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

Shangguan Rong, curious, joined the conversation, asking, "Why has Qingning been getting so close to Madam Zhen lately?"

Madam Zhen looked puzzled: "Qingning said she wanted to know if women in the royal family had any methods for maintaining their figure, and wanted to ask me for advice on diet and such."

Chu Mingkong immediately fell silent.

However, upon closer reflection, from Madam Zhen to Jin Yu, they do seem to be quite large. Yong Zhen is also not small in size, but her shape does not appear large. Unlike Jin Yu, which is like a stalactite hanging upside down and visually stunning, Yong Zhen's weight can only be felt by hand.

Even Princess Ruyu, who rarely returned to the capital, possessed a woman's magnanimity hidden beneath her breastplate.

The royal woman did seem to have some extraordinary qualities, something he hadn't noticed before. He hadn't expected that Wei Qingning would be so observant.

Madam Zhen asked Chu Mingkong:

"Mingkong, is there any news from Yongzhen? How is she doing?"

Chu Mingkong took out Yongzhen's doll. The doll was asleep at the moment, and did not react when Chu Mingkong gently poked her face.

Meanwhile, Madam Zhen felt a poke on her cheek...

Chu Mingkong explained:

“Yongzhen told me before that she would not be able to control the puppet for the time being and had to withdraw her spiritual attention and focus on being vigilant about her surroundings. Fengying has already gone to take care of her, and before Fengying arrived, there were also people arranged by Daoist Yun to take care of Yongzhen.”

If Madam Zhen is truly worried, I can contact her using the old note; she will respond as soon as she has the time.

Madam Zhen didn't want to trouble Chu Mingkong too much, and she was also afraid that her concern would cloud her judgment. If her momentary worry caused Yongzhen to lose focus and become careless about the enemy, that would be bad!

"No need, I'll just keep an eye on Yongzhen's doll. If she has the time, the doll will definitely wake up."

She was holding her daughter's doll, and this seemingly unconscious reaction was worrying, like...

He looked like a corpse, but thankfully, I could still feel his pulse beating!

Madam Zhen stroked Yongzhen's face, wondering why the feeling of her touching it was different from the feeling of Mingkong touching it.

Gu Jungui glanced at Madam Zhen and saw her furrowed brows, but he didn't pay much attention, assuming she was just looking at the woman's doll with a troubled expression.

Suddenly, the warhorse outside neighed and stopped abruptly, causing the carriage to shake.

Zuo Qiuchi was shaken awake and grumbled in dissatisfaction.

"Chu Mingkong, who are you talking to now? Can't a person get any sleep?!"

Leave of absence due to diarrhea

Sorry, I drank some iced milk tea today and got diarrhea. I thought it would be fine after one bout of diarrhea and a short rest, but I just couldn't stop the gushing. I really can't write anything now.

The author kept a record of all the debts and went to the hospital to get checked out first.

Chapter 203 Cleverly Obtaining the Totem Jade (29/43)

Facing the gazes of Aunt Gu and the others, Chu Mingkong looked embarrassed.

His master's words made him feel like he was always shaken, but that was wrong and absurd. Chu Mingkong remembered that he had hardly ever been shaken in the car.

He pretended not to know and explained to the drowsy Zuo Qiuchi, "No, it wasn't me who shook it, it was outside."

Zuo Qiuchi's perception was quite good. After regaining some clarity, he probed the outside and found that there was indeed some commotion outside.

"It looks like a conflict or fight?"

She pulled Chu Mingkong down to see what was going on. Gu Jungui and Madam Zhen and the others were also getting tired of sitting, so they got up and got out of the car to see what had happened.

Within the realm of annihilation, there is no need to worry about being affected.

Ahead, on a barren, rocky beach, a conflict involving nearly a thousand people erupted. The beach was flat and wide, but it seemed "insufficient" in this conflict.

In the conflict, sand and stones flew, clouds and mist filled the sky, and rubble broke on the ground. Dragons and snakes danced wildly, and all kinds of spiritual energy condensed into strange beasts that fought each other. The explosions caused by the collision of energy wave after wave were deafening, and then the roars of the raging beasts drowned out the sound of the explosions.

Tornadoes and water columns hanging high in the sky were mixed together, creating a chaotic and difficult-to-approach environment.

Even though they were thousands of meters apart, the oppressive force emanating from them made the warhorses neigh restlessly.

Gu Jun Gui had never seen a battle of this scale before. He was terrified just looking at it from afar, and he was afraid that if he got any closer, he would be caught in the crossfire and get injured.

Madam Zhen sighed inwardly, "Our terrain is higher, and theirs looks like it's been underestimated. But it feels like the fighting has created a huge, scarred crater in the earth."

Describing it as a huge crater is a bit of an exaggeration, but generally speaking, the center of the battlefield was indeed in a low-lying area. However, although the area could be described as a plain, there were occasional sand dunes interspersed, making it difficult to see any obvious changes in terrain at a glance, and it looked like a "flat" plain.

Chu Mingkong remained calm. Having spent a lot of time on the border before, he had occasionally witnessed small-scale conflicts. However, he was quite curious about how these people managed to distinguish friend from foe amidst the chaos, given that the conflict had escalated to this scale.

No matter what, there is no such thing as being "immune to team damage" in this world. One slip could result in your own teammate being backstabbed. Moreover, these people do not have any obvious markings, and the techniques and spells they use do not seem to belong to the same totem group. In the chaos, how can you tell friend from foe?

Shangguan Rong considered things further ahead. She observed the changes in casualties on the battlefield in brief silence and found that these people's strength seemed inexhaustible. Every move they made was a powerful attack, and if someone was injured, they would be treated immediately. The stalemate was very intense.

“If they keep fighting like this, it won’t end anytime soon. Mingkong, wouldn’t it be better if we changed our approach and went through from the air, like Master Yun did? If we take a detour, that area is a rugged mountainous region.”

Gu Jungui knew that Chu Mingkong's overland journey was for her and Madam Zhen's sake, and she advised him:

"Don't worry about us, put Yongjin first."

Chu Mingkong chose to travel by carriage instead of riding a sword like Yun Nongyu, not only to consider the feelings of the two elders, but also for the sake of secrecy.

Flying on a sword is not as comfortable as riding in a carriage. You have to stand or sit for days on end, and you have to worry about falling off if you move your body. Even for cultivators, unless they are in deep meditation, few are willing to stay still in one position all day long. It is just the nature of the body.

However, Chu Mingkong recently discovered an important problem with the Annihilation Domain: it can be used in low altitudes, but it cannot be used in high altitudes, like a duck that cannot fly.

At low altitudes, battles of that scale ahead are unavoidable. In that case, it would be better to go by carriage, which would at least make the two elders more comfortable during these days of travel.

If one insists on using the Annihilation Domain in the air, one must use the master's wife's primordial spiritual energy for support. This ice-attribute primordial spiritual energy is hard-won and cannot be wasted on traveling.

Zuo Qiuchi had sharp eyes and, amidst the chaos, spotted a piece of white, smooth jade hanging in the center of the battlefield.

This jade is enveloped by a force, placing it within the battlefield while simultaneously detaching it from it.

"Mingkong, why are they hanging a jade lantern in the middle? Are they afraid it won't be visible after dark, so they're lighting a lamp in advance?"

Yun Nongyu descended from the sky and entered Chu Mingkong's Nirvana Domain. Since Chu Mingkong had already granted her access, she would not be affected here.

She explained, "That's the White Tiger Totem Jade, a divine beast totem once worshipped by the Moonlit Empire. However, it's now broken into countless fragments of jade. Each fragment corresponds randomly to a secret altar, making it a treasure that's sure to be snatched up whenever there's any news about it in the Crescent Kingdom."

Chu Mingkong silently recited the name of the totem jade in his heart, recalling that when Feng Ying left for several months, he wanted to find the altar corresponding to that jade for him.

"Master Yun, what is the purpose of this conflict? Why is the totem jade hanging in the middle, and why are neither side paying any attention to it?"

"This should be a contest after the totem gained momentum, letting the totem witness the winner, and the victor will obtain the broken jade. These two sides... are probably people who are preparing to split up and establish themselves, but they have a dispute over the ownership of the totem jade, so they use this method to resolve it."

Chu Mingkong nodded, then suddenly realized, "This means that the jade is being protected by the power of the totem."

He was puzzled as to how such a remote place, far from the main road, could have led to a tribal conflict. It turned out that they had found a secluded spot to decide the "distribution of family property" by force.

Chu Mingkong was indeed tempted by the broken jade, and Feng Ying was quite interested in it, so he just took it when he came across it.

"Master Yun, the power of that totem protects that piece of jade. Is it difficult to remove it by force?"

After pondering Chu Mingkong's situation and conditions for a while, Yun Nongyu analyzed it with him:

"I don't recommend you go and take it. You want to keep your whereabouts and activities hidden right now, and you don't want to expose yourself when you actually come out into the open."

Don't let the desolation of this place or the chaos of the Crescent Kingdom lull you into a false sense of security. Information flows very quickly here. Even if a child sees you, he might turn around and tell them about your suspicious behavior, allowing information brokers to assess your value and exchange you for pancakes. Once the information is gathered from multiple sources, your existence will be quickly confirmed.

Especially since both Miss Zuo and you have very distinct fighting styles, if you try to take it by force, your actions could expose you.

Chu Mingkong sighed and nodded. He knew this too, but it was rare to have a totem jade tempting him like this; it was practically waiting for him to take it.

Or... we could leave a mark on these people first. If we're lucky, the mark might stay undetected for a long time. We could then retrieve it after ensuring Yongzhen's safety.

If the mark is discovered and then erased, then it can only be considered bad luck.

Just as Chu Mingkong was about to announce his decision, he caught a glimpse of the fact that both sides in the conflict were carrying the same species of sand rhinoceros elephants, which he estimated to be around five hundred in number.

These sand rhinoceroses are relatively common in the border regions of the Crescent Moon Kingdom. They have heads like hippos, horns like rhinoceroses, and bodies like giant elephants. When an adult walks, the ground within a hundred meters can be felt trembling. At first, seeing them covered in steel armor, I didn't recognize them.

Chu Mingkong had some understanding of this kind of ferocious beast. It was a typical creature that could only live in arid areas. Its resistance to dampness and cold was negative. If it came into contact with even a little bit of cold air, its mobility would be affected. The iron armor on its body was only for resisting impacts; its main purpose was to prevent the opponent from releasing cold air.

Just then, under Feng Ying's guidance, Chu Mingkong had previously attempted to corrupt the primordial spiritual energy given to him by his master's wife with extreme Yin power.

The icy spiritual energy, imbued with extreme yin energy, might be able to penetrate that heavy iron armor silently.

"It's just releasing a chilling aura; there's no killing intent, not even a hint of murderous intent. It shouldn't affect the Annihilation Domain, right?"

Zuo Qiuchi overheard Chu Mingkong's mutterings and asked in bewilderment, "You don't really want to take that thing, do you? Is this jade so good? More important than your young lady? Or does this jade turn her into a young lady?"

As for Miss Yu, doesn't she already have Jin Yu...?

Chu Mingkong said to everyone, "Let's wait here for a while; it won't take long. Daoist Yun, could you please conceal the carriage's presence for a moment?"

Yun Nongyu did not ask for details, but simply nodded in agreement: "Okay, but not for too long."

Having agreed, Chu Mingkong immediately released his Extreme Yin Ice Spiritual Energy.

The intensity of spiritual energy was suppressed to a very low level, and coupled with the influence of extreme yin energy on perception, it was even more difficult to detect in the midst of a battle where energy was colliding and splashing everywhere.

The white, purplish-blue mist drifted silently into the battle, its extreme yin energy like a leech piercing through the fiery iron armor of the sand rhinoceros elephants, the chill seeping into their bodies.

In the midst of the stalemate, someone suddenly noticed that their mount was acting strangely and seemed to be in a bad state.

Immediately, a sand rhinoceros suddenly spewed out a stream of foul-smelling yellow liquid. A person behind it was caught off guard and was completely covered in it, petrified on the spot, utterly despondent.

Like a contagion, every sand rhinoceros in the battle began to spray wildly, so weak that it collapsed on the ground, but it was still spraying. The "floodgates" were hard to control, and the amount of spray was enormous!

Their well-fed and watered pre-battle period has become their biggest nightmare at this moment.

The entire lowland was instantly submerged, creating a viscous river with an extremely strong odor!

"Who would do something so despicable! To raise a stance against the totem and then resort to such petty tricks during the duel!"

Someone raised their arms in anger and questioned him, but was instead given a mouthful of vomit.

The man who had been spitting out the unknown substance had tears of anger streaming down his face. Like a hero who had tasted excrement, he was filled with tears of joy. He channeled his inner energy and unleashed his cultivation power, intending to wipe the place clean and restore order to the world. However, he did not expect that this shock would also cause the unknown substance to be scattered all over other people.

"You son of a bitch, I'll shove shit into your mouth!"

They all possessed cultivation skills, but some of them fled in panic due to instinctive fear, not wanting to become a laughingstock in the future. This concerned the dignity and honor of a warrior and his reputation for finding a wife in the future.

One person remembered to retrieve the broken jade, but his consciousness was interrupted and he didn't know what had happened. When he came to his senses, the white tiger totem jade in front of him had disappeared. Because he was too shocked, he forgot to use his internal energy to stay in the air and fell into the "Yellow River".

Yun Nongyu and the others stared in disbelief at the fierce and chaotic battlefield, which had been reduced to a scene of utter devastation in an instant, their hearts filled with a myriad of emotions.

Chu Mingkong reappeared, holding the totem jade in his hand, indicating that the process of seizing it had been exceptionally smooth.