My enemies became my companions

Chapter 715 Clearing Away Ignorance (Part 2)

Walking once again in the boundless darkness, everything around me was still pitch black.

"Do you believe it, little fox? We're already married. I know you might find it hard to accept, but let's make this clear first."

Yin Tingxue pursed her lips slightly, her gaze fixed on his face.

Her expression was somewhat complicated, as if she was hesitating or weighing her options. After a long silence, she finally gave a soft "hmm".

Chen Yi knew all too well how deep hatred could go once it was ingrained. When you hate someone enough, you will actually avoid mentioning them, pretending that nothing has happened and nothing has changed, but in reality, the hatred has penetrated to the bone marrow.

Just like the many women he knew but had grudges against, there were always some he didn't want to talk about too much, and sometimes he would deliberately avoid them.

For the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect, marrying her enemy and being mutually in love was undoubtedly more painful than killing her. Chen Yi always found it hard to bear the pity of the women he cared about, and this was especially true for Yin Tingxue.

A gray, gloomy wind blew in from afar, rolling up sleeves and strands of hair, carrying a slight chill. Chen Yi stepped forward, his pace not fast, as if waiting for her, or perhaps leading her.

As Yin Tingxue walked beside him, she suddenly realized that this was the first time they had walked side by side since their reunion.

Chen Yi turned his head to look at her, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes.

"...What's so funny?" she said coldly.

"...That sounds just like something Min Ning would ask," Chen Yi remarked casually.

"...Who is Min Ning?"

Yin Tingxue felt that the name sounded familiar, but she couldn't remember it. After thinking about the reason, her expression turned even colder.

Chen Yi pretended not to see it, but his eyes caught Yin Tingxue's gaze out of the corner of his eye. Most female knights who had traveled the martial world were like this. Unlike men who would often discuss heroes over wine, female knights were either overly friendly or kept at arm's length.

The reason is simple: the martial arts world is truly dangerous for women. If they don't deliberately keep their distance, who knows who is hiding a knife behind a smile?

Thinking of this, Chen Yi felt even more pity for him.

He remained silent for a moment, and Yin Tingxue began to suspect that this shameless man had other schemes up his sleeve.

She urged, "If you have something to say, then continue."

Chen Yi came to his senses and smiled, saying, "Alright, where should we begin... On the day the Prince Xiang's mansion was raided, the imperial edict issued from Jingren Palace ordered us, the Embroidered Uniform Guards, to cut off the immortality of the family members. This was just routine business, but seeing how pitiful you were, I changed my mind and rescued you from the Prince Xiang's mansion, raising you as a concubine."

Yin Tingxue listened intently, her brows furrowing slightly.
He didn't interrupt her bridge to immortality, really... that's it?
But I clearly remember...

…and listen again.

Yin Tingxue's memories of the past ended with the killing of Chen Yi. She originally thought she had ultimately made a mistake and lost to Chen Yi, and then suffered... the punishment for defeat...

But now, it sounds like... a new beginning.

A new chapter in life.

"The Min Ning I just told you about is a great hero. She used to be my superior, a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. She thought I was colluding with the Demonic Sect for personal gain, so she secretly took you away. But that put you in danger instead. In the end, naturally, I saved you."

He recounted his past in detail, and no one knew what kind of magic he used, so Yin Tingxue could not hear his thoughts clearly. However, judging from his expression, he did not seem to be lying.

But... this wasn't the Chen Yi she knew before.

As the saying goes, it is easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature. Apart from his lustful nature, he seemed to have changed a lot.

He continued to ramble on, recounting fond memories of the past.
"After this heroic rescue, slowly, slowly, I always felt that you were beautiful and that you were to my liking. You, on the other hand, were not so resistant to me anymore. I thought, since you are now my concubine, why not just go with the flow?"

You were just too shy, so you rejected me back then.

As a woman, anyone would refuse, especially since he was just a junior officer in the Imperial Guard.

A few images flashed through her mind, and Yin Tingxue felt a sudden pang of pain in her heart... Yes, even though he was just a commoner and she was a princess, the flowers still fell into his hands in an instant.

Her eyes were unfathomable, and her brows were lowered. Chen Yi noticed that she slowed her pace and kept looking back.

"what's on your mind……"

Yin Tingxue slowly raised an eyebrow, glanced at him, suppressed her emotions, and asked in a seemingly calm voice, "Oh... then how did you and I... consummate our marriage?"

"You agreed to it willingly."

"…What?"

Chen Yi said slowly, "Back then, I gave you a hairpin, and you were so happy."

Yin Tingxue looked stunned, then her brows furrowed in disbelief.

"Consummate the marriage? How else can we consummate the marriage? A good woman is afraid of a persistent man, especially since you are my concubine. I coaxed you a bit, and you half-heartedly agreed, though you were a little scared." Chen Yi said matter-of-factly as he walked, "Besides, back then, you actually had feelings for me. We slept together every night, but I'm a gentleman, so I didn't make a move on you since you didn't agree."

His words were so certain that the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect felt bewildered. On one hand, she wanted to subconsciously deny it, but on the other hand, she couldn't find many loopholes. When Chen Yi rescued her from the Abyss, the look in his eyes couldn't be faked.

He didn't mistreat her. Was it really like that between them? Back then... he didn't interrupt her bridge to immortality, but saved her, first taking her as a concubine, and then marrying her...

Yin Tingxue's expression darkened slightly. Driven by an innate suspicion of her enemies, she coldly said:

"That's all just your side of the story."

Immediately, she carefully observed Chen Yi's reaction, trying to catch any clues.

He smiled helplessly, without the slightest embarrassment, and sighed slowly, saying, "Sigh, if you don't believe me, you can break the seal and see for yourself. I'm not stopping you."

Yin Tingxue paused for a moment after hearing this, but quickly recovered and said calmly, "Let's leave it for now. The most important thing right now is to leave this place. If I find out the truth, I might kill you."

"If you want to kill, just kill."

After saying this nonchalantly, Chen Yi quickened his pace and counted to three.

There was no other sound behind her; she simply followed silently. Chen Yi slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

Everything was as he expected.

Perhaps accustomed to the clash of swords, the little fox who now serves as the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect is not as skilled as before. Whether it's dealing with people or manipulating their hearts, she is not as adept as she used to be.

If you ask me what to say, Chen Yi actually prefers a little fox that's easy to deal with. A little fox that's easy to deal with is easier to bully, and it's best if it resists a lot, so that he can be ruthless enough to bully it.

Unfortunately, the little fox was too clever and made no mistakes whatsoever.

But then I thought, if she doesn't make any mistakes, does that mean she knows every way to make a mistake? If that's the case, then she should be bullied.

When you get back, just bully them.

Her thoughts drifted several times, and in the stillness of the world of ignorance, Yin Tingxue walked silently alongside him.

Donggong Ruoshu followed behind, neither too close nor too far, the two of them looking each other up and down.

I don't know how to say it...

It still feels awkward, yet it doesn't feel so awkward anymore.

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

As if the Dharma assembly they had encountered earlier was just a trivial interlude, Chen Yi chattered on and on about many things from the past along the way.

Yin Tingxue listened silently from the side, mostly without saying a word, only occasionally asking a question or two.

Compared to her previous confrontations with her enemies, she spoke much less harshly, simply listening silently as if it were a story from another world.

To avoid disrupting Yin Tingxue's already fragile mental state after recovering from her initial panic, Chen Yi tried his best to tell her about the past in a veil of secrecy.

He was indeed telling the truth; there were few lies in his words, and most importantly, his emotions were genuine. "You mean...we are mutually in love?"

After pondering for an unknown period of time, the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect asked in a low voice.

"Otherwise what?" Chen Yi smiled, with a hint of pride, and said, "You were so clingy back then, trying every trick in the book to persuade me to have a child with you. But I felt sorry for you and thought that you were still too young to have a child."

You even secretly bought medicine behind my back so you could have my baby.

Yin Tingxue paused, her face suddenly flushing red for no apparent reason. She silently gritted her teeth, wondering why she would do such a thing.

Did reason tell her not to believe it, but her heart involuntarily believed it?
The Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect frowned and slowly said, "Something about what you're saying doesn't sound right at all."

She didn't say the second half of the sentence: How could she have children for her enemy?
She naturally believed that no matter how desperate she was, she would never have children for her enemy, but if she said it out loud, it might ruin her plans.

"I've said it, believe it or not, what you're trying to buy isn't contraceptives, is it?"

Yin Tingxue had her doubts, but seeing Chen Yi's confident assurances, she could only frown and remain silent.

Chen Yi turned his head away, no longer looking at her. In truth, he couldn't help but lie to the little fox. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.

It's true, even I know that the more I say this, the more it reflects my guilt...

It's like... perhaps we should have said it the way he did back then, and we should have left behind some... better memories.

The two walked on.

The silly girl floating behind them never joined their conversation, only looking left and right.

It was as if they had said too much and needed a dry silence, yet neither of them wanted to be too far apart.

Only then did Donggong Ruoshu taste a familiar sweetness.

The road beneath my feet was long, and everything around me was gray and cold, as if it had spread from a great distance, permeating the air with a sense of melancholy and oppression.

"It's not far..."

Yin Tingxue suddenly spoke up.

Chen Yi understood that the Five Poisons Dead Tree she had mentioned was not far off.

It's not hard to guess that she abandoned herself to find a way out. Since she had entered this place once, she naturally knew how to leave. Just as she couldn't push open the forbidden area gate before, she also couldn't leave from here.

The darkness was still boundless, and the human eye could not see the end. It seemed like this road could be walked for a very long time, but Chen Yi suddenly did not want to leave this place.

What if... this Yin Tingxue before me... is truly my own manifestation of ignorance...?

He stopped in his tracks, turned to look at Yin Tingxue, and remained silent, lost in thought.

As if by telepathy, his enemy from a past life was also gazing at him, before slowly averting his gaze after a moment.

"Just because I can't open that door doesn't mean you can." Yin Tingxue feigned calmness and said, word by word, "Don't think you can leave here easily. As I told you, if you don't get rid of ignorance, you can't leave this place."

The oppressive darkness seemed to be slowly pressing in, and even though we stopped here, the road seemed to be getting shorter and shorter.

“…I know.” Chen Yi murmured softly, then smiled and said, “I think it will be difficult for me to get out. I probably… am no longer free from ignorance.”

The dim world remained dim, and his face became somewhat blurry in Yin Tingxue's eyes, as if it might disappear from her sight at any moment. She lowered her gaze slightly, but perhaps it was she who would vanish into thin air, not him.

Everything returned to nothingness, just as snowflakes melt when spring arrives and flowers bloom, and there are no two snowflakes in the world that are the same.

“Sometimes I don’t really understand what ignorance is,” he suddenly asked.

“Ignorance is…” Yin Tingxue was reluctant to mention Buddhist terminology, and slowly said, “…something that cannot be let go of.”

"Yes, so actually..."

As his gentle voice faded, Yin Tingxue felt a sudden pang in her heart, and for some reason, a warm current surged through her.

But this warm current is ultimately illusory; once it flows, it dries up.

Yin Tingxue's eyes stung with tears. This ruthless saintess of the demonic sect, who was known for killing without blinking an eye, seemed utterly exhausted, her emotions surging. She felt she could no longer deceive herself.

Chen Yi then completed the sentence, saying, "Actually... it's because you, Yin Tingxue, can't let me go."

The Holy Maiden of the Demonic Cult, who was about to completely unravel her memories before fading away, suddenly stopped, her almond-shaped eyes widening as she stared at him.

There was silence for a moment.

After a while, the silly girl couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"What are you thinking, little fox? Even if I'm fake, you can't be fake. Nirvana and Buddhahood? Did I give you the chance to achieve Nirvana?"

Suddenly, a barrage of words rained down on her, leaving the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect utterly shaken. Her misfortune turned to good fortune, and anger welled up within her.

"you shut up!"

"Why should I shut up? Do you think I didn't see it the whole way? Sigh, your thoughts are written all over your face now. You're so much worse than before. You were such a good actor back then." Chen Yi spoke without restraint, and for a moment he said a bunch of nonsense: "Back then, I didn't have anyone else to sleep with. You only came once every half to ten days. You were the one who took the heat. You were so delicate. You got tired, hurt, and couldn't take it anymore so easily. We had to do it several times a day to be satisfied. Afterwards, you would act pitiful and try to soften me by crying. You would whisper in my ear whenever you had the chance."

Yin Tingxue was filled with shame and anger. She could no longer tell whether what Chen Yi said was true or false. All she wanted to do now was kill him.

Just as he was about to draw his sword, his hands and feet involuntarily slowed down, causing it to fall into his hands and his wrist to be grabbed.

“Even if you are truly my manifestation of ignorance, I will not let you disappear like this,” he sighed almost to himself, then said in a feigned tone, “What a regrettable story it is that we were enemies from a past life who met by chance, and our feelings for each other grew as we parted and reconciled along the way, but we were separated before we could even express them. It is truly unforgettable.”

However, even if regret is something to savor, one should not create regret simply to make it memorable.

So… I'm not going to let you go.

"you!"

Hearing such shameless words, Yin Tingxue was both ashamed and angry. She was about to stop dealing with him and take action directly. Since they had a grudge against each other, it would be good to kill this man on the spot.

Before her thoughts could settle, Yin Tingxue's face, which had been tense with shame and anger, suddenly changed. Her pupils contracted sharply, and all her attention was drawn to the scene that had suddenly appeared behind Chen Yi.

Almost without warning.

The dilapidated temple now stands silently in the gloom just a few dozen steps away.

Yin Tingxue remained motionless, and Chen Yi, sensing something was wrong, slowly released her hand.

He slowly turned his head, and when he saw the temple, which should have been at the end of the road, right in front of him, his brows furrowed and his eyes gradually darkened.

No matter how easily he spoke, at this moment, he couldn't help but hesitate.

Chen Yi's mind raced, his gaze quickly shifting between the door and Yin Tingxue's complex expression beside him. He subconsciously considered whether he should step forward and push it open, but just as the thought crossed his mind and before he could take a step,

squeak-

A long, dry, grinding sound rang out, sounding particularly jarring in the deathly silence of the ignorant world.

The door slowly opened a crack inwards on its own.

Behind the door, instead of darkness, a blazing incandescence poured forth, instantly dispelling the gloom in front of the door and completely engulfing Chen Yi and Yin Tingxue in this ocean of light.

A halo of light enveloped his body, a sense of brightness cleansing his soul, as if he had suddenly found himself in a clear and pure world.

A strange feeling welled up in Chen Yi's heart, and suddenly he had a sudden realization.
Scenes from the past slowly surfaced, and the girl's sadness gradually swept through her mind. He suddenly understood the countless entanglements, tests, pity, and even the deep-seated, unacknowledged concerns he had.

In fact, along the way, it wasn't for Yin Tingxue who helped Wuming.
Rather... I am putting an end to my own... ignorance?
(End of this chapter)