My enemies became my companions

Chapter 667 All Things Flourish (Part Two)

The surrounding air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Chen Yi's fingertips immediately stopped, and his face stiffened.

The night was dark, the lights were flickering, and the incense was intoxicating. It was the perfect time to be with a dragon and a phoenix. One was named Luanhuang, and the other had phoenix eyes. Just as Chen Yi was exchanging toasts, he was thinking how well this scene reflected the idiom "Dianluan Daofeng" (literally, "the dragon and the phoenix inverted").

Having already pushed the female knight onto the bed, Yin Weiying stood by the bedside and suddenly asked a question. Even Chen Yi, who was thick-skinned and had seen it all, was so surprised that he trembled.

Fortunately, Kang Jian did not lose any points and was not put at a disadvantage for the time being.

Min Ning stared straight at him, her eyes bright. After thinking for a moment, she reached out and gently grasped the hilt of his sword.

Chen Yi suddenly came to his senses and realized that the bigger his reaction was now, the more leverage he would leave behind. Rather than that, he might as well be more assertive.

“…Yes, that’s true.” Chen Yi paused, then said in a deeper voice, “I reached the age of settling down and starting a family quite early, and I do have a child, which is not abnormal.”

Upon hearing this, Min Ning lowered her head and remained silent for a moment, her hand still loosely gripping the Hou Kang sword, as if she was reluctant to part with it, or perhaps she truly was. Her heroic face showed little emotion, but her chest seemed somewhat tight, to the point that her chest had an unusual curve.

Chen Yi took a deep breath, his chest heaving slightly, and was about to speak to downplay the matter, even intending to steer the conversation back to the interrupted romantic encounter.

Who is the child's mother?

Min Ning's voice was not loud, but it was as sharp as a sword.

Chen Yi hesitated for a moment.

His hesitation momentarily distracted Min Ning, who instinctively asked, "Is it... Princess Zhu E?"

Back when they were still in the capital, Min Ning had inadvertently witnessed Chen Yi's unusual relationship with the Prince of Annan and his wife. Qin Qingluo was also disguised as a man, so she had no children and thus asked Chen Yi to conceive. Min Ning saw this and felt deeply hurt, but because she was not as good as Chen Yi, she could never say anything.

Although Yin Weiying subtly revealed this matter as a shocking secret, Min Ning was still able to accept it.

She wasn't unaware of this; she had always known. At that time, the princess's pregnancy was a foregone conclusion. She just didn't understand why... why Prince Qin Qingluo of Annan would fight with Chen Yi and react so strongly...

As for what the princess wished me, then it's alright...

If so, the child will be raised as a true member of the Qin family. With Qin Qingluo as the nominal father, Chen Yi, the biological father, will always be separated by vast distances, no matter how much he wants to get close to him.

His heart will not remain in southern Xinjiang.

As for herself, she would not interfere in this matter, nor would she want to get involved. If it came to the worst, such as the common occurrence of a family's decline in the martial arts world, where one sees the family rise to prominence only to see it collapse, and hundreds of family members scatter like birds and beasts, leaving only a few survivors, Min Ning might take her as his disciple out of consideration for the fact that she shares Chen Yi's blood.

Chen Yi did not answer, but instead looked away.

Min Ning paused slightly, her gaze fixed on Chen Yi, and asked, "Could it be that you took a fancy to one of the maids in the Prince's mansion and left this?"

Chen Yi remained silent, neither nodding nor shaking his head.

"Yes…"

Yin Weiying, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but speak up, but hesitated for a moment before the words were on his throat. Chen Yi then glanced at him.

The moment his gaze swept over her, the female Taoist priest trembled violently. She lowered her head and tried to shrink herself into a silent shadow.

Chen Yi averted his gaze; now was not the time to argue with Yin Weiying. He slowly said, "It belongs to Qin Qingluo..."

Qin... Qin Qingluo...

Is the King of Annam, Qin Qingluo?
Min Ning immediately stopped, her phoenix eyes slowly widening, her lips moving but unable to utter a sound for a long time.

After a long while, she suddenly laughed, a laugh that was silent.

He even released his grip on the hilt of the sword.

Chen Yi was in no mood for anything at this moment. He slowly sat down and looked at Min Ning, unsure of what to say. He could only manage to utter one sentence:
"This matter... is a bit more complicated than you think."

Min Ning remained silent.

The air in the bedroom felt heavy, like lead, pressing down on everyone's chest. The candlelight occasionally crackled and popped out tiny sparks, making the silence even more palpable. The scent of incense still lingered, but it had lost its warmth.

Chen Yi sat at the table, looking at the silent Min Ning, his mind a jumble of complicated thoughts. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, not knowing what to say for a moment. His gaze swept over the figure in the corner that was almost blending into the shadows.

"Did you tell her that?" Chen Yi's voice was not loud.

Yin Weiying's heart skipped a beat, and her body tensed up abruptly. She dared not look up, her interlaced fingers twisting tightly around the cuffs of her Taoist robe until her knuckles turned white. Her lips moved a few times, but only a few indistinct, discordant syllables came out.

She was terrified.

Looking at her frightened appearance, Chen Yi's Adam's apple bobbed. Unexpectedly, he did not scold her, but his tone carried an indescribable complexity and weariness.

"...I really shouldn't have tried to hide this from her." He paused, his gaze shifting to the deep darkness outside the window, his voice lowering, "It's just...I don't know how to say it."

As Min Ning listened, her lowered eyelashes trembled slightly. She remained silent, her heroic face displaying a complex mix of emotions.

Qin Qingluo... the Annan King who shared her temperament and was equally fierce and proud was not a queen, but she... had a daughter with Chen Yi.
Despite being prepared, the impact of this news was far more overwhelming than expected.

She recalled her few interactions with Qin Qingluo in the capital, that subtle mutual appreciation... and suddenly the relationship became extremely complicated.

Just as Min Ning was lost in thought, Yin Weiying, who was standing quietly to the side, heard Chen Yi say "we shouldn't have kept it from her," and his eyes, which were lowered, lit up almost imperceptibly for a moment.

He kept it from Min Ning, but... he openly and honestly didn't hide it from himself?

This tiny difference, like a spark thrown into the darkness, suddenly brought an indescribable warmth to her heart, which was gripped by fear and unease...

A fleeting glint appeared in Yin Weiying's eyes.
That shows that she still has the authority to make decisions at home...

Chen Yi turned his gaze away from the window and back to Min Ning. If she were to slam the door and storm out, angrily denouncing him as shameless, or even draw her sword against him, it would be perfectly reasonable. He... would probably just try to keep her here.

For some reason, he always treated Min Ning with more equality and more freedom to come and go as he pleased compared to other women, perhaps because of her chivalrous spirit of never depending on anyone.

Time passed second by second. Just when Chen Yi thought she was about to explode and even became wary, Min Ning suddenly took a deep breath, her chest heaving noticeably.

She raised her head, and the solemn and complicated expression on her face slowly faded, replaced by a playful smile.

She laughed, not a cold laugh, nor a laugh born of extreme anger; her laughter even revealed a hint of genuine interest. "Heh," she chuckled briefly, her phoenix eyes glancing sideways at Chen Yi, "I'm quite curious now."

Chen Yi was slightly taken aback.

Min Ning leaned forward slightly, his gaze intense, and asked incredulously, "This little girl named Qin Yue, your father is Chen Yi, and your mother is Qin Qingluo... just what kind of person is she?"

This question was so unexpected that even Chen Yi was momentarily stunned. He subconsciously replied, "Dragon Seed?"

"Pfft, cough cough!" Min Ning choked on his own saliva, then burst into an extremely hearty and unrestrained laugh, "Hahahaha! Dragon seed? Chen Zunming, you really dare to say that!"

People from the martial arts world inherently harbor a sense of alienation and disdain for the imperial family and nobility. Moreover, the Southern Frontier is a place far from the emperor's reach and rife with rebellion. Min Ning found these words both absurd and apt, which actually eased the pent-up frustration in her heart.

She laughed for a while before wiping away non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes. Looking at Chen Yi with great interest, she added, "It's interesting that she's a dragon seed! I really want to take her as my disciple and see what this 'dragon seed' will grow into!"

Apprentice?

Chen Yi was truly stunned.

Looking at the genuine interest and eagerness in Min Ning's eyes, he was momentarily at a loss for words. This female knight... her thinking was jumping around too fast. She had always wanted to take him, Chen Yi, as her disciple but failed, and now she was directly targeting his daughter.
Is she planning to take them both down with her, bringing them under her wing as "Master Min"?

Zhou Yitang already had him and Yin Tingxue, mother and daughter...and husband and wife? Now Min Ning wants to take him and Qin Yue, father and daughter? Good heavens...what if Zhou Yitang and Min Ning from Dacheng meet one day and fight over his "master-disciple relationship"...

Just thinking about that scene sent chills down Chen Yi's spine.

"You wish," Chen Yi scoffed, a hint of helplessness in his voice.

“Why can’t I think that?” Min Ning raised an eyebrow, his spirited demeanor tinged with a hint of provocation. “Now I can stand up to you, Chen Zunming!”

As she spoke, she moved closer to Chen Yi, and that hot aura of a female knight-errant, mixed with the smell of sweat and a faint scent of alcohol, wafted over him once more.

Chen Yi's eyes darkened as he looked at the provocative smiling face so close to his own. He deliberately lowered his voice, "Oh? To stand on equal footing? Master Min, words are no proof... Shall we try it later?"

“Let’s give it a try!” Min Ning retorted without backing down, even reaching out to put her hand on Chen Yi’s shoulder, her fingertips calloused as she applied slight pressure.

Their eyes met in mid-air, sparks flying. The tense atmosphere that had just been frozen slowly melted away as they exchanged glances, and a hint of fiery, hazy feeling began to quietly grow in the air again.

At this moment, Yin Weiying, who had been standing quietly to the side, seemed to have finally mustered up his courage and took a small, tentative step closer to them.

She slightly raised her eyes and cautiously looked at Chen Yi.

Chen Yi noticed her approach and glanced at her sideways. His gaze wasn't particularly gentle, but it wasn't as cold as before. Yin Weiying's heart tightened, and she immediately lowered her eyes in fear, shrinking back slightly like a startled rabbit, or somewhat like Yin Tingxue at the beginning.

However, before Chen Yi could say anything, Min Ning spoke first.

She didn't look at Yin Weiying; her gaze remained fixed on Chen Yi's face. Although she and Yin Weiying had never gotten along, she said, "Hey, Chen Zunming." She gestured with her chin in Yin Weiying's direction. "This... he's known you for a long time, and... he's married."

When she said the word "marriage," she paused slightly, her tone carrying an ambiguous meaning, "How can we keep neglecting her like this? That's really unfair."

Chen Yi raised an eyebrow, not expecting Min Ning to suddenly speak up for Yin Weiying. He looked at Min Ning with a half-smile: "Oh? Is Master Min going to meddle in my family affairs?"

Min Ning met his gaze, her phoenix eyes glaring, her tone self-righteous and even carrying a hint of the arrogance of a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person from the martial arts world), "If I'm going to get involved, then I'm going to get involved."

The air became subtle and viscous at that moment, and the incense seemed to warm it up even more.

Chen Yi narrowed his eyes, pressed down on her, and tore at her clothes, while Min Ning was not to be outdone and started fiddling with the Hou Kang sword.

The harder he tore at the clothes, the faster Min Ning's hands moved.

"I will uphold justice and not be concerned with grudges. This time, I will stand up for Princess Jing."

Yin Weiying's eyes shifted slightly. For some reason, seeing them doing that kind of thing and hearing this, she felt a slight warmth in her heart, but she was also a little jealous. However, thinking about it, Min Ning actually stood up for her this time, which was truly rare. So she silently recited the Supreme Forgetfulness Technique to suppress it.

This small battleground was resolved silently.

Between the houses, the laughter grew softer and softer, turning into faint panting.

"Chen Zunming,"

Min Ning grabbed Chen Yi's shoulder, gave him a hard peck on the chin, then let go, raising her hands as if to stretch.
"Go ahead and have sex with me."

………………

The clear moonlight shone through the dim window and fell on the tattered clothes.

A female knight-errant and a fairy. The female knight-errant is chivalrous and righteous, while the fairy is ethereal and otherworldly.

Min Ning said that he was standing up for Yin Weiying, which was also giving Chen Yi a break.

In the past, Chen Yi had made many concessions for her, and this time, she didn't want to put him in a difficult position.

It's nothing that she conceded, it's just...

She had to be on top of Yin Weiying.

The female Taoist priest didn't hold it against her, since Min Ning had helped her after all, and it was precisely when she was in power.

“I’d like to make some tea today,” Chen Yi said with a smile, leaning on Min Ning’s shoulder. “Why don’t you ask her what chrysanthemum tea is?”

Yin Weiying's face suddenly flushed red, and he could only silently recite the Supreme Method of Forgetting Emotions.

Min Ning stared wide-eyed and asked in confusion:
What is chrysanthemum tea?

Yin Weiying gritted his teeth, leaned close to his ear, and whispered it again.
Min Ning's eyes widened even more than before.
"Is he playing such a... vulgar game?"

“…there are even more vulgar things…ah!”

The words came to an abrupt end.

A beautiful landscape, where all things thrive.

(End of this chapter)