Who is spreading rumors that my filial piety towards them has changed?

A guess popped into the warden's mind:

"This is an illusion! The blood and flesh on the ground are mostly imbued with the Fifth Prince's aura through some secret method unknown to us. In reality, the real Fifth Prince has already been rescued. This is to make others mistakenly believe that the Fifth Prince is dead, while he himself is actually at large! Who just called the Xiao family to kidnap people? Who was it!"

No one came forward to claim responsibility, but regardless, as a clue found at the scene, the Xiao family had to investigate it!

----------

Chu Mingkong returned to the Jiaofangsi and to the room where the young woman surnamed Han was.

The two women had fallen asleep, their breathing steady. Han Jing seemed to be an earth-elemental cultivator; while he was away, she had repaired the wall he had damaged, and the room looked much nicer now.

However, broken tables and cabinets with fallen doors are difficult to repair.

He gave both of them a proper hug, without touching them inappropriately, just wanting to smell their perfume. He then looked in the mirror and dressed himself as if he had just put on his clothes after a "battle".

As soon as the door opened, several girls gathered at the entrance, eavesdropping on the sounds inside. When they saw Chu Mingkong open the door, they stood up straight, nervous and timid.

"Call the madam over," Chu Mingkong said calmly.

When the madam heard Chu Mingkong calling her, she ran over:

"Young Master, were you satisfied with the service from those two pretty young ladies inside? Why didn't they come out with you?"

Chu Mingkong said, "They're tired and have gone to sleep. Let them rest first."

The young women suddenly realized what was happening and whispered among themselves:

"What rest? She's clearly been made dizzy by the young master! Good heavens, this is too cruel! I didn't hear a sound from the girl inside; she must have been exhausted to the point of fainting long ago!"

"The young master only just came out now, which means they were being toyed with by him even after they fainted?! Are they dead?"

Hearing their whispers, the madam was terrified, fearing she would anger Chu Mingkong, and used her fan to drive them away.

"Go away, go away, go find somewhere cool to stay!"

Chu Mingkong pretended not to hear and said, "I want to redeem them both; that would suit my taste better. How much?"

The girls stopped halfway through their journey. Redemption was their biggest concern, but instead of envy, they were horrified.

"Good heavens! This is money to buy lives! They really ruined those two women who haven't even started dating yet?!"

"..." Chu Mingkong continued to pretend he hadn't heard, "How much was their redemption money? They fainted before I was even satisfied. It wasn't enough... Take me to see Qingmei, the courtesan's, courtyard."

He had to provide an alibi for "spending the whole day at the Jiaofangsi," so he had no choice but to stay there a little longer.

It's so annoying. I really dislike places like this, sigh...

Chapter 97 What a coincidence, you've come to the Jiaofangsi too?

As the day of leaving the capital drew closer, Zuo Qiuchi could no longer stay in the Taoist temple indefinitely.

Boredom was one aspect, but another was the worry that someone might be patrolling and that he needed to go to the palace to protect the women.

It's hard to predict whether some people with ulterior motives might try to stop Chu Mingkong from leaving, or if they might take action against Gu Jungui and the others. This was the reason Chu Mingkong didn't hire servants for the Prince's mansion in the past—he was afraid of implicating the servants.

Even if they are just servants who come to do odd jobs, after meeting them many times, there will always be some favoritism towards acquaintances. If something happens to a servant, Chu Mingkong will pretend that nothing happened.

As Zuo Qiuchi entered the city gate and arrived near the government office, he was wondering why there was such a thin, extremely yin energy here when he heard people nearby discussing Chu Mingkong.

"Damn it, what is this young master doing at the brothel? And he's so menacing, it's ruined my mood. I surrendered in no time, damn it!"

Zuo Qiuchi: "..."

That brat went to the brothel without telling me?!

Zuo Qiuchi originally intended to go straight to the Chu King's Mansion, but immediately turned left and changed his route to the Jiaofangsi.

--------------

When Chu Mingkong came to a place like this, he naturally wouldn't forget his master, Zuo Qiuchi. He was very anxious because the master-disciple relationship hadn't undergone any significant change.

I promised to take Zuo Qiuchi to a brothel, but it's still far from happening. I should take this opportunity to bring her over for a visit.

He was planning to spend the whole day here anyway, so wouldn't it be a waste of time not to bring him along?

However, Chu Mingkong was also worried that if Zuo Qiuchi came over and she wasn't satisfied with the experience, it would be awkward.

Chu Mingkong decided to first assess the beauty of the courtesan Qing Mei. If her first impression was good, he would then call Zuo Qiuchi over. As for her personality, he didn't need to worry about it too much. A girl who could be promoted to the top of the courtesan brothel couldn't possibly have a bad personality when it came to entertaining guests.

The serene courtyard is quite elegant, with several bamboo trees planted in the yard. Next to it, an artificial hill stands on a small pond, where carp swim and the water flows gently, washing away the dust and grime of the outside world and creating a gentle and charming atmosphere.

but......

Chu Mingkong unexpectedly encountered Zuo Qiuchi here. She was dressed as a chivalrous江湖 (jianghu) man, with her hair tied up in a man's bun. She wore a smart black outfit with a cinched waist that accentuated her slender figure, making her already magnificent breasts appear even more prominent and proud.

Her attire could only be described as slightly androgynous; anyone with normal eyesight wouldn't mistake her for a man. However, such instances of women dressing as men to frequent brothels were not uncommon, and those around her didn't find it strange. In the cultivation world, female cultivators who attained enlightenment through the zither would sometimes visit courtesans in brothels who were skilled in playing the zither, just to see mortal music. These women often represented the highest level of musical talent in their time.

The guests at the tea party occasionally glanced at Zuo Qiuchi a few more times because she was too beautiful; even her men's clothing couldn't hide her beauty.

Chu Mingkong looked at Zuo Qiuchi, who was sitting in a quiet corner, and Zuo Qiuchi was also looking at him.

The two remained silent.

I felt a little awkward.

Although the master and apprentice had tried going to brothels together before, there are two different concepts in such places: "coming together" and "coming secretly and running into each other".

Chu Mingkong silently sat down at a small table with her. Zuo Qiuchi took the initiative, patting Chu Mingkong on the shoulder:

"You're quite something, sneaking into the brothel, huh? And even going to the same courtesan's courtyard to try and steal my woman!"

"No, that won't do. I was just worried that you would be harassed by those blind fools here, so as soon as I heard you were here, I rushed over without saying a word!"

"Keep making things up." Zuo Qiuchi was tired from eating melon seeds. "I heard you came to the brothel, so I came to find you. The girls outside are all saying that you ruined a couple of pregnant women."

No, how can the rumors in the Jiaofangsi be so outrageous? She's just breastfeeding, what do you mean by pregnant woman!

"Rumors!" Chu Mingkong was heartbroken. "Actually, I came in just to cover my tracks. I just went to the Heavenly Prison to do something bad."

"No wonder you have the magical aura of the Dustless Talisman on you. I thought you used the Dustless Talisman to sneak off to places of pleasure."

"That would be a bit of a waste. Let's do it again when we have more money."

Zuo Qiuchi tugged at Chu Mingkong's arm, glanced at the woman's figure behind the curtain, and whispered:

"Mingkong, do you still have the Dustless Talisman? I want to sneak in and grab that courtesan named Qingmei for a bit of fun."

"What's going on? Why aren't these people giving you any face now that you're here?"

"This is the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment district). Everyone is competing fairly to win the favor of the most beautiful courtesan. Whoever tries to intimidate others with their status is just making a fool of themselves. Why don't you state your own name?" Zuo Qiuchi nudged him with her elbow in disdain.

Honestly, if Zuo Qiuchi were here, Chu Mingkong wouldn't be interested in any of the so-called courtesans anymore. No matter how beautiful they are, they're not as beautiful as Zuo Qiuchi.

"What are the rules for the tea gathering in this courtyard?"

“I hate playing chess…” Zuo Qiuchi sighed. “If you win at chess, you have to compose a poem to please the courtesan. Why can’t we just have a contest to see who has the better sword?”

Chu Mingkong smiled wryly, realizing that his master's personality was simply not suited for things like chess.

He stood up and looked around, realizing that Zuo Qiuchi had misunderstood the rules. The tea drinkers present were not playing chess, but rather solving an endgame puzzle.

It's likely that the courtesan Qingmei found a few simple chess puzzles and set them out for the guests to solve.

The process of "tea gathering" at a brothel is like this: the guest and the woman get to know each other by eating snacks, chatting, sharing feelings, and laughing. Only when they have gotten to know each other well do they go to the room to do business. The top courtesan often doesn't even need to lead the guest to do business; she is what is known as "selling her art but not her body."

Even so, countless customers came attracted by her beauty and spent a lot of money on gifts and other expenses. For the courtesans, selling themselves would only diminish their value, and they resorted to this desperate measure when their customer traffic gradually declined.

However, it wasn't uncommon for courtesans to both perform and sell their bodies; but these courtesans were extremely selective in choosing their clients. Those fortunate enough to be chosen were the envy of everyone. Those not chosen by a courtesan usually spent the night with one of her maids.

Seeing how pretentious Qingmei, the courtesan, was, Chu Mingkong lost all interest in bringing her over to drink with him.

He exchanged some rare snacks from the system store and gave them to Zuo Qiuchi to eat.

"Master, please try it."

Zuo Qiuchi tried a custard bun and her eyebrows relaxed in satisfaction. She nodded approvingly.

"Where did you buy it? It's delicious. I've been to so many places but never tasted it before."

"I did it!" Chu Mingkong said without batting an eye. "I just happened to see the rules for solving this chess game, and I remembered a similar story I'd heard before. I thought I'd tell you one for your amusement?"

"Alright, go ahead and tell me. What's the name of the story?"

"The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Chess Game," should I change the protagonist's name to yours? Chu Mingkong had once memorized a chess manual. He called over a beautiful and refined maid and ordered, "Bring the chessboard and chess pieces."

"Change it to my name? That's fine too." Zuo Qiuchi thought to himself that it was all just for fun anyway. "But do you really want to set up a chess game? Don't go to so much trouble. I can understand a little bit of chess. If you set it up haphazardly, I'll solve it right away, and I'll lose interest in the story."

They made her the protagonist of the story, but in reality, she solved the chess game in no time, while the character Zuo Qiuchi in the story couldn't solve it even after a long time. What's the point of listening to that?

Chu Mingkong retorted, "You've successfully provoked me."

Chapter Ninety-Eight: A New Lease on Life (4/5)

Some people are truly blessed with divine assistance, mastering skills extremely quickly. Zuo Qiuchi didn't like playing chess; he only learned it on a whim. After practicing for half a day, he was able to consistently beat the experienced chess players in the teahouse.

Chu Mingkong arranged the chess pieces according to the Zhenlong chess manual in his memory, gestured for them to proceed, and said:

"Give it a try."

Zuo Qiuchi looked at it again and again, and was really stumped. But she didn't find much enjoyment in studying chess problems. Once she confirmed that the endgame was reasonable and that she couldn't solve it all at once, she stopped trying to figure it out.

"Alright, this game is passable. I won't delve too deeply into it, lest I lose interest in listening to your stories."

Chu Mingkong didn't expose her, wanting to protect his master's fragile face and dignity. It wouldn't be good if she got angry with him. So he took out a few more pastries.

The Zhenlong Chess Game in this novel is actually illogical, conflicting with the rules of the time. Even if later generations presented a reference chess manual, it would require certain rule modifications to achieve the desired result. Fortunately, in this world, the way Go is played is similar, but with fewer rules, which makes the Zhenlong Chess Manual that Chu Mingkong saw in the past possible.

In short, this plot in "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" is about a powerful figure in the martial arts world who sets up a complex chess puzzle. Whoever can solve it will gain access to his life's worth of martial arts skills. Many famous figures in the martial arts world have come to challenge him but have failed.

And that's where the exciting part comes in: an unknown little monk comes along, solves a problem that even the top martial arts masters can't solve, and unwittingly gains the lifelong skills of a great figure.

However, the author used this plot point in the original work more to showcase the different personalities of the several main characters. They were unable to solve the problem because they were unwilling to give up their pieces or lose their advantage. Only the little monk sacrificed a large part of his pieces, which actually revitalized the game and gave people the idea that "what is gained is lost, and what is lost is gained".

It's enjoyable, and it adds a layer of thought to the writing, elevating the enjoyment to a higher level.

However, Chu Mingkong secretly added a personal touch, first giving a premise for the character's actions—his disciple had been poisoned by a rare poison from the martial arts world, but his master, Zuo Qiuchi, was trying to solve the Zhenlong Chess Game in order to find a famous doctor for his disciple.

Based on this premise, a twist in the plot is immediately added—this renowned physician has lost all interest in saving lives and only wants to pass on his skills in his old age, and he is about to die.

This makes the story tense: the famous doctor is dying, and there's no time for Zuo Qiuchi to continue studying the art of chess and slowly solve the puzzle!