My enemies became my companions

Chapter 482 Save Me (Three in One)

To die under the peonies is to be a ghost.

Du Sheng led the escorts to collect Lu Caiying's body and left the deserted inn early in the morning. Along the way, there was a lot of discussion, and they didn't stop until Du Sheng gave a strict order to stop talking.

But if it accumulates in your heart, it will start to brew, and if you hold it back and say it out loud, it will inevitably be exaggerated.

It is inevitable that people will exaggerate when playing drinking and finger-guessing games. It won't be long before no one believes the stories created by Du Sheng.

And secrets often become more bizarre as they are passed on.

In some eye-catching strange story, it is possible that Lu Caiying is so angry that the female ghost can't bear the whipping and her soul flies away. In some tear-jerking novel, it is possible that a talented man and a beautiful woman are separated by the Yin and Yang. Lu Caiying dies and goes into the underworld to find her, but finds out that the beauty is no longer in the underworld...

It was a chance meeting, and Chen Yi didn't care about the other person's reputation during his lifetime or after his death, he just wanted to help him to transcend.

It was daybreak and they were the only two left in the deserted inn.

Yin Tingxue sat on the chair, holding her chin, as if she was thinking for a long time.

"What are you thinking about?" Chen Yi turned his head and asked with a smile.

"Are we going to get rid of the Guhuo bird later?"

"It's up to you to eradicate all the evil."

He had already verified what Miss Shen said about her wandering soul in her dream through divination. So, he had to let Yin Tingxue go on a trip as bait, which would also allow her to gain some experience.

Chen Yi said, "I will tie the soul rope to you, and the Guhuo bird will take you to the cave. Don't be afraid. I will come as soon as I know the location. You should do what the book says."

Yin Tingxue nodded slightly and said nothing.

Chen Yi keenly caught something and asked, "Are you in a bad mood?"

“…Somewhat.” She hesitated for a moment, then admitted.

Chen Yi was surprised. Why did she suddenly become upset? From yesterday till today, there was nothing that could make her feel upset...

Yin Tingxue frowned slightly. The girl, who was always soft-hearted, had something in her heart, but she didn't know whether she should say it or not.

If you say it, you're just nitpicking, but if you don't say it, it always feels a bit annoying.

Chen Yi thought about it for a moment, then made a hand gesture and silently chanted a spell.

Open your eyes...

Yin Tingxue raised her eyes, thinking it would be better not to say anything, but she saw Chen Yi suddenly approaching her, which made her shudder.

Chen Yi grabbed her little hand and said, "Do you think it's too cruel for me to kill those two ghosts like this?"

Yin Tingxue asked in surprise: "How do you know?"

Chen Yi pointed at his eyes, and Yin Tingxue noticed that his eyes were slightly golden, and suddenly realized.

"Open your eyes and look at me..."

Yin Tingxue complained a little and her cheeks turned red. This was how it felt when someone discovered her true feelings.

"What? You can listen to me, but I can't look at you?" Chen Yi asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, one is the eye and the other is the ear."

What he said made sense. After thinking about it, Yin Tingxue whispered:
"Then we are quite compatible."

"Wow, you really know how to talk."

Even though he knew that she always followed his wishes, Chen Yi still felt happy. He softened his tone and said, "I know what you are thinking. You don't think those ghosts should not die, but you just don't want to see me kill people and exorcise demons. 'A gentleman sees animals live, but cannot bear to see them die.'"

Yin Tingxue nodded slightly, Chen Yi hit the nail on the head.

She had been reading Buddhist scriptures with her mother since she was a child. She was naturally compassionate and had a peaceful life in the palace for many years. Even when she was taken as a concubine by Chen Yi, she often stayed at home and was well protected.

This kind of temperament is also one of the reasons why Chen Yi doesn't want to teach her swordsmanship. He is worried.

But it is difficult to change one's nature, and it is unlikely that Yin Tingxue will change her nature. He pondered for a moment and said with a smile: "In fact, the power of life and death seems to be in my hands, but it is not in my hands."

"What do you mean?" Yin Tingxue was a little surprised.

"If I let it go out of mercy, and it harms others in the future, it will only be committing sins and false mercy." Chen Yi paused, then continued: "Don't you think about it, I have the ability to let it go without letting it harm others? No. So I killed it, I am too weak, so I can only kill. If I can let it go and not let it harm others, and can even make it repent and atone for its sins, then I will naturally not kill it."

