My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion

"Which is better, ebony or camphor wood?"

"Naturally, camphor wood is better. Ebony is heavy; it sinks when placed in water and is hard to handle. Camphor wood is softer and easier to carve."

"Then shopkeeper, fetch me a piece this large."

"Alright."

......…

Carrying a large block of camphor wood back to the courtyard, Chen Yi drew water from the well and poured it over the wood. He picked up a knife and began carefully peeling the bark.

The small knife, the size of a palm, glided over the bark. Layers of it peeled off from the half-man-tall camphor wood, curling as they fell to the ground. Chen Yi worked with the knife, unaware that beads of sweat had started to form.

After a long while, no matter how he tried, he couldn't carve out a human figure. Chen Yi took a deep breath.

The entire block of camphor wood had turned into a misshapen mess, and the ten or so taels of Silver spent on it were essentially wasted.

Just then, Yin Tingxue happened to walk into the hall. She spotted Chen Yi squatting on the ground and curiously approached him. Upon seeing his handiwork, she couldn't hold back her laughter.

Covering her mouth, Yin Tingxue said, "You're so clumsy."

Chen Yi turned his face slightly and gave her a sidelong glance.

Startled, Yin Tingxue drew back her toes and softly said, "You're not clumsy."

"Then who is clumsy?"

"I—I am. Yin Tingxue is the clumsiest."

Saying this quickly, Yin Tingxue looked up to gauge Chen Yi's reaction.

Chen Yi washed his hands, set down the knife, and suddenly scooped the young woman into his arms.

Caught off guard, Yin Tingxue let out a small yelp, but once cradled in his arms, she fell silent.

Chen Yi curved his fingers and tapped her head, his tone exasperated. "I was carving a Bodhisattva for you."

"Mm-hm, I know, that's why I'm the clumsiest," Yin Tingxue replied obediently, scared to upset him further.

Deep down, she felt a bit regretful. She had realized that Chen Yi was carving a Bodhisattva for her, yet after seeing his work, she couldn't resist laughing.

Chen Yi pinched her nose and poked her belly. A blush spread across her face as she frowned, letting out soft whimpers but otherwise taking his teasing without resistance.

After Chen Yi fully indulged himself, she gently tugged at his robes and pleaded:

"Let me down. Please don't hold this against me."

"But I want to bully you," Chen Yi replied coldly.

Yin Tingxue quivered, panic dawning upon her. Her hands and feet didn't try to escape, nor did she resist further:

"Not today."

"Why not today?"

"I'm… on my period," she said softly.

Chen Yi shot her a casual glance, causing Yin Tingxue's face to flush even redder. He lowered his gaze and did the math—her period was indeed due these days, always punctual, proof that she was not yet pregnant.

Yin Tingxue cast her eyes downward, feeling a small sense of relief. Whenever her period arrived as usual, she could breathe easier, allowing the fear she'd held for so long to gradually dissipate.

When she raised her eyes, she met Chen Yi's gaze. She froze momentarily, realizing nothing could be hidden from him. Weakly, she said:

"I still don't… want a child."

This time, he didn't force her. He merely said a flat "Oh."

Yin Tingxue was surprised. Such uncharacteristic behavior made her uneasy. She shrank back timidly, stealing glances at him.

"What are you afraid of?"

"N-Nothing…"

Responding briefly, Yin Tingxue glanced at the camphor wood. Thinking back to his improved demeanor these past few days, the doubts in her mind began to dissipate. She started to wonder with faint optimism—could it be that he was finally giving her some room to breathe?

Chen Yi leaned closer to whisper in her ear, his tone sinister:

"If you don't bear one, someone else will."

The little fox visibly flinched, turning her face away as though refusing to listen.

Chen Yi raised a finger and traced circles on her cheek, continuing to tease:

"I have so many confidantes. If I spend my nights with them, there's bound to be someone who gets pregnant. You'll be left outside, silently clenching your fists, queuing up every day but never getting your turn."

His words reverberated in her ears, leaving the young woman rigid for a long moment. Her wide eyes trembled as she looked up at him, biting her lip.

She didn't know what to say. Though she knew Chen Yi was only scaring her, an inexplicable bitterness welled inside her, a true and profound emotional turmoil.

After a while, she finally spoke meekly:

"…Even I have to queue?"

The little fox looked at him pitifully, her words tinged with disbelief.

Chen Yi chuckled and gently let her down before asking:

"What about the flower?"

Yin Tingxue darted into the house and quickly returned carrying a small box. Opening it, she revealed the paper flower Chen Yi had given her.

"Because you have this, you won't have to wait in line," Chen Yi remarked, satisfied with her careful handling of it.

Yin Tingxue's eyes twinkled mischievously as she tested, "Can I skip ahead then?"

Chen Yi hadn't anticipated such a question from her and laughed. "Could you handle that?"

Recalling the state of his bedroom, Yin Tingxue shrank her neck, afraid he'd think she couldn't get enough. She quickly replied, "No, no, not at all."

A large hand reached over as Chen Yi gently ruffled her hair.

She actually dared to say something like this…

Had they unknowingly reached such a level of closeness?

Could it be… she was starting to like him?

......…

Inside the Jingren Palace.

She reclined lazily on the concubine's chaise, as though taking a short nap. Beneath her phoenix robe, her legs were crossed, the opulent curves pressed tightly together without a gap. Her fair jade-like fingers pinched a confidential memo, her dignified face clouded with solemnity.

Footsteps echoed from outside the room. She cast a glance sideways before lowering her gaze once more. It was the nameless old nursemaid stepping into the hall.

"Your Highness, you summoned me in haste—is there an urgent matter?" the nameless nursemaid asked, bowing slightly.

The Empress Dowager handed over the confidential memo with a light gesture.

The nursemaid accepted it and lowered her eyes to scan the writing on it.

"Sent by Overseer Wu?"

"Indeed. Read on, nursemaid."

The nursemaid continued reading, her aged brows unconsciously furrowing as she finished. Muttering to herself, she said:

"This Chen Yi is truly… reckless."

"Reckless or not reckless, it makes no difference,"

The Empress Dowager lazily shifted her posture, her phoenix eyes temporarily downcast.

"That's not the issue here."

Having served for years, the nursemaid immediately understood: "The issue lies in the fact that he knew full well Ju Weng Pavilion is under the Empress Dowager's domain, yet he dared to dismiss it with a mere 'No problem.'"

Without replying, the Empress Dowager appeared to confirm through her silence.

The nursemaid sneered: "This Wu Qingsheng has already done enough to defend him, relying on countless excuses like 'The subject believes Chen Yi was merely driven by youthful impulsiveness.' But in my view, youthful impulsiveness is false; what's true is his utter disregard for the Heavenly Family. Although Your Highness uses him as a blade, those titles conferred on him, the authority, the women gifted his way—it turns out to be raising a white-eyed wolf. Such a waste to treat him like a son…"

"Enough."

The words "treat him like a son" struck a nerve, prompting the Empress Dowager to interrupt abruptly.

Understanding immediately, the nursemaid fell silent, knowing that ever since the incident in the underground palace, the Empress Dowager had been unwilling to hear such remarks.

Once, palace maids privately gossiped about this rising star, Chen Yi, saying that the Empress Dowager treated him with motherly affection akin to her own child. Ironically, the Empress Dowager overheard their conversation. By the next day, one of those maids had been inexplicably punished by the palace matrons with forty strikes.

Closing her phoenix eyes, the Empress Dowager murmured slowly:

"Even if he killed those within Ju Weng Pavilion, or even struck down members of the An family, as long as the reasons are justified, I wouldn't mind. But to dismiss it all so brazenly with just 'No problem'—that takes audacity."

Her brows furrowed slightly as faint recollections surfaced—of various confidential memos regarding Chen Yi over recent days, the peculiar connection between him and the Sword Armor in the underground palace. That once composed face deepened with concern.

Delaying his entry into the official records, disregarding Ju Weng Pavilion's ties to the An family with a casual "No problem," the baffling disappearance of his old adversary Chou Gang…

After a long pause, she opened her phoenix eyes again.

The dignified, tranquil countenance gained an unyielding layer of gravity.

Why did it feel like he was starting to… resist her control?