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

If one experiences pain first and then takes the bitter pill, it's like drinking sweet spring water—it's essentially fighting poison with poison. But if one's spirit is perfectly fine and suddenly takes this bitter pill, the experience won't be pleasant.

"Hiss... How bitter is it? If it's bitter grass, a cat will cry for half a day after just one lick. This bitter pill is like concentrating the bitterness even more."

Chu Mingkong couldn't think of a way to explain the taste, and he certainly wouldn't eat it now if he were asked to for no reason.

"Speaking of which, Fengying, why are you suddenly afraid of bitter tastes?" He was both amused and exasperated.

In the past, many people trembled at the mere mention of Feng Ying's fearsome reputation, especially those who were personally issued arrest warrants by the officials of Tianji. They were worried that this elusive female assassin might secretly slit their throats.

As a result, Fengying was now actually stunned by this bitter pill.

"How can one be completely unafraid? When faced with hardship and pain, those who cannot endure it are long gone. What remains are those who have to learn to endure hardship and pain. But this does not mean that hardship and pain are good; it's just that there's no escaping it."

Fengying has heard many people tell their younger generations, "I endured so much back then," and if possible, she doesn't want her younger generations to experience the hardships she went through.

"...How did you become a philosophy master?"

Chu Mingkong looked at Feng Ying helplessly, making sure his joke wouldn't affect her mood before continuing:

"How about I boil this bitter pill into juice and secretly smear it on your hands? If you accidentally lick it, you'll be infected."

Feng Ying rolled her eyes at him, her reproachful expression carrying a captivating charm:

"Back in the Crescent Moon Kingdom, the women of the Moonlit royal family poisoned their private parts. Now you're going to learn from that and sprinkle bitterness on your own staff, is that it?"

"Just kidding. Let's ignore this bitter pill for now. We can take it when the shards pierce you."

Chu Mingkong's large hand rested on Feng Ying's beautiful black-stockinged legs. The smoothness of the black stockings blended seamlessly with the delicate texture of her skin, creating a tantalizing sensation. The snow-white hue that emerged from the alluring black exuded infinite temptation, captivating him completely.

With a gentle tug, the "silk" of the black stockings turned into a "tear," leaving marks on the smooth, white thigh flesh where the black stockings had been torn, as if that alluring skin was overflowing from the stockings.

"Why tear it for no reason? I could have just taken the stockings off." Feng Ying looked at the stockings with regret. Although she was good at manipulating Chu Mingkong's thoughts, she couldn't quite keep up with some of his strange fetishes.

What Chu Mingkong hated most were those kinds of picture books with stockings on the cover, but once you clicked inside, all you could see were bare legs. He stopped them, saying:

"Taking it off isn't appropriate; you still have to wear it."

"So many requirements, I need to have some requirements too."

"You said."

Chu Mingkong had no reason to refuse, but he was also curious about what Feng Ying was curious about, as she was a very troublesome older sister.

"Call Qiu Chi or someone else over here. I need someone to keep an eye on things!"

"..." Chu Mingkong was stunned, staring blankly and awkwardly at Feng Ying.

Looking for thrills, huh? Isn't that going a bit too far? Jin Yu has only ever said that before, but she's never actually done it.

Moreover, it just so happens to be Zuo Qiuchi. Chu Mingkong was afraid that if he went through all this trouble with Feng Ying, their master-disciple relationship would be severed.

Feng Ying's black silk legs seemed boneless, and she lifted them up lightly and gracefully. The arch of her foot was sexy and beautiful. Before Chu Mingkong could even admire her for a few moments, her jade foot stepped on his face. If those black silk legs were to do a split, that would be truly soul-stirring.

“What are you thinking? Qiu Chi will also need to have her shattered in the future. I’m thinking that we should leave her with some psychological trauma first, so she can feel how painful it is.”

What worries Feng Ying now is Xiao Yunhan's contorted expression from the excruciating pain. The pain of a nobody is unlikely to leave a lasting impression, but the pain that even Xiao Yunhan couldn't bear makes Feng Ying, someone skilled at planning and scheming, a little apprehensive.

“That’s going too far. I’m afraid my master might suddenly break my ox’s head. She actually did that before.”

After the teasing, Chu Mingkong pushed through the hazy black stockings and slowly entered the embrace of Feng Ying's beautiful legs.

Feng Ying's eyebrows trembled like fingers outside the window, weighed down by the snow. She and Chu Mingkong had been intimate countless times, but each time, the beginning of penetration felt like the first time, and she could hardly get used to his strong and powerful strength.

When they could go no further, Chu Mingkong took Feng Ying's slender hand and manipulated the fragments of the Abyss Core, slowly approaching her.

Having had the experience before, Chu Mingkong still felt uneasy holding the fragment, not wanting Feng Ying to suffer too much pain.

The shard pressed against her tender skin. He tried to lighten the pressure, but found that he still couldn't pierce her skin.

Left with no other choice, he hardened his heart and let the dangerous shard pierce Feng Ying's skin. The moment blood beaded out, Chu Mingkong quickly picked up a bitter pill and placed it into Feng Ying's fragrant lips.

Feng Ying had already prepared herself mentally from Xiao Yunhan, but when the pain appeared, the sensation of pain attacking her soul and then her body left her with no room to even tremble.

In a brief moment of loss of control, the black-stockinged foot that had been lightly stepping on Chu Mingkong's face slid into his mouth.

Feng Ying swallowed the bitter pill, biting into the warm, moist mouth along with Chu Mingkong's finger.

The pain was somewhat relieved by the taste of the bitter pill, but the aftertaste lingered. Feng Ying felt a little better than Xiao Yunhan had at the time, but not by much.

"You... hurry up!" Feng Ying said, trying to suppress his anger.

"I've given you all the bitter pills, and the cultivation technique is running. You didn't even go into the wrong cave..." Chu Mingkong was a little at a loss. He had done everything he could to help Feng Ying. Could it be that he had just stabbed her too hard?

That shouldn't be the case. There's no way that could happen. He knows exactly how much force he applied; it should have been lighter, not heavier!

"I'm telling you to hurry up... move, push!"

......

From the Crescent Moon Royal Family to the defunct Heavenly Pole Empire, Chu Mingkong's spies are everywhere.

A piece of intelligence was obtained from the informant of Wenqing Pavilion, and then passed on to the nearby Xiaoxiang Qin Academy, and finally to Xiling.

"I don't know if this news will be of any use, but let's pass it on to His Highness Chu first. A high-ranking monk from the Pure Land of Buddhism, named Chamendo, is passing through the Crescent Moon Kingdom and is currently traversing the Celestial Empire. His current location is..."

"Where are they headed? Should we track them down and find out first, or inform His Highness Prince Xiling Chu immediately?"

"Let us inform you first, we can't keep track of his movements indefinitely."

Chapter 173 Practice

After finishing his cultivation, Feng Ying's condition stabilized. Judging from the subsequent reactions, Chu Mingkong's method of "preemptive pain relief" was indeed effective.

"Are you alright now? Do you feel anything is still amiss?" Chu Mingkong asked, sounding a bit like a nagging old woman.

This question is actually a bit redundant. We can get a pretty good idea of ​​Feng Ying's condition, not to mention that Yue He and Xiao Yunhan have provided experience as case studies, so it's unlikely that any problems will arise.

It's one thing to be able to sense it, and another to ask her directly. I always feel that I can't be completely at ease until I hear her say it herself.

"It's nothing~ I should say it's fine, except for that moment when I stabbed myself with the shard... everything else is fine."

Fengying paused for a moment, then subconsciously recalled that pain, which made her extremely uncomfortable. Now she even wanted to erase that part of the painful memory; it was simply a burden.

But she could also somewhat understand why Chu Mingkong, at his level, had difficulty even walking when he first came up from the Abyss Trench. It was a shame he had even considered giving up treatment and relying on the Bitter Pill to alleviate the pain in his soul.

She has personally experienced similar spiritual pain, and the effects of the bitter pill can only be described as a temporary solution, not a long-term solution. Moreover, one will gradually get used to the bitterness.

That would be equivalent to failure. If no better bitter pill is available as a replacement, Chu Mingkong would have to face that complete pain again.

It's truly remarkable that he was able to forcibly decide to endure it in order to prevent them from suffering the risk of extreme yin harm.

"However, after this test, I can see that you, Mingkong, have also become a liar."

The smile on Feng Ying's lips vanished, and her alluring gaze, peeking through her long eyelashes, took on a hint of suspicion and scrutiny. Chu Mingkong knew her well; he knew that Feng Ying wasn't just throwing a tantrum; she must have something to say and was just setting the tone.

What's there to say? What was wrong with the conversation just now?

He chuckled and surrendered, saying, "What's wrong now? Where did I lie?"

"Regarding the injury, Yuehe had already found a way to relieve your pain, but you were still pretending that nothing was wrong and dragging it out. If it weren't for the needle prick you did today, I would have really thought that the 'discomfort' you were talking about was not that serious!"

In hindsight, Chu Mingkong was indeed being pretentious earlier.

The injury was treated so easily. Compared to the previous dual cultivation, it only involved an extra step of "removing the fragments," and there were no surprises or dangers.

However, this would inevitably put Fengying and the others' souls at risk. With his injury already a foregone conclusion, if Fengying and the others suffered further losses, it would be like adding insult to injury for Chu Mingkong.

"...Isn't this because I'm afraid of 'accidents'? If I had to do it all over again, I think I would still make the same choice."

“But, it doesn’t feel good for us to see you suffer in silence. It’s like having a solution but not trying it. It’s like… having money at home to pay for your medical treatment, but being unwilling to get treatment just to save that little bit of money.”

Chu Mingkong pondered for a moment: "...This cannot be generalized. You can pick up money if you lose it, but if you lose your life, it's really over."

"Where would you find so much silver on the ground for you to pick up?"

"If you kill the person, the treasures, storage rings, spirit stones, and silver on the other side will fall to the ground. Wouldn't that be something you can just pick up?"

"That's robbery!" Feng Ying corrected him irritably, almost laughing at his annoyance.

To my utter surprise, it turned out to be a wanted assassin complaining about robbing money.

"They're all the same, as long as the meaning is roughly the same, don't worry about the details."

Feng Ying was a bit speechless. This guy really liked to suddenly pull a joke. Normally, shouldn't he have said "money can be earned back"? But with his change, the meaning was completely different.

Seeing her reaction, Chu Mingkong was immediately satisfied:

"I think it's all the same. Even if someone stabs you with a shard or a stick at your hand now, it's still painful to see you in pain!"

Feng Ying still couldn't immediately respond. Accustomed to teasing and provoking him, Feng Ying felt a little flustered and at a loss when Chu Mingkong suddenly showed such concern for him.

After a while, her alluring and captivatingly beautiful face regained its usual seductive composure.

"When I didn't know about your affairs with those girls in the manor, and how you made them cry and scream and their toes twitch, you weren't exactly showing them any tenderness."

Chu Mingkong felt this was slander. Although it was common for people to stick out their tongues and faint, it was not common for them to cry and scream. Besides, how could this kind of pain be the same as the pain of a yin injury?

He could also tell that Fengying's sudden remark was because she was not good at expressing her emotions in this way, and could only disrupt the atmosphere of the conversation to find her own rhythm.

He's done this kind of thing a lot, so it's easy for people to spot him.

If she doesn't want to talk about it, then so be it. Let her be.

"Speaking of which, why isn't your soul in the form of a little girl? Could it be that I transformed into a child too many times before?" Chu Mingkong was a little annoyed.

Feng Ying's soul appearance is slightly different from her current appearance; it's roughly the same as how Chu Mingkong saw her when she was a child.

Compared to now, she naturally appears somewhat immature, but that mature and charming style remains unchanged.

"How would I know why? I was going to ask you that too... By the way, if you're going to perform at Qiuchi someday, remember to invite me to watch."

Why did this topic jump around so quickly?

"Why? Are you planning to add some spice to my master's life?"

"I don't really care, I just want to see how Qiu Chi reacts when she gets stabbed by that shard~" Feng Ying said expectantly, and even took out a viewing stone to record it.

This so-called reaction must be pain. It would be quite amusing to see if Zuo Qiuchi, who always looks so relaxed, would contort in pain.

"That's really mean..."

After chatting for a while, Chu Mingkong didn't linger with Feng Ying any longer. After recovering from their injuries, they both needed some time to examine and comprehend the changes in their spiritual realm.

Although they trust each other a lot, it's best to do self-reflection and self-awareness alone.