My enemies became my companions

Chapter 731 No Longer Chivalrous (Part 2)

Perhaps the heavens and earth were trying not to laugh.

Chen Yi looked up at the sky, and for some reason, he suddenly had a bad feeling.

The wind gradually subsided, and the bells on the eaves slowly fell silent. Seeing him stop in his tracks, the tall woman asked, "What's wrong?"

The warm light of the lantern shone brightly on his profile. Chen Yi turned around and said, "It's nothing."

Even so, he was still uneasy. Perhaps it was because the surroundings were too quiet. After thinking it over and over, he suddenly thought of Yin Weiying. If anything bad happened to him, it would undoubtedly be Yin Weiying's doing.

Chen Yi's thoughts raced. If the little fox had mediated, he wouldn't be so uneasy. The little fox could persuade this person and that person with remarkable success, and in the end, everything would be resolved perfectly. But Yin Weiying... he really couldn't trust him.

It's always like this: when Da Yin does bad things, he does bad things for Da Yin.

Chen Yi lowered his gaze slightly. This time it went smoothly. Qin Qingluo, who had left in a huff, was persuaded to come back. Although Qin Qingluo was already worried about something, the fact that it went so smoothly was naturally thanks to his Da Yin.

Perhaps I should loosen my stance and agree to the dual cultivation with her. I am actually quite curious about the dual cultivation method of Mount Taihua. Although, given my current level, it would be more like I was giving Yin Weiying a one-sided enlightenment rather than dual cultivation.

It's not pleasant to let someone take advantage of you for nothing, especially when the one taking advantage isn't just anyone, but Da Yin.

For some reason, Chen Yi was more reluctant to let Yin Weiying get what she wanted so easily than to let her succumb to the little fox's pleas.

Just like a carrot hanging in front of a donkey's head, and just like when we're playing around, we have to back away step by step when she slowly comes closer to eat the carrot.

In fact, even when his wife Da Yin was being coquettish, she was extremely charming. Sometimes Chen Yi had to admit that he would occasionally miss her.

When one thinks of other women, there are always some complicated feelings, such as the little fox or Zhou Yitang, but when one thinks of Ying, one is happy just thinking about her.

There is a woman in the world who makes you happy just by thinking about her, and this woman happens to be with you forever. There is no greater fortune in the world than this.

Perhaps because of a touch of smugness, Chen Yi suddenly wondered if he had been too harsh on Yin Weiying before. Always making her chrysanthemum tea wasn't a solution. The thought crossed his mind, and he just smiled. But tonight, he should focus his attention on Qin Qingluo.

Chen Yi never felt that his feelings for one woman after another were too sentimental. Ordinary people might feel guilty about falling in love with someone else, but Chen Yi felt none of that. After all, ordinary people can't love everyone, and if a person has too much guilt, then he is destined not to love too many women.

"Min Ning has left, hasn't she?" Qin Qingluo suddenly asked.

"...She kicked me out." Chen Yi knew this was just a simple question, so he smiled bitterly and said, "She's gone. Knowing her personality, she won't stay any longer."

"That's good."

Qin Qingluo wanted to say something sarcastic, that it was precisely because he had been driven away by Min Ning and no one wanted him that he came to find her, but after a moment's thought, she realized that it was inconvenient to say such things on their wedding night.

Even if he's a slut, he's still her wife tonight.

The lamplight cast deep shadows on the way back to the bridal chamber. Chen Yi was still holding the two cups of nuptial wine. The wedding night should be solemn. Although there was a little incident, Qin Qingluo didn't care.

The Queen glanced sideways at Chen Yi, who was following closely behind her. His steps were steady and unassuming, which made her inexplicably uneasy. The fact that he had left Min Ning to come looking for her was enough to show the affection between the two. Unlike ordinary women, she was not secretly pleased or proud. Instead, she felt both gratified and worried. Just like the love between the prince and the courtesan, it would not last long. After tonight, would the person beside her have already left without saying goodbye?

The lights flowed like water beneath my feet.

In the still of the night, the prince stepped across the corridor, and the courtesan followed closely behind his dragon robe with her head bowed. Suddenly, the wind stopped, and the moonlight shone brightly.

Qin Qinglu couldn't help but wonder, who is the famous courtesan behind the prince now longing for?
It's probably not her.

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

Before Chen Yi and Qin Qingluo arrived, Min Ning was restless and pondered for a long time.

Yin Weiying's words were like poisoned needles, piercing the most vulnerable part of her heart. At first, it was a sharp sting, but then the poison spread slowly, corroding the resolve she had finally made.

"Are you willing to always be so sensible and always give in?"

"Do you always have to avoid Qin Qingluo whenever she's involved?"

"I fear that if we don't force her to stay, if we don't fight for her, one day she will completely lose her importance in his heart?"

Every word echoed, amplified, and pounded against her supposedly strong defenses in the empty bridal chamber.

She stood up irritably and paced back and forth beside the bed covered with a bright red brocade rug. The candlelight cast her shadow on the wall, elongated and distorted, just like her chaotic thoughts at that moment.

When did Min Yuechi become so indecisive and anxious?

It was clearly she who made him leave. She personally pushed him towards Qin Qingluo; wasn't that the best choice? It allowed him to have his wedding, preserved their dignity, and... maintained her own pitiful self-respect.

But why does my chest feel so tight and constricted? It feels like a huge, waterlogged rock is pressing down on me, heavy, wet, and suffocating.

She walked to the window, pushed it open abruptly, and tried to let the night breeze dispel the stuffiness in the room and the buzzing in her head.

But outside the window, there was nothing but the deep night and the sobbing sea of ​​trees; even the moonlight was stingy, hiding behind the clouds, refusing to give her a sliver of clear guidance.

"You let him go tonight, but what about tomorrow?"

Yin Weiying's voice lingers like a ghost.

What will the future hold? Will she really be able to act as if nothing happened, chatting and laughing with him as if nothing had occurred tonight? Will she watch him and Qin Qingluo together, watch him give all his tenderness and focus to another woman, a woman as strong as himself?

Just thinking about that scene makes my heart feel like it's being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand, and a sharp, aching pain rushes straight to the tip of my nose.

Only then did the heroine realize that she was no longer the young swordsman from the capital.

The young hero wanders the world, but the heroine always has something to hold her back.

Having roamed the world and witnessed much turmoil and petty scheming, even though my original aspirations remain, my longing for the past has gradually deepened to an unfathomable degree. I am no longer like when I first left the capital, feeling like a mayfly in the world with nowhere to rely on and nowhere to go.

It's not that she doesn't care; on the contrary, it's precisely because she cares so much that she's even more afraid of losing her.

She was afraid that if she argued, she would exhaust all the affection she had now; she was afraid that if she didn't back down, she would put him in a difficult position and make herself seem like a jealous woman.

Thinking about this, Min Ning felt ridiculous.

But Yin Weiying was right. When did she become so timid and hesitant? Min Ning had always acted according to her heart, quick to repay kindness and settle scores. Why, when it came to matters of the heart, did she have to suppress herself like this?

"Bearing humiliation and carrying heavy burdens..."

Those four words lashed at her face like a whip, burning with pain.

Yes, why? Why should she give in time and time again when she was the first to meet Chen Yi? Why should she be the one left alone on her wedding night, leaving in sorrow? Just because she's chivalrous?

Screw being sensible! Screw chivalry!
A long-lost surge of youthful courage and valor, mixed with suppressed grievances and resentment, suddenly welled up from the depths of her heart. Why should she let Qin Qingluo have it so easily? Why should he think that she, Min Ning, was someone who could be easily abandoned and appeased?
Is her affection for him any less than that for Qin Qingluo? All those life-and-death battles fought side by side, all those heartfelt conversations on the watchtowers of the capital, all those tacit understandings and concerns that only they understood... must all of that be relinquished just because of a marriage certificate that allows them to get ahead?
Now that Qin Qingluo and Chen Yi are already officially married, should she really take this final step back?

No.

She turned abruptly, her back to the window, her chest heaving violently. The candlelight illuminated the burning flame in her eyes, a resolute determination akin to burning one's boats.

Yin Weiying may have had ulterior motives, but her words were not entirely without merit.

Some things, if you don't fight for them, you'll truly lose them.

As she looked at the burning red candles and the unused nuptial cups on the table, an absurd yet daring idea began to grow wildly in her heart like weeds.

Why... can't we fight for it?

The sound of footsteps approached from afar, interrupting her thoughts.

Chen Yi and Qin Qingluo have returned.

Min Ning's heart suddenly raced, almost bursting out of her chest. She instinctively wanted to dodge and hide, but her body moved faster than her thoughts, and she slipped behind the huge screen.

In the darkness, she could clearly hear her own heart pounding like a drum, and feel the slight dizziness brought on by the rush of blood.

She heard Chen Yi push open the door and enter, heard Qin Qingluo coldly order wine, heard them about to complete the unfinished ceremony...

The moment Chen Yi handed over the wine glass, all hesitation, struggle, and fear were completely suppressed by his unwillingness and fierce courage.

She took a deep breath and stepped out from behind the screen.

Facing the shock and astonishment of the two, and even Qin Qingluo's undisguised cold anger, she straightened her spine, like a drawn sword, sharp, firm, and even a little defiant.

"I've changed my mind." She heard her own voice, a tremor beneath the calm, but clear enough. "After thinking about it, I still can't just... let you get away with this."

The flickering candlelight illuminated her strikingly handsome features.

"This nuptial wine," she said, her gaze sweeping over Qin Qingluo's ashen face before finally settling on Chen Yi's complex expression, each word spoken with conviction, "I don't know whether I should let him have it or not."

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

Under the warm glow of the lamplight, Chen Yi's emotions gradually calmed down, and he finally rediscovered some of the joy of his upcoming marriage.

Back in front of the bridal chamber, Chen Yi took a deep breath.

It seems that Min Ning has already left.

Given Min Ning's personality, once those words were spoken, she would decisively leave the palace as if she had never been there. That's how she always is; even if she mentions it later, she'll just laugh it off, as if she has no lingering feelings at all.

Chen Yi's heart tightened slightly. Of course, he wanted to keep her here, but he couldn't. He had never been able to keep Min Ning.

The more he tried to persuade him to stay, the more determined Min Ning became to leave.

He slowly pushed open the door and entered the brightly lit bridal chamber. Red candles were still burning high, casting a warm glow on the festive furnishings. The pair of exquisite nuptial cups were still held steadily in Chen Yi's hands, the wine shimmering slightly, reflecting the flickering candlelight.

Qin Qinglu walked to the table, paused for a moment, and without turning around, simply extended her well-defined hand, her tone revealing neither joy nor anger: "Wine."

Chen Yi stepped forward, about to hand over one of the cups to complete this long-interrupted ritual.

Just then, from behind the screen depicting a hundred birds in the inner room, came a very faint rustling sound of fabric rubbing together.

Both of them paused for a moment.

Chen Yi's ominous premonition suddenly intensified.

The next moment, a figure dressed in fiery red slowly stepped out from the edge of the screen.

Min Ning's face was expressionless, her phoenix eyes were clear and piercing. She first lingered for a moment on Chen Yi's hand holding the nuptial wine, and then turned to Qin Qingluo, whose figure obviously paused.

She stood there, neither dodging nor avoiding.

“…Min Ning?” Chen Yi almost thought he was seeing things, his voice filled with disbelief and astonishment.

Shouldn't she have left long ago? Why is she still in this bridal chamber?

After a moment of surprise, Qin Qingluo's sharp, serpentine eyes swept over Chen Yi.

Why didn't Min Ning leave? Logically speaking, shouldn't she have left?

Her departure meant she was handing Chen Yi over to Min Ning; similarly, if Chen Yi came to her, it would mean Min Ning had given him up to her. Qin Qingluo believed this was an unspoken understanding between them.
If she hadn't left, then why did Chen Yi come looking for her again?

Is he still indulging in some pipe dream?
Qin Qingluo slowly withdrew her hand, which had been suspended in mid-air, and placed it behind her back before turning around.

Her tall figure cast a huge shadow in the candlelight, almost completely enveloping Chen Yi. The storm that instantly froze in her snake-like eyes was deeper than the night outside the window, and her tightly pursed lips concealed her offended rage.

“Miss Min,” she began, her voice as cold as the depths of winter, “you left and then returned, hiding behind the screen in my bridal chamber. What is the meaning of this?”

The question was directed at Min Ning, but her serpentine eyes swept towards Chen Yi.

The air in the room seemed to have been suddenly sucked out, leaving a suffocating stillness.

The crackling sound of the burning red candles seemed particularly jarring at that moment.

Min Ning's gaze swept over Qin Qingluo's face, which was filled with hidden anger, and finally settled on Chen Yi's face. The corners of her mouth twitched very slightly, a smile that was not quite a smile.

“I’ve changed my mind.” Her voice was low. “After thinking about it, I still can’t just… let you get away with this.”

She took a step forward, the candlelight flickering between her striking features.

"This nuptial wine," she said, looking at Chen Yi and then glancing at Qin Qingluo, whose face was ashen, "I don't know whether I should let her have it or not."

After he finished speaking, the room fell into a deathly silence.

Only the three of them breathed, their breaths mingling in the air thick with festive cheer and the invisible smoke of battle.

The nuptial wine, which the couple had not yet drunk, suddenly felt incredibly heavy in Chen Yi's hands, and a bead of cold sweat slowly rolled down his forehead.

Both women are demanding an explanation from him.

(End of this chapter)