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

"These two monks have far too many collections. The cultivation techniques that can be presented in such a form are all of high quality, but they tend to be more like those of demonic sects and heretical cults."

No wonder these monks were so furious and relentlessly pursuing Mingkong for revenge; it's probably related to that technique.

Upon hearing the information about the Blood Blade Bright King Palace's conspiracy with Chu Mingkong, the usually taciturn Xiao Yunhan immediately asked a question, her tone somewhat cold, a coldness directed at these Buddhist figures:

"Why do you say that? Didn't the monks of the Blood Blade Bright King Palace say that Ming Kong ruined their palace master's Buddha Fruit, and that's why they conspired to launch this sneak attack on Ming Kong?"

Yuehe probably found it quite interesting that this woman, who was known for her ruthlessness, suddenly displayed such a strong emotional contrast, and she responded:

"That's true, but judging from the collections of these three monks of the Tong generation, you should be able to tell that they are currently in a de facto position as the masters of the Blood Blade King Hall, and all the treasures belong to them. Ordinary abbots could not possibly possess so many treasures."

Do people with their personalities really think it would be better for their Buddhist temple to welcome back a former abbot?

Chu Mingkong thought about it and felt that this made sense.

When the tiger is away, the monkey reigns supreme. If that Blood Blade King really returns, these three enlightened monks won't have so many ways to amass wealth and opportunities.

So under normal circumstances, the three abbots should have been applauding Chu Mingkong for destroying the Buddha's fruit, but now they have instead incurred deep hatred.

Yuehe continued, "Let's go back to this 'Freedom and Ultimate Intent, Demon and Self are Both Self.' The threshold for learning this technique is very high. It requires... to attain great fruition as the threshold. It doesn't necessarily have to be a Buddhist sect, but you have to reach this level."

Chu Mingkong decided to ask clearly: "Then, in the context of the Moon River Goddess in this world, what stage of enlightenment does this attainment represent?"

Yuehe gave a self-evaluation, frankly stating:

"Normally speaking, it would be after she reached the pinnacle of power in the Moonlit Realm that she comprehended the level of the Black Tide power from the Abyss. But in my personal opinion, she only achieved true enlightenment when she understood and decided to give birth to the cat."

If the mind is not open, the path will be blocked. This doesn't mean the cat is the "great fruit"—even if she understood that not giving birth to the cat would still be considered a great fruit—the key is the process of finally "seeing emptiness" and making that "decision" without any more concerns.

Chu Mingkong scratched his head, thinking to himself, "This is way too damn far off! What level is considered attaining the Great Fruit? What kind of cultivation technique is this?!"

If it really is such a high-level technique, then it's understandable why the monks were so furious and determined to seek revenge.

If the old monk in the East Sea really brings that Great Buddha Fruit back to the Blood Saber Bright King Palace, then the three monks can enjoy the "transmission of Buddhist teachings" after the palace master returns, obtain the inheritance of that Great Buddha Fruit, and finally learn as much as they can from this technique, benefiting immensely.

Chapter 254 Wei Zhong's Letter Among the Relics

The truth of the matter is naturally unknown, since the three monks were already dead and their souls had been completely destroyed.

Whether their hatred stemmed from Chu Mingkong's destruction of their temple master or from their inability to cultivate this mysterious technique, it was none of Chu Mingkong's concern.

The important thing is that he has successfully killed the three of them, so he can rest easy. He doesn't need to seek revenge or anything like that. Chu Mingkong doesn't need one or two more enemies.

As for the truth about Wei Zhong's side, it's not important. Just explain it to Qing Ning and the others in a positive light.

After looting the spoils, it was time to prepare to head home.

Looking at the pile of shattered Buddha statue fragments at the foot of the cliff, Xiao Yunhan asked:

"These three monks from the Blood Blade Bright King Palace are considered a follow-up to the events in the East Sea Abyss. Now that the mastermind is dead, will they still cause trouble for Ming Kong? Have they all dispersed?"

Fengying didn't know much about these Buddhist figures, but he still guessed:

"They might still come looking for trouble. It seems that the various temples and monasteries of Buddhism are not a united force, but they all have the word 'Buddha' on their names. This time, these few people are all together because of that Qiamentuo and the people from the Blood Blade Mingwang Temple."

The Blood Blade King's Palace has no truly strong members, not even an Arhat, but their relationship with Chamentuo will likely not end well.

Chu Mingkong walked to the edge of the cliff, opened the sluice gate to release water, and a parabolic liquid flew out, falling onto the debris below and making the fragments clang loudly.

The monks who lingered in the town were all insignificant and powerless to stop the situation.

With no one backing them up right now, they all chose to be pragmatic and not dare to say a bad word about Chu Mingkong. They could only wait until a powerful figure came to their aid and then come over to reprimand him for committing karmic retribution.

Now, it's best to leave first!

Chu Mingkong watched the young monks run away, and thought of how they used to collect incense offerings in that small town with few people, kicking down doors and ransacking houses if the monks couldn't produce any.

He raised the muzzle of his gun, remembering what his beloved master had said before: the "Mysterious Maiden Sword Scripture" doesn't cultivate sword techniques, but rather sword intent illusions, which can be produced with other weapons... He decided to give it a try.

As the Xuan Nu Sword Scripture was activated, the great sword held by Chu Mingkong unleashed a torrent of energy like an arrow, rushing towards the fleeing monks.

The three sword-wielding phantoms probably felt that this method was somewhat humiliating to them, so each of them hit Chu Mingkong on the head, giving him three big bumps, before rushing down and killing all the monks.

He shook his gun, but then noticed his sister staring at him strangely. He quickly adjusted his belt and pretended to admire the scenery, saying:

“Three monks at the Divine Soul Realm, the Blood Blade Bright King Palace is not weak either. Plus, my godfather was there to lead the charge earlier. It’s just a pity that they were sent to their deaths one by one… This Chamen Tuo is really powerful. As soon as he died, two Arhats and a Bodhisattva immediately came to his aid.”

The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became. These two Arhats and Bodhisattvas were clearly the main characters. They certainly wouldn't stop coming for him just because Monk Santong was gone. He had to teach them a lesson now, and he also had to make sure that Bodhisattva came over quickly to get a beating from his master's wife.

Otherwise, these Buddhist monks, being so cautious, would have had to keep their master's wife in Xiling for quite some time, and who knows how Yunhan would have been keeping an eye on him during that time...

We're going to deal with him anyway, so there's absolutely no need to be polite.

Thinking of this, he walked to the Buddha statue that hadn't yet been kicked off the cliff, and with a suicidal mentality, asked:

"Yuehe, that monk who was talking about something just now seemed to want to gild the hem of this skirt. If I gild it for her, will she be able to manifest?"

Yuehe shook his head: "It can't manifest. Even after the consecration, it can only unleash a single attack. Even if those three Taoist deity clay statues didn't exert their power, the Arhat statue wouldn't have been able to do much. Just treat it as a kind of religious totem."

"If the Buddha statue is provoked, the true form of this Bodhisattva statue should be aware of it, right?"

"It should be possible."

Seeing Chu Mingkong's eager look, Feng Ying knew he was about to do something outrageous again.

"Mingkong, what are you planning?"

Chu Mingkong took the gold nugget from Feng Ying. The gold nugget melted in his hand, and droplets of molten gold fell onto the flawed hem of his skirt.

"I don't know if this will work," Chu Mingkong patted the Bodhisattva statue's hard face and shouted in a villainous tone:

"You've come here in a gang to seek revenge, haven't you? Come here, hurry up and come to Xiling, let me determine whether the shape of the Buddhist bodhisattva is that of a good person or a bad person."

The next moment, the Bodhisattva statue actually emitted a burst of Buddhist energy. Yuehe was prepared, but before she could make a move, the Taoist clay statue on the lotus platform intervened, directly suppressing the Bodhisattva statue's counterattack and trapping it back inside the statue.

Without further hesitation, Yuehe decisively destroyed it with a single finger.

Chu Mingkong looked at the clay statue at the door with curiosity. Although the statue was simple, it did not detract from its charm. The female fairy in the middle was not visible. Her attire consisted of an eye cover and a veil.

"Is that the female immortal from the Taoist sect in the middle?" Chu Mingkong changed his frivolous tone and became polite and courteous.

“Perhaps it was a Queen Mother of the West from a certain era,” Feng Ying said. “After the Crescent Moon Kingdom fell into chaos, its beliefs became quite mixed, including empress worship, ancient totem worship, and Taoist and Buddhist beliefs. Perhaps a Queen Mother of the West from a certain era appeared here to help this town, which is why there are still statues of her worshipped in this border town.”

There wasn't much Chu Mingkong could do. He moved the three lotus-platform statues to a mountaintop, and when he came down the mountain, he distributed the gold and silver he had seized to the people of the small town below as wages, so that they could go up the mountain to build a Taoist temple.

They were also advised to leave the town as soon as possible to avoid the Buddhist monks coming again.

--------

On the way back, Chu Mingkong, in an effort to liven up the atmosphere, started a conversation:

"Yunhan, Fengying, although you two didn't exactly fight those two monks, you still made a move. How did you feel about it?"

"Fragments of the Abyss Core are useful for surprise attacks." Xiao Yunhan said it casually, but it was indeed her biggest impression.

Feng Ying's intended words were interrupted by Xiao Yunhan, who then said:

"I feel the same way. Also, Yunhan's cultivation is much deeper than mine. It seems that I really can't meditate anymore. Mingkong will have to cultivate with me too."

A bead of sweat trickled down Chu Mingkong's forehead. This was truly a case of bringing up the very thing he shouldn't have said... He could even feel Yun Han's gaze subtly focusing on him!

If we talk about cultivation now, Yunhan will definitely say she'll join, but we can't tell Fengying we won't cultivate, can we?

"Let's talk about it when we get back. Let's ponder the effects of that mysterious technique, and while we're at it, let's ask Nongyu if she knows anything about the 'Jade Pool Immortal Bathing Technique'..."

Yunhan was more direct, her beautiful eyes fixed on her younger brother: "When will you begin your cultivation?"

“…Let’s talk about it when we get back!” Chu Mingkong swallowed.

Seeing Chu Mingkong's reaction, Feng Ying's beautiful eyes sparkled, as if she were thinking about something interesting. She teased him for the time being:

"How could you say something like that, Mingkong? I feel like you'd already taken your pants off by now, under normal circumstances?"

"..."

Amidst Chu Mingkong's embarrassment, the flying sword's speed reached new heights, roaring all the way back to Xiling before finally stopping at Tianya City.

However, Chu Mingkong did not return to Qingxin Mansion first. Instead, he lingered in the outer city for a while, avoiding Yunhan and the others. He found an inconspicuous tea stall, sat down, and took out a bone flute.

This bone flute is most likely a relic of Wei Zhong, and it bears a similar aura to the Soul-Binding General. It is probably used as a token to control the Soul-Binding General or something similar.

It was discovered among the pile of gold and silver when the Money-Giving Boy was distributing money to the townspeople before leaving Songku Town.

There was a letter hidden inside the bone flute. It's unclear why the monk didn't discover it. Was it because the Soul-Binding General hadn't died when they acquired this item, and the spirit of the bone flute was still there, thus hiding the letter?

He took a sip of tea and opened the letter left by Wei Zhong.

I don't know who will see this letter, but if someone does, I assume I'm already dead, because if I were still alive, I would have no face to let anyone see its contents.

"There seem to be a lot of these 'when I see the new one, I'm already dead' templates..." Chu Mingkong complained inappropriately, trying to relieve some of the bitterness in his heart.

When I was young, my father talked to me about family matters, ancestral matters, the price of inheritance, and the price of framing. He also often talked to me about the glory of the Wei family, so that I would keep the great plan of reviving the family in mind and never forget the glory.

Perhaps it was through this kind of influence that I found myself becoming someone who... always remembered the family's honor. I didn't have any particular motivation, but I always put the family first, and it wasn't until many years later that I realized this.

But all those things ultimately amounted to nothing more than my guilt towards my wife and daughter.

I knew a long time ago that my father had mentioned his marriage to Li Lu, and that he would use this as a pretext to send the family's sacrifice to Li Lu's family. At the time, my father told me that since Li Lu's ancestors had already decided that their descendants would be mediocre for eternity and would no longer cultivate, it didn't matter if the sacrifice was given to them. It wouldn't have any impact. The sacrifice wouldn't care about the mediocre. But our Wei family needed to rise and be restored.

For many years after my wife Li Lu married into my Wei family, I did not maintain a close relationship with her. This was perhaps because she came from a merchant family, or perhaps because my father had informed me in advance.

She was just a bridge, a bridge that carried away the cost. For a long time, Li Lu was merely a bridge in my heart that held the title of wife.

In private, I would also have intimate relations with other female cultivators; I needed this kind of comfort. When some male cultivators asked me why I had chosen a mortal as my Daoist partner and wife, I had no answer. I could only say things like "childhood sweethearts, inseparable" to save face, while secretly seeking comfort from other female cultivators.

Looking back now, my wife is my own person. Does it really matter whether she is an ordinary person or not?

However, for me back then, it wasn't important at all. Her importance lay solely in her benefit to my family, even in her irreplaceable importance.

Chapter 255 Li Lu Temporarily Stays at Qingxin Mansion

But all of this will eventually change. When Li Lu gave birth to Qing Ning, a lovely daughter with an extraordinary talent for witchcraft, I realized how wonderful and irreplaceable Li Lu's role as a family member was.

Even though he had reminded himself for years not to treat Li Lu as family, lest he make a mistake and be unable to let go, thus committing a foolish act, the Wei family's affair would be completely ruined. Or perhaps the next generation would have to carry out this "scapegoating."

In short, no matter how many years he reminded himself, when he watched that little, adorable bundle of flesh, with his own bloodline, fall out of Li Lu's belly, gradually grow up, take its first steps, and learn to call him "Daddy," he was overjoyed.

My mindset has changed a lot. At this moment, I truly feel that it doesn't matter if my wife isn't a very prominent female cultivator. What matters is that she is my wife, the mother who gave birth to Qingning, and also my family.

According to her father's plan, giving birth to Qingning was the most important step. After that, as long as she cultivated step by step, the cost would naturally come to Li Lu's family through her maternal bloodline. Since Li Lu's family did not engage in cultivation, the cost would not affect them at all.