137. Guess Whether I Know That You Know

Chen Sheng looked at the four remaining characters on the iron rod, which were growing increasingly blurred, and finally, he confirmed his hypothesis.

This instrument of punishment could not bear those nine characters.

"So, do those nine characters hold some special significance?" Chen Sheng thought thoughtfully. Yet, the phrase 'if punishments are unknowable, majesty is unfathomable' didn't seem to have anything particularly special about it!

Besides, in another... oh, in countless books across the world, this very phrase had been printed over and over again, and those books had never suffered any mishaps!

He had only wanted to engrave these nine characters on a whim, coupled with the fact that this iron rod happened to be an instrument of punishment.

After all, truth be told, these nine characters possessed a tremendous amount of swagger.

At least at first glance, 'if punishments are unknowable, majesty is unfathomable' came infinitely close to the Ruyi Jingu Bang in terms of sheer prestige.

However, although the iron rod failed to display the complete nine-character phrase 'if punishments are unknowable, majesty is unfathomable' and was now left with only 'majesty is unfathomable', the power of the rod seemed to have grown considerably.

Chen Sheng gripped the rod with one hand and gave it a distant flick.

The iron staff in his hand did not grow larger and longer as he wished, but as an illusory shadow of the staff flashed and vanished ahead, Chen Sheng saw an irregular restaurant right in the path of the shadow instantly expand. It grew larger at a speed visible to the naked eye, and a minute later, the irregular restaurant had become taller than the Gourmet City itself.

Although its overall footprint did not surpass the Gourmet City, the "people" inside the restaurant had grown gigantic right along with it, resembling human-shaped Ultramans or human-shaped monsters.

"Is this what 'majesty is unfathomable' means?"

Chen Sheng felt he understood the power of these four characters, but in the next instant, the restaurant, magnified countless times, turned illusory and then vanished entirely.

"..."

Chen Sheng fell silent, then nodded as if confirming something to himself: "Truly unfathomable indeed..."

This was something he had completely failed to anticipate.

It really was unfathomable!

Just then, Chen Sheng noticed several objects flying toward him.

He didn't look closely, nor did he have the time to look closely. Subconsciously, Chen Sheng reached out, grabbed the little female ghost who had been acting as his cheerleader nearby, and held her up as a shield right in front of him.

Feeling that a mere shield wasn't enough, Chen Sheng gathered a heavily reinforced flame-qi right in front of the little female ghost.

However, the flame-qi failed to stop them.

Those objects passed straight through the flame-qi as if it were nothing more than air.

And the moment those objects made contact with the little female ghost, they vanished completely in a single flash.

It was as if they had melted into her body.

Chen Sheng looked over and saw that the little female ghost's pale, grayish face was currently brimming with an expression of utter excitement, so thrilled that she was dancing about with joy and waving her hands.

"Just now, were those the perfect-attribute 'living quarters' that once contained that restaurant?" Chen Sheng realized and asked.

The little female ghost nodded vigorously.

This was her first time encountering so many perfect-attribute "living quarters."

"Thank you, Master!" the little female ghost didn't forget to express her gratitude. Overcome with excitement, she even forgot that she had just been used as a temporary meat shield by this rebellious master of hers.

When the benefits far outweighed the harms, one would subconsciously forget the harms and fixate entirely on the benefits.

"You're welcome."

Chen Sheng accepted the gratitude with a clear conscience; after all, he hadn't forced her to thank him.

With that, he casually tossed the little female ghost aside.

Shifting his gaze, he looked out once more and saw that the irregular restaurants and eateries scattered throughout the Gourmet City were fleeing in panic.

Pairs of human legs had sprouted from beneath those buildings, running at a breakneck speed, churning so fast they looked like wheels, yet appearing exceptionally eerie at the same time.

They looked like one prehistoric centipede after another.

Chen Sheng swept his gaze across them and once again raised the iron rod in his hand.

Staff shadows flickered as buildings in the Gourmet City instantly expanded, only to turn transparent the next moment, until finally, nothing was left except the indestructible, perfect-attribute "living quarters," which flew toward Chen Sheng one after another.

Without a second thought, Chen Sheng handed every single one of these "living quarters" over to the little female ghost.

He had no use for them.

However, the guiding light on his path of life happened to have good use for them.

Chen Sheng was a nostalgic person, and toward the little female ghost whom he had known for quite some time, he was naturally willing to show kindness.

Only, by this point, Chen Sheng had entirely lost that inexplicable sense of excitement he used to feel.

In fact, he even found it immensely tedious and boring!

Therefore, after tearing down the Gourmet City and leaving behind only a single piece of the perfect-attribute "living quarters" for the former City Lord Lu Jinsheng, he left, taking along the little female ghost whose face was smiling so hard it was almost paralyzed.

"Why did you leave one piece for him?" Chen Sheng asked along the way.

He was referring to the decision to leave a piece of the perfect-attribute "living quarters" for the former Gourmet City Lord Lu Jinsheng. It hadn't been his idea; initially, he had intended to take everything.

After all, the provocation from the Gourmet City Lord had made Chen Sheng inexplicably displeased.

It was rare for him to experience such emotions.

Especially after acquiring his second morphological transformation and feeling as though his transcendent powers had been completed simply by basking in the sun.

So, after thinking about it, he could only conclude that the status of the "Seventh Son" was at work.

"His favorite thing to say in the past was that he relied on efforts exceeding most people's to reach where he is today. And people like me, when you boil it down, just can't endure hardship, aren't hardworking enough, aren't diligent enough, and are far too lazy! So I left him a piece of the perfect-attribute 'living quarters' to see if he's really as hardworking as he claimed back then!" The little female ghost gave a light snort, unashamedly displaying her petty and vengeful side.

Hearing this, Chen Sheng paused for a moment, then silently extended a hand, wishing to give the little female ghost a thumbs-up.

This creature was truly worthy of being the guiding light on his path of life!

Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!

His calling her master was certainly not a waste; this little female ghost always managed to impart strange yet bizarrely reasonable experiences in places he would never have thought of.

The little female ghost, however, misunderstood. First, she cast a curious glance at Chen Sheng, and then, as if confirming something, she lightly slapped her small palm against Chen Sheng's hand, not forgetting to provide the sound effect for her action—"Yay!"

Chen Sheng: "..."

With her pulling a stunt like this, why did the two of them suddenly look like a pair of male and female master thieves who had just finished splitting their loot?

Shaking his head to suppress this bizarre thought, Chen Sheng asked, "Do you have anything else you need my help with?"

This little female ghost was too weak; he feared that if he came back next time, he would have to help her seize territory all over again.

Though it wasn't particularly troublesome or dangerous, he always felt that the prestige of his "Seventh Son" status was continuously dropping...

"Once I piece these living quarters together and form derivative rules, I can protect myself and ensure that this territory won't be snatched away by other ghosts." The little female ghost said thoughtfully, looking a little guilty.

With her territory running into trouble time and time again, she was starting to feel a bit embarrassed.

After all, she was a ghost who cared about her reputation!

Chen Sheng nodded. Reaching the spot where the little female ghost had previously summoned him, he crossed his arms and stood aside, watching as the little female ghost raised her two small hands and summoned pieces of "living quarters" out of thin air, each roughly her own size. She caught them with both hands and painstakingly pieced them together one by one.

It looked just like playing a jigsaw puzzle game!

These perfect-attribute "living quarters" were far beyond what could be compared to projected "foundations" forming ordinary "living quarters," and naturally, they were exceptionally heavy.

Still, just as a person carrying a hundred pounds of heavy loads would feel tired, but carrying a hundred pounds of cash would actually make them more and more excited the longer they carried it.

Of course, certain obsolete currencies, like Zimbabwe dollars, didn't count.

Those had so many bacteria they'd be unhygienic even for wiping one's backside.

The little female ghost was currently piecing them together with extreme excitement, and after Chen Sheng had yawned several times, she finally finished assembling them.

"Done! Hehe!"

The little female ghost stood with her hands on her hips inside the territory where the derivative rules had now formed, unable to help herself from smiling broadly.

Seeing this, Chen Sheng chose to "exit the game."

This time, however, as he exited, Chen Sheng kept his senses keenly focused on the subtle changes in the surrounding environment.

...

As his vision returned to normal, Chen Sheng looked at the familiar setting of his living room and suddenly froze, as if struck by an immobilization spell.

Remaining completely motionless for quite a while, Chen Sheng finally recovered, then turned his gaze toward the direction of the kitchen.

He sensed someone approaching.

Sure enough, as Chen Sheng looked over, a small head with delicate facial features peeked out from behind the kitchen wall: "Old Chen, you're back?"

Chen Sheng looked at the young girl before him who should have been exceptionally familiar to him. He fell silent for a full second, and then, a second later, a smile suddenly bloomed on his face as he replied, "I'm back!"

This time, Chen Sheng spoke with absolute certainty, unlike in the past when he would simply choose to brush her off upon hearing such strange openings from the young girl.

The shift in tone caught Yu Youxin off guard for a moment.

She blinked and shot Chen Sheng another look, but ultimately her preconceived, habitual mindset dominated her train of thought, and she said with a serious little face: "Old Chen, the meal isn't ready yet. Wait a little longer, I need to go swap out a pot."

Chen Sheng had initially wanted to nod instinctively. But the moment his head tilted slightly, he caught himself and widened his eyes in surprise: "Swap out a pot?"

What on earth had this creature been up to while he was gone?

Was she refining pills with a pressure cooker?

Forging artifacts with an oven?

Or had an electric steamer turned into a spirit and started dancing the little grass dance while swinging its power cord?

A wild and absurd thought flashed through his mind, and unable to remain calm anymore, Chen Sheng walked toward the kitchen: "I'll help you!"

This was the excuse he had hastily conjured up.

After all, he couldn't very well just say, I suspect you're using the kitchen to manufacture a time bomb, could he?

"No need!"

Just as Chen Sheng was about to step forward, two small hands firmly pressed against his chest and blocked him.

The young girl stubbornly refused to let him pass.

Judging by the way her cheeks were puffed out, Chen Sheng suspected that if he forced his way over, this girl might just decide to perish together with him.

Thus, Chen Sheng had no choice but to abandon the idea of helping.

"Then Old Chen, just wait nicely." Seeing Chen Sheng back down, the young girl instantly released her hands and skipped happily back into the kitchen.

Watching her retreating figure, Chen Sheng felt a slight sense of silence.

He always felt the kitchen was somewhat dangerous.

Yet he couldn't voice such thoughts aloud, so after pondering for a moment, he decided to go buy some fruit.

For him at present, fruit could also provide the "vital essence" he required.

There was a specialized fruit shop not far away.

Standing on the balcony corridor, Chen Sheng glanced outside, then walked toward the stairwell. Following the stairs down, he stepped out onto the street.

Due to the regional climate, this season alternated between hot and cold, and right now it was freezing, leaving the street largely deserted except for gusts of cold wind blowing against his face.

Naturally, Chen Sheng felt no chill. He looked at the sparse pedestrians in the distance and suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, staring blankly. Yet his eyes, gazing around at his surroundings, grew increasingly uninhibited.

It wasn't that he wanted to do anything in particular.

Rather, in Chen Sheng's eyes at this moment, all the shackles of the mortal world were shattering.

Morality, responsibility, ethics, order, awe—all these things derived from human civilization had entirely vanished from his sight.

Abruptly, Chen Sheng smiled.

He walked over to the fruit shop. As he arrived at the entrance, the proprietress greeted him: "Doctor Chen, what would you like to buy?"

Having lived here for a long time, naturally, everyone in the neighborhood knew him. Neighbors might not always greet each other, but small business owners like this certainly would.

This was the way of commerce and the path to making money in retail.

Moreover, the fruit trade wasn't like some online stores that only made a one-time profit, fleecing customers whenever they could. A fruit shop like this relied heavily on maintaining good relations with the surrounding community, because whenever locals felt like eating fruit, this was the first place they would think to visit—unless, of course, they had been cheated here before.

Yet a rabbit doesn't eat the grass near its burrow, and any shop owner with a shred of sense wouldn't pull such stunts.

And those who did were usually not far from closing down.

"I'm just looking around first," Chen Sheng replied as usual, his tone calm and gentle, as if nothing had changed at all.

Before long, Chen Sheng had picked out his fruit, paid, and left.

However, after walking only a few steps, he suddenly reached into the plastic bag of fruit and pulled out an orange.

He took a gentle sniff.

The orange held near the bridge of his nose instantly withered and dried up.

Casually crushing the ruined orange without changing his expression, he tossed it into a nearby trash can. There were people around, but at this moment, Chen Sheng no longer cared whether anyone was watching him.

It was as if he was bound by nothing at all.

Then, he continued on his way back with the bag of fruit.

He climbed the stairs and opened the door.

A soft, sweet voice drifted over: "Old Chen, where did you go?"

"I went to buy some fruit," Chen Sheng replied with a smile. Looking up, he happened to see the young girl walking out of the kitchen with a plate in each hand.

He caught a whiff; surprisingly, it smelled quite pleasant.

"What dishes did you make?" Chen Sheng couldn't help asking, feeling a slight surge of surprise since he had expected to see another culinary disaster like last time. But this time, it smelled unexpectedly good.

At least judging by the aroma, it didn't seem at war with the human stomach.