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

She decided to act immediately. Qingning pretended that she had accidentally brushed against him, and her fair little foot quietly moved to Chu Mingkong's cheek. Her warm forefoot touched and rubbed against his ear.

The pressure was light, almost like a gentle caress, and the warmth of the girl's feet made Chu Mingkong feel quite comfortable, so he continued to pretend to be asleep.

Seeing that her brother didn't react, Qingning secretly breathed a sigh of relief and was completely at ease. She thought to herself:

"Holding hands all the time was too suspicious, so I used my mouth. After a couple of times, even that was suspicious, so I started rubbing against my feet. By then, we should have been close enough to be intimate!"

Chu Mingkong had no idea what his sister's plan was, nor did he dare to use his senses to confirm what the girl was doing. Having spent some time with Yun Nongyu, he knew that those with special talents in cultivation and witchcraft were exceptionally sensitive to sensing auras.

He worried that if he released this perception, Qingning would know he was pretending to be asleep, which would make things very awkward and stiff.

While they waited hesitantly, Qingning finally made a move.

Chu Mingkong frowned slightly, sensing that things were not so simple.

Qingning shrank under the covers and gently rubbed off some of his clothes, but she didn't dare to make any big movements. She stopped rubbing after only a little bit and didn't dare to touch him.

Left with no other choice, she summoned her soul-binding rabbit. This rabbit carried an extremely yin aura, looked gentle, and was also an unusual spirit pet. The improvement that this extremely yin power brought to the rabbit was immeasurable.

At that moment, this fluffy little rabbit, emerging from Chu Mingkong's trouser leg, lightly and effortlessly moved his powerful aura away from the protection of his clothes, giving its owner room to maneuver.

Qingning looked up at Chu Mingkong again and saw that he moved. She was terrified, but when she realized that he did not seem to be awake, she felt relieved.

Time waits for no one, so she immediately started talking.

Because Chu Mingkong did not use the icy spiritual energy to pull like he did in the morning, which would have been purely tormenting himself and Qingning, he let his younger sister do as she pleased.

Chu Mingkong wanted to confront the girl and ask her what she was up to, but now... it wasn't the right time.

While there were certainly his lingering reluctances involved, there was also the fact that catching Qingning red-handed like this would be very embarrassing for her.

Once Qingning's troubles are over, Chu Mingkong can then lay his cards on the table. He can then apologize in advance, saying that he also enjoyed it and was not entirely right. By making a self-deprecating statement, the whole thing will be considered that both of them are accomplices, and Qingning will not be in such an awkward position.

The tranquility of lunch break must eventually come to an end...

With a muffled "Ugh!" sound, Qingning swallowed the bitter pill of her scheme, but much of it spilled over.

"Brother, um... my dantian has run away..."

As Qingning spoke, she was swallowing, her face filled with Chu Mingkong's thick breath, her pointed chin dripping. She sat upright at the foot of the bed, her fair legs pressed tightly together, her voice growing softer as if she were admitting her mistake.

She noticed her brother's gaze fixed on her, as if he had discovered that the two recent "walking away from Dan" incidents had involved some form of deliberate planning.

Chu Mingkong couldn't think of a suitable opening line, but helping her wash her face was the most important thing, rather than saying anything first.

He took his sister's hand and got out of bed, leading her to the washbasin to wash her face. Qingning was like a child who had done something wrong and dared not move, standing there passively and woodenly, at a loss.

But the coolness of the water cleared her mind a little. After Chu Mingkong wiped her face, she began to clean him up.

After tidying up, Chu Mingkong pulled Qingning back to the couch and sat her down. To show that he was not blaming her, Chu Mingkong hugged her and let her sit on his lap.

"Uh... so what's going on with Qingning? No, I understand what's going on, but why is she doing this?"

The girl had calmed down and knew that her brother knew what had happened; her face immediately turned rosy.

"I just... wanted you to leave the pill, brother, so I could help you clean up..."

So the purpose really was to help him clear that link in the chain? Chu Mingkong asked again:

"What's so special about this cleanup? Why is Qingning so insistent on it?"

"I feel like this can bring me closer to my brother... My brother and I are so familiar with each other, he always treats me like his own sister. I... I don't want to stop here, but I can't think of any other way. It just so happens that I ran into my brother's elixir-breaking incident last time."

I felt this was an opportunity, and I wanted my brother to go to Dan more often..."

Qingning said with a hint of grievance, just as she was about to admit her mistake and apologize for scheming against her brother, Chu Mingkong interrupted her in advance.

"Alright, no need to say anything. Actually, I also had my faults. I was kind of enjoying Qingning's 'scheming'~" Chu Mingkong said in a relaxed tone, not wanting to burden Qingning.

"Then from now on..." the girl stammered.

Chu Mingkong changed his lighthearted and playful tone and looked at her seriously:

"From now on, let's try to develop the way you want our relationship to work out!"

At this point, perhaps they should talk about their feelings, but Chu Mingkong really didn't know what to say. If it were because of the misunderstanding about the Wei family leaving Xiling, they could have talked about returning, but there was no need for that now.

His relationship with Qingning was already very good and intimate, even closer than that of family. There was no struggle for family interests involved; at most, their families had simply brought them together.

Chu Mingkong did not consider the women he had affairs with to be the most intimate relationships in his heart. Even though he had not reached the point where he had been with Yunhan, Aunt Gu, and others, they were still among the people with whom he had the best emotional relationships.

In short, these women, whom he already regarded as family and relatives, were all equally important to him, without distinction of rank.

The addition of a physical relationship doesn't mean their feelings have reached a new level; it simply means they've changed.

Qingning is the same, so he can't say anything about... that their relationship will become even closer in the future. They are already the closest people to each other, so what else can he say?

At most, it might just mean that the way siblings connect in the future might be a little more unusual!

Qingning was still a little stunned after hearing Chu Mingkong's words.

This means...her brother has accepted her?!

"Brother, I don't quite understand. Could this be interpreted as... the same relationship as Jinyu and the others?"

Chu Mingkong smiled and nodded. He decided not to argue with Qing Ning about their relationship for the time being. He figured Qing Ning was still confused, otherwise she wouldn't have come up with a method like forcibly removing the elixir.

"Yes~ But let's take it slow. If you want, you can continue to act like siblings for now. If you really want to be like Jinyu and the others, then you probably can't just come into my room as freely as you do now. They're keeping a close eye on each other~"

Qingning paused, then pondered, "I want to continue like this with my brother, but is it possible to be like Jinyu and the others...?"

Chu Mingkong couldn't help but laugh. He suddenly became clever. How did he come up with such a wicked trick as forcing the pill to leave?

"Whatever you like~"

The girl was still grinning foolishly, immersed in the sudden joy, when suddenly an invisible gaze locked onto her, and an uncontrollable fear and chill ran down her spine.

Chu Mingkong saw his sister's face turn pale in an instant, her smile frozen on her lips before it could fade.

"Qingning, what's wrong?"

--------

(PS: This chapter is nearly 6 words long. I've combined the two afternoon updates into one for a more complete storyline.)

Chapter 247 Wei Zhong's Soul-Binding General

Seeing Qingning's reaction, Chu Mingkong was bewildered. He even subconsciously thought that the girl was joking with him, because this was really too sudden.

One moment she was grinning, the next she looked terrible. Chu Mingkong couldn't detect anything unusual in her state.

After calming down, the only thing he was certain of was that something had indeed happened to Qingning; something he couldn't perceive or understand was affecting her.

Seeing that his sister didn't even have time to respond, Chu Mingkong knew he couldn't just stand there dumbfounded!

After quickly tidying his clothes, he carried Qingning towards Yun Nongyu, as there were some situations where he needed to ask Yun Nongyu for help.

Surprisingly, Yun Nongyu seemed to have noticed something unusual, and she actually took the initiative to come out of her courtyard, where she bumped into Chu Mingkong.

Without further ado, Chu Mingkong explained Qingning's situation in a very fast-paced manner.

What may seem like an incomprehensible situation can ultimately be summed up in one sentence:

"Nongyu, Qingning suddenly fell ill like this without any warning. She is very unwell, and I can't find the reason!"

Yun Nongyu's "gaze" fell on the girl in the man's arms, and then her slender neck turned as if following a clue, a clue that others could not see, and she slowly looked up at the sky.

“Your Highness, I can ‘see’ a black thorn binding Qingning, but this thorn has no roots and has disappeared into the void.”

Black thorns?

Is it some kind of curse? Qingning has been in Qingxin Mansion these days, there is absolutely no way that someone could cast a curse directly on her through the cave heaven of Qingxin Mansion and the great formation of the entire Xiling, not to mention that Yuehe and Yun Nongyu are also in Qingxin Mansion.

"What do you mean?" he asked anxiously.

"I suspect this might be the 'price' left behind by the Wei family's ancestors."

Chu Mingkong's expression was filled with deep doubt. Why did this "price" come so suddenly?

Wasn't it said that Uncle Wei took away the "price"? Why did he suddenly come to Qingning?

"I'll go and tell the Wei family to come over; they should know the details!"

Chu Mingkong called over the nearby maids and asked them to inform the Wei family to come over. Just as the order was relayed, Yuehe also arrived, sensing the approaching presence.

Yun Nongyu and Yuehe, two people with exceptionally keen "inspiration," walked out of the courtyard together. Normally, Chu Mingkong would be happy that they took the initiative to contact the people around them, but now all he could feel was the grimness.

Seeing the tall woman walking towards him, Chu Mingkong greeted her with a somewhat uneasy expression:

"Yuehe...do you know what's going on here, or is there any way to resolve this?"

Yuehe pointed to Yun Nongyu's inner room: "Take this girl in and let her lie down first."

Chu Mingkong suppressed his impatience and followed her into the inner room to sit down. He wanted to put Qingning on Yun Nongyu's bed to rest, but seeing Qingning curled up, he felt that it would make her feel better if he held her.

"Don't be so nervous, this girl will be fine. She's just adjusting. Once she gets used to being watched, she'll naturally recover a little."

Yuehe's words could hardly be described as comforting. She asked Chu Mingkong for some unfamiliar herbs and animal carcasses. These names couldn't even be found in Chu Mingkong's dictionary; they were just syllables.

Seeing this, Yuehe added, "Go ask people at auction houses or similar places. I only know what these things were called back then. I don't know what you call them now, but they are basically materials used in summoning spirits."

Yun Nongyu, who now has some understanding of the art of summoning spirits, also shook her head regretfully: "I have never heard of these things before. Perhaps they are the language of the Old Moon Era."

This is indeed a problem. The transmission of language is related to many factors, and with the loss of various skills and techniques, some items may also gradually fade from view.

Chu Mingkong tentatively asked the system a few questions and actually got a response. Chu Mingkong repeated the musical notes that Yuehe had just recited, and the system gave him the whole bunch of stuff without saying a word.

Presumably to give Chu Mingkong a good explanation, the pile of things also contained many things that Yuehe had not mentioned. That way, when Chu Mingkong took them out later, it would look like these things happened to be among a large pile of treasures, rather than the fact that he said he couldn't hear what Yuehe was saying, but now he had taken out all the things that Yuehe wanted.

Seeing the system so readily and efficiently take out all the items, Chu Ming felt a sense of relief.

Perhaps we should find a way to further develop and promote this skill of flattery. Not only should we flatter the elders around us, but we can't let the system mother off the hook either!

"Yuehe, I remember I used to collect a lot of junk. See if you can find anything you mentioned." Chu Mingkong took out the pile of messy materials he had just collected.

Suddenly, a small, dark, and messy hill appeared on the ground, with the corpses of some small animals dried in a special way, emitting a strange corpse fragrance.

Yuehe stood up, followed the scent and searched inside, and soon found what he was looking for.

"Your pile of junk happens to contain some of what I need. You really can produce anything you need," Yuehe said casually, clearly suspicious but too lazy to ask further.

The ingredients flew towards her, melting and condensing directly into a liquid "elixir" in her palm.

Yuehe turned Wei Qingning over in Chu Mingkong's arms again, and slid her fingers across her clothes, tearing them in two and breaking the ties of her bodice, revealing her fair back.