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

A weathered male voice rang out:

"It was indeed a stroke of luck. That was definitely a child from the Divine Mountain, that mysterious world. Back then, I stole too much of his essence and blood, which almost caused a great disaster. Fortunately... the position of Crown Prince can be protected by the dragon vein of a country, and the position of Heir Apparent can also be protected by Xiling. This protection from the earth has suppressed the injury."

A key acquired by chance might just be able to pry open that long-sealed door!

"But right now, this power is still not fully under control. It can only be controlled by external objects. Did you forget something when you brought that child back, which is why he still can't master the power of extreme yin?"

“I don’t know, but… I’m more curious now about whether my ancestors hid something in the Abyss. The previous King of Chu left here not just to guard the Abyss.”

"Let's not talk about that for now. There's news that the young prince, who should have been in the Stone Bamboo Forest Secret Realm, has unexpectedly appeared in the Crescent Moon Kingdom. He may have already secretly returned to Xiling."

"Then let the news spread that the Crown Prince of Xiling has secretly left, and let the royal family put pressure on Xiaoxiang Qin Academy."

Chapter 211 Reverse Cosplay

Chu Mingkong told Gundan to go back and "report that he's safe," to let Xiao Yunhan know that he was alright, and then continued to wait anxiously outside the city.

While waiting, sighs kept coming out of his mouth.

ε=('ο｀*))) Sigh!

"I'm craving to chop, maybe we shouldn't wait any longer and should go back to our master to reconnect with him."

Last night, facing such a stunning beauty, it all turned out to be a pure prop battle; I didn't dare to get into a real physical fight!

fight!

Just as Chu Mingkong was about to get up and return to Qingxin Mansion, several people hurriedly ran to the city gate to explain things to the gatekeeper. When they saw "Zuo Gege" in his armor, their eyes lit up and they quickly came forward, bowing respectfully.

"Lord Zuo, you've really put us on the run! We've searched the entire city of Tianya but couldn't find you anywhere. You're truly elusive and possess the demeanor of a master!"

Chu Mingkong had expected them to shower him with compliments like Luo Xiangyang, but the Xiao family finally arrived, and he breathed a sigh of relief, finally able to shift his attention!

"What do you want with me?"

"Please wait a moment, Your Excellency, the steward will be here soon!" the servant said.

Before long, the Xiao clan steward arrived in a hurry. After a long "whoosh," his portly body nimbly dismounted from his horse and quickly walked to Chu Mingkong, taking out a sacrificial token and the martial arts jade tablet that he had "lost."

These tokens are reserved for honored guests, practically equivalent to the Xiao family's retainers.

Seeing the attitude of the Xiao family members, Chu Mingkong figured his guess was pretty much right: Xiao Chengren really intended to continue using Xiao Zhi to lure him into joining the Xiao family.

"And who are you? Why are you going back and forth like this? Can't you just say what you mean by 'just say it'?" Chu Mingkong asked knowingly.

The portly butler said with a forced smile:

"I am the steward of the Xiao family. I was afraid that my subordinates would be too slow to speak clearly, so I came in person. This is the Xiao family's token of respect. With this token, you can freely enter and exit any of the Xiao family's mansions."

Chu Mingkong really wanted to skip these conversations and impatiently urged, "Get to the point, answer in bullet points, and skip the pleasantries."

The Xiao clan steward didn't quite understand what "answering in points" meant, but he could read the other party's tone and mood, so he briefly explained:

"What the clan leader means is that Lord Zuo is a great benefactor of the Xiao family, an honored guest of our Xiao family, and a benefactor who is forever closer than blood relatives."

This jade pendant was forgotten by the master, and is now being returned to you.

Last time, Your Excellency mentioned wanting to meet Consort Wan in person. Consort Wan happens to be in Tianya City recently, and a meeting can be arranged at any time.

A big question mark popped into Chu Mingkong's mind. He quickly communicated with his system to check the status of Consort Wan among the bound elders.

...So you really are in Tianya City?

He had just thought it was that scoundrel Xiao Chengren who planned to have Princess Chu dress up in Consort Wan's clothes and pretend to be her so she could "keep him company" for another night.

Given Xiao Chengren's unscrupulous act of selling his daughter, Chu Mingkong thought he might actually do it, but he didn't expect that what he said was true!

"Don't try to fool me. Consort Wan is far away in the capital. How could she possibly be in Xiling?"

"Oh dear! Your Excellency Zuo, you flatter me. How could I possibly deceive you!" The fat steward quickly waved his hand. This person was extremely important to the Xiao family and could not be angered, otherwise his position would be in jeopardy. "The Imperial Concubine accompanied Minister Wan to Xiling. The specific reasons are beyond my knowledge, but it is absolutely true. I personally escorted Minister Wan and Imperial Concubine Wan to the mansion to stay."

Chu Mingkong had no interest in making things difficult for these Xiao family servants, and nodded to dismiss them:

"Anything else? If not, then get out."

"Yes, yes! The clan chief also said that Princess Chu and Minister Zuo had a very pleasant conversation and hope to have another opportunity to meet in the future. If you are interested, you can have a chat with the clan chief, and he will make the arrangements."

"..."

Chu Mingkong hesitated for a moment, then gave a few perfunctory words and left.

He was now truly... astonished and speechless at the sight of Xiao Chengren, his nominal maternal grandfather.

Fortunately, this "Zuo Ge Ge" was actually Chu Mingkong himself; otherwise, Consort Wan, his close "mother," would have been given away as a plaything by Xiao Chengren without his knowledge.

"Find an opportunity to see which mansion Consort Wan is staying in, and find a way to get her back to the capital first. Heaven knows how many 'sirs' Xiao Chengren knows behind him. Cast a wide net and use your two daughters to fish everywhere."

The Xiao family has purchased several properties in Tianya City. The mansions are not clustered together, but are located near several city gates. The geographical layout makes it convenient to escape in case of disaster.

Chu Mingkong went to a nearby mansion but found it empty, so he had to change his destination. On the way, he passed by the martial arts arena, where the first round of preliminary competition had not yet ended.

He glanced around briefly and noticed that there were more and more people gathered to watch today, and they all looked worried.

"What's going on here?" Chu Mingkong muttered to himself as he found the candied hawthorn stall closest to the martial arts arena.

These vendors work from dawn till dusk, and since their location is not far from the training ground, they likely know everything that's happening today.

Chu Mingkong tossed a piece of silver over, took a string of candied hawthorns, and gestured to the vendor to keep the change: "Brother, what happened at this martial arts competition? Why are there so many people today? Yesterday, almost everyone was a participant in the battle."

The peddler happily accepted the silver, knowing the other party was buying information, and began to speak eloquently:

"Sir, you may not know this, but take a look at those spectator bubbles. Do you see the people inside?"

Chu Mingkong stared intently at the bubbles, looked at them several times, and frowned, saying:

"Buddhist monks?"

"That's right, they are Buddhist monks. From the first batch this morning until now, one after another of these bald Buddhist monks have gone in. When they encounter the enemy, they don't make a move first. They just stand there with their Buddhist golden bodies and let the other side hit them. They are all unharmed. It is extremely humiliating for the opponent!"

Having observed this for so long, I've found that every instance of a Buddhist monk's defeat stems from encountering their own kind, with the weaker one ultimately conceding defeat.

This isn't right. Will Tianya City really become a city of monks?

Chu Mingkong shamelessly stirred up hatred for the Xiao family: "It's alright, we have Young Master Xiao of the Xiao family. Young Master Xiao is invincible in this world, a formidable foe."

The vendor said listlessly:

"He was attacked by a bear yesterday."

Would you call "Get lost" an instant fame?

Chu Mingkong didn't linger. Looking at the bald man was nothing compared to looking at the imperial concubine. He searched for several mansions in succession, and also visited the Xiao family's shops along the way. After stepping on all the wrong answers, he finally found a mansion with extremely tight security.

----------

Inside the mansion.

The two stunningly beautiful women, Princess Chu and Consort Wan, sat facing each other, both seemingly distracted.

The Princess Consort of Chu was exhausted from the events of the previous night, while Consort Wan wanted to ask if the Crown Prince of Xiling had returned.

"Zhi, it's been so many years since we last met. How have you been?" Consort Wan asked softly.

Chapter 211 What's the strategy for conquering mothers?

When the two sisters meet again after many years, they may not have much to say to each other. Compared to their blood relationship, this meeting is more like a social gathering between a princess and a noble consort.

When Wan Hua and Xiao Zhi were still young, Xiao Chengren had already planned to sell his daughters. Naturally, he didn't give the sisters any time to play or get to know each other. They only came and went under the same roof and learned that he had such a half-sister.

As the hostess, Princess Chu should have spoken first to set the tone and create a lively atmosphere. However, she was still troubled by what happened last night, and it was already a struggle for her to maintain a smile. Princess Chu was afraid that if she opened her mouth, she would completely ruin the atmosphere and make things more awkward. Therefore, she kept using the act of brewing tea to prolong the time, pretending that her attention was focused on the tea set and that she couldn't spare the energy to speak.

The first to break the silence was Consort Wan. After many years, her opening line was still that classic line.

"Now that we meet in private, we don't need to be so formal. We grew up together, so let's be more affectionate and just call each other by our first names... Zhi'er, how have you been these past years since you married into Xiling?"

Consort Wan's plan was to first steer the conversation towards family, then lead it to Chu Mingkong, subtly probing whether Xiao Zhi knew where her son had gone.

Of course, he is also Wan Hua's good son now.

This simple greeting sounded ironic to Xiao Zhi. She knew that Wan Hua had asked unintentionally, and it was just a normal greeting, but deep down she could not bring herself to say something like "I'm doing well."

She was having a hard time before her husband disappeared, and when her family came, she thought she was back in their arms, but in reality, she was still not doing well.

The spilled water was collected by the Xiao family, who planned to continue to reuse it...

She nodded in response, but couldn't help but retort:

"Wanhua, how are you doing in the palace? I heard it's lonely there, and that the Fifth Prince even had that kind of thing happen to him."

"It's okay, I've come to terms with it."

Thinking of Chu Mingkong, a genuine smile appeared on Wan Hua's beautiful face. Her fingertips tapped lightly on the table, the rhythm seemingly reflecting the joy in her heart.

"Many things cannot be changed after they happen, but as a mother and a woman, seeking inner comfort doesn't always have to be placed on your child..."

Someone else's son is better than his own... A pang of guilt rose in Wan Hua's heart.

Xiao Zhi assumed that Wan Hua had developed a hobby of raising cats and dogs to distract herself from thinking about the Fifth Prince, but she was also annoyed at her own emotional outburst. After all, Wan Hua had only asked the question unintentionally, and she shouldn't have taken her anger out on Wan Hua.

Looking back on her childhood, Xiao Zhi finds the friction and comparisons with Wan Hua somewhat laughable, because Xiao Chengren was behind all of those conflicts.

—Xiao Hua has recently made great progress in her studies of calligraphy and painting. Zhi'er, you can't fall too far behind your older sister.

This invisible pressure from Xiao Chengren pushed the two of them to constantly "strive" to become the "perfect concubine." They both felt that the other wanted to surpass them. Whenever they stopped to rest, someone would urge them to start "working hard" again, trying to outdo each other.

I was naive back then, so I held a grudge because of it. Now that I think about it, Xiao Chengren is the most disgusting character in the story.

Xiao Zhi softened her tone, suppressing the resentment she had accumulated the previous night and no longer showing it.

"Hmm, that's good. So, Wan Hua, what kind of entertainment do you usually have in the palace to pass the time?"

"I would just stroll around the palace, play some music, and pass the days. Occasionally, I would listen to the palace maids talk about what was happening in the capital. When I wasn't busy, I would pick up the books I had read and read them over and over again."

Consort Wan suddenly took out a mother and child Buddha statue and placed it on the table. The jade had just been radiating a lustrous glow in her hands. Xiao Zhi picked it up curiously, and it also emitted the same glow.

"What is this?" Xiao Zhi asked. "Do you worship Buddha?"

"No, this thing is said to be used to protect mothers and children, but it's actually a sinister thing. It's a body-testing stone. If a woman has mixed masculine scents, the light will turn black. During the reign of the late emperor, this kind of thing was used to secretly test the concubines in the palace and kill them. I just came across some for sale in the city. I felt uncomfortable seeing it, so I told you about it and saw if it could be banned."

Xiao Zhi's slender hand trembled, and the Buddha jade fell onto the table. She was afraid that what happened last night had been exposed, but why was it emitting a white glow just now?