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

As far as I can remember, she seemed to have a good relationship with Chu Mingkong. It's not surprising that Chu Mingkong brought her, who was like a mother to him, back to Xiling after returning from the capital, and also visited the Gu family.

The Gu family girls were relieved: "We were so scared! We thought His Highness had brought his woman with him!"

Chu Mingkong explained, "I'm sorry, Aunt Gu saw a pretty sugar painting vendor on the bus, so I got off with her to take a look."

"Not at all, Your Highness, you're too kind. It's a great honor for us that you could come in person!"

Gu Jun'an, a young woman who is Gu Jun'gui's half-sister and "rival," recently took her daughter back to her parents' home for a visit. Hearing that Chu Mingkong was coming, she also joined the welcoming party with the intention of "promoting" her eight-year-old daughter.

Upon seeing Chu Mingkong's handsome appearance and his powerful yet restrained physique, and then taking a closer look at his high, straight nose, one couldn't help but feel weak in the knees.

Handsome and strong, with such a pleasing nose bridge, he must be incredibly skilled in bed... (In some unreliable folk tales, the nose bridge is related to the penis.)

She gave her daughter a subtle nudge: "Niannian, go back to your room first, there's nothing for you to do here!"

The little girl muttered in confusion, "Why? Didn't you tell me, Mother, not to eat melons or watch the snow, but to come and pick up His Highness?"

The young woman's eyes never left Chu Mingkong. She whispered to her daughter, "You're still too young to handle this. I want to help you control yourself first!"

After exchanging a few simple pleasantries at the door, Chu Mingkong felt that the welcoming ceremony, so festive it was almost like setting off firecrackers, was a bit off-track.

...Have you forgotten about the one who was haunted?

Chapter Sixteen: You're so weak because the female ghost drained your energy?!

Chu Mingkong spent time with the Gu family exchanging pleasantries and chatting about nothing of importance, receiving wave after wave of onlookers and flattery.

He felt deeply uncomfortable, not because he had any issues with the Gu family, but simply because he wasn't used to being so popular.

In any case, the first half of his life so far has been spent trying different methods and weapons to destroy the eggs of the ferocious beasts in the Abyss. During his journey to "make a living" in the capital city, where he expanded his social network the fastest, he was mostly looked down upon.

Now that I'm with the Gu family, the difference in treatment is huge!

Fortunately, he had Aunt Gu by his side to help control the pace. Chu Mingkong couldn't refuse the Gu family's kindness too forcefully, but Aunt Gu could help him turn down those things that weren't important.

The dialogue is finally back on track!

"Explain in detail what this ghost story in the letter is all about?" Chu Mingkong asked.

"Eh? Your Highness is here to exorcise ghosts? I was hoping Jun Gui could use Your Highness's connections to see if he knew any sorcerers specializing in this, but I didn't expect Your Highness to come in person!" Master Gu was somewhat surprised.

"It's Aunt Gu's family home, so of course I had to come in person. I also wanted to accompany Aunt Gu on her way back to visit them!"

"Oh, hahaha... I still remember Your Highness when you were little..."

Chu Mingkong was afraid that Master Gu would unknowingly steer the conversation astray again, so he had no choice but to change the subject: "I remember when I was little, Xiling was not haunted much, so what exactly is going on with the Gu family this time?"

Finally, Chu Mingkong learned the whole story.

The one who encountered Gui Chong this time was Gu Wenkai, the son-in-law of the second wife.

Now, Gu Wenkai was a handsome scholar whose highest achievement so far was third place in the province, which is equivalent to the third-ranked scholar in the provincial examination.

A proper third-place scholar!

This scholar from another province, who had his official career thwarted by someone using their family's resources, happened to be chosen by the Gu family, who were particularly interested in his surname, Gu, and thus took him in as their son-in-law.

After joining the Gu family, he was put in charge of the Gu family's expanded calligraphy and painting business, and he traveled back and forth between Jin and Xiling in Chu for many years.

But perhaps this young man, who had just passed through the night, picked up something unclean while traveling back and forth on this road.

Ever since Gu returned to the Gu family, the first thing he dreamed of was being disturbed by a female ghost. Then, everyone in the Gu family, including the children, experienced the same nightmares.

Lately, the Gu family has been frequently awakened by the sound of children crying at night.

Chu Mingkong listened carefully to Master Gu's story, but something still felt off...

Judging from the way the Gu family welcomed him and the festive atmosphere, they didn't seem like they had been harassed by a female ghost at all. But to be fair, the Gu family members did have quite heavy dark circles under their eyes.

"I find this very strange. My Gu family has been worshipping those magical artifacts and talismans, so how could we be disturbed by wandering ghosts from somewhere..." Old Master Gu was puzzled.

"What was the female ghost's behavior in the dream?" Chu Mingkong pressed.

"It's beautiful. The dream starts with you strolling down the street, and then somehow you end up in a brothel. A female ghost will ask you if you want to marry her. No matter what you answer, she will torture you in the end, choking you and tearing out your heart."

Master Gu's expression turned sour, clearly as he vividly recalled those scenes.

And in those terrifying dreams, he watched himself die, was frightened at close range by a female ghost, had his organs pulled out, and only then could he wake up in a fright.

"That's terrifying?!" Gu Jungui's expression changed slightly.

She came back to her parents' home today. If this problem isn't resolved properly, will she also encounter such a terrible dream when she goes back?

"Besides in your dreams, have you ever encountered this female ghost anywhere in the mansion?" Chu Mingkong quietly squeezed Aunt Gu's soft hand under the table to reassure her.

Gu Jun Gui was hesitant to have any intimate contact with Chu Ming Kong in front of others, and her heart suddenly began to race. For a widow like her to have those ambiguous relationships would not do Ming Kong any good for his reputation.

Chu Mingkong didn't have that much psychological burden. If it weren't for considering Aunt Gu's feelings, he wouldn't mind being close to her in public at all. His experience in the capital had powerfully strengthened his ability to withstand negative evaluations.

Right now, all he can think about is regretting not bringing Qingning with him.

He thought the Gu family had seen a female ghost haunting their house, and that he could simply come and kill her. He never imagined it was just a dream...

"Judging from your appearance, the old man's energy and spirit have already deteriorated somewhat. When did this incident of the female ghost's nightmare begin?" Chu Mingkong looked at the old man who was no longer in charge of the household affairs with great care. Judging from his talkative personality, he should be well-preserved.

In layman's terms, his forehead looks a bit dark now.

People who are constantly plagued by old age and weakness are unlikely to have such a cheerful and talkative personality.

The old man of the Gu family turned pale with anger. As people get older, they pay special attention to their energy and spirit, as it is related to their lifespan.

"It only started these past two days, and in just two nights, I've already lost all my energy?!"

"Yes, I want to see how the second son-in-law is doing."

Old Master Gu immediately sent someone to take Chu Mingkong to visit Gu Wenkai. The old master himself wanted to go along, but he was afraid that his son-in-law's place might not be clean.

What if that female ghost takes a fancy to his old man's still vigorous "crotch" and desperately tries to suck his life essence and longevity!

When Chu Mingkong met the second son-in-law, the guy had already been rendered bedridden by the female ghost.

His eye sockets were dark, and his cheeks were sunken; he clearly looked like he had been drained dry.

Chu Mingkong was shocked and immediately looked at the maid, questioning, "Your son-in-law has been so badly worn out in just two days?!"

The maid explained awkwardly, "No... after Wenkai married into my Gu family, he became like this. Every time he goes out, the second wife is afraid he'll get involved with other women, so she takes extra care of him..."

Chu Mingkong: "..."

He had reason to suspect that the female ghost couldn't absorb any vital energy from Gu Wenkai, so she followed him back and sucked it from the Gu family members.

Gu Wenkai, lying weakly on his hospital bed, had realized the seriousness of the matter and knew that he should confess!

"...Your Highness, I have something important to say. May I ask that Your Highness dismiss the others...?" the second son-in-law said, his lips trembling.

The maidservant consciously stepped aside, but Gu Jungui refused. Without Chu Mingkong by her side, she couldn't even feel at ease staying at her parents' home!

The second son-in-law had no choice; he was too weak to pull him any further, and said weakly:

"I hope Your Highness and Jungui will keep this a secret for me, especially from my wife, Zixuan..."

Chu Mingkong really hoped that the eldest brother of the main branch of the family was here, wondering if he would react when he heard the name "Xuan" from the madam.

"Please speak, I will keep it a secret!" He did not answer for Aunt Gu.

"I...I really, I accidentally walked into a haunted brothel. Most of the female ghosts inside probably followed me home!" Gu Wenkai's lips trembled even more.

Chapter Seventeen: I only felt sorry for her!

careless?

I'm too embarrassed to call you out on it!

But then I thought about it again, and I could understand the situation of this son-in-law who married into the family.

Once a man marries into a woman's family, he loses all his status in the woman's household, both inside and outside the house.

In most cases, this position will not change during marital relations, leaving the wife feeling completely drained. Over time, this may lead to thoughts of going to brothels to find girls.

The girls there, at least, are considerate and docile once you pay them the right amount.

Chu Mingkong should have just asked where the female ghost was and then gone there with his knife, but he was also very curious about this ghost brothel.

"Tell me in detail about this brothel, how you encountered it, what the situation was like, whether you've been there, what it was like inside, and how the girls were." Chu Mingkong's face was serious and solemn, reminiscent of an old doctor diagnosing and inquiring about someone's illness.

Aunt Gu stared at him intently, her eyes filled with suspicion: "No one else would want to get involved with those unclean things, would they?"

Going to brothels doesn't necessarily mean you're unclean, because many of those places, like the brothels, are frequented by women from criminal families, and some upscale places even have courtesans who aren't properly dressed or have official titles.

However, if you go to a brothel, the moment you step inside, you're already tainted by ghosts and impurities.

"Aunt Gu, I'm just asking about the situation so I can determine how strong this female ghost is and whether she has any powerful backing. Think about it, it's not unusual for one or two wandering ghosts to appear, but if a ghost can open a brothel, wouldn't that be a small force of its own? There might be many other things involved behind it!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Jungui thought it made sense, so he didn't interfere with Chu Mingkong's further questioning.

...Actually, she was quite curious too, as it was the first time she had ever heard of a ghost brothel!

However, she would definitely have to talk to Gu Zixuan about it afterward. This was Gu's own wife, and her husband had gone to seduce this kind of female ghost. He should at least have some kind of ritual performed to cleanse her.

The son-in-law, weak and lying on the bed, struggled to sit up against the headboard and said:

"Just a few nights ago, I was driving back to Xiling at night. Because of traffic congestion, I took a different route. Although I don't travel that route much, it's not deserted. There aren't many people on it during the day, but you can still see a few people at night."

Chu Mingkong suddenly retorted, "Wait, are you sure those people you saw last night were all human?"

Gu Wenkai originally wanted to say that it was definitely true, since they were all traveling back to Xiling at night and had never harmed him. However, he had just suffered a serious accident these past few days, and now he couldn't say for sure whether what he had seen before was a ghost.

He felt a chill, but then he thought, "I'm already being haunted by a female ghost, so why should I be afraid that the ones I encountered before were ghosts?"

"It doesn't matter... because I hadn't walked that road for a while. That night, I suddenly discovered that a brothel had opened there. It was brightly lit, and there was a constant stream of carriages and horses in front of it. It was very lively. I was curious and took a look. I really did take a few glances."

"Then you lingered at the door and accidentally got in?" This time it was Gu Jun Gui who asked, his eyes filled with disdain.

"No!" Gu Wenkai insisted, his eyes showing the integrity of a scholar. "I was thinking of traveling at night, so I let the horse keep going. But we hadn't gone far when we came across a pitiful woman crying. I felt sorry for her, so I got out of the carriage to listen to her complaints and comforted her."

Gu Jun Gui didn't want to complain about her husband's family anymore. He was really bold, daring to talk to a woman he didn't know in the middle of the night.

Chu Mingkong added the follow-up for him: "Then you talk to this girl about the bitterness of life, the setbacks in your career, the many misfortunes of fate, your ideals and ambitions, the weight of life, and your noble and philosophical thoughts?"

"Yes, yes, yes!"