He had an extremely reluctant expression.
Shen Wuqiu felt a pang of heartache. Dai Xiang seemed to know what she was thinking and pulled her back, saying, "This is an essential test for the children."
Shen Wuqiu took a deep breath and smiled gently at Da Mao, "Baby, don't be afraid, Mommy and Grandma are here watching over you."
Encouraged by his mother, Da Mao looked at the murky water again, ready to jump in one go.
Meanwhile, the mischievous Er Mao, probably annoyed by her older sister's procrastination and lack of ambition, secretly swung her big tail behind Da Mao.
Si Mao saw this little action and felt utterly contemptuous of her childish second sister.
When Da Mao jumped in, and Er Mao and San Mao followed closely behind, Si Mao deliberately pushed his second sister down with him. When they fell into the water, he deliberately pressed his second sister down into the water.
"Meow~" Er Mao was caught off guard and forced to swallow several mouthfuls of water. He was so angry that he jumped up and down. He didn't care whether this was a washing ceremony or not, and started chasing Si Mao in the water.
The two of them were splashing around in the water, splashing water all over Sanmao's face.
Sanmao wasn't having it anymore and quickly joined the fray.
So, while everyone was so nervous they didn't dare to breathe, the four little ones in the sacred pool didn't take it seriously at all. Except for Da Mao, who obediently paddled from one side to the other and then obediently went ashore along the steps, the other three were fighting wildly in the pool.
"This..." It's unbelievable. Even the well-informed elder was a little unsettled.
The reason is not for any other reason than that the water in the sacred pool is not ordinary water, but holy water taken from the Jade Pool of the Queen Mother of the West in the Heavenly Palace and enchanted by the gods.
It may look ordinary, but this water can penetrate the meridians. Anyone with a mind full of distracting thoughts will experience unbearable itching after passing through this holy water.
Although it is called a cleansing ceremony, it is actually the first trial for the clan members after birth.
Those with slightly lower aptitude are usually guided by their clan elders from birth to pass this trial.
Therefore, normally cubs cry loudly to get out of this holy water; they've never seen cubs so leisurely.
As if knowing what everyone was thinking, the patriarch Guangqi looked at the children playing happily in the water and said with a smile, "Could it be that this sacred pool has not been used for a long time and its power is not as great as before?"
The tribesmen knew the power of the holy water, but seeing these cubs completely disregard it, they couldn't help but feel puzzled. However, having witnessed the power of a few of the cubs, they dared not voice their doubts. Instead, several tribesmen chuckled and flattered them:
"Ancestor, you are joking. It must be that the little gods are born with divine power and naturally do not take the holy water seriously."
That makes perfect sense.
"..."
While someone was flattering her like this, Qing Shui Lao Jun was quite displeased. Even though she had personally experienced Si Mao's prowess, she still didn't believe these little cubs were so powerful, so utterly disregarding the holy water. She simply couldn't believe that this human woman could truly give birth to such a legitimate offspring for her race.
Perhaps they, along with several elders, tampered with the holy water today, just to make the young deities' cleansing ceremony a laughing stock.
As Qing Shui Lao Jun thought this, he was also quickly calculating in his mind how to test the authenticity of this holy water.
Just then, she caught a glimpse of Little Three Flower peeking into the sacred pool. She looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention, cast a spell and made Little Three Flower splash into the sacred pool.
"Meow~ Meow~~"
As soon as the little lily entered the sacred pool, it began to scream and frantically struggled towards the edge.
"Shu, what are you doing?"
Ah Shu is the name of Xiao Sanhua.
Those who were unaware of the situation shouted towards the sacred pool, but no one offered any help to Xiao Sanhua.
Just as Shen Wuqiu was filled with worry, Cang Mo walked out from the crowd. However, before he could go down, he saw Er Mao carrying Xiao Sanhua and quickly swimming to the shore.
After Er Mao came out, San Mao and Simao also came out.
Then, something amazing happened to Shen Wuqiu. She was worried that the cubs might catch a cold after taking a bath in the pool, but the next second, the cubs shook themselves and their wet fur became fluffy and dry.
Only the little calico cat remained limp on the spot, still looking terrified and soaking wet.
Shen Wuqiu hurriedly carried the white cat in her arms over. She first checked on the kittens to make sure they were all alright before squatting down next to the little calico cat.
"Meow~" The little calico whimpered in pain, its body twitching occasionally.
Shen Wuqiu was heartbroken, but didn't know what to do. Helplessly, she patted the little calico's head.
"Meow~" As soon as she put her hand on it, the little calico immediately began to rub against her palm greedily.
The cat in her arms glanced at her, and although unwilling, it still muttered something.
"If you touch him again, he'll be fine."
Upon hearing this, Shen Wuqiu dared not move his hand, keeping it resting on Xiao Sanhua's head.
Sure enough, the little calico calmed down, and its fur dried up at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Soon, the little calico girl stood up again and meowed a few times ingratiatingly at Shen Wuqiu, but because of the intimidating presence of the other cubs nearby, she kept her tail tucked tightly between her legs and dared not approach Shen Wuqiu.
Seeing him like this, Shen Wuqiu felt that the little cat was too pitiful.
Meanwhile, after the cubs finished washing away the dust, the white light fell into the sacred pool again. This time, the white light lingered for a long time, and the originally murky water of the sacred pool turned into a rainbow of colors.
The clansmen immediately cheered and jumped for joy. Before Shen Wuqiu could react, the elder made the clansmen kneel down in unison: "Congratulations to the Mountain Lord and Queen, the little gods' cleansing ceremony has been successfully completed."
Even the likes of Qingshui Laojun, who harbored countless grievances, were now completely convinced upon seeing the seven-colored holy water.
Over the years, it has been said that the holy water in this holy pool was only used for such a grand ceremony when the previous Minghe God was born.
And Lord Minghe is the god with the purest bloodline that his clan has produced since these ancestors.
In addition to pure bloodline, holy water must also encounter gods of pure heart to unleash its seven-colored light.
Without a doubt, these young deities are not only of pure bloodline but also of pure heart, and will be the hope for their clan in the future.
This is a matter of vital importance to the entire clan, and naturally it deserves the joy of the whole clan.
Of course, Shen Wuqiu knew there were many intricacies involved, but seeing the joyful expressions on the faces of her clansmen, she could tell that the children's welcoming ceremony had satisfied everyone, and for her, that was good enough.
She let out a long breath, stroked the heads of the kittens one by one, then stood up and whispered to the white cat in her arms, "I've never really said it, as my daughters, all I want is for them to be healthy and happy."
The cat in my arms pouted and meowed.
"And what about being your wife?"
Shen Wuqiu didn't answer. Instead, she thought of the girls' dormitory a long time ago, when everyone was just beginning to experience love and discussing what kind of person they would marry in the future.
Although she didn't say it at the time, she probably had a prince dream in her heart.
After all, which girl doesn't dream of love?
Thinking of this, Shen Wuqiu looked down at a certain cat and asked, "Then how about being your companion?"
Meow~
All I want is for her to be healthy and happy.
After a pause, the cat meowed again.
I didn't mean to treat you like a daughter.
Shen Wuqiu couldn't help but chuckle, "Then it seems I've been raising you like a daughter too~"
So, as my wife, all I need to do is be healthy and happy.
A note from the author:
Merry Christmas everyone.
I woke up feeling pretty good, so I thought I'd give everyone a little surprise.
I've been contradicting myself a lot lately, so I'll give everyone a red envelope. Each person who leaves a comment on this chapter will receive 100 Jinjiang coins. The deadline is before the next chapter is updated.
Chapter 126
After the dust-washing ceremony was successfully completed, the weight that had been hanging over Shen Wuqiu's heart finally lifted, and she began to think about going down the mountain and returning home.
The saying goes, "A woman follows her husband wherever he goes," so she should follow suit when she marries a cat. She felt a little embarrassed if the Gu family didn't bring it up, after all, the cat she married wasn't an ordinary cat; it was not only the head of its clan but also a mountain god who ruled over a region.
Besides that, she also had to consider the fate of the cubs. After arriving in their territory, she learned that the cubs had all been born and raised on the mountain.
At first, Shen Wuqiu thought she should discuss it with her family first. But when she went to find them after lunch, she saw her father holding a wine jug and drinking happily with the ancestor Guangqi. They didn't seem like they were going to talk about serious matters at all.
Su Yunzhi, the stepmother, seemed quite content, enjoying the flower petal face mask being applied to her by her maid. When she saw Su Yunzhi arrive, she warmly invited her to join her.
As for her younger brother Shen Wujun, he was even more unreliable. Before she could finish speaking, he picked up Simao and ran out, saying, "Sister, we can talk about it later. I heard from Cangmo that Elder Si is going to teach a mental cultivation class this afternoon. I'll take Simao to listen first."
"..."
After being rebuffed by his own family, Shen Wuqiu thought it over and decided to try talking to a certain cat in bed and sounding out their opinion before making any further moves.
After spending two days whispering sweet nothings to their cat in bed, the couple happily decided to return home together.
After the two had made up their minds, Shen Wuqiu took the initiative to talk to Gu Junshan and Daiying about it. Gu Junshan and his wife both expressed their support for their decision. "Ayu mentioned this to me before. It doesn't matter where you live. Your happiness is the most important thing."
Since her in-laws were so kind, Shen Wuqiu felt even more guilty. After hesitating for a moment, she cautiously asked, "Can the children... come with us for now?"
“Of course.” Daiying looked surprised by her question. “Why would you ask that? The cubs are members of the Spirit Cat Clan, but they are also your children.”
Her matter-of-fact attitude instantly eased Shen Wuqiu's tense nerves. "I thought... you would let the little one stay here to grow and learn or something..."
Daiying looked at her, and after a long while, she took her hand gently. "To be honest, I'm really surprised that you would take these things into consideration. However, these won't be problems for now. Compared to your human world, time is practically frozen for us. In the future, you and the children will definitely return to our world, but the human world right now belongs to you. You can live in your world as you please, including the children."
Shen Wuqiu was deeply moved by her mother-in-law's profound understanding and nodded, saying, "I will certainly educate my children well."
After discussing it with Daiying and the others, going home was quickly put on the agenda.
Four days after the cleansing ceremony, Shen Wuqiu and the others prepared to go down the mountain and go home.
Shen Wuqiu originally thought that her clansmen would be somewhat dissatisfied with her for taking the clan chief and his cubs down the mountain, but she didn't expect that she was being petty. When it was time to leave, the clansmen came to see them off, even more enthusiastically than when they were first welcomed.
This is rather unbelievable.
"It seems you're not doing a very good job as a mountain lord. Look at your people, they all seem to be hoping you'll come down from the mountain."
Gu Miaomiao was quite open-minded, "It doesn't matter if I'm not a very good tiger, as long as my partner is popular, isn't that enough?"
They really are shameless.
With the cats seeing them off, the group happily descended the mountain.
Soon, the Gu family brothers, who were in charge of driving, led them out of the barrier and back to their original world.
Looking at the familiar scenery around him—the tangled weeds, the sprawling branches, the potholed cement road… although it wasn't pretty, it felt more real. This made Mr. Shen, who had been floating on air for days, feel like he had finally returned to the ground. He childishly stuck his whole head out and proudly shouted to Shen Wuqiu:
"As the old saying goes, a golden nest or a silver nest is no match for one's own doghouse..."