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

Zuo Qiuchi looked at Chu Mingkong with schadenfreude, knowing that the issue of how to address him in terms of seniority would give him a headache in the future!

"Then just call me Yunhan..." Chu Mingkong was embarrassed, thinking that his good older sister Xiao Yunhan probably wouldn't mind such a small thing as addressing someone!

Fortunately, after Yunhan emerged from seclusion, her expression appeared even colder than before, but she still retained a friendly nature; at least she responded by hugging the two little girls.

However, the first question Xiao Yunhan asked made Zuo Qiuchi choke.

"Zuo Qiuchi, which one is yours?"

"Cough cough!" Zuo Qiuchi caught his breath. "What the hell?"

"Which one is yours?" Xiao Yunhan repeated.

"What kind of question is that? One is a mirage maiden, and the other has the face of the Moon Goddess. Which one looks like it could have jumped out of my belly?!"

Chapter 50 You don't want the cat to know how embarrassing you are, do you?

Xiao Yunhan thought about it and realized that it made sense. Her attention had been focused on the fact that her younger brother, Chu Mingkong, had a daughter.

When I learned about the situation from my master, he only said it was one daughter, but as soon as I returned, it turned out to be a pair of daughters.

Chu Mingkong led Yunhan into Qingxin Mansion, back to her long-uninhabited courtyard.

The last time someone lived in her courtyard was during the martial arts competition in Tianya City. Chu Mingkong pulled Zuo Qiuchi here to "be in the dark," while the Chu Princess lived in the mansion, and they were hiding in the enemy's lair.

Xiao Yunhan entered the courtyard, which was brand new, clean and pleasing to the eye, with some signs of cleaning, indicating that it had been cleaned about two days ago.

Holding the two well-behaved little girls, she listened to Chu Mingkong explain the situation and only then learned about the girls' background.

Xiao Yunhan had been training in the sect for a long time and had a wealth of experience, but even so, she found the stories of these two girls unbelievable and unheard of.

But after hearing it this way, it seems a little more acceptable.

Actually, I don't know why. Regardless of whether Shennv Jiao'er is an adopted daughter or not, Xiao Yunhan feels a lack of reality with Maomao, her biological daughter, as if she were adopted.

Compared to news of a woman getting pregnant by her brother, this situation seems insignificant, and Xiao Yunhan herself can't explain why.

"No, Yunhan, weren't you just excited? Anyone who didn't know better would have thought that Mingkong had been taken advantage of and was pregnant. How come you suddenly seem indifferent?"

Zuo Qiuchi sat to the side, questioning Xiao Yunhan. She was still holding a grudge about how Xiao Yunhan had given her a cold shoulder as soon as she arrived.

Xiao Yunhan was a little stumped. She noticed that the little girl named Maomao kept glancing at Zuo Qiuchi, so Xiao Yunhan put Maomao in her arms and covered her mouth.

"I used to think that Mingkong was naive and ignorant, that he was deceived by a woman outside and kept someone else's child as his own. Now that I know the truth, I will not pursue the matter. These two girls lack the care of their parents, so it is good for them to stay in the manor to be cared for."

Chu Mingkong and his disciple Zuo Qiuchi both twitched at the corners of their mouths, looking at the snow-haired, cold beauty with complex expressions, each with their own surprise...

Chu Mingkong felt a little embarrassed. His older sister was the best; she knew he was a kind-hearted young man and always thought of him, afraid that he would suffer.

Zuo Qiuchi was full of complaints but didn't know where to begin, so he just wanted to point out Chu Mingkong's naivety and ignorance.

Yunhan, why don't you let him come over to your place for a drink of water to quench his thirst? See if what comes out is ice-cold **.

"I won't expose Mingkong's secrets about some sensitive matters. Yunhan, have you lost your mind? Where does Maomao lack parental care? Isn't her father sitting right next to you?"

Yuehe Cat didn't quite understand what this was about, but it sounded like that, so she nodded.

Finally, she continued to nestle in Zuo Qiuchi's arms, her bright eyes fixed on the white-haired woman, thinking to herself, "Father's house is so crowded and lively."

Xiao Yunhan realized she had misspoke and reached out to touch Yuehe Cat's face to apologize. However, after touching it a couple of times, she found that the cat's face was indeed delicate and smooth.

She paused, her hand that had just been withdrawn...

He reached out and touched it a few more times, then took Yuehe Cat back from Zuo Qiuchi's arms and hugged it himself.

Seeing this, Chu Mingkong breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that his sister, Xiao Yunhan, had finally accepted these two new members.

Zuo Qiuchi watched as the cat was taken away, seemingly lost in thought.

Previously, I noticed she was particularly close to Mingkong's infant form, but now it seems she's quite close to all children. I just don't know if she's close to him because of Mingkong's child, or if it's just because he's a cute little thing.

What kind of thing is Shen Xuejun practicing?

"Yunhan, are you the only one who came along?" Chu Mingkong only brought this up now.

"Otherwise? Who else?" Xiao Yunhan looked puzzled, but while her face remained expressionless, her hands were busy stroking the cat's head.

Chu Mingkong looked quite worried that the cat would be petted bald by Yun Han.

“Master’s wife, I thought she would come along.”

"No, Master has to prepare for the once-in-a-century auction. A small number of disciples from the sect will go in groups, and arrangements need to be made. I will also be going in a few days."

The master's wife didn't come; I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

Chu Mingkong breathed a sigh of relief, but his feelings were also conflicted, with a hint of disappointment.

I still miss the plump, soft juices I ate in my teacher's wife's arms...

"Actually, I was planning to go too, so we'll go together then."

With this matter confirmed, Chu Mingkong shifted the focus back to Xiao Yunhan.

After a long absence, and a brief chat, Xiao Yunhan gave off a similar feeling to before. Her long, smooth, beautiful snow-white hair exuded nobility, her features were exquisitely beautiful, and her eyes held a deep, calm lake, undisturbed. Looking into her eyes, seeing one's own reflection in her indifferent, cold pupils, one felt as if one had fallen into her gaze, only to be immediately shut out.

It's like a mirror; you're looking at her, but she doesn't see you. You're just staring at your own reflection.

But if Xiao Yunhan says there's no change at all, that's blatant lying; in some ways, she's become even more similar to Shen Xuejun.

The unseen part is called temperament, the visible part is called... Her clothes were also stained by the cold air and became semi-transparent, and her white satin silk stockings turned into sheer white silk.

"Yunhan, what level are you at now? You've been in seclusion for so long, you must have had some sudden insights and stayed in seclusion for a while longer, right?" This question was asked by Zuo Qiuchi, on behalf of Chu Mingkong, as he had also wanted to ask this question.

Xiao Yunhan stopped petting the cat, her long eyelashes drooping as she carefully considered her words to express what she wanted to say.

"During the first half of my retreat, I focused on consolidating the parts that had been causing my restlessness and instability. Later on, I did gain some insights and spent more time meditating in seclusion. However, I quickly reached a bottleneck..."

I can sense that I haven't reached perfection at this stage, and I shouldn't have hit a bottleneck, but my cultivation progress seems to have been suddenly stopped, as if the external resources have been depleted from my cultivation vessel.

An ordinary person would probably smile knowingly upon hearing this, thinking it's just a normal bottleneck and that a sudden slowdown in cultivation speed is quite normal.

However, people cannot be compared. Just like some people can slide tackle a tiger at the age of three, Xiao Yunhan and Zuo Qiuchi are people of exceptional talent.

Ordinary people cultivate by finding their own way to survive, but for them, the heavens and earth feed them. It's not normal for their cultivation to suddenly slow down; they've inexplicably stagnated before reaching a bottleneck.

"I didn't expect the crux of the problem to have led you to leave seclusion first?" Zuo Qiuchi asked.

"Ah."

"Didn't you ask your master's wife for the reason?" Chu Mingkong asked.

"I haven't asked yet. I want to figure it out myself. If I really can't figure it out, then I'll ask my master."

Chu Mingkong guessed that Yun Han was too embarrassed to ask, feeling that the place where she was stuck was too shameful.

He gave Zuo Qiuchi a look, asking his master for advice and to see if he could offer some guidance.

Zuo Qiuchi said speechlessly, "Looking at me is useless. I don't cultivate ice spirit energy. If Yunhan can't figure this out herself, then she'll have to ask Shen Xuejun."

"I thought you knew the reason because you asked such professional questions and seemed to be thinking so seriously..."

“Yunhan has already explained her situation, so I can’t just stay silent. I have to say something. After I finished speaking, I drifted off into thought.”

"...From now on, I'll also follow your example and daydream, so I can look like a genius in front of others."

"Do you mean I need to act like an expert?"

Xiao Yunhan watched her younger brother bicker with Zuo Qiuchi, this unorthodox "master," and thought to herself that the two of them really did not get along, just playing around and laughing.

"Stop talking about me, Mingkong, how are you? What's the state of your injuries and your current strength?"

The reason she asked about "strength" instead of "cultivation" was that Xiao Yunhan couldn't sense his normal cultivation level; it was similar to that of an ordinary person. But to treat him as an ordinary person would be a sign of mental instability.

"Well, it's hard to say what my own situation is. I just keep increasing my methods to indirectly increase my power."

The basic strategy is to prioritize escaping, then find ways to counter the enemy, and finally deal with them.

Xiao Yunhan nodded. In her recent meetings with her younger brother, she could sense his different states of mind.

When he was still recuperating in the capital, he would meet her outside the city. Although they could still laugh and joke around, there was a hint of disappointment behind his smile. He was filled with confusion and pessimism about his life and the future.

Before and after the Tianya City martial arts competition, he regained his confidence and became more composed and resilient in the face of setbacks. Now, he is somewhat lost again, but facing this confusion, he no longer feels dejected, but rather a sense of utter indifference, just like Zuo Qiuchi next to him.

"As long as the strength suits you, that's fine. But what about lifespan?" Xiao Yunhan emphasized.

She could see that her younger brother was indeed using the power of extreme yin, but the injury from the extreme abyss was still there, and that injury was constantly suppressing the effect of the five elements cultivation on lifespan.

"Yunhan, you're worrying about lifespan too early. I'm in my prime right now, I'm not at the point where I need to worry about it yet, am I?" Chu Mingkong avoided the topic.

To regain the power boost from the Five Elements cultivation, one would basically need to remove the wound from the Abyss, or find a cultivation method that truly utilizes the power of extreme Yin.

The Moon River Goddess offered some assistance, but unfortunately, her Black Tide Moon Devouring technique was more suited to combat.

However, the good thing about this topic is the "helplessness" aspect. No matter how much Xiao Yunhan cares, she can't get rid of his Abyss Injury. She can only stare helplessly, and there's no use in being anxious.

"I think Yunhan, you've rested enough. You can go visit Consort Xiao Zhi's mother and have a chat."

Xiao Yunhan nodded. Such etiquette could not be forgotten, and she made the arrangements in advance without allowing any room for argument:

"You'll sleep in my room tonight."

Zuo Qiuchi immediately knew that Xiao Yunhan wanted Chu Mingkong to shrink down for fun. She said to the cat:

"Does the cat want to see your dad make a fool of himself?"

"Yes!" The cat's eyes sparkled with curiosity!

"...Yunhan, can it be next time?" Chu Mingkong really wanted to maintain his fatherly authority.

"I can stop Zuo Qiuchi, but if you don't come over, I'll tell Maomao right now," the older sister threatened ruthlessly.

Chapter Fifty-One: The Heartless Little Cotton-padded Jacket

Xiao Yunhan walked out of the courtyard, intending to fly directly to the City Lord's Pavilion, but sensing the "liveliness" in Qingxin Mansion, she stopped and stood outside the door looking at other courtyards.

Behind her, Chu Mingkong felt slightly embarrassed, wanting to explain but feeling that it was indeed not easy to explain.

The sudden increase in the population of Qingxin Prefecture was undoubtedly due to his presence. Fortunately, Xiao Yunhan did not say anything, but after glancing at them for a few moments, he took to the air.

Chu Mingkong suddenly called out to her, "Yunhan..."