My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion

She understood even more clearly that the true intention behind absorbing Wuyong Building into their fold was to plant spies for the palace. Surrounding and assassinating the Prince of Annan was merely an additional plan. In fact, it could be said that the palace had anticipated the Prince of Annan sending emissaries here, but they hadn't expected him to risk everything and personally show up. This was undoubtedly a surprise windfall.

The scene had devolved into utter chaos. People trampled over one another, and amidst it, the faint, horrifying sound of blood spraying could be heard, accompanied by the sudden cries of "Someone's dead!" echoing through the air.

Ma Que looked on with satisfaction at the unfolding pandemonium.

Xique Pavilion wasn't worried that the Prince of Annan would escape during the commotion. The Two Factories and One Guard had already sealed off the entire Jinya Pavilion. Even if the Prince wanted to flee, there was simply no path to take. Let alone the fact that… given his current situation, it was highly likely that he himself could not guarantee his survival.

With a faint smile, Ma Que moved with the surging crowd, stirring up even more disorder along the way.

Until a hand reached out from within a private room.

Ma Que froze slightly.

The next instant, her entire body was yanked into the room. The wooden door shut almost instantly.

Amid the turmoil, no one would notice one less person.

Ma Que staggered, seemingly off balance, but her hand slipped into her sleeve and swiftly drew out a dagger, aiming for the person who had dragged her inside with a vicious thrust.

The blade glinted sharply, cutting through the air with a shrill whistle.

But the other person was faster.

Far faster than Ma Que could have anticipated.

Before her dagger could even reach his chest, her wrist was pinned. One hand grabbed her shoulder, the other locked onto her wrist, and with a decisive twist, the dagger clattered to the floor.

Ma Que was subdued in an instant. In that fleeting moment, she recognized the disparity in their martial arts abilities.

Soon after, a silver needle struck her acupoint, rendering her unconscious.

"This one should be one of Xique Pavilion's spies."

Looking down at the unconscious Ma Que, Chen Yi said slowly.

"How could you tell, sir?"

"I noticed her pacing the same corridor twice, and she was the one shouting the loudest just now."

In such a crowd, identifying a spy from Xique Pavilion was no easy feat. Even with his prior life's experience, when Chen Yi pulled Ma Que into the room, he was only 30–40% certain.

Fortunately, this spy did not disappoint him; her panicked attack further solidified his almost certain conclusion.

Chen Yi glanced at Ma Que, then turned his gaze to Zhu E before asking,

"Aunt Zhu, your disguise technique—can it be applied to others?"

Zhu E had once impersonated Qin Qingluo, and just by appearance alone, Chen Yi couldn't detect any flaws.

The woman in red nodded slightly, but after a moment, a trace of bitterness appeared on her charming face. She softly said,

"But currently, I don't possess any secret technique that can manipulate someone's mind. Even if I did, it would be impossible… to make it imperceptible."

Chen Yi replied, "Don't worry. I have one."

"Oh?"

"I can break her sense of self, make it so she cannot tell others apart… and cannot even distinguish herself." Chen Yi instructed as his fingers began forming a spell.

It was said casually, but the listener took it to heart.

The woman in red visibly froze.

Her lips trembled faintly.

Chen Yi glanced at her and said, "If there's something to say, say it."

Zhu E steadied herself after much hesitation, inhaled deeply, and asked with some difficulty, "When I couldn't distinguish between you, sir, and the Bright Venerable… was it because of this spell?"

Chen Yi's tone remained calm and even: "That was indeed my doing."

He then noticed the woman in red widening her eyes, her face paling slightly, as if her very beliefs were crumbling.

Chen Yi imperceptibly tensed and clasped his hands together.

Unexpectedly, Zhu E stepped forward slowly, her trembling face tinged with a glistening moisture,

"How… wonderful."

Chen Yi was momentarily stunned.

Prepared to deal with an outburst from Zhu E, he never anticipated her to reveal such a fervent expression, akin to that of a wife reunited with her husband after a long estrangement.

"What do you mean, wonderful?"

"What sir has done is truly remarkable," Zhu E lightly rested her forehead against Chen Yi's chest. "If not for this, how could I have known that you are the Bright Venerable?"

As her words fell, Chen Yi paused, then lowered his gaze, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

It seemed this Princess of Annan… had almost entirely surrendered her loyalty.

Chen Yi played along and remarked, "At that time… dealing with Qin Qingluo was secondary. You were far more important."

