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

However, since the target is someone like Yunhan, who has a rather indifferent personality, it would be difficult for her to express emotions as clearly as Fengying or Zuo Qiuchi.

While he was deep in thought and sighing, his cold and aloof older sister was already starting to undo his belt.

"Don't you really enjoy cultivating with women? You brought such a large courtyard of female relatives back from the capital. Qingxin Mansion couldn't even accommodate them all without expanding it into a secret realm. Why are you so hesitant now that you're here with me? Are you not as close to those women you've only known for a few years as I am?"

"That's different. It just feels strange to pursue cultivation purely for its own sake, because that becomes a tool for personal gain."

“…Perhaps there is a slight problem.” Xiao Yunhan’s current state of mind was not quite able to understand her brother’s dilemma. She continued, “It’s just that the world is changing so drastically right now. I feel that if I can’t become stronger, I won’t be able to protect you in the future. I can only watch helplessly as you get injured again for no reason.”

After a moment's hesitation, Chu Mingkong asked, "...Aren't we going to protect Mother Consort?"

Xiao Yunhan paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "That's fine, but if I can protect you, protecting Mother Consort won't be a problem either. Your task will be more difficult."

Although the second half of the sentence was an explanation and it was indeed the case, it still felt like the attitude towards the baby pheasant was rather perfunctory.

Before Chu Mingkong could respond, Xiao Yunhan said impatiently:

"Alright, you should listen to me now. You have the leisure to wander around outside, so hurry up and start cultivating with me. If it weren't for the fact that you need to maintain your relationship with the cat, Jiao'er, I would definitely take you into seclusion for several years."

"Non-stop seclusion for cultivation?" Chu Mingkong's lips twitched.

"Otherwise?" Xiao Yunhan looked at him matter-of-factly: "Naturally, one must cultivate without stopping until reaching a bottleneck before stopping. No one knows if a challenge will come unexpectedly. If the Asura King comes with hostility at this moment, how will we deal with it?"

I never would have guessed that Yunhan, this cold-faced and heartless woman, was actually a hidden... cultivation master.

Chu Mingkong felt that he really had to thank the Asura King someday. Her sudden visit that time was like a shot of adrenaline for his female relatives.

An invisible pressure pushed Yunhan and Fengying to come and cultivate with him. Even though a considerable amount of time has passed, Xiao Yunhan still keeps the helplessness and pressure she felt at that time firmly in her heart.

"Weren't you already prepared to cultivate with me? Why are you talking so much?" Xiao Yunhan held Chu Mingkong's cultivation artifact, her slightly cold jade hand feeling the familiar heat. Perhaps recalling the pain in her soul at that time, she hesitated for a moment.

Chu Mingkong was in a dilemma. Seeing his sister's reaction, he suddenly felt that all his emotional entanglements were meaningless. He still had some psychological trauma from the last time he used the shard to stab her. It seemed that he subconsciously felt that male and female cultivation was inherently painful. Even so, he was able to make up his mind to pull her into seclusion.

I have to change her impression of me first, so that she doesn't think of cultivation as something that causes her mental and physical pain.

Chu Mingkong picked up his older sister and carried her to the nearby woods where the snow had not yet melted. He took off his outer robe and spread it on the ground, then placed Xiao Yunhan's slender, jade-like body on it.

"Yunhan, why don't you lie down and I'll guide you? We can even sneak a kiss during the time?"

Seeing that her younger brother had stopped being coy and was willing to listen obediently and cultivate diligently, Xiao Yunhan nodded in agreement.

"Either is fine... Do you still have any bitter pills?"

Chu Mingkong looked helpless. It seemed he really needed to use some tools: "Yes, but I've refined it into an essential oil, which can be applied to the skin."

Left with no other choice, he took out the essence of Daoist energy, poured it into his palm, and then used it to relieve Yunhan's tension under her skirt.

Xiao Yunhan was taken aback. She thought a bittersweet feeling would seep into her soul, but instead she found a mysterious and pleasant Daoist aura. Then, Chu Mingkong's two mischievous fingers were caressing her tension, sending the Daoist aura deep into the cultivation palace.

After an unknown amount of time, the silver bottle suddenly shattered, gushing water, and the woman's exquisite fragrance wafted out...

Chu Mingkong leaned down, cupping Yunhan's cool and delicate face in his hands. His head was low, their noses touching, their lips occasionally brushing. Only their breaths mingled together. Gazing into each other's eyes, Chu Mingkong asked:

"Yunhan, I've actually finished the bitter pill. There's still a little bit of its medicinal effect left on my tongue. If you don't mind..."

Xiao Yunhan was not lacking in common sense, and she knew very well that her younger brother had not taken that bitter pill for a long time. She knew what he meant by saying that.

Whether out of disgust or because she didn't want to see her younger brother rambling on and on, Xiao Yunhan shut him up before he could give a detailed explanation.

Seeing this, Chu Mingkong slowly stepped into the room and immediately silenced Yunhan's... small mouth, like a babbling brook flowing through a secluded valley.

You block me, I'll block you.

A hint of warmth and a sense of relief stirred within the heart of the seemingly aloof and icy woman.

She and her younger brother got along very well; without the interference of spiritual pain, this was indeed the normal feeling of cultivation...

......

After finishing their cultivation, Chu Mingkong and his sister wrapped themselves in the same blanket and sat together on the cliff face, gazing at the Cangxiong Plain forest for a long time in silence.

Xiao Yunhan looked at the distant view, and Chu Mingkong was also looking at the distant view, but his face was tilted to the side, looking at the beautiful scenery while also greedily looking at his sister.

“Yunhan, we used to play around Xiling like this when we were little. You’ve never been here before, have you? This place is not bad.”

"Ah."

Xiao Yunhan responded calmly, her tone carrying a hint of languid ease after a moment of pleasure. Her bright, clear eyes reflected the distant mountains and blue sky, lost in thought, her mind unreadable.

"How has your feeling about traveling changed compared to before?"

"I can't remember exactly, but there should still be some... Qiuchi used to be in the way, but it's much quieter now."

"..."

She and Zuo Qiuchi are really at odds. However, they have bickered quite a bit in the past, but their relationship is actually quite good. Women of Xiao Yunhan and Zuo Qiuchi's level tend to be somewhat indifferent, especially when facing troublesome people.

There's not much goodwill between them, and the only way to deal with them is to draw your sword and eliminate the thorn in your side, not to argue and bicker like this.

Looking at his sister's cold demeanor, Chu Mingkong suddenly had a question in his mind: how would a woman with this kind of thinking respond?

"Yunhan, what if something unexpected happens to you if we continue cultivating like this, and I accidentally hit you with Lantian Jade?"

“It’s not that easy to hit. If you mind, you can remove it. If you don’t mind, I can keep this ‘accident’ and give it to… Mother Consort to take care of.”

Sure enough, Yunhan seemed to really like the two little kids, Maomao and the others, but actually she was closer to him emotionally.

When he's not around, I play with his babies; when he's around, I mainly play with him.

Xiao Yunhan interrupted his thoughts: "You're starting to talk nonsense again. If you're not planning to go back, then continue cultivating and don't waste your time."

Chu Mingkong: "..."

Chapter 204 Qingning's Premonition

"Is that enough? It's about time to go back..." Chu Mingkong asked with a headache.

Yunhan is really good at squeezing him out. Every time she senses that he's getting aroused, she immediately makes him release, giving him no chance to endure.

"Going back already? Hmm, that's enough for now..."

The older sister, Xiao Yunhan, was dressed in an elegant and refined white dress. Her slender hand touched her lower abdomen through the fabric.

Her innate affinity for icy spiritual energy makes her body temperature lower than average, and she is more accustomed to cool environments. The fiery warmth that lingers within her body still shows its presence in her delicate form.

Did I eat too much? I feel a little bloated...

"Uh, Yunhan, after we return to Qingxin Mansion, why don't you go to another courtyard to refine it?" Chu Mingkong was afraid that if Yunhan, who was currently hiding a bellyful of essence, flaunted it in front of his master's wife, Shen Xuejun, it would give her away.

What's that called again? Full of knowledge and wisdom... I guess.

"Okay." Xiao Yunhan nodded, seemingly already beginning to refine the demonic spiritual energy and nourish her own soul.

Chu Mingkong knew that his older sister didn't like to be disturbed when she was cultivating. Judging from her response, she must have figured out how to hide it when she returned to Qingxin Mansion.

It wasn't until they arrived at Qingxin Mansion that Chu Mingkong spoke again:

"I'm going to find Qingning. I won't accompany Yunhan to look for the courtyard for now, is that alright?"

"Ah."

After watching her younger brother go to find Xiao Qingning, Xiao Yunhan went straight to Zuo Qiuchi's courtyard.

For once, Zuo Qiuchi wasn't slacking off or sleeping; instead, she was flipping through a sword manual. Her eyes shimmered with light and shadow, as if a little figure was deducing sword moves—this was also her talent for slacking off. For her, reading a sword manual didn't require any hands-on practice; she could directly deduce about 70-80% of the moves in her mind.

Apart from the sound of the wind rustling through the bamboo curtains, the only other sound in the room was the soft rustling of her turning the pages of her book.

as well as,

The extra footsteps that followed Xiao Yunhan entering the room.

"Yunhan? What a rare guest! What brings you here? Shall we sleep together?" Zuo Qiuchi said jokingly, curiously looking at the white-haired woman, and for some reason, he sensed that she was in a good mood.

It's difficult for ordinary people to detect even the slightest changes in Xiao Yunhan's emotions, but Zuo Qiuchi, who has known her for so many years, can still sense them.

The fact that this person came to the temple with a hint of joy was something Zuo Qiuchi couldn't figure out.

"I'd like to borrow a place to cultivate. It just so happens that you're also reading the sword manual."

"..."

Zuo Qiuchi looked at her a few more times with suspicion, but didn't say anything. The room was very big, and even the bed was made according to the specifications of the three of them, Chu Mingkong and Feng Ying, doing naughty things together.

It's very big, so it's fine for Xiao Yunhan to meditate and cultivate here. But doesn't she have her own courtyard?

Xiao Yunhan sat down on the soft couch, her long, slender legs wrapped in white silk kneeling together, her rosy skin faintly visible at her knees.

Seeing that Zuo Qiuchi remained silent, Xiao Yunhan suddenly said:

"I just practiced with Mingkong and obtained his essence of internal energy."

"???" Zuo Qiuchi looked at her incredulously: "Did I ask you that?"

"Don't be angry, I'm not showing off. I just asked for a little too much. Do you need some? It's still in my lower abdomen."

"Do you have some kind of serious illness?" Zuo Qiuchi clenched his fist.

Her gaze toward Xiao Yunhan was filled with disbelief and a hint of inexplicable annoyance.

Feng Ying is one thing, but how come even Xiao Yunhan, that block of ice, can come and scorch her face like that?

Xiao Yunhan is clearly not such a vulgar person!

Zuo Qiuchi stared expressionlessly at the snow-haired woman, calmly and earnestly advising her:

"Yunhan, I suddenly feel like I've hit a bottleneck. I need to close my eyes and meditate for a while. Why don't you find another place to refine your skills? Fengying would be quite suitable, or you could go back to my wife's courtyard."

"This is not good. My master can sense the essence of the power that Mingkong gave me."

......

There was a courtyard reserved for the Wei family mother and daughter in Qingxin Mansion. Chu Mingkong walked into the courtyard, but there was no one inside.

Qingning wasn't in the courtyard, and her mother, Li Lu, rarely came over either, as she mostly helped the clansmen with their affairs these days.

Chu Mingkong's gaze fell on a small rabbit in spirit form by the threshold. He patted the rabbit's head:

"Qingning sent you here, right? Go tell Qingning I'm here."

This is the little rabbit that Qingning captured years ago; it's essentially a kind of spirit pet.

The little rabbit disappeared from its spot, and soon after, the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard outside the courtyard.

Wei Qingning rushed back in a hurry. Since it was a private meeting, Chu Mingkong didn't stand on ceremony and directly hugged this young lady, giving her a big hug.