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

Chu Mingkong then thought of what he had just experienced, and then realized:

If the people of the Heavenly Realm despise the people here, then they must look down on the forces here, and might even destroy them with a flick of their wrist. Look at the Heavenly Empire of the human race, which has lasted for so long; it seems to be because they regularly offer tributes to the Golden Crow Phoenix.

But how could Taoism and Buddhism have endured for so long? Could it be that there are powerful figures behind them?

Could the things Yun Nongyu and the others are talking about also be related to the people of Tianyu?

Chu Mingkong continued to probe, asking:

"Nongyu, could it be from the Kunlun Daoist sect...?"

Yun Nongyu was already stunned when Chu Mingkong was halfway through his sentence, because her premonition had already spoken half a step ahead of her.

"No, it's still related to the place where the Queen Mother of the West secluded herself. There were sounds of fighting coming from there. Although it may be the Queen Mother of the West's own image manifesting in the mortal world, the noise from her seclusion is not normal."

Chu Mingkong breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought that everything had been exposed, that the Heavenly Domain parasites had wreaked havoc in the New Moon Empire, and now they were coming to the Daoist sect to guide cultivation strategies.

Elder Jiu said with dissatisfaction, "Xiao Yun! Didn't we agree that I would be the one to speak? You interrupted me, and now I have to watch what the other elders said all over again for nothing."

Chu Mingkong secretly wanted to complain, so Elder Jiu, you didn't watch anything here just now, and let Nongyu follow up on everything, just pretending to be part of the atmosphere group and worryingly participating, right?

Chapter 437 It's still feasible to exchange bribes for space for two.

"So how much more detailed is it, and what might that mean?" Chu Mingkong asked directly.

Just as Yun Nongyu was about to speak, Elder Jiu immediately raised his fair, rosy hand and said:

"I'll speak, Xiaoyun, please don't interrupt!"

Yun Nongyu nodded, but Chu Mingkong, upon looking at the situation, felt that it wasn't particularly urgent.

The elder of wine said:

"The current situation is that a powerful aura has leaked from the place where the Queen Mother of the West secluded herself, which is the matter that I mentioned to the young prince last time."

The signs that have been emerging indicate that the Queen Mother of the West has awakened and has successfully completed her seclusion. However, there has been no movement from the Queen Mother of the West herself within her seclusion place; instead, the sounds of magical battles can be heard.

The strange thing is this: since he was awake, why didn't he inform the Taoist disciples? Even just having a maid peek out and make a sound would have been fine. Instead, he remained completely silent, and instead, the sounds of magical combat rose and fell incessantly.

Chu Mingkong nodded to show that he had listened carefully, and a look of "I see" appeared on his face.

This situation is indeed somewhat strange. The elders of the Taoist sect are now facing the most difficult question: whether or not to go in and check. However, this seclusion cannot be disturbed at will; otherwise, they wouldn't have specifically chosen a place to stay secluded.

Have you sought responses from outside sources?

Chu Mingkong had just opened his mouth, but before he could utter a single syllable, Yun Nongyu explained:

"The Taoist sect members have already called out to the Queen Mother of the West outside the secluded cultivation area, but... there has been no response."

Elder Jiu has gone off-topic, she said with surprise and dissatisfaction:

"Hey! Xiaoyun, how could you answer so suddenly? I've been with you for so many years, and we've never had this kind of telepathic connection. How come it's working so well now? Is this really what you wanted to ask, Your Highness?"

Chu Mingkong nodded, embarrassed:

“It’s normal for Nongyu to be accurate once or twice. Now that the Daoist sect is in such a state, should I tell Qingse and set off for Kunlun ahead of time?”

From what you've said, it seems things aren't so simple.

The elder doesn't make decisions, not because he lacks the status or say, but because once you become the one who makes the decisions, you'll be responsible for many of the follow-up issues. You'll feel uncomfortable even when you're drinking, which is not advisable!

The fair-skinned, veiled female Taoist priest gently shook her head and said:

"Your Highness need not be nervous. Even if we rush back to the Kunlun Daoist sect immediately, we will most likely be like the elders in the sect now, patiently observing the situation. There will be no other way, and it will be difficult to force our way in."

If it's truly necessary, Elder Jiu and I wouldn't want to delay Your Highness and the ladies' rest during their journey, so we'll set off first and head back to the Dao Sect at full speed.

Chu Mingkong thought about it and agreed, but if there really was any movement, he would still be willing to go along.

Now, no matter what major events happen, especially those beyond the handling capabilities of most cultivators, Chu Mingkong believes that it is likely the work of the Heavenly Domain people.

If those people dare to show themselves again, he should at least let Bai Niang capture a female Celestial Realm person for him while she is still by his side. Although he once said that he wanted to deal with the Celestial Realm people as much as possible with his own abilities, he couldn't just ignore the powerful figures around him and watch the Celestial Realm people come and go.

The two female elders of the Daoist sect generously shared their sect's secrets, and Chu Mingkong also recounted in detail his encounter with the Heavenly Realm people, as well as the results and speculations of various discussions.

Elder Jiu's first reaction was to look at Yun Nongyu:

"Xiaoyun, you're so accurate with your fortune telling, did you see what was going on with those people from the Heavenly Realm back then?"

Yun Nongyu shook her head regretfully: "The opponent's realm is extraordinary, and Your Highness is too far from me to observe."

Chu Mingkong comforted him, saying:

"There's no need to blame yourself; it was just a sudden accident. I brought this up only so that Elder Jiu and Nongyu could consider whether the Queen Mother of the West's condition might also be the work of the Heavenly Realm people."

Yun Nongyu said:

"If it were someone else, I would say it's impossible, but if the other party is from the Heavenly Realm, I can only say it's uncertain. The Queen Mother of the West's secluded cultivation place is very special. Any divine arts or secret techniques used to travel there cannot be used and will be blocked at the door."

Elder Jiu had already taken out her small wine cup and was comfortably sipping her wine, as if she could take a break now that someone as caring as Chu Mingkong had come.

She went even further and asked:

"Xiaoyun, didn't that door have any contingency plans for this kind of situation before?"

Yun Nongyu and Chu Mingkong looked at her with mixed feelings.

Is this turning the tables and making the guest the host? If someone didn't know better, they might think that Chu Mingkong was the one who belonged to the Taoist sect.

"Elder Jiu, what are you doing..." Chu Mingkong looked at her with a smile.

Elder Jiu, though seemingly foolish, was actually quite shrewd. She explained:

"I think Xiaoyun's observation of Your Highness is indeed a bit too accurate. I just tried it out, and sure enough!"

Your Highness doesn't need to ask anything; Xiaoyun already knows what you want to ask. Some people don't even need to ask, while others only say half a sentence. But with me, I'm exhausted after saying a whole sentence, and Xiaoyun doesn't react at all!

People's hearts have changed; they're now easily swayed by beauty and disregard their elders!

Elder Jiu shook his head in anguish, as if drowning his sorrows in alcohol. He downed the fine wine in his small cup in one gulp, then let out a loud "Ah~" expressing the fiery, refreshing aroma of the liquor.

Chu Mingkong found it even more amusing, feeling that this Elder Jiu was just as lively as his own lazy, good-for-nothing master, though he wasn't as good at slacking off and sleeping as his master.

He immediately took out several more jars of ancient wine. Although the types were the same as those he had seen before, they were much older!

Upon seeing the jars of wine, Elder Jiu's eyes lit up immediately. He abandoned his usual banter and changed his tune, saying:

"Young people, you should really chat! You guys have a conversation!"

Chu Mingkong guessed that her previous worried appearance about the Daoist sect was probably because she was craving alcohol and was afraid of not fitting the atmosphere, so she immediately took the opportunity to switch shifts.

Elder Jiu put away the wine jar, stood up abruptly, and without the restraint of his bellyband, his large, free-flowing body bounced wildly like a rabbit.

Chu Mingkong glanced at it briefly and felt a sense of dread. He was worried that Elder Jiu had actually shaken out that big snowball. How could they possibly end this awkward situation?

"Your Highness, is there anyone here who wants to drink? I'll go find someone to drink with."

Chu Mingkong thought for a moment and said:

"First, call Fengying, then go find my master, drag her to drink, and don't let her sleep."

Elder Jiu took a cautious breath. She had a general understanding of the "habits" of Chu Mingkong's large group of female relatives, but she had not had much contact with the most prominent ones.

"Won't this cause a scene? Some people have terrible morning grumpiness."

Chu Mingkong shook his head and smiled:

“My master is also a heavy drinker. It’s not wrong to drag her to drink and not let her sleep, and she’s just mean to me.”

Okay~

The Elder Wine accepted several jars of wine as a bribe and vanished from the room in the blink of an eye. Her voice, seemingly communicating with a Taoist elder, could still be heard in the corridor.

"Eh? Cultivating? That must be hard work. How did you know I got a few jars of ancient wine and am now preparing to cultivate to increase my cultivation level?"

The smugness in his tone was like that of a fisherman who had just caught a big fish and couldn't wait to announce it to the whole village.

Elder Jiu's voice gradually faded away, and Chu Mingkong's attention became completely focused on Yun Nongyu.

He secretly thought to himself: sit in my lap, rub against my whip (crossed out).

Yun Nongyu experienced almost no "signal delay." Her delicate body trembled slightly, and the instant Chu Mingkong's thoughts ended, she got up and moved to sit in his lap, where he held her as she sat down.

Chu Mingkong pondered what to talk about now, and suddenly remembered the topic Elder Jiu had just brought up, which he could use as a starting point for their private conversation.

“Nongyu… wait a minute, let me finish what I have to say, otherwise it will be strange if you answer before I finish speaking.”

"Alright, even when I can't see, I'd be happy to hear Your Highness's voice more often."

What Yun Nongyu meant by "unseen" was naturally something that could not be directly observed with the eyesight of the physical body.

But Yun Nongyu's words made Chu Mingkong really happy and excited. This Sinister Perception is really amazing!

"What was the answer to Elder Jiu's question just now?"

"According to the records of the Taoist sect, the Queen Mother of the West has always been a powerful figure of her time. Legend has it that during the early days of the Taoist sect, there were instances where the Queen Mother of the West died in battle, but usually someone of Yao Ji's status would take her place."

Therefore, Yao Ji can also be seen as a candidate for the Queen Mother of the West. In case of unforeseen circumstances, Yao Ji taking over the position of the head of the temple would be a viable solution.

If that's the case, Yao Ji is equivalent to the sect leader's personal disciple, on the same level as Yun Han. But why haven't I heard of her?

"Then this Yao Ji... how come I've never heard of her?"

"Taoist disciples tend to keep a low profile when they go out. They are all addressed as Taoist priests or Taoist masters, and they do not display their status with any ceremonial processions, so the outside world naturally knows very little about them."

More than a hundred years ago, Yao Ji of this generation also entered the secluded place of the Queen Mother of the West and went into seclusion together.

"Does Your Highness still remember the Kunlun Longevity Wine that Elder Jiu mentioned?"

Chu Mingkong nodded; he did indeed remember this.

At that time, the elder said that this wine was brewed by the Queen Mother of the West, or by the fairy maiden of Yaochi, using her own essence.

"remember."

"The Fairy of Yaochi mentioned here refers to Yao Ji, but the records in ancient Taoist books are somewhat exaggerated. Taoist disciples can all be called immortal disciples."

Is this even possible? But your sect's chief heir is really quite the troublemaker. The eldest brother hasn't even come out yet, and he's already gone into seclusion.

Chu Mingkong confirmed:

"Is the matter within your sect not urgent? If it is, I will go and discuss our farewell with the Snow Mountain Tribe now, and we will set off this morning."

Yun Nongyu gently shook her head: