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

"Yu Youshu...you deserve to die! Why did you abandon me!" After questioning her, the female ghost girl was quickly reduced to angry curses, with little conscious thought left.

Yu was this man's original surname; he changed it after marrying into the family.

Chu Mingkong glanced at Wei Qingning, signaling her to release her control over the female ghost and let her go to settle her grudge.

Zhang Youshu wasn't stupid; he realized that the man was the one in charge and now held the power to control his life and death. He immediately pleaded for mercy:

"My lord, I had no choice but to do what I did to Qiao'er!"

Upon hearing this seemingly distressed expression, Wei Qingning's disgust for him was written all over her face.

"Where did you get the idea that you were forced to do this? Did you have no choice but to make her elope with you? Did you have no choice but to make her accompany you in your studies and use her own savings to support you through your impoverished days?"

Zhang Youshu lowered his head and explained:

“I know I did wrong Joel in this matter, but I had no other choice at the time.”

After years of hard work, I have finally achieved something. If I give up this opportunity, I will still be a person with nothing and no achievements in the future. I will continue to sit and eat my savings and waste Qiao'er's youth. Wouldn't that be letting Qiao'er down? In the end, I won't even be able to afford a pot.

"If I accept Governor Zhang's offer, at least I can make some compensation to Qiao'er in the future. Governor Zhang also put pressure on me at the time; he didn't want opposing forces to recruit me. If I didn't accept, I would lose this opportunity completely..."

His wife looked bewildered, clearly unaware of the situation, but she wasn't stupid. From the few words she spoke and the female ghost's attitude, she could guess about 80-90% of the situation.

Chu Mingkong tried to discern from the female ghost's attitude whether she was lying, but unfortunately, the female ghost girl named "Qiao'er" had little remaining consciousness and could only curse.

He closed his eyes and pondered for a while.

Faced with this difficult choice—either abandoning his wife and achieving great success, or staying with her and accomplishing nothing in the future—it seems one can only morally condemn him.

This top scholar abandoned his wife, who had eloped with him and stayed with him, and who had given up her life as a young lady to accompany him in his studies in a remote town, all for the sake of his own future success.

But if he stays with Qiao'er and stays by her side, the future doesn't seem to be much better, and life will only gradually become more and more miserable.

fake.

Chu Mingkong didn't know much about studying and passing the imperial examinations, but even if a top scholar lost his official career, he wouldn't really be so poor that he couldn't afford to eat.

Isn't the second son-in-law of the Gu family a perfect example? He may seem busy and frustrated, but he's far better off than those poor, hard-working scholars.

At the very least, with the added advantage of being a top scholar, if he accompanies Qiao'er back to find her wealthy father-in-law, will her father-in-law disown him?

So, this man appears to be making a difficult choice in life, but in reality, he is choosing status and future prospects, abandoning his wife who has given him everything... I feel that this female ghost girl can hardly be considered to have given him everything.

In the end, it's just an excuse made up for the sake of future prospects.

And there's another matter: how could these officials be unaware of the tragedies caused by the King of Jin in Jin?

It's somewhat believable that a low-ranking official wouldn't know, but it's impossible for an official of his rank to be unaware!

It could be said that this person knew that Qiao'er had returned to that small town, and also knew that the place would soon become a living hell, but what did he do?

Did you just stand by and watch everything happen, with the intention of using someone else to kill or cover up the crime?

If he truly had a difficult or compensatory mindset, regardless of the circumstances, would he have failed to inform Qiao'er of her departure or send her back to her parents' home, given that he had access to information?

It sounds difficult, but in reality, it's just a matter of how to remove a stumbling block while preserving one's reputation.

True love is when you have nothing, but once you become successful, you kick them to the curb!

Hearing his words, the female ghost's eyes streamed with bloody tears, and a surge of resentful black energy rose within her. She gritted her teeth and rebuked him:

"You said you didn't want me and the child to have to travel, and that you wanted me to wait at home for you to return from the county town so you could marry me in style and make my father proud. But all I got in return was news of your wedding in the county town!!"

Chu Mingkong sneered and said:

"I came tonight to help the female ghost settle her grudges, not to listen to people's sophistry about how hard they worked to build their virtuous reputation. If there were really good officials in Jin, would there still be people who are torn apart and pieced together like 'toys'?"

"Qingning, release the chains. Just don't let her harm innocent people."

"Fine!" Wei Qingning, who was already furious, immediately loosened the chains.

The female ghost stopped talking about her children and her sorrows. Her murderous intent transformed into sharp claws at her fingertips, which pounced on the hypocritical and unfaithful man!

With a swift movement, a dark, claw-like gash was torn across Zhang Youshu's chest. A protective jade pendant on Zhang Youshu's body shattered; it was this very item that had just blocked the attack for him.

Just as the female ghost was about to pierce his chest, a bolt of golden lightning exploded on this calm, cloudless night!

A golden bolt of lightning struck the female ghost, causing her to scream in agony and her body to become unsteady. The electric current lingering on her arm continued to erode her malevolent aura.

The most feared creatures and ghosts are those with the might of the mighty thunder!

A Taoist priest in a Taoist robe leaped out and shouted:

"Who dares to allow evil spirits to commit violence and take lives here!"

Zhang Youshu was bleeding profusely, and he clung to the straw, painfully pleading for help:

"Master, save me! That female ghost is trying to kill me!"

Chapter Twenty-One: Call Me the Moral Hunter

Chu Mingkong sized up the young Taoist priest.

He looks to be about seventeen or eighteen years old. He acts impulsively, with the arrogance of a young man. Although his cultivation is so profound that he can change his appearance age, he rarely acts with such a "speak out against injustice" attitude. I guess his real age is like that.

Chu Mingkong cares about this because although he is still young, his cultivation level is quite high, already at the fifth-level minor perfection level!

Of course, after Chu Mingkong used the power of extreme Yin to act unreasonably, he paid little attention to other people's cultivation levels. In particular, after being witnessed by the Moon River Goddess, he became increasingly indifferent to the current realm divisions.

However, it must be admitted that, in Chu Mingkong's previous understanding, this young Taoist priest was already a very powerful prodigy. If he also possessed powerful techniques or spiritual treasures, he would be even more formidable.

“Brother, this young Taoist priest just used the Five Thunder Taoist Technique, which is very powerful. Should we mention Master Yun’s name?” Wei Qingning looked at the young Taoist priest warily.

"No need, we can handle our own affairs," Chu Mingkong replied via telepathy.

"That's true. This young Taoist priest's status in the Taoist sect can't be too low. Master Yun and Master Zuo have such a good relationship, it would be very difficult for him to be caught in the middle."

Master Yun is caught between my masters... Hmm, that must be really uncomfortable!

Chu Mingkong nodded secretly, and when he came to his senses, his answer was somewhat unexpected by Wei Qingning:

"If Master Yun finds out, he won't be able to hit this young Taoist priest too hard later."

Wei Qingning: "..."

The handsome young Taoist priest flew over, his robes fluttering in the wind, and stood in front of Zhang Youshu, protecting the couple. His righteous gaze was fixed on the ghost-mongering man and woman opposite them.

"There's no need for you two to know my name. Although the land of Jin is in chaos, you two dare to openly break into a private residence and let your ghosts run rampant. You are so arrogant and wicked that you have no regard for the laws of Heaven!"

The young Taoist priest made a palm gesture reminiscent of Tai Chi, chanting incantations about heavenly thunder and earthly thunder. Suddenly, two bolts of lightning gathered in his palm, this power coalescing into a single beam. With a gentle flick, it produced a...

The taste of five consecutive lightning strikes.

Chu Mingkong was not taken seriously, but Qiao Nv was extremely wary of him. Her hatred for Zhang Youshu remained undiminished, but Gui Chong's natural fear of thunder forced her to stay away and retreat repeatedly.

"Let ghosts do evil? Heavenly justice? So many tragedies have occurred in the forbidden area, causing immense suffering and death. Has the Heavenly Justice you speak of punished them?"

"What goes around comes around! What does this have to do with you killing people by letting ghosts kill you? Don't try to change the subject!" The young Taoist remained unmoved and gestured for Zhang Youshu and his wife to leave the place first.

Zhang Youshu had just barely escaped a major disaster and was naturally eager to leave this place, but fearing that things might change if he waited too long, he whispered a warning:

"Little Immortal Master, I do have some connection with that female ghost, but I didn't kill her. I didn't have a drop of her blood on my hands. This unwarranted revenge against me is really... You must protect me!"

"Who said you could leave?" Chu Mingkong sneered, making no preparatory movements, and casually took a step.

A thunderclap suddenly erupted from the darkness of night!

A pale bolt of lightning struck down, illuminating the courtyard as if it were daytime for a moment. The lightning did not harm Zhang Youshu, but it sealed off all the entrances to the courtyard. A majestic white tiger appeared, glaring menacingly at the group.

The young Taoist priest was finally moved: "Wind and Thunder White Tiger, this is from the Crescent Moon Kingdom, and its power is so solid! How many totem jades must it have collected?!"

Chu Mingkong calmly commanded, "Your kindness is good, but unfortunately it's misplaced. You can leave now."

Wei Qingning thought her brother would explain, but he was too lazy to bother. However, she could understand her brother's feelings. What happened in Jin was related to Xiling, which he already loathed. Now, while he was trying to settle the grudges of the female ghost, someone else came out to uphold justice.

Whether he is ignorant or not, the older brother's temper will not tolerate those who are disliked.

She could only say, "Little Taoist, the person you are protecting is not a good person. He abandoned his wife and children for his future and later let this girl die tragically at the hands of the Jin army who experimented on the people."

The young Taoist priest glanced at the man behind him out of the corner of his eye, seemed hesitant, then raised his index and middle fingers together and wiped them across his eyes, instantly causing his eyes to flash with white light.

He glanced at the female ghost and immediately snorted coldly:

"This female ghost has already absorbed the life force of the living, though not much, it has already brought calamity to the world! If what you say is true, then the grievances should be settled and the debts repaid. The person behind me may have done something immoral, but Heaven will punish him. He is not guilty of a crime deserving death! He was not the one who killed the female ghost Chong. If you really want revenge, you should seek it out on those officers and soldiers!"

Yes, yes, yes!

If someone kills with a knife, the hatred lies with the knife, not with the person who wields it. The person who wields the knife will be punished by Heaven.

As for the army that slaughtered civilians to find experimental subjects, Zhang Youshu certainly couldn't command those people regarding the affairs of Emperor Tianji and Prince Jin.

But how could he not know that this happened in such a small place as Jin? Leaving a woman who ran away from home for him, studied with him for many years, and waited for him to return and marry her there, in a place that was about to be massacred, while he happily played with his new wife and looked forward to the future, wasn't that a bit too comfortable?

"I didn't understand why some people called Taoist priests 'ox noses' before, but now I understand a little. Little Taoist priest, let me ask you something."

"Speaking!"

"Do you have a mother?" Chu Mingkong asked.

"No, I am an orphan. My master took me to the Taoist temple, and I have been practicing Taoism since I was a child!"

"No wonder. It's just that your situation is a bit troublesome. Without your mother to protect you, you'll be the one suffering. Don't worry, I won't kill you."

Chu Mingkong loosened his wrists, twisted his shoulders, and strolled towards the young Taoist priest, smiling sarcastically:

"I never consider other people's morals when I do things, nor do I consider whether it conforms to what others consider right or wrong. In my opinion, you are nothing more than a hypocrite spouting moral high ground to show off how noble you are. If evil people really get their comeuppance, would there be so many injustices and tragic cases in this Heavenly Empire?"

Considering you're still young and don't have a mother, I won't be too harsh on you. Before you act like a moral paragon in the future, remember to find out exactly what you're protecting.

If all else fails, I'll find a beautiful Daoist partner sooner rather than later, or even adopt a beautiful godmother. I don't mind!

otherwise--"

Chu Mingkong caught the Five Thunder Whip that the young Taoist priest swung at him, easily crushing it with his extreme Yin Fire spiritual energy. Then, he casually raised his fist, even withdrawing his Five Elements spiritual energy, and threw a pure punch.

The young Taoist priest used his internal energy to block, but he was shocked to find that there was still a huge gap between his cultivation level and that of the man in front of him!

The fist shattered his shield and slammed into his face, denting his features and fracturing his facial bones.

But there's no danger to his life; he'll recover after some time.

Chu Mingkong chuckled and added the second half of his sentence: "Otherwise, I'll have to wait for you to find a wife and a beautiful godmother before I make a move on them."

After saying that, he gave the female ghost a dismissive look, indicating that she could now make an enemy, but he didn't forget to remind her: