My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion

Seeing the newcomer, the old boatman widened his eyes slightly. For the first time, he saw someone returning after seeking revenge against Wan Xifeng.

It should be known that this Wan Xifeng was no ordinary person; otherwise, he wouldn't be known as the Jiangbei Li Kui in the Capital Region and reputed to possess martial arts skills no less than the rising Chen Qianhu.

That person boarded the boat silently and sat down casually, while the old boatman watched for quite a while.

"Start the boat, old man."

"Oh... untying the rope now..." The old boatman came to his senses, immediately untied the rope, lit the lamp, and in the dim night, the small boat slowly crossed the great river.

On regular days, there wouldn't be any boats at night, but now with the year-end approaching, business was booming, and they wanted to earn more money for a good year. So, a few small boats could be seen on the river, lamps lit on their bows, ferrying people across.

The old boatman looked at the official sitting alone, thought for a while, hesitated, and then tentatively asked, "Sir, about your two colleagues..."

"They're not in a hurry to return, but I have matters to attend to tomorrow, so I must return to the Capital City tonight."

Hearing Chen Yi's calm voice, the old boatman, imagining Wan Xifeng fighting three and killing two, was even more astonished, but he didn't inquire further.

Chen Yi sat at the bow, gazing at the turbulent river.

His gaze seemed to penetrate the great river, landing on the distant Capital City.

Min Ning was leaving the Capital...

Even if she didn't say it, having lived a previous life, Chen Yi could guess it.

Min Ning, both a dragon and a phoenix, her destiny was in Shu Mountain. It meant there was a legacy for her there; she was almost destined to leave the Capital. When chaos reigned in the martial world, she'd rise with thirty-six swords against a dragon, becoming the Lord of Spring and Autumn Sword.

Her sword was akin to Zhou Yitang's, even the future rival for the path of Zhou Yitang.

Chen Yi knew Min Ning was never suited for the underhanded dealings of the capital, but she had to take up the Min family's plaque and join the Embroidered Uniform Guard, assuming the position of a thousand households. Compared to the corrupt Capital City, she longed to see the outside world, to walk the Jianghu.

The Jianghu wasn't devoid of corruption, but it was vast enough to accommodate both villains and virtuous people.

Facing obstacles in the west today, she'd go east the next day, and if she hit walls in the east, she'd head south. North, south, east, west, however uncontrollable a place, there's always a foothold.

He also knew how difficult it was for Min Ning to be caught between her close family and himself.

The old boatman paddled, occasionally glancing back to see Chen Yi lost in thought, gazing at the river.

Suddenly, the old boatman heard a question,

"Old man, what do you say... I like a girl, but her family doesn't like me. What should I do?"

The old boatman scratched his head and said,

"Sir, you're an official. If her family doesn't like you, how big of an official must her family be?"

"Not as big as me."

"Well, then..."

The old boatman didn't quite understand, but without knowing the situation, he spoke from simple experience:

"It's their lack of discernment; one can't force things either way."

The man paused and replied:

"But my greatest skill is forcing things."

On this bustling and crowded river, the old boatman had seen many young men, some as stubborn as the one before him, and he couldn't help but shake his head and laugh.

"Old man, why are you laughing?"

"Sir, if you want to force things, even if the girl agrees, going against her family will plant a seed of discord. At first, it might not be much, but over time, it will grow and fester."

The old boatman slowly continued:

"If you must force something, it's better to demand it of yourself than others."

Demand it of yourself, not others...

Chen Yi pondered for a moment and then said:

"Good... old man, your words are wise."

With that, Chen Yi stopped speaking.

The Capital grew nearer and nearer.

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

Outside the Min family's street and alleys, there was a series of firecrackers exploding.

It turned out today was an auspicious day for marriage. From early on, firecrackers were lit, and now the groom had already set out, riding a horse to fetch the bride, accompanied by a large group of relatives and friends, and the household had started bustling around, preparing wedding treats, red envelopes, and red eggs. At that time, they would distribute them through the streets to spread the joy.

The sound of firecrackers echoed, and the ground was covered with red fragments. Min Ming casually swept the fragments that had drifted into the mansion out.

She turned her eyes and saw the joyous red paper fragments dyeing the entire street and alleys. The groom was going to bring the bride, and at that time, the ground would again be full of red fragments, with friends and family gathered joyfully, noisy and bustling on the wedding night.

Min Ming was lost in thought for a moment, then looked away.

Such things didn't belong to her, nor to her sister, Min Ning.

Her state didn't matter, but Min Ning's state mattered a great deal.

Now their grandfather was about to leave; after forty-nine days, merely pausing for a moment in the human world, they'd be apart again, and with the order between the living and the afterlife, the days of reunion in this world were mostly gone.

Min Ming felt a sense of melancholy and understood more clearly the importance of each call to "grandfather," knowing each call was one less.

Yet now, what she cared more about was still Min Ning, still insisting on lingering in the Capital for a while.

Why Min Ning lingered, how could Min Ming not know?

But today their grandfather was about to leave, so for now, Min Ming refrained from saying more.

So let the outsiders and worries leave this Min household, allowing the grandfather and grandchildren to gather well today, say their goodbyes, and not worry thereafter, living well in the future.