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

Perhaps they don't even need to bother with anything. Right now, Yongzhen and the others are refining pills. While they are obtaining the power from the pills, Chu Mingkong can also slowly grow his filial piety.

As long as they keep taking their medication, they might be able to scrape together the remaining amount by the early hours of the morning.

But it's better to finish dealing with it sooner rather than later.

"Rong'er, shall I stay with you and rest a little longer, and then go out for a walk to take care of some things?"

"Looking for Yongzhen... or Jinyu?" Shangguan Rong's hands, clasped around his back, tightened slightly, her expression unreadable.

"No, don't make it sound like I was eating you while thinking about someone else!"

Shangguan Rong wanted to question it, but she found the words comforting. Regardless of their truth, she simply enjoyed hearing them, especially the lingering afterglow of their intertwined body heat. The ambiguous, sweet words and sentimental thoughts were more appealing than much rational calm.

But before she could finish being moved, Chu Mingkong ruined the atmosphere by saying:

"If I were that concerned, I would have found an excuse to get you all together and get it done!"

"..."

Shangguan Rong thought about it and realized that it did seem to be true, but... could she not say it out loud?

Chu Mingkong gently touched her ear; it was icy cold at first, but quickly became warm. Her ear turned quite red. Chu Mingkong chuckled.

"Besides, Rong'er, you don't need to compare yourself to Yongzhen and the others in everything, nor do you need to learn from them. I admire your individual personalities, pretty faces, and figures, and you are not two people who look similar to anyone else."

Shangguan Rong nodded in his arms. She lifted her face, her skin still bearing the traces of the rain-soaked crabapple blossoms. Her hair was disheveled and damp, clinging to her pink face. The lingering passion in her heart had faded considerably, but her cheeks were still flushed.

"Okay, so that shameless outfit from earlier, would you prefer me to wear it or Yongjin to wear it?"

You didn't even listen to me, did you? You say you understand, but you still want to compare...

When Shangguan Rong agreed to wear that outfit, Chu Mingkong had anticipated that she might ask this question, so he spontaneously expressed his feelings, but he didn't expect that he still couldn't avoid it.

But he's not one to be trifled with either.

"Actually, Yongzhen never wore that outfit you were just wearing. She only had a single bead in her mouth, and the beaded chain didn't have a fox tail attached to the back. She never wore those underpants and bodice either, but I still really liked what you were wearing!"

"..." Shangguan Rong's expression disappeared, and she stared at him intently with a complicated look in her eyes.

I feel like I've been emotionally deceived.

"lecher!"

"Haha~"

Instead of getting angry, Chu Mingkong laughed. It seemed like it had been a long time since Shangguan Rong had cursed him like that, and he was starting to miss it. Back in the academy, she had been cursing him as a "lecher" while he was vigorously arousing her.

Looking back now, it was still quite cute.

After accompanying Shangguan Rong to rest for a while, Chu Mingkong took the lead and left to wander around, hoping to do something helpful, such as assisting a young woman or woman in their cultivation and relieving their inner distress.

The sun was setting, but the sky was still dimly lit.

Chu Mingkong did not go to Zhi'er Baobao's place. Yun Han was with her, and Chu Mingkong was afraid that Yun Han would ask about the Frost Spiritual Energy again, which would be difficult to deal with.

Fortunately, Jin Yu was alright. She and her daughter were chatting when Jin Yu saw Chu Mingkong arrive. She was both surprised and disappointed.

"Oh, Chu Lang, we just came back from a walk in the mansion and finished bathing. If you had come earlier, that would have been better."

It was clear that Jin Yu's regret was not being able to do anything else before taking a bath.

Pei Mi, however, had something to ask Chu Mingkong: "Mingkong, what's going on with your mother, Consort Xiao Zhi? Why is she always carrying a jade pendant around here? Is she showing it off or something?"

Judging from Pei Mi's tone, Chu Mingkong didn't think there was any malice in her words. It was more curiosity mixed with a hint of dissatisfaction, and that little bit of emotion was caused by the previous minor friction between Pei Mi and Xiao Zhi.

"It's probably not showing off. He probably just got a new jade pendant and is currently very fond of it, so he keeps handling it and playing with it. Don't mind him~" Chu Mingkong spoke up for Xiao Zhi.

“That’s right, that’s what I was saying too. What’s so great about a jade pendant? This mansion isn’t that big. If Mother Consort Zhi were just taking a stroll, we would definitely run into each other. She wouldn’t be showing off on purpose. She didn’t say anything bad about it!” Jinyu said, linking arms with her mother.

"Jinyu, you're really taking her side! You're practically treating her like a closer relative than I am your own mother. You wish she were your biological mother, don't you?"

“No, that’s really not possible. If it were my birth mother, the relationship would be so complicated, it’s unacceptable…” Jin Yu’s expression was solemn, showing that she had really thought about it seriously.

Chu Mingkong chatted with them for a while, then took out those shameless "high-defense" close-fitting clothes and underwear and joined the conversation.

"Mother, look at these spiderweb-like fairy panties. If your big buttocks wore them, wouldn't they stretch these spiderweb holes out of shape?"

"Jinyu, what are you saying!"

As the sky finally began to take on the colors of night after sunset, Chu Mingkong breathed a sigh of relief. He had been thinking about whether to go to his master's wife to collect another batch of pills, but unexpectedly, the girls' pills, along with his conversation with them, had actually been collected enough.

"Jinyu, Mother Mi'er, I'll head back now and come back to see you at a later time."

"Don't call me mother, aren't you ashamed!" Pei Mi's beautiful eyes widened.

Chapter 96 Shen Xuejun: Is there a "giant baby" next door?

Although he didn't know where most of the 500,000 yuan in corrupted filial piety money came from, Chu Mingkong's heart still twitched when he saw that the huge sum of money had been reduced to a fraction in the blink of an eye.

It's not so much about bleeding, but more about anticipation.

The "Hehuan True Scripture" has no physical form. The cultivation knowledge that appears in Chu Mingkong's mind is just a ball of light. After his consciousness moves closer to that light, a force flows through his spiritual meridians. This is not a usable force, but a guide, leading him to feel that demonic thought that was despised by the ancients.

That power circulated within the spiritual veins, undergoing a certain cycle. When Chu Mingkong began to sense the sealed demonic thoughts, the power wandering within the spiritual veins suddenly dispersed and merged into his limbs and bones.

"I was wondering what was so special about the path of this spiritual vein's circulation. It turns out that this power is where the real consumption of this half-million's corrupted filial piety is, and that power is the key to transforming the body..."

Very good. In the past, it was enough to just comprehend it, but now we can directly transform it with power.

However, this kind of transformation is not like directly changing one's physical attributes. It is more like taking a pill, the medicinal power spreading and then improving the physique to the point that one can sense, capture, and absorb demonic thoughts.

For Chu Mingkong, this process was relatively easy. Normally, this process is equivalent to "cleansing the meridians and washing the marrow" in flesh and blood cultivation, which is accompanied by severe pain, eliminating impurities, and strengthening muscles and bones. However, he did not feel any pressure at all.

Perhaps Chu Mingkong should be thankful for this, as this power was not worn away by the extreme yin energy and was incredibly tenacious.

"My goodness~ Does cultivating divine sense usually rely on this kind of elixir-like power to improve the body?"

[This can be understood as: Do you know about the branch of alchemy within that sect?]

Chu Mingkong recalled that there was indeed a branch of alchemy in the Daoist sect. He even remembered that this alchemy path evolved from the system of the Witchcraft Department.

The earliest forms of alchemy focused on which elixirs could help people perceive the spirit and spiritual energy, refining external elixirs to aid in the mastery of internal alchemy.

A long time ago, Yun Nongyu mentioned that a demonic possession incident had occurred in the Kunlun Daoist sect. Could it be that the alchemist had refined a demonic pill?

"Once I've absorbed the medicinal effects, I'll be considered a demonic fetus?"

Yes, ancient shamans and pharmacists believed that a person's life has two peaks. One is the peak of blood and energy, when blood and energy are abundant and all skills are mastered, which is the stage of great achievement. The other stage is when one is born, which is the peak of learning and perceiving the world. This talent will quickly wither away as one grows up.

The power of the elixirs researched by the shamans was initially intended to help the human body return to the state of fetal development, allowing it to perceive the world again in its most primitive and peak state after gaining a certain understanding of it.

Many miraculous remedies are actually byproducts of failed research.

Chu Mingkong subconsciously wanted to argue, shouldn't the strongest learning ability come after the brain has fully matured? But upon closer reflection, the infant stage is indeed amazing.

There's no need to elaborate on this life. In my previous life, how long did it take to learn and comprehend a language during my student years? Yet, during those years of infancy, I unknowingly learned my mother tongue.

The two worlds are different and cannot be fully understood, but the stage of fetal birth is indeed quite remarkable.

When I get back, I really need to pay more attention to my daughters' early childhood education. I'll get them started on the "Five Years of Tribulation and Three Years of Simulation" program!

"So, does that mean my current physical condition is like that of a woman in the womb?" Chu Mingkong glanced at his body. It hadn't shrunk, and he could vaguely sense a strange feeling, but it wasn't clear yet.

[Not quite, not entirely a joke yet, please wait patiently.]

"Okay, what are the drawbacks of demonic thoughts? There must be a reason why ancient people were so eager to absorb spiritual energy and soul energy... I wonder if asking this is taboo, should I find some code words or keywords to replace it?"

Last time, the dream of the sacred mountain collapsed while they were chatting, and he didn't want to encounter such a thing again.

The taboo methods of our ancestors were quite wise; for words they dared not write, they would simply use a □ or a homophone to avoid using them.

No need. I wasn't planning on chatting with you for long anyway. I need to focus intently on absorbing the magic pill's power...

The drawback of demonic spiritual energy lies in the fact that negative thoughts distort the mind. The soul may become stronger, but cognition will be warped. The six desires and evil thoughts will merge into the mind, and you will no longer be in control of yourself, but in control of your emotions, resulting in a drastic change in temperament.

Could this be the origin of the solitary cultivation advocated by most cultivators?

People may change their temperament after experiencing great joy or sorrow, but to become unlike oneself in the name of self-cultivation is indeed a departure from one's original intention.

If he cultivates a demonic embryo, isn't he afraid of suffering the consequences as well?

...Could it be that the power of extreme Yin can eliminate this negative effect?

Chu Mingkong wanted to ponder it more carefully, but his entire body, every pore, seemed to have been opened to a pair of eyes and developed an organ, sensing the dark demonic aura between heaven and earth. The information his mind was receiving suddenly increased, and a headache struck.

Those six desires flared up fiercely, only to be extinguished by an even more domineering will to annihilate them.

......

At the Wenqing Pavilion next door, Shen Xuejun stood under the moon. The bright, white moonlight shone on her mature and indifferent face, like moonlight falling on frost and snow on a glacier. Both were equally fair, but Shen Xuejun's cold and beautiful face was more translucent.

She turned a mask in her hand, lost in thought, her cold, indifferent gaze fixed on the horizon, or perhaps on something beyond the deep space.

Suddenly, the scent emanating from the Xiaoxiang Qin Academy next door pulled her back to her senses.

As if the glacier had melted away in the slightest, a hint of doubt appeared in Shen Xuejun's beautiful eyes.

In her field of vision, she saw streams of demonic thoughts, which had existed for tens of thousands of years and were rarely visited, converging there.

Who?

Who at Xiaoxiang Qin Academy has fallen into demonic possession? Or are they actively absorbing demonic thoughts?

No one noticed this commotion because few people today can sense this power.

From the houses near the mansion, one could faintly hear the cries of infants at night.

However, the noise from next door quickly stopped.

"It's like... a baby who was born with a natural understanding of demonic thoughts?" Shen Xuejun wasn't quite sure, and murmured to herself based on her feelings.

Where she stood, only specks of ice crystals and frost remained. Her graceful and proud figure disappeared from the spot as she moved towards the next room.

......

After Chu Mingkong had accomplished his mission, he ran like a wild horse to Zuo Qiuchi's room next door, waking her from her dream of spring and autumn.

"What are you doing, looking for a beating? Niu Niu is giving you a discount... Hmm? Has something changed about you?" Zuo Qiuchi stopped after cursing a couple of times, looking at him suspiciously and glancing around.

However, no change was found in him.

"Come with me, let's go for a stroll around the Sea Dragon Palace!"