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

Chu Mingkong, who had just escaped the boy mode, was dumbfounded. He gritted his teeth and decisively changed back.

Shen Xuejun kept her word, picked up the boy and sat him on the table, then slowly lowered her head. Chu Mingkong looked at his teacher's wife's two lustrous lips and felt that she was incredibly beautiful.

A moist, warm, and gradually becoming skillful and flexible beauty.

A reward promised with sweet lips will be fully delivered with sweet lips.

I do not know how long it has been,

Shen Xuejun packed a bottle of antidote for her daughter.

------

P.S.: No update tonight. I was a bit slow writing today; I've been sleepy for too long.

Chapter 233 Ruined My Good Deeds

In the Abyss, some of the Buddhist monks who seemed to have left are still active there. Xiling is currently conducting a full-scale search for the Buddhist monks, but with little success, because the bald monks who were active outside have all run away, and the Abyss is a place where Xiling officers find it difficult to carry out a large-scale search.

The monk Nusheng sat cross-legged on the ground, practicing his internal energy to heal his injuries. A small Buddha statue in front of him was sending him its power of prayer, and the broken golden body was slowly being repaired. The dull, grayish golden body could occasionally flash with dazzling golden light.

Before his injuries had fully healed, Monk Nusheng finished his meditation, stood up from the futon, and respectfully bowed to the people wearing dragon masks.

"I heard that the protector of the Asura King was injured, which really startled us. Who could possibly injure you to this extent? There shouldn't be such a person in Xiling or any of the other noble families."

The masked man was surprised. The friendliness in his words was especially evident when he mentioned the name "Asura King," which was why he was so close to him because of his status as a protector.

“Yes, after careful consideration, this humble monk believes it may be His Highness the Crown Prince of Xiling. Since there are rumors that he has secretly returned to Xiling, but has never been seen, he must have hidden his identity. It can only be that mysterious armored man who calls himself ‘Cao the Traitor’.”

"That should be it. Since childhood, he has been wearing armor every day because of the princess. However, his specialty is the spear. The golden body of the Nusheng Protector was forged from the Kongming Spear. Even a spear immortal should have difficulty injuring you to this extent."

"It's the Greatsword Immortal. As expected of someone with an extraordinary background, I was on guard against a pistol, but I didn't expect the greatsword to be so vicious."

"That's a pity. I was hoping to give Xiling to the Asura King as a Buddhist domain to spread Buddhism. The previous Xiling King left the will to destroy Buddhism in the King's Talisman, which I can no longer access. The martial arts competition in Tianya City is the most likely way to get close to the King's Talisman."

"My purpose in coming here was not to visit Tianya City. I led my men to draw attention to the city so that you could accomplish your mission safely. Moreover, Xiling is adjacent to the Abyss, so even if the Asura King comes, he will have to pay attention to this place... How is the matter going?"

"The various magical artifacts and divine weapons forged by the Asura King using the Abyss as a furnace are nearing completion... However, I have one more thing to do. I would like to use the furnace fire used to forge these artifacts."

What is this?

"I want to try to open the ancient royal tomb of Xiling."

"Then you must wait until the ritual implement is completed before trying it with the remaining fire in the furnace. The matter of the Asura King must not be complicated by any accidents."

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On Chu Mingkong's side, after the antidote was taken, his desire to enter the Dao through the cave grew stronger. He really wanted to go and cultivate with Consort Wan. Unfortunately, Qingxin Mansion was disturbed in the middle of the night - the Xiao family came to cause trouble.

On the surface, the Xiao family should have been expelled from Xiling. Moreover, when the Princess Consort of Chu and Consort Wan were sent to Tianya Tower, Chu Mingkong had already ordered that their whereabouts and identities not be revealed. Even when they returned to Qingxin Mansion to rest, they were required to keep their activities secret.

It's the middle of the night now, and there's a constant howling outside Qingxin Mansion.

"Zhi'er! Hua'er! You've already become friends with Lord Zuo, why hide it from your father! Your father supports you!"

There was no response from inside Qingxin Mansion; only guards stood outside, preventing the Xiao family from getting even half a step closer.

Xiao Chengren brought Xiao Fengnan along, but Xiao Fengnan was still dazed and listless, his eyes lifeless, muttering to himself, "It must still be the mental intimidation of the angry gaze... it's all an illusion," unwilling to face the tragic fact that even after his transformation and sublimation, he was still defeated by someone with a single blow.

"Zhi'er! Look at Fengnan! Even if you resent your father, you can't be so cruel to your son Fengnan! He was bewitched by that woman Xiao Chenglin's lies, and now I've beheaded that vixen and displayed her head to the public! Come out now!"

In Qingxin Mansion, Princess Chu and Consort Wang, who had already retired for the night, got up together, wearing only thin clothes. Princess Chu's face was gloomy. The joy of reconciliation and recognition with Chu Mingkong was shattered by the ominous sound of ghosts howling in the middle of the night.

Consort Wan comforted her, saying:

“Zhi’er, don’t pay any attention to the people outside. Just drive them out of Xiling. Don’t show your face. If you do, it will expose your identity as the King of Xiling. You need to keep your identity a secret, otherwise your father will bring people to cause trouble again in the future.”

Princess Chu understood this principle, but hearing Xiao Chengren's voice now filled her with inexplicable anger. She gritted her teeth and said:

"Wan Hua, a person lives for their reputation, a tree lives for its bark. How can this old man be so shameless?"

She really wanted to go out and confront him, to ask him if he remembered how smug he was in front of her, how he instigated Feng Nan to embarrass her and forcibly take Wan Hua away.

From Xiao Fengnan's words at the time, Xiao Zhi could guess how Xiao Chengren had bewitched him. Xiao Zhi wasn't angry that Xiao Chengren used such petty tricks; what angered her most was that Xiao Fengnan actually believed his maternal grandfather!

Xiao Yunhan's courtyard was relatively quiet. After a while, Chu Mingkong woke up from a comfortable sleep and arrived late at Princess Chu's place. After understanding what had happened, he gave Princess Chu some advice.

"Xiao Chengren is now eager to find a backer. Originally, this operation was intended to abandon the Xiao family's base in the capital, since it would offend the royal family. But now Xiao Chengren has not only failed to obtain Xiling, but has also offended the royal family, so he has no choice but to come back with a heavy heart. However, it is also possible that he came to gather information for the royal family, to find out who the new King of Xiling is, so that he can act as a guide to lead the royal family to deal with Xiling in the future."

The new Queen Consort of Chu needs to focus on the affairs of Xiling and stabilize everything as soon as possible, instead of letting the buzzing of these dung flies affect her mood.

Chu Mingkong said:

"I'll handle this matter, but my methods might be a bit excessive. If you're worried about things not going well, Mother Consort Xiao, I can discuss it with you before I take any action."

Is there even a need to discuss this? Discuss how to soften one's heart and save face for Xiao Chengren? Although Xiao Zhi now knows that the person who exchanged her body for medicine is Chu Mingkong, she can accept it to some extent and is not so disgusted by this matter, but what if the real identity of "Lord Zuo" is not Chu Mingkong?

"Don't hold back, Mingkong, go and handle this for my mother. I don't want to see them in Xiling again..."

"Alright, then I need to go to Tianya Tower first. It must be that an elder there exposed your information. We need to make an example of them. Mother, please write an authorization."

The reason for requesting such an authorization is to avoid the elders saying things like, "Your Excellency, you have already given the royal seal to Princess Chu. Now Xiling belongs to Princess Chu, not you," and then they can come back to Princess Chu to write it, which would be troublesome.

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

Chu Mingkong felt that he no longer needed to hide his identity or wear armor, but he still came to Tianya Tower in the middle of the night, woke up Elder Ding, and told him what had happened.

He felt there was nothing he could do about it and tried to offer some advice:

"Your Excellency, some time ago, we all thought that Tianya City was going to ally with the Xiao family, and that there was also the relationship with the Princess of Chu. Therefore, we made contact with the Xiao family. A few elders may have had pleasant conversations with the Xiao family. If we punish them directly, it may cause other elders to accumulate resentment and fear."

Chu Mingkong shook his head; there was no room for negotiation on this matter. He stated firmly:

“There is no room for leniency in this matter. I could understand why the elders approached the Xiao family because they thought the Xiao family was part of the Chu Princess’s power. But now it is clear that the Xiao family has parted ways with the Chu Princess, and some people are pretending not to know.”

Or to put it another way, the Princess Consort of Chu is now under my control, Zuo Gege's, control, not the Xiao family's. Yet some people still don't understand this, which is tantamount to being dissatisfied with me, colluding with the Xiao family, and betraying information about the new Prince of Xiling. They cannot be allowed to live. Elder Ding should know who these people are. Please tell me!

Chu Mingkong never expected everyone to accept a new master, which is understandable. If you don't like it, you can leave. If you want to join the Xiao family, then join them. But if you stay and become a mole, then I'm sorry.

Elder Ding then compiled a list. Of the current elders of Tianya City Tower, one-fifth were aligned with the Xiao family, half wanted to stay and acknowledge Princess Chu, and the rest didn't care who became the elder.

This result is still relatively optimistic. Chu Mingkong was really worried that there would be traitors among all the people. If half of his own people were gone, he would truly be a commander without troops.

Elder Ding's words also make sense. We shouldn't be too rough in dealing with them. We can kill the one-fifth of them casually, but if we kill them too brutally, it will frighten those who were originally inclined to side with Princess Chu.

It would be best to issue a public warning first, and then secretly observe whether they show any signs of committing a crime, so that the other elders understand that these people died knowingly and intentionally, rather than being killed by the new Xiling King due to excessive murderous intent.

Xiling will be Chu Mingkong's base for settling Aunt Gu and the others. Leaving such people in Tianya Tower would be creating trouble for himself.

Looking at the huge stack of names, Chu Ming asked wearily:

"Elder Ding, can you confirm who tipped off the Xiao family in the past two days?"

"Your Excellency, I am truly powerless to do anything about this. I really do not know. If they act on their own, it is difficult for me to be fully aware of the situation."

"Is that so...?"

As Chu Mingkong was about to draw lots to randomly select a few lucky elders, a fragrant breeze blew past him, and a figure appeared, casually tossing down the heads of several elders.

"I can't guarantee that this is all, but I can assure you that they had contact with the Xiao family after the martial arts competition. Xiao Chengren does have a talent for catering to their tastes; he'd be perfect for being a pimp in a brothel. The situation is already settled, and some elders even think the Xiao family can make a comeback." Feng Ying shrugged, as if to say that this was just a casual favor.

The feeling of having someone take care of everything he thinks of beforehand is indescribably wonderful.

"Thank goodness you were here!" Chu Mingkong said gratefully.

Feng Ying raised an eyebrow and said:

"I'm here to be fed and cared for by you, not to do any extra work or help you for free~"

Chapter 234 Lost His Mind

The small problem left by the Xiao family at Tianya Tower was immediately partially removed. Chu Mingkong only dealt with the most arrogant ringleaders, leaving the rest for Princess Chu to handle slowly.

With the personnel list in hand, all that's needed is to keep a close eye on things and deal with any loose ends. Chu Mingkong thought that Princess Chu should be quite good at this.

As for Xiao Chengren, who came over in the middle of the night shouting, he prevented Chu Mingkong from going to Consort Wan's overtime cultivation. With the permission of Princess Chu, Chu Mingkong quickly found someone to splash swill and throw rotten fish on the Xiao family members... a kind of rotten fish that smelled like canned herring.

Xiao Chengren was truly a cowardly pimp who could bend and stretch. Even after being splashed with stench, he still tried to play the victim and gain sympathy. In the end, when there was really no other way, Chu Mingkong had someone demonstrate the fermentation process of pickled cabbage to Xiao Chengren, and then stuffed the pickled cabbage into their mouths, thus driving the Xiao family away in a sure way.

Even with her own son, Xiao Fengnan, the Princess of Chu showed no sign of forgiveness or reconciliation.

Chu Mingkong felt that Xiao Zhi was already being quite magnanimous. If Xiao Chengren had continued to cause trouble for a little longer and worn down Xiao Zhi's patience, she might have had to order them to be chopped into human pigs and thrown into a latrine.

Chu Mingkong started working in the middle of the night. Since he was already busy, he figured he might as well give all the instructions at once so he wouldn't have to find the time later. So he worked straight through until evening before finally finishing.

Because a large part of these things were aimed at the elders of Tianya Tower, Fengying accompanied him throughout, as she was more adept at doing these kinds of shady things.

If Master Zuo Qiuchi were to come, he would probably just leave the Extinction Heavy Sword at the foot of Tianya Tower and then order those elders to come and die on their own, without implicating their families, thus saving her so much effort.

Because that's what Chu Mingkong thought, Zuo Qiuchi probably thought the same way.

As the sun sets, the slanting rays turn a vibrant red.

Chu Mingkong had returned to his normal form. He and Feng Ying stood by the window of Tianya Tower, bathed in the twilight. The orange-red sunset light shone on Feng Ying's skin, casting a dreamy halo around her face. This light, through shadow, made her three-dimensional and exquisite features even more stunning, giving her a unique exotic charm.

He sighed:

"For the first time, I realized more clearly that I'm not cut out for this kind of thing. It requires meticulousness and caution, and I have to consider this and that. It's very troublesome."

Just like dealing with this group of traitors and collaborators, killing them too lightly would leave hidden dangers, but killing them too harshly could easily backfire and make other elders feel fear and apprehension. We must find a balance.

It's easier said than done, but Chu Mingkong wasn't very good at handling these things. Every choice you make from a high position will have unpredictable effects on those below, so you have to be extremely cautious. The inability to solve problems with a single, decisive action is what troubles him most.

Instead of offering words of comfort, Fengying nodded happily and said:

"That's good, you should have felt this kind of frustration a long time ago."

"How so?" Chu Mingkong felt that she might have some profound insights or wisdom to share with him.

"Back when you were just a little kid, you casually said you could help me improve my cultivation technique in a few days. I was waiting for you to produce results, but you finished ahead of schedule."

Seeing a newcomer easily catch up to someone you've worked in for years is quite disheartening. But seeing you struggling with something you don't understand makes me happy and relieves my boredom.

"..." Chu Mingkong retorted, "Although, if you have this schadenfreude, please keep it to yourself and don't say it out loud, okay?"

"Since you've successfully pleased me, I'll grant you a kiss~"

Feng Ying looked up at him, her cat-like green eyes filled with a cunning charm, her delicate jade-like face exquisitely beautiful.

Chu Mingkong was quite genuine; he immediately broke into a bright smile, easily comforted, and said: