He Zhizhou and Ye Zongheng were taken away.

The criminal justice officer had no intention of letting them off. Ning Ning could do nothing about it, and could only light a candle for her fellow countryman in her heart.

What greeted them must have been the loving education from the elders of the sect, and then the music was played and the cloth was covered, and the whole sect, young and old,

waited for the food to be served. The two movie kings of the porcelain-bumping world went to the criminal justice court to eat jail food, while He Zhizhou's fellow disciples, who were like brothers to him, completely let themselves go and strolled around the Luancheng market.

Luancheng is a well-known commercial giant, located at the thoroughfare of the six cities, and the land route is extremely convenient; in addition, the Cangjiang River wraps it in the middle like a dragon, and shipping is also unimpeded. It can be said that the avenues are connected to the narrows, and the roads are filled with precious horses and carved carriages.

Shops are lined up one after another, and the streets are decorated with pearl curtains. Wine shops, tea houses, painted bridges, and red-light districts are scattered on them like stars. The open alleys are connected to the dark passages, and the roads are densely packed like a spider web.

Pedestrians come and go, gathering all kinds of people, from the jade-faced young masters with fine clothes and delicious food, to the ragged blind beggars, and the shop vendors who keep shouting. It is very lively.

The city lord's mansion located in the center is the tallest building within sight. The high walls cover the pavilions, and the painted roofs and flying eaves seem to be flying up.

On the top of the mansion stood a phoenix with jade eyes, its eyeballs slowly turning in the sunlight, drawing out a continuous stream of dazzling light.

Apart from the costume TV dramas of the past, Ning Ning had never seen such a scene before. Her pair of black eyes swayed back and forth, and her eyes were full of novelty and excitement that could not be concealed.

Although she didn't want to admit it, she was indeed no different from Granny Liu who had just entered the Grand View Garden.

——But what does it matter! Being happy is the most important thing!

The trip to the pagoda finally allowed the child to earn some pocket money. Although after the money and belongings were divided up, everyone actually didn't get much, but for Ningning, who had always been frugal and repeatedly tested the edge of bankruptcy, it was already a very remarkable asset.

She was in a particularly good mood today, and she also felt that the noisy shouting around her became very cute. The streets were busy with cars and silk fragrances. Ningning was a little girl after all, and she saw a jewelry store when she looked up.

The store in Luancheng was completely different from Zheng Weiqi's simple stall in front of the mountain gate. Not only was the design exquisite and clever, but the materials used were also ingenious, mainly jade, gems, gold and silver, and the price was obviously high.

As soon as she walked into the shop, she could smell the fragrance of sandalwood and the colorful lights.

Ningning's eyes were almost blinded by the light.

The shop owner was a graceful young woman who came out to greet them warmly: "Are you all here to attend the Ten Dharma Conference? Judging from your demeanor, you must be a disciple of a major sect - you can pick whatever you like."

Ningning responded politely and looked down at the items in the shop.

The gold hairpin was decorated with kingfisher feathers, and pearls were embedded in the emerald feathers; the glazed step-shaking ornaments were the same color as ice and dust-free. In the sunlight, it looked like ice and snow melting, and the shimmering water color was flowing out.

One of the things that caught the little girl's attention at first sight was a delicate and small jade pendant.

Usually pendants are made in the shape of Buddha or dragons and phoenixes, but this one is different, carved into a crescent moon. The white jade is as cold as winter snow and as soft as morning frost. At first glance, it really looks like a small moon hanging in the sky.

Looking at the price again, it is enough to empty her small coffers.

Ningning was so upset that she suddenly heard the proprietress say with a smile: "Sir, you have a good eye. This night-shining pearl comes from the East China Sea. It is of excellent quality. Whether it is for praying or decoration, it is very helpful."

She looked at the voice and saw Lin Xun standing in front of a round night-shining pearl. When the proprietress named him, he immediately blushed and hurriedly moved his hands, even speaking a little stutteringly: "No, no need! I, I..."

He didn't have that much money.

The more the little white dragon spoke, the redder his face became. The last few words completely melted in his throat, turning into a vague breath and sob. He was too embarrassed to finish his words. In the end, he clutched the hem of his clothes tightly, lowered his head, and stared at his ankles.

Ning Ning only realized at this time that the dragon clan seemed to like shiny treasures. This round and shiny night pearl was probably like cat mint in the eyes of a cat to Lin Xun, with an irresistible temptation.

What's more, this pearl was produced in the sea, which made him feel even more homesick.

You know, although Lin Xun is socially anxious, he is unexpectedly stubborn in many things.

The most typical example is that Xuanxu Sword Sect does not allow disciples to live on family property, so he refused all financial assistance from his family, and went from being a spendthrift young master to a moonlit melon thief overnight.

Ning Ning had been to his room, and it was a typical example of a simple tofu with green onions, innocent. Not to mention that there were no shiny decorations, even the candles were only the last bit left, and there was no telling when he would steal the light by chiseling through the wall. It was

said that his father couldn't stand it, so he very down-to-earth brought a large pile of watermelons, which were all taken by Lin Xun to share with his brothers and sisters.

He did not participate in the training in the pagoda that day, and now he is penniless. Even if he likes it, he can't afford to buy the night pearl.

Zheng Weiqi and Meng Juyuan were at the other end of the store and did not hear the conversation. As a sales expert, the eldest sister had long lost interest in jewelry and accessories. Seeing that no one else was looking at the goods, she shouted carelessly, "Didn't you pick out anything good? How about we go to the next store?"

Lin Xun blushed and nodded hastily like a chicken pecking at rice.

So the group walked out of the store one after another, only Ningning paused as she stepped out of the door and suddenly turned back.

She took a last look at the small white moon and touched the storage bag in her arms.

Then she lowered her voice and asked the proprietress, "Sister, how much is that night pearl?"

=====

By the time they were exhausted, it had already turned from noon to evening.

The night banquet in the City Lord's Mansion started an hour later. After some discussion, everyone decided to go back to their rooms to rest first, so as not to be like a few dead fish out of water.

The reputation of the Xuanxu Sword Sect can't stand it anymore.

Ningning took advantage of them going back to the room and went to the jewelry store to buy the night pearl. After wandering aimlessly on the street for a while, when he quietly returned to the inn, he actually caught a glimpse of a dark figure sitting blankly on the top of the pavilion. After

a closer look, he found that it was Pei Ji.

This "top" is not the top floor, but the highest eaves of the entire inn in a real sense.

The young man was still wearing a black robe that was no different from the night, which made his face pale. He seemed to be in a bad mood. He didn't expect to meet Ning Ning's eyes at this moment. He was obviously stunned.

Ning Ning had no idea what he was thinking at that moment. After seeing Pei Ji on the eaves, only a few words remained in her mind -

Wow! It's flying over eaves and walking on walls!

Sword cultivators of their level can fly into the air, so it's not difficult to fly over eaves and walk on walls like in martial arts movies.

But when she was in Xuanxu Sword Sect before, all she saw were mountains, rivers, forests and seas, without eaves, walls, and people in the market, which was always a little lacking.

But now it's different.

Ning Ning smiled against the light, and landed beside Pei Ji effortlessly with a tiptoe: "Junior Brother!"

Her voice was blown into pieces by the evening breeze: "Instead of being in a daze here, why don't you come with me to do something interesting?"

=====

Luancheng in the evening is completely different from that in the daytime, especially when walking on the eaves, you can take in the beautiful scenery of the whole city just by looking down.

It was dusk, and the setting sun was about to set. The bright moon had climbed to the top of the tree, like a girl's eyebrows, covered by a layer of floating gauze.

Floating lanterns rose from thousands of houses, the firelight flickered, connected into pieces, and the moonlight enveloped them, adding a bit of dreamlike illusion.

The sound of people, water, and horses intertwined like the tide, and the laughter of children could be heard. The air was filled with the smell of honey and apricot blossoms, which drifted into the faint night with the wind, and even the fragrance was dim.

Ningning was light and made almost no sound when walking on the eaves. In addition, she walked very fast, often like a dragonfly skimming the water, moving unsteadily among the lights of thousands of houses.

Pei Ji followed her quietly, and occasionally spoke to respond to her words.

"Junior brother, have you been to such a big city before?"

"No."

"Oh."

Ning Ning smiled to herself with a candy in her mouth: "That's good too, the first time is very memorable! Since you are with everyone in Luancheng for the first time, maybe you will think of us every time you come here in the future."

Pei Ji didn't say anything, through the misty firelight, and glanced at her back. She

was wearing a light-colored long skirt, and the hem flowed like water as she moved, outlining ripple-like curves. Although she was talking to him, she was always at an untouchable distance, as if she could disappear in the twilight at any time.

Suddenly, the girl in front stopped and turned around without warning.

Pei Ji was slightly stunned and stopped.

"Junior brother."

She still had a smile on her face and raised her chin behind him: "Look, what's that behind?"

Pei Ji turned his head when he heard it, and saw only a low house in the corner she pointed to, without any eye-catching unusual phenomenon.

He was secretly wondering in his heart, when he suddenly heard a series of footsteps getting closer and closer.

The sound was deliberately suppressed very lightly, almost blending into the evening breeze, but he was sensitive by nature and noticed something unusual in an instant.

Pei Ji turned his head suddenly.

Ning Ning, who was quietly approaching him, froze.

She didn't think that her little action would be discovered, because she was startled by this unexpected look back, her body staggered slightly, and her feet suddenly slipped on the tiles.

Then, when she was only a few steps away from Pei Ji, she fell straight forward.

Ning Ning:...!

Wait! This is not the plot she imagined!

In any case, the correct plot is definitely not that she dies before she succeeds, and falls flat on her face. According to the planned ideas, this super harmonious and friendly surprise should be like this:

Today, she went out with Pei Ji and found that his clothes had faded a little. It seemed that this man was so focused on practicing swordsmanship that he had no time to think about how to fix his appearance.

It was a pity that most of her pocket money was spent on Lin Xun's night pearl. After thinking about it, she quietly took out the last bit of her private money and bought him a dark cloud brocade headband with gold-rimmed cloud patterns.

While Pei Ji was turning around, Ning Ning should have approached him quietly. When the junior brother turned around in confusion, he saw the gift so close at hand and widened his eyes in disbelief -

this is the correct way to open a surprise!

Who would have thought that the surprise originally intended for Pei Ji would end up being a shock to herself.

Ning Ning's heart sank and she gritted her teeth secretly.

She had already prepared herself to fall down, but the expected pain did not come as expected. A gust of wind rushed past and a cold pine scent came from the tip of her nose.

A hand pressed on her shoulder.

Then the whole person fell into a thin and strong chest.

... Eh.

The fragrance, and the touch on her face -

the fabric that her cheeks touched was soft and warm, and something was beating wildly and violently through a thin layer of chest.

Over and over again, it was too clear.

Ning Ning held her breath suddenly, and her head exploded.

No, no, no, no.

She was caught by Pei Ji?

Jade Emperor, Buddha, Jesus Christ, Guanyin Bodhisattva! She had never had such close contact with any boy in her life, this was too -

too weird!!!

What should she say?

"What a surprise" or "You didn't expect it, this is a gift for you"?

No, no, no! The most urgent thing now was to get out of Pei Ji's arms as soon as possible.

The night fell, and floating lights appeared everywhere.

Ning Ning's heart was in great confusion, and the young man in black standing on the eaves also had a burning sensation in his ears.

When he saw the young sister fall, he intended to step forward to help her, but he didn't expect that she would...

fall directly into his arms.

Pei Ji rarely had contact with women, and now he felt a ball of warm, fragrant and soft jade entering his chest, bringing a sweet, refreshing, and strange smell similar to that of candy.

Cheng Ying said nothing, he stood there a little at a loss, not knowing whether he should push her away or wait for Ning Ning to get up by herself.

His force was very light, he just pressed his palm on the girl's shoulder, but the muscles all over his body were tightened because of this action, and he couldn't move.

The palm of his hand that touched her was scalding hot, as if it was carrying a ball of fire, burning straight to his heart.

In the silence, not far away, there was a sudden sound of fireworks rising into the sky.

A long dark golden line shot up to the dome like lightning, and then suddenly bloomed like an Epiphyllum. Then the fireworks became

more and more numerous and brighter. The sky was filled with fireworks, making the evening seem like daytime, like a huge galaxy, hanging upside down and falling in front of his eyes.

Those were the fireworks set off in the City Lord's Mansion to celebrate the Ten Dharma Assembly.

At the end of the galaxy, the little girl who fell into his arms raised her head.

Ning Ning turned her back to the fireworks, but her pupils were still stained with gentle neon light.

However, her expression could not really be described as "gentle". She stood up in annoyance, and her face turned a deep red, whether it was anger or the reflection of the fire.

Pei Ji thought she would be angry.

Because of the demonic energy in his body, almost no one was willing to get close to him. When he touched other children in the town as a child, he would often be beaten and kicked.

He was used to doing what he wanted, but at this moment he felt inexplicably nervous, his throat moved slightly, and he quietly clenched his clothes with his fingertips.

But Ning Ning glared at him but did not make any harsh criticism. Instead, she lowered her head without saying a word and took out a long, flat black ribbon from her storage bag.

To be precise, it was a headband, exquisitely made, and you could tell at a glance that it was not cheap.

"It's for you."

She said in a hard tone and never raised her head from beginning to end: "It's just... I just happened to see it when I passed by... Anyway, I bought it, and it was definitely not picked out for you."

She said a lot of things in a confused manner, and the dizziness from falling into Pei Jihuai had not disappeared yet. Probably to increase credibility, she added at the end: "The one you are using now is too old, I don't like it at all, change it quickly."

What the hell is going on.

Ning Ning just wanted to give herself a hard stab in her heart.

The speech she had prepared with great difficulty was ruined by the fall.

This headband cost her all her remaining fortune, but with the tone she used now, it was as if she had stolen it from a street stall.

So angry.

Ning Ning's thoughts came and went, her mind was a mess, and while she was thinking, she suddenly noticed that Pei Ji in front of her had made a move.

She thought Pei Ji would take the headband.

Unexpectedly, when he stretched out his hand, the palm of his right hand was not empty, but a small object was placed neatly and quietly.

In the increasingly grand fireworks, Ning Ning's eyes slowly widened.

Then her mouth turned into a small circle.

Her heartbeat accelerated for no reason, beating against her chest.

In Pei Ji's palm, there was a small white moon. In the dim night, it was as if the bright moon was slowly growing from the boy's hand, emitting a soft glow.

It was the jade pendant she had seen in the jewelry store.

Everything tonight was like a dream, completely unreal.

That vague hug.

The untimely fireworks.

And the small piece of jewelry that she loved so much and should not have appeared in Pei Ji's hands no matter what.

She wanted to give Pei Ji a clumsy little surprise, but he gave her another, bigger one.

——How did Pei Ji find out what she was thinking?

Before Ning Ning recovered from her shock, the hairband in her hand was taken away by him without any explanation, and replaced by the moon jade pendant stuffed into her hand by Pei Ji.

"No, no!"

Ning Ning was very principled: "This is too expensive, I can't accept it."

Pei Ji's voice was very cold, and he raised his eyebrows provocatively: "Why can't I accept it? Senior sister can buy the night pearl for Senior Brother Lin Xun, but she can't accept a gift of the same value from me?"

Ning Ning was stunned again.

He also knew that she bought the night pearl for Lin Xun? No, why did Pei Ji's tone sound weird, like a little angry? What was he angry about?

I think he went back to the jewelry store after her, and the proprietress was so enthusiastic and talkative, who knows what she said.

She was sneered, but still felt unworthy, and hurriedly said: "I have done nothing but receive the gift, so why did you give it to me?"

As soon as she finished speaking, another bunch of fireworks swirled in the air, illuminating the red tear mole at the corner of Pei Ji's eyes and the silent gloom in his eyes.

He answered as a matter of course, and no emotion could be heard: "Why did the junior sister give the hairband to me?"

Ning Ning was completely choked.

This kid -

why didn't I realize that Pei Ji was so eloquent before?

She had nothing to say, so she had to hold the jade pendant in her hand, and after hesitating for a moment, she whispered: "Then I'll accept it first... Thank you."

What Ning Ning didn't know was that the tense back of the young man beside her quietly relaxed a little.

His tone of response was still light: "Yeah."

Then there was a period of silence.

Pei Ji watched her calmly as she carefully spread out her hands, carefully examining the small moon in her palms, and finally raised her hands slightly to hold the jade pendant against the moonlight.

The white lights on the top of the city lord's mansion were like a palace in the sky, and it was unknown what year it was.

In addition to the street lights and fireworks, dark red lanterns were also lit up on the river. The light of the water was broken by the oars of the boat, and dark shadows floated on the waves, with faint swaying of fallen flowers.

Ning Ning stared at the small jade pendant, and the evening breeze blew from the eaves, lifting a few strands of black hair that fell on her cheeks. Pei Ji caught a glimpse of her white nuchal cavity and looked away without saying a word.

The jade pendant emitted a dark white glow under the moonlight, and the fireworks formed a galaxy that covered the sky and the earth, and all of them fell into the girl's pupils.

The moon was in front of her eyes, and the galaxy was in her eyes.

Suddenly Ningning turned her head, and in addition to the stars and the moon, there was also the shadow of Pei Ji, standing in the center within reach.

She didn't know why she burst out laughing, with a look of complete surprise: "Wow, Pei Ji, this is the first time I see you laugh."

After a pause, she said: "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to laugh... but you look like a fake-smiling boy now."

=====

Although Pei Ji had never seen the "fake smile boy" in person, he could guess from Ning Ning's tone and the literal meaning of the term that he was talking about his strange smile.

Now that the dinner had begun, the two of them hurried back to the inn not long after, preparing to attend the banquet with other people in the sect.

Before going to the banquet, one should go back to the room to tidy up one's appearance. Pei Ji held the brand new headband in his hand, but did not tie it on his hair.

The gold-rimmed pattern swirled and shone on the jade brocade. The young man's eyes darkened slightly, and his slender fingers subconsciously clenched.

In that jewelry store, he had seen Ning Ning lingering in front of the jade pendant, and the reason why he failed to buy it might be because of the price.

Pei Ji had always been frugal and had saved a lot of spare money. He had intended to buy it for her, but he didn't expect to hear the proprietress say amid Chengying's teasing voice: "What a coincidence! The girl who was with you during the day just left not long ago - she bought the night pearl."

Night pearl.

That was something that Senior Brother Lin Xun liked.

It turned out that she failed to buy the jade pendant in order to please Senior Brother Lin Xun.

Pei Ji found it difficult to explain his feelings at that moment, surprise, confusion, a little grievance and sadness.

... Really just a little.

He was a little angry at first and didn't want to give her the jade pendant again.

But when he saw the headband without any preparation, the anger and stubbornness that had accumulated in his heart were thrown away because of a thin layer of cloth and disappeared no longer.

He was really useless because of his weak character.

As if he remembered something, Pei Ji leaned over with a cold face, frowned and stared at his reflection in the mirror.

Then he raised his right hand and curled the right corner of his mouth.

He has lived in darkness and beatings since he was a child, and he has almost never encountered many things worth being happy about. Over time, laughing became a useless burden and was abandoned.

He doesn't laugh very well.

His light pink thin lips were forced to raise an arc similar to a smile, but he looked as stiff as a block of iron. With his cold eyes and brows, he doesn't look like he's smiling, but rather like he's possessed or poisoned.

The person in the bronze mirror frowned.

When he smiles... is this what he looks like?

After being silent for a long time, Cheng Ying finally spoke, trying hard to hold back his laughter: "No way, Pei Xiaoji, Ning Ning was just saying it casually, but you really looked in the mirror and saw what you look like when you smile? How about it, are you happy to receive the gift today?"

Perhaps sensing Pei Ji's impatience and irritability, he coughed lightly and said, "Well, listen to me. Who smiles with only half of their mouth bent up? Try using both hands and hooking the corners of your mouth upwards, that way it will be much more normal." Chengying

is like a middle-aged single uncle addicted to love. Pei Ji has always felt that she is unreliable, but at this moment, she lowered her head with an indifferent expression and did as he was told without saying a word.

So the corners of her mouth were curved by her fingers, and Chengying admonished her in a motherly and loving tone:

Yes, that's it, pull it a little further out - perfect, Pei Xiaoji! Smile like this in the future, do you understand? Hehehehahaha! Absolutely! What kind of god is this!

After she finished speaking, she couldn't stand it anymore, and she turned from a kind mother at home into a giggling old hen.

Pei Ji didn't move, his eyes fixed on the mirror, and where his eyes fell, he saw his sword-like eyebrows, rippling black eyes and tall nose.

And the extremely funny curved lips, and the two white, tender and round lumps of flesh on the cheeks piled up by fingers.

This time it was not a fake smile.

He looked like a fool.

Pei Ji: ...

I was fooled.