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

Madam Zhen tried her best to remain calm and said peacefully:

"It's about closing your eyes, like you're sleeping...emptying your mind and praying, showing your acceptance of Mingkong and such...Madam Gu understands this more deeply and for longer; she...she knows it better..."

Madam Zhen did not intend to drag Gu Jungui into the mess, but she really didn't know how to explain it. If she really said that she did nothing, Chu Mingkong did force himself on her a few times in the end, but if she said that she did, then the hurried back and forth was really perfunctory... and she hadn't even had a chance to feel comfortable yet.

Gu Jungui's face turned red, and he hurriedly explained:

“I need to listen to Mingkong’s account of how he respected me since I was a child, how he missed me after I married, and then… I need to acknowledge and accept it without missing a single word, no matter how much… I mean, no matter how much he says, I have to acknowledge and listen.”

Yongzhen raised an eyebrow, sensing something odd about the two elders' attitude: "Mingkong, is that so?"

Shangguan Rong recalled for a moment: "This is to gain the approval of the elders, right? This ceremony comes from the ancient Yueqi Empire's tradition of ascending the throne with one's mother?"

Chu Mingkong forced a smile and replied, "It seems that's the case..."

Chapter 262 Visions of the Future

Fortunately, this troublesome issue didn't linger for too long, because the high priest said she foresaw an impending blizzard and reminded Chu Mingkong that if he wanted to return to Xiling, he had to hurry, thus ending the conversation.

Otherwise, if Yongzhen and Rong'er start asking questions and then realize something is wrong, they might directly ask the chief priest, which would be troublesome.

After a brief stop at the Snow Mountain Tribe, the carriage quickly resumed its journey, heading towards Xiling.

This time, the return journey didn't require hiding from people or taking detours to remote areas like before, and the route was much shorter. However, it was a bit of a pity that Chu Mingkong still wanted to see if the mess he made when he came to the Crescent Moon Kingdom had frozen into an ice river.

If spring comes and the ice thaws, that foul-smelling river will probably drift like a glacier throughout the Moon Worship Sect region, melting away as it goes...

The thought was rather terrifying, so Chu Mingkong abandoned the idea of ​​revisiting the place, lest he actually pick up some of the smell and, upon returning to Xiling, Jin Yu and the others would come out and ask Chu Mingkong if his carriage had run over dog poop.

On Madam Zhen's side, Yongzhen sat next to her mother. The two women were both stunningly beautiful, each with their own unique charm. Simply sitting side by side was a captivating sight.

The two chatted casually, talking about this and that without touching on those awkward issues. However, Madam Zhen felt guilty and ashamed towards her daughter, and kept casting pleading glances at Chu Mingkong, afraid that Yongzhen might suddenly ask a question related to the ceremony, catching her off guard.

Chu Mingkong leaned closer helplessly: "Yongzhen, Madam Zhen, what are you two talking about?"

The woman, with her aloof yet intelligent demeanor, shook her head: "Just chatting casually."

Chu Mingkong sat down next to Yongzhen. There were other people in the carriage, so he wouldn't openly make any advances, but one hand still quietly reached out and touched Yongzhen's buttocks as he said:

"I thought you were worried about the royal family."

Yongzhen's delicate eyebrows trembled slightly at his gentle caresses, but she endured it, thinking that she should just bear with it for now. If he touched other parts of her body in front of her mother, then she would stop him...

"What are you worried about?" she asked back, without revealing her emotions.

Aside from the times when she's playfully fighting and her emotions are readily apparent on her face, Yongzhen is mostly a cool and elegant princess.

If we compare the royal family to a company or conglomerate, Chu Mingkong has practically destroyed its future, and its decline is inevitable. Yongzhen is also one of its members. Although the emperor used her to marry into a foreign land and used it as an excuse to launch a military campaign against her, the emperor is the emperor, and the royal family is the royal family. It's hard to say whether she still feels any attachment to her royal family.

You can't say that just because there's a rat dropping in your house, you hate the whole family.

Chu Mingkong pondered his words for a moment, afraid that he might not have expressed himself clearly, and slowly said, "It's not that I don't allow you to have any thoughts, but Yongzhen, do you have any concerns or regrets about the future of the Tianji Royal Family...?"

Mingkong, when you express concern, could you please stop touching me first...? Yongzhen thought to himself, then added:

"Yes and no. Although I have a high status since I was a child, I am still on the fringes of the royal family. I don't really have a strong sense of belonging. The person I am closest to and trust the most is my mother."

Madam Zhen lowered her head silently.

"But it would be a lie to say that I have no worries about the future of the Celestial Empire royal family. After all, the books I read since I was a child all praised the achievements of our ancestors and said that future generations should have ambitions. Seeing the legacy passed down by our ancestors for so many generations just like that... I still feel uneasy."

"Though of a humble position, one dares not forget the worries of the nation; is this the kind of sentiment?"

Although Yongzhen's previous status as a princess was not low, it was roughly the same. She read books written by scholars from the Tianji Empire, so she was inevitably influenced by their loyalty.

Yongzhen had originally intended to tell him to take that reckless pig's trotter away, but his words diverted her attention:

"It's been a long time since I've heard you speak so eloquently. But if you say my position as a princess is lowly, then what about those soldiers and minor officials? Change that."

She hoped Chu Mingkong would revise it to a more suitable sentence, but it was definitely impossible to change; Chu Mingkong didn't have that ability.

"Whether a position is lowly or not is relative; it depends on who you're comparing it to."

"Does that mean you won't change it, and that you heard it from who-knows-where?"

Yongzhen, this clever girl, could always grasp the essence of Chu Mingkong's words. Her bright eyes were fixed on Chu Mingkong, waiting for him to come up with some new explanations. The latter remembered that he had taken them to Xiling Tea House and the riverside before, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and make up an excuse.

"This is what I heard from the Moon River Goddess in the Lunar Eclipse Kingdom when she traveled to the land that was the predecessor of the Celestial Empire."

These words were convoluted, but Yongzhen was quick-witted. She simply asked a follow-up question, which immediately silenced Chu Mingkong.

"What kind of country did the Heavenly Pole Empire have before? How can someone claim to be of lowly rank but dare not forget the worries of the nation?"

"..."

No wonder Madam Zhen felt so much pressure chatting with Yongzhen. If the other person was her daughter Yongzhen, she might accidentally let Yongzhen trick her into revealing information or discover loopholes in her words.

Fortunately, Yongzhen was used to Chu Mingkong's eloquent but unsubstantiated claims, so she didn't dwell on it too much. Instead, she asked about the blood cocoon found in the Golden Palace after Chu Mingkong murdered the emperor.

She wasn't there at the time; she only heard about it from Chu Mingkong afterwards.

"Mingkong, what did you say was the thing parasitizing the dragon vein? Was it that thing that was relentlessly draining the dragon vein of the Tianji Empire, as well as the divine essence and life force of my mother and Pei Mi, and even disguising itself as the will of the dragon vein?"

Now that we were getting down to business, Chu Mingkong couldn't touch Yongzhen's fleshy buttocks anymore, so he withdrew his hand and said:

"I don't know. According to Master Yun, it belongs to something outside this world. It was planted in the dragon vein of the Heavenly Pole Empire a long, long time ago as a parasite. It is certain that people like Madam Zhen and Jin Yu's mother were not only robbed of their divine essence as nourishment, but were also used by emperors of all dynasties as a shield to offset the backlash of the people's wishes."

"Existent beings from beyond this world, in such a distant era, had already hidden such things in the Golden Palace as parasites..." Yongzhen felt suffocated by the enemies of such beings.

Furthermore, according to what Mingkong said when they met again, the parasite had escaped.

She then thought of Chu Mingkong's mention of the Moon River Goddess leaving behind her offspring, and suddenly realized that this world was much more mysterious than she had imagined.

Compared to the distant past, the present era seems to have regressed. Many who shone in ancient times are now hidden in the past, but have never truly left the stage.

"Is this kind of thing only found in the Golden Palace? There are ancient ruins all over the Tianji Empire, and many temples dedicated to heroes with thriving incense offerings. Could similar things be hidden in those places as well?"

If it were just casual conversation, the people around would turn a blind eye and not participate or disturb. But when Chu Mingkong and Yongzhen suddenly started talking about that kind of thing, Yun Nongyu sat down first. Rong'er wasn't there at the time, but she also wanted to know more, so she sat down as well.

Yun Nongyu said, "Your Highness Yongzhen is right, that is indeed a possibility."

Yongzhen curled the corners of her lips and corrected her with a smile: "Master Yun is joking. Now that Mingkong's matter is settled, I am no longer a princess or a noblewoman. Just call me by my name."

Yun Nongyu nodded: "The demonic embryos hiding in the dragon veins are not hiding, but rather using the nutrients to grow stronger and then hatch. The fact that the Tianji Empire has such a situation is definitely not an isolated case. Places with ancient heritages are very likely to have similar situations."

Shangguan Rong's concern was quite direct; she asked, "Could these be enemies? And where did they come from?"

Chu Mingkong rubbed his temples, looking troubled. "It's hard to say whether they're enemies or not, but I don't think they're friends. That demon fetus was caught and escaped by a single hand back then."

However, this also reveals that Chu Mingkong was indeed capable of injuring the other party; otherwise, that thing would have simply remained there, continuing to absorb the dragon vein.

No matter how powerful an entity is, if it can still harm the other party, then that's a good thing.

Furthermore, judging from the similarity of the circumstances, this demon fetus is just like the daughter that the Moon River Goddess left for Chu Mingkong. Both can be considered offspring left over from ancient times. If the Moon River Goddess could do it, it is not surprising that other powerful figures of that era could do similar things.

But so many years have passed, and these hidden beings have yet to show themselves. Perhaps Chu Mingkong will never have the chance to encounter them.

The one he's most likely to come into contact with recently is probably that little guy who pees on him. Chu Mingkong is actually looking forward to the day when she gets bored and comes out to find him. Otherwise, he'll have to force a little guy to grow out of Aunt Gu's belly.

And then there's... the Rakshasa Society.

Chu Mingkong first came into contact with this organization when his pants were accidentally blown off, and he stumbled into an occupied altar, where he discovered the organization that had recruited many Hehuan disciples.

This Rakshasa Society even included Feng Ying's teacher, Xiling Wang, and Uncle Wei, who wanted to use Xiling Wang to get rid of the price of his ancestral witchcraft, was also included in it.

So what exactly is this organization after?

He doesn't seek world domination. Although he has had contact with royalty, he doesn't seem to have a strong desire to control the dynasty or cultivate a puppet emperor, which suggests that his intentions lie elsewhere.

Furthermore, this organization seems to have provided the means to help the dog emperor invade the Lunar Eclipse Kingdom. To have such means, their foundation is far too powerful.

If they don't crave power, yet are already very strong, then what are they after?

Although I should rest during this trip back to Xiling, I will also take the opportunity to talk to Qingning about her father, bring the Wei family back to Xiling, and visit my master's wife when I have time.

Chu Mingkong asked, "Daoist Yun, what do you know about Sect Master Shen of the Wenqing Pavilion?"

Chapter 263 The Big Daughter Arrives

There was still a long way to go to Xiling. Looking out the window, all I could see was a vast expanse of white snow.

I've seen snow before, but I could always find some other colors to add to the visual monotony. But this year's snow has almost turned the world into one color. After being in it for a while, I'm pretty much going to get snow blindness.

Such a heartless world reminded Chu Mingkong of his master's wife Shen Xuejun's indifferent emotions. After thinking about it for a while longer, even whether her Nana was warm became something he couldn't quite recall.

Yun Nongyu's voice came from beside me, she said:

“Sect Master Shen is very strong. She was most famous before she severed her emotional ties and gained a lot of experience outside. As she fought more, her reputation naturally grew, just like your master.”

Behind Yun Nongyu, Xiong, holding the beautiful Taoist priest Zuo Qiuchi, nodded, making his presence known:

"That's right, like me! My fame is entirely earned through hard work, no hype needed!"

"...Indeed, how could Master's reputation be undeserved?" Chu Mingkong flattered her, hoping to encourage Yun Nongyu to continue speaking, lest Master be dissatisfied and keep interrupting Yun Nongyu.

"It's enough that you know, there's no need to keep emphasizing it~~" Zuo Qiuchi waved his hand, indicating that his traitorous disciple could keep a low profile, and then stopped interrupting, also listening to how Yun Nongyu evaluated her cheap wife.

"Actually, there's not much to say about what happened after that. After severing her emotional ties, Pavilion Master Shen stopped going out to train, probably because she felt it was unnecessary. She also had little interaction within the sect. Even after becoming the Pavilion Master, she didn't do much. She just focused on cultivation and kept a low profile when she occasionally went out."

Only through a few chance encounters did others realize her extraordinary strength, capable of instantly defeating anyone. Righteous sects, concerned for their reputation, were hesitant to challenge her, while demonic sects wouldn't stray from her cause. Therefore, all they knew of her was her strength and her low profile.

Sigh, this kind of information isn't very useful...

Chu Mingkong felt melancholy, realizing he would have to personally go and talk to his master's wife to see what she was really up to.

He fell backward, lying with his legs crossed, and let out a long sigh.

"I feel like I've finished everything, but why does it feel like there's still so much to do?"

Gu Jun Gui, who had previously been unable to participate in the conversation, was now able to say a single sentence:

“Things never happen suddenly. It’s just that when you were so focused on the emperor, you overlooked a lot of things.”

Aunt Gu, don't talk nonsense. My mind is full of extravagance and arrogance. I was thinking about dealing with the emperor before, but he just went too far in targeting me.

Just as Chu Mingkong was about to retort, he heard Zuo Qiuchi say to him:

“Indeed, Mingkong has a lot of forgetfulness. Don’t forget that you’ll have to come with me later.”

"But I think I need to take a break first!"