Chapter 61 Blasphemy 10. With a personality like that, she really needs some discipline…

Shen Mingxin was not very familiar with the dense courtyard.

Ever since Shen Chou left home at the age of eighteen to work as a medicine merchant, this courtyard has been kept in seclusion. Shen Chou only returns during the Mid-Autumn Festival and the twelfth lunar month each year, so this place is only thoroughly cleaned during these two seasons. At other times, people are only occasionally sent to clean it to prevent insects and rodents from getting in.

Shen Mingxin disliked the dust and the strange coolness of the place, so she rarely came here.

But I had no choice but to come today.

Whether it was the overly vivid and somewhat bizarre dream from last night, or the faint, nauseating scent of incense emanating from Shen Chou, both both bothered him quite a bit.

Chen Chou disliked being served. Once the two new maids were sent away, the courtyard became empty, and not a single person could be seen.

Shen Mingxin crept in and went straight to Shen Nong's bedroom.

The bedroom door wasn't locked, and when Shen Mingxin entered, she nearly choked on the smell and fell backward. Shen Chou had only been back for one night, yet the incense smell in the room was already so strong; Shen Mingxin truly didn't believe for a second that he hadn't secretly offered anything.

But where could this small statue or spring branch stone carving be?

These kinds of items are inconvenient to carry on your person, but they are very easy to hide.

Shen Mingxin pondered Shen Chong's temperament and began searching through the wardrobe and chests.

He didn't want to alert the enemy, so he searched very quietly, deliberately keeping his movements discreet and not daring to leave any trace. This would inevitably be slow, and he worried that Chen Chou might return at any moment, so he would look out the window every now and then, which made things even slower.

After a round of flips, all was well and no one was seriously injured. Shen Chou did not return, but Shen Mingxin also found nothing.

"Where exactly is it...?"

Shen Mingxin paced silently in the bedroom, trying her best to calm down, and looked around intently, trying to find some clues.

Suddenly, he paused, his gaze falling on Shen Chou's bed.

Perhaps it's just my imagination?

The incense smell seemed even stronger here.

They had already checked under the bed and in the hidden compartment at the head of the bed, but found nothing. The only place they hadn't looked was inside the bed curtains. Shen Mingxin was rather particular and prone to being picky, so she didn't want to touch the heavy bed.

but--

Her brow furrowed and relaxed repeatedly. Shen Mingxin paced back and forth for a couple of steps, then gritted her teeth and raised her hand to lift half of the bed curtains that were hanging low.

The smell inside the bed curtains was even stronger, making Shen Mingxin choke and almost vomit. He quickly raised his sleeve to cover his mouth and nose, using only his right hand to force himself to endure it, and quickly checked inside the bed.

The bedding was all normal, but when Shen Mingxin got to the pillow, he noticed something different.

This pillow doesn't belong to the Shen family. My grandfather loved Shu satin, and all the pillows in the house were made of Shu satin. Shen Mingxin doesn't have a particular fondness for it, so she also uses Shu satin. Shen Chou should be the same.

But right now, the heavy pillow on this bed is not made of Shu satin, but a material that Shen Mingxin has never seen before. It is dark black in color, but has a reddish luster, which looks a bit strange.

"Could it be in this pillow?"

Shen Mingxin began to suspect something. Avoiding the part that had been pressed down, he pressed down from below, trying to sense if there was anything inside the pillow.

To his surprise, as soon as he pressed down, the filling inside the pillow suddenly wriggled, as if there were a living creature inside.

Shen Mingxin was startled and jerked his hand back, stumbling backward and nearly falling to the ground from the footstool. Even so, a strong feeling of nausea shot up from his fingers to the top of his head almost instantly, making him gag violently.

Just then, three short meows came from outside.

This was the secret signal that Soseki and he had agreed upon: Chenchou was back!

Shen Mingxin looked up at the bed with tears in her eyes.

A moment of hesitation flashed through his mind: should he take the pillow with him? But firstly, he didn't want to disturb Shen Chou, and secondly, he dared not say what was inside the pillow, fearing that taking it would only cause trouble.

In a flash, he made a decision. He frowned, propped himself up, and with trembling hands, put the pillow back in its place. Then, without thinking twice, he retched as he clung to the half-open back window and quickly climbed out.

Upon landing, Shen Mingxin immediately wanted to stick close to the back wall, go around behind the artificial hill, and slip away before Shen Chou entered the door.

Unexpectedly, just as he arrived at the rockery, Shen Chou hurriedly walked in.

Shen Mingxin reacted quickly, immediately crouching down and completely hiding herself behind the artificial hill.

He planned to wait until Chen Chou entered the house before seeking an opportunity to leave. But for some reason, the footsteps at the other end of the artificial hill suddenly stopped, neither heading to the bedroom nor the small study, but instead disappearing into the artificial hill.

We've been discovered?

Shen Mingxin's heart tightened, his eyes darting around as he quickly thought of a solution. But the next moment, the footsteps stopped, and there was at least a zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) between them.

Then, a deep, heavy voice came, tinged with an odd tone: "I told you not to eat it, but you insisted. And now you're like this. I haven't even... Ha, be gentle, it's all... all broken..."

"No, Chou'er is very capable... I was too hasty this time. I will be more careful next time so as not to worry Chou'er or make her feel bad." Only Chen Chou entered the room, but at this moment another unfamiliar and ethereal male voice rang out in the courtyard.

Shen Mingxin's throat and tongue stiffened slightly.

The voice was remarkably similar to the male voice in the ball of light that Shenxiangjun had thrown out in my dream last night.

Some gurgling, sticky noises came from inside.

Shen Mingxin took a slow breath, mustered her courage, and moved slightly to look out through the hole in the artificial hill.

From this angle, nothing is clearly visible; only a blurry outline can be seen.

The first thing that caught Shen Mingxin's eye was a dark blue robe. The lower half of the robe was soaked through and clung to him, outlining his shape. Whether it was an illusion or not, Shen Mingxin felt that his stomach seemed a little more swollen than usual.

Below his stomach, clumps of dark, paste-like stuff were stuck to his legs and burrowing into his clothes.

Shen Chou lay half-reclined on a rock, his face a mixture of blue and red, his skin rustling and pulsating as if insects were wriggling beneath it. From his mouth, withered branches and leaves pierced his flesh, tearing it apart, but he seemed oblivious, staring in one direction and chuckling.

Shen Mingxin stiffly turned his eyes and looked over. In the darkest part of the artificial hill, there was a small statue of the Spring Mountain God hidden.

So that's where it was all along!

Shen Mingxin stared at Chunshan Gong's gentle, smiling face, her heart trembling, and for a moment she was in a daze.

Is this... real...?

His eyes were glued to the bizarre yet erotic scene he saw through the hole inside the artificial mountain.

My heart was pounding wildly, and my breath felt sticky.

He knew he should move away immediately and not look anymore, but he couldn't. His whole body was stiff and he couldn't move an inch. Cold sweat poured out layer by layer, soaking him inside and out in an instant.

Suddenly, under Shen Mingxin's stiff and dazed gaze, the small statue of Lord Chunshan seemed to come alive, its eyes turning as it looked directly at him.

In the dim light, their eyes met.

Shen Mingxin's pupils suddenly contracted, and her breathing stopped completely.

"...What's wrong, Great God?"

A deep, diffused sound rang out.

The little statue's eyes slowly returned to their original positions: "It's nothing. I had just calmed down when I dispersed my divine sense and felt something spying on me. I looked around and there was nothing there."

"With me here, why are you distracted..." Shenchou, sinking into the black, sticky substance, stroked the little statue with a coquettish tone.

"No, no."

The faint male voice pleaded for mercy, almost swallowing the thick, heavy voice completely.

The noise inside grew increasingly chaotic.

Shen Mingxin's pupils trembled chaotically, her thoughts began to fragment, and her expression gradually became blank.

Just then, a soft, warm piece of fur brushed against his sweaty palm.

As if startled awake, he suddenly leaned back and fell to the ground.

Shen Mingxin was startled again and hurriedly looked in the direction of the hole. However, the two people inside didn't seem to be paying attention to the outside, and strangely, the fall didn't make any noise. He seemed to sense something and subconsciously looked to his side.

A white cat sat there, its dark blue eyes watching him silently, cold and indifferent, giving it a rather mysterious air.

Did you save me?

Shen Mingxin carefully mouthed the words.

He seemed to have a natural affinity for the white cat, and didn't think it was any kind of monster or demon, only that it was handsome and cute.

Chu Shenxiang glanced at him, didn't answer, but got up and gestured for Shen Mingxin to follow him.

Shen Mingxin hesitated for a moment, afraid of being seen by Shen Chou and Chunshan Gong, but seeing the white cat's obviously extraordinary appearance, she gritted her teeth and followed.

The journey was exceptionally smooth, and neither the person nor the spirit in the artificial hill noticed anything. Shen Mingxin didn't dare to be careless even after leaving the dense courtyard. She held her breath until she returned to Mingyuan, when she finally collapsed in her room, panting heavily and trembling, unable to utter a single word.

Chu Shenxiang jumped onto the table and looked at Shen Mingxin, who was lying on the chaise longue in a disheveled state. She felt that her adopted younger brother was someone she couldn't help but keep an eye on.

Last night, I had a dream that told him to be more vigilant and not to act rashly. But now, not even a day has passed, and he dares to go and explore someone's courtyard alone. Does he really think that Master Chunshan is dead?

Such audacity!

If it weren't for the dream that triggered the clamor of human nature, forcing him to come here again, Shen Mingxin would have surely died here today.

To die peacefully and contentedly is probably a luxury.

With a personality like that, they deserve to be taught a lesson.

Chu Shenxiang could have easily dispelled Shen Mingxin's delirium and confusion with a single wisp of her pure energy, but he did not move.

He watched indifferently as Shen Mingxin trembled, sobbed, sweated profusely, clutched her clothes, and dry heaved repeatedly, almost shivering, without uttering a word.

After Shen Mingxin finished shaking, cried, and stopped vomiting, his face was pale as he collapsed by the basin, looking dazed. Only then did he leap over, gently touch him, and sweep away the lingering filth.

Shen Mingxin was brought back to her senses by the fluffy touch, and looked at the white cat with trembling eyes.

"I don't know what you are, but thank you for saving me," he said in a hoarse voice. "If you need me to repay you in any way, please tell me. I will not interfere with anything except for things that are immoral or unethical."

Chu Shenxiang didn't need him to repay her, so she shook her head, stepped aside, and looked at him.

He was a little curious about what Shen Mingxin would do next after witnessing what had just happened. He had a feeling that even if his adopted brother was terrified, he wouldn't do nothing.

"You don't need my repayment now, so just remember this. I'll do it whenever you ask."

Shen Mingxin stared intently at the white cat, then paused for a moment before getting up and saying, "If you like, you can stay with me for now. I need to go to Grandpa's first. When I come back, I'll pass by the small kitchen and bring you some river delicacies. Oh, by the way, you... spirits, do you eat river delicacies? Or do you need incense offerings too..."

He didn't seem to be afraid of him at all.

Chu Shenxiang looked at Shen Mingxin without saying a word. There were some things he didn't know how to explain, so he didn't intend to tell Shen Mingxin his identity. Seeing that he mistakenly thought that Shen Mingxin was a spirit, he didn't refute it, but just looked at him.

Shen Mingxin thought Chu Shenxiang had agreed, so he smiled, perked up, mustered his courage, went out the door, and quickly headed to the pharmacy.

He absolutely had to let his grandfather know about this matter, no matter what!

Chu Shenxiang watched Shen Mingxin's departing figure.

A moment later, he moved stealthily, concealing his figure, and followed.