My enemies became my companions

Chapter 740 Paper Crane
After the heavy snow, bathed in the exceptionally bright sunlight, Chen Yi gently flipped and folded his hand, revealing a paper crane in his palm. He lifted it up, the frayed edges of the paper melting. Its head was lowered, as if it were preening its feathers in the sunlight. The sky was clear and bright, and it seemed that after slowly and meticulously preening its feathers, it was about to take flight and fly far away. However, when Chen Yi closed his eyes for a moment and looked again, the paper crane was still in his hand.

Chen Yi pinched the paper crane's wing, as if to prevent it from actually flying away, and asked without turning his head:
"Do you think she'd be happy if we gave her this after she returned from her travels?"

There was no response from behind for a moment.

Chen Yi seemed to have gotten used to it. He twirled the paper crane, and a wind came from the north. For a moment, the entire Cangwu Peak seemed to be howling, with the fir branches and leaves rustling sharply. After a while, the wind stopped, and tranquility returned.

The wind was exceptionally cold, and his wife was exceptionally silent.

He was already used to it. He glanced at the sky. After the heavy snow last night, today was exceptionally clear. The sky was warm and gentle, and some milky clouds gathered in the distance. There might be snow tonight.

Chen Yi took a breath and then exhaled, turning around. There was someone about ten feet behind him, his wife, the Sword Armored True Person Zhou Yitang, who was ranked ninth on the Martial Ranking.

The one-armed woman had long, flowing hair and wore a lotus crown on her head; she stood there like a sculpture.

“What a beautiful sun! You should come out for a walk more often,” Chen Yi said, twirling a paper crane as he walked toward her. “It’s good to get some sun; it’s not good to stay cooped up indoors all the time.”

The one-armed woman glanced at him calmly.

She was always quiet and reserved, and Chen Yi was used to it. He gave her a sheepish smile and handed her the paper crane.
"Do you think Senior Sister will like it? If she does, I'll give it to her."

The one-armed woman remained silent.

He asked cautiously, "And you, do you like it?...Master."

The one-armed woman suddenly raised her eyes, her gaze sharp as a sword, as if she could pierce the man's throat in an instant... She finally reacted when Chen Yi mentioned the word "Master".

Chen Yi paused for a moment, as if a fishbone was stuck in his throat, then his eyes narrowed dangerously.

He pretended to be nonchalant, and slowly said while twirling the paper crane, "Hand."

The one-armed woman seemed not to hear.

"Mouth."

The one-armed woman's gaze sharpened, as if she wanted to kill him on the spot.

Chen Yi took a deep breath; the inhaled air was cold, and the exhaled air was warm, spreading into puffs of white mist that brushed against Zhou Yitang's cool and aloof face. He slowly said, "Master, would you perhaps like to... make tea?"

The one-armed woman's body trembled almost imperceptibly.

After a long silence, she finally managed to utter, "I don't like it."

"Heh, if you don't like it, just say so. I'm not forcing you." Chen Yi moved a little closer and gently put his arm around her waist. "Master, it's really hard to get a single word out of you."

After so many days, Zhou Yitang had gotten used to his embrace and did not react violently, nor did she cooperate much. However, the more uncooperative she was, the more Chen Yi took advantage of her and lingered on her for a long time.

The sunlight after the snow was warm and pleasant.

After a long while, she finally spoke impatiently, "Let go."

Chen Yi, showing great respect for his teacher, released his grip and then asked, "Want to go back?"

"..."

Zhou Yitang remained silent for a long time, perhaps not daring to let him threaten her again, and then nodded slightly.

Chen Yi agreed to her request, but said, "I actually want to walk with you a little longer."

“…I’ve already passed by,” she said curtly.

Chen Yi sighed. She was both his master and his wife; how could he disobey her? He could only start to take her hand, but she avoided him.

After a few steps, I returned to the small building, which was quite spacious inside, but simply decorated.

The building was kept tidy, and the lighting mainly came from a few hinged windows covered with plain white paper. Sunlight filtered through, casting soft and slightly cool spots of light into the room.

The hall was not furnished much. On the east wall was a long black lacquered wooden table, on which were neatly arranged several scrolls of sword scriptures and Taoist classics, an old She inkstone, a wolf-hair brush on a brush holder, and half a block of pine soot ink that had not yet been used up.

