Chapter 62 Blasphemy 11. (Two-in-one) (5k nutrient solution...)
Concealing her presence with an illusion, Chu Shenxiang followed Shen Mingxin not far away, stepping over the wall and rooftops, heading with him to the Shen family's medicine shop.
However, Shen Zhuan was not in the pharmacy.
"The old master left half an hour ago; he went to the pharmacy in the north of the city," the shop assistant said.
Shen Mingxin was covered in sweat. Upon receiving the news, he didn't linger for a moment and went out again, hurrying towards the north of the city.
Ever since he learned that there might actually be a Chunshan Gong by Shen Chou's side, he was no longer confident that the search he conducted in Shen Chou's courtyard today could have escaped his notice.
He needs to discuss a solution with his grandfather as soon as possible.
But neither horses nor carriages were comfortable for him. They were too conspicuous and would easily attract Shen Chou's attention before Shen Chou even noticed anything. Therefore, Shen Mingxin ultimately just casually appeared as if he were going out, without uttering a single word to Shushi.
At the end of Shenshi (3-5 PM), he rushed into Shen's Pharmacy in the north of the city, covered in sweat and pale-faced.
Shen Zhuan, who was working on an abacus behind the counter, was startled when he saw this and hurriedly asked Shen Mingxin what was wrong, but the illness had returned.
Upon seeing his grandfather, Shen Mingxin's forced composure nearly crumbled. He struggled to maintain his composure and pulled Shen Zhuan aside to speak. Shen Zhuan readily agreed, for nothing was more important than Shen Mingxin.
The grandfather and granddaughter entered the backyard, and Chu Shenxiang also strolled around. Like a gentle breeze, she leaped from the eaves into the half-open window and sat down on the flower stand.
Beside the flower stand, Shen Mingxin and Shen Zhuan had just stepped inside. As Shen Zhuan closed the door, he looked at Shen Mingxin with concern: "What happened, Mingxin? How come you've been gone all afternoon..."
"Grandpa, Shen Chou is trying to harm us!" Finally finding some peace and quiet and seeing his family, Shen Mingxin could no longer contain himself and blurted out, "I heard it with my own ears and saw it with my own eyes. He worships Chunshan Gong and is a follower of Chunshan Gong. Chunshan Gong has manifested himself and is helping him harm us. Before, there were incense ash seeds that were planted on me, which was also meant to harm me. Perhaps my serious illness a while ago was not a coincidence!"
Shen Zhuan looked at Shen Mingxin with a hint of surprise in his eyes, but it seemed that the surprise was directed at Shen Mingxin, not Shen Chou.
Shen Mingxin was too emotional to notice, but Chu Shenxiang saw it clearly.
This reaction was rather strange.
Chu Shenxiang sensed something was amiss.
Sure enough, after Shen Mingxin finally finished speaking incessantly, as if narrating or pouring out her bewilderment, about the ball of light in her dream and what she saw and heard in the afternoon, in addition to Qi Meng, Shen Zhuan sighed and said, "Mingxin, I actually know all of this, but I didn't expect that you would stumble upon it by some twist of fate."
Shen Mingxin was stunned and suddenly looked at Shen Zhuan.
"Grandpa, you knew?!" He was a little confused. "How did you know? You knew and yet you still let Shen Chou... he..."
Shen Zhuan said, "This is a long story..."
Shen Ming thought to himself, "Whether it's long or short, I want to know the answer today, Grandpa!"
He sensed an unknown aura and felt that even his grandfather in front of him had become a stranger.
Shen Zhuan paused, his aged face twitching slightly. He lowered his eyes and slowly poured two cups of tea: "Don't be so impatient. Sit down and have some water. I didn't mean to hide it from you, I just hadn't figured out how to tell you."
"This matter is complicated to explain, and it has to be traced back to decades ago, when my grandfather was still young."
Since neither Shen Zhuan nor Shen Mingxin could see Chu Shenxiang, Chu Shenxiang, as if no one else was around, naturally squatted down and listened attentively.
He had a gut feeling that this was related to Shen Zhuan's inexplicable request to him that day, when Shen Zhuan burned incense with his blood.
"That was about forty-five years ago..."
Shen Zhuan closed his eyes and sighed, then began to recount the past.
Forty-five years ago, the world had been in chaos for over a hundred years. There was endless fighting, and the land was barren for thousands of miles. In many places, even the clay was dug up, and there was not enough to eat. Starving people were everywhere, and the fields were covered with cold bones.
At that time, Shen Zhuan was about ten years old and was not called Shen Zhuan, but Shen Sanlang.
Shen Sanlang had two older brothers. The eldest brother was conscripted into the army, and his fate was unknown. To avoid military service, the second brother made a desperate move and cut off his own arm, but he was still dragged away. The soldier said that as long as he was alive, even if he was turned into a human pig, he had to roll around on the battlefield.
As for Shen Sanlang, he was luckier. He grew to be fourteen or fifteen years old without being captured. But it was no use. All the crops died, and the family couldn't afford to eat. His parents starved themselves to give him a bite to eat and a sip of water. They were practically skin and bones and were on the verge of death.
With nowhere else to turn, Shen Sanlang searched everywhere for a way to survive.
One day, he overheard two local thugs plotting to dig up someone's grave.
Shen Sanlang knew this was a deadly path that would bring him bad karma and attract demons, but the world was already in such a state that he had no other choice. Even if it was a dead end, at least he could live a comfortable life before he died, and that was enough.
And what if, by some chance, he actually manages to turn this dead end into a life?
Shen Sanlang was tempted.
Having made up his mind, he devised a plan and used a piece of cake to become the brother of those two local thugs.
The three agreed to act together. They first dug up the graves of the village's wealthy landlords, and having tasted the benefits, they secretly steamed large steamed buns at home that very night. Later, they continued their search, digging up graves in the town and county. Once they had finished digging up the old graves, they set their sights on new ones. Gradually, they actually managed to accumulate a fortune in this chaotic world.
Shen Sanlang was naturally quick-witted, and before long, he became the leader of the three, which made him quite proud.
However, Shen Sanlang dared not tell his parents or the villagers about these things. He also sternly instructed the other two to keep their mouths shut, otherwise the gods above and the government below would not let them off the hook, and they might not be able to get away with it even if they died.
The other two weren't stupid either; they knew the danger. They hid their money outside, only daring to occasionally bring some home, claiming it was from working away from home. Their families might have had suspicions, but in this world, what could they ask? They just had to survive.
After about three or four years of this, the three of them searched all the surrounding villages and counties, but no one reported them to the authorities or they encountered any strange things. They became bolder and more greedy, so they sneaked to the vicinity of Danyang County, hoping to find a better tomb.
Shen Sanlang inquired everywhere and learned that a county princess who had passed through Danyang and died of illness had been buried there.
The county princess originally intended to move her coffin back to the capital, but General Wei Qi of Dongfeng had already reached the vicinity of Danyang. The county princess's confidants had no choice but to risk their lives and take charge, burying the county princess in the county.
"We've gotten a good deal now!"
Shen Sanlang laughed loudly: "This is a county princess, do you know? Only the daughters of the kings of Beizhu Kingdom can be granted this title! There must be a lot of good things in her tomb. We're going to make a fortune this time!"
“I don’t think so,” said Shen Daniu, the eldest of the three. “Even old women passing by know that the county princess was buried in Danyang. After all these years, it has probably been completely looted.”
Another person, Shen Dong, said, "I asked around, and I heard that no one has seen the county magistrate's treasures come out, so they must not have been stolen. Some people who don't have the means either can't find the tomb, or if they can, they all say there's no news..."
"This is clearly haunted!" Shen Daniu said. "We mustn't touch this county magistrate's tomb!"
"Coward!" Shen Sanlang said, "The three of us getting together is a matter of seeking fortune in danger. Ever since you got married and had a child, Brother Da Niu, you've become timid. It's okay once or twice, but after a while, you won't be able to keep going. Before you even start digging, you're already three-tenths scared, and your yang energy is depleted!"
Shen Sanlang was determined to dig up the county princess's grave. Shen Dong supported him, wanting to save up for his wife. Shen Daniu had no choice but to follow suit.
"Did something happen in the tomb?"
Shen Mingxin frowned.
Shen Zhuan gave a wry smile and shook his head, saying, "No. Nothing strange happened at the time. We brought out the gold and silver treasures from the tomb. It was a fortune we had never seen before. We were overjoyed and didn't even think that this time things might have gone a little too smoothly..."
Having received his windfall, Shen Sanlang went home first, took out a small portion, and claimed it was what he had earned from working away from home over the past few months. Shen's parents, being short-sighted, listened to his eloquent explanation and didn't have much doubt, only thinking that their Sanlang was capable and had made great strides.
After comforting his parents, Shen Sanlang left home and went to the neighboring county to find a place for pleasure and enjoyment.
One day, he was drunk, with women on both sides of him, when Shen Dong suddenly burst in, his face pale, and said something had happened.
Shen Sanlang was puzzled and was dragged along until they arrived at Shenjiabazi. As soon as they entered the village, they heard people say that Shen Daniu's family had died tragically. The baby was less than a year old, and his intestines had been pulled out and thrown to the roof beam, hanging like a little sausage.
Shen Sanlang felt a chill run through his body; he had sobered up.
When he arrived at Shen Daniu's house, he found Shen Daniu's parents, brother and sister-in-law, wife and daughter, and Shen Daniu himself—a family of seven—lying in the yard covered with straw mats. The three rooms of the house were covered in blood, a horrific sight, like a living hell.
Everything inside and outside, whether valuable or worthless, had been taken by the villagers. The village chief said that they should thank the villagers for helping to collect the body, as it was only right.
Shen Sanlang heard all of this, but he didn't listen.
He lifted the straw mat and took a look, then vomited violently.
"How did he die?"
He asked the village chief.
"I don't know," the village chief said. "Nobody knows. We didn't hear a sound. Maybe it's been attacked by a demon. I hope it doesn't massacre the village... Oh well, let it massacre us. There's hardly anyone left in the village anyway. In this kind of year, it doesn't really matter whether we live or die..."
Shen Sanlang didn't know if the tragic deaths of Shen Daniu's family were related to the county magistrate's tomb, but in any case, he would not sit idly by and wait for his death.
He packed his belongings overnight and, under the pretext of escaping demons, took his parents and left Shenjiabazi. He had intended to ask Shen Dong to come along, but that man had run even faster than him and had long since disappeared.
To survive, Shen Sanlang and his parents went into hiding, seeking out various deities who had appeared before them. Finally, he arrived at Xiling, where he worshipped the Goddess Tongtian and offered up most of his wealth. The divination results indicated that the Goddess Tongtian would protect him.
Shen Sanlang was relieved and settled down in Yu County, where he worshipped the Goddess Tongtian and used the remaining money to start a medicinal herb business.
As the world gradually stabilized, his business flourished, and he slowly built up his fortune. Shen Sanlang transformed into Shen Zhuan, acquired land, donated money to obtain a minor official position, and became one of the most prominent local gentry in Yu County.
In the blink of an eye, many years have passed. Shen Zhuan now has a wife and children, grandchildren, and a large Shen family.
Shen Zhuan once thought that what happened back then was over, until twenty years ago, he suddenly started having dreams.
He dreamt of the county princess's tomb, the tragic death of Shen Daniu's family, and the county princess in her gorgeous clothes, her beautiful face smiling as she tried to eat his heart and liver. He was terrified and went to pray to the Heavenly Goddess that very night, begging for protection.
But this time, the Heavenly Goddess was not so easy to talk to; she demanded that Shen Zhuan be offered as a human sacrifice. Shen Zhuan dared to handle the dead, but dared not kill the living.
“I refused, saying I wouldn’t confess, and then the dream became clearer and clearer…”
Shen Zhuan's hands trembled slightly, and fear still lingered in his eyes when the matter was mentioned.
But this fear was quickly covered by a deeper layer of guilt, unease, hesitation, or something else.
Shen Zhuan looked at Shen Mingxin, his brows furrowing as if he had made a decision. He closed his eyes bitterly and said, "Back then... back then your mother was already pregnant with you. Although you weren't born yet, you were my first grandchild, Shen Zhuan's first grandchild. I was so overjoyed. I often dreamed about you during that time, and then..."
Then, in a dream, he imagined his grandson being born and he was holding the child and coaxing him into a deep sleep. Suddenly, he turned his head and saw the county princess with a blood-red, smeared face grabbing at him. In his panic, he didn't know what he was thinking, so he threw his grandson out of his arms.
The county princess tore the swaddling clothes to shreds, let out a shrill laugh, and vanished.
After that, Chen Zhuan stopped dreaming.
But he was even more afraid.
Fearing that he had harmed his grandson in his dream, he hurriedly went to ask the Heavenly Goddess. The Goddess's condition remained unchanged; a human sacrifice was still required. Shen Zhuan gritted his teeth, took a knife in the middle of the night, and sneaked to the desolate house, intending to steel himself and kill someone to exchange for his grandson. But in the end, he still couldn't bring himself to do it.
Hesitating like this, Shen Zhuan returned home the next day and heard that his daughter-in-law had an accident. He was so shocked that he almost fainted. He felt that cause and effect were cyclical and retribution was inevitable.
Turning around, he heard that nothing had happened and that he had been saved by a stone. He immediately sensed the mystery and hurried to inquire, thus learning the name of Shenxiangjun.
Shen Zhuan felt that although Shen Xiangjun was not very famous, she must have some supernatural ability to protect her daughter-in-law. That's why she later built a temple for her and became her godparent.
“I’m sorry, Mingxin, it’s all Grandpa’s fault,” Shen Zhuan said. “Grandpa… didn’t mean to throw you out back then, it’s just… Grandpa was just too scared…”
He seemed unable to face Shen Mingxin, his head bowed low, his beard trembling.
This matter had been buried deep in Shen Zhuan's heart for many years, never even spoken of to his wife. To speak of it now required immense courage. And once he had spoken, his courage was gone, leaving only desolation and cowardice.
Shen Mingxin didn't answer, but stared blankly at the teacup in her hand.
The atmosphere between the grandfather and grandson became extremely awkward for a moment.
"What does this have to do with Shen Chou?"
Shen Mingxin suddenly spoke up, "Shen Daniu, or a descendant of Shen Dong, is he Shen Chou? They believe you were guilty of what happened back then, so they want revenge?"
“Yes,” Shen Zhuan’s withered lips moved slightly, his voice hoarse, “Shen Chou is Shen Dong’s grandson. When I met him twelve years ago, his whole family had died. I took pity on the descendants of the deceased and brought him back. In the past, he obviously didn’t know about those events forty years ago, but this time when he came back, he somehow found out and said he wanted revenge. But he has my people by his side, and they sent the message back early this morning.”
After a pause, Shen Zhuan said, "Mingxin, Grandpa knows your doubts. Grandpa knows that Shen Chou is going to deal with the Shen family and has even allied himself with Lord Chunshan. This is something that we ordinary people cannot contend with. Yet, I let it go and pretended to be ignorant. It's not what you think. It's all for a scheme to use one wolf to devour another!"
"Using a wolf to devour a tiger?" Shen Mingxin frowned.
Chu Shenxiang's dark blue eyes also lifted slightly.
Could the tiger in the phrase "driving wolves to devour tigers" refer to him?
The next moment, Shen Zhuan said, "You don't know, but Shen Xiangjun is not someone you can easily get along with."
The white cat's whiskers twitched slightly.
That's true.
Shen Zhuan said, "Although Shen Xiangjun saved your and your mother's lives back then, I was still worried. When we became godparents, I stayed a while after your parents left and cast lots at the Shen Xiang Temple."
"The result of that cup contest was that Shen Xiangjun was willing to protect the Shen family, but... he wanted you to belong to him."
Shen Mingxin paused and looked at Shen Zhuan.
"I belong to him?" Shen Mingxin asked. "What does that mean?"
Shen Zhuan shook his head: "I don't know either, but I was worried that it would take your life, so I was terrified and kept begging the priest who was presiding over the ritual to invite the gods to help me. The priest came and performed a ritual, saying that the goddess Xiangjun would not take people's lives casually."
"These words were unclear, but I couldn't get any answers no matter how much I asked. Helpless, I could only swallow my anger."
"But for many years afterward, except when you were eight, you never caused any trouble, so I thought Shenxiangjun was a good person."
"As a result, some time ago, you suddenly fell seriously ill for no reason and nothing you did could help. I was shocked to realize that this might be the God of Xiang coming to take you away. I rushed to the Shenxiang Temple and prayed for a long time. When I returned, you woke up that very night and recovered. So how can you say that it has nothing to do with the God of Xiang?"
“If Shenxiang Jun has taken you once, he might take you a second or third time. Begging is not a long-term solution. Grandfather must think of a plan! It just so happens that Lord Chunshan has come. Letting the two of them face off would be a good thing…”
Shen Mingxin knew that his grandfather was a man of deep thoughts, but he never expected that he would even scheme against the gods that Shen Mingxin had always revered.
Whether on the mountain or at home, when my grandfather worshipped the goddess Xiangjun, he was always extremely devout, and it didn't seem like he was faking it at all!
After a moment of silence, Shen Mingxin said, "Grandpa, whether my serious illness is related to Shen Xiangjun is just your guess. Although I fear Shen Xiangjun, that is the aftermath of what happened twelve years ago. Over the years, whether He is a true god or just an ordinary stone statue, He has never done anything bad to our Shen family."
"But that Lord Chunshan is a true evil god; a single invocation ritual requires a pair of young boys and girls..."
“I knew it, you were the one who caused the Fukuda incident,” Shen Zhuan said immediately. “How many times have I warned you to mind your own business?”
Shen Mingxin frowned, about to speak, when Shen Zhuan continued, "What good gods and evil gods? Mingxin, your grandfather has traveled all over the country for many years and knows these gods better than anyone. This world is not as you think, there isn't a single true god, but it's not as many people think either, that gods are merciful and save people from the world."
"Grandpa dares to say that none of the gods today can be called 'righteous' or 'good'!"
"Offering flesh to Buddha and digging out hearts for divination—are these mere empty words? If they weren't truly able to answer prayers and follow some rules, then gods and demons would be no different!"
Shen Mingxin was stunned, staring blankly at Shen Zhuan, because he had never heard Shen Zhuan say such things before, which would have been condemned as treason.
"But what can we do?" Shen Zhuan slammed his hand on the table with a bitter smile. "In such a chaotic world, without divine protection, we can't survive. Without something to hold onto in our hearts, we can't hold on."
"Grandpa worshipped the Heavenly Goddess for survival, and he worshipped the Divine Xiangjun for survival. Now that Lord Ren Chunshan has entered the family, it's still for survival. For you, for me, for the Shen family to survive!"
“Don’t worry,” he said, “Grandpa isn’t completely ignorant of what kind of person Master Chunshan is. This plan to drive the wolf into the tiger is just to delay things, not because our family really wants to support Master Chunshan.”
"Delay?" Shen Mingxin thought to himself.
"Have you heard that the Grand Preceptor of Shenzhao Kingdom is coming to Beizhu and has decided to pass through Xiling and Yu County?" Shen Zhuan said. "The Grand Preceptor wants to take on disciples. As long as you can become the Grand Preceptor's disciple, you will be protected by the Grand Preceptor and the most powerful and popular monk in the world, Xu Mingtian Venerable. Shen Xiangjun and Chunshan Gong will be nothing to fear!"
Shen Mingxin almost suspected that Shen Zhuan was drunk and talking nonsense.
"Why should the Imperial Preceptor accept me as his disciple?" He was momentarily confused and almost laughed.
“Grandpa has his own way,” Shen Zhuan stroked his beard. “Tomorrow is the first day of the month. After praying to the gods, Grandpa will go out to visit an old friend in Xiling. Whether the matter of the Imperial Preceptor’s disciple succeeds or not depends on this. If it succeeds, everyone will be happy. If it fails, we can always ask a new god.”
"As for Shenchou, you don't need to worry too much. As for the matter of the incense seeds you just mentioned, Grandpa will talk to him about it later. Grandpa has something on him, so he won't dare to do anything to you again."
"Oh right, and that white cat you mentioned earlier. Although Lord Chunshan isn't well-known and isn't some great deity, anything that can deceive Him is clearly no ordinary spirit. You still need to be careful, and you might be able to use it if necessary..."
Shen Mingxin didn't know what to say.
The outcome of his search for his grandfather was completely different from what he had expected.
Chu Shenxiang watched this candid conversation between the grandfather and grandson, but didn't have many thoughts about it.
He had seen too many of the things Shen Zhuan mentioned; they were strange in some ways, and not strange in others. But the one thing that caught his attention was the cup-chasing contest that Shen Zhuan had mentioned twenty years ago.
Twenty years ago, he was just a stone, powerless to respond to anything. And in the last twelve years since he became a god, he has had no interest, remaining in slumber and never responding to anyone's divination.
Therefore, the outcome of the cup-chasing incident mentioned by Shen Zhuan was entirely a coincidence and their conjecture. In modern terms, in the words of Chu Shenxiang before his birth in this world, it was a projection of his own psychology and thoughts, and had nothing to do with him, the Lord Shenxiang.
Chu Shenxiang felt a bit heavy on her back, probably because a pot of noodles had inexplicably appeared.
"Grandpa feels guilty towards you, but I will take care of everything for you," Shen Zhuan said, patting Shen Mingxin's shoulder. "Alright, don't overthink it, go back and get some rest."
Shen Zhuan clearly didn't want to say anything more.
Shen Mingxin gave a vague reply and followed Shen Zhuan's lead out of the pharmacy, feeling rather dazed.
Thinking of Shen Chou and Chunshan Gong, who lived not far from his courtyard, Shen Mingxin felt a little reluctant to go home. He looked around, stepped into a restaurant, ordered some river delicacies, sent Shushi back to deliver them to his bedroom, and then sat alone in a private room, ordered two pots of wine, and drank them idly.
Chu Shenxiang sat on the window frame, not expecting that Shen Mingxin would still remember to feed the white cat at this time.
He glanced at Shen Mingxin's unusually expressionless face and the cups of wine she was drinking, remained silent for a moment, then revealed herself, landing lightly on the table. As she stepped forward, she knocked over a wine pot.
Shen Mingxin was startled. He ignored the wine pot and let the wine spill over the edge of the table and onto his body. He just turned his phoenix eyes to look at the white cat.
"It's you."
Shen Mingxin forced a smile: "The river delicacies of Yu County are very famous. I asked Shushi to bring some back, but since you're here, why don't you try them here? What you bring back is never as good as what's fresh out of the oven."
"Waiter!"
He called.
Chu Shenxiang did not stop her.
Shen Mingxin was grateful for his life-saving grace, but she clearly didn't quite trust him. If he didn't accept anything, Shen Mingxin would feel even more uneasy.
The new dishes were served quickly. The waiter entered the room, glanced at the white cat, but it seemed as if there was nothing there, and he saw nothing at all.
After the dishes were served, Chu Shenxiang picked up a dish of small river shrimp. He slightly opened his mouth, and two small river shrimp flew up and entered his mouth. He could no longer enjoy the delicacies of the mortal world; eating them like this was no different from eating incense ash.
After finishing her meal, Chu Shenxiang tapped the tip of her cat tail, and a bowl of tea flowed out, condensing into several characters on the table.
"The river shrimp are delicious today, and I will grant you three wishes."
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