Chapter 43: Tiger-Headed Shoes Stepping on the Infant Spirit Hall (Part 9) Starting from the womb...

receiving the Snow Girl's tears is for yang energy, while asking about worshipping the fox is for talent.

Ye Qingzhan, hearing the same thing, exchanged glances. Ye Yuanwai, his legs trembling, continued, "I used to only hear that the people of Zhuxi Town were fond of comparisons. I thought they only competed on food, clothing, and daily expenses, but I never imagined they'd also compare their children's luck and talent."

"But how can these two things be compared?" Ye Yuanwai patted his chest and shook his head. "A person's luck is determined first by oneself and second by heaven. Does worshipping that fox do things for you, or does it act as heaven's will to change your fate?" He looked at the two young people. "Tell me, does that fox think it's God?"

Without expecting an answer from the couple, Ye Yuanwai continued, "I just overheard a newlywed couple, who looked just like you, whispering in a corner. They said they came to the White Fox Temple to pray for their unborn child and spent fifty taels on so-called 'blessed water.'" "It's all about nurturing the unborn child's natural intelligence, starting in the womb."

Hearing the word "intelligence," Ye Qingzhan tugged at Wen Gu's sleeve. He lowered his gaze, only to hear her whisper, "They're already competing in the womb."

Wen Gu detected the reluctance in her voice.

Mr. Ye, as if he had found a confidant, continued, "Yes. I've also heard that in the future, couples who seek 'blessed water' will most likely give birth to children who turn out to be—" Mr. Ye's voice suddenly softened. "Freak babies!" Ye Qingzhan

thought of the children at the Infant Spirit Hall. Wen

Gu pondered for a moment, then said, "Mr. Ye said before that the Taoist priests at the White Fox Temple said that most deformed children in Zhuxi Town are due to a lack of 'yang energy,' a yang energy that is said to have been stolen by the Snow Girl and must be repaid with her tears. Those who come to the White Fox Temple seeking 'blessed water' do so to buy 'natural intelligence' for their unborn children."

Mr. Ye nodded: "That's right."

Ye Qingzhan's eyes turned smartly, and he continued with what Wen Gu said: "On the one hand, those who drink the 'blessed water' gain wisdom and become talented, while on the other hand, those who don't drink the 'blessed water' have their 'yang energy' taken away and become deformed children who need the Snow Girl's Tears." She paused, then continued, "Is it so effective? And so different?"

Mr. Ye immediately understood what the two young people meant, and said affirmatively: "It's a deliberate act." After thinking for a while, he said, "As for whether the 'blessed water' is effective, please let the two newlyweds find out."

"You two are not parents yet, right?" Mr. Ye leaned forward and asked as calmly as possible.

Before he finished speaking, the faces of the "Dongfang couple" blushed at the same time.

Ye Qingzhan took Ye Yuanwai's arm, his cheeks flushed, and said, "I'd better help you down first. There are still hundreds of stone steps."

Wen Gu was stunned and murmured softly, "...Being a parent?" It took a long time for him to come back to his senses. He caught up with the two and took Ye Yuanwai's other arm.

Ye Yuanwai was supported by the two people. He looked at Ye Qingzhan and said with a smile, "Looking at you reminds me of my daughter. I wonder if she will meet someone like Mr. Dongfang in the future." Today, he saw the love and care that the young man around him showed for his wife.

Hearing this, Ye Qingzhan's body stiffened, and he lowered his head. He suppressed the tears in his eyes and looked up at her father again, "Of course I will. When that time comes, Mr. Ye, don't cry."

Ye Shaolin was a little dazed for a moment - the girl who had been supporting him just now looked at him with a smile, and her expression was very similar to his daughter's, and her tone of voice was exactly the same.

He laughed a few times.

- He must miss his daughter too much.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the two of them. Wen Gu looked at the father and daughter who were chatting and laughing, and then his eyes fell on Ye Qingzhan's face with a faint smile. As if he had made a promise in his heart, he said solemnly:

I will.

***

"Mom, how long do I have to stay in this vat?" Xinxin asked, blinking as she squatted in a large vat.