This is Zhou Yitang's usual quiet place, as simple as a snow cave.

Beside the wooden table, against the wall, stood a similarly black lacquered wooden sword rack, where her personal sword, Ruoque, was usually placed, but it is no longer there.

A dark blue curtain hangs at the doorway leading to the inner room, concealing the more private space and making it difficult to peek inside.

Back inside the building, Zhou Yitang seemed a little more relaxed. She slowly walked to the prayer mat and sat down to meditate. Since her marriage, she had often meditated and practiced meditation, and it was only at times like this that Chen Yi rarely disturbed her.

This time, however, Chen Yi spoke up, saying, "I was reading the Sword Scripture last night, but there are many things I don't understand. Master, please give me some guidance."

Upon hearing his words, Zhou Yitang paused slightly. She coldly looked up at him and after a long while said, "...Do you still need my guidance?"

Chen Yi casually flipped open the sword manual on the table, sat down on the ground in front of Zhou Yitang, spread the book out and pressed it down, and said softly, "If Master does not instruct this disciple, then this disciple will have to instruct Master."

The one-armed woman narrowed her cold eyes, took a deep breath, pointed at the sword manual with her only hand, and asked, "What is unclear?"

Chen Yi pointed to one of them.

"The intention comes first, then the spirit follows." Her voice was clear and cold, concise and to the point.

Immediately, she pointed her fingers like a sword and pointed in the air. Although she did not use any true energy, an invisible force arose and accurately struck a joint on Chen Yi's wrist.

Chen Yi focused his mind and adjusted his internal energy circulation as instructed. Zhou Yitang observed for a moment and saw that his breathing was slightly sluggish. She reached out again and gently touched a certain acupoint on his Du meridian on his back with her fingertips. The force was as light as a feather, but it instantly stimulated the energy in his body, making it flow more smoothly.

"Too much rigidity leads to breakage, too much softness leads to decay." She withdrew her hand, her gaze still fixed on the scriptures. Occasionally, she would furrow her brow slightly at Chen Yi's slightest deviation. The frown was so subtle that it was almost imperceptible unless one looked closely.

Following her instructions, Chen Yi tried again.

This time, the flow of energy was noticeably smoother, and Zhou Yitang nodded slightly in approval before pointing to the next problem.

There were few words exchanged, only occasional light taps of the fingertips, brief reminders, and focused gazes. Sunlight streamed through the window paper, quietly bathing the two of them and casting their shadows on the smooth wall. The only sounds in the air were the soft rustling of the scrolls turning and their gentle breathing.

After a while, Chen Yi suddenly patted his head as if he had just realized something. The long-standing problem was finally solved. Zhou Yitang observed that his breathing was smooth and efficient, and he seemed to have made progress. Her eyes became more complicated, as if she had mixed feelings.

As he gained more, she found it increasingly difficult to extricate herself.

"Thank you for your guidance, Master." Chen Yi put away the sword manual and slowly said, "In that case, we'll only do it twice tonight." As soon as he finished speaking, the one-armed woman paused for a moment, her eyes fixed on him.

"Originally, it was supposed to be done three times, once with the mouth and once with the hands, but fortunately, Master helped me clear up the confusion, so I'll be lenient with Master."

He spoke shamelessly as if it were perfectly natural.

Zhou Yitang hesitated for a moment before finally speaking, "I did agree to you back then..."

"You only spoke when I mentioned making tea."

"you!"

However, this rebellious disciple did not give Zhou Yitang a chance to resist.

Chen Yi slowly pressed down on her, wrapping his arms around her waist. Since Ruo Que's sword was broken and all the acupoints on her body were sealed by his secret technique, she could not use her true qi or primordial qi. Zhou Yitang was powerless to resist, and her body could not withstand his strength for a while.

As if making a final struggle, the one-armed woman stammered, "Mo... Mo is here."

"Where is that?"

"...Go back to your room."

"it is good."

Chen Yi gently leaned down and kissed her, then released her, took her hand as she tried to avoid him, and the two went back to their room.

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

A full hour.

Zhou Yitang half-heartedly nestled in his arm, closing her eyes.

