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

How could he not know how important the marriage alliance was?

The Crescent Kingdom is currently in a precarious situation. Without external help to forcefully break the deadlock, it will be difficult to unify the country. Even if all the tribes submit, there are still many hidden forces that have migrated there and grown stronger.

With the current strength of the Yueqi royal family, it would be difficult to unify both the overt and covert channels simultaneously.

The marriage of the eldest princess is a matter that cannot be lost, and we also have to be wary of the Emperor of Tianji. Although there are interests involved on both sides, and the Emperor of Tianji wants to obtain the Moon River Goddess, it is hard to guarantee that he will not change his mind.

Judging from intelligence from various sources, the Heavenly Emperor is now far too powerful!

After being warned by the eldest prince, Mamon said anxiously and fearfully:

"I don't know about that, but the two women accompanying him were veiled and dressed in the style of the Crescent Moon Kingdom. I haven't heard of their identities, but both of them had a very high level of demeanor and figure."

Although the eldest prince appeared calm on the surface when faced with Ma Meng's intelligence, he was still wary of people of unknown origin, especially those who were after Princess Yongzhen. He had to be extra vigilant!

The marriage procession has already been delayed for a long time due to tribal conflicts, and we can't afford to cause any more trouble because of some unknown admirer who has been admiring us for ten years.

Let's split our forces into two groups and take them down.

This guy named "Cao" can be taken care of. Also, send someone to check on the woman Ma Meng mentioned. If she really is as beautiful as Ma Meng described, she can't be wasted!

"Cao? I've never even heard of him. How dare he show up at this time, claiming to be an admirer of the Princess? This prince will not show him any mercy!"

The eldest prince looked at a man standing in a dark corner and gestured for him to follow Mamon to deal with the matter.

He hadn't inquired about Ma Meng's actual cultivation level with that "Cao" person, because it was unnecessary. Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit. The person he planned to send was his most trusted bodyguard, Zahak.

With the protection of the White Tiger Totem, he is also a man at the Sword Saint level. As long as he is there, no matter how chaotic the Crescent Kingdom is, few can threaten him.

------------

When Chu Mingkong arrived at the agreed location, he didn't see anyone at first. He guessed that the person had probably gone to deliver the message in person.

The agreed meeting place was an underground tavern, where many of the people were with Ma Meng. When Chu Mingkong asked them what organization they belonged to, they didn't answer, but instead said in a serious tone: "It's not convenient to reveal it now. You're not one of us yet."

They also kept reassuring him, saying that the organization's higher-ups valued him highly, and that Ma Meng would bring several leaders over to discuss matters with him, telling him to rest assured and wait a little longer.

These people generously brought out their best wine (they claimed) to entertain him, and Chu Mingkong took a large gulp in front of them, praising it:

"Your fruit wine is indeed quite good, and the flavor is acceptable. Even I, a foreigner, am satisfied with it."

If only less muscle-dissolving powder had been added to the wine, the original flavor might have been even better.

Seeing that he had taken a big gulp, the bartender felt much more at ease and was able to chat with him more freely.

"Of course, this was brewed by the jade feet of a pure sixteen-year-old girl from the Moon Worship Cult. Ordinary people can't even get to drink it."

Holy crap...

Chu Mingkong was stunned, and he really had the urge to vomit. Why didn't you say so earlier!

He could accept wine made from the feet of his own daughter, but he could not accept wine made from the feet of a woman he did not know.

"Excuse me for asking, but who created the most expensive wine?" Beneath his bone armor helmet, Chu Mingkong's lips trembled slightly.

"Logically, the younger the better, the purer the younger. But generally speaking, eight years old is best, when they have a certain degree of self-control. If they are any younger, they might feel cold when stepping on the cool grapes and pee, and then the whole basin of grapes would be wasted."

"..."

Could it be that the fruit wine that Rong'er just drank was also trampled by someone else?

It's better not to ask. Since I've already drunk it, I might as well not disgust myself with it.

After waiting for a while, the bartender enthusiastically filled Chu Mingkong's glass with more fruit wine, but Chu Mingkong wouldn't touch it again. Even arsenic-infused wine was more palatable than this.

Finally, Mamon appeared.

Behind him followed a one-eyed man wearing an eyepatch, with red hair and a scar on his jaw that extended to the eyepatch. The man carried a three-foot-long straight sword at his waist.

This person's aura was like a sword that could kill or bring down, and the sword intent in his heart could be contained to the point of being almost non-existent, but it could not escape Chu Mingkong's eyes.

Ma Meng smiled broadly, his attitude towards Chu Mingkong instantly warm, like that of a long-lost father.

Instead of directly breaking off relations, he wanted to extract more information:

"You may not know this, but he is the strongest member of our anti-marriage alliance. Brother Cao, did you bring any companions with you on this trip?"

Chapter 210 He chickened out (36/42)

Chu Mingkong shrugged, took a piece of fruit from the table, peeled it with a knife, and in the blink of an eye, the fruit peel had fallen in one continuous strip.

There was not the slightest fluctuation of spiritual energy; this is called "circular cutting knife work".

The one-eyed swordsman narrowed his eyes slightly, inwardly exclaiming in surprise: I didn't see it clearly!

Chu Mingkong ate some fruit and replied, "No, you must have misunderstood something. I've already found true love and came here alone to see you."

With the backing of Sword Saint Zahak and the news that there were no other accomplices, Ma Meng's tone became much harsher, his gaze fixed on Chu Mingkong with a threatening and interrogative air: "Really no one?"

Chu Mingkong nodded, releasing a chilling aura to cool the fruit in his hand, enhancing its flavor.

"No, since you're so eager to rely on outsiders to make things happen, my advice is to accept your fate. How can you entrust important family matters to others for decision-making?"

Ma Mengchao glanced at the bartender to confirm whether "Cao" had drunk the poisoned wine. This poisoned wine was made from the venom of the most powerful poisonous insects and snakes in the Crescent Moon Kingdom. It could paralyze the spiritual veins. It felt like the spiritual veins could function normally, but once in a high-intensity battle, problems would immediately arise, and the person would run out of strength.

The bartender nodded, confirming that the other person had taken a big gulp of the foot-shaped fruit wine.

Mamon adopted a respectful attitude and said to the One-Eyed Sword Saint, "Lord Zahak, it's possible..."

The one-eyed swordsman interrupted him, looking at the frivolous man in bone armor with an unchanging expression of deep resentment. He said in a deep voice:

"Since you were just looking, then it's fine. Brother Cao, please leave. Let's pretend that today's events never happened."

Ma Meng was completely bewildered, not understanding why things had developed this way.

If that person is let go, wouldn't all the merits I've gained in front of the eldest prince be for nothing?

"Lord Zahak, what exactly is this...?"

Chu Mingkong himself felt frustrated.

What's going on? You've already poisoned him and even brought in a minor swordsman. Isn't it a bit too swift to end this now?

At least give it a shot!

In the underground tavern.

The people here all belong to the Crown Prince's faction; at least for now, they still fly the Crown Prince's banner.

Mamun asked, puzzled, "Lord Zahak, why didn't you make a move just now?"

The one-eyed swordsman was reluctant to explain further, as it would be pointless for those who couldn't see through it to know, a pure waste of breath. However, considering that this fool had tried to continue the matter even after he had stopped it, he couldn't help but speak out.

"That Cao from the capital just now, his skill with a dagger is quite remarkable. He should be a disciple of someone from the Crescent Moon Kingdom, as there are traces of his skills here. However, when he wielded the dagger, he used swordsmanship, and the level of his swordsmanship was frightening. In addition, he is also a rare ice spirit cultivator. I cannot deal with him head-on."

"But...but he also drank poisoned wine. He has no fighting ability; he's just bluffing to scare you!"

"Your poisoned wine is no match for an ice spirit cultivator. It freezes instantly upon entering the throat, and even if ice blocks were swallowed, it wouldn't affect him. Fool, don't do anything unnecessary. You're only causing trouble for the eldest prince."

Having said all that, the One-Eyed Sword Saint decided not to say anything more. He turned to leave, thinking about how to get the Crown Prince to accept this fact and how to deal with the man from the capital, Mr. Cao.

Just now, he clearly wanted to find someone to fight; his true thoughts were completely different from what he said about not wanting to cause trouble.

If possible, it would be best to cultivate a good relationship with this Mr. Cao.

Seeing that even the Sword Saint had retreated, Ma Meng finally realized the seriousness of the situation and said:

"What should we do if His Highness the Crown Prince sends men to seize Cao's family?"

"It's not a big problem; those who went to take it won't survive."

Before leaving the tavern, the one-eyed swordsman added:

"You may still have another chance to make a contribution. Try to apologize to this person on behalf of His Highness the Crown Prince and ask for his forgiveness."

----------

The Golden Hotel.

The compassionate protector, holding a Zen staff, arrived at the inn's entrance, his eyes fixed on the signboard, his gaze passing through the building to the aura of Asura weapons within the inn.

"Finally found it. Although it's only within a certain radius, it still took me quite a while to find it. Well done," she murmured to herself, letting out a sigh of relief.

As expected of the Asura King, they successfully found the lost Asura weapon, but they didn't know which one it was, or who in the building was wielding the Asura weapon.

Just as the hooded female monk was about to go in and ask some questions, a group of men under the banner of the Moon King rushed over, their momentum overwhelming.

"One team will surround the area and prevent even a single bird from flying out. The second team will follow me inside and take away what His Highness the Crown Prince wants!"

The cavalry squad leader used the word "things" in his speech, even though he knew that the eldest prince wanted them to take the extremely beautiful women that Mamun had mentioned. But it made no difference; the women they kidnapped would soon be marked as slaves and registered as slaves, so they were no different from objects.

However, this explanation took on a different meaning when it reached the ears of the Compassionate Protector. Many things are not as coincidental as they seem; what else could these people be rushing to steal besides the Asura King's divine weapon?

The female monk slammed her staff on the ground, cracking the floor and making the bell ring.

"Halt! This belongs to my king; none of you may lay a finger on it!"

The ranger captain raised an eyebrow and rebuked:

"Where did this nun come from? Can't she see our flag?"

The squad leader's henchman, intending to establish his superior's authority, raised his warhorse, neighing and snorting, as if to trample the nun with its raised hooves.

"Compassion saves the wicked!" The compassionate Dharma protector recited this phrase with his palms raised, and a huge golden handprint descended from the sky with the force to defeat a thousand armies.

The guerrilla captain was shocked, but reacted quickly, summoning the totem of the Moonlit Royal Family for protection. A white-browed eagle flew up and crashed into the golden handprint, shattering it instantly. The entire squad of rangers was knocked off their feet, coughing up blood as they flew through the air.

The human had protective gear that barely saved his life, but the horse was instantly turned into mincemeat.

The nun spoke gently, but when she struck, she attacked with deadly force.

"Get out," said the compassionate Dharma Protector calmly.

Chu Mingkong rushed over at this moment. He sensed the fighting atmosphere near the Golden Inn through the Asura Heavy Sword. He returned in a hurry, only to find that his master, Zuo Qiuchi, was hiding nearby and watching.

"Master, what are you doing? What are these people here for?" Chu Mingkong felt that this couldn't possibly be such a coincidence.

Zuo Qiuchi said, "How would I know? I just came back and saw these people fighting. It looks like they were trying to steal something."

Chu Mingkong pondered the group of people carrying the banner of the Yueqi royal family, and then thought about how Ma Meng had just brought a sword saint to find him.

"If they care so much about my status as an admirer of the princess, they must be on the side of the eldest prince."

Chu Mingkong ran over and shouted "Wait!" stopping the female monk. The compassionate protector was suspicious. Was this reinforcement? He thought they were about to fight, but the man in bone armor ran directly to the wounded ranger captain.