The eunuch in the cold palace: You get the Nine Yang Divine Skill right from the start!

It cannot be said that there were no gains at all.

At least, it can be confirmed with 100% certainty that the "female ghost" was a person, a woman with long, flowing hair.

Before we knew it, the night had quietly passed.

"Phew~"

Shen Mo exhaled a breath of stale air, exiting his meditative state, his eyes clear.

The Vajra King practice is nearly complete; there is no need to listen to sutras or chant Buddha's name anymore.

However, I haven't visited Su Chan and Abbess Duanchen for several days, and I miss them dearly.

Step outside.

It was a cloudy day, and the sky was overcast.

Shen Mo rode out of the palace and found the streets already teeming with people, with ordinary folks having already begun their busy day.

He arrived at Rouge Lane.

As its name suggests, this is a street that caters specifically to women's businesses, selling cosmetics and face powder.

"what?"

Shen Mo vaguely saw a familiar figure, and upon closer inspection, it really was her!

Feeling playful, he quietly circled around behind him and suddenly patted him on the shoulder.

"Master!"

Duan Chen was startled. Turning around and seeing Shen Mo, he patted his chest and exclaimed, "Benefactor Shen, you scared me to death!"

Shen Mo's gaze lingered on the towering peak for a second before quickly shifting away, and he joked:

"Why is the nun strolling through Rouge Lane alone?"

"I...I'm planning to buy Su Chan a set of rouge."

Duan Chen's expression froze, and he hesitated before speaking.

Shen Mo saw through her lie at a glance, but he didn't expose her. Master Duan Chen was too shy to call her out.

Everyone has a love for beauty!

Shen Mo spoke up, "What a coincidence, I was also planning to buy rouge, why don't we go together?"

"That's...okay."

Duan Chen nodded, the blush on her face quickly fading, and followed Shen Mo into a rouge shop.

Shen Mo casually picked up a box, and the shopkeeper immediately praised, "Sir, you have excellent taste! This is the Liu family's brand-new Rouge Soft Pastry. Not only is it more effective than before, but it's also non-toxic and harmless!"

"The Liu family acted swiftly, developing and launching it so quickly."

Shen Mo thought to himself, while applying a little to the back of his hand; the smooth, lustrous color was indeed quite nice.

Seeing this, the shopkeeper flattered, "Sir, it's truly rare to see a man as considerate as you, coming with your wife to buy rouge!"

"Um?"

Shen Mo was stunned for a moment before realizing that the enemy was referring to Abbess Duan Chen.

A blush crept onto Duan Chen's cheeks, more vibrant than any rouge, and she quickly performed a Buddhist salute, saying, "Amitabha, you've misunderstood!"

"what?"

The shopkeeper was also stunned; who would have thought that this beautiful woman was a nun?

Shen Mo smiled and said, "Master, you're dressed casually today, so it's no wonder you misunderstood. Please pack two packets of rouge for me to take with me."

"Benefactor Shen, one serving is enough," Duan Chen reminded him.

Shen Mo whispered in her ear, "The other one is for you. A woman adorns herself for the one she loves. Although you are a nun and cannot show your love to your beloved, it is perfectly fine to admire yourself in solitude when no one is around."

Duan Chen was persuaded.

She was actually just browsing and didn't intend to buy anything; the excuse of buying rouge for Su Chan was just that.

Now, however, he couldn't bear to refuse Shen Mo's kindness, and after hesitating, he nodded.

"Sir, thank you for the ten taels of silver."

"Keep it safe."

Shen Mo took out a ten-tael silver note from his pocket. As the head of the West Depot, he would inevitably have to deal with people from the streets. Ordinary people couldn't make change for a hundred taels of silver, so he specially exchanged some small silver notes to carry with him.

As he stepped out of the shop, he handed two boxes of rouge to Duan Chen. The moment their hands touched, Duan Chen swiftly pulled away, clutching the rouge as he quickened his pace.

Shen Mo was both amused and exasperated.

This nun is being far too sensitive.

Boom—

With the sound of thunder, the rain poured down, giving no one time to react.

People scattered in the street to seek shelter from the rain.

Shen Mo quickly caught up with Duan Chen, took off his coat and used it as a cloak to shield himself and Duan Chen from the rain: "I was planning to wander around some more, but the weather is really not cooperating! There's an inn not far ahead, let's go and take shelter from the rain."

The two jogged forward quickly.

With the coat covering a limited area, Duan Chen practically ran right up to Shen Mo. The masculine aura emanating from him made her heart flutter.

I've arrived at the inn, but my thoughts are still wandering in the rain.

"Master? Master?"

"Um?"

Shen Mo called out twice before Duan Chen snapped out of his daze, as if waking from a dream, and said, "Benefactor Shen, did you call me?"

"Master, our clothes are all soaked. How about we book two rooms at the inn and take a hot bath to rest for a while?" Shen Mo said with a wry smile. This feeling of being soaked all over was really unpleasant.

"Alright." Duan Chen nodded slowly.

Shen Mo found the waiter and asked him to prepare two guest rooms and have hot water delivered to them.

The two rooms are right next to each other.

The wooden tub was filled with hot water. Shen Mo stripped naked and jumped in, feeling warm all over.

One word: Comfortable!

Just as he was enjoying himself, Duan Chen suddenly screamed from next door.

"not good!"

Countless bad thoughts flashed through Shen Mo's mind in an instant. Could it be a female ghost hurting people, or the Crown Prince's revenge? Either way, it would be fatal for Duan Chen, a woman with no cultivation.

He didn't even have time to put on his clothes before leaping out of the wooden tub, rushing out of the room, and kicking open the door to the next room.

Duan Chen stood curled up in the bathtub, not daring to move.

The culprit turned out to be a rat that was crawling around the edge of the barrel.

"How dare you, you little wretch, be so insolent!"

Shen Mo strode forward, grabbed the rat by the tail, opened the window, and threw it out.

After the initial panic subsided, Duan Chen realized he wasn't wearing any clothes. He quickly clutched his chest, nearly crying, "You...you get out of here!"

"I apologize for my intrusion. I'll be leaving now."

Shen Mo quickly turned his head and went back to his room to soak in a wooden tub to calm down.

I never expected to be able to revisit a classic.

However, this was not what he wanted. He had only rushed into the room because he was worried about Duan Chen's safety. Who would have thought that the nun was afraid of mice?

Who can I reason with about this?

Shen Mo shook his head, dried himself off after washing, and lay down on the bed to rest. But as soon as he closed his eyes, all he could see were the images from earlier.

At that moment, faint sobbing could be heard coming from behind the wall.

"Knock knock—"

Shen Mo gently tapped the wall and whispered, "Master, it's all my fault, please don't cry."

"No! Shen Mo, do you still remember the story you told about the little monk and the old monk?" Duan Chen answered, choking back tears.

"Remember."

"Ever since that day, I've been like that little monk, unable to let go! Now all I can think about is the image of you rushing in to save me."

These words had been bottled up inside her for too long, and saying them brought her a sense of relief and joy.

She thought she had let go, but when she met Shen Mo again, she knew that she had never let go at all, and that her so-called letting go was nothing but self-deception.

Shen Mo fell silent.

I knew Duan Chen had a deep-seated obsession, but I never imagined it would run so deep.

Seeing that he did not answer, Duan Chen couldn't help but laugh at himself, "You must look down on me, as a monk who still has worldly thoughts. Actually, I have always looked down on myself too."

"Monks are not saints, so how can they achieve transcendence?"

Shen Mo shook his head, unable to resist replying truthfully, "Master, how could I have let go?"

On the other side of the wall, there was a long silence.