My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion-Chapter 790 - 493: The Murderer (Two in One)_2

He could hardly believe that Duan Guan, who had raised him for so many years, could be such a person.

Chen Yi paid no attention to him. He pinched his fingers slightly and calculated a divination. The omens aligned well—it seemed his suspicions were nearing the truth. If the temple keeper Duan Guan was indeed a yellow weasel spirit, it would explain why she had connections with the Five Chaotic Gods, as well as the many deity statues in her home...

Only, there were still unresolved questions. The mysteries remained layered and deep.

"Where is your bedroom?"

Duan Siyuan was still immersed in his heavy emotions, as if he hadn't heard the question at all.

Chen Yi was about to ask again when the beautiful Madam Duan stepped forward, speaking softly: "Allow me to lead the Daoist master there."

Yin Tingxue tensed for a moment but maintained her composure outwardly.

"Alright," Chen Yi replied.

Madam Duan immediately led the way. As they passed through the corridor, her hips swayed subtly, and the hem of her robe traced a graceful arc in the air.

"Here we are."

At the bedroom door, Madam Duan asked softly, "Could the Daoist master come in with me?"

"Why is that?" Chen Yi detected the implication in her tone—she was clearly trying to leave Yin Tingxue behind.

Suppressing her voice, Madam Duan spoke almost pleadingly, "I have something I must tell you."

Chen Yi pondered briefly before agreeing. "Alright."

He then turned to Yin Tingxue and instructed, "Wait here for a moment."

Yin Tingxue's brows furrowed slightly, her vigilance rising.

Being alone with a man in a room—how improper...

Besides, why did it feel like she was being ordered to stand guard and keep watch at the door...

It was no secret that Chen Yi had an unmistakable fondness for married women. Among the eight women entwined with him, four—Lin Wanxiao, Dong Guifei, Zhu E, and Qin Qingluo—were married, making up half the total. Back then, when he joked about his preference for married women, just how much truth had been hidden behind the jest?

Yin Tingxue's thoughts wandered further, recalling rumors that Master Zhou had been married to him in her past life. Though reluctantly counted, she, too, fell into the category of married women. Reflecting on this, it wasn't just that Chen Yi was promiscuous—he also harbored a particular penchant for married women.

The little fox knew better than to openly defy him. What's more, his reasoning seemed legitimate. Her eyes darted slightly before she replied, "I'll wait here for you. Be quick—there's much that I still need to learn from you." After a pause, she added, "Just as Master Zhou once taught you."

"Hmm," Chen Yi nodded emphatically.

He couldn't help but feel eager to uncover the truth quickly. Once resolved, he could teach Yin Tingxue properly. He imagined her curious, admiring gaze, punctuated by occasional exclamations of realization—and later, when they returned, he'd finally have evidence to show Zhou Yitang that his skills as a teacher far surpassed hers.

Madam Duan pushed open the door and led Chen Yi inside.

The wooden door swung shut behind them with a heavy *thud*, blocking Yin Tingxue's view entirely.

Yin Tingxue let out a quiet breath, not because Chen Yi's demeanor brought her any joy, but because her nerves settled just slightly.

While she occasionally tested and teased Chen Yi, she shared none of the calculated confidence that her senior cousin Yin Weiyin did. Instead, every move felt like treading on thin ice.

Precisely because of this, Chen Yi often paid more attention to what Yin Tingxue said. It seemed as though ignoring her would leave him with an inexplicable sense of guilt. Over their long years of acquaintanceship, the little fox had become skillful at leveraging this quirk.

Yin Tingxue gazed into the distance, idly waiting. As the wind stirred the branches and leaves ahead, her mind wandered to some of the random stories she had read lately—one in particular about a so-called Green Messenger.

According to legend, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, there was a wealthy man in Chang'an known as Yang Chongyi. However, his wife, Madam Liu, had an illicit affair with a young man named Li Yan. Together, the pair murdered Yang Chongyi, leaving him to vanish without a trace. The County Magistrate, hearing of the crime, launched an immediate investigation. He sealed off the Yang household and interrogated dozens of suspects and servants, yet no clues surfaced. Just when all seemed hopeless, they searched the Yang estate again and overheard a parrot squawking: "The ones who killed the Family Head were Madam Liu and Li Yan!" The case was solved promptly, and when word of this reached Emperor Xuanzong, he conferred the title 'Green Messenger' upon the parrot.

Yin Tingxue wasn't certain why this old tale crossed her mind, but after thinking on it for a moment, she let it drift away.

…

Inside the bedroom, Chen Yi crouched down and observed the talisman ash on the floor.

The previous night, he had advised Duan Siyuan that if he wanted to counter the yellow weasel, he should burn the talisman and scatter the ash beneath the bed. Duan Siyuan had followed his instructions to the letter.

Chen Yi turned his gaze to dried blood spattered on the floor. After a moment of silent calculation, he concluded:

It was undoubtedly the blood of the yellow weasel.

Chen Yi then shifted his attention back to the talisman ash. After some thought, he reached out and grabbed a handful, rubbing it between his fingers as his brow furrowed deeply.

Mixed in the ash were tiny scraps of paper.

The thin yellow paper he used to draw talismans would burn cleanly into ash. For there to be fragments, it could only mean… more than one talisman had been burned.

Moreover, the talismans he had prepared for Duan Siyuan were meant for defensive uses, as he had clearly explained beforehand. How could they have left the yellow weasel demon severely weakened?

Chen Yi slowly turned his head around.

*Thud.*

Before he could speak, Madam Duan suddenly fell to her knees with a loud crash.

Chen Yi narrowed his eyes and asked, "Was it you?"

"Yes… yes, it was I who killed the old lady…" Madam Duan's face was pale as death. Her trembling voice betrayed her fear: "Many times before, Duan Lang mentioned hearing strange sounds from beneath the bed. As his wife, even if I couldn't hear anything myself, I felt it was my duty to get to the bottom of things. I didn't want to alarm anyone, so on one of my trips to the county to offer incense, I secretly consulted a Daoist monk. That monk told me that someone in the household was likely a spirit in disguise and recommended I purchase a monster-revealing mirror.

"I secretly tested it on many people in the house—maids, servants, even friends and family that Duan Lang brought over—but I couldn't find any demons.

"I thought it was just a scam and planned to throw the mirror away. But since it was still just a mirror, I kept it to use for grooming. That was… until one day in the garden, as I was fixing my hair, the old lady happened to pass by…"

At this point, Madam Duan fell silent, her body shaking uncontrollably. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

At that moment, a yellow weasel's face appeared within the mirror...

Shuddering on the floor, Madam Duan struggled to find her words.

"And these additional talisman papers?" Chen Yi interrupted her thoughts with another question.

Gulping down her nervousness, Madam Duan continued, "Those talisman papers were ones I secretly purchased from the county. Afraid of giving myself away, I waited for the right moment to use them. Last night, when I saw Duan Lang burning talisman papers, I burned mine along with his, mixing them together.

"And… last night, after the old lady was struck by the sword, she didn't die immediately. She fled to the kitchen, seemingly trying to use charcoal to draw some sort of spell. But I followed her, and… and I stabbed her through the heart with a knife.

"I thought—for sure, I thought her death would reveal her as a yellow weasel spirit. But instead… instead, she still appeared human. Daoist master, please save us!"

So the truth behind the yellow weasel spirit's death had finally come to light. Chen Yi looked at the prostrate Madam Duan and did a quick calculation—it showed she hadn't lied.

When mortal weapons killed a demon, its spiritual energy would often linger, but its true form wouldn't be revealed. Only specialized tools like the Peach Wood Sword or Money Sword could force a demon to expose its original form.

Chen Yi spoke up, "Stand up. Let's go. I'll take a look at the corpse."

Overjoyed at his response, Madam Duan nodded enthusiastically. "Yes."

The two then stepped out of the bedroom. As they looked around, the ever-present mist deepened the oppressive gloom shrouding the Duan residence.

Upon seeing Chen Yi emerge, Yin Tingxue rushed to his side and took his hand without hesitation.

Chen Yi was momentarily taken aback and looked down, meeting her curious gaze.

Given that, it seemed harmless to reveal some of the truth now.

Chen Yi smiled slightly and was about to speak.

Suddenly, a startled cry from Li Chenghang at the outer gates interrupted him. "It's… it's breaking in! I can't hold it!"

A goat burst in forcefully, dragging Li Chenghang as it charged forward. With a heavy stomp, it crossed the threshold into the residence, its horns swaying vigorously along with its head as it pushed its way in.

Chen Yi frowned. What on earth was this goat—brought back from Duan Guan's home—trying to do?

Then, to everyone's shock, the goat rose onto its hind legs. Its front hooves clapped together, the body bending as it bowed deeply.

"Daoist master, I am Li Xian," it said, speaking with human clarity.

The goat continued, "I killed Duan Guan."