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

Fengying's blood pressure rose.

But at least we have a clue... Steel Slicing... One strike killed the Thick-Bone Bison. I must get my hands on this technique!

Interlude: Fragrant Breeze and Graceful Figure (Part Two)

Gu Mei stood by the window, watching Feng Ying's figure gradually disappear at the end of the road. She closed the window, walked to the bronze mirror, and stood there for a long time, looking at the woman in the mirror who was no longer young and beautiful.

She turned her back to the mirror and undressed. The dim bronze mirror reflected her smooth and delicate back. A tattoo pattern was coiled on her back skin, with a faint purple light flowing across it from time to time. The tattoo could be roughly seen as a three-petaled flower bud, with two petals already stained with a bewitching red, leaving the rest blank.

Gu Mei stared at the pattern in the mirror for a long time.

......

Xiling Border Fortress.

Chu Mingkong sat on the ground with an old man who was emaciated, white-haired, and disheveled. The old man was a military doctor in the army, a very professional surgeon who could not treat difficult and complicated diseases, and was only responsible for amputations and removing some excess male skin.

The two, one big and one small, looked like grandfather and grandson. Just as the old man was about to reach into the fire pit to take out the beggar's chicken, Chu Mingkong quickly stopped him and gestured for the old man to let him take it.

The beggar's chicken he wrapped in lotus leaves was piping hot. Chu Mingkong imbued his hands with fire spirit energy, unafraid of the chicken's heat, and took it out of the fire pit, tearing it in half so that each of them could have one half.

"Grandpa, it's better if I do this. You just finished cutting it for someone, and you haven't even washed your hands yet. They still smell a bit strong!" Chu Mingkong said tactfully.

"Wow, you young master are so particular. You make it sound like I personally cut it. I control the knife from afar, and it's done with a flick of the blade."

The old man berated the boy for his ignorance and nonsense, which made the boy feel as if his hands were actually stained with something. He got up, washed his hands, and came back to eat.

The old man sat down again, watching the boy eat his chicken leg with his head down. He took a leg from his half of the chicken and gave it to the boy, his eyes filled with appreciation and emotion.

If only my family could produce such a prodigy! His control over fire elemental energy just now was so natural, other children his age are far behind. Moreover, this child has already reached the level of a spear immortal in the martial arts.

evildoer!

I really don't know where King Huai of Chu found such a child. Why can't I find one?

"Young master, how is my beggar's chicken?"

Chu Mingkong devoured the two chicken legs like a glutton, thinking to himself, "Zero-calorie fitness chicken!" Then he let out a satisfied burp and gave a thumbs-up, saying:

"One of the best roast chickens ever!"

The old man laughed heartily, took a sip of wine, and then began to eat. He had almost finished the beggar's chicken, so he tossed the chicken bones aside.

"Young master, didn't you recently find a master who wields a heavy sword? Why haven't you been out with her?"

Chu Mingkong waved his hand and sighed sadly:

"Yun Han chased me away and disappeared. A few days ago, Yun Han got two cranes from some sect and gave them to me and Chu Fengnan to play with. I even named the cranes 'Myba Cranes.' But guess what? My master used them for a feast, slaughtering and eating my Myba Cranes. I was wondering why they tasted so good..."

Anyway, Yunhan went to settle scores with my master in a fit of anger, and the two of them have disappeared somewhere.

"Your master seems rather unreliable to me, spending all his time playing around with you. But his looks are indeed exceptional; even in those immortal cultivation sects where fairies abound, he'd be a top-tier beauty." The old man stopped there, then curiously asked Chu Mingkong, "Young master, you said you've recently started practicing swordsmanship. What kind of swordsmanship are you practicing, and how's your progress? I might be willing to give you a little pointers and reluctantly accept you as my disciple."

Sir, I have no interest in circumcision...

There are many types of weapons. Just taking "knife" as an example, there are broadswords, straight knives, horse-chopping knives, and monk's knives, etc. Even masters and saints of knives are only proficient in one type. The old man uses a broadsword, and he also uses a broadsword when performing surgery on others.

The sheer size of the knife, aimed at someone's waist, creates a very oppressive feeling.

Chu Mingkong preferred straight swords, for no other reason than that he found them more aesthetically pleasing.

He knew that the old man had been stuck at the half-step sword immortal level with the broadsword for a long time, so he didn't want to tell him the truth and provoke him. Instead, he said that while he was learning the heavy sword recently, he had also managed to get the straight sword to the half-step sword immortal level.

That would be too hurtful and unkind.

Chu Mingkong said tactfully:

"In another half month, I should be able to master the straight sword to the level of a sword immortal. It's just a matter of discovering and understanding the characteristics and strengths of each weapon. I'll just need to practice on a ferocious beast from the abyss."

"..."

The old man fell silent, unable to utter a word for a long time.

Chu Mingkong didn't believe him, so he took out a straight sword and casually swung it to the side. The domineering sword intent was awe-inspiring and lingered for a long time. Even though Chu Mingkong restrained his strength, the sword strike stretched for thousands of meters, leaving a long crack in the ground.

The old man became even more doubtful about life and angrily chased people away:

"Go away, go away! I need to rest, why are you bothering me? You're so inconsiderate, damn it!"

"Hehe~ Let's go!"

......

After enjoying the roast chicken, Chu Mingkong decided to go out and stretch his legs, and practice his straight sword skills at the Extreme Abyss.

When I've mastered the straight sword to the level of a sword immortal, I'll go show off to Zuo Qiuchi and see if she feels like she's been tricked by a minotaur—"I clearly taught you the greatsword, so why did your straight sword skills somehow reach the pinnacle?!"

He changed into a tall suit of armor that covered his entire body. It was a bit too much for his size to wear such armor, but that didn't matter. He was suspended in mid-air inside the armor, a bit like piloting a Gundam. Chu Mingkong was very satisfied with this feeling. In addition, with the presence of spiritual energy, controlling the armor was not difficult.

Furthermore, wearing armor like this allows him to easily shoot arrows and slash while riding a horse, without worrying about his short limbs.

You can't expect a blacksmith to forge a miniature toy sword for a child to practice with; that would be useless.

"Hmm? It seems like someone is lying in wait for me around here. Usually, when I pass by here, birds fly away in fright, but not today. Did someone scare them away beforehand?" he thought to himself.

This is a forest of birds. Chu Mingkong once had his helmet hit by bird droppings here, so he held a grudge and only felt satisfied when he heard the birds being scared away every time he passed by.

I'm the only one who passes through this area.

Could this be triggering the plot of the stepmother killing her stepson? The princess stepmother has always had a lot of opinions about my position as heir apparent, and now she's finally going to take action?

"I can't sense any presence, but I do have a feeling of being watched!" Chu Mingkong's heart sank.

His heart sank. He was already preparing to enter the Abyss, but the other party had not yet appeared, which meant that they wanted to wait until he was exhausted from fighting and returned before attacking him.

Let's play along and see who's afraid of whom!

......

After an unknown amount of time, a series of weary and heavy footsteps echoed through the Flying Bird Forest, and a tall figure slowly appeared. His armor was uneven and severely damaged, clearly indicating that he had been through a fierce battle in the Abyss.

Chu Mingkong kept an eye out for attacks as he walked when he suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder. He belatedly realized what was happening and stopped in his tracks.

A pair of jade-like feet stepped on his shoulders. The trees blocked out the sun, and the light was dim, which made the delicate whiteness of the feet appear even more exquisite, like fluorite in the dark night, radiating a bright and warm glow.

"Is this His Highness the Crown Prince?" A charming voice came from behind the jade-like feet.

"I am your father!"

Chu Mingkong was ruthless and taciturn. He drew the sword from his waist and slashed diagonally.

Interlude: Fragrant Breeze and Alluring Shadows (Part 3)

Damn it, they got away...

Chu Mingkong looked around, drew his sword, and gazed around in bewilderment. This female assassin was quite agile, wasn't she? Did the Tianji Empire even have such a person? He had never heard of her before.

Honestly, Chu Mingkong felt he couldn't match this woman's attention to detail, making it difficult for him to gain her advantage. The only chance he had of actually killing her was by shattering her spiritual energy shield. Having learned his lesson, the woman never dared to approach Chu Mingkong again.

However, Chu Mingkong didn't come away empty-handed. He took out a sheepskin scroll and a high-quality dagger from his storage ring.

This was just snatched from that female assassin.

"Just treat it as killing elite monsters and getting equipment."

Chu Mingkong touched the "neck" area on his armor, but there was nothing there, leaving him confused, because the helmet had fallen off.

Fortunately, he was a child wearing oversized armor. His head only reached the breastplate. If the armor were likened to oversized clothing, Chu Mingkong's head wouldn't even be able to stick out of the collar. He was practically shrunken into the armor's body. The female assassin had been pushed to her limit and unleashed a powerful blow that knocked his helmet off.

Judging the enemy relies entirely on perception.

Chu Mingkong picked up his helmet from the ground, put it back on his armor, let out a "whoosh," and ran back to the military camp in a flash.

......

In the woods, Feng Ying watched the mysterious prince in full armor disappear in a flash, looking bewildered.

—What is this thing?!

"To wield a bunch of random weapons like straight swords, heavy spears, and halberds with such mastery, what kind of monster is this!" Feng Ying's expression was serious, yet utterly incredulous.

This person gives off an extremely imposing feeling in battle, like a heavy but incredibly lethal tank. He wields a weapon in each hand, using both long and short weapons to complement each other. He also slows down his attacks from time to time to change the rhythm of his assault, making him very cunning.

He can miss many attacks without getting hurt, but his opponents will either die or be crippled if he touches them even once.

Of course, what Fengying couldn't understand the most was why this person didn't have a head...?

She aimed for a fatal blow, and just now, when she was almost forced to the Silk Road by his left and right movements, Feng Ying had no choice but to use her killing move. She originally intended to knock off his head in one blow, but his helmet flew off and not a drop of blood fell. He even picked up the helmet from the ground and put it back in its original place.

Because of this unexpected situation, her storage bracelet was broken, and the parchment scroll and a dagger that she was reluctant to use were all taken away by this person.

"Could this be a puppet controlled by witchcraft? But how could a puppet wield weapons so fiercely..."

No, we have to follow them and get the dagger back!

She had already memorized the contents of the scroll, but she couldn't lose that dagger.

Fengying's figure vanished from the spot like a handful of fragrant gold dust, disappearing into the environment and relentlessly following the metal-shelled man, but maintaining a great distance beyond the range of his perception.

They followed him all the way to a mansion on the border of Xiling. Fengying shared a field of vision with a falcon, observing the movements of the iron-shelled man and waiting for the opportunity when he was alone.

......

Chu Mingkong returned to the Xiling border fortress, and relieved that the female assassin wouldn't dare to pursue him.

Unable to ascertain the origins of the other party, Chu Mingkong chose to use the known clues to investigate their intelligence as soon as possible. If it was indeed sent by the princess of the Xiling Prince's Mansion, then Chu Mingkong would have to list her as his primary enemy.

If she transforms into Chu Jin... and Wanhao punches her, then he can't blame her for being so rebellious.

He found Wei Hai, a member of the Wei family stationed at the Xiling Jiyuan border. Wei Hai was a member of a collateral branch of the Wei family, but he was very capable and highly valued by the head of the Wei family. He was now sent to the Xiling border for training.

"Brother Wei Hai, can you take a look at these things for me? Do you know what they are?"

Looking at the armor in front of him, which was even taller than him, Wei Hai sensed the urgency in Chu Mingkong's tone. Without saying much, he quickly checked what Chu Mingkong had given him.

A parchment scroll and a dagger?

Wei Hai cast a soundproof barrier in the room and analyzed:

"The material used for this sheepskin scroll comes from the sheep herders of the Crescent Kingdom. The 'Shadow of the Dead' mentioned on it... I seem to have some recollection of him. He's a fearsome assassin who has been famous for a long time and is active in the Crescent Kingdom. To find out more specific details, I need to send someone to investigate. The Wei family also has some influence and informants there."