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

What comes to mind when you see these two items?

I thought of Sese...

Chu Mingkong temporarily dismissed the incorrect answer from his mind. Since the system asked him to think about it, it must be something he had seen, heard, or come into contact with in any way.

The toys that Yongzhen and Rong'er used when they were playing around?

As his memory retraced, Chu Mingkong finally remembered where he had seen the "suspicious" object.

[Ahem! I'm reminded of two branches I encountered in the Daoist sect in the past: one like Yun Nongyu, who observes the stars with her eyes covered, and the other, who wears a veil and remains silent.]

That's right.

Hearing the woman's voice in his mind, Chu Mingkong breathed a sigh of relief and continued to listen attentively.

The visible secrets of heaven are not necessarily opportunities; the revealed mysteries may more likely be a calling.

Is this referring to stargazing and invoking deities?

Rather than guessing blindly, Chu Mingkong chose to be humble.

Oh my god, I don't understand.

If stargazing doesn't reveal the profound mysteries of the universe, it might just be some lingering allure from the cosmos. Wearing these eyes is for self-protection, but it also means seeing even less. The eyeband you just acquired is meant to allow stargazers to see as much as possible, and to handle any unpleasant sights they occasionally encounter.

Oh!

Chu Mingkong translated it in his mind: Stargazing and invoking gods are both ways to gain power, but they are also ways to court death. These two treasures are designed to keep the risk of courting death within the range of "high returns with medium risks".

The image of those troublesome clairvoyant sorcerers resurfaced in his mind, reminding him of the time when they changed his name to "Chengdu, meaning 'disaster comes from the mouth'."

During that period, anyone who mentioned his name would attract the attention of the Yin Shi people, or even be directly attacked.

The key is to say his name.

This means that... there are beings who can forcibly control other people's mouths, make them utter their names, and then descend upon the world?

Therefore, in Taoism, those who clearly need to observe the stars with their eyes cover their eyes, and those who need to chant incantations to invoke the gods keep their mouths shut.

[Good heavens, can this thing really shut someone up?]

The system ignored his question, probably thinking it was too stupid. If he didn't believe it, he could try something else instead of asking such useless questions.

Chu Mingkong was used to being subjected to passive-aggressive treatment, so he didn't take it seriously. Instead, he muttered to himself, "They really do give gifts to whomever they want to send them."

These two treasures are clearly only useful to Yun Nongyu; no one else needs them at all. It would be more practical to give her a sexy training lingerie instead.

Giving away a whole set at once would be too obvious. In the future, if you want to sell items, just give it a hint in your mind beforehand, and the system will secretly do you a favor.

Chu Mingkong decided to use a nested doll technique, exploiting a loophole. He silently recited the three-wheeled mantra in his mind:

I want to give the system girl 3 gifts.

After completing the "ritual," Chu Mingkong started opening blind boxes again, but unfortunately, he didn't see anything new this time. They were all old things he had seen before, gold and purple.

It seems we failed...

Aunt Gu's voice pulled him back to reality. The beautiful woman complained wearily:

"Mingkong, let me help you lie down. Can you come in by yourself? My hands are tired..."

Chu Mingkong felt guilty, but his mouth was very uncooperative; a force compelled him to speak:

"also!"

Chapter 184 The Protector

When a person spends a lot of time alone, will they be able to think about and understand the world from a more calm perspective, or will they become trapped in their own world and unable to get out?

Yun Nongyu used to think that being alone meant quiet contemplation, free from too many mundane affairs, with only her own goal in mind, clear and unambiguous, and she only needed to move towards that goal.

However, the relatively lively environment in Qingxin Mansion, of course, is only lively compared to Yun Nongyu's past living environment; overall, it is still very quiet... Yun Nongyu felt a different kind of peace amidst the liveliness.

“My worries have lessened, but the problems still need to be faced…” Yun Nongyu sat alone on the corridor of the courtyard, facing the bamboo grove, and murmured softly, “I should go and ask His Highness for advice on those two original scriptures.”

She got up and went out, only to bump into Chu Mingkong.

"Good morning, Your Highness. Is there anything I can help you with?" she greeted.

Chu Mingkong noticed that she seemed to be planning to go out, and thought to himself, "Did I come at the wrong time? I should ask her what she plans to do."

He would make a special trip to find Yun Nongyu. What other reason could there be? Of course, he would come to give gifts and repay Aunt Gu's favor.

Especially after Chu Mingkong learned from the system girl about the extraordinary nature of these two treasures, he became even more eager to give them away. This mentality was roughly as follows:

I would say to everyone I met: "Wow, that's amazing! How did you know you got two triple and four yellow eggs in a 10-pull?"

He used to send out so many random gifts, especially red-quality gifts, and very few of them were normal. Now, he received two relatively normal and precious gifts, and he was incredibly excited to send them to him!

Therefore, after showing filial piety to Aunt Gu and accompanying her to bathe, Chu Mingkong, who had been busy all night, had no intention of lying down to rest. He pretended to be an early riser and came to find Yun Nongyu.

"Actually, I don't have anything special going on. It's just some trivial matter. Where is Yun Nongyu planning to go? Don't tell me she's planning to run away after only two days?"

After saying this, Chu Mingkong pretended to peek into the inner room and asked in a low voice:

"Could it be that my master has come looking for Daoist Yun again? I'll go and subdue her!"

Yun Nongyu smiled. Having grown accustomed to the strict and orderly master-disciple relationship in the world of cultivators, she found Chu Mingkong and Zuo Qiuchi's relationship both absurd and... well-matched, no matter how many times she looked at them.

"Actually, it's nothing serious. I just happen to have some things I'd like to discuss with Your Highness. Since Your Highness has come in person, why don't you tell me about your matter first?"

...Hmm? You were just looking for me. What do you want?

"Okay, let's go inside and talk."

After entering the inner hall, Chu Mingkong and Yun Nongyu sat facing each other at the tea table. The century-old pear wood tea table had exquisitely carved patterns on its surface. Through the openwork, one could see the fair and jade-like feet of the otherworldly beauty Daoist opposite them, which was truly more beautiful than any work of art.

Chu Mingkong didn't beat around the bush; he stated his purpose directly:

"I came here on behalf of Aunt Gu to express my gratitude. She just made a casual visit, and Master Yun took such good care of her. Last night, I searched through the Xiling warehouse and found two small gifts."

It's not particularly useful; it could be considered a rather odd and unusual antique.

Chu Mingkong's expression was generous, magnanimous, and delighted, though his attempt at "Versailles" was somewhat clumsy.

He had indeed wanted to do this for a long time, but unfortunately, the items he had drawn had always been a bit off.

When Yun Nongyu heard him say this, she was stunned for a moment. The little help she had given to Madam Gu was just a small favor, yet His Highness was thanking her so formally.

She was about to decline, as it was inappropriate to accept too much kindness from others, and it would be difficult to repay it in the future.

However, Yun Nongyu was stunned when she saw the two items that Chu Mingkong took out.

It is said that the eyes are the windows to the soul. Although the blindfold covered Yun Nongyu's eyes, one could still feel a strong sense of shock from her stunningly beautiful face.

Chu Mingkong caught her reaction and felt completely comfortable all over, as if a drop of Tiger Balm had been applied to his fart—it felt amazing right to the top of his head!

However, Chu Mingkong clearly underestimated the value of these two items in Yun Nongyu's eyes.

"Your Highness, is this truly an antique found in the Xiling Palace's treasury?"

Chu Mingkong is now the King of Xiling, and he can decide what's in the treasury. As long as the person he's questioning isn't someone like his sister Xiao Yunhan, he's not worried.

"Yes, I feel that this thing has a connection with Taoism, but it has a slightly eerie feel to it."

"There is indeed some connection... but to be precise, these two treasures are related to the Witchcraft Tribe!"

Yun Nongyu stared incredulously at the two strangely shaped and eerie treasures.

In later generations, when Taoist sects were advancing to higher levels, they had the protection of the Queen Mother of the West. However, in the more ancient times, the Witchcraft Tribe did not have so much protection. The strong were afraid that those who sought help were trying to divert trouble and had ulterior motives, and that they would invite a great god from beyond the heavens to kill them.

Let alone strangers, even relatives and friends may not be trusted.

More often than not, some members of the Witchcraft Clan rely on these strange blindfolds and veils to advance to higher ranks.

Even now, Taoists are still reading the ancient texts of the shamanic tradition and looking at the magical artifacts used by the ancient sages, all wanting to know how they were made.

These ancient artifacts did exist in the early days of Taoism, but they have all decayed over the long years.

Chu Mingkong pulled out two brand new items, and Yun Nongyu found it hard to imagine how they had been preserved.

She never had much curiosity or covetousness for other people's treasures, but now, even if she was very detached from worldly desires, she wanted to find out exactly what was hidden in the Xiling Treasury.

Even if Chu Mingkong said that these two items were seized from the Yin Shi people, or that Yuehe remembered a place where treasure was buried and led him to find it, it would be more convincing and acceptable to her than the "Xiling Treasury" explanation...

If Shangguan Rong, Yongzhen, and the others were here, they would probably say to her that they felt the same way when they heard this guy keep referring to "Xiling Teahouse" and "Old Man by the River".

The house remained silent for a long time.

Yun Nongyu held the eerie blindfold, seemingly frozen in place as she scrutinized and stared at it, remaining motionless for a long time, lost in thought.

Chu Mingkong broke the silence and asked, "Master Yun?"

"I'm sorry, I was a little flustered when I suddenly saw an antique this new..." Yun Nongyu came back to her senses and felt like she couldn't speak. She had so many questions, but she didn't know where to begin.

"It's alright. I've thought about these two items over and over, and they're useless to me. There aren't any women in the manor who have a penchant for collecting things. If Daoist Yun takes a liking to them, then he can accept them."

"Speaking of which, Master Yun initially asked what he wanted to see me about?"

"What is it...?"

Yun Nongyu was having trouble speaking; her mind was a bit muddled.

Initially, she considered the two original texts of the art of the bedroom because the normal way of advancement was not feasible. Without a protector like the Queen Mother of the West, it would be difficult to find someone else to act as that protector, so she had to find another way.

Now, inexplicably, as if divinely inspired, Chu Mingkong found two great treasures for her from his own "clutter pile," solving her previous major problem.

It seems... there's no need to ponder the art of dual cultivation in the bedroom anymore?

Yun Nongyu swallowed back the words that were on her mind.

Her pretty face still held a faint smile that was pleasing to the eye and subtly touched a chord in people's hearts, but the smile seemed somewhat unnatural.

"I just wanted to give Your Highness some instructions regarding the care of the fetus... The talisman I gave to Madam Gu is for protecting the fetus. It is impervious to bumps and knocks, and is like a life-protecting talisman, using spiritual power to resist external harm. When the talisman's spiritual power is exhausted, you can come and get a new one from me."

"Row."

Chu Mingkong then left without lingering.

Yun Nongyu remained silent for a long time, then tried to divine the cause and effect of the blindfold.

"Beauty doesn't bewitch people; people bewitch themselves... Is this the meaning of 'lustful karma'?"

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