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

Chu Mingkong agreed with Yun Nongyu's words, but... he said helplessly:

"But Qingning and I witnessed the situation firsthand. We even went into a woman's room and talked to her. We couldn't see anything unusual. How could the people in that town possibly come back to life?"

"The situation Your Highness described is more like... a mirage."

"Mirage, do you mean the kind of landscape that appears as a mirage?"

"Correct."

Yun Nongyu nodded and said:

"What led me to this guess was a piece of information Your Highness mentioned. You said that the whole town seemed to be in a state of 'before the massacre,' which is very similar to a mirage, recreating a scene at a certain moment."

Moreover, most of these ghostly beings are unpredictable in their temperament. Some ghostly beings think of revenge as soon as they appear and cannot control themselves, while others can control themselves, interact with people as they did in life, and then suddenly reveal their murderous nature.

This uncertainty has nothing to do with strength. Some lesser ghosts are weak but can disguise themselves, while some powerful ghosts only show themselves with a chilling appearance. It's unbelievable that an entire town of ghosts can disguise themselves as ordinary people.

Chu Mingkong pondered for a moment, and it made sense, but there was one thing he needed to confirm: "Master Yun, shouldn't the mirages in this world all be illusions?"

Have you ever seen mirages from other worlds? Yun Nongyu wondered, then gave him a clear answer: "They are indeed illusions, but for a certain period of time, it is impossible to distinguish between reality and illusion. They will gradually disappear after a while."

Chu Mingkong touched his chest and suddenly exclaimed in surprise:

"Huh, where did the handkerchief I put in my pocket go? I brought that handkerchief back from town. Could it really have just been a mirage?"

Zuo Qiuchi slapped him on the head, leaving a smoking bump on the traitor's forehead, and gritted his teeth, saying:

"You've already taken what's in my 'arms,' you've already squeezed it, are you pretending not to know?"

Yun Nongyu: "......"

It's true that everything has its counter.

Chu Mingkong made the right choice this time, and indeed took out the handkerchief he had bought from Qiao'er. The handkerchief was still there, and when he scanned it with his senses, he still couldn't see anything wrong with it.

Yun Nongyu also examined it, even using Taoist magic to test it, but in the end she could only shake her head helplessly: "I can't see anything suspicious either, it doesn't seem like a mirage."

So this really isn't a matter of Chu Mingkong's limited knowledge; what happened in that town was an unprecedented new situation!

"I think I have to go to the brothels there and see how realistic they are, I mean the song and dance performances."

Zuo Qiuchi instantly perked up and looked up, asking, "When are we going?"

Yun Nongyu sighed, but secretly pondered:

Just as the Yin-gathering star pattern was about to be completed, could there be any connection between the massacre in that town and the subsequent events?

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Furi Nature

That's all we can say about that ghost town for now; we'll stop here.

If you don't personally go and observe, or discover that some knowledge system mentions this situation, no matter how much you talk, it's just empty talk and a waste of time.

If we're talking about who we could consult right now, we'll really have to wait for the Wei family to return to Xiling, which will only take a few days.

"Master Yun, regarding the injuries of that young Taoist priest in your sect, please have someone from your sect bring some good medicine and pills for treatment. I will ask the people from the Immortal Treasure Pavilion to cover the expenses."

Chu Mingkong had no intention of apologizing; it was just that his master had tricked Yun Nongyu into going to Xiling, so he should still show some courtesy in their daily interactions.

Regardless of what the young Taoist priest was like, Chu Mingkong still had to consider the feelings of Zuo Qiuchi and Yun Nongyu.

Qingse is always running around at Xianzhen Pavilion. It wouldn't be a problem for her to settle her medical bills whenever she passes by Kunlun Dao Sect. Even if she's busy, she can ask her colleague, a certain married woman who likes collecting ox carvings, to settle the bill.

Chu Mingkong just didn't want to go looking for her, lest she want to see the actual object again.

Although the Taoist sect is not short of money for a few external injury pills, it would be inappropriate for Yun Nongyu to not appreciate Chu Mingkong's goodwill.

In fact, the Daoist sect was relieved that Chu Mingkong was willing to give them this way out. On one side was a disciple worthy of their cultivation, and on the other side was a secular prince worthy of their acquaintance—although he was said to be living in the mortal world, his combat power was actually more ferocious than that of the secluded sects.

It would be a real loss to damage a relationship over something as trivial as that.

"I will convey His Highness's message to the elders of the sect later." Yun Nongyu smiled and accepted the message without mentioning it again.

"Okay, then I'll go back and rest first." Chu Mingkong carried Zuo Qiuchi away.

......

In Jinbao City, in that small courtyard filled with the chaotic atmosphere of thunder and lightning.

Zhang Youshu's wife temporarily hid with her clansmen, and thoughtfully did not send the injured young Taoist away.

It was past noon when the young Taoist priest named Yan Tiangan woke up, with his senior brother Huai and his old master standing beside him.

He touched his face; his cheeks still had a touch of childishness, but thankfully they had recovered completely, and his injuries had healed.

Chu Mingkong's heavy punch did not damage his spiritual veins at all; it was merely a physical injury. While Yan Tiangan lay on the ground questioning his existence, his external injuries had almost healed on their own.

It's just that the self-healing process was a bit off; his arm was twisted back to its original position.

"Um... Senior brother, my hand is twisted, could you help me set my bones?"

His senior brother was still immersed in marveling at the power of the wind, thunder, and white tiger, lost in thought:

"Holy crap, how many White Tiger Totem Jade pieces must have been collected? The aura is so strong, something money can't buy. How did they collect all of this... Oh, bone setting, huh? It looks pretty good to me."

"How is it good?"

"Normally, when you hold hands with both hands, it always feels awkward. Now that your forearm is twisted, if you hold your own hands, it will feel much more natural. If you close your eyes, you can even imagine that you are holding hands with a girl."

"Senior brother, you seem to have a lot of experience."

"Of course," the Taoist senior brother said, recalling the past with a sigh, "Back then, I no longer needed to guard my primordial yang body. My arm had just been twisted by someone, so I tried to reward myself. It really felt a bit unique." He didn't forget to help his junior brother twist his arm back into place.

During his rest and recuperation, Yan Tiangan also deduced the story between the scholar and the female ghost from their previous conversation.

Unable to move after being beaten, he had nothing better to do, so he started thinking about the rights and wrongs of the matter.

"Master, what should we do if we help an immoral scumbag while doing what is right?"

Committing heinous crimes amounts to murder. If we inadvertently help a scoundrel, wouldn't that be considered collusion? Is this ultimately a good deed, or a wicked act disguised as a good deed?

The old man, dressed in shabby clothes and exuding the air of a charlatan, stroked his beard and said in a deep voice:

"There is no answer to this kind of question. If you see a weak person being bullied and you can help but don't, does that count as condoning evil? But if you do help, your good deeds may pass on to others and one day turn into bad karma."

"What should we do? It seems like it's harder to be a good person than a bad one."

"There's no other way. Just do what you want. When you're more capable and have a stronger fist, and you find that your good deeds have inadvertently turned into bad karma, you can clean it up later. But then again, this is why Taoism advocates detachment from the world to cultivate oneself, to avoid getting involved in karma. Sometimes, transcendence is not only about reducing the burdens of worldly attachments, but also about not being implicated by numerous karmic consequences!"

Yan Tiangan remained silent for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, and then asked:

"Then why doesn't Master return to the main Kunlun lineage to cultivate, but instead chooses to cultivate alone in a small Taoist temple outside? And why can't he control himself, and is always criticized by the elders for going to places of pleasure and indulging in philandering? Isn't he accumulating too much karma?"

The old man was about to answer when his senior brother interrupted:

"Master just couldn't stand the women in brothels, dressed in rags, with their breasts barely covered and their waists exposed, standing outside the door freezing. He just wanted to go in and take care of them."

"That's right!" The old man stroked his beard, turned around, leaving his back to his disciple, looking even more like a sage.

"Speaking of which, there have been more ghostly incidents lately, and the dynastic upheaval is quite something... Senior brother, you used to be dedicated to exorcising ghosts and demons, now you can really show your skills."

"No, I haven't done that kind of thing for many years."

The senior brother loved to answer questions quickly, believing it gave him the air of a powerful, prescient sage. Knowing that his junior brother Yan was about to ask "Why?", he immediately said:

"Because... I used to really like snake demons, cat demons, rabbit demons, and other creatures that had an auspicious aura. There was nothing else to it, I just felt very close to nature, and that the Tao follows nature! They were very blessed and auspicious!"

Until I encountered Ox-Head and Horse-Face during an exorcism, I just couldn't like them anymore... Turns out there's a reason why you like someone!

With nothing left to do in Jinbao City, the three of them left the city.

As they traveled to the outskirts, they saw many villages abandoned due to the turmoil. Some villagers had no means of survival and had no choice but to become outlaws and travel in groups.

Yan Tiangan wanted to strike back at these bandits, but suddenly felt powerless. His passion seemed to be punishing evil, but it also seemed like bullying the weak and forcing them into a dead end.

He sighed incessantly along the way.

When the old master and Brother Huai saw that the youngest one in the Taoist temple was so dejected, they comforted him a lot along the way.

After walking for a while, I suddenly saw several brothels standing side by side, and I was immediately struck by the sight of birds singing and flowers blooming.

"I never imagined that in this world, even women of the night would have to hide in such remote places to seek peace. Luckily, fate brought me here. It's so cold outside with the wind and snow; I must persuade them to go back inside and warm up!"

"Junior Brother Yan, come on a trip. You've reached the age where you don't need to guard your virginity anymore, right? It's time to broaden your horizons!"

......

In Tianya City.

Chu Mingkong waited and waited, and Wei Qingning also waited and waited, and finally the Wei family members arrived!

"Mother! I've been waiting for you! I was worried you might have run into some trouble on the way!"

Wei Qingning threw himself into the voluptuous arms of a beautiful woman, overjoyed.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Qingning only missed one thing in her inheritance.

Qingning's mother, Li Lu, possessed a naturally striking and spirited face, revealing her age but showing few signs of aging. Dressed in a black gown, she exuded a solemn air. A bone hairpin inlaid with delicate jade adorned her long, dark hair, and a beast tooth pendant hung from her fair, white neck. The pendant was embedded in her deep, white cleavage, making one's heart tremble with fear, as if the sharp tooth might injure the beautiful wife's delicate skin.

If we were to compare the breadth of her pectoral muscles, Mother Wei would naturally not be as impressive as Aunt Gu or Madam Zhen. However, she was an exceptionally slender woman with a waist as narrow as a willow, swaying gently. The area connecting her upper and lower body was perfectly full, and her round and smooth figure was no less than that of others. The dark color of her clothing further accentuated her slender waist.

She inherited many of her virtues from Qingning.

Maybe I just missed something...

Li Lu hugged her daughter, checking if she had gained or lost weight.

"The clan elders are still behind. I rushed over to see you. They'll be here soon. How have you been these days?"

"It's alright, Xiling is still more comfortable to live in than the capital." Wei Qingning still hugged her mother, trying to make up for the loss she had experienced during this period.

After the mother and daughter had finished exchanging pleasantries, Chu Mingkong stepped forward to greet them:

"Auntie, it's been quite a while since I've seen you. I was worried that you might have encountered some trouble on the way, and I was thinking of whether I should go and meet you. I didn't expect you to have arrived safely."

Li Lu looked Chu Mingkong up and down. It had been a long time since she had seen him. Unlike Wei Qingning, who could occasionally visit Chu Mingkong, Li Lu and Chu Mingkong would only meet on holidays when Chu Mingkong would come to visit her. And even then, it wasn't always on holidays.

Because every time Li Lu saw him, it was more frequent when they were kids playing together, but as they grew a little older, they would only see each other once every two or three years. Every time they met, Chu Mingkong seemed like a completely different person, much taller and stronger.

In addition, the things he has done in recent days, whether good or bad, are at least truly momentous and significant.