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

"..." Zuo Qiuchi's anger dissipated all at once. She didn't know whether to be angry or amused. She gave Chu Mingkong's ear a playful tug and scolded, "Go find Yunhan and ask her to give you a back door. Talk to the elders of Tianya Tower and try to get the martial arts competition to be held earlier. Your chest is starting to emit yin energy. It's not suitable for you to stay in Xiling for too long."

"Order!"

Chu Mingkong disappeared in a flash.

Zuo Qiuchi looked in the direction Chu Mingkong had left and said helplessly:

"Fengying, tell me, why do this man and the bear look exactly alike!"

Fengying said, "That bear looks much more normal than Mingkong; at least it doesn't like butts."

"...It seems so."

Chapter 116 The Barrier Only Keeps Away Its Own People

At Tianya Tower, Elder Li sat in the ceremonial hall.

The elders around were still debating which side the city lord of Tianya City should favor, but in addition to this protracted dispute, a new dispute had been added - Elder Hong had been assassinated.

This was unbelievable to the elders, even impossible. Let alone outsiders, it would be difficult for even their own people to fight each other.

Everyone is quite strong. The strongest elder can defeat the weakest elder, but there's no way to kill the opponent instantly without giving them a chance to fight back. Moreover, none of them know how to use extreme Yin power.

The argument raged on, but Elder Li paid no attention, sitting motionless in his seat, lost in thought.

He vaguely guessed who might have killed Elder Hong...

The other elders were discussing how the invaders bypassed the Tianya Tower formation, but they had actually forgotten about one person, because that person had disappeared and no one had thought of him.

King Huai of Chu of Xiling!

He was a prince of Xiling. No matter how strict the security of Tianya Tower was, it was impossible for them to be on guard against the lord of Xiling. Only he could easily ignore all the obstacles of the array and barrier. Alternatively, it could be that the previous generations of deceased Chu kings crawled out of their graves, entered Tianya Tower, and killed Elder Hong.

As for the reason for killing Elder Hong, Elder Li couldn't be sure, but he already had a clue in mind.

He and Elder Hong were both confidants of King Huai of Chu, and many things were entrusted to them. They were the ones who arranged the ceremony for the adopted son to take the throne, and they knew some of the inside stories.

They knew of the prince's extraordinary background, which is why they always supported his return to become the city lord.

Elder Li was unsure whether Prince Huai had returned, or whether he intended to silence those involved in what happened back then. Three elders were in charge of organizing the heir's ceremony; one had passed away a few years ago due to exhaustion of his lifespan, and Elder Hong had just died.

The reason why Elder Hong was unharmed on the night of his accident was probably because he wasn't in Tianya City.

"What should I do? Back then, Prince Huai instructed the heir to keep a secret about something. Now there's no way to be sure that Prince Huai has really returned. What if I'm wrong and I've accidentally sent the news out?" He hesitated in his heart.

"Elder Li, why haven't you said a word all day?" asked a plump elder with a gold ingot hanging around his neck as a personal ornament. He was Qian Yan, Elder Qian, who was in charge of the economy of Tianya City.

"...It's nothing." Elder Li forced a smile and said in a low voice, "Thinking about Elder Hong's matter makes me uneasy. There's something I want to discuss with you privately. No, I don't want to approach you rashly, as it might implicate you. I will secretly inform Elder Qian through a letter. Please remember this!"

Elder Qian was puzzled and wanted to ask more questions, but Elder Li stopped talking about it, said he was feeling unwell, and went back to his room early.

Suddenly, someone announced from the ceremonial hall:

"Elders, Miss Xiao Yunhan wishes to enter Tianya Tower, and she has brought two outsiders with her: the Pavilion Master of Wenqing Pavilion and another person of unknown identity. How should we respond?"

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

At the foot of Tianya Tower, Chu Mingkong, Xiao Yunhan, and Shen Xuejun stood there waiting for the elders' reply.

Chu Mingkong looked up at the magnificent pavilion before him, thinking that it was not much less impressive than the imperial palace. He sighed:

"I never imagined that one day I would have to rely on connections to even get into my own building, and I would have to wait for someone's reply."

Xiao Yunhan said calmly:

"Isn't this because you didn't want the position of deputy city lord back then and gave it to me? Otherwise, you could go in openly and honestly now."

Chu Mingkong smiled but didn't say anything. There was nothing he could do about it. At the time, he was afraid of being resented by the Princess Consort of Chu. His mindset at that time was to keep himself pure and not use too much of the Chu royal family's stuff. How could he dare to accept the position of deputy city lord?

But if he doesn't want it, giving it to Xiao Fengnan isn't appropriate either. It's not that it's impossible, but Chu Mingkong wasn't happy about giving it to him. After thinking it over, it's better to give it to his sister, with whom he has a good relationship.

If he hadn't known he would encounter this situation and be able to go back to the past, he would still have made the same choice.

Shen Xuejun also gazed at the towering pavilion that reached the dome, and felt a surge of emotion:

"It is truly amazing that neglecting the management of a city has not only avoided the chaos of power struggles, but has also produced such a strange result."

Chu Mingkong echoed:

"If I had known that my master's wife favored this city so much, I should have had Yunhan give her the position of deputy city lord back then."

However, Shen Xuejun ignored him, leaving Chu Mingkong empty-handed and somewhat embarrassed.

...It seems that now that he has switched back from boy mode to normal muscular man mode, Shen Xuejun's attitude towards him has become cold, almost the same as when they first met at the Fourth Princess's mansion. Although the matter of retrieving medicine occurred there, her attitude was really just businesslike as she extracted the antidote, not even as "enthusiastic and gentle" as when she later let him touch her white-stockinged legs.

Chu Mingkong had this feeling on the way to Tianya Tower, and now he was even more convinced that it was not an illusion.

He always felt that this busty, aloof beauty was trying to manipulate him, using the difference in her attitude to make him revert to being a boy.

Could it be that Yunhan was corrupted by her master, Shen Xuejun?

After a short while, an elder came down to greet them. Sure enough, with Xiao Yunhan present, even if they brought someone of unknown identity, they could easily get in.

They had only taken a few steps into the building, and were still near the entrance, when a powerful burst of energy suddenly erupted from an unknown floor above, shattering the walls and sending wood chips raining down outside.

Shen Xuejun frowned, sensing the energy, and said solemnly:

"The Limitless Power of Prajna is the perfected Vajra Prajna Palm? And it's even mixed with extremely Yin energy!"

As soon as she finished speaking, a "smack" came from behind Chu Mingkong and the others. A corpse fell to the ground from a height, its body shattered into pieces, with a clear and neat palm print dented in its chest, as if it had been cut by a knife.

Chu Mingkong quickly gathered around with the people nearby, and the guards barely recognized the deceased:

"This is Elder Li?!"

Xiao Yunhan and Shen Xuejun simultaneously channeled their energy, and the floor where the commotion erupted was instantly covered by solid ice, transforming into a cage that sealed off the area, preventing anyone or anything from escaping.

I'm trapped!

Shen Xuejun sensed a hidden presence inside. It seemed that the person who made the move hadn't expected them to appear here. Given the strength of the elders of Tianya Tower, it would be difficult for them to react so quickly. However, several more palm prints were unleashed from there, shattering the ice cage. A black shadow darted out and escaped unimpeded from the sky.

Xiao Yunhan and Shen Xuejun wanted to chase after him, but they were blocked by the barrier of Tianya Tower and could not catch up with him immediately.

Chu Mingkong stared in the direction the person had left, his brows furrowed.

This figure seems to be one of the people seen through the black relic, the one who flattered and fawned over the tall woman.

Chapter 217 Yunhan: I'll go ask Mother what happened.

I don't know if this is good news or bad news.

The good news is that the doubts about Chu Mingkong's identity have been dispelled. He came in with Xiao Yunhan, so he doesn't need to be suspected of being the murderer or a suspicious person. The real murderer just ran away, saving Chu Mingkong the trouble of explaining his identity and why he was wearing a suit of armor.

The bad news was that another elder of Tianya Tower had died. After inquiring, it turned out that Elder Li was more inclined to support him, which made Chu Mingkong very angry.

However, this greatly reduced the suspicion surrounding the Xiao family in Chu Mingkong's mind. While it couldn't be said that a definitive conclusion could be drawn, it was pretty close to the truth.

If the Xiao family truly has the ability to command people of this caliber to come over, then why bother cultivating relationships with the elders of Tianya Tower? They could simply kill those who don't support them.

The atmosphere in Tianya Tower was heavy. Everyone looked worried and distressed. Looking at Elder Li's corpse, everyone had a lot to say, but no one could say it.

Whether it's questioning, doubting, being angry, or grieving, venting these emotions is meaningless in the moment and only wastes precious time.

Before anyone could speak, Chu Mingkong broke the silence. He crouched down to examine the dent in Elder Li's chest closely and asked the other elders:

"What was that barrier all about? Why could it stop our own people but not that assassin?"

Chu Mingkong deeply understood the exhilarating feeling of moving freely within someone else's barrier, but when he discovered that others could do the same, he became quite apprehensive.

This feeling of unease is like going to the bathroom to defecate only to find that the door is not closed properly, and you are always on the verge of someone carelessly barging in.

The elders in charge of the barrier and formation exchanged glances and then selected a representative to speak:

"That person possessed some magical artifacts that could conceal their aura and break formations, but they must have also used extremely Yin energy. We discovered that one of the barriers had been damaged by extremely Yin energy. After the damage was done, we should have noticed it, but the assassin's magical artifacts quickly paralyzed the formation. The nearby guards noticed the anomaly and went to investigate. At almost the same time, Elder Li was also involved in an accident..."

After the commotion that followed, we immediately surrounded Tianya Tower. Not to mention the guests, even we old guys who had worked at Tianya Tower for over a decade couldn't get out.

I just don't understand why the new formation that was set up later couldn't stop this person... The only thing that couldn't be stopped is... It doesn't make sense, could it be that it was broken?

Another elder, hunched over, came over and said with concern:

"Am I out of my mind? Is it possible that someone can now freely wield the power of extreme Yin?"

He asked the question that Chu Mingkong wanted to ask, and an elder responded:

"Perhaps, but at least we have never heard of it, nor within the Heavenly Pole Empire. I just don't know about those sects... Pavilion Master Shen, have you heard of it?"

The mature and beautiful sect leader, with her graceful bearing, shook her head and said succinctly and calmly:

"No."

After much discussion, they still couldn't reach a conclusion.

Chu Mingkong didn't believe that person could truly be like him, able to move freely through most barriers. If he really had that ability, why would he go to the trouble of secretly destroying the array barrier when entering the Tianya Tower's territory?

If someone can enter without noticing, they certainly wouldn't bother with the barrier. Some barriers react very strongly when broken. What wouldn't have been noticed before might have backfired by touching it, attracting the attention of those around.

Afterwards, Chu Mingkong was more inclined to believe that he had a way to break the barrier that prevented him from leaving, but had no way to break the barrier that prevented him from entering.

It's possible that he could enter the barrier using the power of extreme yin, but the barrier would detect him, alerting the people in Tianya Tower to be on guard. That's why it would be necessary to destroy the barrier before sneaking in. However, since he was discovered anyway when he was escaping, he didn't care and just crossed the barrier directly.

Moreover, this person's extreme Yin power has a slightly different effect than Chu Mingkong's; he can be sensed by Xiao Yunhan and the others.

The matter remains unresolved for now, but Chu Mingkong has already obtained many of the conclusions he wanted.

Several elders took the body away to ponder the matter, and then another group of elders came over to greet the few rare guests. After exchanging greetings with Xiao Yunhan and Shen Xuejun, they focused their attention on Chu Mingkong.

The elder who spoke was Elder Ding, who studied alchemy at Tianya Tower. He sized up the person in front of him, who was dressed in armor and a cloak, finding the attire quite suspicious.

"Miss Xiao, who is this gentleman?"

“You all know each other, but it’s not convenient to reveal your identities right now, so I can only reveal this much,” Xiao Yunhan said.

Xiao Yunhan felt that the elders would gradually figure out Chu Mingkong's identity. However, it was one thing for them to guess, and another for Xiao Yunhan to admit it herself. As long as no one confirmed it, their guesses would remain just that—guesses.

Finding Chu Mingkong's whereabouts on the table is still quite troublesome.

Elder Ding understood and stopped questioning him; after all, no matter how suspicious this person was, he couldn't be the murderer.

"Then what is the matter? It can't be just about accompanying the young lady, can it?"