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

With a look of remorse and repentance, he hugged his beloved master, apologizing and admonishing him:

"Master, don't get angry. Your body is still weak right now. Lie down and rest for a while."

Getting angry is one thing, but wasting your rest is a huge loss. Lie down comfortably before you get angry again!

Zuo Qiuchi wanted to punch him a couple of times, but Chu Mingkong's words made sense. Anyway, she would calm down later, and it would be a huge loss to delay her rest now.

It's already a loss to have your mood affected for a short time, and if it also delays your rest, you'll probably be angry for a while longer afterward.

"How's your learning going?" Chu Mingkong hugged her, patted her back with one hand, and massaged her shoulders.

"Pretty much, nothing special, but it is indeed good swordsmanship, a rare and novel technique... Also, take my silk trousers off your head first!"

Despite my dissatisfaction with the "Mysterious Woman Scripture," I still have some appreciation for it. This kind of sword scripture is somewhat unorthodox, but it is indeed powerful and mysterious.

Moreover, the "Mysterious Maiden Sword Scripture" is actually quite useful to Chu Mingkong. He is the kind of person who can wield any weapon well, making the versatility of the "Mysterious Maiden Sword Scripture" the most suitable for him.

As the master and disciple were deeply in love, the door was pushed open, and Yun Nongyu entered.

"Your Highness, I observed that your adoptive father departed around... "

Yun Nongyu's voice stopped abruptly. Her eyes, hidden by the blindfold, seemed to be staring at Chu Mingkong and Zuo Qiuchi's little gesture of holding hands and interlocking fingers.

Chapter 218 Attacked from Both Sides

Perhaps, if this scene were performed by someone else, it would have a different dramatic effect.

For example, the Wind Shadow...

No, that won't do. It would be perfectly logical for this person to join in.

For example, Xiao Yunhan...

No, that doesn't seem to work either. When Yunhan was younger, she might have bickered with Zuo Qiuchi a bit, but now she's basically silent, aloof and arrogant, and disdains playing those childish banter games with Zuo Qiuchi. She might just snatch him away to cultivate.

Or, to make things even easier, they could simply ride their younger brother like a horse right in front of Zuo Qiuchi, launching a silent counterattack.

Unfortunately, I've encountered Yun Nongyu now—

"Nongyu, it's been so long since I hugged you! It still feels so good to hug you!"

On the bed, Yun Nongyu was sandwiched between Chu Mingkong and Zuo Qiuchi. Zuo Qiuchi hugged her tightly, burying his face in her fair neck, breathing in the fragrance of her beauty, and feeling the smoothness of her tender skin.

Yun Nongyu's feelings were somewhat complicated.

Logically speaking, Zuo Qiuchi should be the one who was caught in the act and then panicked.

Why was she able to run over without any panic, abandon Chu Mingkong, and carry him to the bed like a bandit abducting his wife?

Then she was sandwiched in the middle. When she tried to move outwards, Chu Mingkong's strong body was lying there, and Zuo Qiuchi kept rubbing against her from behind, making her clothes a little messy.

"Qiu Chi, I... I have something important to say."

It took Yun Nongyu a while to find the words to say. She wanted to move the conversation to the table and pretend she hadn't witnessed anything, at least to avoid the awkward situation they were in now...

"You can still talk about serious matters like this. It's alright, I won't hold you accountable for secretly taking a seat in Mingkong."

"..."

These words left Yun Nongyu speechless.

When she was required to do so, Yun Nongyu did not hesitate at all, but now, facing Zuo Qiuchi, she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

This slight embarrassment made Yun Nongyu even more helpless in front of Zuo Qiuchi, which was like adding insult to injury.

She turned her gaze to Chu Mingkong (if Chu Mingkong could see her eyes through the blindfold), but unfortunately Chu Mingkong could only pretend to be dead at this moment. He had just annoyed his beloved master by drinking water, and Zuo Qiuchi had done his part, even if he hadn't done anything special, to get the Xuan Nu Sword Scripture from the Xuan Nu Scripture.

For at least an hour now, he will not provoke or disobey Zuo Qiuchi.

But he couldn't show no sign of reluctance, so Chu Mingkong had no choice but to brazenly and firmly grasp Zuo Qiuchi's wrist.

"?" Zuo Qiuchi gave him a cold look, telling him to think it over carefully.

Chu Mingkong remained silent, pulling Zuo Qiuchi's delicate hand behind his neck, making it appear as if Zuo Qiuchi was embracing Chu Mingkong, with Yun Nongyu sandwiched between them.

He said to Yun Nongyu with a mixture of helplessness and indignation:

“Nongyu, I’ve been captured by her too. There’s no other way but to put up with her for now.”

Yun Nongyu: "......"

To be honest, Yun Nongyu had struggled with how to explain to Zuo Qiuchi that she and her disciple had cultivated together, but now she realized that she was worrying too much.

Zuo Qiuchi wasn't afraid of Chu Mingkong escaping at all. Oh well, let things be as they are for now.

It was under these circumstances, with the master and disciple sharing the Daoist essence so intimately, that Yun Nongyu began to discuss the most important matter.

"Can I go back to what happened at the beginning now?"

"Hmm, you said the old King of Chu is coming." Zuo Qiuchi added a brief recap, already closing his eyes contentedly.

The lingering tingling sensation after climaxing, coupled with the fact that she was now intimately embracing a genuine Daoist beauty, made Zuo Qiuchi so comfortable that she almost moaned softly.

Yun Nongyu calmed herself down, and although a certain prince was pressing against her buttocks, she tried her best to stay focused on the matter at hand:

"Just now, I used the power of the Mysterious Maiden Scripture to assist in divination and star observation, and I learned that the Buddhist monks were urging the old King of Chu to prepare to set off, to confirm the situation in Xiling, and to find out the map around the Abyss, so as to obtain it for border defense."

If it were the old border defenses, the old King of Chu would definitely be fully aware of them, and would have already handed them over. However, ever since the martial arts competition at Tianya City, the old King of Chu secretly killed several elders in Tianya Tower, so the defenses in all aspects will definitely have to be redone.

Since the house has already been broken into once, there's no reason not to change the locks.

However, this is indeed a very prudent approach. The group of bald men accompanying them are all highly skilled, yet they are wary of this level of military deployment.

Was he worried that he would have the border troops smear their arrows and weapons with the blood of the Abyss Beasts, thus "enchanting" them and catching them off guard?

Such things don't matter. Anyway, we didn't plan to let the old King of Chu leave Xiling alive this time. Let him investigate however he wants.

Lost in thought, Chu Mingkong, inhaling the fragrance of Yun Nongyu's hair, asked calmly:

"I have no idea how long it takes to get from the Buddhist Pure Land to Xiling. What exactly does that distance mean?"

Yun Nongyu shook her head, a strand of her hair brushing against Chu Mingkong's nose, tickling him. She said:

“The journey is meaningless. If the Buddhist sect is determined to urge the old King Chu to act, they will definitely use teleportation treasures or formations. Otherwise, if the journey alone takes several months, there is no point in urging him to act.”

"That makes sense... so he'll arrive within the next three or four days?"

"That's right, so Your Highness needs to have the batch of talismans I made earlier properly arranged."

"Alright, I'll go and order people to make arrangements now, and then I'll go and check it myself... There's one more thing, Nongyu, have you seen Wei Zhong?"

------------

The Pure Land of Buddhism.

Wei Zhong's condition deteriorated day by day, and that invisible sense of oppression transformed into a hidden gaze, watching him day and night from some corner.

Upon learning that the old King of Chu was preparing to depart, Wei Zhong stopped him, saying:

"You can't leave now. Do you still remember your promise to me to get rid of that 'price' when it comes looking for you?"

The old King of Chu reacted indifferently, even disdainfully, showing no regard for the friendship they had shared over the years.

"Your Yin power is not something that can be dealt with. It's a done deal that I'm going back to Xiling now. The monks have already arranged for their disciples to recite the scriptures to transmit the Dharma realm. How can I be delayed because of you?"

"But you made that promise!"

Wei Zhong tried to capture him, but the old King of Chu dodged far away with his agility, fearing that he would bring the "price" upon himself.

