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

"State the conclusion, state the key points, and don't say anything superfluous. Only explain why you reached this conclusion if necessary."

This is really hard to fool!

Chu Mingkong dared not let his expression change, and calmly said:

"...The conclusion is that we need to slow down the pace of our cultivation and focus our attention on other aspects."

Zuo Qiuchi looked at Chu Mingkong with a puzzled expression. After three and a half days of secret instruction from Shen Xuejun, how come Chu Mingkong seemed like a completely different person?

Slowing down the pace of cultivation—could he really say something like that?!

Driven by curiosity, Zuo Qiuchi answered for Yunhan: "Explain why."

Chu Mingkong cleared his throat: "I learned from my master's wife that for cultivators at the Divine Soul Realm, perfecting the 'intention' in their hearts is of paramount importance."

In a deeper sense, that means further exploring one's own path.

"Which path?" Under the influence of this rebellious disciple, Zuo Qiuchi's perspective on things has become somewhat strange.

Chu Mingkong maintained his composure and replied seriously, "It is the Dao in my heart. My dear Master, please don't speak yet, listen carefully!"

Seeing Zuo Qiuchi nod helplessly, Chu Mingkong continued:

"And on the surface, it means that this 'Dao' can be externalized into a 'domain' that can change the laws of the surrounding world. With this difference, it is actually very difficult for us to catch up even if we cultivate day and night."

This was the first excuse Chu Mingkong came up with. He should focus his energy on the enlightenment of this "domain" now. Simply cultivating and improving would not yield significant results in a short period of time. It would be better to sleep more and drink more hot water.

"Isn't it the same to cultivate and contemplate at the same time?" Xiao Yunhan didn't think there was any conflict between the two things.

Accumulate knowledge and experience gradually, and achieve great things from small beginnings. If you say today's efforts are unimportant, and tomorrow you say you can stop working hard tomorrow, then what's the point of self-cultivation?

In this respect, Xiao Yunhan was a pragmatist, which is why she disapproved of Zuo Qiuchi taking her younger brother to slack off when they were young.

"That's not how it works. Being single-minded is necessary too!" Chu Mingkong carefully considered his words to avoid giving Yun Han any reason to criticize him. "Besides, we've been a bit too hasty right now. We need to stop, solidify our foundation, and reflect on our actions!"

Of course, Chu Mingkong didn't really think there was anything to summarize; it was just a matter of changing positions.

Zuo Qiuchi looked even stranger. What had Shen Xuejun said and done to him? How could this lecherous scoundrel say such things!

She offered a word of defense for her traitorous disciple: "That makes sense, Yunhan. It's better to be grounded in your cultivation, otherwise it will backfire. Your strength will fluctuate wildly during battle, which will ultimately affect you."

Chu Mingkong was deeply grateful and mentally gave Zuo Qiuchi a thumbs up.

Zuo Qiuchi's statement made Xiao Yunhan realize that it made sense.

After pondering for a long time, she nodded, agreeing with the statement. She realized that she should focus her energy on self-examination rather than continuing to strive for higher goals.

But her intuition as a woman and as an older sister still told her that something was off about her younger brother. Could it be...?

Is it because Master forbade him to cultivate with me, or perhaps he placed some kind of restriction on him?

Xiao Yunhan decided to test the waters, and she nodded:

"You can stop cultivating for now. Mingkong, you should also avoid unnecessary cultivation with other women recently. Focus your energy on yourself, is that alright?"

This is still a bit of a sacrifice for me, but since my master's wife squeezed out two jars of juice from me, I really need to cultivate my character for the time being.

“No problem!” He agreed without hesitation.

"What if the monks in the Buddhist community retaliate against you?"

"It's alright. My master's wife said she can help out. It'll be like giving us a chance to train. If we can't beat them, we can just call my master's wife out. It'll be similar to when Yuehe took me out for a stroll last time."

Xiao Yunhan found this rather strange. Having Yuehe was enough to put her at ease, so why did she only seem completely at ease after calling on her master?

"Alright, then we'll have to put aside for now what Qiuchi just said about wanting to use his buttocks to warm up your relationship."

Zuo Qiuchi's perfect peach-shaped buttocks were irresistible to Chu Mingkong, and could even be described as a potent drug, causing his pants to bulge immediately.

His body reacted even faster than his brain; before Chu Mingkong's mind could even register the excitement, his little head had already hardened instantly.

Chu Mingkong, feeling ashamed, said seriously, "Cultivation doesn't count as using your buttocks; you can't circulate your energy there. Only the righteous path counts as cultivation. My dear Master, when are we coming?"

The incident happened so suddenly that Zuo Qiuchi was furious. She slapped her traitor's pole and scolded him:

"Who said that? You believe Yunhan just because she said it?!"

"People always believe what they want to see, and they are always willing to believe what they have already accepted. I believe everything Yunhan says!" Chu Mingkong had long since forgotten about the idea of ​​a sage and kept rubbing against Zuo Qiuchi, trying to pounce on her.

"Go away, Yunhan said it herself, so go and bother her yourself. I'll just give her some pointers from the side."

Upon hearing this, Chu Mingkong turned his gaze to his older sister. He wasn't thinking about whether his sister's buttocks were attractive to him; that was obvious.

He was just wondering if this refined matter of the Jade Tree and the Back Garden Flower could be considered cultivation, as his master's wife had mentioned.

"I'm so sorry, Yunhan, we'll be later!"

Seeing her younger brother's lustful expression, Xiao Yunhan realized that he hadn't refused to continue their affair and hadn't imposed any restrictions. He was also in high spirits, and his strong reaction to the mention of Zuo Qiuchi's buttocks didn't seem to indicate any problem.

It seems that after listening to the Master's lectures, I felt I needed to calm my mind and enlighten myself, so I didn't want to cultivate...

Am I overthinking it?

Seeing that Chu Mingkong had finally settled the matter of "explaining to Yunhan that he would not cultivate for the time being," he dared not linger there any longer and made an excuse to slip away.

In his mind, Chu Mingkong still felt lingering fear of his master's wife's ability to cause trouble. It was hard to imagine what would happen if his master's wife and Yunhan, the master and disciple, teamed up to torment him one day.

"I should go visit Rong'er. It's time to hone my literary skills... I need to improve my foundation. These past few days have been filled with my master's wife's 'What wrong have you done?' and explaining excuses to Yunhan. It's really tough on my eloquence."

Actually, Chu Mingkong secretly wanted to go to Yun Nongyu's place to mess around with the "Su Nu Jing" (Classic of Plain Girl).

He had just told his sister he would take a break from cultivation for the time being, and then he went to find Yun Nongyu. That was really courting death. He really needs to take a break...

Chapter 235 How to become stronger is the question

After the oral instruction ended, Chu Mingkong still hugged Shangguan Rong back into his arms and listened attentively to the subsequent literary explanation.

Unfortunately, I got confused after listening to only half of it. There are countless similar polysemous words and phrases, and it is difficult to achieve success without years of accumulation.

Chu Mingkong wanted a quick fix, but he would forget as much as he listened to, and forget what he had said before after listening to the later parts. However, he figured it would still be somewhat useful. If he had encountered a similar question in the past, he should be able to recall what the question actually meant.

"How much do you remember?" Shangguan Rong asked suddenly after talking for a long time, as she was starting to doubt that she had said anything at all.

"I've forgotten everything," Chu Mingkong replied proudly.

"..." Shangguan Rong looked at him with annoyance. With this attitude, how could he possibly have the nerve to say that he wanted to study the art of language properly?

"Don't look at me like that. To put it another way, I've forgotten all about the formalities. I've become so absorbed in it that I'm completely absorbed. There's a chance I'll remember it later."

"If you can't even remember it, how can you talk about the connection? Later on, you'll mostly encounter questions and vaguely remember some of the meaning, but you can't recall anything at all. You only remember that there was such a thing when you hear someone talk about it later."

Chu Mingkong thought it made sense, but he was still shameless:

"So, isn't remembering it the same as memorizing it completely?"

"And then you forgot again the next day." Shangguan Rong was very ruthless.

However, there was no further criticism from above about what he should remember. After coming to Xiling and spending so much time with Chu Mingkong, Shangguan Rong herself had also changed a lot. There was no need to talk about the changes in her clothing, knowledge, and experience, but the change in her state of mind was the most important.

In the past, she was known for being a busybody. She would strictly demand things of the students in the academy, her close servants in the clan, and her younger relatives, and she would set an example by saying, "If I can do it, why can't you?" She was very unforgiving.

This wasn't an intentional attempt to embarrass others; it was simply an unintentional act that caused them to lose face without their knowledge. The first victim was Chu Mingkong, who was recuperating in the capital.

Beneath this personality lies a touch of the pride and arrogance of a scholar, which is more or less inseparable from her father's preference for sons over daughters. This makes Shangguan Rong always want to prove that she is better than men and that her abilities are in no way lacking. But unfortunately, what her father disapproves of is not her personality, but her gender.

Now, Shangguan Rong isn't as impulsive as before. It's hard to say whether Chu Mingkong has smoothed out her rough edges, but Shangguan Rong knows why she no longer "meddles."

...That probably means that some people are simply not suited for or unable to do what others can do easily. Forcing it is useless; it only tires yourself out and others as well.

She also sensed that Chu Mingkong's unthinking nature was closely related to his mastery of cultivation and weaponry. He was used to things that required intuition, while literature, which required both talent and a foundation, was something he didn't want to think about once he glanced at it and his intuition didn't give him any feedback.

"Rong'er, how are my father-in-law and mother-in-law doing? Is things not very peaceful in the capital?" Chu Mingkong stroked Shangguan Rong's long, slender legs that were wrapped around him.

Shangguan Rong shook her head in his arms, her head nestled in his embrace, her breath tickling him as she spoke.

"It's good or not. The capital city is probably 'worthless' now. On the contrary, it's very peaceful. Some aristocratic families want to become the city lords of the capital, deceiving themselves into thinking they are emperors. My father, who became a minister, is even less willing to leave the capital city."

Chu Mingkong secretly asked the sect disciples stationed in the capital to keep an eye on the Shangguan family. No bad news has come from them, so things seem to be going well.

I never expected my father-in-law, Shangguan Mingzhe, to be having so much fun.

The capital city now outwardly resembles the former imperial capital in scale and infrastructure, but in reality, it's no different from a village. The aristocratic families remaining there operate independently, with ministries like the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Rites, but in reality, they have no real power.

Once outside the capital, even the farmers in the suburbs wouldn't pay them any attention—unless they were given money.

"Rong'er, for now you can talk to your mother using the notepad. If you really want to meet her, just tell me, and I can secretly take you there to see her."

"Um......"

After responding, perhaps suddenly savoring the taste, Shangguan Rong abruptly changed the subject, asking with a puzzled look:

"Mingkong, why does the food from here taste a little different...?" The woman's tender hands touched Chu Mingkong's large walnuts.

"How did it change?" Chu Mingkong wondered. Was it because of changes in the cultivation technique and cultivation level?

"Back in Beijing, I found it really smelly and disgusting, and the large portions made it hard to swallow..." Shangguan Rong rarely used her sharp tongue, but she expressed her feelings honestly. "Later, after eating it a lot, I got used to the portion size and the taste, and it wasn't so bad, but the smell was still a bit strange. Now, both the taste and smell are milder, and I feel like I only feel it after it's down in my stomach. Has it become less bothersome?"

"It's probably a change in cultivation level. The Divine Soul Realm is all about condensation and sublimation. My blood can no longer be smelled. I'll accompany you to cultivate for a while to improve our cultivation level."

After chatting for most of the day, Jiao'er woke up from the noise. Shangguan Rong hurriedly tidied her clothes in bed, afraid that the baby would see her disheveled, which would be a bad influence.

Chu Mingkong reassured her, "Don't panic. I'll take Jiao'er for a walk. You can take your time to tidy up after I take Jiao'er away."

Men have an easy time grooming themselves; they wear fewer clothes and it's perfectly acceptable for them to go shirtless.

Chu Mingkong quickly adjusted his belt, then went over and picked up Jiao'er. The little girl had just woken up when she saw Chu Mingkong coming to be affectionate with her. Her eyes were still sleepy, but her little mouth was stretched into an adorable, innocent smile.

"I'm taking my little one out for a walk~"

After exchanging greetings, Chu Mingkong carried Jiao'er straight to Maomao, who was currently keeping Chu Yuehe company.

Chu Mingkong walked over and, in front of the kitten, gave Jiao'er a big lick, licking the half of her face that hadn't been "defiled" yet.

The little girl's laughter was still as melodious as a silver bell, and she leaned over to kiss Chu Mingkong's face.

Although the kitten is young, she is quite jealous. She noticed that her own father had been there for so long but ignored her and instead played with her daughter.

Her little mouth twitched as if she was about to start crying.

(╥╯^╰╥)

The baby stopped crying and fussing when Chu Mingkong picked her up. She even stopped fussing when Chu Mingkong licked her. Instead, seeing how enthusiastically Jiao'er was "mooching off" her parents, the little glutton couldn't help but imitate Jiao'er and nibble on Chu Mingkong as well.

The two babies each gnawed on one side, thoroughly enjoying themselves.