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

Bahar believes he has found the right person!

"Is the Moon River Goddess inside?" Chu Mingkong asked again.

"I cannot answer. I only know about the various aspects of the ritual, but I cannot explain to Your Highness the details of the affairs within the divine kingdom. This is also true for the Moon Worship Cult, otherwise a group of them would have gone in personally."

One of the things the Defeat Moon Cult values ​​in His Highness is his extreme Yin power! The Moon River Goddess, whom the Defeat Moon Cult worships, attempted to access extreme Yin power in her later years, and we believe this is the key to gaining her approval.

By this point in the discussion, Chu Mingkong could already discern the attitude of the Defeat Moon Sect.

It's unclear whether the other party has any ulterior motives or deeper intentions, but compared to that guy from the Moon Worship Cult, this old man's attitude is incredibly kind.

In the absence of certainty about Chu Mingkong's willingness to cooperate, it is better to explain everything clearly from the beginning and let him consider whether to accept it. This is a cooperation model that aligns with Chu Mingkong's understanding.

Even if it was a scam, the Baiyue Sect at least showed sincerity in their deception. The Baiyue Sect, on the other hand, was just too outrageous. They tried to trick him into becoming a sacrifice, and they looked down on him.

However, it seems there's no problem, because in the eyes of the Moon Worship Cult, Chu Mingkong is now in dire straits. If he doesn't want Xiling to be destroyed, he has to accept cooperation with the Moon Worship Cult.

To put it bluntly, Fazan felt that he had no choice, and the Baiyue Cult was not very capable of letting him into the divine kingdom, so he became extremely arrogant.

Chu Mingkong took a sip of tea, and after drinking it all, the teacup was empty. He had almost finished his thought process for this period of time.

"Now we come back to the original question. Although many rituals have all sorts of strange rules, if there is a reason, I still want to know why you need to steam the mother?"

Old Man Bahar sensed that Chu Mingkong had shown some inclination to cooperate, so he tried his best to explain the reasons behind it.

"First of all, there is the difference between the Moon Destroyer Cult and the Moon Worship Cult. Although we both worship the Moon River Goddess, the founding empress of the unified empire of Yueqi, there are differences between us."

The Moon-Defying Cult worships a Moon River Goddess passed down orally through several regions; she is a human being with selfish desires and flesh and blood. The Moon-Worshipping Cult, however, presents a Moon River Goddess who better aligns with the ideal of the Moon People—a flawless, almost unreal, Moon River Goddess formed from the collective power of countless vows.

Chu Mingkong listened briefly and immediately understood. It was just like some famous people who actually existed in history in his previous life. They were people who were active on the other side of the long river of history, but they became people of faith among the common people in later generations.

For example, Guan Yu is worshipped as the God of Wealth and given the title "Guan Sheng Di Jun". This has nothing to do with Guan Yu in real history, but later generations have created various "images" for him.

The difference between the Moon Worship Cult and the Moon Defeated Cult lies in the "ideal persona" versus the "real empress".

"Although they are all goddesses of the Moon River, their different beliefs lead to different rituals."

Before the founding of the Yueqi Empire, this land was not a desolate place. There were tribes, mythical beast totem beliefs, and shamans fighting here. Many of their customs became part of the customs of the Yueqi Empire after its founding.

In those times, manpower was highly valued, and the maternal clan held a high status. When two tribes clashed or merged, it was forbidden to slaughter the opposing tribe's maternal clan; instead, they had to treat each other amicably. This was the custom of 'honoring the mother.' Since the founding empress was a woman, this custom was naturally preserved. For a considerable period, the Yueying Empire was a matriarchal society. Even if only one prince remained, he could not ascend the throne without the approval of the queen mother.

Chu Mingkong understood many things, and his doubts about the strange ritual vanished:

"Then where did the rituals of the Moon Worship Cult originate?"

The white-haired old man said:

"This is what happened after the Moon River Goddess. The Moon River Goddess did not leave the throne to her own offspring, but instead let the priests succeed her. Your Highness can understand this as letting the head of the state religion and the national teacher succeed her. The rituals of the Moon Worship Cult originated from the state religion."

Chu Mingkong felt that both sects were selecting "male concubines" that they thought could satisfy the Moon River Goddess, so that they could enter the Moon Eclipse Divine Kingdom to gain approval and bring out the exact information of the Moon Goddess.

The Moon River Goddess of the Defeat Moon Cult has been exposed to the power of extreme Yin. If we consider this, does the Heavenly Emperor also meet the criteria?

No, that won't work. Madam Zhen is Emperor Tianji's mother, but Chu Mingkong has already taken her away. The emperor doesn't even have the right to enter the Lunar Eclipse Kingdom.

Chu Mingkong was a little embarrassed: "By the way, the person chosen for this steamed mother, it's not going to be her own child, is it?"

"No need. Your Highness can simply respect and love the elders in your heart. It is useless to find an older woman to temporarily act as an elder. No one can deceive their own heart."

So... this is the rather difficult thing for Your Highness to do. We cannot arrange an 'elder' for Your Highness. If there is a way to make a temporary arrangement, I will gladly do so..."

"...Please don't!"

Chapter 236 The Tycoon of Moonstone City

Chu Mingkong does indeed prefer mature, composed, and charming women, but this Defeat Moon Cult Leader is a bit too "mature." Given her current first impression, even if she transforms into a stunning woman in the future, Chu Mingkong will find it difficult to accept.

...If a buttocks are ridiculously beautiful, it's not that he can't accept it; he can still make do with it.

As the discussion continued, Chu Mingkong gained a deeper understanding of the situation. Some of the points he made aligned with the historical events mentioned by Yun Nongyu, which further fueled Chu Mingkong's desire to cooperate.

"This matter has an unsavory aspect in the eyes of the Heavenly Empire. Your Highness needs to think it through and also consider how to explain this to the elders. In addition, the candidates should be as 'noble' as possible, and you should not just pick a wet nurse to fill the position."

Five days later is the night of the lunar eclipse. These few days will give His Highness time to prepare. Please also take the White Tiger Totem Jade to your elders to the snow mountain at that time.

After leaving his message, the old man departed.

Chu Mingkong pondered alone, realizing that the "noble" the chief priest had just mentioned must refer to his extraordinary talent and physical constitution.

From this perspective, Madam Zhen seems more suitable, but in terms of intimacy, Aunt Gu is undoubtedly closer to him. Aunt Gu even held him while bathing when he was a child.

To be on the safe side, should we bring both of them?

Actually, if there were enough time, it would be best to bring Zhi'er along. She could fulfill both conditions by herself. However, five days is not enough time to cross the snow-covered Crescent Kingdom from Xiling and arrive at Kunlun Mountain.

As for the White Tiger totem jade, we also need to work hard to get as many pieces as possible, just in case.

Regardless of how useful this thing is within the Lunar Eclipse Divine Kingdom, the more it is collected, the stronger Feng Ying's White Tiger protection will be, and the more powerful Chu Mingkong will be able to steal from her.

You can never have too much strength.

After sitting alone in thought for an unknown amount of time, Shangguan Rong entered the room, sat down next to him, and quietly waited for him to fall into deep thought.

It wasn't until the beautiful woman's fragrance, as sweet as orchids and as sweet as musk, brought Chu Mingkong back to his senses that he realized Shangguan Rong was already beside him.

"Mingkong has been thinking about what that old man talked about for so long."

The chief priest was right about one thing: some things were indeed inconvenient to talk about. Chu Mingkong first told Rong'er about the Moon River Goddess that the chief priest had mentioned.

"The Moon River Goddess was originally a homeless child. Later, she rose to power in several regions now occupied by the Defeat Moon Cult. Her power grew rapidly, sweeping across the entire territory before she established the Moonlit Empire... However, after becoming empress, the Moon River Goddess was unwilling in many ways, and even attempted to dabble in the power of extreme Yin..."

Shangguan Rong murmured softly, these were all things she had never heard of before.

"Furthermore, in the rituals, the Moon Worship Cult's belief system, which is based on the Moon River Goddess, cannot be without the Moon River Goddess's experience of killing her male concubine who was raising her child to rectify the court. Otherwise, the legitimate successor would be that male concubine and the Moon River Goddess's descendants, rather than the Grand Preceptor after the abdication. Therefore, those who enter the Moon Eclipse Divine Kingdom through the Moon Worship Cult will inevitably 'play' that male concubine and die in the Moon Eclipse Divine Kingdom."

The Defeat Moon Cult worships the real Moon River Goddess, whose life spans the entirety of her existence. Mingkong entered the Lunar Eclipse Divine Kingdom through this Defeat Moon Cult, and is now free to move about?

Shangguan Rong wasn't sure if Chu Mingkong's explanation was unclear, as she found it a bit confusing and didn't quite understand what the Lunar Eclipse Divine Kingdom was—a dream? Or a secret realm?

"Mingkong, if you entered the Divine Kingdom with the Moon Worship Cult, who would ultimately have the chance to approach the Moon River Goddess?"

"I don't know, but my understanding is that since they can all go in together, they must have killed the Divine Child of the Moon Worship Cult to prevent him from getting in their way."

Could they really let him become a male concubine? Becoming a male concubine would be equivalent to conforming to the history recognized by the Moon Worship Cult, which is equivalent to gaining the goddess's approval. In that case, Chu Mingkong would lose.

Before we know what will happen to us, we should just find the Moon Worshiping Child and kill him to avoid any unforeseen complications.

Even though Shangguan Rong didn't quite understand many things, she clearly grasped the most important interests on her side, and she pressed for details:

"You said the Defeat Moon Sect can give you freedom of movement, Mingkong, and you can leave at any time if necessary. What sacrifices would you need to make, Mingkong? This matter can't be that simple, can it? The Defeat Moon Sect can't possibly have only advantages and no disadvantages!"

"The disadvantage of the Defeat Moon Sect is that I have to gain the approval of the Moon River Goddess myself."

The Moon Goddess can directly obtain the status of a male concubine. Historically, that male concubine was a candidate recommended by the state religion faction to determine whether the Moon River Goddess should stay or leave.

Of course, there's also a slight disadvantage in the ceremony of entering the divine realm. It's a bit hard to explain; we need to prepare a white tiger totem jade, and other things..."

Shangguan Rong is a bit too straightforward, which is often described as lacking in romance, but she's not completely oblivious to Chu Mingkong's inner turmoil.

She didn't press further, silently watching Chu Mingkong.

After a while, he changed the subject to Chu Mingkong:

"Mingkong, did you ask the old man who defeated the moon why the priest of the Moon Worship Cult said that I had a connection with them? Was it just a casual remark to get closer, or is there really some connection between us?"

In Shangguan Rong's mind, changing the topic was a good way to put Chu Mingkong's mind, so that he wouldn't keep dwelling on the previous matter. However, Chu Mingkong didn't think so.

His attention was entirely focused on the affairs of the Lunar Eclipse Kingdom, and he forgot to ask Fazan about Rong'er's fate.

"...If I said I didn't ask, would you think I don't care about you and be angry with me? I was thinking about the Lunar Eclipse Kingdom at the time..."

Shangguan Rong paused in silence, then shook her head with mixed feelings:

"Don't be angry. You really should have paid more attention to the Lunar Eclipse Kingdom back then..."

I've found that I'm not very good at starting conversations.

"It's not that you don't know how to start a conversation, it's just that the topics you come up with often make people feel awkward."

Chu Mingkong chuckled as he saw Shangguan Rong's rare expression of frustration and sullenness, but he immediately stopped laughing after she glared at him.

After leaving the room, Chu Mingkong first took Rong'er back to her room, and then walked alone in the mountains to clear his mind, thinking about how to explain the matter to Aunt Gu and Madam Zhen.

Bringing this up in public feels a bit sudden. Chu Mingkong doesn't find it sudden, but he's worried that Aunt Gu and the others might not be able to accept it.

Previously, he had planned to slowly find opportunities to deepen the relationship, whether it was with Aunt Gu or Madam Zhen, he was planning to proceed gradually.

The events surrounding the Defeat Moon Cult came too suddenly.

Perhaps because he was thinking about the two of them, Chu Mingkong unknowingly walked to the door of Madam Zhen's room.

Madam Zhen could already recognize Chu Mingkong's footsteps. She took the initiative to walk out of the room, a gentle and peaceful smile on her lips. When she saw Chu Mingkong's furrowed brows, she became worried.

"Mingkong, I just heard from Yongzhen that you were in contact with people from the Crescent Moon Kingdom. Did you encounter any difficulties?"

Chu Mingkong looked around and realized with a start that he had walked right up to Madam Zhen:

"It is a bit difficult..."

"Although I can't be of much help, I can still offer you some words of comfort. Can you tell me what's on your mind?"

"I haven't figured out how to bring it up yet. I'll talk to Madam Zhen about it later."

"Okay, are you going for a walk now? I'll walk with you."

"I did have that idea, but then I remembered I need to go to the Immortal Treasure Pavilion to take care of some business. When I get back, I'll invite Madam Zhen to take a walk in these mountains together."

"it is good."

As Madam Zhen watched Chu Mingkong's figure depart and disappear into the mountain path, the image of Chu Mingkong's conflicted and evasive attitude just now surfaced in her mind.

It was a rare sight to see Chu Mingkong treat her this way, which made Madam Zhen feel somewhat uncomfortable, as if a small stone was stuck in her heart.

It felt like a child who had always been very obedient to him suddenly becoming distant and hiding things from him.

Could it be because of the belt breaking incident that made him angry?

Madam Zhen had no idea and could only wait for Chu Mingkong to return so she could go and ask him what had happened.

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

In the Crescent Moon Kingdom, the official head of the Immortal Pavilion is Amatera, the man who caused trouble for Qingse. However, the real power behind the scenes belongs to his wife Nida's family.

Without his father-in-law's support, it would have been difficult for Amathai to make a name for himself. However, due to the rapidly changing situation in the Crescent Kingdom, Amathai's business was declining.