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

"Thank you, Aunt Gu!" Cat Cat's way of addressing others was just something she copied from how Chu Mingkong addressed them.

And this thank you was also to thank this kind and gentle elder for providing the experience that could make her father cry from the spiciness.

The cat picked up the dish of chili sauce and took it back to present to her father.

Aunt Gu set a precedent, and the other women followed suit. Some told Maomao what was delicious for her to eat, while others told her what wasn't delicious and asked her to take it to Chu Mingkong.

Chu Mingkong felt a mix of emotions as he watched the cat occasionally bring him small pieces of orange peel, sour lemon, or bare chicken bones.

However, he was still very pleased to see that his daughter quickly became familiar with the elders.

Beside her, Zuo Qiuchi hugged the cat's delicate body, held up a bottle of milk to her, and said:

"Kitty, take this bottle and smear it on your father's face. He often smears milk on your mother Fengying's face to avenge her."

Sure enough, everything takes on a peculiar twist when it comes to the master, but Chu Mingkong really didn't have the confidence to refute it...

Feng Ying hurriedly said:

"Zuo Qiuchi, don't corrupt the cat!"

"I'm helping you vent your anger, why aren't you grateful?"

The cat reached into the bottle, dipped its paw into the milk, and then walked up to Chu Mingkong, drawing a crescent moon on his cheek.

Finally, the cat girl had tried all the dishes and had already been tricked by all the bad ones, when she suddenly yawned sleepily.

Chu Mingkong hugged his wicked little darling and asked with concern:

"Is it time? Will you need any protectors or something similar to help you?"

"No need, the cat has to go back into the crevice before it can come out again." The girl had been called "cat" so many times that she gradually came to regard it as her own name.

"Going back to the crack in time? How long will it take to come out? I don't want to come out for a short while and then have to wait another year or two to come out again."

"It'll be over in a bit. Mother is here too... Father is here too."

Chu Mingkong sincerely hoped that his daughter's last words were heartfelt and not just something she forced herself to say to comfort him.

"Okay, then we'll wait for you."

Before long, Chu Mingkong instinctively sensed a fluctuation in the spatial aura, but he couldn't see it with his eyes, nor could he clearly perceive it. All he could confirm was that the cat's body was gradually becoming transparent, and her body was becoming clearer and clearer in his arms, until her mouth disappeared completely.

Even though he had confirmed with his daughter beforehand that she would be back soon, Chu Mingkong still felt uneasy. He couldn't even grasp the slightest bit of the concept of time.

Fortunately, everything was fine until a short while later, the spatial fluctuations reappeared.

Chu Mingkong's face showed a relieved joy, but then he had the same blind box mentality as usual, praying that he would get a tiny one. Even if it wasn't a tiny one, he hoped that it wouldn't skip the cute daughter stage and go straight to maturity, as that would be inappropriate!

He felt a sudden weight in his arms as a pink and tender "little beast" fell into his embrace, seemingly carrying a milky scent.

Although everyone had already heard Chu Mingkong tell them about this situation, they were still very surprised to see it with their own eyes.

"Is it a cat?" Chu Mingkong smiled at her and quickly took out a blanket he had prepared in advance to wrap her up.

"It's a cat." The little girl nodded emphatically, her voice still sweet and childish.

Fengying sighed, "She's even smaller than when I adopted her. Before, I could treat her like a daughter I had lost for many years, but now it feels like she's getting smaller and smaller."

Chu Mingkong didn't really care, since both the big and small ones were daughters anyway.

I was so excited that I felt that if I encountered any difficulties in the future, being depressed and lazy would be a guilty thing. I would feel sorry for this little life if I didn't rush over with a shout of "Oh my god!"

Although he looked reluctant, he still let the women hold his daughter, Maomao, whom he had just "successfully exchanged" for.

......

The night was deep.

Tonight's moon-gazing, snow-viewing, and camping trip didn't involve doing either of the first two things; we just spent all our time having fun with the cats.

However, the little girl got sleepy quickly, so the camping trip was about to end, and everyone went to their pre-assigned tents to rest.

Seeing Chu Mingkong's joy as he held his daughter, Xiao Zhi and Wan Hua were also moved. They wanted to call him into their tent that night, let him shrink down so they could play with him and relive the joy of becoming a mother for the first time and seeing their child.

However, Chu Mingkong seemed to have something he wanted to ask Yun Nongyu, so he took the initiative to invite her to take a walk by the frozen lake to talk. Xiao Zhi and Wan Hua had no choice but to wait patiently.

The two women rested in two adjacent camping tents, but coincidentally took out slips of paper to "make an appointment" with Chu Mingkong.

By the frozen lake, Chu Mingkong sensed spiritual energy fluctuations in the note. After a quick glance, he realized it belonged to his two mothers and put it away for the time being, focusing on the matter at hand.

"Master Yun, I had a wonderful time holding my daughter tonight, so much so that I had a sudden urge to ask you about it, since I had just heard some things about her a few days ago."

The blindfolded female Taoist priest nodded slightly. Her fair, delicate feet, resting on the snow, accentuated the exquisite beauty of her bare feet. She said:

"I understand Your Highness's excitement. It's easy to feel overwhelmed with joy when you first see a tiny, innocent life of your own. However, Your Highness needs to remain calm in front of the little cat princess and not let her mistakenly think that Your Highness prefers her when she was little. She is still too young to understand that feeling. So, is there something Your Highness wishes to ask me?"

"I will keep in mind Master Yun's instructions... I want to know, what exactly is the Day of Supreme Yin?" Chu Mingkong's expression turned serious.

Chapter Eight: Gathering Yin Star Phenomena

"It is said that this is a day related to tombs. Has Your Highness heard of or is familiar with the Ghost Festival in various places?" Yun Nongyu asked.

The Ghost Festival is supposed to be a day with heavy yin energy, making it easy for ghosts to appear and for little ghosts to roam around. There are similar legends in various places. These legends are amplified and spread among the people and then become a kind of festival.

But as the old saying goes, those days that have been passed down as festivals within this worldview are more or less days when ghosts and monsters are likely to appear.

"I've heard of it, but Xiling doesn't have such a festival. Maybe it's because there's a Jiyuan nearby, which keeps those little devils in check," Chu Mingkong said with a smile.

"Perhaps that's part of the reason, but the main reason is that Xiling is kept stable and peaceful, so the people don't harbor resentment and ghosts can't roam freely," Yun Nongyu said softly.

"Haha~ I'll thank Daoist Yun for his praise on behalf of my mother... So what does this have to do with the day of the full moon, and what does it have to do with the tomb?"

“The day of the full moon is similar to the various ghost festivals in different places, except that the latter mainly focuses on ghosts and monsters that walk in the human world, while the former places particular emphasis on tombs, especially some large tombs of ancestors.”

When the topic of those legendary tombs came up, Yun Nongyu suddenly revealed a cautious and apprehensive attitude.

"Master Yun, please explain in detail!" Chu Mingkong pressed.

"There are many different interpretations of this special day in various systems, but from my branch of star-gazing and divination, this day of abundant Yin is the day of gathering Yin in the constellations. Yin stars gather together, presenting a rare and special constellation layout, just as some beings use the starry sky as a chessboard to lay out a chess formation that gathers Yin energy."

When that day arrives, though walking on bustling streets filled with life, one will feel as if they are in a desolate graveyard, a sense of desolation and unease rising within. The large tombs will come to life, and some long-sealed, difficult-to-open burial chambers will open.

This kind of story really sounds like the kind of ghost stories that are used to scare children, but Chu Mingkong doesn't pay much attention to these things.

The system told him to pay attention to the days of waning yin, and now Yun Nongyu mentioned that some great tombs would open due to the yin of the stars, which actually means... that he should go to those ruins and tombs on the days of waning yin to try his luck!

Especially those famous ancestral tombs, such as those of shamans!

Chu Mingkong nodded to himself; this must be what the system really meant.

"Why did Your Highness suddenly ask about this? Did you come across this term in some ancient texts?"

"More or less. I saw it by chance, and then I became a little curious. I wonder when the most yin day is recently?"

Yun Nongyu stopped in her tracks, her eyes, hidden behind black blindfolds, seemed to be staring at him, as if someone had asked her an absurd and inexplicable question.

"This day of abundant Yin is a once-in-a-millennium event. The sky is filled with stars, and there are many unexpected and unknown events. If there is even one extra star in the astrolabe, this gathering of Yin stars will be disrupted. Not to mention that such a star phenomenon is rare to occur even once in a lifetime. It is very difficult to predict the day of abundant Yin. Usually, we only realize it after the fact."

"Oh, I was just asking out of curiosity, haha..." Chu Mingkong couldn't explain the guidance given to him by his system mother, so he could only laugh awkwardly.

His question was probably as abstract and irrelevant to Yun Nongyu as someone asking her "how to be reborn as a noble prince".

So it turns out that we can only truly feel it when the day of full yin arrives? Then he should spend these days inquiring about which extraordinary tombs exist, and then he can dig up people's ancestral graves!

Chu Mingkong brought Yun Nongyu out tonight mainly to find out about this matter, but it wouldn't be right to send her away right after asking her questions; that would be too heartless.

He casually brought up some topics to ask, as a lighthearted chat before parting ways late at night:

"By the way, I noticed that the chief priestess of the Snow Mountain tribe also had her eyes covered with a cloth. I wonder what this has to do with Master Yun? Is it a necessary ritual for stargazing?"

"Your Highness can understand it that way. After all, it is their heritage, and we should not make arbitrary comments about it."

While the blindfolding custom of our branch of Taoism retains some ancient traditions, it also serves as a way to avoid suspicion. I have long used secret methods to seal my eyes, and the blindfolds allow others to know that my closed-eye appearance is not out of disrespect or arrogance. Otherwise, some might think that our Taoist sect dislikes looking at people with their eyes open.

She gave a rather witty explanation with a smile on her lips.

However, even without this explanation, Chu Mingkong would generally interpret it as a ritual requirement in cultivation.

However, Yun Nongyu is now saying that the habit of wearing blindfolds isn't as serious as the sect's cultivation rules, which means...

You could also replace the blindfold with a black lace one.

He's thinking of promoting his blindfold business to the Taoist community. He'd even give it away for free (female disciples only)!

"Alright, it's getting late. I won't disturb Master Yun's rest any longer. I can't wait to see how the cat sleeps."

Yun Nongyu always wore a faint smile, so faint it was almost imperceptible, like the smiles on the faces of the female immortals and bodhisattvas enshrined in Taoist temples—appearing friendly, yet possessing a distant quality upon closer inspection. However, when she heard Chu Mingkong's eagerness to see his daughter sleeping, Yun Nongyu's smile curved upwards slightly, becoming as gentle as a spring breeze.

"Alright, then I won't disturb Your Highness's enjoyment any longer."

After watching Chu Mingkong leave, Yun Nongyu found a rock by the frozen lake, sat down, looked up at the moon, and pondered the changes in the star map in her mind.

She had just had a brief chat with Chu Mingkong, and with some indescribable thoughts in her heart, she sat quietly and gazed at the stars.

The celestial chart was in disarray, making it impossible to discern the celestial phenomena associated with the so-called day of abundant Yin energy. Yet, she seemed to sense something amiss.

After pondering for a long time, Yun Nongyu still couldn't figure out the source of that feeling. So she took out a precious jade slip, crushed it, and used the power of the broken jade slip to briefly contact her fellow disciples in the Kunlun Daoist sect, asking them for an explanation of the reason for this elusive thought.

The Kunlun Mountains are located in a unique position, and stargazing can reveal many different things, or sometimes the view is clearer than in other places.

Soon after, news came from the Kunlun Daoist sect.

[Chong Xuanzi: Elder Yun, are you referring to the Yin Gathering Star Phenomenon? We just gathered a group of elders to observe the stars, and we managed to glean some clues from the vast constellations. However, this Yin Gathering Star Phenomenon is only in a "nearly formed" state, and it may dissipate after a while. Nevertheless, it has been a long time since we have seen such a magnificent Yin Gathering Star Phenomenon. It is truly rare!]

The Western Mausoleum has an abyss that disrupts the celestial phenomena, yet Elder Yun has still managed to gain insight from it. It seems he has recently encountered another fortuitous opportunity, and his cultivation is progressing at breakneck speed!

Yun Nongyu frowned, looking at the chaotic and unclear starry sky, and then looked in confusion in the direction where Chu Mingkong had left to find his daughter.

She remained silent for a long time.

"Could it be... that the day of the full moon is truly approaching? How did His Highness know this?"

Chapter Nine: The Two Mothers Start Fighting Back Together

Chu Mingkong had no idea how much work his casual question would cause the Kunlun Daoist sect.

Although those in the Taoist sect judged that this gathering of stars might not ultimately succeed and would only be a fleeting phenomenon, such a natural wonder of the world was still worth studying and comprehending. To gain even a little enlightenment would be a great blessing!

Chu Mingkong was currently preoccupied with seeing his youngest daughter's sleeping face and then checking with his mothers to see if he was to be called upon for a service.