Shanniang was full of apologies, but she was helpless. The place where that person was was not enough for them and their daughter. She couldn't trouble Brother Li for too long, and she had nowhere else to go. After thinking it over, she could only let her daughter stay in the palace where she worked.

"I'm sorry, Xinxin," Shanniang pointed to the sky. "Xinxin, look, the sun has reached the top of the mountain. When it sets, I'll take Xinxin to the inn, okay?"

Xinxin nodded gloomily and sat in the water vat with her knees hugged.

Seeing her daughter's look, Shanniang took out a piece of crisp candy from her sleeve and said, "This is my apology gift."

Xinxin smiled and took it, still looking unhappy.

Thinking of her daughter's longing for a rattle, Shanniang stroked her daughter's face and persuaded her, "Xinxin, be obedient. Tomorrow I will take you to buy a rattle."

The aggrieved little girl's eyes suddenly lit up and she said, "Really? I must keep my word."

Shanniang stretched out her hand and said with a smile, "I promise you a pinky promise."

Xinxin hooked her pinky finger with her mother's and said with a smile, "If we make a pinky promise and hang ourselves for a hundred years, we won't change. Whoever changes will be a puppy!"

Seeing that her daughter's face was a little happier, Shanniang fastened the bamboo basket on it and left reluctantly. The Wang family paid high wages, but treated people very harshly. If they really found out that she brought her daughter to work, she would be kicked out, not to mention continuing to help. She thought that today was the time to settle the wages. After receiving the money and some money from home, she could take Xinxin to the inn to stay for a few days.

Shan'e looked at her daughter in the jar and lamented: "Xinxin's life as her daughter was truly too hard..."

Sitting in the jar, Xinxin looked up at the sky through the gaps in the bamboo basket. Her eyes were tired, and she only hoped that the sun would set soon so her mother could finish her work.

She rubbed her eyes and suddenly heard a loud shout. She shrank back in fear, afraid that someone would discover her.

"Why are you running? How dare you run? How could I have given birth to such a stupid pig like you!" The Wang family's master's temples were already gray, but his anger in scolding his son did not diminish in the slightest. "It's just a few lines of crappy poetry, how many times have you recited it? How come you can't recite it?"

The six-year-old Wang Jingshan retorted, "I'm not your son, I'm my mother's son! You said it was a crappy poem, why should I recite it!"

"You still dare to mention your mother? I spent a lot of money to buy that money-losing 'blessed water', but I didn't drink it. I bought so many incense, agarwood, sandalwood, pine incense, and even a purifying incense that I've never heard of. What's the point of buying them all? You gave birth to a mediocre person with no manners!"

"Luckily she died early, otherwise she would have squandered all the money of my Wang family..."

Before he could finish his words, Wang Jingshan bumped into his stomach, pushing his chattering father back several feet like a small iron bull.

Master Wang lost his balance and fell on his butt, screaming on the ground.

"Don't talk about my mother!" Wang Jingshan shouted fiercely.

Master Wang, holding his waist, wanted to curse a few more times, but Shanniang, who arrived just in time, helped him up and told him with a smile, "Master, Third Madam said that Fourth Young Master can recite 'The Memorial to the Emperor on Leaving the Capital.' Please come over and listen."

Upon hearing this, Master Wang's waist pain and burning buttocks subsided. He got up from the ground and walked towards Third Madam's villa, saying as he walked, "My son is smart, my son is smart, my son is a genius, a genius!"

Shanniang ignored his crazy words and quietly turned around to give the little man Wang Jingshan a thumbs-up. She had just heard the noise and rushed over, waiting until he knocked Master Wang to the ground before approaching.

The young boy was eager to protect his mother, so she was willing to help him.

Shanniang withdrew her hand, glanced at the water tank again, and helped Master Wang out of the backyard.

Little Wang Jingshan, a keen observer at a young age, didn't miss Shanniang's glance, running over with his short legs.

The exiled immortal, leaning against a tree, watched the scene, fanning away the resentment that had just risen within him—the men he had met in this illusory realm had nearly consumed all the anger he had ever felt in

his life. Calming his rage, he smiled at the first encounter between the two young guests from the gates of hell.

The sunset was beautiful.

Wang Jingshan tapped his foot, opened the bamboo basket, and met Xinxin's eyes, blinking in the jar. Suddenly, he froze, then, without hesitation, said, "You're so beautiful."

Xinxin snorted, averted her eyes, and said, "Do you even need to tell me? I take after my mother. Everyone says I'm beautiful."

"Is your mother Shanniang?" little Wang Jingshan asked, staring intently at the girl in the jar.

Little Xinxin raised her chin and said, "Of course."

"Shanniang is very good," Wang Jingshan touched his head, his chubby face suddenly flushed, but he still mustered up the courage to say, "I'll help you out, okay?"

Xinxin turned her gaze back and said, "Of course I can, but I have a condition." The exiled

immortal, with two ginkgo leaves pressed against his ears, laughed when he heard the little girl's words, thinking: At such a young age, she's already negotiating conditions with others. She will definitely achieve great things in the future...

The exiled immortal suddenly stopped laughing.

How could she have a future?

Under the tree.

Little Wang Jingshan said again without hesitation, "Go ahead."

Xinxin's eyes sparkled as she smiled, "Come with me to find Brother Yinchenjue."

Little Wang Jingshan said firmly, "Okay."

After that, he carefully helped the little girl out of the jar, and the two of them ran out of the palace with light steps.

Li Zhixing jumped down from the tree and followed them.

Who is Yinchenjue?

***

As soon as he closed the door, Wen Gu felt an discomfort in his nose. He frowned and raised his hand to touch the tip of his nose.

Ye Qingzhan sat at the head of the bed, reading the news sent by the exiled immortal Ginkgo. He said that the letter in the ginkgo said that a lady in the palace of Zhuxi Town did not want to drink the "blessed water", and the child she gave birth to was not deformed, but had a very unique personality. But that lady died, and it was also said that she loved to buy incense when she was alive.

"Incense?" Wen Gu asked, "What kind of incense?"

Ye Qingzhan put the ginkgo down and explained everything: "The exiled immortal may be afraid of missing something important, so he listed many kinds of incense in the ginkgo, including sandalwood, agarwood, pinewood, and a kind of purifying incense whose name I have never heard of."

"Purifying incense?" Wen Gu looked at her and thought that if there really was such incense, he should buy some as well. After all, his heart was also... not pure.

"Do you think that Mrs. Wang's death was caused by this unheard-of strange fragrance?" Ye Qingzhan asked, "and her remaining child is intact, could it be because of this fragrance?"

Wen Gu said, "It's hard to know for now." He looked into her eyes, sat down on the edge of the bed, and continued, "After the White Fox Temple has investigated thoroughly, we need to investigate this palace."

Ye Qingzhan affirmed, "Well, maybe the secret of the deformed child is hidden in this palace."

Wen Gu nodded, and said nothing more, just looked at her.

The room suddenly became quiet, with only the red candle swaying.

A boy and a girl sat on the edge of the bed, their faces slightly hot.

A gust of night wind blew through the window, and the coolness in the wind woke up the girl with an unusual heartbeat. Ye Qingzhan hurriedly got up and said, "I'll go close the window."

Wen Gu saw her get up, and he also stood up. Suddenly, he remembered what he had read in the book last night:

With your wife in your heart and your work in your eyes, don't let your wife get tired. Don't let your wife do things that are within your ability. Things beyond one's ability - as a man, there are things beyond one's ability to do, except giving birth to a child.

The book seemed to be a manuscript, and the handwriting probably imitated the author intentionally. He always felt that he had seen it somewhere. And the content may have been revised by others, and the rough painting style and delicate brushwork were not in harmony.

Last night, he took a look at it and was frightened by the fierce pictures. Today, when no one was around, he took a few careful glances at the contents written on it.

- This should be regarded as a golden rule.

If you think so, you should put it into practice as soon as possible. Isn't closing the window something that is within one's ability?

Wen Gu took a step, rushed over and closed the window.

There was no cool breeze in the room, only the spreading heat.

Ye Qingzhan stood there, looking at his wind-like figure.

After closing the window, Wen Gu leaned against the desk, looked at the person in front of him through the candlelight, and suddenly asked: "Are you ready?"