Chapter 90, Side Story ②: Secrets and Nightmares - This fox is a wanderer. ...
In late autumn, in the afternoon, Chu Shenxiang sat fishing by the small river at the entrance of the village.
Looking down, the river is clear and shallow, with fish swimming around; looking up, the forest is ablaze with color, the red maples like rosy clouds—it's a breathtakingly beautiful rural landscape.
He and Shen Mingxin had lived in this village for two years. Two years ago, it was such beautiful scenery that he stopped in his tracks and made him and Shen Mingxin decide to live here in seclusion for a few years.
There are countless beautiful mountains and rivers in the world, each with its own unique charm. No matter how far she travels or how many she has seen, Chu Shenxiang will never tire of them.
But now, with such vibrant and clear autumn colors right before his eyes, he was somewhat distracted.
The key to this lies with Shen Mingxin.
His lovely Daoist partner, ever since returning from the modern world three months ago, has seemed to have changed his personality, spending his days sneaking around and acting suspiciously.
For example, more than two months ago.
Taking advantage of the good daylight, Chu Shenxiang took out some books she had collected since moving here to air them out.
Of course, he could use a single breath spell to refresh all his books, eliminating the need for airing them out. But if everything were like that, wouldn't it be rather dull? Besides, when cultivation reaches its deepest level, it's about understanding the natural world and being grounded in reality; only then can one truly savor the experience.
In short, when Chu Shenxiang was airing out his books and looking for some, he noticed an unfamiliar box made of naturally abstaining from divine sense by the Thunderwood. Curious, he took it out and was about to open it when Shen Mingxin rushed in like a cat on hot bricks, jokingly trying to get him to look at his paintings.
After looking at the painting, Chu Shenxiang turned around to look at the box again, but it had vanished. It was obvious that Shen Mingxin had hidden it. Chu Shenxiang had only seen that box once; she hadn't seen it since.
More recent events, like yesterday.
Chu Shenxiang went to town to buy the roast chicken that Shen Mingxin loved most. On her way back, she ran into an old friend and chatted for a while. Fearing that it would be late, she didn't walk back step by step, but instead used her spatial ability to return directly.
Although it wasn't in a room, but only in the courtyard, it still startled Shen Mingxin. He slammed the door shut, fiddled around for a while, and came out with sweat on his forehead and his cheeks flushed. He said he was taking a nap because it was too hot.
That's obviously a lie.
There are many more like this.
So, what exactly is the secret?
They only stayed in the modern world for three days. Apart from reuniting with his family in his dreams, they spent the rest of the time playing around with their main body and their divided spirit, traveling all over the country and abroad, experiencing everything.
Upon reflection, although it was colorful and fulfilling, it doesn't seem to have anything particularly special.
Moreover, Shen Mingxin's repeated slip-ups were unlike those of a Nascent Soul Realm expert. His intention was clear: to deliberately pique Chu Shenxiang's curiosity and make her discover his true nature.
"A little fox..."
Chu Shenxiang gazed at the fish swimming in the water, her eyes filled with helplessness.
"Let's see if I can hold back, or you can endure it."
Shen Mingxin wanted to play, but Chu Shenxiang didn't want to let him. He was determined to tease him.
Even so, it made him restless, and he was distracted when fishing or enjoying the scenery, but it was very interesting, wasn't it? He guessed that Shen Mingxin was even more impatient than him.
If you can't appreciate the beautiful scenery in front of you, then take a nap.
Chu Shenxiang, holding onto the fishing rod, simply closed her eyes.
Chu Shenxiang was right. When it comes to the composure to keep a facade intact, Shen Mingxin is definitely far inferior to him.
As dusk settled, he packed up his fishing rod and headed home. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he noticed something was different.
The doors and windows of the main house were all tightly closed, except for one latticed window in the bedroom, which had a small crack open, just enough for someone to stand outside, press against it, and peek inside.
Chu Shenxiang's dark blue eyes swept across the window crack, she silently raised the corners of her lips, then put down her fishing rod and went into the kitchen, pretending not to have seen anything and only focused on cooking.
However.
"Smack!"
Chu Shenxiang picked up the firewood, but it fell.
"Thump!"
Chu Shenxiang picked up the pot, and then dropped it.
"Clang!"
Chu Shenxiang picked up the knife, and the knife cracked.
Finally, seeing that Chu Shenxiang was still in a leisurely manner and about to scoop water from the water vat, someone finally got impatient and slammed something against the bedroom window, making a sound.
Chu Shenxiang paused, no longer pretending to be deaf and dumb, and looked up as she walked out of the kitchen.
He muttered to himself, "What was that sound..."
He acted just like an ordinary cultivator who had just entered the Foundation Establishment stage and had not yet developed a divine consciousness or dharma form.
The people inside were satisfied and stopped causing trouble.
Chu Shenxiang walked smoothly to the bedroom window that was slightly ajar. There seemed to be some strange noises coming from inside. Was it a bad person, an evil god, or a demon?
No, none of those are true.
Chu Shenxiang leaned against the window and looked inside. Through the narrow gap, she glimpsed a roguish fox.
As dusk fell, the bedroom was dark and shadowy, with only a soft patch of white against the backdrop of heavy shadows. It lay on the bed, half-hidden by the gauze curtains, with only two jade-like, lustrous legs hanging down and a fluffy tail wrapped around them.
Based on these two things alone, Chu Shenxiang naturally could not conclude that this fox was dissolute.
However, he had exceptional eyesight and saw much more than just those two things.
For example, the large wet stains on the brocade quilt, the obvious stickiness on the gauze curtains, the thin white toes that were curling up in agony as they brushed against the bed rails, and the blurry, swaying red inside the curtains.
In addition to his eyesight, he also has a keen sense of hearing and smell.
He heard that suppressed voice, as if it were suspended and blocked by something, about to cry but not crying, about to shout but not shouting, only a little damp breath squeezed out from the tip of its nose, hot and cold, all with a cloying smell.
There was also the sound of water.
The sounds of pulling and vibration.
The crashing waves, just by hearing them, one can imagine the snow-white spray rising up, a breathtaking sight.
Chu Shenxiang stood outside the window, her gaze deep and somber.
He went out, and without noticing, he didn't close the window properly, allowing that lewd fox to sneak into the house. Although he didn't know how powerful the spirit was, this was his yard, and he couldn't let it defile it like that.
Intending to teach this fox a lesson, he slightly raised his hand, and the small remote control on the bedside table silently fell into his fingers.
He glanced at it twice and casually pressed a button.
A scream immediately came from inside the house.
"Hmm!"
The little fox became alert, its legs trembling as it turned around, revealing half its face through the gauze curtain. It was wet and flushed, like a peach blossom floating on water. In the center of the peach blossom, a bone lay across its lips, blocking its sound.
"Who!" The little fox cried out, spitting out the bone, "Who took my things..."
Chu Shenxiang listened but did not respond, and raised her finger to press another key.
The woman, whose face had just been blooming like a peach blossom, suddenly frowned, let out a cry, and fell off the bed, bumping into the bedpost.
"Where did this villain come from... Give my things back!" The little fox was both surprised and frightened, clutching the quilt and trying to prop herself up.
There are so many things that can be attached to him.
It had ears on its head, a red rope around its neck, and jingling cumbersome things on its chest and front. It would react to the slightest movement, not to mention the heaviest fox tail, which would make him unable to stand steadily if it shook even slightly.
He tried to get up, but couldn't; he was very pitiful.
How could Chu Shenxiang see that this little spirit was so pitiful?
He cherished it so much that he moved his finger and pushed it to the highest point.
The little fox fell to the ground, supported by a dark red blanket, trembling and sobbing, yet he still had the strength to shout, "Come out... bad guys! Come out!"
Chu Shenxiang felt this was very bad.
He raised his hand and gently tapped on the window frame.
As the little fox, startled and tearful, stared blankly, shadows slowly crept out from the damp, dark corner of the room. They were thin vines, spiderwebs, and black, python-like arms.
The little fox finally stopped yelling.
He was like a pitiful prey caught in a hunter's trap, bound by layers of netting, unable to twist or turn, only able to open his misty eyes and suffer the vivid and chaotic torment.
"husband……"
The little fox could no longer hold its tongue in its mouth; its ears tilted to one side, and its upturned eyes exuded a fragile yet alluring charm.
After hearing the word "husband," Chu Shenxiang couldn't continue her act.
He stepped forward and appeared before the bed.
"You went to Hyundai and bought all these things, and then you even called me 'husband' again?"
The deity who had fallen to earth was dressed in white today, as pure and aloof as snow. Standing before me, his mere presence was enough to captivate. Not to mention, he spoke, his tone so indifferent yet indulgent.
Shen Mingxin arched her back, leaning her sweaty face against him: "...Anything else? Would you like to try, husband?"
Chu Shenxiang raised her hand and helped Shen Mingxin up.
Those soft, smooth shoulders and back were like porcelain and jade, almost too smooth to touch.
"Come here."
He said.
For a long time afterward, Shen Mingxin didn't dare to recall the following month.
Yes, it's not that they're unwilling, but that they dare not.
Even if he doesn't actively think about it, he will occasionally dream about it.
In his dream, there seemed to be no light, and all he could do was stare blankly with his face upturned, his lips trembling as he cried helplessly. He had no other reaction.
The swirling vines, the black jungle, the rock-colored hands, the bulging veins on the neck and chest, and those dark blue eyes that, in a daze, held a restrained indifference yet were ruthless and violent—these became his most damp and suffocating nightmare.
He often wakes up kicking his legs, and when he opens his eyes, the dream seems to overlap with reality, and in front of him are those eyes and that hand.
At these moments, he couldn't help but cling to that person's arms, his calves trembling and contracting violently.
The person would gently embrace him, stroke his head, face, and shoulders, and whisper, "Did you wet the bed again?"
"Don't think that just because you're constantly using the Gentle Breeze Technique and surrounding yourself, I won't notice. I can smell it."
"You're such a grown man, and you're still acting like this. Shouldn't you be punished...?"
He was speechless and could only let himself be punished.
Chu Shenxiang is not an unreasonable person, and she won't punish everyone every time.
However, if punishment is to be imposed, it will be absolutely severe. Whether it is a large-scale attack or a gentle, slow one, it will not stop just because the person who made the mistake cries once or twice. It will only stop when the person himself feels like he is about to die and his soul is about to overflow, before he will grab the trembling ankle and end it all.
Shen Mingxin feared this kind of situation the most.
"Which one do you prefer, that month or the month you've been waiting for?" Chu Shenxiang asked.
“It’s different,” Shen Mingxin said, squeezing into a chair with him to watch the rain. “That month was all about big meals, the taste was intoxicating, it was like being alive or dying. You can’t eat it often, but you can’t not eat it either. So, having one occasionally to savor the aftertaste is already wonderful.”
"As for everyday meals, I just eat some home-style dishes that are fresh, fragrant, sweet, and spicy, which is the best I can do."
"Oh right, I remember you said that the Heavenly Dao used to write an erotic novel with us as the main characters, right? If you wrote about our current lives, that should be it..."
Chu Shenxiang sighed helplessly, smiled, lowered her head, and kissed him.
After the kiss, he whispered, "Abstain from sex for a year, lest you become the protagonist of a storybook."
Shen Mingxin was stunned for a moment, then snorted coldly in resentment and took a bite.
...
...
[End of the Second Unit Bonus Chapter]
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Author's note: The side story has also come to an end.
Tomorrow we begin the next segment. Wishing Xiao Chu and Xiao Shen continued happiness and joy in sharing their little secrets in their own world! [doge emoji with rose in hand]
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