Chapter 72 Blasphemy 21. May I still call you...brother...?

Shen Mingxin fainted.

He didn't faint when Chu Shenxiang examined the strange belly, he didn't faint when the fleshy cavity was filled with thin vines and spider webs, he didn't faint when he took a bite with a trembling mouth and called out to people with a flushed face, but he fainted at the very moment the spell ended and everything stopped.

Chu Shenxiang was puzzled.

He withdrew his right hand.

Those five jade-like fingers, usually pale, now showed a faint red at the joints, and were covered with a rather viscous layer of water, as if they had just washed an overripe peach.

Such ripe peaches are plump and tender, and their skin cannot withstand even the slightest rubbing. After just one or two rubs, they will break open, and the peach flesh and juice will all fall apart, making your hands dirty. There are also peach pits that may accidentally rub against your fingers, leaving two scratches.

"You're so mean."

Human nature quietly emerges, issuing silent condemnations.

Chu Shenxiang picked up the still trembling Shen Mingxin, who had fallen into a deep sleep, with one hand and placed her on a temporary couch conjured by magic. She used her pure energy to cleanse and soothe her, while simultaneously looking inward at her spiritual sea and glancing at human nature.

His fusion with it, even in this short time, seemed to have deepened.

"You're insulting yourself?" he scoffed.

"Isn't this self-reflection?" Humanity said. "If this wasn't what you thought, why would I have said it?"

Chu Shenxiang remained silent, her eyes lowered as she washed her hands, her dewdrops condensing.

“You deliberately confused me,” Humanity said. “You could have been gentler, but you chose to be this way. You’ve been inhuman for too long and have become bad. Look, you could have easily cleaned your hands with a spell, but you insist on washing them little by little, as if you’re savoring the moment.”

"Tsk tsk, you're getting all love-struck, Xiangxiang-chan..."

Chu Shenxiang didn't even look up: "Shut up."

The voice of humanity has disappeared.

This was originally Chu Shenxiang's own inner voice; if he didn't want to hear it anymore, he could simply delete it.

Tranquility returned to my ears.

As noon approached, the autumn sun rose over the mountains. Chu Shenxiang turned her gaze to Shen Mingxin, who was bathed in the warm sunlight.

His adopted brother was exceptionally handsome, every feature exquisite and refined, from his hair to his fingertips. His face and body were strikingly white and intensely red, the contrast creating a captivating and alluring appearance. At certain moments, he was truly breathtaking.

Beyond the surface, Chu Shenxiang saw something else in her heart.

Perhaps it was the courage to kick open the gate of Fukuda-in Temple, perhaps it was the nonchalance towards the white cat in the restaurant, or perhaps it was the steadfastness to spit at the National Preceptor's disciple on horseback in the long street.

Chu Shenxiang felt that Shen Mingxin was no different from many mortals he had met in the past two hundred years, yet he was also completely different. He couldn't explain it, but there was one pair of eyes, like a dark blue autumn pool, that suddenly seemed to be bathed in spring, faintly radiating warmth.

"Sleep peacefully."

Chu Shenxiang said in a low voice.

He pulled the blanket up for him, got up and was about to leave, but after taking only two steps, his right sleeve was yanked.

Chu Shenxiang paused, then turned around.

Shen Mingxin lay on the couch with her eyes closed and her lips crimson, not yet awake. Her right hand had somehow quietly grasped the corner of Chu Shenxiang's extremely wide sleeve, holding it tightly, and even when pulled, it wouldn't loosen its grip.

Chu Shenxiang stared at Shen Mingxin's right hand for a moment, then turned around and sat down on the edge of the bed, letting Shen Mingxin hold it. She lowered her eyes, closed them, and began to search through her past memories and the secrets and techniques she had studied in her spiritual sea.

He had just controlled Shen Mingxin's divine embryo, so it would no longer expand. However, to resolve the issue, he would need to find another way. Forcibly eliminating it would likely cause Shen Mingxin's divine embryo to collapse.

When a person loses their spiritual essence, it is as if they have lost their soul and vital energy; death is the only outcome.

Chu Shenxiang spent most of the day turning over in bed, only stopping when the person beside her started breathing again, and then she opened her eyes to look.

Shen Mingxin seemed to have just woken up. It was already dark outside. He was still sleepy and stared blankly at the scene.

"Is there anything that's bothering you?"

Chu Shenxiang asked.

"No."

Shen Ming answered subconsciously. After answering, he seemed to come to his senses and belatedly realized something was wrong with his body. His waist trembled, his legs slowly came together, and he supported himself by his stomach as he sat up: "You... after examining me, do you know how to solve this?"

Chu Shenxiang's gaze paused.

He hadn't noticed it before, but now, with Shen Mingxin leaning against the couch, her red dress flowing, her feet bare, and her lips pouting as she looked at him, she really did resemble a beautiful pregnant woman confiding in her husband or having an affair with another man.

"Lord Shenxiangjun?"

Seeing that he did not respond, Shen Mingxin called out softly.

“No need for formalities,” Chu Shenxiang pulled the edge of the blanket to cover Shen Mingxin’s exposed ankles. “You can call me Chu Shenxiang. Since you’ve seen my past, you know that I was once a mortal too.”

Shen Mingxin seemed not to have noticed Chu Shenxiang's actions. After a pause, he said, "If you don't mind, may I still call you... elder brother?"

elder brother?

Chu Shenxiang glanced at him. Didn't he always call her "brother" before?

"what ever."

Chu Shenxiang Road.

Shen Mingxin smiled, and the barely perceptible wrinkles between his brows subtly relaxed. He naturally moved closer, and due to the change in posture, a section of his ankle was exposed from under the blanket.

"Brother, I haven't slept long, have I?" he said. "The Shen family..."

"Don't worry," Chu Shenxiang's gaze swept over the severed ankle, but this time she didn't raise her hand to cover it. She simply said calmly, as if it were nothing, "My little statue is still there, and there is a wisp of my divine consciousness inside it. If they make a move against the Shen family, I will know. Besides, the possibility of them making a move is extremely small."

Shen Mingxin asked in confusion, "Why? Is it because... we can't beat him? But didn't the Imperial Preceptor say that he received divine guidance from the Celestial Venerable Xu Tian... Could it be that even the Celestial Venerable Xu Tian can't beat my brother?"

Shen Mingxin gave a very cheerful guess, which was then rejected by Chu Shenxiang.

“He must be stronger than me,” Chu Shenxiang said.

“Then…” Shen Mingxin frowned.

"It's alright. How can people and things remain unchanged?" Chu Shenxiang said. "I have also decided to develop some incense offerings. They will not take action until they can use the methods of Venerable Xu Mingtian. Instead, they will try to appease or win me over, showing me weakness, so as not to cause any unnecessary complications."

Shen Mingxin was not stupid. She roughly understood that Chu Shenxiang had her own plans, so she stopped worrying too much.

If even a god cannot withstand the events here, then how much more so can he?

Thinking of this, Shen Mingxin suddenly remembered something and looked at Chu Shenxiang: "By the way, if you want to deal with Lord Chunshan, perhaps you can start with my sworn brother Chenchou. My grandfather told me before he left that he had something on Chenchou."

Chu Shenxiang was not surprised to know about the secret conversation between the grandfather and grandson at the pharmacy, but she was still a little curious.

Do you know what the leverage is?

He asked.

“A strand of baby hair,” Shen Mingxin had no intention of hiding it. He didn’t think he had anything that Chu Shenxiang would want to scheme against. “I asked him again last night, and my grandfather said he hid it very well. Shen Chou couldn’t find it. To prevent me from accidentally revealing the secret, he couldn’t tell me where it was for the time being. But as long as Shen Chou and that Chunshan Gong dare to make a move against me, that thing will take effect on its own.”

"However, I can't be certain about this. After all, they probably set up a trap for me during this disciple selection, intending to kill me, but the baby hair doesn't seem to be reacting..."

Human hair, unlike ordinary hair, contains a trace of innate energy. It is fine in the hands of ordinary people, but if it falls into the hands of demons and evil gods, it can be used to attract the soul and harm the person.

Chu Shenxiang hadn't expected that Shen Zhuan actually had such a trick up his sleeve.

As for Shen Chou's plan to kill Shen Mingxin after Shen Zhuan left, it was quite simple. Shen Zhuan never imagined that Shen Chou wouldn't need to act directly or indirectly with himself and Chunshan Gong, but instead would use the Imperial Preceptor? The Imperial Preceptor was backed by Xu Tianming Venerable, and he couldn't be intimidated by a mere strand of hair.

Although he couldn't defeat Chu Shenxiang, he must have had quite a few good tricks up his sleeve.

Chu Shenxiang succinctly explained the reason, saying, "No matter what, it is a useful item, and I will send my divine sense to find it."

Shen Mingxin nodded, looked at Chu Shenxiang, paused, and then asked, "Won't you punish me for what happened before?"

"What's up?"

Chu Shenxiang's aura was ethereal, and her gaze was deep and focused.

Shen Mingxin opened her mouth, about to answer, when she heard Chu Shenxiang's cold and deep voice say indifferently, "Is it because of your blasphemous dream, or because of your unclear accusations and the things you are hiding?"

Shen Mingxin froze: "You...know?"

Chu Shenxiang lowered her eyes slightly: "I understand now."

Shen Mingxin's eyebrows twitched, and he almost bit down. A dignified god was actually trying to trick him.

"I didn't mean to hide it. It was just a guess based on the mud on the soles of my shoes, my unusual physical condition, and that cold..." Shen Mingxin thought to himself, "I... I didn't do anything when I came to your temple late at night, did I?"

Chu Shenxiang met his gaze, and after a moment, said, "No. You were just crying. You cried for a long time."

This answer is a bit strange.

Shen Mingxin was half-believing and half-doubting. She slightly raised her eyes to look at the tall statue of the god standing in the shrine not far away. Her legs, hidden under the blanket, unconsciously tightened their grip. "I... I'm sorry, are you really not going to punish me?"

Whether it was a misperception or not, Chu Shenxiang seemed to hear a hint of expectation in Shen Mingxin's words.

He said, "There's nothing to punish."

That's the truth.

He had thought it was troublesome, but he had never considered punishing him, let alone now.

"In that case... thank you for your mercy."

Shen Mingxin, cradling his belly, knelt on the couch, bowing slightly as a gesture of respect. His black hair fell from his shoulders and neck, obscuring his expression. Chu Shenxiang couldn't see it, but sensed that his vibrant energy had dimmed somewhat; he seemed unhappy.

Chu Shenxiang paused, about to speak, but suddenly sensed something and turned to look at the foot of the mountain.

"Someone's coming."

He saw the figure with his divine sense and said to Shen Mingxin, "You should rest at the back of the hall first. I have controlled the divine embryo and it will not grow any larger. It may hurt occasionally, but I am looking for a way to resolve it. Just bear with it for now."

Shen Mingxin agreed, so Chu Shenxiang didn't think much of it. She simply raised her hand slightly and carried the soft couch, along with Shen Mingxin, into the back of the hall, where she set up a protective barrier. She then returned to her divine form and no longer revealed herself.

The temple fell silent for a moment.

Shen Mingxin leaned against the back of the hall, and after a long while, he sighed in his heart.

"Indeed, worldly desires are nothing to Shenxiangjun..."

He looked down at the exposed part of his ankle.

The gods did not hold it against them, nor did they pursue the matter. Although the previous investigation was embarrassing, they seemed to have no lingering thoughts about it.

In this way, she would not be punished, nor would she become a physical sacrifice to serve the gods' desires because of their covetousness. In any case, Shen Mingxin felt that she should be grateful. But why did she feel inexplicably lost after confirming it?

He slowly raised his right hand, lowered his head and buried his mouth and nose in it, taking a deep sniff.

It touched that corner of the garment, and even after it was put down, a faint fragrance still lingered.

That fragrance belongs to Shenxiangjun.

Desolate and quiet, like mist and snow...

Shen Mingxin sniffed and licked greedily, his fingers trembling slightly as he stretched them out, like a beautiful and enchanting net, perfectly concealing his unaware greed and infatuation.