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

The Wei family's witchcraft includes methods of controlling spirits. Chu Mingkong's understanding of this system of techniques is roughly the same as contracting spirit beasts, except that this witchcraft can control the souls of spirit beasts.

When Wei Qingning first learned this method, she seemed to use a little rabbit. At that time, she carried the rabbit to the border of the Abyss to play with him, but the rabbit ran around and accidentally got tainted by the aura of the Abyss.

Chu Mingkong tried to save the rabbit and even used his internal energy to suppress its injuries, but it was no use. The little rabbit was on the verge of death and was about to kick the bucket. Because of the injury from the Abyss, it was no longer even qualified to be used as an ingredient to make spicy rabbit head.

Heartbroken, Wei Qingning, at his suggestion, used the rabbit to practice her spirit-controlling techniques.

Chu Mingkong helped, but Wei Qingning was lucky enough to succeed in one go, capturing the little rabbit's soul before it dissipated.

"Is this the same rabbit from back then?"

"Yes, I don't know why, but after my brother treated this little rabbit back then, its injuries didn't heal completely. However, its soul wasn't further eroded by the extreme yin energy. Instead, it coexisted with it. Now, this little rabbit can sense my brother's aura and is very good at sensing danger, so I've kept it here."

Normally, this spirit-controlling technique would require controlling the soul of a ferocious spirit beast, but Chu Mingkong didn't expect Wei Qingning to keep a rabbit for so long.

"Brother, this rabbit can sense your whereabouts. Aren't you worried about anything?" Wei Qingning asked.

Wei Qingning was able to control his whereabouts so well, yet she never told anyone. Chu Mingkong still trusted her and let her continue to keep the rabbit safe.

Chu Mingkong gently shook his head:

"No, since this rabbit has a unique ability to sense danger, it's a good thing for you to keep it as a talisman."

Moreover, one thing that Chu Mingkong was even more wary of was

—Could this rabbit have absorbed some nutrients from Wei Qingning, causing her to be so flat?

After catching up and chatting, Chu Mingkong brought up Gundan's iron-eating beast that loves lemons. Wei Qingning's nickname "Green Lemon" was given to him by Gundan because it was easy to pronounce.

After chatting for a while, Wei Qingning returned to the main topic and said:

“Brother, after the incident of Prince Jin becoming possessed by a demon a few days ago, I went with the team to investigate the situation.”

Chu Mingkong raised an eyebrow. Could this mean there was a clue? However, he had previously told Wei Qingning that she didn't need to investigate to avoid putting herself in danger. He hadn't expected her to still bring him a clue. Chu Mingkong asked:

"From what you're saying, you've made a major discovery?"

"Yes, I used this little rabbit to follow a newly recruited Nightblade Guard and discovered that he had secretly entered the secret chamber left behind by the Prince of Jin..."

Wei Qingning didn't want Chu Mingkong to think she had taken a huge risk, so she briefly glossed over the search process, only mentioning a outline, and went straight to the point, saying:

"In those secret letters, I saw that the person who corresponded with the Prince of Jin in his early years talked about his fear of his elder brother, always feeling that the Prince of Xiling had obtained a trump card from somewhere and cultivated it to deal with the Tianji royal family."

Then there was a secret letter instructing the Prince of Jin to rely on the extreme abyss rift of the advancement to explore the method of utilizing this most evil power. This matter has actually been planned for nearly a hundred years since the decision was made. It was planned since the late emperor, but it was very expensive and was stopped when the new emperor ascended the throne. After the threat from his elder brother was discovered, it was restarted.

In fact, similar accidents to the explosion of the Extreme Yin Core have occurred in Jin over the years, but these events all happened near the Extreme Abyss, and those who experienced them firsthand are all dead. Furthermore, the scale was relatively small, which is why no news of them has spread.

It goes without saying who would be capable of speaking to the Prince of Jin in this way and giving him orders.

This was within Chu Mingkong's expectations, except for one thing he hadn't anticipated: the Tianji Empire had been researching the power of extreme Yin for so long.

"Then whereabouts of that Great Yin Core mentioned in Jin?"

“No records were found, but I think it was probably consumed during their own research in Jin.” Wei Qingning frowned seriously and continued, “But after so many years of research, we haven’t found out what results they produced, where they were stored, or what they were used for… Meanwhile, the entire Jin Prince’s mansion inexplicably became possessed by demons, which seems like a case of 'killing the goose that lays the golden eggs'…”

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Wanting to kiss is still easy.

The intelligence that Wei Qingning brought back was no longer a major pressing question for Chu Mingkong, but it still greatly relieved him of a burden.

After his maternal family in Xiling was exonerated, the only suspects were the royal family and his strangely behaving father. With few suspects, he could use the method of exhaustive investigation to eliminate them all and avoid missing anyone's case.

Chu Mingkong had once received teachings from a master who advised people to do good, and not to be a vengeful person, for obsession breeds inner demons. Chu Mingkong found this to be very reasonable.

If you settle a score quickly, you won't have to keep remembering it. But if you take them all down in one fell swoop, you might have a moment of madness later and start thinking, "What if there were any who escaped?" These thoughts are just disgusting to yourself, especially when you don't have a definite answer.

Wei Qingning risked her life to bring back a definitive answer to his doubts.

Having finished discussing the key points, Chu Mingkong spent a large sum of his filial piety "savings" to exchange for a set of most of the useful pills, especially those that prolong life.

"Qingning, you can give these pills to your mother and other close family members. Some are for prolonging life, and some are for various antidotes... normal antidotes."

A normal antidote? Could there be an abnormal antidote? The girl wondered to herself, but still wanted to politely decline.

"You're being too polite. Although there's a misunderstanding now, and the Wei family has even moved out of Xiling, I've always considered you family. My mother still thinks of you from time to time. It's just that the Wei family has elderly and young relatives, and our support isn't what it used to be, so we don't dare to visit your residence..."

So, brother, you should take these things back.

Chu Mingkong naturally understood this principle. Different positions naturally carry different burdens. Just like himself, after having beautiful women in the capital, he had to think about them before doing anything, and could no longer be as carefree as when he beheaded the crown prince in the street.

Now, if you want to mess with the emperor, you have to get rid of the women first. What right does he have to ask others to abandon their families to show their affection for him?

Chu Mingkong stroked Wei Qingning's head and smiled gently:

"It's alright. This is my token of appreciation to the elders of the Wei family. Many of these are emergency medicines, so it's always good to be prepared. It would be too polite for you not to accept them!"

Moreover, many of these are elixirs that promote tissue regeneration and blood circulation. Perhaps they can help you, Qingning, to develop further. You've been severely malnourished all these years, haven't gained any weight, and look quite thin. Let's see if you can gain some weight.”

His gaze, like a sharp sword, fell on his sister's chest, piercing Wei Qingning's heart and making it almost impossible for her to breathe.

Wei Qingning knew she was flat-chested. She tried looking down at her mother, but from her mother's perspective, her two mounds of white flesh blocked the view like two big steamed buns. But from her own perspective, she could see her toes at a glance. There was nothing she could do about it!

When she was little, she didn't care. She thought that if she didn't have enough milk for her child, she could just borrow some from her mother. Her mother's dumplings were enough. But when she grew up, she realized that it wasn't like that... You can't borrow milk from your mother. You have to be pregnant to produce milk.

Wei Qingning clenched her fists and accepted the pills.

"By the way, where's Uncle Wei?" Chu Mingkong asked.

"I don't know..." Wei Qingning shook her head dejectedly.

Chu Mingkong realized he had spoken out of turn. Qing Ning's father had been very close to King Huai of Chu back then. If he could find him, he might be able to ask him many questions.

Chu Mingkong figured it was about time to leave. If his concealment technique failed, he wouldn't even be able to leave the Wei residence.

"Then I'll be going now. You can discuss any difficulties with me. It's not a stable job in the Nightblade Division. Let's see if we should move back to Xiling in the future?"

"...Well, brother...can we hug, like when we were little?"

"What's the big deal? There's no need to be so careful."

Chu Mingkong hugged his sister Wei Qingning, a hug that was truly highly recognizable.

Of all the girls he knew, Wei Qingning was the only one he couldn't bring himself to use her... (crossed out) soft, supple skin to press against him, so as not to put too much pressure on his heart.

Wei Qingning then handed another letter to Chu Ming, which was an "internal work report" from the Nightblade Guard's recent investigation in Jin. He gave it to Chu Ming and Chu Ming accepted it.

After leaving the Wei residence, Chu Mingkong circled the area cautiously, only leaving with peace of mind after confirming that no one was watching him.

----------

"What are Daoist demons... and Buddhist demons? Are there so many rules for becoming a demon?"

Chu Mingkong glanced at the letter Qing Ning had given him; this "report" contained an investigation into the situation of demonic possession over there.

To be honest, he didn't understand it at all. Nightblade Guards were already the emperor's henchmen, but judging from Qing Ning's reaction, she knew nothing about it and even had to spend a lot of manpower to investigate. Who was this investigation for?

Did the emperor conduct the investigation himself?

Muttering to himself, Chu Mingkong circled the Princess's residence again, confirming there were no new defensive measures. He then leaped into the residence, entered Yongzhen's boudoir, and deftly closed the door.

"Yongzhen, I'm coming in."

Yongzhen was now used to his reckless and impulsive nature, and comforted herself that Chu Mingkong had no choice but to do so. If he greeted people outside the door, it would be easy for Madam Zhen, who was nearby, or the spies outside to hear the unusual noise.

But now that he's inside the room, he should be prepared for other things. This time, she can't let him grab her feet and kiss her indiscriminately again.

Yongzhen took off her embroidered shoes, climbed onto the bed, pointed to a spot on the bed, and said:

"Lie down here."

Yongzhen is so enthusiastic?!

Whether Chu Mingkong wanted to curry favor with Yongzhen or had some other purpose, he couldn't refuse. He quickly climbed into her bed, lay down, and said indifferently:

"Lie down properly, Yongzhen. You can do whatever you want to me. Don't be nervous. Be bold and I'll listen to you. As long as you're happy!"

On the bed, Chu Mingkong was lying facing the head of the bed, while Yongzhen was sitting at the foot of the bed, wary of him pouncing on her toes and kissing her feet.

After confirming that Chu Mingkong wasn't making any sudden movements, Yongzhen placed her jade-like foot on his chest, barely managing to "step" on his body, and said:

"Just say it like this, so you don't kiss me randomly."

Chu Mingkong looked at Yongzhen's jade feet:

"A more mature suggestion is that Yongzhen, you'd better put your feet on my face."

"Wouldn't that be giving you, you shameless lecher, the advantage, grabbing my foot and kissing me indiscriminately?"

"No, I'm doing this for Yongzhen's sake. In this position, it's easy for me to see under your skirt, but I'm not that kind of person. It would be better if you just covered my eyes with your feet."

Yongzhen was so busy guarding against his wild words that when she heard him say that, she realized that this position would easily reveal her underwear. She quickly pressed her pair of fair and soft jade feet against Chu Mingkong's face, her pearl-like toes covering his eyes.

Chu Mingkong felt relieved immediately.

"Chu Mingkong, be serious! You're here just in time, I have something important to tell you!"

"Yes, Yongzhen, you go ahead."

"The time for the people from the Sword Profound Sect to pick up my mother has been set, in five days."

Chapter Forty: It's time to elevate the level of our concern for each other.

Five days later?

That's quite urgent. Perhaps the man who came to snatch Madam Zhen's cloak a few days ago was frightened by her pig mask and ran back to Jianxuan Mountain to warn her, which scared that Venerable Wenxin into demanding her return.

"Madam Zhen and Yongzhen, your departure time from the capital is around the same, right? Does that mean Yongzhen, you'll be leaving soon too?"

"No, after Mother, I still have half a month left. It was Jianxuan Mountain that asked for people ahead of time."

Yongzhen's tone was indifferent, but this indifference was directed at the matter concerning the mother and daughter, rather than at the listener of her words, and was directed at Chu, whose face was being stepped on by tender feet.

Chu Ming thought to himself, "Just as I expected," then wrapped his arms around the pair of beautifully curved legs and comforted Yongzhen:

"It's good that it's sooner. It means that Madam Zhen can get out of this limbo sooner. In five days, you will be able to feel completely at ease about Madam Zhen's situation."

"You seem so confident, so sure of yourself?" Yongzhen rolled her eyes at him.

“Yes, it was just kidnapping. I could abduct Madam Zhen as soon as I left the capital. I even called for backup.” Chu Mingkong continued to explain, “You might think this method is reckless, and that you should have a meticulous and comprehensive plan. But I think the biggest obstacle in my path is the capital, and what I’m wary of are the things I don’t know.”

The unknown always requires a trial, like peeking under someone else's wife's skirt. You never know if you'll get beaten up if you don't stick your head in to see what's inside. It's just that Chu Mingkong can't accept that the one bearing the consequences of trying the unknown is someone like Madam Zhen or Yongzhen, who are caught in the middle of it, which is why he's so cautious.