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

"Is there anything else?" he asked tentatively.

"What else..." When a person is thinking, their eyes will move unconsciously. Yun Nongyu remembered that Chu Mingkong said he wanted to look into her eyes. Her pupils, which had just moved, returned to focus, and she looked at him thoughtfully.

After a long pause, Yun Nongyu said:

"Furthermore, as Your Highness is my Daoist partner, I feel quite comfortable and natural around you."

Moreover, I have a premonition that even if Your Highness does not become my Daoist partner, there will come a day when Your Highness is injured and needs healing or requires the assistance of the Mystic Maiden's power, and you will eventually come to the Daoist sect to find me.

Chu Mingkong chuckled and said:

"This premonition is really unreasonable. If I have to wait many years before I come to find you, what will happen to this Taoist cultivation technique?"

"Then let it be abandoned for now."

Chapter 243 Qingning's knowledge improved

Kunlun Daoist School.

Elder Taiping found an excuse to go into seclusion and took the opportunity to contact Taoist Peng Bao. He took out a paper figure from his wide sleeve and cast a spell.

The yellow paper figure lying quietly on the ground blinked its single eye, then stood up and stared at Elder Taiping, demanding an answer.

The voice of Peng Bao Daoist came from the paper figure: "How is it? What do you say? Have you asked Yun Nongyu clearly what Chu Mingkong's cultivation level is?"

Elder Taiping was somewhat worried. The sudden silence was rather awkward, and although the conversation returned to normal later, he still felt uneasy.

However, this was the first time he had done something like being a mole, and the fact that there had been no reaction for so long meant that no one had noticed anything unusual about him.

"We couldn't get the answer out of him. Yun Nongyu said she didn't know. It should be said that Chu Mingkong himself didn't even know what realm he was in. In any case, he mostly relied on the power of extreme Yin, which did give him the opportunity to challenge other strong people."

No matter how much one cultivates the Five Elements spiritual energy, it can only harm the physical body. Without opening up the spiritual realm, combat power will be greatly reduced. However, there is currently no solution to the extreme Yin power. If one is not careful and comes into contact with it, the body will slowly rot away, and the soul will follow.

Elder Taiping said so much, but much of it was made up based on "reasonable speculation" just to fill out his speech and avoid making it seem like he hadn't found out anything at all.

Moreover, he also wanted to use this "merit" to get elixirs from Taoist Peng Bao...

"This little bit of information is completely inaccurate. What's the difference between saying it and saying nothing at all?!" The yellow paper figure jumped up and down on the ground in dissatisfaction. Meanwhile, Peng Bao Daoist was also under pressure from the bald Buddhist monks.

Elder Taiping, not to be outdone, angrily retorted:

"What do you mean 'just this little bit of information'? Do you know how cautious I was in asking? I almost got discovered by Yun Nongyu and the others!"

Do you know what the current situation is? Since we've cooperated to this extent, I won't hide it from you anymore. Those disciples and followers you left behind in the Taoist alchemy sect have been acting too carelessly. Seven or eight out of ten of them have been discovered. Now we're just keeping them around to slowly find them.

Do you think I didn't work hard?

"..."

The paper figure stared into the eyes of the Taoist priest, a small, single eye that shot out several beams of light.

In the Buddhist Pure Land, several monks accompanied Peng Bao Daoren as they confirmed the intelligence brought by their informant.

They exchanged glances, and through the perspective provided by the paper figures, it seemed that the Taoist priest was not lying, and what he said made sense.

"Master Peng Bao, can your paper figure perform magic?" a monastic asked.

He didn't believe what he had observed and wanted to cast a spell on the Taoist priest to make him tell the truth, so that he could feel most at ease.

“No, unless the paper doll is made into a spell-casting doll from the beginning, there is no way to make the paper doll suddenly cast a spell. Moreover, the Taoist Master Taiping is hiding in the Taoist sect’s secluded cultivation area to contact me. If I rashly cast a spell, I will be discovered. This communication is already the limit.”

Peng Bao Dao Ren then spoke on behalf of Tai Ping Dao Ren. Psychologically, he often wanted to win over an ally. The Buddhist sect was ultimately not to be trusted completely, and he still needed someone who had defected from the Taoist sect together.

The strength of the Taoist priest was neither particularly good nor bad, but it was still acceptable.

“Masters, this Taoist Taiping’s lifespan is less than sixty years, yet he is now eagerly seeking a breakthrough in life. He would not deceive us.”

After some discussion, the monks concluded that it was trustworthy and summarized their thoughts one by one:

"Perhaps we are overthinking it, and we are too alarmed by the death of the old King of Chu. Chu Mingkong has most likely discovered other uses for the power of extreme Yin, which has further enhanced his power in a disguised way, rather than opening up his spiritual cultivation."

"Yes, but conservatively speaking, besides that Yin Shiren, Chu Mingkong also has another powerful expert with divine soul cultivation assisting him."

"Daoist Peng Bao, you should respond to him and tell him to keep an eye on Yun Nongyu's advancement time. He has someone at the Divine Soul Realm protecting him, so we should be cautious for now and act only when the opportunity is right. However, it's time to prepare to set off first..."

Peng Bao Daoist breathed a sigh of relief.

Despite how much he expresses hatred towards these bald men, he is actually only dissatisfied with Xiling Chumingkong and similarly so with Yun Nongyu.

His core demand still rests on the "Three Flowers Pharmacopoeia," and what he talks about is just empty rhetoric.

Therefore, he made two preparations: firstly, he captured Yun Nongyu and took her to the Taoist sect to exchange for scriptures.

Secondly, they would try to find a reliable mole to steal the "Three Flowers Medicinal Classic".

He immediately replied via the paper effigy: "You'll certainly receive some benefits. In a few days, I'll send you an elixir. You must continue to keep a close eye on Yun Nongyu's situation; when she advances, she'll most likely ask the Daoist sect for help..."

The underlying meaning of these words was to tell the Taoist priest to keep an eye on that day, take advantage of the weakened defenses, and steal the scriptures. At that time, he would only need to accompany the bald men to Xiling to symbolically fight a few fake punches.

The monks quickly shifted their attention, no longer focusing on Peng Bao Daoren's situation, and let him go off to refine elixirs.

"It seems that Wei Zhong, whom the old King of Chu left behind, has run into some trouble. He secretly went to the Bronze Man Secret Realm, and the aura within the realm is somewhat abnormal now..."

"Send someone to take a look."

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

At the Wei residence, it was evening before nightfall.

Following her mother's instructions, Wei Qingning rushed home.

"Mom, I'm back. What do you want me to see?"

"Come sit here." Li Lu, with a stern face, pulled up a chair for her daughter and patted the seat next to her.

Wei Qingning sat down next to her mother, poured her a cup of tea, and filled her own cup as well. Sipping her tea, she waited to see what tricks her mother had up her sleeve.

Sitting upright, Li Lu's chest appeared more full than usual, which made Qing Ning somewhat disapproving.

“I’ll ask those old ladies for it to show you.”

Qingning shifted her gloomy gaze, took the picture book her mother handed her, and quickly flipped to the first page. She was immediately disappointed; she had thought it would teach people how to cultivate a broad and generous mind.

The result turned out to be just pictures of men and women having sex.

"I saw this when I was a kid, why are you showing it to me again?"

This world still provides education on that aspect for children. In some rural areas, when a woman gets married, her family will give her a book of bedroom pictures, along with some porcelain dolls depicting "couple positions," just in case the bride and groom can find the room but not the genitals when they go to their bridal chamber.

Li Lu explained:

"It's different. What you watched when you were little was meant to let you know this kind of thing, to make you understand exactly what intimacy between men and women is like, so that you won't suffer from it when you're young. But this is for getting married, and it contains a lot of so-called 'boudoir romance'."

Wei Qingning then continued flipping through the pages, and sure enough, there were many intricate details...

She has some basic knowledge about relationships between men and women, but she doesn't know much more than that.

Why are there still pictures of kneading here? How boring!

"Wow! This illustrated book has to be put in your mouth?" She recalled the thing her brother had seen earlier and said embarrassedly, "My jaw will probably dislocate, and my throat will be widened so I won't choke on food anymore..."

Chapter 244 Roasted Clams

Wei Qingning read it for a long time before finally finishing, and her knowledge was greatly enhanced.

Just as the girl was about to return the picture book to her mother, she noticed that her mother seemed lost in thought. She looked out the window at the night sky with a sense of loneliness and confusion, her eyes seemingly forgetting to blink.

Wei Qingning looked at her mother, pursed her lips, and gently closed the picture book, returning it to her mother.

Li Lu then came to her senses and saw that her daughter was still sitting in the same spot. She asked with curiosity, "Weren't you in a hurry to find Mingkong? Why are you sitting here now after looking at the picture book? Could it be that you're too shy to face Mingkong after looking at so many pictures?"

"No way! I just... suddenly remembered that I haven't stayed at home for several days, so I'll sleep with you tonight, Mother."

There weren't many forms of entertainment in this era. If you wanted to have some nightlife, you had to bring your money and go out to the ghost market, brothels, and teahouses.

If you don't want to go out, unless you have relatives or guests visiting for a chat, you will basically still follow the habit of "working at sunrise and resting at sunset".

Since Qingning had no intention of going to Chu Mingkong's place, the mother and daughter prepared to undress and go to bed early.

Although Qingning behaves like a child in many ways, and even acts a bit spoiled when interacting with her mother Li Lu, she is not much shorter than her mother.

Qingning has an excellent body proportion, inheriting her mother's slender waist, which is so thin that it can be grasped in one hand. Below that are graceful hips and legs that suddenly widen. If you don't consider the two extra mounds of fat, Qingning's figure is even more agile and beautiful due to her years of sword practice.

Two slightly different-sized warm and fragrant bodices were stacked to one side, and then other women's clothes were neatly arranged.

The mother and daughter both changed into loose, plain clothes that they only wore to bed, revealing their plump, white legs. However, even with the loose clothes, Li Lu's chest was still stretched open with a considerable curve.

After Li Lu and Qing Ning lay down, the girl hugged her mother's waist, feeling warm and cozy in the quilt.

"Qingning, why did you suddenly stop tonight?" Li Lu asked again.

If I had to say something, it would be that I felt my mother was a little... lonely at home?

Moreover, Qingning herself felt strange; she suddenly wanted to spend more time with her family.

"It's nothing, just a sudden whim... Mother, why don't you stay at Qingxin Mansion for a while? Aunt Gu seems to be struggling to take care of the babies lately, she looks exhausted?"

"Why would Mingkong worry about who will take care of his two little princesses? Aren't there plenty of women in the manor who would love to play with the babies?"

"Playing with someone doesn't necessarily mean knowing how to take care of them; they're different things! Oh, right, I forgot to tell my brother I'm not coming over tonight!"

Qingning hurriedly sat up, straddled her mother's delicate body, stretched out her arm to take the storage bracelet that had been taken off, and took out a piece of paper to write down the contact information.

Upon seeing this message, Chu Mingkong muttered to himself:

"Could it be that because of what happened to Dan this morning, you're too scared to come over tonight...? But it would be good to keep your aunt company!"

In the past few days, Qingning has also served as a shield for him to guard against his sister. If Qingning stays overnight, it will be inconvenient for Yunhan to come over to cultivate.

Chu Mingkong wasn't used to being alone in his room, so he decided to sneak out to find his beloved master. However, he found nothing in her courtyard and went to Yun Nongyu's place instead, where he caught Zuo Qiuchi looking for a beauty pillow.

Chu Mingkong walked into the room and hugged the two of them, pretending to be smug, and said, "Well, Master, I actually caught you cheating on me."

"What do you mean by stealing someone? She's mine to begin with!" Zuo Qiuchi said disdainfully while being held by her traitorous disciple.

Chu Mingkong had a sudden urge to use his mind and Yun Nongyu's premonition to make her come to him on her own. However, this would most likely ruin the master-disciple relationship, so it was not advisable!

Whether it was the noise the three of them were making or something else, it somehow managed to disturb Fengying.

Feng Ying, who suddenly appeared by the bedside, sighed upon seeing this relationship, "Ming Kong, Qiu Chi and Daoist Yun are now on opposite sides. Is there still a place for me? Perhaps I should go and take care of the children?"