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

"Then I want to have a cactus sandwiched between my butt!"

"I'm going to scrub the mud off with a washboard!"

Amidst their back-and-forth conversation, a shout came from below the city wall, urging them to open the city gates and let them pass.

Several soldiers looked down and found that it was none other than the Left Minister in full armor. His hands were in a gesture of holding someone, but there was nothing in his arms. He was just holding his arms empty. However, the soldiers did not pay attention to this. They were more surprised that the Left Minister had returned from such a desperate situation!

A soldier ran to open the gate, while the soldiers still on the city wall asked:

"Your Excellency Zuo, the Abyss... the Giant Buddha... is Xiling about to be gone?" He stammered, not even knowing what he was asking.

Chu Mingkong pondered for a moment, and realized that they were probably referring to the Buddhist image they had just seen, which had likely frightened them.

He never expected that the soldiers had already given up. He was worried that they would be playing mind games with thin air, making too many unnecessary strategic preparations and wasting city defense resources, so he told them the truth to appease the troops.

"Of those two Buddhist statues, one was summoned by me to deal with a Buddhist monk. The golden one is the monk's. Now that I have eliminated the remaining Buddhist forces hiding in the Abyss, you don't need to worry too much. Everything will proceed as usual. Tianya Tower will reward you afterwards."

The soldiers suddenly fell silent, unable to utter a word.

Chu Mingkong watched them stand there, stunned, their eyes filled with a hint of despair and indignation.

What's going on? Has joy turned to sorrow?

Back at the border, Chu Mingkong gave instructions to the officers, briefly informing them of what had happened in the Abyss. He told them not to worry too much about the strange occurrences in the Abyss, as everything had calmed down, and to proceed as usual.

It is worth mentioning that after Chu Mingkong returned, he saw some familiar faces, those retired border veterans. They had taken the initiative to return to the border of the Extreme Abyss after Chu Mingkong left the pass and entered the Extreme Abyss, saying that they were afraid that the new recruits here would not know how to handle things and that they would come back to help.

The border is now basically only left with the soldiers of Xiling. Many of the sect disciples also ran away after seeing the giant Buddha, leaving only a few.

This made Chu Mingkong somewhat emotional, but he didn't go out to meet those acquaintances. Chu Mingkong still had to maintain the mystery of his identity. Mystery meant the unknown, and the unknown represented fear.

He needed to instill a sense of awe and fear in Xiling.

Zuo Qiuchi and Feng Ying had already been there, but when they arrived, a large number of ferocious beasts from the Abyss had been alerted and moved to the outer area. The two of them went to help deal with the small fry and were temporarily not in the border region.

Chu Mingkong said to the officer:

"...These are the general arrangements. You can coordinate the details yourself. There's one more thing. These days have been tough for the border officers. Tianya Tower will reward them later, including the veterans who came back to help, as well as the cultivators who stayed behind. You need to tell them this."

The faster this news spreads, the better, otherwise the soldiers might think that the good news is just "comforting lies" from above. But the celebration and rewards can dispel all these concerns and doubts, and these soldiers on the frontier have indeed worked hard, so this is a well-deserved reward.

"Yes, sir!" the sergeant replied, his expression showing excitement; he too was anticipating the reward from above.

After dealing with these trivial matters, Chu Mingkong led Princess Chu (in stealth mode) back to the room. The room he found was the one he used to live in. Compared to Tianya City, it was naturally simple, but it was considered a large villa-level residence in the border area.

Returning to familiar surroundings, Chu Mingkong relaxed. He changed out of his armor and deactivated the invisibility mode of the Princess Chu.

There's a lot to talk about, but after maintaining that kind of thing for so long in the Abyss, taking a shower is the top priority.

He set up a large bathtub and invited the Queen of Chu to bathe with him.

Chapter 255 About Your Husband

Princess Chu, a woman of such strong character, would usually keep her grievances to herself. However, since returning from the Abyss, she had remained silent, and her gaze towards Chu Mingkong was filled with resentment and shame.

She herself didn't know how to describe her feelings at this moment. Before leaving Tianya City, when she was still in the Xiao family mansion, everything was fine, and she could still control Chu Mingkong.

Everything changed as soon as they left the city. First, he put her on horseback to cultivate. Putting that aside, she also had her own reasons for doing so. At the time, Princess Chu was genuinely worried that Chu Mingkong's condition would have a negative impact if he rashly entered the Abyss region.

But after they actually entered the Abyss, she was in the wild and she was always clinging to him, even during battles. This is how mother and son are connected!

She was in a daze the whole time, but unlike the daze caused by a mental injury, she could subconsciously perceive what was happening around her. However, her consciousness was so light that she didn't think about what the situation meant.

Over the years, in public, not only before Prince Huai's disappearance, but even when out with her own children, Princess Chu had never shown any intimacy. Her dignified and imposing demeanor had become deeply ingrained in people's minds. Those in Xiling who had met her almost all remembered her as composed, self-assured, and dignified.

But Princess Chu never imagined that she would be carried around like a pendant by her son Chu Mingkong, and even go through several battles!

The image flashed through her mind, and her face turned pale and then red.

Even after Chu Mingkong undressed her and carried her into the bathtub to soak in hot water, Princess Chu was still unable to come to her senses for a long time, feeling so ashamed that she wanted to disappear.

"Alright, baby pheasant, stop daydreaming. You've been soaking in the bath since we entered the pass, from when I finished giving you instructions until now. You should be feeling more and more alert by now, right?"

Princess Chu was finally brought back to her senses by that cry of "Pheasant Baby!" She bit her lip in annoyance, glared at him with her beautiful eyes filled with complex emotions, and said reproachfully:

How can you say that so easily? Don't you feel even a little bit ashamed?

Shame... Chu Mingkong felt he should have it, but on the way to Xiling, his pants were repeatedly ripped off, and he ran around naked for too long, so his so-called sense of shame was almost gone. Perhaps the little bit of shame he had left was just to prove that he once had such a thing.

A person either dies in silence or perishes in silence; he achieved the latter, which is called survival of the fittest!

However, he felt that the Princess Consort of Chu was not really angry at the moment, otherwise he would not have revealed his shameful feelings to her.

Chu Mingkong's large hand groped underwater until it touched the Chu Princess's feet. He held her beautiful feet in his hands. Whether it was from the hot water or from her shyness, the Chu Princess's jade feet were very warm, with soft and tender soles. Her ten delicate toes curled up and down from time to time, as if tickling his palm, making them irresistible.

However, Chu Mingkong knew that it wasn't the Princess Consort of Chu who wanted to scratch him, because he had had this experience before...

"Little pheasant, are you feeling embarrassed right now? Are your toes just itching to dig into the floor?"

When you feel embarrassed and awkward inside, having someone openly point it out makes it twice as embarrassing.

Princess Chu couldn't help but lightly pat the water's surface, splashing a few droplets onto Chu Mingkong's face; she simply didn't want to pay him any attention.

Chu Mingkong embraced her waist in the water and pulled her into his arms. The beautiful and fragrant woman was in his arms, especially her perfectly round and full breasts, which felt soft and wonderful to the touch.

He suppressed his inner turmoil and used his own embarrassing moments to comfort the Princess of Chu, saying:

"Actually, I tried it before, on the way to Xiling. I wished I could disappear into a crack in the ground. Why don't I tell you, my little pheasant?"

Princess Chu did not answer directly, but she tilted her fair and delicate profile slightly toward him, as if she were listening intently.

Chu Mingkong then told her what had happened. When Princess Chu heard that Chu Mingkong had come to his senses, his mind had snapped out of the child mode, and he realized how much his master and others had tormented him during this time, how long he had run around naked, and how he had almost died of shame, Princess Chu felt much better and couldn't help but chuckle.

However, Princess Chu was very concerned about her image, and she immediately put on a stern face again, while Chu Mingkong was still immersed in that rare, knowing smile from just now.

A natural smile, devoid of any coquettishness, can better unleash the myriad charms of a mature and beautiful woman.

"Don't be so serious so soon. Baby Zhi'er's smile is so beautiful, I haven't had enough of looking at her yet," Chu Mingkong said gently, tightening his arms around her, almost as if he wanted to melt into her softness.

"Get out of here!" she scolded, giving Chu Mingkong a symbolic push underwater, but continuing to indulge his wanton embrace. Princess Chu questioned, "When you were chatting with Wan Hua earlier, why didn't you mention these things? Did you make them up on the spot?"

Actually, I did mention it at the time, but I just glossed over it, because I wanted to avoid them noticing.

"Under normal circumstances, I shouldn't go into details about this, otherwise you'd all laugh at me. I'm only bringing it up now because I have no other choice."

Princess Chu thought about it and agreed. She vaguely remembered that Chu Mingkong had mentioned it before, but he seemed to have said something like "his belt was loosened by the wind," without mentioning that he had been running around naked for so long since then.

Knowing that her son had also recently had such an embarrassing experience, Princess Chu felt much better. After all, she still had the Dust-Free Talisman to hide herself, and there was no one around. Chu Mingkong, on the other hand, was moving around freely on the airship, floating boat, and White Tiger Plain, and everyone saw him. He was even teased by his master.

"Little Pheasant, are you feeling better now? You're not angry anymore, are you?"

Chu Mingkong rested his chin on her fragrant shoulder, inhaling the delicate scent emanating from her neck. Looking down, he saw two large, full breasts.

"Ugh! How can you hold me up like this and then fight with someone else!" She was only venting symbolically; the resentment in her heart had long since disappeared.

"I'm sorry~ But I was in a difficult position at the time. Tell me what I should do. I was worried about letting you hide to the side, Zhi'er."

"Suppressing your senses in the Abyss, what if there are still Buddhist monks hiding in the shadows who could kidnap you? Therefore, keeping you in my arms is the best option!"

Chu Mingkong didn't just chat; he started wiping her body and massaging and cleaning the areas that had been under pressure. Princess Chu didn't just let him serve her either; she also helped Chu Mingkong wipe his body.

But she had never served anyone before; she had always been the one being served. Therefore, she was rather clumsy at cleaning. When she came to those stubborn, raised areas, she was even more at a loss for how to clean them, assuming that Chu Mingkong was just trying to make fun of her and embarrass her.

So, the Queen of Chu rubbed his feet against him a few times, gently pressing the parts that wouldn't cooperate with the wiping to the bottom of the basin, teaching him to behave and not to be unruly.

"By the way, my little Zhi'er, there's something I need to tell you... about Prince Huai."

Chapter 256 The Person Fainted

...King Huai?

After many years, when she heard this name again from the people around her, the Princess of Chu felt unfamiliar and uncomfortable.

This sense of alienation stems from blame. All the events that followed, if traced back to their origins, stemmed from the actions of King Huai, whether it was his choice regarding the position of heir apparent or his subsequent disappearance.

The Queen Consort of Chu had already gotten used to her life and gradually let go of the name "King Huai of Chu," feeling that she had married into the Chu royal family, not a particular individual.

The discomfort this name caused the Queen Consort of Chu lay in... the delicate nature of her situation and relationship.

In terms of their relationship alone, she and her son Chu Mingkong... have reconciled, even to a strange degree, and are now bathing together in the same wooden tub.

Under these circumstances, when Princess Chu suddenly heard Chu Mingkong mention her husband, she felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

"Why... say it at a time like this..." Princess Chu's voice lowered, avoiding Chu Mingkong's gaze, and she even tried to get up from the wooden tub.

At least, I need to get dressed first...

However, Chu Mingkong stood up and pulled Princess Chu back into his arms, immersing them in the steaming hot water.

Princess Chu wanted to reprimand him for going too far, but something pressed against her buttocks made her tremble, and her son's forceful attitude made her unable to utter the words she was about to say.

"you......"

“I know it’s a bit strange to bring up this person at this time, but even if we change the time, Zhi’er will definitely still feel uncomfortable, so it’s better to make things clear sooner rather than later.”

After Chu Mingkong finished speaking, he tightened his embrace of Princess Chu, making it impossible for her to avoid him.

"Then, then you tell me." The Princess of Chu gave up resisting and let him hold her.

Chu Mingkong didn't want to put her in too much of a difficult position, nor did he want her to become depressed, so he added fuel to the fire, speaking in a seemingly ambiguous way:

"My little pheasant, don't have so much psychological burden. Did King Huai of Chu ever say why he made me the crown prince?"

Even if the Queen Consort of Chu didn't know about this, she must have questioned King Huai of Chu about the reason, but she shook her head at this moment:

"Without specifying the exact reasons, they hastily decided to arrange and hastily found someone to complete the ceremony for establishing the heir apparent. When I asked him, he gave vague answers, saying only that he thought it was appropriate and told me not to interfere."

Chu Mingkong already knew about this situation, but there was actually another version to the public: King Huai of Chu dreamed of a goddess carrying his child while hunting. After waking up, he became completely infatuated with the goddess and, as if possessed, made the child he had picked up his heir.

This explanation is somewhat far-fetched, but it makes sense in this superstitious worldview. After all, people think that King Huai of Chu became infatuated with another woman and made an illegitimate son the crown prince, which is a plausible explanation.

In short, a ridiculous yet plausible explanation was found.

Chu Mingkong nodded, his two large hands brazenly sensing the heartbeat of the Princess Chu, and continued:

"That's the problem. The truth is that he was plotting something back then. I've gotten a bit of a feel for this plan, but I can't draw any conclusions yet. Even his decision to make me the heir apparent was part of that plan. For some reason, he can't take direct action against me."

Actually, he had been secretly exacerbating the conflicts around me, trying to kill me through others. Establishing the heir apparent was probably to intensify the conflict between you and me, my little Zhi'er, hoping to use the Xiao family to eliminate me. But later, she discovered that you were merely biding your time and delaying your action, so she had no choice but to use my trip to the capital as an excuse to kill me en route, using that disaster as her method.

These were, of course, just nonsense spouted by Chu Mingkong.