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

The capital city, a place teeming with hidden talents, was both unfriendly and friendly to Chu Mingkong—so friendly that even being forced to fawn over the girls was a win for him.

It would be hard to find anywhere else in the world that could suppress his extreme abyss injuries.

Even if a way to completely cure the Abyss Injury can't be found in the short term, being able to stabilize the injury is already a great achievement.

That's how it should be, but recently Zuo Qiuchi discovered that Chu Mingkong's injuries have really worsened.

It started the night Xiao Yunhan came to test him. Chu Mingkong had also privately tried using one or two tenths of his power before, and he wanted to confirm whether he could get used to the backlash pain after using his power.

If he can adapt, then if he ever encounters a situation where he has to break ties with the royal family, he will have more confidence to deal with more situations.

In this way, on the surface, others only thought that he was hiding his true abilities and his resentment towards the royal family, but in reality, he really was hiding his true abilities. Others thought that he only had 20 or 30% of his cultivation left to use, but in reality, he could use 60 or 70%, or even 70 or 80%, at will.

The hidden strength may be the trump card for victory when necessary.

It sounds rather pathetic. While others quietly compete for breakthroughs, concealing their strength and pretending to be weak to take advantage of others, he concealed how much of his injuries he had recovered.

Back then, Zuo Qiuchi secretly found many renowned doctors to treat his injuries, and many of them confidently declared, "It is our duty to heal the young master's wounds!"

Later, Zuo Qiuchi had to comfort the renowned doctor, saying, "If you can recover halfway, that would be a success!"

Unfortunately, it didn't even make half of it in the end.

That attempt to "get used to the pain" was disappointing; the backlash from the injury was indeed unbearable to adapt to. Fortunately, he could recover in just two or three days by resting in the capital.

However, after Xiao Yunhan that night, Zuo Qiuchi discovered that Chu Mingkong's injuries had not healed and had even worsened!

This means that his injury is beginning to take an irreversible turn.

She didn't know the reason for this change, nor did she have time to find out why her injuries couldn't be suppressed. All she knew was that she had to quickly bring back those so-called female bodhisattvas.

This is the only method she can think of right now.

Zuo Qiuchi also had his own plans while staying at Yunhai Taoist Temple.

She wanted to have two plans: she had to win over the Buddhist nun who practiced Zen meditation, and she also had to win over the Taoist nun who practiced bedroom arts.

The wounds from the Abyss are so severe, why don't the two of you go together to "heal"? That should be enough to make the medicine effective.

Not enough?

Then all that's left is Bian Que's three-part response: "There's no hope," "It can't be cured," and "Just wait to die!"

"Master Nongyu, I've been here for so many days. Can you at least tell me a little bit about where she is? Which little darling of your Taoist sect has mastered the art of the bedroom? There will be a great reward for you!"

"Why are you still thinking about this? Tell me, how will you repay me?" Nongyu simply wanted to hear what kind of reward Zuo Qiuchi could offer.

Zuo Qiuchi said mysteriously, "I'm giving your Daoist sect a great fortune!"

Nongyu clearly didn't believe it, her calm demeanor concealing a hint of disdain: "A great fortune, not a pie in the sky?"

Zuo Qiuchi explained:

"Just think about it, Chu Mingkong is incredibly talented. He has mastered so many weapons to their limits. To be honest, just a few days ago he also mastered the greatsword!"

"So it was him?"

A hint of surprise finally appeared on the blindfolded female Taoist's face.

She had heard about the ancestral sword resonating in the Hundred Flame Sword Tomb a few days ago and was curious about which newly promoted sword immortal hadn't shown his face at the Hundred Flame Sword Tomb. It turned out to be Chu Mingkong.

That person was truly extraordinary. Even injured to that extent, he could still wield the greatsword to its fullest potential. Such talent can only be described as astonishing.

No wonder the Tianji royal family was extremely wary of him.

In this world, when strength reaches a certain level, wisdom and strategy can be disregarded.

If Chu Mingkong were to grow up in time, he might even be able to withstand the extreme Yin and Yang energies. This potential threat is something the Heavenly Extreme Royal Family cannot ignore.

They weren't afraid of how smart Chu Mingkong was, but they were afraid that Chu Mingkong's fists were so hard that he would even disregard his brains. If Bangbang were to deliver two punches to the Tianji Royal Family, they wouldn't be able to stop him from retaliating.

Who can bear it?

Just like the Juque Sword Immortal in front of Yun Nongyu, who was always laughing and joking around, loitering in her Taoist temple, but what could she do about Zuo Qiuchi?

There's absolutely nothing we can do.

"He was indeed a young hero, but unfortunately he died before he could grow up."

"So your Taoist sect's opportunity has arrived, right? When it's time for him to engage in dual cultivation, just treat him like a wild stallion for breeding, mate him to death, and once he's pregnant, run away."

"If their offspring can inherit half of Chu Mingkong's talent, it would be a bonus!"

"Vulgar," Yun Nongyu said irritably.

However, it must be admitted that if what Zuo Qiuchi said is true, then it really is a cheap and good deal.

Unfortunately, talent is hard to inherit, and there's a good chance that a tiger father might have a stupid puppy.

"Nongyu, can you tell if the calamity you mentioned earlier belongs to Chu Mingkong?"

"I don't know," Yun Nongyu answered truthfully.

"Fine, fine, I'm ignoring you."

Zuo Qiuchi was not in the mood and didn't want to talk to the "blind girl" anymore; she had to go arrest the female bodhisattva.

--------

Moonlit night.

Zuo Qiuchi, dressed in a white dress, arrived in front of the ancient Buddhist temple.

Hundreds of Buddhist monks sat around outside the temple, chanting scriptures on prayer cushions. The chanting was so harmonious that it seemed as if the heavens and earth were echoing the scriptures as one approached.

"This buzzing sound is really annoying, like mosquitoes." Zuo Qiuchi frowned, but he wasn't in the mood to interrupt them, letting the bald monks mutter to themselves.

Normally, when she approaches a Buddhist temple, the monks guarding the gate would say, "Female benefactor, please return." If she tried to force her way in, they would set up the Eighteen Bronze Men Formation, which was extremely annoying!

But tonight there was no reaction at all; it seemed like they were letting her go in.

“Something’s not right. When you were at that temple in the suburbs, you were so protective of your female bodhisattva, as if you were afraid I had hidden something and played with her. But tonight you’ve become so magnanimous.”

This dilapidated ancient temple hides a secret paradise within; something's fishy!

None of the Buddhist monks around her responded; they continued chanting their scriptures, as if unaware of her arrival.

Is this some kind of feigned indifference?

Zuo Qiuchi knew there would be unexpected situations inside, but she couldn't just not go in, and the other party had taken advantage of this mentality.

If she doesn't go in, there's no hope of healing Chu Mingkong's injuries. If she wants to save Chu Mingkong's life, she has to go in and try her luck.

Suddenly, an ancient, heavy sword appeared, hovering behind the woman.

The ancient temple gates opened by themselves to welcome this distinguished guest.

"Quite proactive! I hope your female bodhisattvas can also be this proactive in opening their 'doors,' so I don't have to force them open myself!"

Zuo Qiuchi chuckled softly and went inside.

------

P.S.: I have to go back to my hometown to visit relatives for the New Year, which will affect my draft progress, lol. But I should be able to draft enough before the 5th to add another chapter.

Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Master of Taunts

Upon passing through the gate to the secret realm, Zuo Qiuchi momentarily thought he had gone blind.

I was blinded by the light.

The grotto-heaven in the ancient Buddhist temple is not large or complicated, and it is not even as grand as Chu Mingkong's palace in Xiling.

Looking out, there was a vast expanse of open space, with clouds and mist swirling around the ground, resembling a fairyland. The mist could cover half of her body. The sky was clear and bright, with a round sun hanging in the sky, casting golden rays.

It has a touch of the aura of Buddha's light shining everywhere.

Zuo Qiuchi took a big gulp of wine and focused his gaze on a three-meter-tall woman in front of him.

This must be the female bodhisattva. She has a kind and gentle face, one hand holding a delicate, orchid-like gesture, and the other holding an inverted jade vase. Her figure... is absolutely stunning!

Zuo Qiuchi clicked his tongue and said, "Put away your illusion. It's so big, even my disciple couldn't disturb it."

Then, Zuo Qiuchi suddenly spat out a mouthful of wine and, mimicking Chu Mingkong, cursed, "Damn it!"

Because she saw the illusion of the female bodhisattva slowly dissipate, gathering into a golden relic, from which a male monk wearing a kasaya appeared and put away the relic.

The illusion of the female bodhisattva just now was actually a male monk in disguise!

The monk held up one palm in front of him, bowed to Zuo Qiuchi, and said in a deep voice, "This humble monk's Dharma name is Yuande, and I have been waiting here for Benefactor Zuo for a long time."

All these female bodhisattvas are frauds; they're just men impersonating them using a relic!

Zuo Qiuchi's lips twitched; he had lost his appetite for drinking.

"Yuan De? I think you're pretty shameless. Sorry for being so abrupt. I should have called Ming Kong over to see what just happened. Why are you only disgusting me?"

Monk Yuande's smile remained unchanged as he patiently waited for Zuo Qiuchi to recover.

Zuo Qiuchi put away the red jade gourd and sensed the secret realm. There were eighteen bronze statues distributed in various directions.

"There's an inner layer of the Eighteen Bronze Men Formation, and the monks outside could probably form another layer as well. They're not planning to let me out; they're after me, aren't they? But I shouldn't have any dealings with you bald monks. I still have to ask..."

"Bald monk, what brings you here?"

Since they've never even been enemies, why are they targeting her?

Yuan De explained calmly, “One of our disciples, an Asura, has encountered difficulties in comprehending Buddhist teachings. This humble monk invites you, Benefactor Zuo, to come to our sect and study Buddhism with the Asura.”

Zuo Qiuchi suddenly realized.

understood.

This old bald monk made it sound nice that they were going to study Buddhism together, but in reality, he wanted her to accompany that so-called Asura to practice the Joyful Meditation!

These Buddhist people are quite cunning. Knowing she was desperate to find a way to save her disciple, they set up a big scam, claiming everywhere that there was a female bodhisattva who could save the world from calamities, and intentionally or unintentionally implying that the Joyful Meditation could heal the wounds of the Abyss, trying every means to attract her attention.

At first, Zuo Qiuchi thought that the female bodhisattva was spreading the news so widely because she was interested in Chu Mingkong and wanted him to take the initiative. But it turns out that she was the target!

To call a lie a favor is utterly despicable.

"You, a bald guy who specializes in the Turtle Shell Bronze Man Formation, can't possibly persuade me. Quite a few other people have come, haven't they?"

"Come out, everyone. There's no need to hide anymore. In such an open place, do you think there's any point in lying in ambush or hiding?"