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

Don't be angry~

"Alright, I'll tell you... Come on, let's have another drink!"

At this moment, You Erniang, the clan chief's sister-in-law, passed by the Tianxiang Courtyard below, and Cui Rong looked at the girl with greed on his face again.

Chu Mingkong exhaled a breath of stale air, lightly slammed his hand on the table, and the bowls and plates instantly turned to dust. He glared angrily and said:

"Are you going to tell me or not?!"

When Cui Rong saw that he was angry, he immediately became excited. What Li Ming said was true. If Chu Mingkong soaked in an environment with extremely strong Yin energy for a while, he would lose control of his emotions!

He covered his face with his hands, and cried out in anguish:

"Your Highness, my wife, your sister-in-law Feng Keqing, and my father Cui Jiazhen are both beasts!"

--------

PS: Another update. Some good news: the editor was probably surprised by everyone's monthly ticket donations, and they've given me a featured spot tomorrow! Thank you all so much! This book, which was initially featured low on the app, has received so many monthly ticket donations; it truly is a testament to your tremendous support.

PS: Here comes the extra chapter. Let's pretend the previous extra chapters never happened and start paying back from scratch.

P.S.: As a precaution, this part of the Cui family storyline uses a rather "popular" scene from "Dream of the Red Chamber" and modifies it. Because this part of the storyline is bound to be controversial, I will go over it as briefly as possible.

And some details will be modified to benefit the male lead.

Chapter Twenty-Three: You've Made Me Laugh!

After listening to Cui Rong talk about being constipated for a long time, Chu Mingkong finally heard him finish explaining the general situation.

Taking advantage of his drunken state, the man accused his father of coveting his wife, Feng Keqing, and of arranging for her to sit closer to him during meals at the mansion, and sometimes even having her play the zither for him.

Whether it's true or not is unclear, but it's evident that Cui Rong and Feng Keqing's previous marital relationship was not good; Feng Keqing slept in separate rooms from him.

If they occasionally bumped into each other at the mansion, they would exchange a few pleasantries about family matters if there were outsiders present, but if there were no outsiders, they would simply nod to each other and then go about their own business.

Whether it's true or not, Chu Mingkong felt as if he saw a turtle hat on Cui Rong's head. This was too cowardly... even more frustrating than when he was with the wine merchant Zhang's family.

Chu Mingkong used his internal energy to make his face turn red, pretending to be angry, because he found that the angrier he acted, the faster Cui Rong would send messages.

The part about vomiting at the end was probably just something he made up. To be honest, it was really disgusting. Chu Mingkong even suspected that he might have some kind of fetish for this... like being cuckolded or something.

Putting aside what he had just said in his mind, Chu Mingkong pondered his motives for inviting him over to listen to his "complaints and venting."

First, Choi Yong really wants me to stay angry and emotionally extreme.

Second, only after this premise do they begin to pour out their grievances, and when they do, they describe them in a disgusting way.

In terms of his purpose, Cui Rong wanted to provoke me into killing his father so that he could succeed me as the clan leader.

"Is that all...?" Chu Mingkong pinched his brow in thought. "No, this is not the end result. The Cui family is indeed somewhat corrupt, but they still hold a very high position. I killed the Cui family patriarch for no reason, so I am the one who should be condemned."

"And Cui Rong put a Yin Core in the incense burner. Where did he get that? Someone must want me to do something wrong so they can use the banner of justice to condemn and kill me!"

To paraphrase Nalan Wenbo, these people have never been beaten before, right?

I've already killed a prince, and I'm not afraid at all?

Chu Mingkong started pouring wine into Cui Rong's cup, deciding to try and extract information from him himself.

"Come on, let's drink!"

He filled Cui Rong's cup to the brim, and as they clinked glasses and were about to drink it all in one gulp, he stuck his finger into the cup and used his fire elemental energy to evaporate the wine, pretending that he had drunk it all.

"Hey, Brother Rong, why is there still so much wine left in your glass? Are you raising fish in it?"

Cui Rong was so dizzy that he started shaking his head. Upon hearing what Chu Mingkong said, he forced himself to finish the rest of the wine and then slowly regulated his breathing. Although he was a spoiled brat from a noble family who had lost his virginity early, he still knew the necessary techniques to regulate his breathing.

They mainly practice drinking; their alcohol tolerance is a matter of pride.

Chu Mingkong noticed that he was trying to regulate his breathing. Every time, just as his tiny bit of spiritual energy was about to complete a cycle, he would quietly disperse it, preventing him from neutralizing the effects of the alcohol.

Seeing that it was about time, he asked, "Brother Rong, I noticed you were paying close attention to a girl walking past in the courtyard just now. Who was she?"

“…Oh?” Cui Rong struggled to recall who had just passed by, then suddenly realized, “That was my stepmother’s younger sister, You Erniang, and her younger sister, You Sanniang. These twin sisters are incredibly beautiful! My father was also interested in them, but I decided to snatch them away first, hehe~!”

Aren't you being a bit too confident? You can't even keep your own wife, how can you expect to keep these two in the future?

Chu Mingkong wanted to keep pouring him more alcohol, but fearing he would completely pass out, he could only continue asking:

"Has Sister-in-law Keqing already had an incestuous relationship with Chief Cui?"

(Note: "扒灰" means that the father-in-law and daughter-in-law had sexual relations. The famous representative of this term is Zhu Xi of the Cheng-Zhu school of Neo-Confucianism. However, this may be a rumor left over from that time, so just take it with a grain of salt.)

Cui Rong swayed again:

"No, I've been keeping an eye on things... Do you know how many viewing stones I've hidden in my father's study at Tianxiang Tower... ready to be used as evidence to expose my father at any time! What good is Feng Keqing's beauty as a femme fatale? If I bring down my father, I'll be the clan leader, and I can have as many as I want!"

You are truly a talented person!

Chu Mingkong gave him a thumbs up under the table.

"Why didn't Chief Cui make a move on Sister-in-law Keqing? As you said before, he's an old lecher; how could he resist Sister-in-law Keqing's beauty?"

"I am also puzzled and confused about this matter... My father... Dad."

Chu Mingkong replied, "Yes."

Choi Yong: "???"

Chu Mingkong thought to himself, "I could never have a son like you." He then said, "I'm telling you to continue."

"My father likes to wait for women to take the initiative to make love to him... I don't know why, but those maids just like to go to him... One of my maids used to have a secret affair with me, and my father gave her some small gifts, and that lowly servant started going to my father... Waaaaah!"

Choi Yong burst into tears, snot bubbles coming out of his nose.

Chu Mingkong: "..."

He roughly knew the reason, and also understood why Keqing had never shown any affection or sought favor with Chief Cui.

Chu Mingkong asked one last question:

"Why don't you rely on yourself to protect your wife? You can work hard to cultivate, take Sister-in-law Keqing and separate from the family to live elsewhere. Go far away, such as to a remote place like Xiling. Are you afraid that Chief Cui will arrest you and bring you back?"

Cui Rong wiped his nose and drank another cup of wine: "Cultivation is hard... and you have to save up money all over again, it's very difficult, Your Highness, you don't understand... By the way, wasn't your Xiling blown up into an abyss?"

Chu Mingkong hardened his fist.

Your mom's the one who exploded!

This is truly bizarre. On one hand, they complain about the oppression from above, but on the other hand, they refuse to work hard themselves, coveting their current comfort and preferring to live under someone else's roof and be subservient to them rather than separate from their own family.

Yes, although this is the Cui family and he is the eldest son, Cui Rong's situation is no different from that of someone living under someone else's roof.

Especially in a world where cultivation exists, with his family background, even if he can't become a top-tier expert, he can still easily become a minor master by investing resources.

Once you've accumulated some cultivation, finding a job will be easy. Just go and kill low-level ferocious beasts and magical beasts, and sell the spoils in the city.

Even Goujian's perseverance and humiliation couldn't compare to Cui Rong's ability to endure such defiance!

Chu Mingkong planned to dig out who was behind his "shit-cooking" scheme later, and immediately got up to leave. Cui Rong, barely managing to stay awake, called him back.

"Your Highness, aren't you angry after hearing this?"

"I was quite angry at first, but when I thought about how strong and optimistic Brother Rong is, you made me laugh."

Choi Yong: "???"

"If I had Rongzi's magnanimity back then, the Crown Prince wouldn't have died so tragically. Mingkong is ashamed!"

Chu Mingkong got up and left. After going downstairs, his figure quietly reappeared on the fourth floor of Tianxiang Tower, which was the study of the Cui clan chief.

This Chief Cui is much better at giving gifts than I am, a junior!

Chapter Twenty-Four: So Much Water

The clan chief's study is filled with various trinkets, including ink, inkstones, vases, jade objects, and calligraphy and paintings.

Chu Mingkong went inside and, following his senses, opened a drawer. Inside were many cheap, low-quality Hetian jade items, including bracelets and pendants. The pendants were carved with popular love-themed patterns.

It was a heavy box full of them, probably meant to be given to the servants.

Most of the items in this room are imbued with water elemental energy. When water is abundant, it tends towards yin. Without cultivation, carrying such items for a long time can easily arouse lust and stir up desires, leading one to actively seek pleasure.

Nothing in this world is simply black and white. Even this extreme Yin energy has brought Chu Mingkong many benefits. The same applies to water elemental energy; it doesn't necessarily lead to lewdness.

Among the spells involving water elemental energy, there are spells like the Mind Cleansing Spell and the Rejuvenation Healing Spell, which don't necessarily bring any side effects. The Mind Cleansing Spell is even a good spell for refreshing the mind. It's just a pity that some people use water elemental energy for mis purposes, treating the bad side effects as the main function.

Chief Cui prepared such a large box of inexpensive little gifts, probably specifically for his servants and maids.

Cui Rong's maidservant ran away with her father so easily; she still suffered because she didn't cultivate properly.

Maids are human too. In order to live a better life, they would keep their eyes open and look at things carefully. Cui Rong, the eldest son, was so useless and oppressed by his father in the mansion. Naturally, the maids would look down on him. In addition, with the influence of these "small gifts", their minds were easily distracted and they were lured away.

When Chu Mingkong took a nap in Feng Keqing's room last time, there were several elegant paintings with a strong sense of water and spirit on her walls, which made him almost have a erotic dream after just a short nap.

He had pointed it out earlier and helped Feng Keqing remove the painting. Later, he had someone paint a "clean" copy and sent it back to her.

This was considered as cleaning up the "silver water in her room" to protect her from the influence of the water spirit.

Furthermore, he gave her a hairpin that also possessed the essence of water, a hairpin that was believed to have the effect of calming the mind and spirit.

"That's the Qin Terrace over there. Cui Rong just said that Chief Cui likes to invite Ke Qing here to play the qin to entertain the guests. He probably wants her to spend more time in this room and stir up some bad feelings. Unfortunately, he never expected that Ke Qing always carries a Qingxin hairpin, an old silver coin."

Even brothels and other places of pleasure don't know how to play like this Cui Jiazhen. But how did he manage to make these water spirits so "dirty"?

He doesn't seem like someone with that level of cultivation...

"And those paintings are really powerful. I only lay there for a short while and they made me dream. It's all because of this extremely yin energy that my resistance is so weak. Sigh."

......

Chu Mingkong left Tianxiang Tower and returned to Aunt Gu's room.

Having just discovered something so interesting, Chu Mingkong naturally wanted to ask Aunt Gu more gossip. In his excitement, he forgot to knock and pushed the door open before entering.

Just then, they came across the beautiful woman holding the "divine medicine of spiritual roots," her pretty face close to the head of the herb, carefully smelling its aroma.

When she saw Chu Mingkong come in, her face turned bright red instantly. She hid under the covers and then came over to hit him.

Chu Mingkong locked the door from the inside and cast a soundproof spell, then let Aunt Gu hit him for a while.