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

"I'm going to check on the remains of some monks and see if I can find any loot. You guys chat amongst yourselves for now."

Chu Mingkong used the excuse of fighting monsters and getting equipment to slip away, so as not to be embarrassingly picked up by Xiao Yunhan again.

Chapter 140 Stay Away From My Disciple (34/35)

Zuo Qiuchi and Xiao Yunhan watched Chu Mingkong walk away. After a long while, Zuo Qiuchi finally spoke:

"His legs are way too short; it takes this long to get him out of sight..."

Xiao Yunhan replied, "Short legs, they can't get out of my sight, that's fine."

Chu Mingkong, who had just stepped down from the peak, sneezed: "Someone must be talking badly about me."

Zuo Qiuchi reached out and grasped Xiao Yunhan's fair wrist, sensing her spiritual meridians, and said earnestly:

“You should slow down your cultivation speed. It’s too fast. Look at these ice flowers around you. You can’t even fully control your spiritual power. Otherwise, why would you be like this? People who don’t know better would think you’re putting on a show.”

This isn't meant to be sarcastic or argumentative, but to be the truth. The highest level of control over power, simply put, is the ability to control and release it at will, or, in a more profound and complex sense, is returning to simplicity and authenticity.

All power eventually sheds its superfluous embellishments, unleashing unimaginable power in the most ordinary and unremarkable sword strike.

It's definitely not normal for someone like Xiao Yunhan to have her hair turned snow-white from the effects of the cultivation technique.

Xiao Yunhan pulled her wrist back from Zuo Qiuchi's grasp, ignoring her words:

"It won't have a big impact. I'll take some time to consolidate my cultivation level later. It's like having an extra backup plan. My icy spiritual power should be able to seal Mingkong now."

This was considered as a backup plan for Chu Mingkong. No one was confident that they could heal Chu Mingkong's injuries, especially before they completely deteriorated. Xiao Yunhan's solution was to prolong the time spent searching for a cure.

To do this, she would need to have enough cultivation to freeze and preserve Chu Mingkong's life force until she finds a way to heal him, at which point she can thaw it.

Although sealing away the extreme Yin power was quite difficult, Xiao Yunhan believed that improving her cultivation level was far more feasible than finding a cure in a short time.

Zuo Qiuchi was surprised:

"Really? You haven't cultivated the Extreme Yang Path, have you? How can you freeze Extreme Yin power?"

"I can now freeze Abyssal Beasts around the fourth tier." Xiao Yunhan's tone was calm, as if she were stating something insignificant.

However, if this were to be revealed, it would surely cause a huge uproar. Killing an Abyss Beast is much easier than freezing it. The latter is extremely difficult, requiring not only substantial strength but also a mental control level several levels higher than that of others of the same level.

Zuo Qiuchi didn't hold back his praise, giving her a thumbs up:

"That's pretty impressive."

"But there are still big problems. Beasts are different from humans. I don't know how to freeze a person without affecting their life force. I don't have anyone to practice on." Xiao Yunhan frankly admitted her current shortcomings.

Zuo Qiuchi felt he could understand. If Xiao Yunhan were a member of the demonic path, she would probably create a large number of Abyss Injured people similar to Chu Mingkong and use them for practice. Unfortunately, she was not that kind of person.

Moreover, even if Xiao Yunhan had this intention, she might not be able to do it. There are almost no people like Chu Mingkong who could survive such a severe injury from the Abyss.

Normally, the patient lies in bed waiting to die, while their family waits to enjoy the feast.

She suggested, "I think you can practice directly on Chu Mingkong."

Xiao Yunhan glanced at her, thinking that Zuo Qiuchi was talking nonsense again and was out of her mind, so she didn't even bother to answer.

Zuo Qiuchi explained, "I'm serious. You can use his stick as a practice object and see if it can move normally after being frozen and thawed. If it can, there's no problem. If not, that's good, so that thing won't always be unruly."

This was also a stupid statement, and Xiao Yunhan remained silent, too lazy to pay attention to it.

After a long while, she finally asked Zuo Qiuchi about her younger brother's situation, her eyes, reflecting the surrounding mountains, appearing exceptionally cold.

"Who did Mingkong cultivate with?"

"How would I know? But it has indeed stabilized. As long as it works, that's fine. If I hadn't been tricked into finding him a female bodhisattva before, he would be practicing dual cultivation with a female bodhisattva now. The result is good, so the process doesn't matter... But I'm more curious about where his cultivation technique came from."

On this point, Zuo Qiuchi felt that even the Buddhist practice of "joyful meditation" might not be useful. Her trust in the bald men had plummeted to rock bottom, and she felt that they were just a broken hole.

Honestly, if she had actually found a female bodhisattva to help Chu Mingkong cultivate, and then failed to heal his Abyss Injury, Zuo Qiuchi could understand.

Let alone the power of extreme yin, even the power of extreme yang has only been explored to a superficial level so far. It is perfectly normal that the Joyful Zen cannot suppress the wound of the extreme abyss.

The key point is that the female bodhisattva was actually a monk impersonating her using his imagination, which is going too far!

Chu Mingkong's cultivation technique was even more powerful, as it allowed him to absorb a wisp of extreme yang energy to help suppress the injury to his heart.

Zuo Qiuchi asked again, "Are you really not going to get involved in the affairs of Xiling?"

Xiao Yunhan shook her head. She didn't really care much about Xiling, or about the honor and status of her family.

"As lifespan increases with cultivation level, titles and status will all become fleeting clouds. Mingkong now wants to find a way to clear his mind and finish dealing with the matters in Xiling. Let him be, it won't take too much time anyway."

Zuo Qiuchi nodded. In fact, her view was similar to Xiao Yunhan's. Everything in the mundane world, emotions are worth cherishing, but these so-called riches and honors seem vulgar and foolish.

The old master of the Cui family was truly talented in cultivation, but he was held back by his family, which prevented him from finding peace of mind. His sword-wielding movements became less decisive and efficient, and as a result, the Cui family's orthodox glory could not be preserved, and he himself could not improve his cultivation.

“Yunhan, didn’t your mother give birth to your younger brother, Xiao Fengnan? Why don’t you go out and get closer to him?”

"Even blood relatives don't have to be overly close. Just let things take their natural course. Feng Nan's temperament isn't as good as Ming Kong's. He's calm and composed, and has exceptional talent, but he's also impulsive, arrogant, ruthless, and vicious inside. Getting too close to him will only cause me more trouble. It wouldn't be good to just stand by and watch. So, I'll just treat him like an ordinary member of the clan."

On this point, Zuo Qiuchi and Xiao Yunhan share the same view!

Her meaning was easy to understand. In fact, it was similar to the Cui family's situation. For Xiao Yunhan, her maternal clan was similar to the Cui family's relationship with Old Master Cui—a troublesome clan that would obviously bring her unnecessary trouble. The difference between Xiao Yunhan and Old Master Cui was that she could truly and coldly examine this kinship, with a detached and aloof personality, while Old Master Cui knew that his family was a burden, but he was still unwilling to give up his blood ties.

Xiao Yunhan asked in confusion, "Why are you suddenly asking this?"

Zuo Qiuchi looked at her and earnestly advised:

"Can't you be close to your own brother instead of trying to take advantage of my disciple?"

Xiao Yunhan hesitated, intending to continue ignoring Zuo Qiuchi's foolish words, but after ignoring them for a while, she felt it was inappropriate and that she should respond.

She turned to look at Zuo Qiuchi and said:

"roll."

Chapter 141 Fellow Daoist

"I'm going to find Mingkong. I'll leave again in a little while. Don't bother me." Xiao Yunhan coldly warned, and seeing Zuo Qiuchi nod in agreement, she went down the mountain to find Chu Mingkong.

Zuo Qiuchi watched her walk away, sighed, and tried to find something to do to relieve his boredom.

"Let's go and sneak a peek at the female disciples and elders here. It's a rare opportunity to visit a women's sect, it would be a shame not to take a look."

On the way down the mountain, Zuo Qiuchi couldn't help but think of Xiao Yunhan.

Xiao Yunhan's cultivation path ultimately aims to sever emotions, but this isn't something that can be done simply by saying so. All cultivation is based on self-control. If one cannot even control a power, what is the point of cultivation? Xiao Yunhan's path is the same: to broadly sever and forget one's worldly attachments in one's heart. It sounds simple, but isn't it just like drinking a bowl of Meng Po soup?

But if it's handled so decisively, is it that she truly let go of everything and chose to sever ties, or is it that obsession with cutting off worldly ties that drives her to do so?

It sounds like the same thing, but for the people involved, it's a world of difference. Failing to face and address this issue squarely will only lead to endless troubles.

Therefore, in order to recognize her true self, Xiao Yunhan will leave behind a last bit of affection as she gradually sheds worldly attachments. Through this affection, she will examine whether she has truly let go or is still clinging to her obsession.

Clearly, during their childhood, Xiao Yunhan reserved this last bit of affection for Chu Mingkong, her family member.

Perhaps one day she will truly sever all ties with him, and her attitude towards Chu Mingkong will no longer be as ardent as it is now.

Zuo Qiuchi casually chose an Elder Peak and used his cultivation level to conceal his aura.

From the elders' residence at the summit, a melodious yet restrained humming sound emanated, long and resonant, rhythmic and melodious, echoing the nine light and one heavy sounds within a pattern of nine shallow and one deep tones.

Zuo Qiuchi leaned closer to the window and glanced at the beautiful elder woman's crouching, undulating figure, muttering to himself:

“I can understand. The sect has gone through such a big thing, and it’s time to release some pressure. However, your soundproofing array needs to be improved. It can’t protect privacy properly like this. Even Qu Wuyue can ignore this array.”

After watching for a while, Zuo Qiuchi changed to an elder peak, only to find that the owner of this immortal peak was also releasing cultivation pressure.

The elder did a good job of keeping it a secret. He not only set up a barrier himself, but also purchased an external magic array for protection. Unfortunately, it was of little use to Zuo Qiuchi.

She leaned closer to the window to secretly admire the beautiful elder woman who had secured the jade dildo to the chair, causing it to creak and wobble. However, she was much more restrained than the previous one, her brows furrowing slightly, her cheeks flushed with an uncontrollable blush, and she kept her lips tightly pursed, barely making a sound.

"His expression is quite intriguing. This one is not bad. He's done such a good job with the privacy barrier. He doesn't even dare to make a loud noise in his own territory. He has such a strong sense of shame, but he still can't help but use the jade dildo to release the pressure in his heart."

Zuo Qiuchi had seen enough of the sights, so he moved on to another Elder Peak. This time, he went to the Immortal Peak of the Punishment Hall Elder, intending to see if Chu Mingkong and Xiao Yunhan were there. He figured that Xiao Yunhan had probably finished saying what she wanted to say to Chu Mingkong.

"Wow! This barrier is of a high quality! Luckily, I'm more skilled!"

But as soon as she slipped into the barrier, before she even got close to the window, Zuo Qiuchi could already hear her loud, unrestrained, heart-wrenching, and desperately agonizing release of pressure.

Upon hearing the voice, Zuo Qiuchi's expression turned serious. He quietly approached the window and was deeply shocked by the scene before him.

Si Chunhua, you seem so serious, but it turns out you're this kind of elder!

Zuo Qiuchi silently left Elder Peak of the Punishment Hall, sighing:

"It seems we need to build a good relationship with Xiaoxiang Qin Academy from now on. It is indeed a good place. Yunhan has a keen eye and managed to establish a good relationship with it so early on."

She did this without any prejudice or contempt for the elders of these righteous sects, without committing any heinous acts, and without harming anyone else.

But surely they wouldn't all want to vent at the same time? Is it some unwritten agreement in private, to release stress together, and call themselves "fellow Daoists"?

"There must be something wrong with that relic."

Once something is partially unsealed, resealing it doesn't mean nothing happened and everything can return to normal.

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

Chu Mingkong searched the corpse of the monk Fadu and opened the box, but unfortunately, he didn't find any treasures.

He kicked the monk Fadu in disappointment, feeling as disappointed as when he was playing a game in his past life, repeatedly getting stuck in the same dungeon without getting any loot.

"He looks like an elite monster, but he's dirt poor. I was hoping he'd have some Buddhist scriptures or something."

Chu Mingkong really wanted to cultivate an indestructible body so that he could be shameless and provoke Zuo Qiuchi to anger. She wouldn't be able to change his mind even if she wanted to, hehe!

When in doubt, choose to cheat!

He communicated with the Filial Piety System, asking, "Are there any Buddhist scriptures for sale within the cultivation methods?"

No, if you can find a Buddhist master, I can exchange this Buddhist scripture for you.

Speaking of which, all the cultivation techniques available for purchase in the shop require a master to acquire. The ease with which I gained Heavy Sword Comprehension was largely thanks to Zuo Qiuchi. Last time, when I wanted to exchange for a technique that could conceal my aura, I was told I had to become Feng Ying's teacher.

"I won't acknowledge a Buddhist master unless there is a real female bodhisattva... It seems I'll have to find an opportunity to forcibly take her away later."

As Chu Mingkong pondered his grand robbery plan, he suddenly realized that his gaze had shifted vertically upwards, making him appear several inches above the ground, though his collar felt a bit tight around his neck.

Sniffing that familiar scent, Chu Mingkong said sadly: