My enemies became my companions

Chapter 621 Yin Weiying and Qin Qingluo

The slight throbbing pain gradually subsided.

The memorial tablet still stood there solemnly, exuding an ancient and heavy aura amidst the flickering candlelight and the pervasive smoke and blood mist. It was as if the deep vortex that had just swallowed a living person had never appeared.

Only the pillar pierced by the spear, splintered with wood chips, and the violent trembling and humming of the spear shaft, silently recounted the horrifying scene that had just unfolded, a scene beyond the comprehension of ordinary understanding.

Chen Yi… vanished into thin air before the most central ancestral tablet in her Qin Clan Temple, under her deadly strike?!
An indescribable chill, mixed with the fury of being fooled, and a trace of unknown fear that she herself was unwilling to admit, instantly coiled around Qin Qingluo's heart like a cold, venomous snake.

Her fingers, white from gripping the gun barrel too tightly, trembled slightly. The chilling killing intent in her snake-like eyes hadn't faded; instead, it had settled, transforming into an even deeper, more terrifying pool of cold water.

By the second day of the eighth lunar month, the turmoil at the Qin family ancestral temple had passed.

However, the matter did not end there.

Even though the assassination attempt at the ancestral temple was unsuccessful, it still shook the entire southern border region. It should be known that "the most important matters of the state are sacrifice and war." In the past, a powerful prince of the Northern Wei Dynasty was stripped of his title and exiled simply for riding his horse past the incense burner outside the ancestral temple. In the Ming Dynasty, the heir of the Prince of Ning rode his horse into the family temple, which became the first of his "twelve crimes of disloyalty," and he was executed.

The impact of this incident is immense, especially since the assassination attempt failed, and a bloodbath is foreseeable.

Inside the torture chamber.

Qin Weinian was hung on the rack, his face no longer showing his previous composure and maturity. His white hair was disheveled and covered with mud and dark red bloodstains. In just one day, this highly respected elder had become a sorry sight.

The wounds on his body were only roughly bandaged, and the pus and blood had congealed on his clothes.

The executioners on both sides were about to continue the torture when they suddenly heard a shout of "His Highness has arrived!" They quickly stopped and respectfully went to the door to greet him.

The torture chamber fell silent for a moment, the clattering and scraping of heavy armor echoing across the walls, even making the flames seem a little colder.

Qin Weinian struggled to lift his dirty face, but was quickly slapped on the head by the executioner beside him. This elder from a prominent family with an inherited title had no dignity as a prisoner.

The rustling of armor stopped, and he sensed someone approaching him, just a few feet away.

The torture chamber became slightly brighter, and Qin Qingluo picked up the scissors and trimmed the candle wick.

"Have they all confessed?" the King of Annam asked.

The executioner was smiling obsequiously, bowing and scraping as he presented the confession, when Qin Weinian, who was nearly half-dead, suddenly looked up and shouted, "Confess my ass!"

The executioner's face turned deathly pale, then flushed with rage, and he grabbed a whip and gave the elder a heavy lash.

The female prince did not stop them. Whether Qin Weinian lived or died, he could not leave this torture chamber, and it would have no bearing on the situation in the southern border.

Qin Weinian gasped, blood gushing from his mouth as he roared. His already dwindling life force dwindled further with that single lash. The executioner turned around, about to offer some explanation such as "this scoundrel is stubborn and incorrigible," when he heard:
"No need to say anything more, I know your tricks. This is a handprint that was forcibly pressed on."

The executioner shuddered.

The King of Annam didn't even glance at it, and calmly said, "You still deserve credit. Receive your reward later."

The executioner felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders, and a sense of relief and gratitude welled up in his heart. He stepped aside.

Qin Weinian coughed and gasped for breath. He raised his head, and his dim, cloudy old eyes reflected the towering figure.

She was taller than most men, and even within the Qin clan, few could rival her. Because of this, despite the many criticisms within the clan since she inherited the title, outsiders never doubted her identity.

"Do you regret it?" the King of Annam asked. "As long as you stop in time, or find another opportunity, I will have no way to kill you even if I wanted to."

Qin Weinian did not answer, but stared intently at her.

“Even today, there are people in the clan who come to petition for you. Old trees have many roots, and old people have great virtue. These people are willing to risk their lives. It is pitiful and lamentable, and one does not know what to do.” The King of Annam said calmly, “However, I have always been willing to grant your request.”

Qin Weinian's eyes widened, and he subconsciously struggled to lunge forward, but he was firmly pinned to the rack, with only the clattering sound of friction echoing in the torture chamber.

After a long silence, he gasped for breath and said hoarsely, "Kill me if you want, why waste words? You inherited the title as a woman, do you really think we're blind...? One day... when the truth comes out, you will all perish, but the rivers will flow on forever!"

The Queen of Annam remained unmoved, offering no rebuttal whatsoever, as if listening to a tedious and laughable accusation. This only made Qin Weinian's words seem pale and powerless. After a moment, she slowly asked, "Who were those who followed your orders?"

"...Aren't they all in this prison...? Just kill them all." Qin Weinian said with a bitter tone tinged with sarcasm.

"No, not only that, but also your two grandsons Changsheng and Changping, your three sons-in-law and grandsons-in-law, your chess friends, confidants, and drinking buddies. Oh, and of course, that includes your two sons, both alive and dead. The living will be executed, and the dead will have their tombs destroyed."

As each word fell, Qin Weinian's face grew paler and paler, almost like a corpse dug out of the mud.

The King of Annam and his palace were heavily guarded, almost impenetrable. The only chance of success was to carry out the assassination at the ancestral temple during the autumn sacrifice. Qin Weinian almost fooled everyone by planting assassins in various places, but he made a mistake and failed.

While assassination at the ancestral temple was the most likely to succeed, the consequences were also the greatest, far greater than the lives of Qin Weinian's entire family could bear.

“You also have a great-grandson who is just a month old. Beforehand, in order to continue the family line, you did not name him and sent him to live with an ordinary family.”

Qin Weinian suddenly raised his head. The clan elder, who had previously only shown desolation and despair, was now trembling with fear, his old and cloudy eyes filled with a pleading expression of submission.

“I can send him to the Miao people and spare his life. As long as he never knows what hatred is or that he is a member of the Qin family, he can live.”

The King of Annam spoke in a voice so calm it could hardly be calm:

"But you must explain how you instructed those martial arts figures, and how you instructed them. Oh, I almost forgot, you must also explain the assassins who acted as guards."

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

Dark clouds gathered, a heavy, dark mass pressing down on Gaoliang Mountain, as if a torrential downpour was imminent.

A commotion erupted in the town at the foot of the mountain; some rushed to catch their carts, while others packed up their stalls.
This commotion was not the usual bustling activity of the marketplace, but rather a turbulent current shrouded in panic and repression.

The grain shopkeeper's corpulent body creaked against the doorframe as he pushed the door open to store rice in the cellar. Street vendors, long since lost their composure as they hawked their wares, hurriedly packed up their stalls. The area in front of the inn was even more chaotic. Several mule carts that were originally heading up the mountain were now being turned around by their owners, who were desperately pulling on the reins. The drivers' faces had lost their usual rough, cheerful demeanor, replaced by anxiety and a barely perceptible fear.

Before long, the sound of horses' hooves broke the clamor, and as a group of black-armored men surged in like a flood, the entire town seemed to be suddenly silenced by an invisible hand, and the streets instantly became empty and deathly quiet.

In an instant, dozens of Ironscale Knights surrounded an inn, some standing under the eaves, some blocking the street, and some crouching on another rooftop, forming a large net that completely encircled the place.

A tall, magnificent horse slowly emerged from the ranks of the Ironscale Army, and its owner led it toward the inn.

The windows of most taverns and teahouses were tightly closed, leaving only one or two cracks. Inside, figures moved about, but the usual noisy games and drinking games were gone, replaced by low, indistinct murmurs.

"The commotion yesterday... my goodness, there was thunder and fire, and the Prince's Iron Scale Army surged down like an iron torrent..."

"Shut up! Are you out of your mind?! You dare to gossip about the Qin family? Get out of there! It's a miracle you haven't been heard!"

"Judging from this situation, they're not about to start a fight..." Clad in heavy armor, no one could tell that the King of Annam had personally come to this place today. They only vaguely sensed that the person on horseback was extraordinary and had an unusual aura.

The inn was deathly silent; everyone inside had hidden themselves, fearing being caught in the crossfire. Only one window on the three-story building was brightly lit, with a candle burning.

There was a shadowy figure through the windowpane.

Yin Weiying, with her Taoist robe sleeves tucked in, gazed outwards from her high vantage point, appearing like a fairy stepping out of a painting, detached from the world and untouched by worldly concerns.

Qin Qinglu raised her head slightly and met the gaze of the female Taoist priest.

They met briefly.

The air was heavy and stifling, like solidified lead, with damp moisture mixed with dust and a faint, almost imperceptible, burnt smell drifting down from the mountain. The wind whipped up withered leaves and scraps of paper from the ground, swirling them around with a mournful sound, as if whispering unease about the impending mountain rain.

The entire town seemed to hold its breath for this moment.

Until the female Taoist priest turned and left, passing by the window and extinguishing the candles in the room.

The King of Annam lowered his head, dismounted, and slowly stepped into the inn. The Iron Scale Army behind him, strictly following orders, did not follow.

As she stepped deeper into the inn, she heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs. A woman in white robes, carrying a lantern, walked up the stairs step by step.

Outside the inn, a sudden drizzle began, and the armor emitted a metallic scent.

Yin Weiying remained outwardly calm, but his heart skipped a beat.

Although he had met him before, it was only once. Now that tall figure filled his field of vision, Yin Weiying realized what oppression was.

To be honest, both women had ties to Chen Yi, but Qin Qingluo had once attacked her, nearly killing her. Afterwards, she assisted Chen Yi, acting as his accomplice in his revenge… The grudges behind this…

Yin Weiying turned her head to look again, and the two women's eyes met once more. A chill ran through her heart, and her hair stood on end. Those snake-like eyes seemed to suddenly open from the shadows, deep as an abyss, like a dragon plunging into the sea, so ruthless and cruel that it sent shivers down her spine.

The female Taoist priest silently recited the Supreme Method of Forgetting Emotions to calm her mind and soothe the turmoil in her heart. Then she thought to herself, no matter how cold and stern this Queen was, she was just an untitled and nameless person, while she, Yin Weiying, was the rightful first wife.

Thinking of this, Yin Weiying's expression became indifferent, revealing his aloof and independent spirit, and for a moment he was at a standstill with the female prince.

"The daughter of King Jing, Yin Weiying." Qin Qingluo slowly uttered these words, then asked, "Where is he?"

"Not here."

"Where have you gone?"

Yin Weiying glanced at her and calmly asked, "You are a regional prince, if you don't know, why ask me?"

The sounds deep inside the inn were faint, and the conversation between the two was either a secret transmission of sound or a deep, intimate exchange, unknown to outsiders. No one inside or outside dared to listen; they could only wait anxiously for it to end.

Qin Qingluo stepped forward, her body completely blocking Yin Weiying's view.

The female Taoist priest suppressed her rapid breathing, which only enhanced her demeanor as the First Madam. She calmly said, "I have heard about what happened yesterday."

The autumn sacrifice is a major event of the year, and the assassination attempt on the ancestral temple of the King of Annam is an even greater event. No matter how hard they try to cover it up, it is impossible to keep the news out. Moreover, the King of Annam's palace wanted to use this case to eliminate dissidents, and not only did they not stop it, they also intentionally or unintentionally fueled the flames.

As Yin Weiying finished speaking, the inn became even more deathly silent. The rain mixed with the smell of iron, which hit the nostrils. The heavily armored body was like a mountain of iron-cast knives, and the murderous intent pressed against the throat.

"...He definitely didn't go to kill you."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yin Weiying suddenly felt his neck loosen.

The tall woman raised her eyebrows slightly, displaying a heroic air.

The incident happened suddenly and the situation was dire. Upon seeing him appear so abruptly, Qin Qingluo felt hostile. Afterwards, during the review of the events, she did have some doubts about Chen Yi's motives for the trip, and she received an answer from Qin Weinian.

Now, upon learning of this from his wife, Qin Qingluo's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly for some reason.

It was just... a misunderstanding?
Yin Weiying continued, "However, he didn't come for you."

The tall figure of the female prince suddenly stopped.

"Then why did he come?" Qin Qingluo asked calmly.

"He came here for Gaoliang Mountain and for the Divine Cult. As for Your Highness's affairs, he probably just came to see them incidentally," Yin Weiying said, bowing respectfully. "If my humble husband has no intention of offending you, I hope Your Highness will forgive him."

Clumsy man...

Qin Qingluo calmly asked again, "So, he left you here alone?"

“It’s not just me; he’s never short of women around him. I suppose Your Highness is unaware of this,” Yin Weiying replied with poise and grace.

The candlelight flickered, casting a silent, shadowy glow on Qin Qingluo's face.

For some reason, knowing that he didn't come for her was more disappointing than knowing that he came to kill her.

Looking up again, amidst this overwhelming and seemingly hopeless situation, the white-clad female Taoist priest remained calm and composed, exuding the air of a legitimate wife.

Qin Qingluo sneered and threw a punch almost without warning.

The terrifying fist energy shot out, instantly collapsing the wall behind the white-clad female Taoist priest.

The fist passed straight through Yin Weiying's body without making any contact whatsoever.

Looking down again, he saw the Goddess of Taihua smile gently and say calmly:
"Does His Highness perhaps think that leaving me here means he has no backup plan?"

………………

When the tip of the spear was only millimeters away from Chen Yi's back, the suction force of the vortex pulled him in first.

Chen Yi felt a violent tremor in his soul, as if he had been instantly ripped from his body. His vision spun, and all sounds—the shrill whistling of the spear, the low growls of the puppet generals, the cries of the guards—vanished, distorted, and became indistinct. His body felt light, yet he was violently pulled towards the center of that deep vortex by an immense force.

Everything was indistinct, as if endless incense smoke was swirling all around.
As soon as my feet touched the ground, a voice suddenly came from beside my ear.

"I never expected that a living City God would emerge from among the sons-in-law of the Qin family."

(End of this chapter)