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

"Would you believe me if I said it was this bracelet that told me this? Just now I thought I heard a woman's voice. She was reciting the meaning of this, even though it was a language I couldn't understand, I could still understand the meaning." Chu Mingkong could only bite the bullet and make up a story.

"That's probably a memory left on the bracelet. Perhaps we haven't reached that level yet and can't hear that voice. What a pity!"

It's not just a pity, we can't even activate this bracelet with spiritual power. Jiao'er, that little girl, is too young to remember anything, yet she can communicate with this bracelet?

The elders of the Wei family were envious, but not jealous. Their main object of envy was the little baby, Jiao'er, so it was indeed difficult for them to be jealous.

Chu Mingkong joined in the conversation, expressing his gratitude to the elders for their efforts, before making an excuse to slip away.

On the way back, although Chu Mingkong was unable to communicate with the bracelet, he couldn't wait to communicate with the system.

Generally speaking, if he initiates the conversation, he is likely to be met with passive-aggressive behavior after just a few words, but if she speaks first, the conversation becomes much more comfortable.

"Holy crap! What's with this bracelet? What are the Sands of Time? Is there really a place where the sand is connected to the power of time?"

[How could such power exist? If it were true, wouldn't the person who possessed it become the ruler of all living beings? To even have a slight understanding of cause and effect is already extremely difficult, just like the existence of cause and effect in Yuehe Maomao.]

Chu Mingkong couldn't help but smile. The cat girl had a grand name, "Yue Hexi," which sounded incredibly impressive. Children should especially like such a classy name, right?

Now everyone calls her "Cat Cat".

"Then where does the power of this bracelet come from?"

The sand-like substance inside is the ashes of a shaman from the shamanic tribe. You can think of it as something similar to a relic. His lifelong ambition was to find a place where everyone could be spared the pain of separation from their loved ones. He believed that time is a river, and people are like fish in it, living off the water. Therefore, they are unaware of the existence of the water and must transcend it to avoid being swept away by the current and to prevent their lives from passing away with the water.

The end result was naturally futile, but his remains after death possessed the power to alter the surrounding time. This ancestral witch failed to transcend time, but became a part of the timeline of heaven and earth.

Chu Mingkong suddenly found the Witchcraft Department quite interesting. All he had seen so far were the strange ways of passing down witchcraft, but he hadn't expected that there were such romantics among them.

"If we give this bracelet to Jiao'er, will she be able to figure out the legacy of this ancestor of witchcraft in the future?" Chu Mingkong had tried, but he couldn't communicate with the bracelet either.

Even though I know it's extraordinary, I just can't bring out its uniqueness.

No, there's no legacy left inside, but it can be used as a talisman; this is a unique blessing bestowed upon the Mirage Maiden.

"alright."

Chu Mingkong felt that he had worked for nothing, but Jiao'er was able to unconsciously make the town evolve in an orderly manner, so her affinity with this thing was still quite deep.

"My goodness! What level is the Ancestor of Witchcraft? What level is the Wizard? Which one is more powerful?"

[Naturally, it is the Ancestor of the Witches. The power structure of the Witch Clan is very complex and arbitrary. A Witch Master can be understood as a master of a particular lineage of witchcraft. The Ancestor of the Witches, however, is someone even the leader of the Witch Clan must worship. The era of the Moon River Goddess is slightly different from that of the last Ancestor of the Witches.]

Chu Mingkong sensed a hint of regret in the onlookers, the kind of regret that comes from not being able to know about the clash between the two sides.

After a long time of chatting with the system, Chu Mingkong also took a look at his account, which seemed to have been full for a while.

On the way to the East Sea, I thought about breaking through again. Last time, I was stomped on the face by the system's jade foot.

"This breakthrough, it's not an exaggeration to say that Peach is giving it her all, right?"

Chu Mingkong, who was riding his flying sword, was suddenly stepped on in the face by an invisible foot, causing him to "crash" and fall into the forest below.

Chapter Sixty-One: Shut up!

Although I have gained some new insights into the witchcraft community, one fundamental impression remains unchanged—the witchcraft system truly exudes an atmosphere of immense power and prestige.

Take the Wei family's self-destructive method of passing on their skills, for example. The ceremony they're putting on now is still quite elaborate. Once you step into the area around that sacrificial site, it's as dark as night, even during the day.

It felt like I was just standing there for a while, digging up a grave, and only realized it was already dark when I left the town.

"Judging from how deep it is, Jiao'er is probably asleep. I'll give her the bracelet tomorrow."

Chu Mingkong glanced at his wrist subconsciously, not quite remembering where he had put it, assuming he was wearing it on his hand.

"So this bracelet was in the storage ring. It's really powerful. If you don't look closely, it's easy to forget it exists. It blends into the surrounding environment. No wonder it was lost in such a place without anyone noticing. I hope Jiao'er won't lose this treasure without realizing it."

After muttering to himself, Chu Mingkong touched his face, as if the sensation of that jade foot pressing against his skin still lingered on his face, even the arch of the foot showed a perfect curve.

However, he dared not think too much about it, lest he be punished again. He slunk back to Tianya City and headed straight for Qingxin Mansion.

The familiar sound of the Qingxin Spring flows in my ears, rhythmically interpreting the tranquility and serenity of the mansion.

Chu Mingkong looked at the leaves and mud that covered his body. He knew he had to wash himself off. If he went to steal kisses from Maomao and Jiao'er, he might be kicked out of the room by the mother white tiger Fengying who was protecting them.

Near the large bathhouse "Qinghua Pool" in Qingxin Mansion, Chu Mingkong heard whispering conversations coming from inside.

"It's Sister-in-law Huang and Sister-in-law Keqing. Why are they taking a bath so late?" Chu Mingkong activated his Annihilation Domain, shrinking the gray world to a small circle around him, and walked in openly.

In Qinghua Pond, the two beautiful and graceful daughters-in-law of the Cui family, who had been separated from their husbands, were soaking in the warm water.

The Qingxin Spring changes between hot and cold. When the spring is hot, people outside the water see swirling hot mist, but those soaking in the water feel as if they are in a clear spring with crystal-clear water and no white mist. They can see clearly everything around them.

Feihuang and Keqing soaked in the hot spring, their soft breasts rising with the buoyancy, as if deliberately lifted to accentuate the beauty of their bosoms and emphasize the woman's grace.

"Keqing, has your sister-in-law been urging you about your pregnancy lately?" Zhong Feihuang leaned back against the pool, took off her bath towel, folded it into the size of a face towel, and spread it on her face as a hot compress. As she relaxed, her delicate body floated on the water. Her snow-white body was like a lotus emerging from the water, and her soft parts rippled with blue waves.

"No, besides, Mingkong has been busy these days, he doesn't have time to deal with us."

While Ke Qing's words were tinged with sadness, it wasn't that Chu Mingkong hadn't tried to engage with her; it was just that there was a lack of profound, interconnected, and intellectually stimulating spiritual exchange, leaving something feeling missing.

"Busy as he may be, he never doesn't have a moment to spare. Whenever Mingkong is seen in the manor, isn't he always running around with those two little maids?"

Zhong Feihuang, with a towel on her face, spoke in a muffled voice, then scolded Chu Mingkong, but after only one reprimand, she immediately defended him:

"But that's normal. Cat is his own daughter. She's gone from a somewhat distant young lady to a little girl all of a sudden, so he's bound to seize the opportunity to get closer to her. And Jiao'er is also a pitiful child. It's normal for Mingkong to chase after them and play around with them right now. It'll be fine in a while~"

"However, my sister-in-law hasn't been urging me much these days. How should I put it? I even feel like she's avoiding this topic a bit?" Keqing wasn't sure, because she really couldn't think of any reason why her sister-in-law would avoid this topic.

Although they still agreed that one of their sons would take the surname Cui, Gu's sister-in-law was more focused on Mingkong being able to leave behind a seed as soon as possible.

Could it be that seeing Yuehe Cat has made him less anxious about this matter?

"Qing, you know what, I had the same feeling. My sister-in-law suddenly stopped mentioning this matter. What's going on?"

Just as Keqing was about to answer, a man's figure suddenly appeared before her eyes. He gently covered her mouth to prevent her from crying out in panic.

Keqing was sitting on the steps in the pool, only her shoulders and above were exposed, while the man was standing in front of her. Due to the difference in height and position, Keqing was directly facing his vicious thing.

Having become quite familiar with him, he recognized Chu Mingkong simply by his terrifying and fierce appearance, saving him the trouble of even looking up at him.

That's really something...

Keqing was naturally shy, and she had just been talking about Mingkong with Feihuang behind her back. Although it wasn't anything bad, she never expected that the person in question would suddenly come to her.

His fierce, red-faced man stared directly at Ke Qing as if she were being tortured with a heavy stick. Ke Qing blushed deeply, feeling extremely embarrassed.

But having been deprived of rain for so long, the scent of clear air stirred a deep emotion and longing within Keqing's heart.

Even the refreshing spring water seemed unable to suppress that intense heat...

Beside him, Zhong Feihuang was completely unaware of what had happened or who had visited. This was partly due to Chu Mingkong deliberately controlling the noise, and partly due to Zhong Feihuang's own relaxed state of mind.

She sighed, and suddenly a strange touch brushed against her. Zhong Feihuang scolded:

"Qing, what are you fiddling with for no reason? Don't you have any peanuts yourself? Really... Speaking of which, Qing, did you notice that Mingkong seemed a little hesitant to speak when he was in the front hall today?"

Ke Qing's hands were busy holding things, so she didn't have time to nudge Fei Huang. She wanted to remind Fei Huang that Ming Kong was already in the bathhouse, but she didn't dare to be the first to speak up. So she could only stammer and say:

"It's... a slurp... right?"

"You drool over just two words, Keqing, is it really necessary? Sigh~ I bet you, that stinky Mingkong is probably going on another long trip, you believe me?"

Feihuang, stop talking and take the hot towel off your face... Keqing was a little worried about being affected by Feihuang's sharp words, so she answered honestly, stuttering and giving a slightly perfunctory reply.

"Um......"

"Today, it's probably because everyone was amused by the little girls that we didn't want to bring up those things and spoil the atmosphere. I just wonder where we're going this time. Could it be something to do in the Heavenly Empire? The time before last, when we came back from the Crescent Moon Kingdom, we brought back our eldest daughter. The last time we went to the border of Jin, we took a detour and gained another adopted daughter."

First it was a cat, then the mirage maiden could become a dragon, and afterwards, don't let it be a bear or a pig.

Chu Mingkong blurted out, walked to Zhong Feihuang's side, and said seriously while suppressing a smile:

"I think Kunkun is pretty good too!"

"..." Zhong Feihuang froze, floating silently for a while.

She removed the hot towel, casting a shadow on her face...

Chapter Sixty-Two: A New Offensive?

Zhong Feihuang thought she was seeing things, but the oppressive feeling of a stick hanging over her face, the faint heat and aura emanating from it, all spoke of its reality.

Her current mood is the same as Ke Qing's just now, or even worse. She had just said a few words to that guy who was only busy walking his daughter, and the next second the person in question was right in front of her. It would be strange if she didn't break down.

After the breakdown, all that's left is embarrassment.

Inside Qinghua Pool, two graceful sisters-in-law, who rarely ventured out, had their snow-white bodies partially visible in the clear water. Their skin was fair and delicate, more beautiful than snow, like jade. However, the hot spring water had painted their skin with an alluring blush, and coupled with their current embarrassment, they were blushing from head to toe.

红，

It's also pink.

"You... Mingkong, what are you doing! You came in without saying a word, what kind of behavior is this!" Zhong Feihuang tried to regain her bold and outspoken nature and seize the right to speak, but being forced by someone with a weapon, she didn't have much confidence in her voice.

Chu Mingkong had no intention of continuing the stalemate. He wasn't angry at all; he was just putting on a serious face and making a joke.

He sat down by the pool, but just sitting there felt like something was missing, so he pulled his sister-in-law Keqing into his arms. His chest pressed against the delicate back of the fair-skinned beauty, and he felt a burning sensation. He couldn't tell if it was his own heat or the heat from Keqing's fair back, but the smooth, slippery touch was indescribably wonderful. He didn't want to separate from her after just a brief touch.

Such a wonderful touch is so delightful that you can never get tired of it, and you will only become more and more dissatisfied, and eagerly want to find a smoother and softer place to touch.

"I finished dealing with some things outside, so I came back. Who would have thought that it would be such a coincidence that I caught my two sisters-in-law talking about me behind my back?" he laughed.

"I didn't say anything bad about you. I just praised you for being willing to spend time with your daughter!" Zhong Feihuang explained.

"I know, I'm not blaming you for talking about me. Don't worry, I was just joking. By the way, why are you two taking a bath so late?"

Chu Mingkong's actions were frivolous, but his attitude was serious. It was well past normal bathing time; could it be that he couldn't fit in and was being excluded, only able to shower late at night?

That shouldn't be the case. With Aunt Gu here, the two sisters-in-law's status is no worse than others. If they're not comfortable here, they can go and stay at the Gu residence.

If we're talking about not having any backing, then Jin Yu and the other members of the royal family are the only ones who have any support since arriving here. It's like they have no way out, which is why Chu Mingkong always takes extra care of them to prevent them from worrying or feeling sad. There's no favoritism involved. If he really did favor someone, why would he have brought them all the way here?

"Actually, it's nothing. I just wanted to chat while soaking in the hot bath. The snow outside hasn't melted yet, so it's more comfortable to chat while taking a hot bath."

If you're going to whisper about him, then the two of them should definitely avoid each other and find a quieter time to take a bath.

"Don't you usually take baths with Jinyu and the others?"

"Not many, I suppose. I do have things to talk about with Jinyu. That princess is quite lively. I saw her aloof and unattainable in the capital before, and I really thought she was one of those dignified princesses... But when Madam Zhen and Madam Pei are around, it's a bit harder to have a conversation with her."