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

You merely removed the betrayal I would have had to face personally in the future, but I ultimately didn't witness the villagers turning against me, so it's difficult for me to change my mindset... I still feel that my relatives and friends were wiped out in a confused way, it's very complicated~”

It was rare for Fengying to speak such a long sentence in one breath, but it boiled down to one point:

Back then, Xiao Mingkong didn't mean well but did something bad; rather, she did good with good intentions, but she didn't change her mindset after accepting the kindness.

Now, when Fengying thinks back to what happened back then, he doesn't feel anything at all.

"Then we come back to the matter of the widow Li Lu you mentioned. All you did was try to prolong her life, and there's nothing wrong with that."

Consider this 'price' as an inevitable hardship on Li Lu's path to longevity. Only by overcoming it can she enjoy a long life and a future. You did not bring hardship upon her; you merely brought her to the face of unavoidable hardship.

Having grown up, you now have the ability to help others face even greater hardships.

Feng Ying finished speaking and then stopped abruptly, because she was speechless. Once again, she truly felt that Chu Mingkong's greatest growth lay in his martial arts, not his intellect.

Why is it that when we reflect on and review things, we always find ourselves connecting them to things from our childhood?

Upon hearing this, Chu Mingkong suddenly felt enlightened.

This Fengying really understands him; he cleared up all his confusion in just a few words.

"You'll need the Extreme Yang Shield to go into the Abyss, right?" Feng Ying interrupted his joyful epiphany.

"Yes, the main concern is protecting Qingning and Aunt Li Lu, as they cannot withstand the erosion in the Abyss."

"Alright, I'll go with you then~ It just so happens that the Ancestor has been teaching me the Extreme Yang Technique these past few days, and I'm getting a bit bored with my meditation~"

Chapter 317 Unable to Enter

After being comforted like this, Chu Mingkong felt much better.

Although from a certain perspective, this statement is akin to self-justification and self-comfort, it is acceptable as long as one can accept it from one's own heart.

Chu Mingkong didn't dwell on it any longer, and sighed:

"Your few words are much more reliable than what I figured out on my own."

"That only shows that your thinking is too unreliable. But I can understand the reason for your thoughts, Mingkong. If Qingning and her daughter have only encountered ordinary minor troubles."

You probably thought you could easily solve this, but now you're facing a problem that even Yuehe can't help much with. It's normal for you to be troubled.

"Hmm~" Chu Mingkong nodded.

He was able to accept it so readily, but he still had to acknowledge Fengying's guidance; sometimes it's very difficult to think about things from a different perspective.

Chu Mingkong only remembered that Confucius or someone else had said this in his previous life.

The wisest and the most foolish are unmoved, while the average-wise are bound to be confused.

Most people are of average intelligence; they are neither exceptionally clever enough to understand many things, nor dull enough to not think about many things. The end result is that they fall into self-confusion, unable to understand and unable to stop thinking.

Chu Mingkong shared his thoughts with Fengying, who wondered where he had heard this famous quote from.

Unheard of, yet possessing remarkable wisdom.

"You'd be more interested in discussing these literary topics with Yongzhen or Rong'er, but the reasoning you've heard is still quite valid."

"By the way, Fengying, why don't I sense any aura from you practicing any extreme Yang cultivation techniques? Do you have any markings? Let me see~"

His hand moved away from Fengying's fair and delicate feet, wanting to touch the location of the virginity mark, but she slapped it away.

That scoundrel looks like he has ill intentions.

Feng Ying laughed and scolded, "How could you say you haven't been cultivating? Didn't you transfer a lot of the extreme yang injury to your soul to me when you were cultivating and adjusting it?"

She summoned her extreme Yang power, and the phantom of the totem white tiger appeared, but a blazing golden sun ignited on the phantom.

"What are the characteristics of this technique?" Chu Mingkong did not notice anything special about this technique.

"Isn't the lack of any special features the biggest feature? Ancestor Yuehe said that my current state of harmony is not suitable for cultivating ordinary extreme yang techniques. Those techniques require relatively pure power, so the technique that I am allowed to rest is just an ordinary one among ordinary techniques."

To give an analogy, it's like... swordsmanship has many schools and styles, but tracing back to the basics, it's all about simple techniques like picking, flicking, chopping, slashing, and thrusting. What Yuehe had me practice was equivalent to those later techniques.

Chu Mingkong interpreted it in his own way, which was essentially about improving compatibility.

Abandoning the existing techniques that bring the experience and wisdom of predecessors, these techniques, which are the culmination of the experience of predecessors, can bring considerable improvement while having their own distinct style. However, the problem is that they may conflict with their current system of balancing extreme yin and yang.

"That's great. Since Fengying can also deploy the Extreme Yang Shield, then I'll choose you tonight!" he joked.

Feng Ying, however, asked in a serious yet suspiciously teasing tone:

"You'd better think this through. If I go with you this time, it'll be much harder for you to fool Pei Mi and the others into the Abyss again."

Chu Ming laughed, and emphasized righteously:

"What do you mean by fooling me? Really... there was no other way, was there? Besides, you came with me to the Abyss tonight, wasn't it your own suggestion just now!"

The two sat on the rooftop under the night sky for a while, then Chu Mingkong got up and woke up Qingning and her aunt Li Lu.

Since this wasn't the first time I'd led a team to the Abyss, I was quite adept at arranging things, so naturally, this time I skipped the horse riding incident.

Before long, all preparations were completed, and Chu Mingkong's team set off under the moonlight, heading towards the Abyss in the midnight.

During the journey, Chu Mingkong had no choice but to explain the situation to Aunt Li Lu:

“Aunt, this trip to the Abyss is to take precautions. Some time ago, Yongzhen gave me a guess that this ‘price’ might haunt me, so I wanted to take you to the Abyss in advance to ‘play dead’ in front of that ‘price’ so that it can’t find you again.”

"Since Qingning's condition has improved considerably, I'll take you all to the Abyss at midnight."

Qingning did not reveal that the gaze had been watching Li Lu, and Chu Mingkong naturally wanted to keep it a secret as much as possible.

Although it might hurt feelings not to tell the truth to close friends, it wouldn't change anything even if the situation were revealed, so it's best to put Li Lu at ease for now.

However, the fact that Li Lu was able to manage the Wei family's affairs so well reveals many clues in the smallest details.

Chu Mingkong woke her up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason, which suggests that something unexpected had happened and he had no choice but to act in such a disheveled manner.

Li Lu saw all of this, but she didn't say anything.

It's good that my daughter Qingning is by her side!

"Okay, then I'll trouble you, Mingkong." The beautiful wife nodded slowly, stroking Qingning's head.

Qingning, meanwhile, quietly observed Fengying, her new teammate on this trip. Her gaze was polite, but more than that, it held a subtle curiosity.

Since several of his senior colleagues had suffered some unfortunate circumstances, would Fengying also encounter a similar situation?

Fengying was very sensitive to gazes. She noticed the girl's gaze, met it with her own eyes, and silently asked:

"what happened?"

Qingning dared not divulge the wild thoughts in her mind, and she shook her head repeatedly, saying:

"It's alright, it's alright!"

Chu Mingkong and Qing Ning were considering similar things:

"Fengying, how long can you hold out in the Abyss? This requires going deep into the Abyss."

Fengying is still Fengying after all; she tries her best to be as foolproof as possible in everything she does. As for the Extreme Yang Shield, she secretly went to the Extreme Abyss to try it out herself.

"I think I can last longer than your sister and the others. I personally think I can hold out for quite a while, especially if I only maintain the shield and don't go after those ferocious beasts of the abyss. That would be much easier to maintain."

What's wrong, Mingkong? Is there some regret in your heart?

Feng Ying was asking a question she already knew the answer to; she knew he wanted to use this opportunity to cultivate with her, but her expression was completely innocent.

Chu Mingkong met her alluring gaze, feeling a little embarrassed that his little scheme had been seen through, but he still had to keep up his stubbornness:

"What regrets could there be? I'm just relieved!"

In his mind, he even considered the petty thought of deliberately trying to encounter some ferocious beasts from the abyss, but then decided against it, as he had important things to do.

No fooling around.

Soon, the group stepped into the gloomy sky.

Upon reaching the edge of the Abyss, Feng Ying decisively activated the Extreme Yang Shield, but an unusual situation arose.

Qingning followed him into the abyss, but Li Lu stood still with a solemn expression.

"Mother, why don't you come in? What are you doing standing there?"

"I...I can't get in," the young woman said, bewildered and confused, not knowing what had happened.

Chapter 318 Misfortunes Never Come Singly

Puzzle appeared on everyone's faces, and none of them immediately realized what the words meant.

Indeed, Li Lu said that they "couldn't get in," but that was a reason they couldn't understand.

Why can't we get in? Isn't it just a matter of taking one step?

If there were anything blocking their way, that would be even more impossible. With Chu Mingkong and Feng Ying here, there were no tricks that could escape their perception.

Not to mention that this is around the Abyss, where hidden traps are unlikely to survive for long. Even small items like the Dustless Talisman will become ineffective under the protection of the Extreme Sun Shield, so traps without any protection are even less likely to survive.

　 Qingning also didn't understand her mother's meaning, but she could sense that her mother wasn't joking:

"Mother, what are you saying... Can't we just walk in? Are you afraid of the Abyss? Don't worry, Sister Fengying has activated the Extreme Yang Shield."

Li Lu's face showed confusion and anxiety; she didn't know how to explain her situation.

"No... I just can't get in. My legs seem to be immobile..."

Chu Mingkong and the others turned their gaze to Li Lu's feet. In the dim environment of the Abyss region, the embroidered shoes could not display their usual exquisiteness for a moment, and the jade feet encased in the embroidered shoes seemed to be lifting up.

Her calf muscles even showed signs of tightening, straining, and lifting her leg, but nothing happened!

Li Lu seemed to be truly restrained by some force, unable to move!

Chu Mingkong suddenly realized something, and a guess flashed through his mind: Could it be that "price"?

After he brought Qingning into the Abyss several times to gradually reduce the impact of the "cost" on her, now this "cost" has become smarter and is directly preventing Li Lu from entering the Abyss?!

The words Qingning spoke to him tonight, that the gaze she felt had passed over her and peeked at her mother, might have been a harbinger!

Chu Mingkong condensed a ball of extremely Yin Fire spiritual energy in his hand, said softly "I apologize for the offense," and then directed the flames to burn the robes of the married woman.

He controlled the flames with exquisite skill; the dangerous, dark flames bared their ferocious claws, biting at Li Lu's skirt like wolves devouring it, yet not harming an inch of her snow-white skin.

The skirt disappeared almost entirely, revealing her silk trousers and two snow-white legs of a married woman. The flames swirled around her calves, trying to clear away the unseen obstacles.