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

"Oh right, that's right. We even joked that Cui Rong was thinking about his beautiful wife and was waiting in the bridal chamber early."

"So they were thrown into the latrine? While the Cui family patriarch is indeed domineering, this is still a bit much..."

Chu Mingkong took two steps closer to check if he had hit the bullseye, but was greatly disappointed.

"Wait a minute, how come it didn't hit the small head? How could it miss? Choi Yong, you can't be that short, can you?"

Choi Yong seemed to have returned to that terrible time. He roared and screamed wildly, trying to banish the voices of the people outside from his mind.

"I am the current patriarch of the Cui family, I am the one!"

He took out a bell, which all the heads of the Cui family possessed, and could summon the Cui family's protectors to resolve emergencies if necessary.

Cui Rong shook the bell violently, pointing it menacingly at Chu Mingkong.

"Old Master, this scoundrel has ruined the reputation of the Cui family! Kill him! Feng Keqing is having an affair, kill them all!!"

Everyone was shocked. Were they planning to call the old man over?!

Before they could react, a flash of light arrived first.

However, the blade struck Cui Rong instead, and he pointed at Chu Mingkong's arm before falling silently to the ground.

Grandpa Cui's aged voice came through, filled with helplessness, reluctance, and even more so, hatred and disgust:

"Cui Rong, have you caused enough trouble at the Chu Prince's residence? Has anyone acknowledged you as the new patriarch of the Cui family?"

------

PS: Fifth update (18/40)

Chapter 45 The Cui Family Changes Hands (Part 2)

Why is this happening? Am I hallucinating? Did the old man chop off my hand? Did he attack me? Isn't he from the Cui family? Shouldn't he be on my side? Did he chop off the wrong hand?

Everything happening to him was so different from what he had expected that Cui Rong even forgot the pain, and a series of questions filled his mind.

Cui Rong stared in astonishment at the old man who slowly walked into the Chu King's mansion.

"...Old man?"

Grandpa Cui, regaining his senses, bowed to the crowd that had gathered to watch:

"Please leave, everyone. I apologize for making you laugh. Ever since this boy was punished by the clan for playing with the rabbit figurine last time, he has been out of his mind and has gone mad. Before Cui Jiazhen's body was even cold, he hurriedly stole the clan chief's robe and started to act recklessly."

"Qing is my daughter-in-law from the Cui family. Unable to bear Cui Rong's antics any longer, she followed Jun Gui to the Prince's residence for refuge, but unexpectedly, he still barged in and caused trouble."

The last time the sons of the Cui family were beaten and thrown into the street while playing with the rabbit figurine, it was already a big joke. This time, this incident is truly a misfortune for the family.

In the past, although Old Master Cui was old and his health was declining, his background as the first family always gave people the impression that he was radiant and still had the vigor of a veteran. But now, his aging appearance is more like watching a family that has continued to prosper through many dynasties finally reach its twilight years and has no successor.

Most people would feel a sense of schadenfreude when they see a large family decline, but the Cui family had accumulated a great deal of goodwill in the past, so people felt more sorry for them.

Even the Cui family can decline so easily, what about our own family?

As the crowd departed, the onlookers who had rushed over upon hearing the news were also cleared out.

Several nearby families sent their servants to clear away any unrelated people from the surrounding area.

"Why aren't you leaving?" Old Master Cui glared coldly at his servants.

The servants who had followed Cui Rong were already worried that offending the killing god in the Chu Prince's mansion would bring trouble. Now that they had received the old man's instructions, they were even more relieved and scattered in a panic.

"Why!"

Cui Rong couldn't believe what was happening before his eyes. His own protector was actually siding with an outsider! He was willing to lose face in front of so many people just to protect Chu Mingkong, an outsider!

"Besides me, who else in the Cui family is qualified to be the clan leader? My father only has one son, and I am the legitimate heir! Who else but me is the clan leader?!"

This is a sensitive issue, as Cui Rong is truly the only male member of the clan leader's lineage.

This is perhaps the best thing about Choi Gap-jin's son; there are no other offspring vying with him for the position of the next clan leader.

In a sense, this also reflects Choi Gap-jin's psychological control over his son. As long as the position of the eldest son is left to Choi Yong, he has to endure it. Even if he puts a bad name on Choi Yong's head and sows discord among his sons, Choi Yong has to endure it, otherwise he will not have the position of clan leader in the future.

This is Choi Yong's only hope all these years.

The images of the male members of the Cui family flashed through Old Master Cui's mind, but there were none suitable. On the contrary, the wives who had married into the family were much more dazzling than them.

"The best child of the Cui family in this generation is the eldest son of the main branch of the West Mansion. Unfortunately, Heaven did not grant him much good fortune. So, Jun Gui will temporarily serve as the clan leader. We will make further plans when a better candidate comes along."

"......ah?"

Gu Jungui was stunned. How could this be related to her? She was a woman who married into the family and became the clan leader.

Cui Rong couldn't accept it, his face contorted with rage: "She's a woman, and an outsider with an ambiguous relationship with Chu Mingkong, and she's the head of my Cui family?"

He remembered a pill given to him by the person he had conspired with, which was said to turn him into someone like Chu Mingkong.

Chu Mingkong, a cripple with almost no cultivation left, is so strong just because of his extreme Yin power. I can also become as strong as him!

That way, the old man will never dare to look down on me again! I am the one who is qualified to be the clan leader!

The one-armed Cui Rong took out the "Extreme Abyss Yin Soul Pill." He was afraid of being stopped from swallowing the medicine, so he moved with frightening speed. He didn't even dare to chew slowly and swallow it. He just bit into it directly.

Because he bit so hard, he even bit off a piece of his own finger and swallowed it whole.

The pills work extremely quickly; they might even take effect as soon as they touch your mouth.

Cui Rong screamed in agony. Starting from his throat, his skin turned black and purple at a visible speed, his heart rapidly turned into an abyss, and he exhaled extremely yin energy from his mouth.

"What's going on?!" Old Master Cui exclaimed in shock.

Chu Mingkong knew perfectly well: "That idiot just ate a Yin Core! He's in a similar situation to me!"

Overwhelmed by the excruciating pain, Choi Yong was unable to utter a complete sentence and collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony.

This should have been the last shining moment of Cui Rong's life. Chu Mingkong thought he would turn evil and become three times stronger, but instead he just collapsed to the ground, without even the strength to stand up.

He walked over and quietly absorbed the dissipated Yin energy, because Jin Yu had given him a "golden thread," so absorbing a little more wouldn't be a problem.

Cui Rong's transformation into the Abyss stopped, but he was beyond saving and could not be reversed.

"Why...why...you obtained the power of extreme Yin...and can do whatever you want...I refuse to accept this!" Cui Rong, clinging to his last breath, stared intently at Chu Mingkong.

"First of all, this is an abyssal wound, not a power injury. I was already capable of doing whatever I wanted before I was injured. Secondly, no matter how strong a rat is, it's still a rat. Do you expect to become stronger after being injured?"

As soon as Chu Mingkong finished speaking, Cui Rong breathed his last.

Before Cui Jiazhen's body was even cold, his son Cui Rong followed closely behind.

Old Master Cui never expected Cui Rong to die in this way. He had considered that Cui Rong might die at his hands or at Chu Mingkong's hands, but in the end, he brought about his own demise.

The old man gave Chu Mingkong a solemn look.

Admittedly, Chu Mingkong was already a formidable expert before he was injured, yet he managed to survive such an injury.

The residual power of the Yin Core that injured him back then still lingers in Xiling, turning large swathes of land into an abyss.

Cui Rong died immediately after ingesting only a small amount of extremely yin energy!

Could it be that Chu Mingkong will become the first person to successfully navigate the Path of Extreme Yin?

"Cough cough cough!" Chu Mingkong coughed up several mouthfuls of blood.

Old Master Cui: "......"

Chu Mingkong said, "Grandpa, you should take Aunt Gu and Sister-in-law Keqing back to the Cui residence to take care of them for now. Cui Rong was able to produce such a strange pill, so there must be some other forces that have contacted him. I have some things to take care of for now, and I will be back soon."

After bidding farewell to this place for the time being, Chu Mingkong mounted that smooth horse again and hurried back to the academy. He needed to inform Shangguan Rong of the situation first, and also have breakfast with her.

"Damn it, why is this other person's mare so comfortable to ride! Maybe I should give it back later, this isn't right..."

Back in the library, Chu Mingkong found a graceful and beautiful woman in a gorgeous red dress.

"Who is this?" Chu Mingkong asked Shangguan Rong with a puzzled look.

"The Fifth Prince's mother has come to plead for mercy." Shangguan Rong took a bite of her breakfast.

Before he could ask what had happened, a maid from Princess Jinyu's residence rushed over to find him.

"Your Highness, Princess Jinyu is in trouble! She was just subjected to a difficult test of her yin essence by the Fifth Prince!"

Chapter 46 The Queen Consort of Chu's Sister (19/40)

Chu Mingkong originally wanted to ask Shangguan Rong who was the one who dared to mess with him this time, but now he didn't need to ask anymore.

The suspect has already confessed, and his mother is still in Chu Mingkong's hands.

Having been in the capital for so long, he had never seen anyone come looking for trouble like this.

Chu Mingkong pulled the palace maid who brought the news into the room, poured her a cup of tea, and listened to her recount what had happened.

There's no rush for Jin Yu to be examined, as her virginity mark is still intact. Unless the Fifth Prince forces her too hard and insists on a "perfectly sealed" examination, then things will get a bit complicated.

"How did they examine Jin Yu over there?" Chu Mingkong sat down to eat breakfast.

The breakfast was still a little warm; he managed to get back before it got completely cold.

The palace maid shook her head anxiously and said, "I don't know. Before Princess Jinyu was summoned to the court, she asked me to sneak out and tell the Crown Prince, because she was worried that the Fifth Prince might cause you trouble again."

It turns out that the palace maids were summoned in advance.

By now, Jin Yu should have finished her physical examination. Hopefully, nothing went wrong.

Chu Mingkong finished his breakfast in large bites, drank some tea to soothe his throat, and then looked at the woman. Shangguan Rong had just mentioned her identity, but Chu Mingkong really didn't know what the Fifth Prince's mother's name was; he hadn't paid much attention to palace affairs.

All I know is that the Empress's surname is Pei, and the deposed Empress Dowager's surname is Zhen. The one I'm most familiar with is definitely the latter, Yongzhen's mother.

"What should I call you?" Chu Mingkong asked.

Shangguan Rong added, "Consort Wan was originally the daughter of the Xiao family. She was adopted into the Wan family when she was young. At the age of fourteen, she was selected to enter the palace as a concubine. The following year, she gave birth to the fifth prince and was promoted to Consort."

Having a baby at fifteen... no wonder she looks so young.

However, those adopted out of the Xiao family can be considered Chu Mingkong's maternal family in a sense.

Chu Mingkong carefully examined Consort Wan. Her delicate features bore a resemblance to Yunhan's mother. She was as serene as a chrysanthemum, elegant and graceful. Even in her youth, she was still stunningly beautiful, with slender, fair hands that were tightly clasped together.

Perhaps she had secretly run out to find him; she wore a brown shawl over her gorgeous silk dress, keeping a low profile.