"Something's wrong. Very, very wrong!"
Just then, several streaks of light descended. Zhao Gongming, Yunxiao, and Qiongxiao had arrived after sensing the commotion.
As soon as they landed, Yunxiao stared at the scene before her, utterly dumbfounded.
Cihang, who normally had his nose in the air, was now kneeling respectfully.
He was catching Bixiao's Holy Sword barehanded, gripping it tightly in both hands.
Bixiao, meanwhile, was putting on quite a show. She wiped away tears that weren't there.
"You unfilial son! You're so cruel!"
"My heart aches! It aches so much!"
Qiongxiao rubbed her eyes and muttered,
"Eldest Sister, I think cultivation has ruined my eyes."
"What on earth is Second Sister doing?"
Yunxiao took a deep breath, her beautiful eyes filled with shock.
"Big Brother really wasn't deceiving us."
"This magical treasure sounds absurd, but it's truly terrifying to use."
Zhao Gongming watched the scene. Though he'd expected something like this,
seeing a Golden Immortal Great Expert forcibly ground into the dirt with his own eyes
still left him secretly marveling.
"The system really didn't lie to me. It truly deserves to be a Conceptual Grade magical treasure."
"Even if Cihang is a late-stage Golden Immortal, he still has to kneel!"
Just as Zhao Gongming was marveling to himself,
a faint voice suddenly came from beside him.
"Senior Brother Gongming, I don't think you're being very honest with me."
Zhao Gongming turned around and saw Golden Spirit Holy Mother looking at him with a cheeky expression that said, I know your secret. You've been hiding it well.
Her eyes held the knowing, mischievous look of someone enjoying the gossip.
"Senior Sister Jin Ling, I'm not sure what you mean."
Zhao Gongming looked completely baffled.
Golden Spirit Holy Mother chuckled and leaned closer, lowering her voice.
"Junior Brother, there's no need to keep pretending in front of your clever Senior Sister."
"I saw it with my own eyes just now. When Cihang knelt, he did it so smoothly, without a trace of resistance."
"If there weren't a bond of blood between them, how could Cihang have knelt so completely without a shred of dignity?"
"Junior Sister Bixiao is this heartbroken, and Cihang has sincerely acknowledged her, yet you still won't admit it."
"I know the truth: you're Cihang's biological father, and Junior Sister Bixiao is his birth mother."
"Well, well, Senior Brother Gongming. I never would've guessed."
"You look so proper, but you sure get up to some wild stuff in private!"
At her words, Yunxiao and Qiongxiao instantly turned to stone.
Even the way they looked at their own Big Brother changed.
Zhao Gongming felt as if a mouthful of blood had caught in his throat. He nearly passed out.
What the hell did she mean, "a bond of blood"!
What the hell did she mean, "wild stuff"!
"Hold on, hold on!"
Zhao Gongming hurriedly waved his hands, staring at Golden Spirit in horror.
"Senior Sister Jin Ling, you can eat whatever you like, but you can't just say whatever you want!"
"This is a serious matter that concerns our reputations!"
"Please don't make this kind of 'ethical' joke!"
Golden Spirit blinked. "What's 'ethical'?"
Zhao Gongming's mouth twitched. He'd blurted out a pun without thinking.
"Ethics! You know, ethics!"
"Don't make jokes about that kind of thing!"
"Someone could die over this!"
While they bickered, Daoist Cihang was on the verge of breaking down.
His body was firmly bound by that bizarre power of rules.
His knees seemed rooted to the ground.
His hands clamped around the blade like iron pincers, utterly motionless.
No matter how he circulated his magic power—
even when he tried to burn his blood essence—he couldn't budge that force in the slightest!
Worse still, the madwoman opposite him kept adding to her performance!
"Unfilial son, say something!"
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
"Do you feel guilty?"
Bixiao was so caught up in her act that she even reached out, wanting to pat Cihang on the head.
Cihang screamed inwardly.
Say what, you bastard? Let me open my mouth first!
The commotion was simply too loud, and the argument from earlier had drawn attention too.
More and more disciples from the Three Teachings began gathering around.
"Look, why's someone kneeling over there?"
"Holy crap, isn't that Senior Brother Cihang of the Chan Sect?"
"Why's he kneeling to Senior Sister Bixiao?"
Wuyun Xian, Jinguang Xian, and the others from the Seven Attendant Immortals of the Interception Sect arrived together.
Their eyes nearly fell out of their heads when they saw the scene.
Right after them, Qin Wan and the other Ten Heavenly Lords arrived.
The more people there were, the more rumors flew.
Especially in the Primordial Era, when there was so little entertainment.
Gossip spread at the speed of light.
And as it spread, it underwent some wildly ridiculous changes.
A clueless Interception Sect Disciple grabbed someone nearby and asked,
"Senior Brother, what's going on? Why's Senior Brother Cihang kneeling?"
The person beside him had vaguely overheard Golden Spirit Holy Mother's words, so he lowered his voice.
"I heard Cihang is actually Senior Sister Bixiao's adopted son. They're reuniting!"
"Huh? Her adopted son?" A third person leaned over, looking shocked.
"That can't be right. I heard Cihang is Senior Sister Bixiao's biological son!"
"Just look at how he's kneeling. Perfect form—that's the pressure of blood!"
"If he's her biological son, who's the father?"
"Do you even need to ask? Look over there. Senior Brother Zhao Gongming's face is red. It's obviously him!"
And so, after a few rounds of retelling,
by the time the rumor reached the disciples who arrived later, it had become—
"Breaking news! The juiciest gossip ever!"
"Senior Brother Zhao Gongming and Senior Sister Bixiao secretly pledged themselves to each other long ago."
"They even have a grown-up child—the very Cihang kneeling there!"
"Today, the family of three is reunited. Cihang is grateful for his parents' kindness, so he knelt on the spot and acknowledged his roots!"
Pfft—!
Zhao Gongming, who'd been listening with his ears pricked up the whole time,
was utterly stunned when he heard a rumor more ridiculous than anything he could imagine.
He spun around and roared at the disciples still whispering among themselves.
"Shut up! All of you, shut up!"
"What secret pledges? What family of three?"
"Bixiao and I are siblings!"
"Siblings, understand? I'm not into incest, okay?!"
Zhao Gongming was on the verge of tears. What was all this nonsense?
He'd only stood up for his younger sister and tested out a magical treasure while he was at it.
How had he become the leading man in a Primordial Era family scandal?
"No, I just casually refined a magical treasure for Junior Sister Bixiao to protect herself!"
"What on earth are you people thinking?"
Zhao Gongming explained, nearly breaking down.
At that moment, he felt as if there might be a reason the Interception Sect was destined to fall in the future.
But just as Zhao Gongming finished his desperate explanation,
countless eyes instantly locked onto him.
Even Xuandu and Wenshu, who'd been utterly baffled before,
were staring straight at Zhao Gongming now, faces full of astonishment.
No one cared anymore what "incest" even meant.
Everyone's attention had been caught by Zhao Gongming's words: "casually refined."
Golden Spirit Holy Mother's gossipy expression froze.
She pointed at the terrifying sight of a Golden Immortal being forced to kneel and catch a sword without the slightest chance to fight back.
She swallowed and asked in disbelief,
"Junior Brother Gongming, you just said..."
"The magical treasure that made Cihang kneel was something you casually refined?!"
Before you continue