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

This is my life, a life of living like a widow.

From the very first day she married into the family, she barely had time to experience the joy of marriage before she began to await the day she would die.

Chu Mingkong's sudden words were like a beam of light shining through the window, illuminating the darkness in her heart and bringing unprecedented color.

She didn't want the younger generation to see her vulnerable side, so she pursed her lips tightly and covered her eyes with a handkerchief, but tears still slid down her cheeks after a while.

The thought that she, a junior, didn't have much time left made her sob.

All Chu Mingkong could do was hug her and then communicate with the system in his mind, trying to distract Aunt Gu with a filial gift.

Having not received any filial offerings for a long time, he scraped together his crumpled "silver" and managed to squeeze out ten coins.

Ordinary gifts like combs won't get Aunt Gu's attention. Please, give me something amazing!

Boom!Boom!Boom!

His heart stopped.

Ten large bulls appeared in his mind.

Oh?

Wait, there's a chance! They gave away an extra draw in the ten-pull!

A red glow!

Shipped!

Absolutely a treasure!

—Crafted from Ice and Fire Jade, of Superior Roots and Great Talent, by Chu Mingkong

[Note: Ice-Fire Jade is a rare and divine medicinal material. It is edible and has miraculous effects on cleansing the marrow and removing impurities! It can also be used as an ingredient in alchemy.]

Chu Mingkong's vision went black this time, and he almost fainted.

Available for consumption!

Gu Jun Gui saw Chu Mingkong's expression suddenly change, his face showing despair and helplessness amidst his solemn expression. He was clutching his heart, no longer caring about himself, and worriedly cupped Chu Mingkong's cheeks.

"Mingkong, Mingkong, what's wrong? Don't scare me!"

Chu Mingkong forced himself to calm down; sending the goods was even more painful than not sending them at all.

"It's nothing, I was just worried about Aunt Gu, which gave me a fright. Aunt Gu, why don't you come and stay at my Wang Mansion? You're not happy here."

"But......"

"There are no buts. Anyone who dares to speak ill of you, I'll chop them up, and the Cui family is no exception! I don't have many days left to live, can't Aunt Gu be with me all the time?"

"Don't say discouraging things!" Gu Jungui pinched his mouth. "Aunt Gu will go."

"When we get back to my place, we won't have to worry about all those rules anymore. We can go back to how we address each other, and I'll call you 'little sister-in-law'?"

Although this title doesn't imply having an older brother, that's how we addressed each other in Xiling, and it made us feel closer.

"According to your."

Chu Mingkong looked troubled: "I have prepared a gift for Aunt Gu. It can help with cultivation if taken as needed. I hope Aunt Gu will not find it offensive."

"Not at all, not at all. How could I possibly dislike something Mingkong gave me?"

Chu Mingkong took out the red-quality "divine medicine" with a few crooked words written on it: "A gift from junior Mingkong".

"......?" Gu Jungui's sobs stopped abruptly.

In the ensuing silence, Chu Mingkong's smile grew increasingly stiff.

then,

Gu Jungui picked up the medicinal herb and chased after Chu Mingkong, repeatedly hitting him on the head.

Chu Mingkong was forced to flee her boudoir.

The beautiful woman was left alone in the room again. She looked at the unusual gift and smiled wryly.

This child probably wanted to lighten the mood and stop her from being so sad, which is why he suddenly brought out something like this. It shows he had good intentions.

However, I prepared the medicinal herbs into this form beforehand and sent them to her...

The beautiful woman blushed, feeling embarrassed. She raised her hand as if to throw the medicinal herbs onto the bed to vent her anger, but then worried that she might break them, so she could only hold them tightly as if they were precious treasures.

"It seems... this is what Mingkong looked like when he crashed in this morning. He was already scary, but how could he grow this big after his blood rushed to his head?" She found it hard to believe.

As if possessed, she held the medicinal herbs and moved them to her lower abdomen, intending to test them.

Gu Jun Gui suddenly realized how inappropriate her behavior was, and glared at herself in the mirror with a coquettish expression.

"What am I thinking? It's really..."

......

"As expected, this kind of thing can't be sent out normally."

Chu Mingkong was about to go to the neighboring mansion to find Cui Rong when he suddenly heard the system's voice in his mind.

[System Treasure has arrived, 2000 points of corrupted filial piety.]

"?"

A red gift—how terrifying!

Chapter Twenty-Two: Enraged

The Cui family's East Mansion is the residence of the lineage of patriarch Cui Jiazhen.

Although the family was divided into two separate residences, east and west, the two courtyards were actually connected by inner gates, which was very convenient.

If Zuo Qiuchi had used a little more force in that palm strike, he could have knocked him over here and given him a chance to crash into Feng Keqing's boudoir.

Wandering through the courtyard called Tianxiang Courtyard, Chu Mingkong finally arrived with the maid at the place where Cui Rong had asked him to meet—Tianxiang Tower.

As soon as he reached the plaque with the inscription, Chu Mingkong frowned, followed his senses, and looked up in a certain direction of the pavilion.

He stopped the maid and asked, "How should I address you, young lady?"

The maidservant bowed respectfully, her expression revealing both curiosity and fear of Chu Mingkong. She feared that his injuries would affect his temperament, but the fact that this man could kill the crown prince with a single sword also stirred a trace of admiration for strength in her heart.

"Your Highness is too kind. I am not worthy of being called 'Miss'. Just call me Ping'er. I am the maid of Second Madam Huang."

"Okay, Ping'er, what's that over there?" Chu Mingkong pointed in the direction he sensed.

Ping'er looked in the direction he pointed, but they were on the first floor and hadn't even entered Tianxiang Tower yet. The young prince was just pointing like that, and she couldn't guess whether he was referring to the second or third floor.

It seemed that Chu Mingkong heard her thoughts, and Ping'er heard him add, "Probably the third or fourth floor."

"The third floor is a large and spacious hall for banquets, which can also accommodate singers and dancers. The fourth floor is the study of the clan elder, and it is also used as a place for him to collect rare and precious objects, such as many books, paintings and strange stones."

Chu Mingkong sensed an abundance of water spiritual energy there, and wondered what it contained. Such an abundance of water could easily attract negative influences.

"It's alright, continue leading the way."

Arriving at the small hall where Cui Rong was, they found that he had prepared fine wine and food, and an incense burner had been hung in the room to add a touch of elegance.

Chu Mingkong glanced at the incense burner nonchalantly, sat down methodically, and put on a stern face that seemed to say, "Everyone looks like they owe me money."

Before their volatile temperament erupts, they are often as calm as a stagnant pool, a calmness that does not conceal the arrogance and disdain in their eyes.

Cui Rong was also frightened when he saw him like this, fearing that he would become a victim of his sword. However, when he thought of the entrustment, the position of the Cui family patriarch, and... the humiliation that his current patriarch father had brought him, his fear was gradually suppressed by greed.

"I was really shocked to hear about what happened to the Crown Prince, but I also admire your courage! You went to such lengths for your master. I've been wanting to invite you over for a drink, but unfortunately, your residence refuses to receive guests. If you hadn't come to visit Sister-in-law Gu, I wouldn't have been able to contact you, Mingkong."

Cui Rong poured Chu Mingkong a glass of wine and raised his glass to clink glasses with him, but his glass remained suspended in mid-air for a long time before Chu Mingkong picked it up and responded.

It is said that one should not hit a smiling face, but Chu Mingkong knew exactly what was in the incense burner. If he wanted to harm him with extremely yin energy, why should he give him a friendly look?

But he wasn't going to break off relations so quickly. Chu Mingkong was a little confused. With the Crown Prince's tragic death before him, how could there still be people who weren't afraid of death? Cui Rong was probably being instructed.

Although he was the eldest son of the patriarch of a large family, he was still just a minor figure.

"I don't like drinking with men, Brother Rong, please understand. If you can't understand, then just hold it in."

Chu Mingkong's attitude was quite different when he returned to the Cui residence as a guest, which Cui Rong guessed was due to his injuries.

The wound from the Abyss is truly terrifying, capable of affecting one's temperament to this extent. No wonder Mr. Li Ming and his backers felt that as long as Chu Mingkong was provoked even slightly, it would be easy to use him as a tool to kill someone.

Cui Rong smiled obsequiously, seemingly unconcerned by his attitude, and waved his hand dismissively:

"Hey! You're injured and have no choice, and besides, I don't like drinking alone with men. You should have someone to keep you company. Ping'er, come here and sit next to the young master and have a few drinks with him."

"Ah?" The beautiful maid was taken aback, and sat nervously next to Chu Mingkong, carefully holding a cup of wine: "Young Master, this servant is offering you a toast."

Chu Mingkong accepted the drink, and Cui Rong then urged Ping'er to drink more, saying, "What are you standing there for? Aren't you going to pour Mingkong a drink? Do you want me to punish you for not being a good host?"

"No need, Ping'er, you can go back and serve Second Sister-in-law Huang." Chu Mingkong told her to leave first.

The room's yin energy will gradually increase, making it unsuitable for a maid like her to stay for long.

What exactly is Cui Rong trying to do by setting up an incense burner and having his maids urge him to drink?

Cui Rong was drinking alone, deeply immersed in his role, and then, "getting drunk," he entered the stage of complaining. Chu Mingkong knew that after he had been rambling on for so long, he was finally getting to the main act.

"Your Highness, what do you think of the nature of our relationship?"

What's wrong? You're drunk and trying to get on my good side?

“Not really. In the Cui family, I was closest to Aunt Gu. Through Aunt Gu, I also had a good relationship with Sister-in-law Huang and your wife, Sister-in-law Keqing.”

Cui Rong was indeed a little tipsy. He was stunned by Chu Mingkong's unconventional approach... How could this guy talk like that? He's not familiar with me, but he's very familiar with my wife. Isn't he afraid of being misunderstood by others for saying such things?

But upon reflection, it made sense. He had coughed up blood when he came in the morning, so he probably didn't have much time left and was afraid of being misunderstood.

“We know each other very well, even though you’re drunk! The thought of you being so badly injured, Your Highness, makes me so heartbroken that I can’t even enjoy my drink. As brothers, I’ll share some of my worries with you!”

Chu Mingkong nodded slightly, wondering what trick he was going to play.

Brother, brother, how about we use an extremely yin core as incense to entertain you?

"Now that there's no one else around, I'll speak my mind. Mingkong, don't feel disgusted. This is the dark side of powerful families."

Are you going to tell me or not? Are you trying to stall for time so I can inhale the extreme yin energy a little longer and get a better feeling?

Okay, I did get carried away and lost my temper. I've been waiting for you to tell me you were going to vent!