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

"Oh, Elder Wine, you haven't been drinking? What brings you to come out and look at this? I thought that as long as there's wine, nothing else could attract Elder Wine's attention~"

"You don't understand. The completion of this teleportation array is like moving into a new house. It's not too much to ask His Highness to bring out a few more jars of wine to celebrate, is it?"

"...I was right about you!"

The Taoist disciples, on the other hand, had a much more substantial discussion.

"Was this teleportation array constructed to deepen cooperation between the Daoist sect and the Sword Dynasty in the future? I heard that the ancestor of the Sword Dynasty had a very close relationship with the Daoist sect."

"Yes and no. The one who proposed it and bore all the expenses was the former Crown Prince of Xiling. It is said that for him, this teleportation array was simply to bring his female relatives with him. But if the teleportation array stays here in the future, the relationship between our Daoist sect and the Sword Dynasty will definitely become closer."

"I remember now, when he left for the Sword Emperor Dynasty, he also took his entourage with him. We often hear of cultivators abandoning their families, but someone like this prince is truly rare..."

Chu Mingkong paid no attention to the words of the Daoist disciples; all his attention was focused on the teleportation portal.

He has already communicated with the women of the Sword Dynasty via paper notes, and they can try to come over.

The first thing to peek out from the ripples of light from the portal was a ten-month-old kitten.

After just a few days, the little cat girl has shrunk back to tiny size!

Chapter 196 The Threads on the Master's Wife

To be honest, the cat shrinking to a tiny size was really timely.

Chu Mingkong wanted to tease the cat again and see how she would react after comforting her and then hugging Gu Gu and the others first.

Knowing full well that this was courting death and might later incur the wrath and resentment of the women, Chu Mingkong simply couldn't resist this urge.

But seeing that the cat has suddenly become tiny, Chu Mingkong couldn't bring himself to do anything reckless.

But he still pretended not to see the cat, and as Aunt Gu and the others walked out of the portal one after another, looking around in surprise,

Chu Mingkong walked over, pretending not to see the kitten in Shangguan Rong's arms, and went directly to Aunt Gu who was holding Xiao Gugu, while keeping an eye on the kitten's reaction.

When the kitten saw her father walk past her to Aunt Gu and prepare to pick up Gu Gu, the kitten immediately pouted, but she didn't say anything or make a fuss. It was as if she was competing with her father to see how long he could hold out before paying attention to her again.

"Aunt Gu, are you familiar with this place?"

"You should also ask Madam Zhen, Yongzhen, and Rong'er!"

Gu Jungui emphasized "Rong'er" in her tone, realizing that Chu Mingkong was planning to play with the cat again, and urged him to hurry over to Rong'er to hug the cat.

This kind of reckless behavior shows a lack of learning from past mistakes.

On Gu Jungui's mature and beautiful face, her gentle and graceful eyebrows furrowed slightly as she scolded Chu Mingkong for not bullying the cat anymore.

He clearly loves his eldest daughter so much, yet he can't seem to shake off his wicked nature.

Chu Mingkong was glared at by Aunt Gu and immediately surrendered, no longer daring to act recklessly. He then went to Shangguan Rong and pretended to be surprised, as if he had just discovered the cat.

"Hey, Rong'er, what's with this tiny little guy here? Is it a cat?"

Just as he was about to hug his daughter, a fragrant breeze brushed his face, and a phantom appeared before him in an instant. The phantom stepped forward, snatched the daughter from his arms, and, to uphold justice for her, asked the little one:

"You always bully the cat, how about we stop letting him hold you?"

Chu Mingkong made a deflated expression, which made the cat giggle, like the clear sound of silver bells ringing in the breeze.

However, Chu Mingkong also knew how to handle a kitten, and he suddenly said nervously:

"Oh dear, Meimei seems hungry. We need to take Mother Pheasant to a place to rest and give Meimei something to eat."

Upon hearing this, the cat naturally knew there would be food. She immediately looked at Fengying expectantly, while Fengying looked on helplessly.

"Okay, let your dad take you to get some free food."

However, the cat still clung to Fengying, unwilling to leave her embrace.

Chu Mingkong was quite happy with this situation, letting Fengying take the cat to Zhier's place for an extra meal. Fengying would have to exchange a few casual words with Zhier anyway, right?

As they chatted more, their relationship grew even closer.

Xiao Zhi knew about this and would definitely not refuse. She still wanted to try the treatment Gu Jun Gui had received before, a large mother cat feeding several hungry kittens at the same time—although Chu Mingkong and Xiao Yunhan had already given her such a unique experience once.

"After we settle in, the cat will come over together~"

The plump and radiant noblewoman kissed the cat's little face.

At this moment, several female Taoist priests of the elder level came over. They had received Madam Zhen and others when Chu Mingkong was working in the Crescent Moon Kingdom, and now they came forward to say hello.

"Madam Gu, Madam Zhen, Princess Yongzhen, and Miss Rong'er, it's truly amazing how time flies! I hope you've all been well!"

"Long time no see! We were truly fortunate to have been received by you Taoist priests last time."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the elders' attention quickly turned to the young girls. After looking them over, they were immediately surprised and envious.

That fervor stems from the joy and longing to see someone with potential.

However, they also knew that these little princesses were too talented for them to teach, so trying to take them away would be useless.

The resources controlled by the girls' fathers far exceed what many powerful sects and forces could imagine. It would be more appropriate for Yao Ji to come and take them as disciples; perhaps there would still be some opportunity.

But they still couldn't help but admire the girls' outstanding talent.

"These young ladies are truly gifted! If they are properly nurtured, Your Highness will not have to worry about the safety of your female companions so much in the future!"

"Disciples of the Daoist sect who travel abroad, in addition to carrying out the sect's missions, will also help to find talented people along the way. However, it is difficult to find such talented people. They are usually recruited by the sect leaders of various sects as soon as they are born."

Chu Mingkong laughed:

“If I praise them any more, the girls will become so proud that they'll hold their chins up and look at people with arrogance.”

If these young girls are nurtured, they will surely become brilliant gems in the future, but Chu Mingkong is unwilling to leave the pressure to them.

It's enough to leave the joy we've earned to them; let's leave them with no pressure or grudges.

Qingse finally arrived late, running out of the teleportation array with an account book in her hand. She was probably so engrossed in doing the accounting that she remembered this matter and rushed over to experience the thing she had invested in building.

"So we're back at the Kunlun Dao Sect? Oh right, where's my immortal island?!"

It was the thing that had emptied her purse, and Qingse remembered it terribly.

I feel restless if I can't see him for even a moment.

"We haven't reached the Immortal Island yet; it should be another five or six days before we reach Kunlun. Here, take this first."

Chu Mingkong tossed the jade token to Qingse, who was still holding the account book. In her haste, she didn't catch the jade token properly, as if she had touched a hot treasure. She tossed it around in her hand a couple of times before it fell into her soft, white cleavage.

This is the reaction of someone who is not good at fighting. If it were the Kazekage, he would have grabbed her by telekinesis.

"Hey! What if it breaks? Do you know the value of this jade talisman? My treasury was emptied out by these things!"

"Do you think this is tofu? This is a treasure that can control the Immortal Island. It won't break if you just touch it!"

Qingse gave Chu Mingkong a resentful glare, inwardly scolding him for not understanding the weariness of running a business. However, looking at the completely new environment, she whispered something to Chu Mingkong:

"Your Highness, could this door... perhaps help us expand our business?"

"No, absolutely do not do business here!" Chu Mingkong warned, but did not explain, because it would be difficult to explain in detail.

I haven't even sorted out my own "mother" who is the Queen Mother of the West yet. It wouldn't be good if it made the Taoist sect look strange!

At this moment, Shen Xuejun also walked out of the teleportation portal. Chu Mingkong looked at her with a puzzled expression.

Having traveled through the Heavenly Realm and spent several days cultivating in the Kunlun Mountains to stabilize his cultivation, his spiritual realm had improved to a certain extent, and he had gained a completely new understanding of various things.

Just now, he noticed that there seemed to be an invisible, icy blue thread wrapped around and connecting his master's wife.

The other end of the thread is not in this area.

He couldn't tell if it was communication or something else, but unfortunately, the scene flashed by and disappeared quietly.

It was as if what Chu Mingkong had just seen was nothing but an illusion.

Chapter 197 Familiar Anxiety

Chu Mingkong observed the reactions of others, who seemed unaware of his master's wife's earlier state, while he himself had only noticed it for a fleeting moment.

We can't just pretend we didn't see it.

He made a mental note of this and decided to ask her about it himself later. But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, Chu Mingkong slapped his forehead. Now that he had mostly forgotten the true identity of the system girl, he should naturally ask her more questions.

Let her use the silent treatment first. She can be silent for a while, but can she be silent forever?

After settling the women in, Chu Mingkong quickly found a quiet spot to be alone and began questioning the system.

"Mother, just tell me about your identity properly. Why are you making it so mysterious? I've already figured it out myself."

The system girl, modeled after the Queen Mother of the West, remained silent. Chu Mingkong then asked:

"Alright, alright, I won't pry into your affairs for now. Can I ask about the silk threads on my master's wife earlier? What are those?"

This is called a roundabout approach. Although he wanted to ask about his master's wife from the beginning, if he directly asked about his master's wife, the Queen Mother of the West might not pay attention to him. But if he asked about the Queen Mother of the West herself first, and then came back to ask about his master's wife, then she would be able to accept Chu Mingkong's question.

This is roughly what Lu Shuren meant by the wisdom of compromise.

“Those threads can be understood as an inseparable connection. If Yongzhen and her doll were to cultivate some particularly profound techniques now, you would also see a similar situation appear on her body.”

"Then why not now?"

The two Yongzhen were currently strolling around the Kunlun Dao Palace with their elders. Not far from Chu Mingkong, he sensed something but did not detect anything similar to his master's wife's situation, nor could he detect any connecting threads.

"Why is that? It's too weak. There are only two possibilities for something that you can't perceive: either it's too weak to emit any light, or it's too strong for outsiders to be worthy of seeing its light."

Chu Mingkong felt indignant for Yongzhen. This girl was strong-willed and unwilling to admit defeat. If Yongzhen heard these words, she would have to practice her skills diligently even while pregnant.

"Could you be more specific? What exactly are those threads on Master's wife? I've gathered information from various sources, and it seems that Master's wife has an inseparable connection with some force in the Heavenly Realm. The Asura King has hinted at it to me several times."

"You already know that, don't you? But to be able to maintain such close contact across thousands of miles, you must be one of the top figures in Snow River Divine City."

The Celestial Realm and this Lower Realm are separated by more than just thousands of mountains and rivers...

However, upon hearing the Queen Mother of the West confirm the identity of his master's wife, Chu Mingkong felt a surge of emotion. It turned out that one of the top figures in the major powers of the Heavenly Domain had always been by his side!

When Chu Mingkong first saw his master's wife show off her skills in the East Sea, he felt that she was exceptionally strong. He never expected that she was strong enough to stand at the pinnacle of the Heavenly Domain.

But then other doubts arose in his mind.

"Does that mean Master's wife's current strength is equivalent to that of the one inseparable from her? What is Master's wife doing in this lower realm? What is her purpose?"