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

Glancing at the positions of the officials out of the corner of his eye, Chu Mingkong put his arm around Yongzhen's arm and moved calmly and quickly toward the alley.

But this is not a good solution. While using violence to clear the way might easily solve the immediate problem, it would also be telling the emperor that Chu Mingkong has returned. Not everyone can use the Extreme Yin Fire Spiritual Energy.

The officers were initially only suspicious, but after hearing the woman mention words like "discovered" and noticing her shifty eyes, their behavior suddenly became suspicious.

Now, the man is frantically trying to escape!

One of the officers in the group, sensing the danger, quickly said:

"Oh no, they're heading into the alleys. There are tons of ordinary houses there, and the deeper they go, the more complicated it gets. If they get there, we won't be able to find them. Quick, after them!"

"You two over there, stop right there!!"

The bustling night market fell silent instantly. Vendors and shoppers stood still, not daring to utter a sound. This allowed the officials to reach the alleyway without having to squeeze through the crowds.

But none of the officers gave chase. They stood frozen at the alley entrance—they discovered that the two suspicious figures they had just seen hadn't fled as they had expected, but were instead kissing and cuddling in the shadows of the alley entrance...?!

In the alley, a man and a woman were embracing passionately in the shadows, kissing and licking each other, their lips locked in a passionate embrace. The man went even further, cupping the woman's cheek in one hand and supporting her buttocks with the other, holding her close to his chest.

They stopped when they realized someone was coming, and the woman seemed to know how shameful and immoral her actions were, burying her face in the man's arms, afraid of being seen by the officials.

Chu Mingkong, adopting a tone of "the guilty party accusing the innocent first," coldly regarded the constables, his attitude utterly arrogant. He then spoke in the broken accent of the Wind Shadow Sect, asking:

"What brings you gentlemen, officers?"

The officials didn't know if the accent of the Crescent Kingdom was pure or not, since they hadn't had much contact with them, but they could tell they were from out of town.

"The city is under strict control now. What are you two doing here? I just heard you talking about being worried about being 'discovered.' What's going on?"

Another officer interrupted, interjecting:

"Also, where are you from?"

Chu Mingkong took two steps forward, exposing himself to the light of the lantern, but he was still protected in Yongzhen's arms, and they did not see his face.

“I am from the Yueqi tribe. This girl and I hit it off immediately and became very close. We strolled around and relaxed for a while, and then we came here to pour out our hearts to each other. Is there a problem?” he asked the official with a matter of course.

The official didn't doubt the man's identity much and readily believed him. Firstly, no one in the capital had ever impersonated a stranger to swindle people. Most people in the capital probably didn't even know the characteristics of the Yuejing royal family. It was only because they, as officials, had been reminded by their superiors that people from allied marriage alliances had been visiting recently, and were given descriptions of these people, that they knew a thing or two. This man's appearance certainly matched the description. Secondly, there was that arrogant air of nobility, an aura that ordinary people couldn't cultivate. He must be from a prominent family. But if he were from a prominent family in the capital, there would be no need for him to impersonate a stranger; wouldn't that invite ancestral punishment?

"Then why did you two just say something about being 'discovered'? What's going on?" the officer pressed sternly.

"Her family objected, so I brought her out on my own. I was afraid her family would find out. Doesn't the Tianji Empire have a custom of women being cautious about going out with men? It's that simple." Chu Mingkong shrugged, not afraid of being questioned. The more arrogant he was, the less arrogant the officials became.

"Objection?" The officials exchanged suspicious glances. "A foreign royal family that even the imperial family values ​​has taken a liking to a respectable young lady. Would you object? Are you lying, sir? Do you think we don't know the nature of these lackeys?"

"This girl's husband was very opposed to it, and I had no choice but to secretly bring her out." Chu Mingkong said indignantly.

"???"

The officials were speechless, cursing inwardly: "Bah! What a despicable couple! One preys on respectable young women, while the other, a married woman, just gives in. No wonder they dare not show their faces."

They then heard the man say to the woman:

"You agree, Miss Zhang Yiyi, your husband is truly inhuman!"

After a moment's thought, the officers decided it was alright and to disregard the woman's words. The young lady from the Zhang family, who sold wine, was already a notorious shrew; it was said she had never married. How could this man with two tufts of white hair on his forehead claim she had a husband?

Oh, it must be Zhang Yiyi who used this fraudulent tactic to make herself seem popular and sought after by men!

That's really insidious!

After Chu Mingkong's incident, everyone knew that the Zhang family's wine was watered down, and they didn't give them a friendly look.

"Since you are Miss Zhang Yiyi from Zhang Family Tavern, then it's alright, please feel free to do as you please! We won't disturb you any longer, but please find a room, as this kind of thing is quite indecent to do outdoors."

The officers didn't ask any further questions and left.

The alley fell silent for a moment. Yongzhen suddenly stomped on his foot and said angrily:

"You called me Zhang Yiyi, the daughter of that tavern owner... No, who gave you permission to suddenly kiss me like this?"

Chu Mingkong pretended to glance out of the alley and said in a bluffing manner:

"Oh no! The officer is back!"

Taking advantage of Yongzhen's panic, he grabbed her pretty face and kissed her fiercely. Yongzhen knew she had been tricked and couldn't break free from him, so she simply stopped struggling and chose to respond to Chu Mingkong directly.

Her tongue and lips defiantly returned the kiss, and her hands gradually hooked around Chu Mingkong's neck, as if determined to defeat him!

Chapter Sixteen: Give me another bellyband!

Unanswered speculation only breeds anxiety.

Madam Zhen was alone in the mansion, tidying up the rooms she would be using that night, but then she started to worry about whether Mingkong would come that night.

In any case, Chu Mingkong and Yongzhen were taking a walk outside, but it was already dark. Maybe they had finished their walk and decided to stay overnight instead of coming back? Previously, due to her greed, Mingkong thought that Yongzhen and he had a natural and close relationship, and that Yongzhen also had a good impression of Mingkong. Maybe they could really get together if she kept pushing and pulling?

It's also possible that Mingkong has already inquired with Yongzhen about his recent displeasure and then decided that he doesn't need to come over late at night. What should he do then?

This should clearly be considered a good thing, but Madam Zhen still felt a pang of jealousy and regret.

Several thoughts flashed through her mind in succession, and Madam Zhen's desire to know how her daughter and Mingkong were doing grew stronger. Under this desire, Madam Zhen found that her connection with Yongzhen on a spiritual level had suddenly become stronger.

It seems that it can sense what is happening on her end!

It wasn't just something you could see, but the feeling of truly experiencing it was completely conveyed to Madam Zhen.

With that feeling, the beautiful woman's lips parted slightly, as if an invisible force pried open her jaw, and a lingering, intense sensation followed one after another.

Madam Zhen was surprised by this feeling and wondered to herself, "Could this be... what's happening on Yongzhen's side?!"

----------

Yongzhen was truly competing with Chu Mingkong. Whether it was because he was greedy for the sweetness on the other's tongue, or some other factor, Yongzhen couldn't say for sure.

At first, it seemed like it was just a retaliation by the higher-ups against Chu Mingkong's excessive actions. They kissed him once out of expediency and that was it. They even continued kissing him after the officials left!

However, this behavior seemed to have a different kind of curse. Yongzhen felt that she had to kiss Chu Mingkong until he admitted defeat, but she also felt that she had become simple and just kissed for the sake of kissing.

Before I could even sort out these thoughts, that familiar, intense feeling of soul connection surged into my heart!

"This seems to be... a connection with my mother? Doesn't that mean my mother can sense what I'm doing right now?!"

In that moment of distraction, before Yongzhen could even say "wait" to Chu Mingkong, he had already completely gained the upper hand in this verbal battle. Yongzhen's whole body went limp, and even his tongue became a spoils for him to savor, and he was powerless to resist.

Yongzhen couldn't even bring herself to blame him. She thought bitterly, "It's all over. My mother knows about this argument with Mingkong. How am I going to face her when I get back?"

Last time, I accidentally triggered a sympathetic connection. After Yongzhen trained his soul with the pearl, he felt that he should be able to master the method, but he still couldn't get it to work. He could only have a strong connection occasionally. How come it was triggered again now?

Tonight is truly a strange night. Mingkong's concealment technique failed, and her soul connection with her mother encountered some unexpected problems...

After a long while, Chu Mingkong had savored the princess's sweet saliva. Seeing that she hadn't reacted for a long time, he was afraid of making her angry, so he slowly released her mouth, met her gaze, and tried to understand her feelings.

Yongzhen felt ashamed and embarrassed that her mother had found out what she had done, so she vented her frustration on Chu Mingkong, angrily asking him:

"Not kissing anymore?"

"You should have said so earlier. I'll continue kissing you then." Chu Mingkong pretended to pout his lips and leaned towards Yongzhen.

"No more kissing!" Yongzhen quickly covered her mouth, wanting to scold him but unable to do anything about it. "It's time to go back!"

"Okay~"

Now, Chu Mingkong can once again unleash the power of "Colorless Shadow". He conceals his presence and leads Yongzhen away from the alley.

"I hope there won't be any more mishaps this time. Don't let it happen in front of the guards outside the manor. Then it won't be any use for your hooliganism." Yongzhen's voice was muffled, just like her mood at the moment.

"That's unlikely. We've already failed once, it's not like we'll fail a second time right away... Forget it, I'd better not plant the flag. Let's hurry up and make the most of this time." Chu Mingkong emphasized his steady approach.

Those officials weren't having an easy time either. Chu Mingkong and Yongzhen had been intimate for so long, yet they were still stationed near the night market, chatting and gossiping. Chu Mingkong passed by them and overheard them discussing Miss Zhang Yiyi from the tavern.

"I heard that Zhang Yiyi was recently summoned by her father to be someone's concubine. The other party was a farm owner who controlled a lot of good grains for brewing. The old man of the Zhang family wanted to get some benefits, but Zhang Yiyi ran home halfway, saying that she couldn't stand the way the main wife looked at her and felt stifled."

"Hahaha! This is considered aggrieved. Zhang Yiyi deserves it. She's a shrew who got her comeuppance. Although the Prince of Xiling had a strange personality, I heard he was still good to her. She had to give a prince a hard time. Luckily, the prince's temper hadn't worsened back then, and he let the Zhang family off the hook. Now Zhang Yiyi has been reduced to being someone's concubine and she still refuses to marry him."

"It's not like she saw a nobleman from the Crescent Moon Kingdom and shamelessly started flirting with him in public. But I bet that young master was just playing around. After Zhang Yiyi has been used, she might even be considered unlucky to become someone's concubine."

I haven't heard anything about this Miss Zhang for a while. So she's fallen on hard times. Did she fail to settle things with that scholar she was flirting with?

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

After sending Yongzhen back to her room, Chu Mingkong quietly returned to Madam Zhen's villa to see which room she would be in tonight.

Fortunately, there weren't many empty rooms, and Chu Mingkong found one after looking around. He also discovered that Madam Zhen was already waiting in the room.

Chu Mingkong hesitated, wondering whether to go in. It seemed a bit too early. He had just brought Yongzhen back and was about to meet "Yongzhen" with Madam Zhen. It was a bit premature, and he couldn't rush things.

Madam Zhen slumped in her room, not even bothering to prepare clothes or anything else. She was still wondering if Mingkong would come over tonight.

It's unlikely. He was kissing Yongzhen so passionately just now, and he ate Yongzhen's tongue for so long. If it happened on a whim, he might just do something else tonight.

It was late at night when Madam Zhen, feeling disappointed, prepared to go back to her room to rest. Suddenly, she saw a figure at the door, and she was both delighted and surprised.

"Yongzhen, are you inside?"

The sound reminded Madam Zhen that she had forgotten to change her clothes!

Although it is difficult to detect any differences in clothing when blindfolded, especially for simple and elegant dresses, it is impossible to feel any obvious features.

Moreover, Mingkong has to come in blindfolded!

She leaned against the door and said softly, her voice low:

"...Yes, Mingkong, are you blindfolded?"

"Oh dear, I forgot! What should I do? Yongzhen, could you give me another bellyband? If not, underpants will do too. I can put them over my head to cover my eyes!"

Chapter Seventeen: The Monk Rings the Bell

Finally, Chu Mingkong entered the room as usual. "Yongzhen" took a bellyband off her body and blindfolded him before entering the room. The time was still far from the agreed "late night".

However, seeing that Madam Zhen was waiting anxiously in the room and was about to leave, he revealed himself ahead of time.

Chu Mingkong pretended not to see anything, and in the darkness, he lunged and hugged, as if trying to embrace the woman, but always fell just short. He said:

"I heard from Madam Zhen that you were alone late at night. I thought you would be happier after going out tonight, but I was worried and came to check on you. I didn't expect you to be here alone. Why do you always like to do this?"

Upon hearing Chu Mingkong explain his purpose, Madam Zhen realized that she had taken things for granted. She was now playing the role of Yongzhen and did not know that Chu Mingkong would come late at night. She should be surprised when they met, but she was acting as if she knew he would come from the beginning.

Fortunately, Mingkong didn't notice anything amiss, but out of a desire to cover it up, Madam Zhen asked in return: