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

There's a farmhouse outside the capital that Aunt Gu bought; I'll take you there to stay tonight.

[It's not me staying here, it's your lazy master who's looking for a place to stay (crossed out). Your stunningly beautiful master, who loves to sip wine under the moon, lie drunk among flowers, and enjoy tranquility, is looking for a place to rest.]

The crossed-out section has completely different handwriting before and after it; the latter handwriting is clearly Zuo Qiuchi's, indicating that she was monitoring Feng Ying's conversation right next to him...

Chu Mingkong muttered, "It looks so romantic, but frankly it's just like drinking and sleeping without being disturbed."

After retrieving the paper, Feng Ying didn't bother explaining the earlier incident, assuming Chu Mingkong already knew what had happened, and simply wrote:

Tonight, I'll go with you to test the waters of the palace and see if we can easily get inside.

Having experienced the failure of his colorless shadow technique multiple times, Chu Mingkong had long yearned to spend some time with Feng Ying and see what it felt like to be free from fear.

"Alright, let me ask you one more thing. If you don't know, Feng Ying, ask my master as well. Is the Heavenly Palace's secret not really a secret to outsiders?"

【Huh? Does the Heavenly Palace hold any secrets? Your master said she didn't know either, but mentioned that before she came looking for you, someone warned her not to approach the Golden Palace lightly. She didn't remember the specifics, saying she hadn't paid attention because she hadn't planned on going to the palace; there were more entertainment options in brothels.】

"Master, your words have offended my mother, Consort Wanhua, and Empress Mitao. It's true that it's not as lively as a brothel; it feels quite oppressive," Chu Mingkong complained, then pondered, "But judging from this, the secrets of the Heavenly Palace are probably unknown to the outside world. They probably just treat it as an ordinary palace of a secular dynasty. But that phrase from the Golden Palace sounds familiar."

It seems that... it was after he was dragged to the court to question the killing of the crown prince that "Yongzhen" returned to the princess's courtyard and said to him, and it seems that she also told him not to get too close to the Golden Palace.

Chu Mingkong ran to Jin Yu to check on her safety, then returned to Yong Zhen to explain why he had disappeared for most of the day, and continued to help her practice controlling the puppet.

He silently planned his entry into the palace that night.

Soon, night fell, and news came that Fengying had arrived in the capital.

Chapter 120 Don't Lightn Me, You're Awesome (3.7/18)

The capital city at night.

A thin fog blanketed the capital tonight, making it appear hazy and indistinct, like a veil covering something.

Chu Mingkong and Feng Ying met directly in the capital. He had originally planned to take them to a farm to stay, but then he remembered that they knew the location. A few days ago, when his sisters-in-law were on a runaway, he had them come over again.

The exotic beauty with a unique charm emerged from the night mist. Her exquisite and curvaceous figure seemed to be the first to dispel the fog. Her long and slender legs were not wearing black stockings tonight. The gold ornaments on her thighs were tightly wrapped around her thighs, leaving marks. At first glance, the gold ornaments on her body should have made a jingling sound when she walked, but when Feng Ying walked, these gold ornaments did not make a sound at all.

Upon seeing her, Chu Mingkong smiled, then glanced behind her and noticed someone was missing.

"My master didn't come?"

Fengying shrugged:

"She said if we're just wandering around without fighting, then we won't come. Besides, you've lost your Dustless Talisman, so you can't bring so many people with you."

"I have the Domain of Annihilation, I can just swagger right in!"

After Chu Mingkong finished speaking, he tapped his head, realizing he had forgotten to tell his master and Feng Ying this information. Although they had both witnessed the Domain of Annihilation and had offered many insightful suggestions to improve its usage, they did not know how outrageous the Domain of Annihilation could be after Shen Xuejun's mental state was enhanced.

However, he forgot about it for a while, thinking that he had already shown it to them and forgot about what would happen next.

Chu Mingkong tried to salvage the situation by chatting with Feng Ying about the Extinction Domain. Feng Ying didn't ask him to demonstrate it now, since it would be needed when entering the palace later anyway, so there was no need to waste time on it now.

The two chatted as they made their way towards the imperial city:

"With your master's wife's power, you were able to enhance this domain to such an extent. If your master heard about this, I reckon she would immediately tell you to change your path and go to a brothel to use this Nirvana Domain to steal the courtesan who has already paid for her services, and have a free night out, making the other person a sucker."

If your master is like that, you must be pretty much the same, right? Have you already been to those places of pleasure?

Chu Mingkong stared at Feng Ying in astonishment, truly not expecting that Feng Ying, having only spent a short time with Zuo Qiuchi, already knew her so well.

"No, I don't go to those places. Besides, I've been worried about the emperor lately, so I don't have the leisure to do that."

Stop talking about me, how's your White Tiger protection going?

Fengying didn't speak; she closed her eyes and silently called upon the wind, thunder, and white tiger for protection.

When she opened her eyes again, her pupils were filled with purple-white lightning, and a majestic white tiger phantom the size of an elephant appeared behind her, with wind and lightning intertwined around her jade feet.

Due to the commotion, Feng Ying actually suppressed the surge of this power to avoid being noticed in the capital. However, Chu Mingkong could still sense that this protection was focused on a swift and powerful attack, and the white tiger phantom seemed to pose a real threat.

"Can that white tiger phantom assist in battle like a spirit beast?"

Chu Mingkong's comparison of the divine beast to a spirit beast seemed to enrage the white tiger phantom. Lightning erupted from its body, and its beastly eyes stared intently at Chu Mingkong. Feng Ying quickly calmed it down, dispelling the White Tiger's protective aura, and said:

"Pretty much, but if you say that to the phantom's face, the divine beast phantom will get angry. Secondly, regarding the improvement in movement and attack, next time I use the power of the White Tiger to stomp on your face, don't cry out in pain~"

Stepping on my face is fine, just don't use this electricity when you trip me, I'm afraid of getting an electric shock.

The two arrived at the palace gates, but Chu Mingkong had not yet used his colorless shadow technique, wanting to hear whether Feng Ying's assessment of the palace's defenses matched his own.

"Well, Fengying, did you sense anything? Should we be on the safe side and use my Annihilation Domain to go in?"

Fengying released his senses, taking in everything around him. This senses quietly permeated the various barriers protecting the palace, only reaching the interior of the palace itself.

Her expression became slightly more serious, but not solemn:

"The security is indeed much tighter than before. Don't move once you're inside."

Chu Mingkong watched to see how Feng Ying entered, only to see her grab his hand. Then, the scene before him blurred, and Chu Mingkong was astonished to find himself already inside the palace...

He turned his head and glanced at the palace walls and the immovable barrier on them, which were truly useless.

"What was that move just now? How did you get in? What kind of mark did you leave here before that allowed you to teleport in directly?"

"If I used a teleportation array, I would have been discovered long ago. I can simply rely on my cultivation technique to release my senses. Within the range of my senses, I can move freely as long as I don't encounter any strong arrays or barriers. However, I rarely use it. The more trump cards you use in front of others, the less effective they will be in the future."

Chu Mingkong felt uneasy. He thought he had learned everything by stealing it, but it turned out that concealing his figure was only part of it, and the skills he had stolen would malfunction from time to time.

Feng Ying accompanied Chu Mingkong through some areas of the palace. Places that Chu Mingkong would normally have to walk through with trepidation, Feng Ying led him through easily, leaving no trace.

A squad of Imperial Guards stood in formation, waiting for orders. Feng Ying led Chu Mingkong through the gaps in the formation, and even the audacious Chu Mingkong was startled by Feng Ying's ease and nonchalance.

He dared not walk directly through the formation. What if the power of the colorless shadow technique failed, or he accidentally bumped into the Imperial Guards, thus revealing his whereabouts?

This behavior is like patting the emperor while eating the queen's peach.

After walking for a while, Fengying stopped and stopped going.

This location is still some distance from the Golden Palace, but we have indeed been moving closer to it.

"Fengying, what's wrong?"

"My intuition tells me that if I take a few more steps, I will be exposed, but I don't know what could expose me."

This situation surprised Feng Ying. She had been to many secret realms, ancient tombs, and ancient city ruins, but few places could give her such a feeling. The key was that she could not figure out what might have exposed her.

"No wonder you dragged me here. I never imagined that a small secular royal family could have such methods. I've never felt this way before. Is it because the Celestial Imperial Family has never used such methods before, or have they made significant gains recently?"

You might need the 'protection' of your Abyss Wound to avoid being discovered here, but if you're looking to take a stroll through the harem, I can try to take you in via a detour.

You used to come in here all the time to arrest the Empress for fun, didn't you? How come you're so familiar with it...? Chu Mingkong took out the map his master's wife had given him:

"Fengying, take a look at this map. Can you see any clues?"

Chapter 121 Master's Wife, you love me, right? (3.9/18)

Fengying had traveled to many places, and the ability to read maps had become second nature to her. Although the words and pictures on the map were integrated into one, densely packed and messy like weeds, she could tell at a glance that the map pointed to the palace right under her feet.

"This geomantic map should be the palace under our feet. The text on it is written in the script of an ancient minority tribe from my homeland, but unfortunately I can't recognize much of it."

"Uh...? The script used in your hometown?" Chu Mingkong was surprised.

He certainly didn't feel any sense of belonging to the Tianji Empire, but if you compare the Tianji Empire to Fengying's hometown, the Tianji Empire still held some weight. Did Fengying mean that the design of this palace originated from her hometown?

Chu Mingkong pondered that Feng Ying's place wasn't called Goryeo Bangbang Country.

Feng Ying sighed irritably. His reaction told her what he was thinking. She explained:

"Hey, it's not what you think. In my hometown, no matter what era, they never build houses with flying eaves. This is clearly from the Tianji Empire."

However, in my hometown, all sorts of things circulate widely, black markets are everywhere, and stalls selling antiques can be seen everywhere. This has also led to the emergence of many scholars in our area who make a living by appraising treasures and translating texts. This has existed since ancient times, and this picture clearly came to our area in ancient times.

I see. It seems I was being overly sensitive. As soon as I heard that topic, I couldn't help but think of Korea, the country that claims everything as its own.

"Sorry, it was a misunderstanding!"

"Really, if you hate the Celestial Empire so much, why are you taking this so seriously?"

Chu Mingkong couldn't quite explain why either, so he just smiled and let it go. Feng Ying didn't take it to heart. He continued:

"Unfortunately, I can't recognize many of the characters on this, but some are in the same script used by various tribes. Look here..."

She pointed out the secret grotto in the inner palace, which was positioned as a "totem offering" in the overall layout. This translation reflects the style of the divine totem worship of the Crescent Moon. In other words, the place where the emperor's three thousand beautiful concubines resided was actually a plate for placing offerings. The grand formation transmitted the power of the offerings to the totem receiving the offerings, which was the emperor's residence, including the Golden Palace.

"However, I don't know if it's due to differences in the times or variations in translation between tribes, but the location of the Golden Palace in the current royal palace is marked as 'mausoleum, tomb, or burial mound' on this ancient map, which doesn't quite match up..."

It's unusual for such a prestigious place to be marked as a mausoleum; that's the Golden Palace where officials held court, and the throne there is a symbol of imperial power.

Chu Mingkong raised an eyebrow, tried to lower his head and think deeply, but after two breaths, he gave up and looked up to meet Feng Ying's gaze.

He looked completely bewildered: "Why are you looking at me?"

Feng Ying smiled and reached out her slender finger to lift his chin, drawing his averted gaze back to her.

"It's rare to see you use your brain. Have you thought of anything?"

Oh! You dare to mock my intelligence? I'll show you my wisdom and composure in my "master's wife" mode, or you'll know my true potential!

Chu Mingkong channeled his inner energy into the icy spiritual energy, and instantly his mind became as clear as a mirror. All distracting thoughts vanished, leaving his mind crystal clear, and his perspective on things became exceptionally sharp.

The exotic beauty with striking features was slightly surprised to see the man's demeanor change; he seemed to exude the calm aura of a wise man.

Chu Mingkong nodded to himself:

"I've thought it through. I can't come up with anything with this brain. You think of something, Fengying."

Fengying: "..."

You've already set up your facade, so you've wisely concluded that you're not suited for thinking, right?

She patted Chu Mingkong on the shoulder and comforted him, saying, "Self-awareness is also a kind of wisdom; true wisdom lies in appearing foolish."

The banter between the two quickly ended, and Chu Mingkong turned his attention back to the map, pointing to the "escape points" drawn by his master's wife.

"Fengying, take a look at these circled areas. What is the meaning of them in the original text on the map?"

"The place where traps are set up to guard against tomb raiders, what's wrong with that? Aren't these newly circled areas meant to warn you not to touch or get close?" Feng Ying looked at him, wondering why he was asking such a pointless question.

Chu Mingkong: "?"