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

The taste of the food is relatively easy to satisfy.

Shangguan Rong, a native of the capital, prefers a light diet, but she doesn't dislike other types of food. She's more like a "casual" food lover, willing to try anything as long as it's not too extreme. Gu Jun Gui, on the other hand, is from Xiling and doesn't mind if his food is a bit spicy.

As for the children in the Cui family?

"Eat it or not, it's up to them. We'll see when they've grown into beautiful young women." That's how he treats little girls.

So when Feng Ying suspected him of having an affair with her adopted daughter, Chu Mingkong found it outrageous! It was an insult to his character!

After Shangguan Rong and Gu Jungui ate a few pieces, they praised them highly. Seeing how happily the adults were eating, especially the elder Gu Jungui who couldn't stop eating, the children also ate a few pieces.

Several pampered little girls who had hardly ever eaten spicy food since birth burst into tears from the spiciness.

Wait a minute, there's a little girl who's not afraid of spicy food!

Chu Mingkong took out a Dustless Talisman with very little spiritual power left, concealed himself, and smeared some chili sauce on the piece of roasted meat in her hand.

The little girl was eating happily when suddenly her brow furrowed and she burst into tears.

She should be able to experience the ups and downs of life at her age.

"Sister-in-law, you're lying, this is so spicy!" The girl walked up to Gu Jun Gui and cried.

Gu Jungui was both amused and exasperated. He poured a few cups of tea for the children to cool down their spicy food, and then explained, "This is the food from Xiling. You may not be used to it now, but you might be able to eat it when you grow up. Why did you come here instead of eating at home?"

Having suffered a great loss at the Chu King's residence, the children quickly returned to the Cui residence.

Zhong Feihuang and Feng Keqing, along with You Erniang, also came to join the fun. As soon as Zhong Feihuang entered, she started teasing Gu Jungui, laughing:

"This acting clan leader is really busy. She doesn't even have time to attend to her husband's funeral, and she still has to come over to the young prince's place to feast on meat!"

"You can sit down and eat now, Fei Huang, you talk too much. You're more capable with the steward of the Cui family, why don't you go and ask the old master to give you the title of acting clan leader?"

Zhong Feihuang and Feng Keqing also sat down and started eating. Since they weren't used to spicy food, they didn't follow Gu Jungui's example of dipping the meat in chili sauce. It was a rare treat to eat grilled meat, but they were able to appreciate its deliciousness.

The barbecue base was a bit spicy, so the two of them had to drink water after just a few bites.

"Mingkong, I didn't know you could grill meat. When did you learn?" Gu Jungui asked.

"I was bored at home before, so I just messed around. And after staying here for a while, I started to miss the food in Xiling. So I had to make it myself. The chefs here can't make the taste I want."

"That's true! But it's not very presentable for a grown man like you to always be running around in the kitchen. From now on, I'll send a few maids from the Cui family over."

As Gu Jungui ate, he also turned his attention to Shangguan Rong. Hearing that this girl had helped Chu Mingkong, Gu Jungui found her much more agreeable.

"Rong'er, is this food to your liking? If not, I'll make you a bowl of clear broth to rinse off the spiciness."

Shangguan Rong felt a bit like sticking out her tongue from the spiciness and shook her head, saying, "Aunt Gu, don't worry about me, I can eat it all."

She looked at the plump and graceful elder, who was also sweating from the spiciness, with fine beads of sweat appearing on her fair skin, yet she was still happily dipping the meat in the chili sauce and eating it. Perhaps this was the culinary spirit of the people of Xiling.

Shangguan Rong picked up a piece of grilled meat and dipped it in chili sauce.

I might be kidnapped to Xiling by that lecherous man someday. Although I'm not used to the food yet, it's not too late to start getting used to it now.

Since Gu Jungui married into the family, she hadn't enjoyed eating so much in a long time. She had tried to ask the chef to make some Xiling meat dishes before, but no one around her was used to them. In the end, she was the only one eating in the room, and she lost her appetite after a few bites. Instead, she felt uncomfortable eating.