After hearing this, Yin Tingxue was confused at first, but after thinking about it carefully, she suddenly realized.

There was mist rising from the cave in the Heart Lake, which was vast and boundless. After that, the surface of the lake gradually calmed down, becoming much calmer than before. Although it was not as calm as a well, it would not fluctuate easily either.

This made her feel a little more compassionate.

.........

In the deserted inn, Chen Yi found another room and drew a circle of formations with a pen.

Yin Tingxue sat cross-legged in the middle.

Chen Yi picked up the talisman with his fingertips and walked in the air.

Specks of golden light spread out and lingered around the formation. Since the so-called soul wandering in a dream means that the soul leaves the child's body without his knowledge and is then lured away by the Guhuo bird, then doing the opposite and letting Yin Tingxue's soul leave her body on her own initiative can also attract the Guhuo bird to the door.

When it reached the cave and had no way to escape, Chen Yi followed the route and caught it all in one fell swoop.

Yin Tingxue's perspective slowly changed. At first, there was a misty picture in his eyes, as if many colors were blended together. Then, when those colors slowly dispersed, he looked down and saw another "Yin Tingxue" sitting cross-legged on the formation.

She couldn't stop looking curious.

Chen Yi waved at her and smiled.

He waved his hand, and a golden thread appeared at his fingertips, which led to the wrist of Yin Tingxue's soul. It then shrank rapidly and could no longer be seen by the naked eye, leaving only a golden mark.

After everything was ready, Yin Tingxue carefully floated out of the window and walked towards the desolate mountains and ridges.

Among the shadows of the trees, there was a piece of blood-stained clothing hanging, which was a mark forged by Chen Yi.

The mountains are pitch black, and the shadows of the trees are densely packed and overlapping, like a layer of nameless ghost fog.

As Yin Tingxue walked step by step, she could see towering ancient trees growing densely along the road, interweaving into vast shadows.

Yin Tingxue had already walked to an area where it was pitch dark.

She inevitably breathed quickly, the thick darkness enveloped her, and looking around, she was the only one there, but in those shadows, there seemed to be pairs of eyes,

It feels like walking into some ghost town.

suddenly,

A cold wind suddenly blew through the forest. In the darkness, a face with disheveled hair and wrapped in pitch-black bird feathers appeared.

…………

Yin Tingxue was taken away.

Chen Yi realized this almost instantly.

"Still a little cautious..." Chen Yi said to himself.

More than an hour had passed from the time Yin Tingxue's soul left her body to the time she was taken away by the Guhuo Bird.

The scent of the Guhuo Bird was already faintly visible just a few minutes after Yin Tingxue left the inn. After observing for quite a while, it finally couldn't help but take Yin Tingxue away.

The talent of practicing Taoism with the ability of clairaudience is something that is extremely coveted by famous Taoist and Buddhist families, let alone monsters.

The golden rope was buzzing on his fingertips, and Chen Yi was groping for the whereabouts of the Guhuo Bird.

First go south... to the third peak, then go north, then go around to the east...

Chen Yi was twisting the golden rope, concentrating very hard.

Ta-ta-ta...

Chen Yi turned his head.

Outside the deserted warehouse, the sound of horse hooves came from far away.

There were people coming, three horses and a carriage.

After the sound of horse hooves stopped, there was the sound of wheels crushing fallen leaves. The carriage stopped. Chen Yi frowned and looked outside through the window.

Three figures dismounted first and moved towards the carriage. Suddenly, they heard a subtle sound and saw the curtain slowly opened from the inside out, revealing the waterfall-like black hair that Chen Yi was so familiar with.

Chen Yi was shocked and confused.

Concubine Winter?!

How could she be here...

…………

Yin Tingxue felt dizzy and didn't know where she had flown to.

She didn't dare to lower her head. The dense forest beneath her feet had become a gray mass, very far from the ground. She was afraid that if she lowered her head, she would fall down and be smashed to pieces.

After an unknown amount of time, the pace of the Guhuo Bird finally slowed down, and it carried Yin Tingxue into the foggy valley. The valley was thick with gray fog, and when it flew down it seemed as if it was breaking through the clouds.

The Guhuo bird fell to the ground, and its jet-black wings folded up immediately. Then it covered its wings with its hand, and its dense feathers turned into black clothes. It transformed into a woman in black, with only a few feathers scattered around, and there was no trace of the devil at all.

Yin Tingxue came back to her senses from the dizziness and looked up.

In front of them was a mansion built along a clear stream, with flying eaves and green tiles, mixed in the shade of trees, dim lights everywhere, and the relief buildings and dense forests all integrated into one. They seemed to have come to the back door of the mansion. Yin Tingxue kept hearing footsteps coming from the stone path in the distance. Many monsters were going up the mountain with lanterns.

"Little girl...what's your name?"

A gentle and touching voice came to her ears, and Yin Tingxue was surprised to find that this voice had the magical ability to soothe people's hearts.

The Guhuo Bird was looking straight at her, its face full of kindness. Its pale face was filled with smile lines, which was indescribably strange.

The little fox remembered Chen Yi's instructions. Before Chen Yi arrived, he must act cautiously, be hypocritical in small matters, and never agree to even a word on big matters, otherwise the cause and effect would be entangled and it might bring disaster.

Yin Tingxue hesitated for a while and said, "Yin Tingxue, who... who are you?"

Guhuo Bird looked at her and said in a long voice: "Little girl, who do you think I am?"

As soon as the words fell into her ears, her heart was shaken and waves surged. Yin Tingxue heard the two words "mother" in silence, and her lips buzzed, and she actually had the urge to blurt out the words.

Pah. Yin Tingxue covered her ears and resisted: "You, you are not my mother."

The eyes of the Guhuo Bird were slightly gloomy. She looked Yin Tingxue up and down again, and after a while, her eyes narrowed in admiration. Her soul was crystal clear, even more exquisite than that of a person with seven orifices. Even after hundreds of years of practice, it was the first time she saw such a seedling. She was much better than the other adopted sons and daughters she had abducted.

Guhuo Bird smiled and said, "Then tell me, what does your mother look like?"

The reason why the monster Guhuo Bird can kidnap children without anyone noticing and make people hard to guard against is that it takes away souls and makes the bodies sleepwalk. Among them, there are children whose minds are mature at an early age and whose souls are awake. At this time, it is necessary to break through his defenses and make him feel from the bottom of his heart that Guhuo Bird is his mother. Once he says it, it will be difficult to change his mind. The principle is very similar to the yellow-skinned man asking for a title.

Yin Tingxue felt as if she was facing a formidable enemy. She knew very well that this was a plan to use someone else's power to take the blame.

Chen Yi...when will you come?

…………

"Your Highness, please get out of the car."

Although the voice was spoken outside the deserted inn, Chen Yi, who was already a third-rank warrior, could hear it clearly.

If it was really her...

Why is she here?
Chen Yi was puzzled. The next moment, he suddenly thought of another question and his hand unconsciously moved towards the sword.

If she is here, then where is An Hou?
When they left Beijing that year, Concubine Dong was unwilling to follow them out of the palace. This woman with so many secrets in her remained in the palace at the risk of losing her life, apparently she had other intentions.

Chen Yi had previously learned from Dong Gong Ruo Shu's fragmentary words that since he left the capital, although Queen An allowed Lin Wanhang to return to the Lin family and relaxed control over Dong Gong Ruo Shu, she became increasingly strict with Concubine Dong... and kept her under house arrest almost day and night.

Using his fingertips to make gestures, he could not sense the whereabouts of Queen An. Chen Yi looked into the distance and listened carefully, but got the same result. It seemed that the woman was not in this area. But... why did Concubine Dong come here?
His whereabouts were exposed?

It shouldn’t be. If their whereabouts were exposed, there wouldn’t be only these few people coming to encircle and suppress them.

Then...

Chen Yi's thoughts raced as his eyes fell on the two shriveled ghost skins, his eyes narrowed slightly.

They are the accomplices of these two Guhuo birds...

Including Concubine Dong, these spies from the Magpie Pavilion all came for the Guhuo bird.

"anyone there?"

The voice driven by internal strength penetrated the entire deserted inn.

After rolling his eyes, Chen Yi casually took out a paper figure from the ground, pressed its face a few times, blew on it, and threw it to the ground. The paper figure landed on the ground and stood gracefully. It turned out to be Miss Shen.

Then, he chanted an incantation and brushed it against his face. His back immediately bent, his face became older, and his white hair turned pale. At first glance, he looked like a man in his seventies or eighties. If you were not familiar with him, you would not be able to tell anything from his outline.

Not sure what these spies wanted, and even less sure whether his whereabouts would be exposed, Chen Yi always acted cautiously.

"coming."

Following the sound of an old and weak voice, the three Magpie Pavilion spies all turned their heads and saw a hunchbacked old man staggering down the stairs.

"Dad, go slower." The paper figurine Miss Shen behind him supported his arm.

The three spies took a quick glance but did not look at it carefully.

Chen Yi was even more certain in his heart that this person was not coming for him. He breathed a sigh of relief and slowly said, "This place is abandoned. My daughter and I are just passing by to rest. You don't have to be polite."

"That's easy. We'll just take a break."

Compared to Chen Yi, the three men's eyes were more focused on Miss Shen. There was no lust in their eyes, but rather fear as if they were looking at prey.

Confirmed the speculation.

Chen Yi was calculating in his mind as he scanned the three people with his eyes. With just one glance, he was able to judge the level of their cultivation. While he was observing, the curtain of the carriage was slowly lifted, and a figure with hair still tied up like a waterfall slowly got off the carriage.

Her appearance remained the same, not much different from when they parted. Besides having the charm of a Goryeo woman, her long-term residence in the cold palace gave her a grace and elegance that made her even more like a lady in a painting. However, her perfect elegance was broken by the sudden sound of the iron chain.

Only then did Chen Yi see that her wrists and ankles were locked with heavy iron shackles, the heavy color of the black iron seemed to swallow up the sunlight.

Before Chen Yi could figure out the situation.

After looking around, Concubine Dong looked over here. She frowned at first, then a look of astonishment flashed across her eyes, and a gleam of light flashed in her eyes.

Her lips moved silently, sketching two words.

help me.

…………

To save or not to save?

Throughout the ages, acting rashly is the way to death. Chen Yi, who always acts cautiously, is often like a lion catching a rabbit, and he always uses all his strength rather than acting rashly.

The two short words were nothing more than lip movement. No one knew where Queen An and the nameless old lady were. Unless their lives were in danger, they should not act hastily. The safest strategy was to find out the truth first and then make plans.

But after the rescue, his whereabouts were exposed, and how many pursuits were waiting?
No matter what the reason is, we should not save...

But Chen Yi curled his lips and smiled, took a step forward, rolled up his sleeves, and flipped out his hands like lightning.

Since she is my woman, why should I be so cautious? !
The three spies had no idea that the eighty-year-old man would flash past them like lightning. They had no time to react, and the sword energy suddenly penetrated through their body's acupuncture points through their fingertips. In an instant, the three of them were frozen in place.

All the acupuncture points were blocked, and after repeated palm strikes, they all fell to the ground unconscious.

Chen Yi then embraced Concubine Dong, walked a few steps up to the second floor, carried Yin Tingxue's unconscious body, and his figure flashed, disappearing into the forest as if wiped out.

The peak was standing on the top of the mountain, stepping on the clouds and flashing among the branches. His figure was as light as a feather. Only the treetops were slightly bent downward, like a dragonfly skimming the water. Even the forest birds were not startled and flew away.

Using all his strength to perform Qing Kung Fu, he broke into the deep forest. A quarter of an hour later, Chen Yi finally stopped. He could hear Concubine Dong's slightly rapid breathing.

Even though she was a fourth-rank warrior, she couldn't keep up with Chen Yi's breathing frequency.

Chen Yi slowly put Concubine Dong down, turned around and looked at her with a smile and a gentle expression.

The Korean woman was not sentimental at all. After a long while, she realized what was happening and responded with a gentle smile.

Her reaction was not slow, but Chen Yi couldn't help but feel bored.

He also realized later that, in fact, they were not that familiar with each other, and had never opened up to each other. It was not like the reunion with Yin and Yin, who felt better than anyone else in the world. It was more like old friends who were neither strangers nor familiar meeting again after a long separation. With a little awkward smile, they needed time to reminisce about their past friendship.

After all, a fleeting romance that was forged by a concubine in the cold palace who had no one to rely on should not be taken seriously.

Concubine Dong landed slowly on the ground. After a moment's silence, she was the first to break the silence and said, "Aren't you going to remove the illusion?"

The words were neither distant nor too intimate. Sometimes, when Chen Yi said something happy in the past, she would smile along, and after laughing, she would gently restrain herself, so that no one could detect any inappropriateness, and it was as if she had never laughed at all.

Now was not the time to bother about such trivial matters. Chen Yi waved his hand, his body no longer hunched, and his face returned to normal. He cleared his throat and asked, "What's going on with you?"

Concubine Dong raised the iron cuffs on her wrists and said, "As you can see."

"You escaped and were caught?" Chen Yi looked at her iron handcuffs with interest and pointed at them.

It was heavy and pitch black, and even after gently stroking it, the fingertips still felt cold. It was made of the finest black iron, and there were thunder patterns engraved on the wrist cuffs, as if once the cuffs were destroyed, they would attract the nine-day black thunder.

“Good work.”

Chen Yi was secretly surprised. What outrageous thing had she done to deserve such treatment from Queen An?

Concubine Dong said calmly, "One time I tried to pass on intelligence and was caught red-handed. Your Majesty put these handcuffs on me."

"What's going on with you Koreans?"

"What the donor said is correct."

She called out to the donor as if she was the monk Buddhaghosa again.

Chen Yi recalled some memories, but brushed them aside and asked about the main matter: "Why are you... here?"

"It's a long story... If I were to explain it, it would probably take an hour or two."

"Then let's make a long story short."

"Do you know that there is a big monster called Guhuo Bird hovering in this area?" Seeing Chen Yi nod, Concubine Dong continued, "This big monster moved north from the south and has been hovering in this area for more than half a year. According to intelligence from the Magpie Pavilion, a saint of the White Lotus Sect fled north after being defeated and was last seen in this area. However, no matter how large the search is, there are not many clues. So the Magpie Pavilion suspects that it is colluding with the Guhuo Bird and hiding in its cave."

"Then why are you here?"

"Because the queen is also in this area."

Chen Yi's eyes narrowed instantly.

Queen An was determined not to let Concubine Dong leave the capital alone. No matter her public identity as a concubine of Goryeo or her secret identity as lawyer Jueyin, she would take her wherever Queen An went.

But as to why Empress An was in this area, Chen Yi gave it some thought and could only attribute it to the chaos in Huguang. Who knows, by some chance, she... might also go south.

The White Lotus Rebellion had swept across most of Huguang. Even the Longhu Mountain, the leader of the region, was forced to close its doors and seek help from Taoist sects across the country. However, the battle reports from the local governor and commander-in-chief were of successive victories, showing how corrupt the officialdom of Huguang had become.

When Chen Yi came to his senses, he saw Concubine Dong staring at his neck.

"what happened?"

"You...are still wearing that pendant?"

“Too much skill is not a burden, and too much money is not a burden.”

"Oh." Concubine Dong responded tactfully and changed the subject, "It seems that you don't know why I appeared with Xi Que Pavilion. The reason why I appeared here alone is that I have a feud with the White Lotus Sect. It's all about sectarian disputes. I begged the queen for a long time before she agreed to let me investigate together."

"It's inconvenient for you to tell me what the specific grudge is."

"It's inconvenient to say, but..." Concubine Dong said softly, "It is rumored in the south that the White Lotus Sect has been silent for a long time. The reason why it suddenly became powerful is that it found an incredible ancient inheritance in the secret realm, which can be traced back to the White Lotus Sect in the Southern Song Dynasty. There is also a magical object called the Vacuum Cauldron, which can absorb the seven emotions and six desires and condense them into the Water of No Life. It is said that only one drop of the Water of No Life is enough to make people realize something, and their souls can enter the Vacuum Homeland, breaking through the confusion of the secular world."

"The soul enters the vacuum hometown? Only the soul?" Chen Yi grasped the key point.

"That's right," Imperial Concubine Dong said meaningfully, "As for the body, it will naturally remain in the human world for the White Lotus Mother to command."

She was willing to say so much, and it wasn't really inconvenient for her to say it.

"Then where is this Wusheng Ding?"

Concubine Dong pointed to the ground beneath her feet.

Chen Yi was slightly stunned. Was he brought to the cave of the Guhuo Bird by the White Lotus Saint who escaped to the north?
Before he could figure out what was going on,
Suddenly, the golden rope at the fingertips trembled violently.

Chen Yi suddenly looked down.

The tip of the rope keeps extending and stretching, as if it will break at any time!

(End of this chapter)