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

"Then let's see how the headdress is. We can slowly appreciate the scenery of Xiaoxiang Qin Academy later. After that, we can visit Wenqing Pavilion and then go to Xiling. After that, we'll take Madam Zhen to the Crescent Moon Kingdom."

"The plans you've made in that one sentence are more numerous than all the places I've been in my entire life."

Madam Zhen's beautiful eyes held anticipation and joy; at least for a long time to come, the child would think of her.

When they left the room, Chu Mingkong pulled her out; when they returned to the room, she pulled Chu Mingkong back in.

The elegant and dignified Madam Zhenzhen sat in front of her dressing table, on which sat the golden headdress she had taken off. The details were exquisite and ingenious, but the jade embellishments had been replaced with black jade in a complementary color.

This crown looks fragile at first glance. The details on it are so numerous that it's frightening. Even the slightest force would damage it. Chu Mingkong carefully picked up the crown. Although his cultivation level wasn't anything special, this thing was much heavier than ordinary crowns.

It is estimated that the weight of Shangguan Rong's wedding phoenix crown was only half that of the former dynasty's empress's crown.

"It's too heavy. I'm afraid it will hurt Madam Zhen's neck if she wears it. I'll just hold it like this to keep an eye on it."

Chu Mingkong placed the crown on Madam Zhen's head. She slowly turned around without moving her head. With Chu Mingkong's steady hand, it looked as if the crown was securely placed on her head.

“It looks even better now. Was this tailor-made for Madam Zhen? But as beautiful as it is, its weight makes me worry that Madam Zhen might twist her neck. It’s enough to feast my eyes on it this once. I’ll take it off for Madam Zhen.”

After adjusting his headdress, Chu Mingkong took Madam Zhen for a stroll nearby. He brought up that topic that only the two of them discussed, asking with puzzlement:

"Madam Zhen, what exactly is going on with Yongzhen?"

"What? What happened?" Madam Zhen asked guiltily, feigning ignorance.

"It's about Yongzhen's mood. Last time I took her out to relax, she seemed to be having a good time. I thought she wouldn't go to her empty room alone at night to feel bored. But that night, I went to check on her and found her in her room again."

She was so happy in front of me, but in the blink of an eye she's sullen. Is she hiding something from me? Does Madam Zhen know anything?

"This..." Madam Zhen bit her lip, shook her head nervously, and dared not look at him. She said, "I don't know either. Yongzhen also has her own pressure. Since she doesn't show it usually, Mingkong, it's better if you don't ask her. If you ask, you might do more harm than good and she will hide even more."

The beautiful woman was terrified. Lies like this are the easiest to expose. When she had just switched back to her original body, she had told Chu Mingkong to minimize his contact with Yongzhen during the day, just in case he came into contact with Yongzhen himself and exposed everything.

Fortunately, Yongzhen is keeping the secret of the technique and will not reveal it to outsiders without authorization. Therefore, she should refuse to tell Mingkong about it, so there is no need to worry too much for the time being.

Sigh... What should we do in the future? These things can't last forever. Yongzhen and Mingkong's relationship is developing rapidly, and Yongzhen is even happy to be secretly stirred up by Mingkong.

From now on, if Chu Mingkong asks even a question, everything will be exposed, and there will be no chance for easing or explanation.

What should we do? Should we stop this now, while there's still a chance to back down...?

Chu Mingkong said:

"I share this concern, so I haven't dared to ask Yongzhen too much. I plan to wait until she figures it out and then tell me herself."

However, I was thinking that since Madam Zhen wasn't by Yongzhen's side anymore, the pressure and loneliness she was facing must be even greater. Now that I'm back in the capital, I should check on her more often at night; maybe she's secretly looking for a room to brood over again.”

She won't be in the room anymore!

Madam Zhen's words carried a hint of jealousy. The nighttime rendezvous were clearly meant for her, but with her daughter not by her side, these opportunities for secret meetings lacked an excuse and were simply slipping away...

Chapter Fifty-Five: Anger

After accompanying Madam Zhen on a walk for most of the day until nightfall, Chu Mingkong escorted her back to her room to rest before leaving for the time being.

On his way back to the immortal peak where he was temporarily staying, Chu Mingkong pondered how to tell Madam Zhen about this matter, wondering if she wanted the events of the night to remain in the night, or if she had other worries or desires.

As Chu Mingkong was thinking, he passed by his master's wife Shen Xuejun's room. Her window was lit by candlelight, and she was sitting at the table reading the "Tao Te Ching".

Chu Mingkong was surprised and proud that his ancestors' things could be appreciated and admired so much in this world. That book of scriptures unrelated to cultivation techniques had been read by his master's wife many times. Just last time when he was forced to be a reading boy, he read it many times.

He could understand some of the philosophical ideas behind it, but understanding doesn't mean he could personally experience them. Chu Mingkong felt that this feeling was similar to doing math problems in his past life. He could read the formulas, understand them, and know how to do them, but he still got them wrong in the exam. It was difficult to resonate with the thoughts of the person who set the questions.

I wonder what kind of thing my master's wife just discovered.

"Let's slip away first, otherwise we'll be forced to go back to school again."

Chu Mingkong was lost in thought. He lingered at the window for only a few moments, and just as he took a step to leave, his master's wife called him back.

"Ming Kong."

Having been called out, Chu Mingkong couldn't very well pretend he hadn't heard, so he had no choice but to push open the door and go inside. After greeting his master's wife, Shen Xuejun, he sat down opposite her.

“Your wife is still reading the Tao Te Ching. I think your understanding is more profound than mine.”

"It can't be called enlightenment, but rather observing the state of mind and emotions of the creator of this scripture when he wrote down each and every sentence."

Chu Mingkong said tactfully in advance:

“I’m really tired today, otherwise I would have continued reciting for my master’s wife. I will recite for her next time after I’ve rested.”

As he spoke, Chu Mingkong opened the filial piety bill to see how his words carried weight in his master's wife's heart, but—

No filial piety shown...

What a mess!

Shen Xuejun nodded slightly and said calmly:

"Okay, then when you wake up tomorrow, shrink down and come here to chant scriptures for me."

"Row."

[System Treasure has arrived, 300 points of corrupted filial piety (from Shen Xuejun).]

"..." Chu Mingkong remained silent.

It's clear that Master's wife isn't the type to take advantage of her apprentices without gratitude. Back then, that old scoundrel, Master Cui, only gave her a handout after he flattered him for so long. But Master's wife, whenever he transforms into a boy, she shows him filial piety, loving his boy form more than anyone else...

No, it seems that his older sister, Xiao Yunhan, also really liked how he looked when he was little.

I need to go back to the capital tomorrow to check on the situation. If it changes again in the morning, it will appear as a little bean curd in front of Yongzhen. Should I change it now and then it should be back to normal by tomorrow morning?

However, his master's wife's act of filial piety puzzled Chu Mingkong. He had always thought that as long as he made his elders happy and released their emotions, they would naturally show him filial piety. But his master's wife's existence made him rethink this issue.

Master's wife, Shen Xuejun, takes the path of extremely downplaying emotions, yet she can still show him filial piety. However, it's unlikely that she truly doesn't want any emotions at all.

That's true, why would anyone stare at his boy form like that?

“Master’s wife, how about I rest for a while and then recite the sutra for you, and then come back to recite the sutra for you tomorrow morning?”

Just as Chu Mingkong finished speaking, another line appeared on the bill.

[System Treasure has arrived, 800 points of corrupted filial piety (from Shen Xuejun).]

"Where are you going to sleep tonight?" Shen Xuejun asked. She now knew that Chu Mingkong could shrink at will, but he couldn't grow bigger at will.

Even his robust root of troubles could not be controlled at will; once it swelled up, it was difficult to quell.

Chu Ming replied without even thinking:

"Of course I'll go to my master's place."

Shen Xuejun closed her eyes and pondered, then said:

"Call Zuo Qiuchi over to sleep with me tonight."

There seemed to be a hidden meaning in those words: Zuo Qiuchi had to bring the "gift" Xiao Chumingkong along to sleep with him.

"What if my master is too proud to come and sleep here?"

Shen Xuejun was quite reasonable and knew the rule of first come, first served. When she heard that Zuo Qiuchi had made an appointment with Chu Mingkong to sleep together, she did not ask Chu Mingkong to leave Zuo Qiuchi behind. Instead, she asked him to find another way to keep his little apprentice by his side.

"Then I'll go sleep with you, and let Zuo Qiuchi stay next to me."

But what if there's still a shadow on the bed...?

After Chu Mingkong shrunk, he took out the children's clothes he had prepared in advance and put them on. He began to read the Tao Te Ching in a rhythmic and lifeless manner several times. After so many times, he could almost recite it backwards.

After reciting the text listlessly, he took a sip of tea and leaned wearily into his teacher's wife's soft embrace. His whole body seemed to be enveloped in the alluring fragrance of a beautiful woman's flesh, a sweet and refreshing scent that captivated and enchanted him.

"Master's wife, there is something I don't understand."

Shen Xuejun's hand almost instinctively slipped inside his clothes, touching her little apprentice's tender belly:

"Go ahead and ask."

"It seems that Master's wife became angry today after sensing the miasma-like emotions of that Venerable Wenxin?"

Previously, when Princess Ruyu was almost harmed by that young master, Chu Mingkong discussed the topic of emotions with Shen Xuejun. She vehemently denied the value of emotions, although she herself did act according to this concept, rather than being a moral saint who "imposes what one does not want on others."

But this time she didn't deny it. Her jade-like hand, which had been stroking Xiaoming's empty belly, paused. She nodded and said:

"He was a little angry."

Chu Mingkong asked very cautiously and carefully:

"...Why is Master's wife angry?"

"It's unspeakable, alas..." Shen Xuejun sighed.

The image of her junior sister, who was also Ruyu's birth mother, appeared in her mind.

Chu Mingkong swallowed hard, realizing he'd asked a question he shouldn't have; there was probably some story behind it. But the Venerable Wenxin's malevolent emotions were so bizarre and strange; how could he possibly be connected to such emotions? The matter was complicated.

"Master's wife, should I not have asked about this?"

"You've already asked, so there's no need to dwell on whether you should have asked or not. You've asked whether you should have or shouldn't have."

Chu Mingkong nodded. He knew it was obvious, but he couldn't help asking some questions.

He stood up and hugged Shen Xuejun's head. Although this position was very awkward, as it would put his lower abdomen against his teacher's wife's large breasts, Chu Mingkong still wanted to convey a sense of comfort to her through the hug.

late at night.

Zuo Qiuchi looked at Shen Xuejun beside him with disbelief and asked in bewilderment:

Why are you in my bed?

Feng Ying was also puzzled. Why were there more and more people on the bed?

Shen Xuejun said calmly, "You can hug me as much as you want, but you must not disturb me while I'm hugging my little disciple."

Chapter Fifty-Six: Entangled in Snow Legs

Feng Ying glanced at Zuo Qiuchi and then at Shen Xuejun, and realized that compared to each other, Zuo Qiuchi was a breath of fresh air. At most, she was a little lazy and averse to trouble, which was still within the realm of what most people could understand. But the thoughts of this Pavilion Master Shen were something that could only be guessed.

After Chu Mingkong's explanation, Feng Ying was still confused, but the gist of it was that Shen Xuejun wanted him to use a child's body to chant sutras, and now she was just passing by and sleeping with him.

After the lights were turned off at night, the bed was a bit crowded. Chu Mingkong didn't even have a bed space, so his master's wife used him as a blanket and put him on top of her. Chu Mingkong, who was lying on his stomach, had his nose filled with the fragrance of his master's wife's breast milk.