CHAPTER 61: CHAPTER 61: LORD OF THE SHRINE, LORD OF THE SHRINE, I AM THE LORD OF THE SHRINE

Chen Xu felt quite strange.

He saw the white-furred large rat across from him standing like an elder, its left paw held before it while its right paw gestured toward the tall stone chamber behind it.

Master Jiu said, "Friend, since you’ve come as a guest, how could one have the guest stand chaotically to speak?

My humble abode has nothing precious to welcome you with, but do sit at the table and have a cup of crude tea... I’m ashamed."

Saying this, Master Jiu covered its face with its rat paw.

Chen Xu quickly replied, "Master Jiu, please do not do so. As we’re neighbors, we naturally have a bond many times stronger than others; it cannot be compared to ordinary guests.

If Master Jiu does not reject, and is willing to regard me as a close person, why bother concerning yourself with small etiquette at this time?"

Saying this, Chen Xu followed Master Jiu’s guidance into the stone chamber.

He sat down at the stone table, and Master Jiu came over to sit opposite him.

A man and a mouse, in this cavernous stone room, were almost equally towering. As they looked at each other, an indescribable feeling of magical splendor arose in Chen Xu’s heart.

Indeed, just as the sages said: The fantastic and extraordinary spectacles of the world often lie in dangerous and far places, where few people arrive.

If not for stepping into this cave in his urgent escape earlier, Chen Xu could hardly have imagined that such "splendor" was hidden in the dusty corner of his own kitchen.

Master Jiu called, "A Shi, go fetch water and make tea."

Little Mouse Ah Shi stood dumbly against the cave wall, and upon being called by Master Jiu from the stone room, it quickly poked its head in to look.

"Master Jiu, I cannot move," Ah Shi said.

As soon as it spoke, it suddenly realized it was wrong—wait, it seemed it could move!

No, no, in fact, it should have been able to move a long time ago.

It had earlier twitched its ears and puffed its chest, but these actions were so slight that it subconsciously thought it still couldn’t move.

As it turned out, Master Jiu had already released its restraints long ago, unbeknownst to it.

Ah Shi’s ears drooped all at once, its mouse face puffed up, squeaking in frustration, "Master Jiu, you released my restraints long ago; why didn’t you tell me sooner?"

Master Jiu said in a gentle voice, "If I had told you earlier, you would have been jumping and causing a ruckus; wouldn’t that have been troublesome?"

Ah Shi: "..."

The gray-gold furred little mouse was so stunned that tears were about to roll out, and Master Jiu continued, "A guest is here, Ah Shi, are you delaying even to serve tea?"

Ah Shi instantly held back its tears, squeaked once, and dared not delay any longer, hurrying into the stone room.

It stood up like a human, using its nimble mouse paws, took down a somewhat rough-looking stone teapot from a shelf by the wall.

The little mouse lifted the lid, holding the teapot, ran out of the stone room, and walked to the opposite cave wall, raising the teapot.

Chen Xu found its actions somewhat strange, as the cave wall was dry with no visible water source. Where exactly was the little mouse fetching water from with the teapot held aloft?

However, he heard the little mouse chattering, murmuring incantations, "Spirit of the community, spirit of the community, I am the spirit of the community, not stealing grains, not harming the mortal world.

Only asking Heaven and Earth, condense my essence, grant me a water source.

Water come, water come, water come..."

Then, droplets of spring water began to condense from the void above the teapot, falling into the teapot one after another with a tinkling sound.

Chen Xu clearly heard its incantation and found it quite intriguing.

The so-called "spirit of the community" was originally an elegant term the ancients used for mice.

But not all mice could be called the spirit of the community; only those akin to monarchs among men or gentlemen among mice were given such a title.

Chen Xu had realized that Ah Shi must not be an ordinary mouse demon.

It seemed its bloodline was extraordinary, and although it currently suffered hardship due to youth, its origins and background might be far beyond Chen Xu’s understanding.

After all, at present, Chen Xu had only seen a glimpse of the iceberg that is this world, unable to view it in its entirety.

As for when he might see the full picture, perhaps it would be the day he ascended to the highest peak?

Ah Shi, holding the teapot, diligently continued fetching water.

By the stone table, Master Jiu spoke slowly to Chen Xu, "Friend, you must have discerned by now that Ah Shi and I have quite an origin.

This origin can’t be elaborated now; I can only tell you that Ah Shi and I have a formidable enemy.

That enemy has a World-Gazing Mirror and also rears countless minions and has demon puppets scattered across the world.

As soon as these things catch even a whiff, they can track down Ah Shi and I.

Thus we had no choice but to hide amidst the bustling world, mask ourselves with the smoke and flames of the mortal world.

This community spirit market was originally a great treasure of our clan, able to become a self-sustaining Blessed Land and Grotto Heaven.

However now... as you have seen, the community spirit market has truly become a ruin, now reduced to just this small cave.

Within my aging body, that enemy has planted... a Pill Furnace."

At this point, Master Jiu paused slightly.

Chen Xu distinctly saw that its furry mouse face had alternating flashes of blue and red hues.

He no longer needed to reach out to examine its abdomen to sense that its aura had grown disorderly again.

Chen Xu was startled, yet saw Master Jiu still sitting in place, its mouse paws quickly performing finger techniques once more.

Master Jiu’s finger techniques were so rapid that afterimages formed, and moments later, Chen Xu noticed its aura had calmed.

"No need to worry," Master Jiu gently sighed, comforting Chen Xu in return, "Thanks to the medicine powder you previously provided, I’ve restored some of my mana and can sustain for some more time."

Chen Xu remained silent.

He was somewhat shaken by the mention of the "Pill Furnace," a rat having a Pill Furnace planted in its abdomen.

Such a reversal, was it the rat refining the furnace, or the furnace refining the rat?

With such a Pill Furnace hidden in its belly, yet Master Jiu seemed to move freely in daily life—it was hard to imagine Master Jiu’s original cultivation level.

The Food Cauldron Celestial Book determined Master Jiu’s daily like limit to be 20 points; now it seems it’s not because Master Jiu is weak among demons—

But because it is currently in a weakened low state.

Chen Xu also discovered a feature of the Food Cauldron Celestial Book: its feedback on a guest’s strength is real-time feedback.

Rather than being true realm feedback.

If the guest is weak or injured, the like limit will also decrease.

This seems to be... another method for information detection?

Chen Xu realized that the Food Cauldron Celestial Book had many hidden functions waiting for him to explore. Each of these functions was very intriguing.

He asked the white-furred large rat, "Master Jiu, if I can find more Spiritual Food to enhance your mana and repair your body, can you then counteract the Pill Furnace within and liberate yourself from this plight?"

The white-furred large rat looked at Chen Xu with a gentle and grateful light in its eyes.

"I know you wish to save me, but the furnace within me..." Master Jiu thought about the wording, "has some indescribable characteristics.

While enhancing my mana would indeed extend my life, the furnace would strengthen as well. It’s a vicious cycle, truly unnecessary."

Having said this, Master Jiu smiled faintly with bitterness.

Finally, it said, "Therefore I ask you, after today, to forget about Ah Shi and me.

Ah Shi and I have received so much of your protection lately; we’ve already taken great advantage.

If we continue to deepen our relationship, I fear... it will bring harm to you."