He wasn't lying.

Zhu E's breath hitched, and then she tilted her head up, softly replying, "Hmm," her voice sultry and alluring.

.........

"Zhu E," or rather Ma Que, had her head twisted off by Du Juan herself.

The blood sprayed onto Du Juan's body. As the apprentice of the mysterious old crone, her decisiveness in killing was unparalleled.

This rendered some of Chen Yi's preparations futile.

But only some, after all.

Du Juan turned her head slightly, casually kicking the corpse aside as she smiled at Chen Yi:

"Thank you, Chen Qianhu, for assisting us so generously. Now then… I can only imagine the Prince of Annan's fury once he learns of the Princess's death."

The head of the Princess, still dripping with blood, dangled in Du Juan's hand. Chen Yi cast it a quick glance before averting his gaze and calmly asking,

"I had intended for this Demon Sect Saintess to lead us to the Prince of Annan's hiding place. Now… what do we do?"

Du Juan smirked and replied,

"Even if we had spared her life, she might not have led us there. On the contrary, she could have misled us."

Standing nearby, the deputy officer remained silent. Internally, he felt Du Juan had acted recklessly this time. Still, as a subordinate, it wasn't his place to interrupt his superior.

He would only bring it up during a later review.

Du Juan lifted the head slightly and continued,

"Now that the Prince of Annan has gone into hiding, leaving us at a complete loss, I wonder if Qianhu has any ideas?"

Chen Yi wore a weary expression and said,

"If even Xique Pavilion has no clues, how would I have any ideas?"

"Qianhu, as someone from the West Factory, surely having another perspective might bring a new approach."

After her words, Chen Yi bowed his head, seemingly lost in thought. After a long while, he said,

"It's well known that the Prince of Annan deeply loves his Princess. Not knowing her situation may cause him to reveal himself. Perhaps we can use this to bait him out."

Du Juan nodded after hearing this and said,

"This plan is feasible, but how exactly would we implement it?"

She was carefully coaxing Chen Yi to articulate his strategy aloud.

Chen Yi, feigning thought, slowly replied,

"First, spread rumors that the Princess of Annan has fallen into our hands. Then, shortly afterward, claim she has been killed. The Prince of Annan will surely be unable to sit still. Even if he doesn't come in person, he will send someone."

The deputy officer was about to speak when Du Juan discreetly made a hand gesture, intertwining her fingers.

He immediately fell silent, lowering his head and adopting a servile posture.

"It's a good plan. With some minor adjustments, it should certainly draw out the Prince of Annan." Du Juan nodded in approval.

Chen Yi inclined his head slightly, cupping his fists as he replied,

"Then… there's no time to waste?"

"Indeed, no time to waste."

Du Juan replied, lifting the Princess's head slightly, as if deliberately ensuring that Chen Yi had a clear view of it.

Under the dappled shadows of bamboo, Du Juan could see a fleeting, indescribable gloom flash in Chen Yi's eyes.

Du Juan's cold smile grew deeper.

In fact, she wasn't entirely certain if Chen Yi was truly harboring ulterior motives.

It was during the conversation in the private room that she had inadvertently learned of his unexpected interest in the Prince of Annan.

Xique Pavilion excelled at unraveling hidden threads, and this discovery made it imperative for Du Juan to remain vigilant, as she had long suspected Chen Yi's involvement.

Du Juan, holding the head of unparalleled beauty, cast a sidelong glance at Chen Yi's expression.

There was no overt change—after a brief shock, he returned to calm.

Truly, he was no ordinary talent…

But then, why are your hands trembling uncontrollably?

Du Juan's inner cold laughter deepened.

Chen Yi stepped past her, ready to proceed.

But after taking a few steps, he realized Xique Pavilion's people hadn't followed. Du Juan still stood in place.

"What's the matter? Didn't we agree there's no time to waste?" Chen Yi asked.

"No rush. I have a question for you first, Qianhu."

Du Juan paused briefly before continuing,

"How did you know Xique Pavilion was targeting the Prince of Annan?"

Chen Yi's gaze remained steady as he spoke evenly,

"I come from the West Factory. Naturally, I learned from my colleagues there."

Du Juan nodded, seemingly with no doubts about his explanation, and said,

"Indeed, Xique Pavilion did notify the Two Factories and One Guard."

The deputy officer's eyelids twitched slightly.

Xique Pavilion had notified the Two Factories and One Guard?

As a key deputy, how had he not heard about this?