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

Baili Mi picked up the robe he had placed on the desk, unfolded it, her lips twitched, and she sniffed the scent, faintly smelling the woman's fragrance.

She found Chu Mingkong increasingly unfathomable, her mind racing with thoughts: "This robe has the pattern of the Xiling King's banner, the fabric doesn't seem to be a fake, and it even seems to have a woman's scent. Could Chu Mingkong have taken his mother's clothes and made me wear them...? How could he, as a son, secretly keep his mother's clothes and let another woman wear them? I heard his relationship with his mother is so-so..."

"Can you hurry up?" Chu Mingkong urged calmly.

Baili Mi carried her clothes and went behind the screen in the room to change.

One by one, the clothes fell to the ground. Under the natural light from the window facing the screen, Baili Mi's mature and beautiful figure was silhouetted in a clear black line. Her curves were shapely, with a slender waist and graceful figure. She was so mature that one could squeeze water out of her skin.

The white jade foot peeking out from under the screen was even more alluring, its toes pressed tightly together as if it were filled with unease.

But the silhouette of that flawless mature woman was fleeting, and Baili Mi quickly put on the princess's robe.

Noble robes are indeed quite complicated to wear. The higher a woman's status, the more ingenious designs are incorporated into the robes. They may not be difficult to wear, but those who have never seen them before will definitely spend some time figuring them out.

After struggling with what to wear for a while, Baili Mi solved the problem and emerged from behind the screen wearing the black robe with gold trim that belonged to the Princess of Xiling.

She kept her head down, unsure of what emotion Chu Mingkong was about to unleash, and could only wait for him to speak first.

The stunningly beautiful married woman, exuding a mature charm, heard Chu Mingkong's voice and said, "Turn your back."

Turning his back...?

For some reason, I always feel a nameless fear when I have my back to Chu Mingkong.

She silently chose to do as instructed, judging from her previous two experiences that as long as she followed Chu Mingkong's wishes, there would be no problem.

Chu Mingkong couldn't help but applaud and admire. Baili Mi's dignified and noble demeanor was truly impressive, comparable to that of a legitimate princess. The royal robes she wore didn't look out of place at all.

"Although your waist is as slender as mine, your hips are not as smooth and beautiful as Lady Baili's."

When Chu Mingkong compared her to his mother, Baili Mi felt complicated. The more he praised her, the more uneasy Baili Mi felt, but she still had to respond.

"...Thank you for the compliment, Your Highness."

Chu Mingkong walked to her side and tried to sense her extreme yang aura, but found that he could not sense it. It seems that her cultivation must be very advanced and profound. With the help of the Golden Crow Heart Essence last time, he wondered how far her extreme yang path had progressed.

In Chu Mingkong's eyes, Baili Mi had now truly become a ripe, juicy fruit, especially given her extreme Yang cultivation.

"Madam Baili, how is your cultivation of the technique progressing?"

"With the help of the Crown Prince, we have made great progress."

“You have become somewhat attractive to me now, and I’m considering using you for sexual stamina.”

"?!" Baili Mi's delicate hand, hidden beneath her sleeve, clenched her robe tightly. She replied stiffly, "Your Highness, please don't joke."

Chu Mingkong pulled her to sit on the bed. After what he had just said, Baili Mi was clearly resistant to getting close to the bed, but she couldn't resist Chu Mingkong's strength.

“Let’s discuss something. Is Madam Baili planning to use her cultivation techniques to completely eliminate your husband? Tell me the location of your sect’s sacred ground, and I’ll help you eliminate this threat. Then there’ll be no use for you keeping your primordial yin for cultivation. How about giving it to me?”

Baili Mi's face was pale, her eyes darting around, and she did not answer, seemingly indicating that she was unwilling to agree.

Chu Mingkong pinched her smooth chin, his fingers gliding over the beautiful woman's soft, firm face, and continued:

"So here's the question: when Fengying asked you to fulfill your promise, you said it wasn't possible yet. So when will it be possible?"

At that time, I thought you just wanted to preserve your primordial yin for cultivation and wait for an opportunity to complete your revenge plan, so I didn't touch you. But now that I have promised to help you get rid of your enemy, you have shown such an attitude. I am curious, Madam Baili, what exactly do you want?

"Are you just making excuses to delay me?"

Of course, another possibility flashed through Chu Mingkong's mind: Madam Baili was trying to renege on her promise.

She previously claimed she was cultivating her primordial yin, but now that she's succeeded and is powerful enough, she wants to disregard her agreement with Feng Ying.

But this made Lady Baili's reaction seem strange. If she really wanted to renege on her promise, she could have simply not come today. Coming here would definitely mean taking on risks.

Chu Mingkong tightened his grip on her chin, pulling her beautiful face closer to meet her gaze.

Unfortunately, Chu Mingkong didn't have the ability to read other people's minds just by looking at their eyes, so this kind of eye contact was more of a psychological pressure on her.

From those eyes, Chu Mingkong could only sense her fear of him; he couldn't discern anything more.

After a long while, Chu Mingkong finally heard her say:

"Your Highness, your current strength is no match for my husband..."

"In that case, my desire to win is still very strong. Wasn't Lady Baili's husband ambushed by you? Since you can come to me freely, he should still be in a precarious situation. Even if I use the extreme Yin power within me, I still can't defeat your husband?"

“No.” Baili Mi shook his head. “They are different from the likes of the Crown Prince that you have faced, Your Highness.”

If she hadn't said that last sentence, Chu Mingkong would have thought she was unaware of how much others feared his Abyss Wound. It might not seem strong, but others simply had no way to counter it.

If Baili Mi knew that the Crown Prince had fought against him, and could still say such things, is this sect leader outside really that powerful?

"Then if you proceed at your own pace and according to your own plan, you'll be able to finish what you want to do?" Chu Mingkong asked, still not quite believing Baili Mi's statement.

"...It might not work, but even if it doesn't, I want to fail because of my own mistakes."

"Now I'll tell you, after I've drained your essence, it won't affect your primordial yin, and it won't stop you from having fun. Can you help me cultivate?"

"Your Highness, please don't joke. There is no such method."

Chapter 115 Hitting a Wall (13/17)

Lady Baili was unwilling, but Chu Mingkong didn't want to let it go so easily.

Now that he's preparing to leave the capital, it would be good to gather as much extreme yang energy as possible to help suppress his injuries. No matter what trouble lies ahead, it's right to strengthen his own resolve first.

The fastest way to improve his combat power right now is to collect more extreme Yang energy.

Although it sounds despicable and immoral to use coercion in this kind of thing, and it is indeed not a glorious or respectable thing, Chu Mingkong thought that one day, just because he acted as a moral paragon today, he would run into a powerful enemy and be finished. What would happen to Jin Yu, Shangguan Rong, and the elders of the Cui family?

If Chu Mingkong hadn't touched them, he could have pretended it wasn't his business, and that he wouldn't care if he was gone. When there was no one on his shoulder, lying down and doing nothing was incredibly comfortable, but when someone was protecting him from behind, Chu Mingkong felt uneasy even when he lay down.

Moreover, Baili Mi didn't believe that Chu Mingkong wouldn't damage her primordial yin, and she couldn't explain it in a way that would convince her.

Of course, Chu Mingkong could understand her distrust. If their positions were reversed, Chu Mingkong wouldn't believe anyone telling him that either. Could he just casually try something like Yuan Yin? What if after trying it, the other person said, "Hey, I was just kidding. How could there be a way to get you infected without damaging your Yuan Yin?" Wouldn't that be ridiculous?

Anyone with a modicum of common sense wouldn't believe Chu Mingkong's explanation.

The only solution Chu Mingkong could offer was...

Believe it or not, it's up to you.

"Madam Baili has come again this time, so she must still have something to gain. Do you need the Golden Crow Heart Essence that I gave you last time? How about we make a trade? I will try my best to satisfy whatever you want in exchange for a chance for us to cultivate together."

Chu Mingkong tried to use a transaction to get what she wanted. After all, she would be the big winner afterward. Whatever she wanted, Chu Mingkong would give her. He would even keep her primordial yin for her.

The beautiful woman dressed in his mother's clothes resolutely refused:

"unnecessary!"

"Since our negotiation has failed, I must apologize. I will do my best to compensate Madam Baili for her losses!"

Whether she wants more Golden Crow Heart Essence or revenge, Chu Mingkong will do his best to satisfy her.

Chu Mingkong hooked his arm around Madam Baili's slender waist and pulled her close. Under the woman's guard, Baili Mi panicked and raised her arm to slap Chu Mingkong to wake him up, but a large hand firmly grasped her wrist, not giving her the chance.

Chu Mingkong's hand, which was holding her delicate, fair wrist, was suddenly stimulated by a burning sensation, causing him a sharp pain. Ordinary injuries wouldn't make him wince, but in front of this alluring beauty, he instinctively let go of her hand, just like an ordinary person accidentally touching a hot egg.

He looked at his palm, which had been burned with a bright red, charred mark – a burn from the extreme yang energy!

When it comes to this level of power, it is indeed very difficult to endure it with willpower alone.

Beneath Chu Mingkong's clothes, several golden threads swirled around and protected the heart of the Extreme Abyss Transformation. These strands of extreme yang energy flowed with a warm power, instantly healing the burn on his palm.

"You've certainly become more assertive, Lady Baili. I thought you came here seeking a favor, but it seems you've come with nothing to fear. It seems the Golden Crow Heart Essence I gave you last time has given you immense confidence and reliance!"

Chu Mingkong grabbed her fair wrist again, but this time it was Baili Mi who was startled. She looked at Chu Mingkong in disbelief.

She had clearly activated several Extreme Yang techniques to protect her body, and Chu Mingkong was suffering from the Extreme Abyss injury, so why wasn't he afraid at all? He had just been burned, how could he be completely unharmed in the blink of an eye...?

"Why are you not reacting at all?! That's pain that no human will can endure."

“There was a reaction.” After thinking for a moment, Chu Mingkong looked at her seriously, then nudged the spot the beautiful woman was trying to defend herself against. “Didn’t you see how ‘big’ my reaction was?” (referring to the hand she had just pulled back from the burn.)

What was happening before her eyes was beyond Baili Mi's comprehension and completely beyond her expectations. Although she had anticipated that Chu Mingkong would completely lose control of his emotions, which was a risk she had to take, she never imagined that Chu Mingkong could touch her so casually without feeling anything at all.

So he wouldn't just ignore the final "hurdle," would he...?

“Now, Madam Baili, you can think about what compensation you want from me... Hmm?”

After Baili Mi panicked due to the unexpected situation, Chu Mingkong also encountered an unexpected accident that he had never imagined, and he was stunned.

...I can't get in.

The situation Chu Mingkong is currently facing would occur within a group consisting of "female cultivators and ordinary male cultivators," or where there is a significant disparity in strength between the two groups. This would lead to a situation where—

The man couldn't break through.

Yes, this really can happen. When faced with this problem, there are only two ways to solve it.

The most orthodox method is for the woman to pay for her own cultivation.

The least damaging way is... to find someone else to train for you, let them scout ahead first, so the woman won't lose her cultivation, but it's a bit... well.

But now Chu Mingkong has actually encountered this situation.

Besides the psychological humiliation inflicted on him, this feeling also had a sense of déjà vu, somewhat like the feeling of being blocked by the balance barrier before.

Wait!

Chu Mingkong was startled. The extremely yang energy that Jin Yu had "stolen" for him, which belonged to her mother, had actually recovered somewhat.

The Empress's wisp of extreme Yang energy, because it did not originate from her, was not firmly rooted in Chu Mingkong's heart. In addition, some of it was consumed when he entered the palace, and after a period of time, it was almost completely gone.

But just now, the Empress's extremely yang power actually recovered a little during Chu Mingkong's "bump into a wall"!

Seeing this, Lady Baili was completely relieved and stopped resisting Chu Mingkong's grip on her wrist. She was certain of one crucial thing: Chu Mingkong might kill her now, but he absolutely had no chance of damaging her vital essence!

“You can’t get in. I will keep my promise to Fengying, but it will have to be done in a different way. Yuan Yin won’t do. You agreed and refused back then. Unless you call Fengying out again and ask me to cultivate with you, you won’t have a chance to force me.”

When Chu Mingkong received the protection of the extreme Yang power from Shangguan Rong, he learned that everyone's path to extreme Yang is different. Therefore, no matter how many times Chu Mingkong merged with Shangguan Rong to cultivate, a new golden thread would not be produced; it would only serve as a supplement.

Now that the Empress's extremely yang energy has been replenished, it means...

No wonder that buttock looked so familiar. Chu Mingkong calmed down considerably and said:

“It’s alright, I’ll just tag along for fun. Speaking of which, I made a vow to Heaven about this matter back then, promising not to force you to cultivate with me. Lady Baili has kept her vow for me.”

Suddenly, there was a knock on the gate of the Prince's mansion—

Jinyu is here!