Looking at the room full of women, she felt a sense of looking at her daughter-in-law.

Ke Qing, is acceptable!

Rong'er is not bad either!

Flying Phoenix... that's not quite right right now, but maybe we'll be destined to meet again in the future! Life is unpredictable, right?

It seems like someone is missing?

Gu Jun Gui suddenly remembered someone was missing: "Ming Kong, where is your master? Didn't you say you were going to bring her over?"

"I'll go find her now, you guys eat first~"

Chu Mingkong hadn't forgotten about Zuo Qiuchi. He figured she wasn't used to eating with so many people yet, so he planned to send two pieces to the Taoist temple for her to try.

She'll come down to eat when she's hungry; otherwise, if you force her to come down the mountain, she might run back after eating.

"Let's try this 'Extreme BBQ' first and see how amazing it is. We'll send it to Jinyu another day and see how she reacts when her clothes burst open."

It's been a long time since I've felt this relaxed. In a while, I'll have to find a way to sneak off to Tianya City. During this time, I need to laze around and recuperate.

------------

In the kitchen.

Zuo Qiuchi couldn't stop eating it; it was spicy but delicious! From the moment the grilled meat entered her mouth, it began to delight her taste buds.

The taste and texture are superb. Even though it's so spicy that I'm sweating all over, I still want to have another piece. My body's energy channels are all excitedly enjoying the taste.

But why does her buttocks seem to be affected by this smell even more, sweating an unusually large amount?

"There's something strange about how delicious this meat is!"

No, this plate of meat seems to subtly contain the maker's "intention"!

Zuo Qiuchi used her internal energy to dispel the smell, but the heat from the roasted meat lingered deep within her body, even seeming to transfer towards her buttocks.

She mustered her strength again, abruptly dispelling the subtle sensation of the roasted meat remaining in her body.

The force was so strong that the dress was shattered.

Just then, Chu Mingkong opened the door and saw the scene of clothes being torn to shreds.

Holy crap! The system wasn't lying. It's just a plate of barbecue, can it really cause your clothes to explode?!

Her flawless, white body, with its alluring curves, was etched into Chu Mingkong's mind. Fragments of her dress, floating in mid-air, slowly fell, some just covering her pink nipples.

By the time all the fragments of her dress had fallen to the ground, Zuo Qiuchi had already put on another dress.

"Do you have anything to explain?" Zuo Qiuchi cracked his knuckles.

"So big, so white, so smooth, so beautiful, I love it!"

"Still so self-righteous, huh? It's gone, isn't it?"

"Yes." Chu Mingkong paused, then said affectionately, "I want to see it again, Master. This time, there's no need to rush to get dressed. We're like family, I'll show you how my clothes can rip open later!"

Zuo Qiuchi brushed past Chu Mingkong expressionlessly. Just as Chu Mingkong's questioning gaze caught up with her, Zuo Qiuchi had already entered the hall, and her voice rang out:

"Don't eat it! Spit it out! That bastard Chu Mingkong put aphrodisiac in the barbecue!"

Chu Mingkong froze on the spot.

Chapter Sixty-One Disparity

Fortunately, the bowl of meat served to everyone was normal, and everyone ate it without any problems. Zuo Qiuchi's words didn't cause too much of a stir. Gu Jungui also assumed that this young Master Zuo was just joking with Chu Mingkong again.

After Zuo Qiuchi finished eating meat with a group of women, she planned to run away again, but Chu Mingkong stopped her at the door.

"Master, stop thinking about running away... No, I mean, why do you always go to the Taoist temple? Yun Nongyu isn't here right now."

"There are too many people here, it's uncomfortable for them to stay. And didn't you see how reserved your Aunt Gu became after introducing me to your sisters-in-law? They didn't dare to chat freely anymore."

Chu Mingkong could get along with Zuo Qiuchi in a lighthearted manner, but others couldn't treat him with the same respect. The identity of a sword immortal was something to be revered wherever he went. No matter how approachable and amiable a sword immortal was, once others heard of his identity, they would feel a sense of trepidation, as if a deity had descended upon them.

Zuo Qiuchi didn't care much about the so-called "prestige". The people around Chu Mingkong treated her with such awe that they felt uncomfortable, and Zuo Qiuchi herself felt uncomfortable as well.

Even after telling Gu Jungui and Zhong Feihuang not to be so nervous, they couldn't change their mindset in a short time.

Chu Mingkong scratched his head, looking quite troubled:

"Oh, I forgot to tell Aunt Gu not to introduce your identity to your sisters-in-law. Master, please don't blame Aunt Gu. She was afraid that my sister-in-law Huang would be too fierce and anger you, so she hurriedly introduced your identity."

"It's nothing, but what about that plate of meat?"

"I don't know," Chu Mingkong said, feigning ignorance. "When I was grilling the meat, I kept thinking about your figure, Master, and that's how it ended up like this."

Zuo Qiuchi lightly punched his forehead with her small fist and said:

"Wait a moment and bring me another plate of meat up the mountain. Stop thinking about all that nonsense, or I'll send it to the little maid in the Cui family in your name. When Fengying comes back, I'll tell her you gave the little maid some Hehuan Dew."

You can't be so unkind!

"It's been a while since I've seen Fengying. Master, do you know where she went?"

"I don't know. That woman is elusive. But if she doesn't show up in another half month, we'll have to find a way to find her. We should take her with us to Tianya City. With her there, many things will be much easier to do."

"Okay, Qiuchi, you go back to the Taoist temple first. I'll go roast some meat now and bring it up to you when it's ready." Chu Mingkong quietly called her by her name again.

Zuo Qiuchi gave him a nonchalant glare before disappearing from the palace.

-----------

When Chu Mingkong went out to deliver late-night snacks, he also took Shangguan Rong back to the Shangguan residence to rest.

What's rather funny is that when Shangguan Rong's maid, Cai Cai, saw her mistress return, she excitedly rushed over to check if she had been wronged or beaten. It made it seem as if Chu Mingkong would really take his anger out on Shangguan Rong.

What a short-sighted little maid!

Cai Cai asked worriedly, "Second Miss, were you injured while you were studying with the Prince?"

"Yes, my buttocks are injured." Shangguan Rong knew that Chu Mingkong hadn't left yet, so she deliberately told him.

Chu Mingkong: "..."

Cai Cai looked horrified. How could you be injured there? "Ah? Where are you injured? Let me put some wound medicine on you, Miss?"

Shangguan Rong smiled and shook her head: "I was just kidding. I just sat there for too long and my back and butt hurt."

Cai Cai breathed a sigh of relief: "I see, I was so scared... I was worried that you'd be angry after coming back from the academy, but you seem to be in a much better mood, and you're even joking with me!"

Shangguan Rong paused for a moment, then said reluctantly, "Seeing that despicable prince locked up in the library, feeling so stifled, naturally makes me happy."

-----------

Chu Mingkong delivered a late-night snack to Zuo Qiuchi but didn't return. The wives of the Cui family were still there, chatting and strolling in the courtyard.

The Cui family was currently in mourning, and the atmosphere throughout the house was somber. Zhong Feihuang didn't want to stay at her own home and planned to stay at the Chu Prince's residence until bedtime before returning home. She had made up her mind to do the same tomorrow; after the daily mourning period, she would come to the Chu Prince's residence to stay.

Gu Jungui chatted idly the whole way, mostly about Chu Mingkong's plans for the Cui family, saying:

"Feihuang, what I just said is basically what Mingkong meant, and it should also be the old man's idea. You are more capable in managing the household and affairs, so you will have to take care of things more in the future."

Zhong Feihuang was quite amazed and exclaimed: