My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion-Chapter 838 - 515: Shocking Upheaval in Corpse Valley (Bonus: 4-in-1)

Kou Jun stood up and added two pieces of resin-laden wood to the charcoal brazier, and the flames leaped up to illuminate the exquisite satin of his official robe.

Su Hongtao's face was partly obscured, with his expression unchanged, like a silent mountain.

After a while, he took out a piece of yellow paper from his bosom.

"What is this?" Kou Jun asked.

"We've found some traces of the White Lotus Evil People near Xiangyang. They're approaching Wuchang Prefecture, likely now in the area around Corpse Valley."

"Xiangyang is in Hubei, and the White Lotus Sect is in Hunan. How did they travel thousands of miles to get here?" Kou Jun was full of doubts, utterly perplexed.

"Who knows? Maybe they can somersault on clouds." Staring outside, Su Hongtao gradually smirked, "Rest assured, Lord Kou, I've already sent people to search; they won't get past Five Fingers Mountain."

.......

The two left the mountain and continued on their way. As the day grew late, they stopped at a town and found an inn to rest. After Yin Tingxue's display of prowess, she clung tightly to Chen Yi's hand, shaking it as they walked. When they returned to the inn, she poked Chen Yi with her finger, and when he asked what she was doing, she simply replied, "Poking you."

She was happy today, a night meant to be extremely joyous.

However, things are always a bit complicated. When the two went downstairs for dinner, they heard the voice of the innkeeper leading people to their room, and a glance revealed it was that couple.

Then Yin Tingxue overheard their whispering as they counted their silver coins, thankful they hadn't lost any and discussing what they could buy and how much land they could acquire. They expressed relief that sending their son away hadn't been in vain, or they wouldn't have found such fortune…

Yin Tingxue felt rather uneasy, suddenly recalling Chen Yi's question, "Should we save them or not? You need to think it through."

Back in their room, she looked at Chen Yi, her face showing a hint of gloom.

She wondered if she had made a mistake.

Chen Yi knew what she was thinking and touched her cheek, asking, "Have you figured it out yet?"

Yin Tingxue wanted to nod but ended up shaking her head.

Chen Yi was quite taken aback, thinking she would say, "Some people deserve to be saved, some don't." To him, the answer was simple, and he had assumed the same answer applied to Yin Tingxue.

Yet, Yin Tingxue softly asked, "But who doesn't deserve to be saved?"

Chen Yi was lost for words and, after a long silence, could only laugh, "You are too inexperienced in the Jianghu, too soft-hearted."

There was a hint of criticism in his tone, but Yin Tingxue didn't mind. She was born like this, difficult to change, but fortunately, she had a strong husband who could protect her, allowing her to never change.

After the sunset, it was evening, and the night had deepened.

Wuchang City was just a few miles away, and the moonlight laid silvery-white upon the land. From the window, one could glimpse the golden spire of the Yellow Crane Tower, half-visible and half-hidden.

Yin Tingxue, in a foul mood this night, went to bed early without changing clothes. Chen Yi had no intention of teasing her. Lately, they'd been busy with travel and practicing swordsmanship, leaving little time for enjoyment. Yet, he thought, she was so frail that he exercised restraint.

One loses the world by indulging, but retains oneself by self-restraint.

Chen Yi now respected himself greatly, and hesitated, choosing not to dwell on such thoughts.

After enjoying the night scenery for a while, Chen Yi went to bed, anticipating their entry into Wuchang City the next day. Sleep quickly claimed him.

...

There was a stench…

A shadowy wind suddenly passed the window, bringing with it a strange smell, like a long-dead corpse.

Chen Yi abruptly opened his eyes.

Turning his head, he saw before him a woman with hollow eyes. Her long hair draped to the ground, she wore tattered clothes, her face a ghastly pallor concealed by her dark hair, with stains of blood on her chest.

An indescribable stench of decay emanated from her.

Chen Yi's eyes narrowed slightly, knowing he respected himself too much to indulge in chaotic dreams, let alone dream of such terrifying scenes.

Then, the person before him…

"A dead person?"

The two words slipped out, and the woman's face suddenly trembled.

In the somber moonlight, her lips quivered, emitting a ghostly wail. Her face sprouted fine hair, her slightly parted lips revealing what seemed like fangs. Suddenly, her skin peeled away inch by inch, the stench of corpse water assaulting his nose. Her features twisted as centipedes, maggots, and flies emerged, gnawing away... Blood gushed out violently, washing her entire face away...

"Miserable, miserable… City God… justice, justice…"

The gibberish faded away.

In the next moment, the rotting body seemed unable to withstand the passage of time and suddenly disintegrated, flesh and stench falling, turning into a pool of thick blood.

This hair-raising scene, thankfully the Little Fox did not witness…

Even Chen Yi could hardly bear to watch, closing his eyes, then suddenly opening them again.

The sound of the wind creaking along the window sill reached his ears; it wasn't a shadowy wind, but a cold one.

It turned out to be a dream.

Chen Yi collected his thoughts, sitting up, with Yin Tingxue still sound asleep beside him. He got out of bed without waking her.

Dreams are mysterious, as with Zhuang Zhou dreaming of the butterfly in the Spring and Autumn period, dreams like these are often omens. Chen Yi stroked his chin, musing on being a City God… and in the dream, someone came to lodge a complaint.

"Sniff, sniff."

Suddenly, he heard the sniffing of an old woman by his ear.

"This woman's body… has the stench of a defeated general's corpse…"

Chen Yi glanced at the Square Land below, asking, "Aren't you sleeping?"

"The smell is too strong… it's permeating into the cauldron."

Chen Yi was indifferent to this reply, caring more about the defeated general that the Old Saintess mentioned.

As for the defeated general, having lived two lives, he had encountered such beings a few times, the most recent being the Great Ghost Lord Deng Ai. His abilities were exceptional, comparable to a Third Rank Martial Artist, and with the accumulated murderous aura from battlefields over hundreds of years, his fight-to-the-death had even reached the level of a Second Rank.