On a clear evening after the snow, the afterglow of the setting sun shone through the plain white window paper, casting a hazy honey color over the room, yet it could not dispel the faint, decadent atmosphere in the air.

Zhou Yitang's long eyelashes cast a faint shadow under her eyes, trembling gently with her soft breathing.

She wasn't asleep, but rather extremely exhausted, or perhaps she was lost in a daze, unwilling to wake up and face this absurd yet inevitable reality.

A few strands of sweat-dampened black hair clung to her smooth forehead and neck, disrupting her usual meticulous seriousness and adding a touch of fragile, disheveled beauty.

Her only remaining right arm lay limply in front of her, her fingertips slightly curled. The skin on her exposed shoulder was smooth and supple, yet it bore faint red marks left from the moment she was overcome with passion, faintly visible in the dim light.

Chen Yi lay on his side, letting her rest her head on one hand, while his other hand slowly and casually combed her long, flowing hair.

His movements carried a languid quality, his fingertips running through her cool, smooth hair. There was little intimacy, but rather a strange tranquility. His gaze fell on her tightly closed eyes and slightly furrowed brow, where a trace of lingering submission and weariness seemed to remain.

The room was quiet, with only the soft, intermittent breathing of the two people.

The sword manual that had been flipped through earlier was casually placed on the low table beside the couch, silently witnessing this entanglement that began with "guidance" and ended with "guidance," with an indescribable sense of languid decadence permeating the air.

There was no lingering warmth, no tender words, only the dampness and coolness of melting snow.

Outside the window, the last rays of sunlight were fading, the outlines of distant mountains were gradually blurring, and occasionally a crow returning to its nest would fly by, uttering a few short cries, which made the room feel even more quiet and detached.

"Master, has my swordsmanship improved recently?"

Chen Yi asked a question out of the blue, seemingly just making conversation.

Zhou Yitang slightly opened her eyes and glanced at him.

"I really am talking about swordsmanship," Chen Yi said.

Zhou Yitang pondered for a moment and said, "I've improved."

"That's good. You have no idea how much I love practicing swordsmanship and how much I want to become a sword immortal." Chen Yi paused, then continued, "You also love swords, don't you? Of course I do too."

To be liked by someone you like is, of course, the greatest joy in the world.

“I don’t like it,” she sneered.

Chen Yi could only sigh.

The most frustrating thing in the world is when the person you like doesn't like you back.

Although the one-armed woman wasn't exactly considerate today, she didn't resist as she usually did. Chen Yi thought about it and ultimately refrained from slapping her buttocks, especially since he had already humiliated her enough in the past hour.

Although Chen Yi was not completely satisfied, the beauty in his arms was too tired, so he did not make things difficult for her and said softly, "Sleep, I want to think about something."

There was no affection or tenderness like that of an ordinary couple, and Zhou Yitang closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Chen Yi didn't fall asleep so early, and besides, she was quietly nestled in his arms. She was too weak to struggle or resist as she fell asleep, making it a rare and tender moment between the couple.

Feeling her increasingly steady breathing, Chen Yi stroked her hair, unconsciously twisting it. He looked at her nose, which remained straight even during her rest, yet still showed signs of fragility. The corner of his heart, warmed by the sunlight, seemed to slowly settle with the approaching night, carrying something indescribable.

Good, I've finally gotten this woman.

A woman who is one of a kind.

It seems that getting this one woman is enough.

Chen Yi was well aware of his lust, and Zhou Yitang was far from enough to satisfy him. However, those famous beauties in the martial arts world, such as Yin Tingxue, the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect, Min Ning, the Sword Master of Spring and Autumn, and Chen Ruoshu, the eldest daughter of the Chen family, were far away and had parted ways with him in the course of life, so he did not have any particular desire for them.

A mix of excitement, nostalgia, and melancholy washed over him, and he couldn't sleep all night.

She slowly woke up.

Chen Yi held her in his arms, leaning against the window, his fingertips running through her dark hair, gently caressing the strands.

At that moment, the sky began to lighten, the lamplight by the window dimmed, and everything in the world reflected light and shadow like a mirror, giving the silvery snow color in her hair an extraordinary luster.

(End of this chapter)