.

Despite his words, it was precisely because of Yin Weiyin's defiance that he managed to siphon so much cultivation—enough to condense two True Yuans.

Adding it up now, he had a total of six True Yuans in hand.

Once infused into the Resentment Yin-Yang Technique, it would elevate the cultivation technique to the next level.

Upon hearing this, Yin Weiyin first froze, then tears rolled uncontrollably down her cheeks, as if regretting her resistance had backfired.

Chen Yi silently stroked her back, thinking that she now served as his concubine, so he consoled her with a few words:

"The Taoist Skill of Taihua Mountain requires a golden boy and jade girl partnership, doesn't it…"

Before he could finish, Yin Weiyin interrupted through sobs:

"I don't want you to be the golden boy!"

Chen Yi's expression darkened, a sneer forming:

"Indeed, you're merely a vessel."

After speaking, he clenched his fingers tightly.

Yin Weiyin shuddered violently, letting out a whimper, her crying growing even more desperate. Her mind felt hazy and bloated.

She couldn't resist. Every time she tried, she suffered for it. Taichua Goddess, daughter of the Jing King—these titles, revered by all, amounted to nothing here. On this bed, none of it mattered. This common man was so brutal that her noble lineage was reduced to dust under his will. She was powerless to stop him from destroying her, crushed as easily as he wished.

Yin Weiyin's fear was overwhelming, leaving her trembling uncontrollably. Chen Yi held her without speaking, seemingly savoring her terror.

After an unknown amount of time, the female crown calmed slightly. Still unsettled, she asked softly:

"Now, what are we… Are we cultivation partners?"

"Cultivation partners?"

He laughed derisively, correcting her:

"Concubine.

If you stop plotting against me and behave, I don't mind treating you better.

Otherwise… I generally don't like killing women. But I'll completely sever your Longevity Bridge, imprison your soul, and keep you locked away in my residence until you die an old woman."

Yin Weiyin's breathing hitched, her chest trembling. His words, a thunderous declaration, echoed again and again, forcing her to confront her reality and grasp her position.

Uncontrollable fear crashed over her, consuming her, leaving her on the verge of fainting.

Noticing her state, Chen Yi, after careful consideration, softened his tone again and said:

"Yin Weiyin, I want to treat you well, but you'll need to work harder to make me like you first."

These words fell over her like water, flowing through her ears and into her heart. Awkwardly, she turned her gaze back to him.

In the stillness of the night, Yin Weiyin didn't dare face him directly, nor did she dare meet his eyes. She only glanced sideways at him, gradually calming down. Her chaotic mind found a moment of quiet. Unconsciously, her trembling hands tightened around his arm, pulling it closer, holding it as if clinging to a lifeline.

After a long while, the female crown spoke with difficulty:

"…How can I make you like me?"

Chen Yi raised his eyebrows slightly, chuckling softly:

"Figure it out yourself. Just make sure… to behave."

It wasn't that Chen Yi didn't want to explain—liking someone was just too elusive a concept. He couldn't quite define it for himself.

As for this obstinate woman, Chen Yi admitted he was fond of her sensations, yet true affection was hard to articulate. She was rebellious, always scheming. Whenever he wanted to show her tenderness, she either rejected it or took advantage of it. Such a woman could sometimes seem endearing, but at other times, deeply annoying.

Yin Weiyin furrowed her brows slightly, her worries filling the night sky like a brimming cup.

Believing she had nothing more to say, Chen Yi fell silent, closing his eyes.

Sleep slowly began to take over, his limbs relaxing.

In the quiet night, the person in his arms seemed uneasy. Slowly, she turned over.

"What…" Chen Yi squinted his eyes slightly, asking drowsily, "Still not asleep?"

Yin Weiyin raised her face, hesitating for a long while before poking his waist, forcibly dispelling his inclinations to rest.

Chen Yi took a deep breath, narrowing his eyes at her.

The female crown shivered, frightened, and buried her head.

"If you have something to say, just say it." Chen Yi said irritably.

Unlike the little fox who would butter him up before bringing up a request, Yin Weiyin remained trapped in her fear. She kept her legs pressed tightly together and pointed wordlessly to the paper stuck to the wall.

On the paper were tally marks—a record of how often the Jing King's daughter had pleased him.

"Oh?" Chen Yi glanced at it sideways, drawing out his tone meaningfully.

The woman in his arms avoided looking at him, murmuring as if to herself: "Should I… be like her?"

Chen Yi replied, "Copying."

Yin Weiyin's face flushed, burning red with humiliation. The courage she had painstakingly built was instantly crushed.

In the quiet night, the female crown fell silent for a long time. Chen Yi used the dim light to observe her; when she wasn't speaking, her face tilted slightly downwards, exuding tranquility. Even her hair remained motionless, cascading down like a waterfall frozen in time. Her gaze seemed lost somewhere distant, ethereal and melancholic, like a river of stars pouring in the depths of autumn.

Entranced by her beauty, Chen Yi drew her closer.

"You…"

She seemed to regain her senses and began to speak.

"Don't you want someone's genuine affection?"

Yin Weiyin rested her chin lightly on his shoulder, asking.

"It's not that I don't want…"

Chen Yi paused for a moment, chuckling:

"What, you want to fall for me?"

"If I fall for you… would you stop draining my cultivation?"

Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.

They had first met at Baihua Building. Back then, she had mistaken him for the golden boy meant to bring a favorable bond, only to find herself ensnared in disaster. From that point onwards, she opposed him at every turn, even plotting his death multiple times. In the end, he shattered her path to immortality, took her body, and treated her as nothing more than a vessel...

That was why, in the Joyful Sect, she had asked: What kind of love could there possibly be between them?

Even though he later saved her, gave her a title, and avenged her, Yin Weiyin still couldn't understand what, exactly, existed between them.

Ultimately, Yin Weiyin vaguely understood that aside from her body, she hardly had anything he desired.

And that… he had already taken possession of her body.

It was no longer hers to bargain with. Now, she could only attempt what she'd read in storybooks—to exchange her genuine affection for his, to make him stop draining her cultivation, so that one day she might achieve her goal and attain eternal life.

Chen Yi squinted his eyes for a while, as if deliberating and reflecting.

Then he asked again:

"Do you think offering me your feelings could bargain for your immortality?"

The person in his arms froze for a moment, then barely perceptibly nodded.

Chen Yi's previously gentle expression started to chill as he dismissed her thought:

"Stop dreaming. You'll never be able to trade for it."

Yin Weiyin trembled uncontrollably at first, then, after a long while, her shaking ceased, and her body stiffened.

With a hint of defiance, she asked:

"What if… it were Tingxue?"

She followed up with a question, only to hear a reply as cruel as it was unhesitating:

"She might be able to trade. You, however, cannot."