Meanwhile, inside the sanctuary.
The Third Elder, who was arranging the cubs' coming-of-age ceremony with the elders the next day, suddenly sniffed and exclaimed, "Oh no..."
"What bad..." The Second Elder was only halfway through his sentence when he quickly realized something. His brows furrowed deeply, and he looked at the Third Elder with an incredulous expression. "This is... Sanri Huan? You actually sent Sanri Huan away?"
"What, Sanri Huan?" Everyone who sensed something was wrong was shocked and looked at the Third Elder. "Qingmu, are you senile?"
The Third Elder, Lord Qingmu, wore a bitter expression, looking at this and that. He too had his own grievances to express. He was in charge of the clan's spiritual herbs. Nowadays, many clansmen were active among the human race. Not to mention herbs like the Three-Day Joy, which had been banned for hundreds of years, even if clansmen wanted to obtain ordinary spiritual flowers and herbs, they had to go through him.
He was never good with words, and seeing that he had been holding back for so long without uttering a word, the Grand Elder sighed, "Those little brats may not understand the power of the Three-Day Joy, but we certainly do. It's usually used as a welcoming ceremony for the four junior deities. If something goes wrong, it won't be good. Qingmu, do you know who you gave the Three-Day Joy to?"
The Third Elder was also completely bewildered. After struggling for a long time, he finally managed to utter a sentence: "Although Lord Daiying did not issue a ban before, she said that the Three Days of Pleasure would harm the natural yin and yang. These things have long been shelved. How could I give these things to my clansmen without permission?"
"Then how could this smell be fake?"
"I'm not saying this isn't a three-day celebration..."
"You've always been in charge of the Tibetan Medicine Pavilion. Do you think there are any foolish clansmen who would dare to steal things from the hall?"
"I'm not this one..."
"Alright, there's no use talking about this now. The most important thing is to see who's indulging in such pleasures."
After the elder spoke, everyone stopped talking and left the sanctuary, following the scent.
Soon, the group stopped outside the Divine Lord's Palace.
After a moment of silence, the impatient Second Elder couldn't hold back any longer, "Are you sure it came from here?"
The Third Elder's eyes widened, but he knew exactly what was going on—if it was the Divine Lord's doing, then it wouldn't be surprising. After all, the Divine Lord could go anywhere without hindrance, and stealing—no, taking—something from him was something he could do without asking permission first. But he dared not speak out.
Everyone looked at each other, their faces full of unspoken questions.
Gu Junshan and Dai Ying, who had also come after smelling the aroma, arrived as well. Seeing the elders who had arrived before them, the couple felt extremely embarrassed.
"Daiying Divine Lord~"
Daiying had never been so embarrassed in her life. She quickly waved her hand, indicating that they should not be so polite, and hugged the restless cub in her arms tighter. "I will have to trouble the elders tonight."
"You're too kind, Divine Lord Daiying." The First Elder waved his hand and said to the other elders, "Now that things have come to this, let's seal the Divine Lord's Palace first, so that the smell doesn't spread and affect other clansmen."
Daiying nodded, "That's exactly what I was thinking."
After saying that, he joined forces with everyone to set up a barrier around the entire Divine Lord's Palace.
Once the barrier was set up, the smell instantly faded away.
Er Mao, still sniffling, struggled to get down from Gu Junshan's arms, meowing.
【Mom~】
Daiying flicked her little cat's head, "Good girl, don't bother Mommy these next couple of days."
Even the usually well-behaved Da Mao was acting strangely, tilting its head and asking her, "Meow~"
Why?
Dai Ying simply smiled without answering her, then looked at the Third Elder, "Qingmu, are you aware of this matter?"
The Third Elder shook his head repeatedly, but still managed to salvage the reputation of a certain deity, saying, "The deity is young and in the prime of life. He probably doesn't know the power of the Three-Day Pleasure, or perhaps he took the wrong one. It's not impossible."
Daiying wanted nothing more than to pick up that cat and beat it up, but she kept a straight face. "I suppose so. But I hope there won't be a next time. You know perfectly well that the woman behind the mountain is just a human."
The herb is called Sanri Huan, which is named after its medicinal properties.
When their clan suddenly faced difficulties in producing offspring, the clan members assumed it was due to conflicts between partners, so they painstakingly prepared this medicine to harmonize the relationships between partners.
Later, when they learned that having offspring was a calamity their clan would have to endure, this medicine was no longer a daily necessity. Hundreds of years ago, a young clansman, indulging in pleasure, used this medicine and harmed his body. After that, the medicine became a forbidden drug in the clan by convention.
The Third Elder nodded hastily, "It was also my dereliction of duty; I should have sealed this medicine away much earlier." He paused, then added, "Since the Mountain Queen is of human form, she might not be able to handle it. Should we make arrangements for her in advance?"
Daiying grew angrier the more she thought about it, and sighed inwardly, "You make the arrangements."
The Grand Elder asked at the opportune moment, "What about the welcoming ceremony for the young deities tomorrow?"
"You may make the arrangements first," Daiying said, then greeted the elders before carrying the cub back to her own chambers.
The next morning, a peaceful scene unfolded.
The whole mountain was busy preparing for the washing ceremony of the minor deities, but the Deity Hall was as quiet as a chicken's nest.
Looking at the tightly closed bedroom door, the green-clad maid paced back and forth at the entrance, her face filled with unease. Only when she saw the pink-clad maid approaching did she hurriedly go to greet her.
"Has the Divine Lord not yet risen?"
The maid in green nodded. "There has been no movement from behind the mountain today. We dare not disturb them, but we are also afraid of missing the auspicious time. We don't know what to do."
The pink-clad maid was more composed than her. She stepped forward, but seeing that the temple's barrier had not yet been lifted, she stopped and said to the green-clad maid, "I suppose the Goddess has her own arrangements, so you don't need to guard her anymore. Goddess Daiying has her own plans."
The little maid in green sighed and then said, "What if the little gods miss the welcoming ceremony and get angry?"
The maid in pink glanced towards the sleeping quarters and said meaningfully, "The Divine Lord is the most magnanimous person; I suppose he won't hold it against us."
The little maid in green was still somewhat apprehensive.
The maid in pink laughed at her, "Alright, if you're really worried, then you can stay and watch over her. I'm going to report back to Lord Daiying."
With that, she gracefully departed, leaving the young maid in green standing there, troubled.
The little gods' welcoming ceremony is such a big deal! Why are the gods and the mountain queen suddenly lying in bed? And Goddess Daiying is really something, why didn't she let us wake the gods for such an important event?
The baptism of the cubs is a big event for the tribe. It may seem complicated, but it is actually very simple for the cubs. They just need to roll around in the holy water pool once, and the baptism is over.
The holy water pool is located in the clan's sanctuary.
Early in the morning, the Grand Elder and several other elders had already conducted a ceremony here, and they were just waiting for the junior deities to arrive.
After receiving the expected reply from the fan's maid, Daiying, along with Gu Junshan, took the cub and the rest of the Shen family to the Holy Temple.
"Aren't Qiuqiu and Lingyu going to this welcoming ceremony?"
Although Mr. Shen didn't quite understand what this "washing-away ceremony" was, he saw that all the cats on the mountain were taking it very seriously, getting ready early in the morning, just as formally as their granddaughter's full-month celebration.
Just as Daiying was pondering how to cover up her good-for-nothing son's ridiculous behavior from last night in front of her in-laws, the patriarch Guangqi cheerfully spoke up, "I'm afraid those two won't be able to go."
"Why can't they go?" Shen Wujun was also quite curious. "Didn't Brother-in-law Lingyu say that your cat clan values the baby's first bath ceremony very much? Even more important than our full moon celebration. How can they, as mothers, not go?"
The patriarch of Guangqi glanced at him and said, "Young man, you'll understand once you get married."
"..." What is this? Shen Wujun scratched his head, completely confused.
Not only did he not understand, but Mr. Shen was also baffled. He was too lazy to explain, so he simply asked, "Where are the two of them?"
Seeing that Daiying and the others did not speak, the Guangqi Ancestor kindly replied, "Perhaps they haven't gotten up yet, in-laws. We don't need to wait for them. The washing ceremony is important for our young, but it doesn't necessarily require the parents to be present. It's just a matter of witnessing it."
"How can that be?" Mr. Shen immediately lost his temper. How could it be acceptable for the parents not to be present at a full moon celebration? He didn't care how other people's children behaved, but his daughter could not be so rude.
Father Shen refused to leave with them and angrily headed towards the Divine Lord's Temple.
Daiying and Gu Junshan exchanged a glance, then looked helplessly at the ancestor of Guangqi.
The ancestor Guangqi stroked his beard, blinked, and wondered: Had he said something wrong?
Daiying checked the time; it was still early, so she had no choice but to follow her father, Shen.
Mr. Shen was a stubborn man. He wouldn't listen to anything Daiying said and insisted on waking his daughter up.
The Divine Lord's Palace remained tightly closed, which infuriated Mr. Shen. After climbing two steps, he found himself blocked by something. Just as he was wondering if he was seeing a ghost, Daiying, realizing what was happening, quickly removed the barrier, allowing Mr. Shen to climb up smoothly.
Unable to stop her in-laws, Daiying had no choice but to quickly follow them.
"Old Le, if they haven't gotten up yet, it's not appropriate for you to go and wake them. Just wait here, I'll go check on them."
Mr. Shen wanted to say no, but Su Yunzhi pulled him, and he belatedly realized that he should stop, so he lowered his head and spat, and then stood obediently in place.
Daiying secretly breathed a sigh of relief before heading towards the bedroom.
Before even getting close, whispers could be heard coming from inside the bedchamber:
"Gu Lingyu, you really are... um... what is this... ugh... it hurts..."
"Sweetie, it's broken skin. I'll put some ointment on it for you."
"I don't need your help~ um~ ah, you bastard~ how am I supposed to attend the children's bathing ceremony like this~ ah~"
Even Daiying, a woman, felt a chill run down her spine upon hearing this. She quickly shook her head, hesitated for a moment, and then deliberately raised her voice to call out, "Ayu, Qiuqiu, are you up?"
Inside the bedchamber, upon hearing Daiying's voice, Shen Wuqiu subconsciously pursed her lips, her reddened eyes glaring angrily at the cat.
Knowing she was in the wrong, Gu Miaomiao timidly tilted her head back and replied, "Yes, I'm up, Mother. We're coming. You go ahead."
Hearing her voice, Daiying felt inexplicably annoyed: "Do you even remember what day it is today?"
Gu Miaomiao didn't dare to talk back and obediently replied, "I remember."
After all, she still had to save face for her daughter-in-law, Qiuqiu. Daiying took a deep breath and said no more. After thinking for a moment, she asked considerately, "Is Qiuqiu alright?"
"This isn't quite right..."
"..." Shen Wuqiu was so embarrassed that she wished she could find a hole to crawl into and that she could strangle a certain cat.
Gu Miaomiao quickly corrected herself, "It's alright..."
Daiying raised an eyebrow. In fact, she was quite impressed with her daughter-in-law. After all, even they, as divine beasts, couldn't really handle the "Three-Day Pleasure" thing. It was common for them to be unable to get out of bed for three days and three nights.
Tsk, no wonder she can give birth to four cubs for them at once, she is truly gifted.
It really proves the saying—fools, no, I mean, fools are lucky.
That silly kid got off easy.
"That's good then." Daiying thought for a moment, then softened her tone, "Qiuqiu, if you're really not feeling well, you don't have to force yourself."
"..." Shen Wuqiu covered her eyes and after a long while, she replied in what she thought was a normal voice, "Yes, you don't need to worry."
"..." Daiying couldn't stand the voice. After hesitating for a moment, she still offered a friendly reminder: "Qiuqiu, you should talk less these next few days..."
Before she could finish speaking, she heard her own silly son's muffled groan coming from inside the bedchamber.
Based on her experience, she's pretty sure her silly son got beaten up.
Ah, this is absolutely delightful!
Daiying left satisfied.
In the sleeping hall.
Gu Miaomiao knelt on the bed, holding the ointment in her hand, and continued to coax her partner gently: "There's still a little bit left to apply, it'll be fine once you apply it..."