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

"Hmm, these two little girls have very unique bloodline talents. Cat is strong in all aspects, while Jiao'er's physique is quite special, possessing both dragon blood and ghost soul components?"

In that short time, Bai Niang had learned about the situation of the two babies from Qing Ning, and also understood why Jiao'er was still treated as a daughter even though she was not related to Chu Mingkong by blood.

However, his motives were quite pure. He brought the baby back because he thought it was cute and fun, but its background was somewhat unfortunate. He didn't specifically train it for cultivation; he just raised it for fun.

Chu Mingkong kissed the babies' little faces, one on the left and one on the right, thoroughly enjoying himself.

"Talent doesn't matter. As long as the baby is fun to raise, that's fine. As for talent in cultivation, if you take the fourth or fifth level as your life goal, you might as well just be a lazy bum from the beginning. All your efforts will be in vain."

However, if the goal is to reach an even higher level, then it's not something that can be compensated for by hard work alone.

In summary, just let the babies play happily and grow up well; let everything take its course.

For those who can't succeed, effort has limited use; for those who can succeed, let talent make up for the lack of effort. They can start working hard when they realize they need to.

Although Qingning didn't hear Chu Mingkong's true feelings, he had expressed his willingness to raise children as fate dictated more than once. Qingning could somewhat guess what her brother was thinking, and she said:

"But we work hard so that we won't have any regrets, so that we can plan for the unknown future and make sure that we are not unable to face a certain thing in the future because of a lack of effort at the moment, and then think 'I could have done this or that'."

A hardworking and good child like Qingning largely learned from Yunhan, and this view is certainly correct.

"But many truths can only be understood with a certain amount of life experience. The pitfalls you ignored before will one day reappear in a more serious form and trap you again. You will inevitably take all the detours you are meant to take."

But I'm doing just fine. What I want most is for my children to grow up easily under my protection, rather than having experienced a lot of pressure and then putting that pressure on them and tormenting them.

Of course, normal effort isn't really torture, but they're so young; they should be able to play happily.

Chu Mingkong slapped his forehead, realizing he had gone off on a tangent.

The two babies looked at Bai Niang's snake head and were very interested in the forked tongue that she occasionally flicked out, always trying to reach out their little hands to touch it.

"Qingning, have you shown your tongue to the babies?" Chu Mingkong suddenly asked.

"No, I feel kind of embarrassed..."

"Let's give it a try and see how the babies react," Chu Mingkong said, full of curiosity.

Qingning clapped her hands to attract the attention of the two little ones, and then suddenly flicked out a snake's tongue from her cherry lips.

Cat and Jiao'er's round eyes suddenly widened in surprise, and they blinked and reached out to touch it.

Chu Mingkong found it even more amusing, but unfortunately, most of his snake egg inheritance had been gathered in the core of the abyss, leaving no extra power to cause changes in Chu Mingkong's body. Otherwise, he would have liked to try the feeling of his tongue turning into a snake's forked tongue.

If that were the case, he would go and lick his master's precious treasure from head to toe right now, as deep as possible (referring to licking the recipient's mind so deeply that it leaves a lasting impression).

"By the way, when is the next time the cat transforms?" Chu Mingkong couldn't quite remember the time.

He clearly remembered when the cat was replaced last month, but he had been going to and from the Abyss frequently recently, and his sense of time had become a little fuzzy; he had even forgotten how many days had passed.

"If we don't count tonight, there are still three days left. If we count, it's three days and one night. I wonder what the kitten will be like next time. It's good to keep it as it is now. Any smaller would be too much. Any older, a year or two would be enough."

If, like in the beginning, someone arrives at a very young age, it would be a significant blow to Qingning.

It was almost time. Chu Mingkong saw Maomao and Jiao'er yawn and said:

"Qingning, I've taken the little girls back to bed. We're planning to go into the Abyss tomorrow. Do you want to come with us?"

"Yes, I went."

Since she was going to follow Chu Mingkong anyway, Qingning naturally wouldn't refuse.

After confirming, Chu Mingkong reached out and let Bai Niang wrap her arms around his. When the babies saw that Bai Niang was wrapped around her father, they reached out their pink and tender arms to him, wanting a hug.

"Okay, I'll take them back to rest now, and I'll come and get you tomorrow."

After saying goodnight to Qingning, Chu Mingkong, like a child thief, grabbed one of the little ones in each hand and carried them into his room.

Even if you just tuck the cat into the blankets, it will behave itself and won't make a fuss about wanting Aunt Gu or Feng Ying to sleep with it.

"It still has to be Bai Niang. Cats are so delicate; they only cling to me when they're feeling wronged."

Bai Niang gently licked Chu Mingkong's cheek, and also licked the two little babies:

"When a baby clings to you when they're upset, it means they still depend on you..."

Bai Niang hesitated, wanting to share some parenting experience, such as how young cubs tend to be more attached to their maternal elders, while they only start to become closer to their paternal elders as they grow older.

However, she realized that she didn't have much experience in raising children to guide her. She had just stared at a few unresponsive snake eggs for a long time. Her knowledge about offspring came more from instinctive cognition inherited from her bloodline, and the memories in her bloodline were enough to provide the necessary knowledge for raising offspring.

But these can never replace the insights and experiences gained from personally watching a child grow up.

Chu Mingkong stroked the cat's chubby cheeks and tried to lighten the mood by saying something else:

"Kitty, if you don't listen to me next time, I'll have Master breastfeed you!"

"Hiccup~"

The cat's conditioned reflex kicked in again, and Chu Mingkong was starting to wonder if the little guy was using burping as a new way to act cute and pitiful.

However, she probably won't dare to pester Zuo Qiuchi anymore and let her practice swordplay.

......

On the same night, the wives of the Cui family gathered together to chat.

Tonight, while bathing in Qinghua Pool, the noble ladies encountered Chu Mingkong's foolish behavior. They had a thousand things to say, and even if they didn't bring up the incident, they would still gather together to chat.

The topic, without us even realizing it, shifted from milk production to the baby.

Zhong Feihuang said to Keqing:

"Qing, you've been planning to have a child for a long time, so why is there still no progress... Is it because Mingkong isn't trying hard enough?"

This wasn't to say he wasn't capable, but rather to ask if he was spending most of his energy on other girls. Zhong Feihuang was also afraid that if she teased Chu Mingkong behind his back, it might reach his ears and he might come over and work her up like crazy, which would be troublesome!

Keqing was always shy about discussing such matters of the bedroom, and she shook her head with a blush on her face.

How could this not be effective? I just injected her once in the Qinghua Pool... and I even had to use a stopper.

Seeing Ke Qing's reaction, Zhong Feihuang knew she wouldn't get anywhere with the conversation, so she turned to Gu Jungui and said:

"Sister-in-law, you've become quite voluptuous lately, and with that herbal soup, anyone who didn't know better would think you were pregnant!"

Chapter 352 First, transform your tongue; the tongue can be used!

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Gu Jungui's face, but this embarrassment was mostly directed at Ke Qing.

At first, I advised Keqing to get together with Mingkong, but in the end, she got pregnant first...

This doesn't mean that Gu Jungui secretly sabotaged her, went back on his word, or deliberately made it seem like Keqing couldn't conceive. It's more about whether her pregnancy is going well or not.

However, from the outside perspective, it does seem like a case of the guard stealing from the master and being two-faced.

Now, Gu Jun Gui looked down at his lower abdomen. He was almost at the critical point. Right now, he looked like he had only gained a little weight, but in another half month, he probably wouldn't be able to hide it anymore.

It's impossible to say that he only gained weight in his belly, right? Gu Jun Gui's face and arms hardly changed, only his belly showed signs of swelling.

After much deliberation, Gu Jungui decided that he might as well take this opportunity to confess honestly, since he couldn't escape these things in the end.

It's not as embarrassing as confessing now, but when there's nowhere left to hide.

"Well... Keqing, Feihuang, I'll be honest with you. I'm really pregnant with... Mingkong's child, and it's been going on for a while."

These past few days you've been feeling bloated because of that herbal soup, but I'm really feeling bloated because of my pregnancy..."

Zhong Feihuang and Keqing fell silent for a moment, looking at Gu Jungui's exceptionally full and bulging chest, and then at her increasingly pregnant belly.

Seeing their silence, Gu Jun Gui, though unwilling to speak, forced himself to continue, wanting to clarify things today:

"This belly isn't fat, it's not like you can just get fat like that, it's just the baby's bulge... I didn't mean to hide it before, I just felt it was a little embarrassing to talk about."

Especially since Keqing's belly hasn't even given birth yet, I've urged Mingkong to go and try harder with Keqing..."

As Gu Jungui finished speaking, he felt there was a lot that needed to be clarified, but he had already touched on what needed to be said. To say more would only be to repeat the same issue over and over again, and it would only make things seem stranger.

It was Zhong Feihuang who broke the silence first. She reached out and gently stroked Gu Jungui's lower abdomen. When she touched it, she could indeed feel that it had grown larger, and it was different from the feeling of someone who had gained weight and become fat.

"When...did this happen?"

This was also a question Gu Jun Gui was reluctant to discuss. Several months had passed, and revealing it now would make it seem as if she had no choice but to confess—even though that was indeed the case.

"More or less, more or less. I only found out when Mingkong came back from the East Sea." Gu Jungui changed his way of explaining.

But Zhong Feihuang used to manage all the internal affairs of the Cui family, so she could immediately figure out the trickery behind this slip-up.

It doesn't seem like too long has passed since we returned from the East China Sea, but "discovery" is another matter entirely; the "sowing" process will take at least another two months.

Zhong Feihuang used to visit the homes of many high-ranking officials and noblewomen, and had seen a lot about childbirth. If you count the days, wouldn't the eldest sister-in-law be due to give birth around the time of the Grain in Ear solar term?

She saw through it but didn't say anything, only subtly saying:

"That was really not long ago..."

Gu Jungui was speechless, while Zhong Feihuang and Keqing exchanged glances. Zhong Feihuang could sense Gu Jungui's worry.

She said:

"Actually, Keqing and I noticed something amiss earlier. When you first returned to Xiling, you were strolling around all the courtyards, but then you inexplicably became very secluded and rarely visited us. In addition, for some time afterward, we didn't take the cat out of Qingxin Mansion to feed it much, yet it was still well-fed. Naturally, we had our suspicions..."

　 Gu Jun Gui thought about the time when he didn't take the cat out to feed it. It was around the time of the Yin hour, and there was no peace anywhere. For safety reasons, he didn't go to other residences to feed the cat.

Ke Qing, being one of the parties involved, comforted Gu Jun Gui, saying:

"Sister-in-law, I know you genuinely meant well when you brought Mingkong and me together. Even though you've taken the lead, I won't feel anything about it..."

I'm just a little doubtful about my pregnancy. I haven't thought anything bad about my sister-in-law. From the capital to Xiling, we all know her personality!

Although it was meant to comfort him, Gu Jungui still felt unavoidably guilty and ashamed when he heard it.

At first, she used her status as Mingkong's mother to advise Keqing to work harder and not to be shy or minded, but before she knew it, she had made a mistake.

There was no follow-up from Ke Qing's side; she herself was the one who won first.

Even though Ke Qing spoke in a soft and gentle tone, Gu Jun Gui still wondered if she harbored any opinions or if she had any secrets.

Zhong Feihuang was quite adept at handling the atmosphere of conversations in various situations. Amidst this awkward and gloomy mood, she suddenly burst into laughter, covering her mouth as she asked:

"Sister-in-law, could it be that Jinyu's actions were also at your behest?"

"Huh? What's going on?" Gu Jungui was completely taken aback by what Zhong Feihuang was saying.

"It's just herbal medicine."

Zhong Feihuang nudged Keqing beside her. Even though Keqing had relieved a lot of stress in Qinghua Pond, she had accumulated some more stress in just a short while.

Smelling the suddenly rich, warm milky fragrance in the air, Zhong Feihuang smiled and said: