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

Qingse was just about to introduce her new business when she remembered the two little ones, so she winked at Chu Mingkong. This little gesture was quite charming.

Chu Mingkong understood her meaning, so he temporarily shut down the cat and Jiao'er's senses to the outside world.

The cat immediately panicked: "Daddy, this cantaloupe suddenly has no taste!"

Chu Ming quickly desensitized the girl to taste, while sternly urging her:

"Hurry up and introduce them!"

Qingse found it quite amusing to see this guy suddenly become a doting father, but she didn't make a single teasing remark. Instead, she demonstrated her exceptional business acumen by showcasing her recent commercial activities.

With a flick of her arm, she revealed an entire wall of... abalone specimens?

".......?!"

Chu Mingkong looked dazed, thinking he was seeing things, and rubbed his eyes.

"You... Nida from the Crescent Kingdom collects all sorts of cattle specimens, and Qingse, you've started collecting seafood specimens?"

"Pah!" Qingse spat at him irritably, scolding, "What are you thinking? These are all custom requests from the customers!"

After she explained it in detail, Chu Mingkong finally understood the reason behind it.

It turns out that her recent large-scale sale of Chu Mingkong's jade toys created a demand for their storage among his customers.

Although you can simply stuff this thing into the storage bracelet and that's it, it's far from meeting the growing storage needs of customers in the new era!

Once, a customer asked if it was possible to create a mold of her own private area, mimicking the molding process of jade toys.

In this way, when you need to store your jade toys, you can put them in your own custom-made sleeves, which gives you a unique sense of belonging and class.

After the introduction, Qingse took out a soft, skin-colored cover and "stored" the lightning-attribute jade toy.

Chu Mingkong looked at the thing and it seemed familiar, so he asked:

"Uh... Shen Xuejun, the Pavilion Master, has been coming here from time to time recently. Have you shown this to her?"

"That's true... There was a female cultivator from a sect who happened to be here consulting about custom-made items. She was accidentally spotted by Pavilion Master Shen, and when she asked, I couldn't refuse to answer. So, in the spirit of putting guests first, I explained it to her."

So, it turns out that Master's wife learned how to make her Ice Elixir transform into that mysterious form from you!

Chu Mingkong had finally resolved a lingering doubt in his mind and would temporarily set aside his concerns about his master's wife.

He picked up one of the custom-made storage sleeves and said:

"Little butterfly, by the way, what kind of silicone is this... oops, what kind of Tai Sui meat is it made of?"

"What silicone 'Tai Sui meat'? It's made by solidifying a gelatinous substance boiled down to some herbs. I asked Tianya Lou to help me find a similar material that mimics skin, and they finished it in half a month. That's pretty impressive!"

Goodness, those old guys on Tianya are still taking outsourcing orders, huh?

Qingse was worried that Xiaodouding would be unhappy if he was kept in seclusion for too long, so she quickly put away these "mysterious" exhibits.

She still had an overjoyed smile on her face, her mouth almost twisted with laughter:

"Moreover, Your Highness, the book you wrote was sold as a free gift, and the sales of other goods also increased significantly."

This book has clearly circulated outside, but people outside seem to only consider the copies printed in Xiling Tianya City worth collecting, almost as if they've been blessed.

"..."

I'm worried that when my cat returns to Xiling, she'll discover my terrible reputation. You, Qingse, would love for my cat to discover it even without her returning to Xiling, wouldn't you?

"Where did you send them as freebies?"

Chu Mingkong took a sip of tea to calm his nerves, his face displaying a utterly miserable "囧" expression.

“They’re all around here, but there are fewer in Tianya City because there are fewer cultivators active there, given how many important figures reside in your household.”

So, you're trying to create an information cocoon around me, afraid I'll find out what you've been up to, right?

"As for sales locations, the Crescent Kingdom has been covered almost completely. I'm worried that someone might steal my products and take away my sales channels, so I asked Nida to help me cover all the locations. I'll also help the Crescent Kingdom take precautions against potential corruption."

Recently, Nida seems to be planning to have Tianya Lou develop a new material—something that's hard yet soft enough to feel realistic...

Your Highness, you understand!

Chu Mingkong took a deep breath and calmed his blood pressure:

"Very well, I was originally a little reluctant to leave, but now you've given me a reason to leave this land!"

I even want to leave right now!

Chapter 417 Leaving Xiling

The sunlight in late spring and early summer still retains the gentleness of spring, but it already carries a hint of summer's heat.

After a morning of work, people went home to rest, leaving the streets wide and empty, with few pedestrians and horses on the road.

A carriage drove by, adding a discordant note to the afternoon tranquility.

The child, oblivious to the value of rest, curiously peered out the window and saw a carriage leave Tianya City. The tracks and sounds of the carriage wheels extended from the city gate, slowly reaching beyond the borders of Xiling.

In Tianya City and Xiling, the carriage gradually disappeared from sight, and the gazes that turned back from inside the carriage could no longer catch sight of Xiling.

Despite numerous twists and turns, Xiling has undoubtedly become Chu Mingkong's second hometown, and it holds mostly good memories.

I have a lot of similar journeys in my memory, but this time it felt a little different, unlike my previous trips to the capital or to the Crescent Moon Kingdom.

It seems that I still have the memory of watching familiar places gradually disappear from my sight, but it feels somewhat distant.

That memory, like a faded, white garment, gradually became indistinct. Upon closer reflection, Chu Mingkong recalled his past life, after finishing the crucial high school years...

Those married women who had once been inseparable from him, tutoring him in his studies late at night in his large bed, seemed to be bidding him farewell in this way, watching him go to study in a new place.

Chu Mingkong seemed to be in that state at the time, looking at the beautiful ladies seeing him off through the back seat, feeling a deep sense of reluctance, but there was nothing he could do but think about the arrival of the holiday and their reunion.

Such partings always annoyed him, but now he could bring his female companions with him, which should be considered a great improvement.

Chu Mingkong gradually came back to his senses. The figures and appearances of those married women in his memory had faded to white and gradually transformed into the likeness of Aunt Gu and the others.

This carriage, which looks like an ordinary carriage from the outside, has a spacious interior that is even more spacious than the halls of Qingxin Mansion.

The women sat in the carriage, with a plate of snacks in front of almost each of them, while the two little girls crawled back and forth among them, begging for food.

Such a harmonious situation deserves Chu Mingkong's sincere gratitude to the two little darlings.

He had originally been thinking about dividing the space inside the carriage into separate rooms, so that having a private space could prevent arguments.

However, these two girls are now a great mediator. Whenever they get tired of playing, Chu Mingkong has to send them to the Celestial Treasure Pavilion in the sky so that they can each have their own rooms to rest.

Chu Mingkong sat down next to Yun Nongyu and Elder Jiu, and said:

"I feel extremely guilty for not being able to help Nongyu with her advancement in Xiling."

Elder Jiu hugged a large wine jar, as if using it as a pillow. His casual and natural chest was open, revealing a wonderful scene. His two mounds of flesh were pressed against the lid of the wine jar.

This was a bribe from Chu Mingkong, and the happy and satisfied Elder Jiu directly said on Yun Nongyu's behalf that it was alright:

"Your Highness, please don't say that. It's already a troublesome matter for you. How can I let you feel guilty and stressed just because you have no choice in the matter?"

As far as His Highness is concerned, helping Xiaoyun is a favor, but not helping is also his duty—it's a small matter!

Chu Mingkong felt helpless. Elder Jiu was indeed very open-minded. But her words on behalf of Yun Nongyu made Chu Mingkong wonder if she would arrange Yun Nongyu's marriage by giving her more wine.

However, Elder Jiu's statement was not entirely accurate. Given his current relationship with Yun Nongyu, helping her was not merely a matter of favor, but also his duty.

Even using the word "help" in this kind of relationship seems like an overstatement between the two families.

"Elder Jiu is right," Yun Nongyu agreed. "Moreover, some information was circulated among us from within the Daoist sect a few days ago. If that information is true, then this advancement is indeed not advisable to proceed..."

Chu Mingkong was surprised, but couldn't think of anything that could interrupt his advancement. He pressed on, asking:

"what's the situation?"

Yun Nongyu explained:

“A disciple in the Daoist sect said that he sensed the aura of the Queen Mother of the West while on night duty. My advancement was originally to solve the problem of the Queen Mother of the West’s long absence. If the Queen Mother of the West reappears, then I will not have to take the risk.”

Otherwise, it would be a bit... presumptuous.

Chu Mingkong pondered whether this matter was true or false. If the Taoist sect had the Queen Mother of the West in charge, then the Buddhist sect would at least not be a big threat. The only problem was that they didn't have a powerful backer to rely on.

Elder Jiu, being an outsider, spoke much more frankly:

"Oh, I don't think there's any conflict. Xiaoyun becoming stronger and the appearance of the Queen Mother of the West don't conflict. Would the Daoist sect complain that their own guardian is too strong?"

"Isn't Your Highness going to the Sword Dynasty? It's not like there aren't Abyss Abysses there. Why don't you just come along?"

This jar of wine is definitely worth it!

Chu Mingkong was worried about what to do without Yun Nongyu by his side, but Elder Jiu's idea was excellent!

Initially, Yun Nongyu was observing the stars at the Taoist temple outside Tianji Capital, which was also a form of cultivation. Now, following him to the Sword Dynasty is also a form of cultivation!

They don't necessarily have to return to the Taoist sect.

He said, "I think Elder Jiu's idea is good, and judging from your reaction just now, Nongyu, the matter of the reappearance of the Queen Mother of the West's aura should not be confirmed yet, right?"

Yun Nongyu nodded: "Yes, several disciples sensed this aura that night, but the elders of the Daoist sect did not find anything further."

Chu Mingkong made the decision first: his female companions couldn't be any shorter!

"Since the Queen Mother of the West has not given any instructions for Nongyu to return to the Daoist sect, then Nongyu, come with me to the Sword Dynasty."

If the Queen Mother of the West truly awakens, then the situation within the Daoist sect will stabilize, and there's no need for Nongyu to worry about it. But if the Queen Mother of the West doesn't reappear, then Nongyu, wouldn't you be wasting time by staying within the Daoist sect?"

“Well… alright, Your Highness’s considerations are indeed reasonable.” Yun Nongyu nodded in agreement.

Chu Ming felt relieved; he figured he could keep as many as possible. He said:

"However, let's go to Kunlun Daoist Sect together in a few days. Judging from the itinerary, we should arrive at the Snow Mountain Tribe around tomorrow."

I took the cat for a stroll around her parents' house, then headed towards the Taoist gate.

In fact, when taking the cats for a walk, Yuehe would definitely be included, as the Snow Mountain Tribe is one of the few places that still retains her original beliefs.

However, it was rather subtle for him to say he wanted to take another woman and her daughter for a stroll in front of one woman, so he cleverly avoided pointing out Yuehe's presence.

But such a scheme was useless to Yun Nongyu. Her view was blocked, and it seemed to go past Chu Mingkong's shoulder and onto Yuehe on the other side.

She shook her head and said:

"Your Highness, there's no rush to go to the Daoist sect. Just take Maomao and Miss Yuehe on a proper tour of the old places."