Chapter 54
Step by step, it seemed endless. But for Shen Chumo, it was just a blink of an eye.
A concerned and gentle female voice came, causing him to pause in his steps.
"Chu Mo, this is a temple. It used to be very popular. I don't know if this power will affect you... Anyway, be careful."
"Also, I guess the key word for pollution source should be 'human desires,' like money, power, sex, and so on. Well, because people who pray to Buddha usually seek these things."
Du Mingxing pretended to analyze.
She had read the script and knew the content of the test. Although she had confidence in Shen Chumo's ability, worry still prevailed. After all, the temple had turned into a source of pollution. What if its attributes happened to restrain it?
In the plot, the heroine's test is naturally "lust", after all, the author is just making a fuss about this little bit of jealousy. The heroine is seduced into eating the tribute, which is the forbidden fruit, and then the development that scholars love to see is very different.
But Shen Chumo didn't seem very interested in any of this. Du Mingxing couldn't imagine his challenge.
At least it won’t be money, power, and...sex.
A forbidden fruit suddenly appeared before her eyes.
“……?”
To be precise, it was in front of Shen Chumo.
A tree growing on the edge of the steps, at the end of the road, with black branches stretching out, offers the only plump and juicy fruit, like a vicious stepmother disguised as a withered old woman, offering the apple coated with poison with both hands; or like a compassionate monk, handing the only cup of water to a passerby who is about to die of thirst.
Who would fall for such an obvious trap? Du Mingxing scoffed.
Just as she was thinking this, the next second, a slender hand stretched out, and as soon as it was placed under the forbidden fruit, it automatically fell down and landed steadily in the palm of her hand.
Du Mingxing smelled something sweet and subconsciously looked towards the forbidden fruit. He swallowed his saliva and felt a sense of lightness all over his body. His feet felt like they were sinking into marshmallows. His mind was in a trance for a moment. When he came to his senses, alarm bells were ringing in his mind.
"Chu Mo, be careful with this forbidden fruit."
The forbidden fruit was heavy, and its skin was an enticing red with a rosy gradient.
The mist dissipated, and at the end of the stairs, a dilapidated temple suddenly appeared. The smell of incense became more and more pervasive, a little pungent. Shen Chumo walked straight forward and entered the temple.
The temple was clearly empty, but inside there were curls of incense, the sound of dull bells, and the sound of continuous chanting of scriptures coming from the empty hall.
It seems as if the temple, which is bustling with incense, is in another time and space.
Shen Chumo stepped into the hall with his right foot. The Buddha statue's eyes were half-closed, its gaze full of compassion and mercy for all living beings, showing no emotion at the visitor's transgression.
Du Mingxing in his sea of consciousness was immersed in this solemnity and put his hands together: "Bow."
"Oh, and there's also money for incense..."
Du Mingxing appeared, intending to enter Shen Chumo's domain to find some change, but he saw that his eyes were focused on the face of the Buddha statue. Upon closer inspection, he was blank and dazed, as if he was confronting him with his divine consciousness.
She was afraid of disturbing Shen Chumo's practice, so she quickly shut her mouth and waited to see what would happen.
The Buddhist chanting in Shen Chumo's ear seemed to drive away the demon in him. Shen Chumo frowned slightly, feeling that it was too noisy.
This pollution source, which uses the temple as a carrier, is nothing more than that. It is just pretending to be mysterious and trying to scare people. It is very boring.
After seeing that this pollution source couldn't do anything fancy, Shen Chumo completely lost interest. He spoke lightly, as if asking about the weather today.
"Tell me where the ambergris is, and I'll let you go."
The Buddha said, "O obsessive demon, I have already offered the answer with both hands. You can only obtain it after undergoing trials."
"The Buddha saves all living beings without exception."
After he finished speaking, the Buddha statue closed its eyes, and no matter how Shen Chumo called out, there was no response.
Shen Chumo's patience was exhausted. He was about to bloodbath the temple and pry open its mouth when something suddenly rolled to the ground. He looked down and saw that it was the forbidden fruit he had casually stuffed into his shirt pocket.
He opened his mouth, pondered for a moment, and asked Du Mingxing who was waiting beside him: "What did you just see?"
"There was nothing there, just you standing there," she recalled, pointing to the statue with closed eyes. "And you see, its eyes are closed. Does that mean you defeated it? You're not hurt, are you?"
Shen Chumo nodded, picked up the forbidden fruit, looked at the bright red fruit coldly, and sneered.
Offered with both hands? After trials?
Can you get the answer by eating the forbidden fruit?
Shen Chumo only laughed at the ignorance of the pollution source, who believed the offerings of mortals and regarded himself as an almighty god, and really thought that he could deal with him with this fruit.
Whether it was the poison it put in, the desire brought by the forbidden fruit itself, or any other elements mixed in with it, it would not have any effect on him.
He has long been immune to all poisons.
The only one who can hurt him is probably...
He tightened the forbidden fruit in his hand and took a bite without hesitation.
The moment he bit it, he realized something was wrong.
——This is not a forbidden fruit at all, nor is it any kind of fruit, but a small deception, and its core is the ambergris they are looking for.
No wonder the pollution source theory has already provided the answer, but... why bother to make it mysterious?
What if he had less patience and didn't ask it questions, but instead directly overturned the dilapidated temple?
Shen Chumo shook his head and simply took a few more bites, waiting for the core to be exposed so that he could restore it to ambergris.
"Don't eat it!" Du Mingxing hurriedly grabbed Shen Chumo, "Wake up, this is forbidden fruit! If you eat it..."
She rushed forward and snatched the forbidden fruit, but was speechless when she saw the teeth marks and fresh flesh on the skin.
The fresh fruits neatly arranged on the altar formed a small triangular tower, but one fruit was missing from the end of the tower, as if a corner was missing.
The tribute fruit that Shen Chumo and the heroine eat is the same...
Du Mingxing's mind was in turmoil, her brain racing, yet it was still a mess. She had assumed Shen Chumo had enough magic resistance, and with her warning, she hadn't expected him to be bewitched and eat the forbidden fruit.
Shen Chumo's hand rested on the fruit, touching her slender fingertips, and he trembled slightly with anxiety. He was about to explain when Du Mingxing suddenly let go, and the forbidden fruit fell to the ground and rolled to his feet.
But he had no time to care.
The pair of slender hands had already covered his forehead, her delicate body was leaning slightly on tiptoe, her almond eyes were sparkling with undisguised concern,
"Does it hurt?"
“…”
His heart skipped a beat and it was hard to describe whether he felt uncomfortable or not.
The hand moved to his cheek, and the back of the other hand came over to cool him down with the slightly cooler temperature. Her voice was anxious and a little helpless.
"Oh no, my temperature is starting to rise...ah, my face is red too..."
Her words were like a stone thrown into a lake, and Shen Chumo's heart was in turmoil for a moment. Hearing her muttering something like "The trial of bitterness is too much" and "Why is this jealousy still here?", he finally realized the true meaning of the Buddha.
Glancing at the Buddha statue, it just had its eyes closed. A canvas from somewhere on the roof of the temple fell down, just covering its ears. It looked like it had its eyes and ears closed, undisturbed by the outside world.
Do not look at or listen to anything indecent.
No wonder they say "only after going through trials can one obtain it." This trial is actually like this... It knows that ordinary trials are useless, so it uses this method...
Testing his heart, and hers.
As long as Shen Chumo opens his mouth and explains, the trial will end immediately, and they can leave smoothly with the ambergris.
What's there to hesitate about?
Du Mingxing bit her lip, caressing Shen Chumo's cheek with both hands. As she was brainstorming and thinking about a plan that the other party could accept, she felt a humid and hot wind blowing past her ears, carrying a man's hoarse voice.
“…Uncomfortable.”
After saying that, he frowned, pursed his lips in shame, and his ears turned red.
Du Mingxing was shocked.
Even a powerful villain like the final one who didn't cry out in pain even after breaking his arm said it was uncomfortable. His face was so hot and even his ears were congested. The drug must have been extremely strong and he might have reached his limit of endurance.
Du Mingxing was burned by Shen Chumo's eyes. He lowered his head, his mind filled with his deep dark eyes.
The question is…can Shen Chumo really accept her?
Her heart was pounding and her mind was wandering. Taking advantage of this opportunity and taking advantage of Chen Chumo, using this pain-proof inner demon body, would be fun, but the question was, would he regret it after he had the green worm in his head?
She really didn't want the other party to accept her out of a sense of responsibility for her.
As he hesitated, Shen Chumo's tall and slender body slowly sank, and he seemed to be a little exhausted. He put his head on her shoulder, without saying a word, but with a hint of weakness and asking for help.
It turned out that the heat made my head unclear.
Du Mingxing felt pity and love for him, and she put her arms around his body. He stiffened for a moment, and she quickly patted his back to comfort him, coaxing him like a child, speaking softly.
"Don't worry, I'm here... I won't abandon you..."
She thought of the scene where the heroine fought fiercely for three days and three nights, and simply helped Shen Chumo sit on the cushion in front of the altar. She blushed and dared not look at him. Her voice became softer and softer and trembled more and more because of shame.
"If the effect is too strong, you don't have to worry..." She tried to imagine herself as a doll belonging to Shen Chumo, and continued in a tone that did not reveal her feelings, "I really don't feel any pain. Just wait for me to recover and continue using it."
The door of the hall closed automatically and the windows fell, providing just the right amount of darkness for the two people inside.
"Xingxing," Shen Chumo finally called her nickname again, his voice hoarse and vague, "I'm sorry."
What's there to apologize for when you get food poisoning?
Du Mingxing smiled, finally finding the courage for the first time to lean on his shoulder, just like she had imagined. It was warm and spacious, and it would be perfect for sleeping with it as a pillow.
She touched Shen Chumo's clothes, her hand slid down, and happened to go into the pocket, touching a few candies.
Du Mingxing took it out, tore open a piece of candy and put it in his mouth, then thought of something and retorted, "How is it sour? It's obviously sweet. If you don't believe me, try it yourself."
She propped herself up and moved closer to Shen Chumo's face. He stretched out his hand as if ready to receive the candy, completely unaware of what was about to happen.
She pressed her lips against his light-colored lips. His eyes went blank for a moment, then he grasped the back of her head and their lips met.
Du Mingxing's eardrums were buzzing, and he rolled his tongue over to pass the candy over to share its sweetness.
Shen Chumo took the candy away and searched every inch of the greenhouse where it had been, making sure that the sweetness would not be left in any corner.
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