“I have already asked the Smiling Buddha about you, Wei Zhong. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. You’ve traveled this far with me, aren’t you just thinking that if I can’t help you get rid of them one day, you can die far away from Xiling, and maybe the ‘price’ won’t be able to find your clansmen?”

Regardless of whether this is a dream or not, why are you doing this to yourself? You are you, and family is family. You can find new family if you lose them, but if you lose yourself, you lose everything. Besides, why carry the burden left to you by your ancestors?

You haven't even tasted the power yet, and you're already 'burdened' yourself? Why don't you just continue passing on the 'price'? Just follow the way your ancestors did, and it would be best to pass it on until your ancestors are reincarnated so they can handle it themselves!

Let me tell you, what I'm dealing with right now is no small matter, and it's not something you can delay with your words!

Chapter 219 Waiting

Wei Zhong should have foreseen this day long ago. A person who can give up his power and family without hesitation to pursue a higher level—cooperating with such a person will sooner or later make you part of what he gave up.

No, it seems he hasn't given up either. Back then, he left Xiling without a word, creating the excuse of disappearance to curry favor with these forces. He still has a chance to turn back.

If his attempt to curry favor fails, he can simply pretend that his previous betrayal of his family never happened, return to being the King of Xiling as usual, and even put on a show of "the return of a missing king".

On the contrary, Wei Zhong was a bit idealistic from the beginning, taking the decades-long friendship too seriously.

A few days ago, when Wei Zhong felt the "price" was approaching, he had already spoken to the old King of Chu once. At that time, he vowed that he would definitely help deal with it and ask the high monks of Pure Land if there were any other ways to deal with it.

Unexpectedly, when those eminent monks came to inform the old King of Chu to prepare to depart, his attitude immediately changed drastically.

“Wei Zhong, it’s not that I don’t want to help you. I did consider our years of friendship and asked the high monk. He said that we should avoid touching those extraterrestrial immortals if possible. The moment our ancestor tasted the power, the score was already settled.”

I don't know what that 'price' is asking you to do. I just feel sorry for you. Why did you have to accept the 'price'? Wouldn't it have been better to let the elders of the clan or the less gifted children bear it?

Want to maintain the image and pride of a clan leader? No problem, just let Qingning bear it. It'll be your flesh that gets hurt, but the clansmen will respect you even more, and you'll be fine afterwards. Isn't that great!

Wei Zhong experienced a bizarre, dreamlike state of mind, as if another entity was trying to communicate with him, but Wei Zhong had not yet accepted it.

The little knowledge of witchcraft that remained had warned Wei Zhong not to respond casually.

He forced himself to be serious and stared at the old King of Chu: "I'm not as heartless as you...!"

"In my opinion, loyalty and affection are the least reliable things. The only things that can preserve loyalty and affection are things that can be called power, status, and self-cultivation."

If you are strong, friendship will naturally endure; if you are weak, everything will leave you. The best relationship is actually a partnership; if you can't offer me anything, then I can only find another partner.

Wei Zhong, leaning against the rock wall, laughed at the old King of Chu's words. Although his laughter was somewhat awkward, it was genuine. He realized that he still didn't understand the old King of Chu very well, but it seemed he understood him quite well enough.

"All that you've said... is just an attempt to cover up the fact that your actions are human nature, but is abandoning your wife and children human nature? Since you're capable of such a thing, why do you still care about these empty titles?"

Such profound insights into life, spoken as if you've been betrayed by someone. It's never been you who abandoned others; how dare you utter such words? Old King Chu, when did you become so fond of whitewashing your actions?

The old King of Chu was not annoyed and shrugged, saying:

"Yes, I haven't been betrayed yet, which is why I can still stand here and talk to you. People who have been betrayed are lucky to survive. Do you think I'm so generous as to refuse to risk being betrayed even once? Impossible."

Wei Zhong, there's not much I can say to you. Just look at what you've witnessed with me these past few days—power that transcends the mundane world and ordinary secluded sects. Perhaps the Heavenly Realm will have a place for you in the future. Just let the 'price' be paid. This is a rare word of thanks to you for all these years.

I know you don't want to die yet, otherwise you could leave Xiling and find a faraway abyss to bury yourself, why have you followed me until now? Now that I've said this, I need to prepare for my own affairs. It's best if you take care of yourself.”