As a great formation of Buddhists who sacrifice their lives for the Dharma, the Soul Crossing Formation is not to be underestimated. In addition, the thousands of souls sealed in the E City have been refined for a whole year, and the power of the formation is even more unstoppable.
Under the golden light, the demons in the city have nowhere to hide. Even Cang Huang’s wailing did not have time to be uttered before he turned into dust and phantom and disappeared.
Ning Ning stood alone in the dilapidated Buddhist temple, looking around dejectedly.
In the illusion, Chen Lubai led them to this place when they walked through the streets. In
those days, Lingquan Temple was shrouded in Buddha’s light, the Buddha statues were majestic, and pilgrims came and went. But now it was quiet and deserted, and she was the only one left.
The fire on the altar was still flickering, but the girl standing there had long disappeared. Ningning looked at the place where she had stood before, and heard the footsteps of Zheng Weiqi and others behind her, and wiped away the tears from her eyes without leaving a trace.
She destroyed her own appearance, led the demon into her body, put on a false mask day after day, and became a completely different person.
Chen Lubai was so brave that she didn't need the pity or sympathy of others.
Ningning respected her.
Chen Lubai died, the golden light came to the world, and the trial of this pagoda tower came to an end.
The old Goose City was no longer in sight.
=====
Everyone gained a lot from this trip.
In fact, there are many ways for people who practice Taoism to make money. However, as disciples of a sect, Ning Ning and others rarely have the opportunity to go down the mountain. They spend most of their time practicing hard in the sect. The only source of income is the pocket money given by Xuanxu Sword Sect every month.
However, sword practitioners need money to buy sword manuals to forge swords, and talisman practitioners need money to buy raw materials. As for beauty practitioners, it is well known that cosmetics and skin care products are all expensive regardless of ancient or modern times, both in China and abroad. If you want to strengthen your complexion and refresh your spirit, you have to spend a lot of money.
This has led to a large number of disciples having more expenses than income, especially sword practitioners who love to cause trouble. When practicing swordsmanship, they either cut down the ancient trees on the mountain or destroyed the stone pillars in the martial arts training ground. When they get angry, they may even fight with anyone.
The repair fees, medical expenses, and maintenance fees are piled up happily, which immediately makes the poor families even worse.
But now it is different!
The spring breeze of reform is blowing everywhere, and the pagoda is really doing well. The children have money and finally stand up!
Ningning is no longer the newbie who waits for help from the sect every month. She even has the confidence to drink water. She gently picks up the teacup and takes a sip, lowers her eyes and utters those elegant and mellow Chinese characters: "82 years, boiled water."
Tianxianzi doesn't understand the meaning of this sentence, but she often says sentences that make people unable to figure out the meaning, so he just thinks that the little disciple is too tired from practicing swordsmanship and is talking nonsense to herself.
He got on the white water, and sat on the ground with his legs crossed, not like a hermit: "Ning Ning, why did you come to me this time?"
"My senior sister and junior brother and I went through the transformation of the Goose City in the pagoda together."
Ning Ning said softly: "Master, since there really was a Goose City in history, what was its final outcome?"
She had the most contact with Chen Lubai in the illusion, and later when the illusion was broken, it was Ning Ning who saw with her own eyes that the little girl jumped into the fire without hesitation.
She had never experienced too many separations and deaths, and she still had the mind of a little girl in her heart. Moreover, Chen Lubai's sacrifice was so magnificent that she naturally couldn't remain indifferent.
"Echeng?"
Tianxianzi thought for a moment and smiled lightly: "That level is quite difficult, you actually passed it?"
As a training ground specially opened by the Xuanxu Sword Sect for its disciples, the Pagoda Tower not only tests swordsmanship, but also takes into account mind skills and wisdom. If we talk about a typical example, the first level of the Echeng Demon Transformation is undoubtedly the best.
Every inner disciple and personal disciple in the sect can enter the tower, and the copies are used in a circular manner. Even if someone has passed it before, the remaining disciples can continue to participate in the level-breaking. However, the reward for the first person to pass it will be much higher.
As Pei Ji said, the spiritual power required to construct an illusion is extremely large, and memories are usually used to merge memories with illusions. The Pagoda Tower is no exception. Most of the illusions are selected from real events.
"Speaking of the matter of Echeng, it actually has a lot to do with our sect."
Glancing at the little girl in front of him with her eyes widened slightly, Tianxianzi smiled mysteriously: "It was the time of the great war between immortals and demons. Every sect was busy and exhausted. They had no spare energy to go to Echeng to eliminate the monsters. They could only set up a net to temporarily trap their whereabouts. It was at that time that several disciples of the Xuanxu Sword Sect took the initiative to ask for permission to go to Echeng to investigate the situation."
The scenes in the pagoda were all transformed from real examples, so -
Ningning blurted out: "Did those disciples also experience the same thing as us?"
"That's right."
Tian Xianzi nodded and said, "First, he fell into the maze set by that Miss Zhao Qiansun Li...Oh! Chen Lubai, and then he went out to subdue the demon and assisted her in completing the soul-crossing formation."
He paused, and said as if muttering to himself, "Strange, after so many years, I still remember her name."
So in the real history, Chen Lubai succeeded.
Ning Ning breathed a sigh of relief, but still felt a little sad in her heart. She took a sip of water and continued to ask, "Master, what happened to the old locust tree?"
"Under the soul-crossing formation, all demons and evil spirits must be punished."
Tian Xianzi paused, and his voice became lighter: "From the moment it agreed to help Chen Lubai, it already understood the final outcome. You don't have to be too sad, that was a decision they made with a clear conscience, and their great revenge was achieved, and there were no regrets left; not to mention that cause and effect are intertwined, and the six realms are reincarnated, there will always be a time to continue the previous relationship."
Ning Ning was silent for a long time, and said in a muffled voice: "The disciples who were asked to go to Echeng that year... are they still in Xuanxu now?"
Tian Xianzi chuckled.
"You didn't expect it, did you?"
He said, "The one who solved the mystery and assisted Chen Lubai to complete the soul-crossing formation back then - hey, it was your senior brother Meng Di."
=====
"No, no!"
The courtyard was quiet, and a female voice like a possessed person suddenly rang out, startling all the birds: "Is this problem something that a human can solve? Meng Di, did you deliberately find a difficult question to trick me?"
Then came the soft and gentle voice of a young man with a somewhat helpless smile: "Junior sister, this is the test question from the year before last. Before doing the question, you must first figure out the intention of the elder who set the question."
"What intention could he have? He just wants me to die!"
Ning Ning was stunned by the voice and knocked lightly on the door.
After the Goose City checkpoint was over, although they had gained a lot of treasures, they were physically exhausted at the time and had no spare time to divide the treasures, so they first deposited all the spoils in the storage bag of the eldest senior sister and agreed to discuss it today.
Listening to the sound in the room... the senior sister seemed to be preparing for the exam.
Zheng Weiqi in the room had been dizzy and dazed by the test questions for a long time. Now when she heard the knock on the door, she knew that Ning Ning and others had come. The whole person was like a last burst of light. She sat up in shock from her dying illness and asked with a smile where the guests came from: "Come in!"
Ning Ning pushed the door and went in, followed by Pei Ji and He Zhizhou.
In the room, in addition to Zheng Weiqi, there was also a man in white clothes who was as graceful as a jade tree.
It was the eldest senior brother Meng Ju.
Meng Ju is a gifted and intelligent man. He always wins the first prize in both literary and martial arts examinations. If Tian Xianzi were asked to choose a disciple who would be the least troublesome , it would most likely be this one
. I don't know why, but after Meng Ju, the four disciples he accepted were more eccentric than the last. I thought this child was the beginning of the glory of the master's school, but he turned out to be the peak.
Perhaps it is true that meeting you has used up all my luck.
Among all the disciples of Tian Xianzi, Ning Ning had the least contact with this senior brother. After all, he was either practicing swordsmanship or going down the mountain to subdue demons all day long. He rarely even checked in and scanned his face, let alone got to know him in depth.
Meng Ju was born with a lean and upright figure, eyes like bright stars, and he was as handsome as "stones piled up like jade, and pine trees lined up like emeralds". In addition, he often had a smile on his thin lips, which made people feel close to him.
- If you ignore the fact that he was a black-hearted person who would smile even when killing people.
Ning Ning thought inappropriately that it seemed that at the next plot point, the senior brother would join the protagonist group.
And her diligent plan to commit suicide will be taken to the next level. The more ruthless she is, the more miserable she will be retaliated by Meng Ju in the future.
So angry, is this the fate of the vicious female supporting role?
He Zhizhou was not shy and greeted her casually: "Senior Sister Zheng, are you still preparing for the imperial examination?"
The second disciple of Tianxianzi had long been famous throughout the school. To put it simply, others had studied "five years of college entrance examinations and three years of simulations", but she was more untainted by the mud and had studied "fifty years of college entrance examinations and thirty years of simulations".
Her colleagues who had attended the imperial examinations together were now her teachers.
It was very embarrassing.
"Everyone is here today, how can I study in silence? Come on, come on, sit down! You rarely see Meng Ju, right?"
Zheng Weiqi finally saw her savior and was able to temporarily get away from the chattering mouth of her senior brother. She was very happy: "Come, chat with senior brother!"
Meng Ju's expression did not change, and his sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes were full of smiles. He nodded at them: "The Ten Dharma Assembly will be held soon. I wonder how everyone is preparing?"
As expected of a god of learning, he started with this matter.
The Ten Dharma Assembly is the next important plot point in the original book.
Unlike the previous Xiaochongshan Secret Realm, although the Dharma Assembly also gathered elite disciples from major sects, it was much more formal and serious than the Xiaochongshan where only Jindan and below participated and the purpose was limited to searching for heavenly spirits and earth treasures.
At that time, elite disciples from all major sects will arrive one after another. After layers of selection, they will finally compete on the stage. It is a real fight, and no one can give in or make concessions.
In order to win the championship, the original body used many tricks on Pei Ji, which led to the complete intensification of the conflict.
Ning Ning's heart was choked again.
Zheng Weiqi glared at him: "Why do you talk about these things all the time?"
At last, she turned her head and grinned: "Junior brothers and sisters have come to my yard with great difficulty, so why not show you my treasure inventory!"
It is called "inventory", but in fact it is the items that cannot be sold and are kept at the bottom of the box. She left the wooden table and flashed to a pear wood box, opening it with ease.
The sun was slowly coming in from the window, and Ningning saw the dust dancing on the box with the light.
"The things that can't be sold are mostly clothes."
Zheng Weiqi said with a sad look, covering her lips and sighing, "It's a pity that no one is willing to wear them. Even if I want to see what these children look like wearing them, it is an unattainable luxury."
That look and tone are like an old mother who can't marry off her daughter.
He Zhizhou is the most enthusiastic about this matter, and he stepped forward without hesitation: "Don't worry, don't we have it!"
Zheng Weiqi lowered her eyes, still covering her mouth with her sleeves: "Really? But they are not liked, and they don't look good..."
"I definitely don't mind!"
Zheng Weiqi glanced at him faintly.
For some reason, He Zhizhou always felt a chill in his heart, and vaguely felt that something was wrong.
So Zheng Weiqi turned around without saying a word.
When she turned around again, she was holding several pieces of clothing in her hands, red, pink, green, and floral, but none of them could be worn by anyone.
Moreover, He Zhizhou seemed to have discovered
that these were all damn women's clothes.
He finally understood why Zheng Weiqi covered her mouth with her sleeve when she was trying to hook him.
This woman...she is laughing wildly!
But the vicious woman with a heart of snakes still smiled innocently: "Thank you very much."
He Zhizhou: "Haha."
He Zhizhou: "I think--"
"There is no need to express gratitude among fellow disciples."
Before he finished speaking, he heard Meng Zhu on the side speak, and it was called the breeze and the moon, elegant and easy-going: "Let us try on these clothes."
He Zhizhou:?
No way, Brother Meng, have you studied too much? This is women's clothing! Women's clothing!
He wanted to refuse, but heard Meng Zhu's voice again: "As Brother He said just now, we will never dislike it."
You are so cruel.
He Zhizhou took a deep breath and squeezed out a smile that was uglier than crying: "Yes, haha."
After he agreed, everyone present looked at Pei Ji at the same time.
The taciturn boy was like a sheep that had strayed into a wolf's den. Even if he had a cold face and held a sword, he could not escape the identity of a lamb to be slaughtered.
Zheng Weiqi: "Junior brother..."
Pei Ji looked at her, and then at Ning Ning's expectant look.
He slightly exerted force on his knuckles holding the sword, lowered his eyes and said "hmm".
So Ning Ning, Pei Ji, Meng Ju and He Zhizhou walked into a small house in the courtyard, and Zheng Weiqi stayed in the room and waited patiently.
He Zhizhou was the first to come out.
He was wearing a light pink wide-sleeved moonlight skirt with many folds. As he moved with his steps, it was like the faint moonlight swaying in the wind, soft and elegant, and graceful with every step.
Zheng Weiqi tried her best to hold back the urge to burst out laughing, and in order to prevent He Zhizhou from noticing the upturned corners of her mouth, she stood up and did a handstand on the spot.
When the corners of your mouth can't help but curl up, if you can stand upside down, your lips that were originally curved upwards will turn downwards.
It's well-reasoned, you can't refuse to accept it.
- What the hell! This is not even good enough to cover one's ears and steal a bell! Who gave you the courage to laugh so wantonly after standing upside down!
He Zhizhou just wanted to give this vicious woman a sword, but suddenly the sound of a door being pushed open blew past his ears with the wind, making him turn his head subconsciously.
Ning Ning and Meng Ju were hesitating about something, and the second person to come out was Pei Ji.
He obviously didn't understand how to wear women's clothes, and his lake blue flowing fairy skirt was worn crookedly.
However, this person has a very good appearance, and even if she is wearing untidy women's clothes, she can still show some seductive charm. There is a white patch of hair on her neck, like a flawless jade.
Pei Ji had a blank expression on his face, and he looked like he was going to kill someone in women's clothes.
When they left the room, Ning Ning and Meng Ju opened the door at the same time. He Zhizhou wanted to see the amazing and gorgeous Senior Brother Meng in women's clothing, but he turned his head with joy -
why didn't you two idiots change your clothes at all! ! !
He Zhizhou heard the sound of something cracking.
He was in a trance and seemed to ask, "Senior Brother Meng, your clothes..." He
never expected that Meng Ju smiled lightly without changing his expression, and said the most murderous words in the most casual way: "If I didn't say that, how could you agree?"
Ning Ning also touched her head, a little embarrassed: "Senior Brother and Sister told me that I just need to wait in the room for you two to come out - you are so beautiful!"
He Zhizhou:?
He Zhizhou: ???
The senior brother you called a gentleman, so handsome and modest, turned out to be this kind of person? Huh? How can the boy have two faces?
Look at Pei Ji again.
He used to be such a cold and cool little boy, but now he stood there holding his skirt with a look of bewilderment, and his ears were slightly red.
He looked like a poor honest man who was cheated of his house, children and wife, and shivered in the cold wind.
Too miserable, too miserable. - You are not human! You actually bully an honest man! How can you bear it! What do you owe him in your heart? ! !
"Why did you change too?"
Ning Ning was closest to Pei Ji. She walked towards him like a gentle breeze. Although she was trying hard to hold back her laughter, the curve of her mouth was obvious: "I'm sorry, I thought they also told you that this time they are here to team up to deal with He Zhizhou."
In the end, she couldn't help it and burst out laughing.
Pei Ji frowned, feeling that it was neither moving nor moving. His ears were feeling hot for some reason, and Cheng Ying in his heart was screaming: "Isn't it for you? Doesn't he want you to be alone in those ugly clothes? Woohoo! You can't bear to do this to him. "Ning Ning! He's trying so hard to dress up..."
After a pause, he seemed to be unable to pretend, and let out a shocking laugh: "I'm sorry Pei Xiaoji, I really tried my best, hahaha! You look so beautiful now, hahahaha!"
Pei Ji:...
"However, this is not how you wear these clothes."
Ning Ning took another step closer to him, slowly raised her right hand, and placed her fingertips on the young man's fair neck, twisting a corner of the clothes to cover his exposed skin.
"It is well known that only a wife will tidy up the clothes for her husband."
Chengying said seriously, "You are lucky, Pei Xiaoji."
No.
Pei Ji thought, it is not only his wife who tidy up the clothes, but also his loving mother at home.
What's more, if he doesn't want to, the junior sister will not marry him, so how can it be said that he is lucky or not.
"And here," Ning Ning blinked, her eyes fell on Pei Ji's open cuffs, "this sleeve has a lace-up design, if you don't tie it well, your arms will be completely exposed."
She leaned over while speaking, and her nimble fingers fell on the light-colored laces. Pei Ji's arms can be seen through the open long sleeves.
They are slender and straight, too white, as if they have not been exposed to the sun for a long time, and light blue veins are revealed. On the cold white skin, there were several old scars, mostly whip marks, and some burn marks, which were particularly hideous against the slender arms of the young man.
Pei Ji's mother hated him to the core, and the original book only mentioned this a few times, but judging from these scars, it seems that it is not just "alone and helpless".
Ning Ning's heart sank slightly, and he noticed that Pei Ji's arm suddenly shrank.
He had just been distracted by Chengying's words, and when he came to his senses, he found that Ning Ning was looking at his scarred arm from outside his sleeve.
... He didn't want her to see that look.
"Okay, okay, I'll teach you later - I just changed my clothes, how come my hair is messed up?"
Ning Ning knew that he had a strong sense of self-esteem, and pretending to be concerned would only make things more awkward, so she pretended to be calm and straightened up, looking up at Pei Ji's messy black hair.
Who would have thought that the original male protagonist could draw a sword, exorcise demons, and cook, but was clumsy at dressing, and after all the operations, his hair was as messy as a chicken's nest.
After all, this is not the 21st century. Although the world of cultivation advocates equality and free communication, it is still forbidden for men and women to touch each other.
Moreover, she and Pei Ji were not close enough to touch each other's heads, so she could only smile and point to the top of her head: "You are messy here."
Pei Ji imitated her movements and touched the same place on his head.
In his impression, no one had ever taught him how to dress and tie his belt so patiently. His
childhood memories were not very clear, but he only remembered that his mother hated his clumsiness the most. Even if she gave him some advice, she would be very impatient and beat him when she was unhappy.
Now Ningning was smiling and telling him how to do such a trivial thing in a gentle voice... It always felt a little strange.
Even his own thoughts became a little strange.
Chengying laughed: "Just tell me, did you make money?"
=====
"Strange, Meng Tu usually doesn't leave his room easily, he's either studying or practicing sword, why didn't he show up today."
The shadows of the trees in the mountains were mottled, the birds were chirping, Tianxianzi walked side by side with another tall young man, chatting: "But don't worry, he will come back eventually. I'll take you to Weiqi's courtyard first. She has been studying hard recently, so she must be in the house."
The young man laughed loudly and said, "Thank you, Elder Tianxian. The elder really cares about his disciples and took the trouble to inform me of the matters of the Dharma Assembly one by one."
Tianxianzi was shameless. He did not refute when he heard it, but snorted and nodded: "That's not the case."
The young man next to him was the contact person of Xuanxu Sect sent by the Ten Dharma Assembly. As a master who took care of his disciples, he led the other party to inform them one by one.
Unexpectedly, Meng Ju was not there, and the two were turned away.
"My second disciple is born stubborn. Now that she is approaching the academy assessment, she must be studying hard."
Approaching Zheng Weiqi's courtyard, Tian Xianzi smiled: "Hey, the door is not closed!"
He said and stepped forward.
Without knocking or pushing the door, you can clearly see the scene in the house.
Tian Xianzi's smile froze at the corner of his mouth.
Oh, Master Huang Tian.
What kind of chaos is this? ? ?
But Pei Ji was wearing a long skirt and disheveled clothes, his face was red, and Ning Ning kept touching him, scratching and touching him, laughing and saying something. The
poor little boy dared not to be angry, his body was stiff and motionless.
——Robbing a man in broad daylight, what a bully's behavior.
He Zhizhou was wearing a light pink moon-colored skirt, and his smile was so beautiful that it could make fish sink to the bottom of the water, geese drop to the ground, and the moon and flowers blush. Meng Ju, who was standing next to him, smiled and said to him: "Junior brother He has the appearance of an immortal, there is no need to be ashamed of this. I admire you very much."
He Zhizhou pointed at him with a orchid in his hand and patted him: "I don't hate him at all."
——What do you admire about him? Wearing women's clothes? Meng Ju, my good disciple, wake up a little, don't do that!
And Zheng Weiqi herself is even more terrifying.
She stood upside down with her hands on the ground, her whole face twitching, the corners of her mouth twisted into an extremely weird arc, and she laughed wildly.
——Tian Xianzi didn't want to express any opinion on this.
The pale hands trembled slightly.
Tianxianzi closed the door expressionlessly.
"Sorry, I seemed to have a little hallucination just now."
Tianxianzi held back the twitch in his forehead and tried to squeeze out a convulsive smile from his lips: "Let me open it again."
As soon as the voice fell, the door was pushed open again.
It was as if time had stopped in the courtyard, no different from before the door was closed.
Five pairs of blank eyes stared at the door, as quiet as chickens.
Pink and tender.
Forced to strip.
Laughing upside down.
It's great, everything is still the same as it was at the beginning.
The gentle wind passed through the hall, and Tianxianzi's heart also floated down.
After so many years of trust and time, it was all a waste.
"The disciple of Elder Tianxian..."
The contact person had never experienced such a strong visual impact before. He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead and said in panic: "As expected, they are as close as brothers, their love is as deep as the sea, they are so affectionate, they forcefully snatched a woman, and it's hard to tell whether she is a man or a woman... Oh, I'm sorry! Look at my mouth!"