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

"From what you're saying, Mingkong, you're not hiding that strange thing, are you?"

"Not now, but who knows about the future? Who can say for sure what will happen?"

Chu Mingkong felt the pressure of talking to Yongzhen; if he wasn't careful, she might find a weakness in his words.

But since he had already arranged to meet Yongzhen, he couldn't just send her back immediately after delivering the pills. So Chu Mingkong took her for a stroll through the market.

The items on the street stalls vary in quality. Although I don't need them and have no interest in buying them, this "browsing without buying" style of shopping has its own unique charm.

Chu Mingkong himself doesn't really enjoy shopping. Looking at these market stalls is not as good as browsing Xiaoxin Mall in bed. However, it feels different when he goes shopping with a girl.

"Yongzhen, if you see anything you like, just tell me. Even if you want to play that game of opening burial cans, it's fine."

"Mingkong, you're being so attentive and enthusiastic. I have a feeling you're planning to give me some weird gift again. You're being so attentive now so I won't be able to refuse later..."

Well, Yongzhen's suspicions about his quirks remained, but this time she didn't keep them to herself; she brought them up directly.

However, directly bringing up one's doubts like this, rather than letting suspicion gradually turn into estrangement, now seems more like a flirtatious joke.

This might be the change in strategy that Yongzhen used after her initial suspicion. It not only prevented Chu Mingkong from feeling uncomfortable, but also subtly warned him not to always think about sending strange things, especially the kind that are meant to be stuffed in!

"I gave you the Nine Aperture Bead Chain before because I thought you needed to cultivate your soul, Yongzhen. So next time I'll give it to Rong'er and let her cause her some trouble?" Chu Mingkong joked, holding Yongzhen's hand as they strolled through the crowd.

However, Yongzhen immediately squeezed his palm hard as a show of force. But the force was so strong that it barely caused Chu Mingkong any pain. Instead, he could feel the softness of the young woman's hand.

"Don't try to make me jealous with words like that!" Yongzhen turned her face away.

"I used to think that the beauty of female cultivators benefited from the body-cleansing and marrow-refining effects of cultivation, but now that I've compared them all, Yongzhen is still the best!"

"Your flattery is rather forced..."

It's hard to explore the whole market. Due to the fast pace of the bustling crowds, you sometimes have to linger at those uninteresting stalls, and your shopping enthusiasm quickly fades. Chu Mingkong took Yongzhen back to the vicinity of the Xiaoxiang Qin Academy's residence.

Although it was a brief separation, Chu Mingkong still managed to give this aloof princess a good nibble.

"Mingkong, that's enough kissing. Don't keep kissing in weird places. We're still outside..." Yongzhen had experienced his audacity before. If she didn't remind him, he might get carried away and start kissing other shameful places.

The princess's beautiful eyes were closed, her stunningly fair face showing restraint. Her red lips were tightly pursed, and beneath her open robes lay smooth, white skin, creamy and supple. Her ample bosom trembled with a perfect shape, as if sculpted from jade. The charm emanating from her dignified demeanor was unparalleled.

She was also immersed in it, each kiss sending tingling currents through her skin, gradually making her feel weak all over.

While Yongzhen was worried about being discovered, she didn't even realize that Chu Mingkong had activated the Annihilation Domain, and her eyes remained narrowed.

Having kissed enough, Chu Mingkong restrained himself, needing to save time for Yongzhen to refine the medicinal power of the Soul Nourishing Pill and improve as soon as possible.

"Alright, Yongzhen, you should go back and rest now. I don't think I need to escort you all the way back to your room, do I?"

"?"

Yongzhen was filled with doubt and had a complicated expression. Looking at Chu Mingkong, who was helping her straighten her bodice and collar, Yongzhen realized that he seemed to be serious and did not seem to be playing hard to get.

It's hard to imagine that such words came out of his mouth. Usually, this guy would say he'd only kiss, but then he'd end up doing the whole thing while kissing.

However, it was time to stop. If they had kissed any longer, Yongzhen probably wouldn't have wanted to stop.

Yongzhen returned to the residence of Xiaoxiang Qin Academy and went upstairs to her room. She ran into Shangguan Rong, whose graceful beauty could not be hidden even in men's clothing.

With a slight nod, Yongzhen acknowledged the greeting and went straight back to her room. She had been cultivating before Chu Mingkong called her out, and now that she had returned with the pills, she naturally had to continue cultivating.

Shangguan Rong stopped, her eyes fixed on the direction Yongzhen had left in. In that brief moment, she had noticed a faint hickey on Yongzhen's neck, which hadn't yet faded.

She knew it was mostly Chu Mingkong who had kissed her; he liked to grab her neck and collarbone and kiss her hard. Even though a woman's body had the recovery speed of a cultivator, it would take quite a while for the kiss to fade.

Chu Mingkong stood beside the camp, pondering which girl he should ask to go out and deliver the gift.

Having just finished seeing Yongzhen, he immediately started seeing other girls. This seemed incredibly unfair, and Chu Mingkong himself agreed. In the past, he would have preferred to "lead" the girls out for a stroll, like a group outing.

However, from the little squabble between Xiao Zhi and Wan Hua's two mothers a few days ago, Chu Mingkong realized that while treating everyone equally was good, sometimes the girls might prefer to travel together as a couple.

Therefore, this approach of treating everyone equally may have to be changed from the ordinary "group outing" to a more pleasant "recruitment for two," but then he would have to take each person out one by one.

While pondering over the note, Chu Mingkong noticed a gaze fixed on him from within the mansion. He looked up to confirm.

Shangguan Rong was looking at him from the window of the second-floor corridor.

Their eyes met.

Chu Mingkong knew he didn't need to worry anymore. He had prepared some pills for her, but they weren't very specific. They were mainly pills to improve her physique and strengthen her spiritual veins. After all, Shangguan Rong didn't cultivate the kind of soul technique that made it difficult to move. These versatile pills couldn't be wrong.

Immediately, in front of Shangguan Rong, he sent her a message on a note.

Shangguan Rong took out the note and checked it.

[Chu Mingkong: Want to hang out?]

Shangguan Rong walked out, her jet-black hair swaying, her fair and translucent skin reflecting a soft glow, her pretty face displaying a stern expression that seemed unapproachable to outsiders.

"Am I the first one to shout it out alone?"

The first question she asked was probably because she had seen Yongzhen go back.

"Will you be the first one I call next time?"

"Ah."

......

Rewind a moment, when Yongzhen opened the medicine bottle a crack, the fragrance of the medicine traveled quite far, startling many cultivators who specialized in or supplemented their cultivation with alchemy.

"The aroma of the herbs is so strong. The herbs used must be of high quality, probably third or fourth grade. But the aroma is a bit unfamiliar; I've never smelled it before."

"Two of the herbs are familiar, they're from thousand-year-old medicinal plants, but several others have unfamiliar scents. What are these herbs? And there are some I don't recognize!"

"It must be some ancient medicine! Fellow Daoist He Fang just took out this precious medicine. May I have a look?"

Amidst this, Shejia looked puzzled, and the lingering scent of the elixir left a clear trail in her vision.

"In this era, are there still soul-nourishing pills that can be produced?" Shejia followed the scent trail, tracing back to the past.

Chapter 82 Chu Mingkong, who is not interested in beautiful women

"Should I... go upstairs and change my clothes before coming down?" Although Shangguan Rong was a little dissatisfied, one thing at a time, she still had to go to the rendezvous with Chu Mingkong.

Keep your dissatisfaction to yourself for now, and talk about it when you get back.

This time, Chu Mingkong was smarter. He maintained his Annihilation Domain the whole time to avoid Yongzhen and Jinyu seeing it from upstairs and starting a nested doll-like situation.

However, the Realm of Annihilation also has its downsides. The surrounding world's color tone turns gray directly. While it doesn't affect the appreciation of Rong'er's smooth and delicate skin, her fair complexion is no longer noticeable, giving it a slightly underworld-like feel.

He took a few steps back to get a good look at Shangguan Rong, then pulled her back to his side.

“Men’s clothes are fine too, no need to change.” After saying that, he nodded confidently and pulled Shangguan Rong toward the market.

Shangguan Rong was taken aback by his praise. Although she was well-read, the principles in books were different from the principles of human relationships in real life.

Back when she was still at the academy, Chu Mingkong always made her wear a skirt when they met in private. During that time, she couldn't get used to wearing any of them and was also afraid of being seen by outsiders.

Back then, every time I wore a skirt, he would inevitably mess with me. Sometimes, before I even changed out of my men's clothes, he would catch me and grope me from behind.

"Didn't you always make me wear skirts in front of you? Why have you changed your mind now?" Shangguan Rong said, her clear eyes falling on her hands, where Chu Mingkong was leading her.

The surrounding desolate domain dissipated, and they had now moved far away from the Xiaoxiang Qin Academy's residence and entered the market area.

Keeping this area open all the time actually greatly affects the enjoyment of viewing and playing, unless you have some strange fetishes like exhibitionism or dog walking, in which case this desolate area can play a "perfect" role.

"Beautiful people look good in anything. We weren't that close before, so I was thinking of teasing you a bit and making you wear clothes you didn't want to wear. Now that we're closer, it's not so easy to tease you anymore~"

Chu Mingkong was so frank that he felt at ease, even a little shameless. Shangguan Rong couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. She knew the reason was like that, but she didn't expect him to say it so bluntly.

"However..." he said, keeping everyone in suspense.

"But what?" Shangguan Rong pressed, urging, "Speak in one breath, don't sound like you're about to run out of breath."

“You do look good in men’s clothes. From now on, wear whatever you want. Don’t always take the things I said to you when I bullied you in the past to heart.”

This is not just empty talk. Women's skirts are more about emphasizing a sense of ethereal beauty. The only difference between a more conservative skirt and a regular men's robe is whether or not a gauze overlay is worn over it.

In addition, in terms of hairstyles, women rarely have short hair. If they want to look more capable, they tie their long, black hair into a man's headdress, which doesn't create a strong sense of gender difference.

Shangguan Rong has very defined facial features and is a typical example of a striking beauty. Wearing men's clothing can also enhance her gentle yet heroic beauty.

"Wear whatever you want... So, Mingkong, which style do you prefer me to wear?" Shangguan Rong asked, not very confidently.

After following Chu Mingkong to Xiling, among the girls around Chu Mingkong, Shangguan Rong actually lacked some self-confidence.

In terms of status, she couldn't compare to them. Looking at the most ordinary Qingning girl, her younger sister's status was actually more secure than anyone else's. In terms of looks, Yongzhen and the others were not bad either. In terms of figure, they were equally matched, and Qingning also had her own unique features.

Therefore, after comparing herself to others, Shangguan Rong couldn't find any advantage she had over them. Perhaps it was that she helped Princess Chu with her affairs and was more to her liking.

Chu Mingkong thought for a moment, then shrugged and said:

"It doesn't matter. Anyway, once you put it on, I can take it off for you. You can try on any kind of clothes."

Just remember to let me see, don't keep it all to yourself and dress up for yourself in your little room~

The market route that Chu Mingkong led her through was the part that he hadn't been able to accompany Yongzhen to earlier. The overall browsing experience was just like that; everyone came with the mindset of seeing exotic items and broadening their horizons.

After visiting twice, Chu Mingkong began to understand why Aunt Gu and the others weren't really interested in traveling far.

Just like this grand event before us, everyone who comes is there to see something novel and exciting. If they don't have any treasures they're eager to buy, this event is nothing special. They'll be amazed and impressed for a few moments, and then forget about it.

If it weren't for the thought of accompanying the girl out for a stroll and making her happy, this market would have been just so-so.

While Chu Mingkong was contemplating life for just a short while, Shangguan Rong developed a competitive spirit, as if she wanted to know which aspect of Yongzhen Chu Mingkong cared about more.

Anyway, we'll have to kiss each other when we get back, so let's find out what Yongzhen and Mingkong usually talk about first.

"Mingkong, what did you and Yongzhen talk about just now?"

"We chatted, and then you sent 'toys' first, followed by pills. Was this premeditated?" Chu Mingkong felt that such a topic was not easy to recount or explain.

"Premeditated plot, conspiracy? Can you tell me about that? I want to talk to you more, Mingkong." Shangguan Rong looked at Chu Mingkong earnestly.

Faced with Shangguan Rong's frank words, Chu Mingkong could no longer hide the topic out of shame. He decided to give Rong'er a normal "Eternal True Cultivation Set" next time.

"There are too many people here right now, so it's not convenient to go into details. How about we talk about it privately later? I'll bring the actual item with me and explain it to you."

"Mingkong, what you're saying isn't the perfunctory 'next time for sure,' is it?"

"Rong'er, how come you know this joke? I was afraid you wouldn't agree to play with toys with me, so why would I say 'next time'?" Chu Mingkong saw that the time was about right, took out a bottle containing high-level pills, and intended to give it to Shangguan Rong.

The two chatted happily, unaware that a hidden gaze had been secretly observing him for a long time.

Suddenly, a woman's figure came into Chu Mingkong's view.