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

The initial attraction was a bit unexpected; Chu Mingkong had thought his master's wife would say, "Follow the rules."

"If we choose based on first impressions, will the subordinates be dissatisfied, or will they feel that our choices are too impulsive and unfair to them?"

"There's never been such a thing as fairness. As long as your subjective thoughts differ from mine, you'll think I'm fair and just. If they differ, you'll think I'm biased. In this dog-eat-dog world, some people think that cultivators with better talent should give way to those with less talent."

If you're on the weaker side, you'll feel that this is how it should be. But the stronger side will feel that their talent wasn't stolen from the weaker side, so why should they suffer in terms of opportunities and accommodate others? Moreover, these matters don't require a fair explanation; I just need to finalize a result to avoid conflict among the elders and inner disciples.

If I were to make the decision, no matter what my opinion was, they wouldn't dare to object.

Chu Mingkong nodded in thought. Was his master's wife right? In the context of a cultivation sect, she should be right, otherwise there would have been trouble long ago.

However, in the secular world, it is different. Even if those in high positions have failed Heaven, they must still be worthy of the people under their rule.

In this situation, we can no longer use the methods suggested by my master's wife. Otherwise, the people in the territory will be left without anyone to care for or support them. What's the point of a prince like him? Can grain taxes and soldiers just appear out of thin air?

Chu Mingkong silently and quickly processed one sect jade slip after another, and then came across a different kind of jade slip.

This jade slip, of unknown origin, was sent by the Heavenly Emperor, and its contents were quite simple:

[Sect Leader Shen, the Heavenly Pole Empire has always admired the Wenqing Pavilion and intends to establish friendly relations with it. What is your opinion, Sect Leader?]

Chu Mingkong recalled his previous discussion with Shangguan Rong and the others, in which they talked about a variable: the Tianji Empire's display of immense power within the secular world would cause sects that had established themselves outside the secular world to gradually turn their attention back to the secular dynasties.

If Wenqing Pavilion supports the Tianji royal family, then Xiling's situation will be quite awkward, and it seems that this kind of jade slip is not something he can handle at will.

But... could it be that his master's wife deliberately showed him this jade slip?

Then threaten again

"My little apprentice, you don't want Xiling to lose its support, do you?"

Moreover, the problem is not simply about Wenqing Pavilion. The acting sect leader of Xiaoxiang Qin Academy is inclined towards Wenqing Pavilion. If Wenqing Pavilion publicly states that it will not help Xiling, then Xiaoxiang Qin Academy's attitude may also become ambiguous.

Unless the entire female sect of Xiaoxiang Qin Academy gives him an injection, it's hard to imagine that Xiaoxiang Qin Academy will continue to be his steadfast support.

No matter how much you think about it, nothing beats asking your master's wife directly, Chu Mingkong said quite seriously:

"Master's wife, here is an invitation from the Heavenly Emperor to establish friendly relations. What do you intend to do with it?"

"What should we do with Xiaoming's wishful thinking?"

The aloof and noble mature sect leader leaned forward slightly, and a pair of soft and plump pink balls came closer, pressing down on his shoulders. The weight felt like it was pressing on his heart.

It was exceptionally oppressive!

"This isn't about personal feelings. If I were to do it, my stance would be biased towards my own interests, like a murderer becoming a minor magistrate and acquitting himself. However, I personally still hope to refuse. I definitely think that Wenqing Pavilion would be better off choosing Xiling."

Do not,

It's much better!

Shen Xuejun put down the jade slip in her hand, reached her hands under his clothes, and gently stroked his belly with her cool, soft hands:

"Then tell me about the advantages and disadvantages of the Tianji Empire and Xiling, and which one is more beneficial to the Wenqing Pavilion."

Well, the biggest problem with the Tianji Empire right now is that the emperor only has half a year left to live. If he can't extend his life to a second one, then everything else is useless. However, the Tianji Empire still controls a lot of human, material and financial resources.

To put it bluntly, Xiling is a potential stock. A potential stock means that its current advantages are not obvious, so it can only promote itself by calling itself a future warrior.

If the elders of the Wenqing Pavilion were to choose, taking advantage of Xiao Yunhan's seclusion and inability to voice their opinions, they would most likely choose the Tianji Empire.

However, a sentence his master's wife had just said echoed in Chu Mingkong's mind.

No one dared to disagree with her.

Does this mean that while it seems like choosing the interests of Wenqing Pavilion is the only option, actually it's enough to just please Shen Xuejun?

While Chu Mingkong was still hesitating and silent, Shen Xuejun suddenly spoke again:

"Xiao Ming has been daydreaming for too long. I don't need a long explanation. Let me get to the point."

"Uh...can I shrink down and accompany my master's wife?"

Chapter 17.1 I Want My Master's Wife to Adapt to My Shape (17.1/18)

The study was completely silent.

Chu Mingkong didn't even dare to turn around to look at her expression, but he figured it probably wasn't. He had never seen her show any strong emotions before.

The current silence is too unbearable; each day feels like an eternity.

He couldn't tell whether he thought a long time had passed or a long time had actually passed.

"Okay, then Xiaomingkong must remember what he said from now on."

As soon as Shen Xuejun finished speaking, the invisible pressure surrounding Chu Mingkong vanished, and the disappeared birdsong returned to the outside of the window.

"Should I follow in my master's footsteps and inherit his mantle?"

"You can't cultivate. You're not an ice spirit, and you're not a woman. Just be yourself."

"Okay then..."

Chu Mingkong filled in "No" in the jade slip, but after filling it in, he felt it was too simple. He boldly added, in the tone of his master's wife, "I think Xiling is better." Then he looked up at the stunningly beautiful and aloof woman behind him.

"Master's wife, do you think my writing is appropriate?"

"Sure, just leave it there."

Okay, this hidden danger has been completely resolved! Now Xiling, Wenqing Pavilion, and Xiaoxiang Qin Academy are close allies, like three people sharing the same underpants!

However, one thing surprised Chu Mingkong: did the Emperor of Tianji send out invitations to everyone he met, or did he only send one to Wenqing Pavilion?

Wenqing Pavilion is really low-key and doesn't show off at all. On the surface, it's not a popular or powerful target for courting. So why did the emperor take a liking to Wenqing Pavilion?

"Master's wife, I want to ask you, if I hadn't come to help you with this matter today, who would you have chosen?"

A normal person would suggest choosing the Heavenly Pole Empire at this point to put pressure on Chu Mingkong and prevent him from taking it lightly. However, Shen Xuejun bluntly stated:

"Choose Xiling."

"Why? Because Yunhan is your personal disciple?"

"Yunhan is one, and you are the other. You can shrink, and then I can go directly to your mother to ask for you. In the end, you will still belong to your master's wife."

Goodness, it feels like they snatched the baby right in front of the Princess of Chu, doesn't it?

Chu Mingkong's lips twitched. Now that the promised sect affairs were over, he let out a long breath. He felt that the mental pressure his master's wife had just put on him was greater than a fierce battle.

Calming down, his curiosity rose from the bottom of his heart, and he asked about the topic they had just discussed:

"Master's wife, why are you so... biased towards me when I'm small?"

"It's partly due to the cultivation method, and partly due to regrets from the past," Shen Xuejun replied, looking up at the ceiling and pondering carefully.

"The cultivation technique... a regret?"

Chu Mingkong sat up straight, turned around in the beautiful woman's arms, changed his sitting position to chat with her, and Shen Xuejun cooperated by holding his arm and turning his small body around so that he sat on her lap facing her.

However, Chu Mingkong had misunderstood the situation. It would have been better if he had just leaned against his master's wife with his back turned. Shen Xuejun was holding him quite tightly. He should have been sitting close to her knees, but she insisted on hugging him tightly, which meant that half of Chu Mingkong's face was buried in her high, firm breasts.

To meet her gaze, one had to look up at her, while his teacher's wife had to look down at him, her two sexy, full lips almost touching his forehead.

Forget it, so be it.

Seeing that he had sat still, Shen Xuejun slowly explained:

"It's not entirely due to the cultivation technique, but more so due to the icy spiritual energy. It has an affinity for things that are pure or clear. Children are born as blank slates or clay blanks, and compared to when they grow up, they have more malleability that can be shaped."

"Not being able to take you away and raise you when you were young is one of my greatest regrets, and it was a mistake on my part back then."

Does this sound like a disguised way of saying that children should be molded into their preferred shape during their formative years?

But is this why Yunhan liked him so much the moment she saw him turn into a child?

Chu Mingkong was a little tired from holding his neck up, so he gave up his struggle a bit and rested the weight of his head on her high, snowy breasts. He almost lost consciousness in her softness.

“But Master’s wife, I’ve already grown up in essence. I don’t think I’m a blank slate. I have strong inner needs, but my body has shrunk.”

Seeing that he was leaning against her chest and didn't dare to relax completely, and would look up from time to time, Shen Xuejun simply reached out and pressed him into her arms, his whole face sinking into that deep look, his cheeks squeezed by the strong pressure of her breasts.

Chu Mingkong immediately felt like he was floating on air, his little soul almost escaping his mouth, and he flew away happily.

The woman responded to his earlier words, saying:

"That was because my understanding back then was insufficient. I used to think that once a person leaves childhood, they lose their purity and clarity. But after taking Yunhan as my master and watching my disciple grow, I also wondered when a cultivator can be considered to have truly grown up. A cultivator's life is much longer. When a cultivator ahead looks at a hundred-year-old cultivator, it's almost like looking at a child. In fact, all sentient beings are growing up until they die of old age."

"As for you, Xiaoming, from what I've seen over the years, you haven't really grown much. Your inner self was like this when you were a child, and it hasn't changed much as you've grown up. However, after you gradually learned the methods of harmonious cultivation, your spiritual growth has shown significant changes."

Chu Mingkong was stunned for a moment, then he began to understand what his master's wife meant.

His soul in this life didn't truly start from scratch, so when Shen Xuejun was looking for a disciple, she felt that Chu Mingkong lacked the clarity and malleability that a child should have, and his spiritual energy was also incompatible, so she didn't think much of him.

However, his spirit was not that of a child, and his constant seclusion and self-cultivation slowed down the growth of his character and soul.

Because a person is the sum total of all social relations, how can one grow if they always hide in the frontier, scheming against each other?

In Shen Xuejun's eyes, which had changed her perspective, Chu Mingkong's soul had not grown; it was as if his soul was still in a child's state, because he had been like that since childhood. Only his body had truly grown.

Now even his body has shrunk, making him essentially a brand-new child who has only grown a little after the Abyss Injury?!

"Yes."

Shen Xuejun seemed to know what he was thinking, and nodded in affirmation.

"My bias towards your childhood appearance is mostly just a matter of personal preference. To me, a child is a 'soul that has not yet truly grown and changed, and a small body.' You only grew a body and not a brain, which is just right. Now that you can even change your body back, that's even better!"

So he's basically a child who never grew up...

It has to be said that Chu Mingkong's understanding and perspective were once again refreshed by his master's wife during their conversation. He never knew that things could be thought of in such a way!

However, Chu Mingkong could also figure out a key point: the reason why his master's wife paid so much attention to him must have been because of the "Tao Te Ching" that he had memorized back then. That should have been the important turning point in his master's wife's opinion that he was a promising talent. After that, it was her own change in understanding the concept of growth.

"Then why do you always make me act like a child, Master's wife? Is that because...?"

“I can nurture and train you from your soul to your side into the shape I want, but the ice aura does have a tendency towards things that symbolize purity and clarity. I would welcome it if you could only grow your soul and not your body. I can also accept your normal physique, even if it's not perfect.”

So you welcome children, but only barely tolerate and accept people with normal posture...?

The case is solved: Fire attribute tends to make friendly people more irritable and aggressive, while Ice attribute, in addition to becoming cold and aloof, also has an added trait of... loving and caring for young children.

A long-standing question has finally been answered. Before, Chu Mingkong had become reluctant, feeling that something was amiss. Now that he knew the reason, he had no more concerns.

Since his master's wife liked his small size, so be it. Chu Mingkong was happy to make her happy. Flattering his elders was his unforgettable and lazy duty!