Ning Ning curled up in Pei Ji's coat, followed him step by step onto the flying boat, and sat down obediently in a secluded corner, as quiet as a chicken.

When she came before, Zheng Weiqi sat beside her. Now the two of them were doing trials separately and couldn't see each other. In addition, Ning Ning's face was very red, and she didn't want to see anyone. After sitting down, she gently pulled Pei Ji's sleeve: "Pei Ji, can you sit next to me?"

He pursed his lips, although his face was expressionless, there was no impatience or rejection in his eyes. After a very short silence, he said "hmm" in a low voice.

In fact, Pei Ji was a little unhappy.

Ever since Ning Ning said she wanted to go find He Zhizhou alone, he felt like something was blocking his chest, weighing heavily on it, making him feel depressed and annoyed, and he almost blurted out to tell her: Don't always stay alone with Senior Brother He.

As soon as this thought came to his mind, he was amused and laughed secretly.

Not to mention that he and Ning Ning were not close, and he had no identity or reason to point fingers at her, just talking about himself -

Pei Ji thought, no matter how good the relationship between Ning Ning and He Zhizhou was, it had nothing to do with him. She could be close to whoever she wanted to be close to, why should he always care.

... But he was still a little unhappy for some reason.

When he was helping Qiao Yan escort the dying demons out of the secret realm, his face was so cold that a demon cultivator was trembling with fear. He asked on the spot: "If you want to draw your sword, can you let me die cleanly?"

Later, when he saw her and He Zhizhou competing with each other in acting in the black mirror, it was the same.

Although Ning Ning felt ashamed to face people, Pei Ji did not think it was such a shameful act. When he looked at the picture in the black mirror, a small, cowardly thought quietly sprouted in his heart.

Ning Ning was always so lively when she was with He Zhizhou. Senior Brother He could laugh and play with her, but he could not do it no matter what.

He was too depressed and had a bad temper, because he had lived in a world of beatings, scoldings, swordplay and sabers since he was a child. He had no idea how to make others happy, and it was a blessing that he had not developed a murderous and tyrannical personality.

He was always as silent as a background, and only when blood was shed could he rely on swordsmanship and ruthlessness to gain a sense of existence. The rest of the time -

thinking of this, Pei Ji couldn't help but feel upset again.

Ning Ning didn't care whether he could make her happy or not, but he was secretly entangled for so long. In her heart, this unfamiliar junior brother must be no different from anyone else.

"Huff." Chengying sensed his thoughts and said in a sly tone, "So, in your heart, she is very different from others?"

Pei Ji: ...

Pei Ji replied dryly, "You think too much."

"I think she treats you very well. Do you remember the three words Ning Ning said before?"

It chuckled and pinched its throat and said, "Pei Jiji~ When you heard this title, your heartbeat quickened a lot~ Try calling her 'Ning Ning' sometime, don't always call her 'Junior Sister'~"

Pei Ji said nothing, and pursed his lips calmly.

Even if he was unhappy, he would not deliberately show it to upset others, but was used to hiding all his emotions in his heart.

Ning Ning beside him was already restless, so she naturally didn't notice what he was thinking. She was silent for a long time, covered in her coat, and suddenly raised her head to look at him.

Her eyes were very beautiful, round and black like two grapes, reflecting a faint light under the light. Especially at this moment, her long hair was messed up by her coat, scattered on her fair face, and the tip of her nose and the side of her face still retained the pink color of peach blossoms. When she looked straight at him,

Pei Ji quietly tightened his fingers holding the sword and asked in a deep voice: "What's wrong?"

"You," she hesitated a little, her voice was small, and she quickly lowered her eyes: "Did you see...what happened between me and He Zhizhou in the mirror?"

The answer to this question should only be "yes" or "no".

But Pei Ji asked her back: "Does it matter whether I saw it or not?"

Even he did not expect that he would say this subconsciously. For a moment, he and the little girl beside him were both stunned.

This did not seem like a question Pei Ji would ask. He always hated unnecessary things and never dragged his feet. Ning Ning was surprised, but was slightly stunned by this sentence.

- Is it important?

It seems, it seems, it is really that important.

She felt inexplicably concerned about this.

It was not until Pei Ji asked her that she finally realized that when she left the secret realm, in front of so many people, what she thought was not "Oh no, social death", but "Oh no, Pei Ji will not see it."

Ning Ning did not speak.

After a long time, she wrapped herself tightly with her coat again and shrank back into the corner like before.

Pei Ji couldn't see her expression, he could only hear Ning Ning's voice, saying softly with some hesitation: "... Yeah."

Pei Ji never thought he would get such an answer.

He didn't care about any pain or humiliation, but at this moment, his heart dropped because of this short word.

"If you didn't see it, I would feel happier."

Ning Ning looked like a round hamster, with her head wrapped in her coat, swaying from time to time. After a pause, she quickly added in a panic: "Actually, I don't really care...! It's just that, um, I want to know."

Pei Ji suddenly wanted to laugh.

Somehow, the annoyance in his heart dissipated at this moment. He lowered his eyes and leaned back in the chair, glancing at her curled up appearance, and said in a tone that did not allow for questioning: "No."

"Really?!"

Ning Ning immediately poked her head out from her coat upon hearing that, with smiles on her eyes and eyebrows, and her mouth grinning happily, as if she felt something was wrong, and frowned again: "You are not lying to me, are you?"

Pei Ji's expression did not change: "No."

She was relieved then, and continued with a smile: "Then don't ask others what happened in the secret realm today!"

Pei Ji: "Okay."

Ning Ning was very satisfied. After thinking for a while, she told him seriously: "Actually, nothing happened between us. We just had a fight... The ultimate showdown between swordsmen, do you understand? But you also know that my spiritual power is not enough, so I am a little bit wolfish."

Cheng Ying "tsk tsk" a few times.

Looking at this girl's expression, it doesn't look like what she said, "I don't really care."

=====

The trial meeting started and ended at midnight. The spirit foxes and demon cultivators were taken to the attic where the elders gathered, waiting for further discussion and decision.

The disciples who passed the trial were very tired and returned to the inn early to rest, waiting for the ranking results to be announced a day later.

Ningning slept until the afternoon of the next day. To celebrate that all the disciples under Tianxianzi passed the first round of trials, everyone decided to go to the famous Tianxianglou to celebrate.

Tianxianglou is famous for its combination of northern and southern cuisines and its wide variety of dishes, especially its unique winemaking craftsmanship. It is the leading winery in Luancheng.

The group was arranged to stay in a private room on the third floor. Zheng Weiqi was refreshed after passing the test. She kept talking while going upstairs: "This is much more comfortable than the imperial examination! Fighting and killing is so much fun! Just carry a sword and fight, what's the big deal about reciting poems and composing couplets?"

These words were shocking and unconventional. Ningning smiled softly when she heard them, and remembered her promise to Pei Ji before, and immediately said: "I'll treat you today."

"No, no! How can Ning Ning pay for this? It must come from me, the senior brother!"

He Zhizhou grinned ungracefully when he thought about having delicious food. "I still have some money left from the private money I earned in the pagoda last time. I'll treat you to this meal as a thank you to Senior Uncle Tianxian for his long-term care."

Although Tianxian was poor, he was still a master. This was just a meal. If I asked the little disciple to treat me, I would feel a little embarrassed.

So the poorest elder of the Xuanxu Sect waved his sleeves, smiled, shook his head and said loudly: "The trial has just ended, and it is right for me, as the elder, to reward you. No need to say more, I will pay for this meal!"

"That won't work!"

As one of the poorest disciples of the Xuanxu Sect, He Zhizhou was also unaware of his own assets. He quickly took out his wallet from his pocket: "I'll do it! Let's not go home until we are drunk tonight!"

Either don't mention the treat from the beginning, or insist on paying the bill. If you withdraw halfway, you will always feel a little inferior to the other party, which makes you feel uncomfortable.

Tian Xianzi thought to himself that this was impossible, and quickly took out a small cloth bag from his storage bag, and pushed down He Zhizhou's hands: "Uncle Master has finally brought you out, so don't be stubborn!"

The two poor ghosts simultaneously burst out with an extraordinary desire to win. While walking upstairs to the restaurant, they took out their wallets and pushed them around, like a two-person dance, their bodies swayed left and right, and the money bags in their hands were danced up and down.

Ningning followed behind them, and was originally still guessing with Zheng Weiqi who would get the order tonight. Halfway through, her voice almost choked in her throat -

their small pavilion was located on the third floor of Tianxiang Tower, so passing through the brightly lit corridor would inevitably pass by the stairs.

At this time, He Zhizhou and Tianxianzi were still pushing each other with deep affection between master and disciple.

A familiar male voice sounded behind him, which seemed to be the voice of the Lord of Luancheng, full of surprise and smile: "Ah! Isn't this the elder Tianxian and the young Taoist priests of the Xuanxu Sword Sect!"

This voice sounded unexpectedly. Tianxianzi recognized its owner and was temporarily distracted. He turned his head quickly;

but He Zhizhou did not expect his sudden action and distraction. He still put his right hand on the other's arm with full concentration, smiled shyly, and pushed suddenly.

Unfortunately, this time it was no longer an even match.

So the Lord of Luancheng and his wife saw the most terrifying scene of the day in Tianxiang Tower at night.

Elder Tianxian was walking with a disciple. After hearing the shouts, he turned around hastily and gave the two a hearty smile.

Then, in the next moment, his expression suddenly changed, and at the same time, his body leaned back and slid down. In panic, he reached out his hand relying on his last instinct.

Unfortunately, trust and the friendship between master and disciple were misplaced. The disciple did not make any move, but just stood there in a daze.

When the finger just brushed across his sleeve, Elder Tianxian could no longer hold back his expression. His eyes, mouth, and nostrils were all enlarged by more than 30% compared to the original state, which was unimaginable for ordinary people. It was very scary.

From his eyes full of fear and confusion, anyone can imagine the secret of a bloody battle between master and disciple in the immortal sect.

——It turned out that the disciple who was traveling with him took advantage of his unpreparedness and pushed him down the stairs!

The lady of the city lord, who looked like a fallen fairy, took a deep breath and held her husband's arm tightly. As a beauty, even her screams were particularly clear and melodious: "Help! Someone is being murdered!"

He Zhizhou's rusty brain finally turned around and realized what was happening. He waved the money bag in his hand and shouted: "Master-Uncle-!"

The diners on the third and second floors of Tianxiang Building heard the noise and opened the door to find out what was going on. When they glanced at the corridor, they all showed terrified expressions.

The young man in white was pushed hard and fell backwards with an extremely terrifying look, like a spinning windmill, rolling and falling on the long stairs.

The head and the feet took turns to come into close contact with the stairs under the action of inertia. When a bloodless and miserable white face was raised high in the air, it was full of despair.

And when he finally lay on the ground like a pancake, he fell right at the feet of the city lord. The purse in his hand fell to the ground, and a few pitiful spirit stones fell out of it.

Someone who didn't know the truth passed by, looked down at the stones, and uttered a slightly disgusted "Ah".

Tian Xianzi twitched.

The money in this bag, added up, is not as high as his current blood pressure.

He Zhizhou called out tentatively, "Master, uncle master?"

Tianxianzi ignored him and moved forward without saying a word, coming to the handrail of the stairs and trying to stand up with the help of it.

He climbed up with both hands and pulled his feet up; his thin body leaned slightly to the left, showing his effort. He Zhizhou saw his back and tears quickly flowed down.

I wonder if he would immediately write an article "Back View" to praise the kindness of uncle master like a landslide, and whether it would soften Tianxianzi's heart a little before he was beaten to pieces.

In the chaos, someone said hesitantly: "The one who fell down... seems to be the Tianxian elder of Xuanxu Sword Sect."

"Xuanxu Sword Sect? Is it the Xuanxu Sword Sect that hung the head on the flying boat?!"

Someone responded in shock: "First they did such a shameless thing, and now they are killing each other in front of their fellow disciples - they are worthy of them!"

As soon as these words fell, discussions in the corridor began to rise one after another:

"Wait, did you find that the man who pushed him down... seems to be seven points similar to the flying head!"

"Could it be that the man's twin brothers knew about this and came here for revenge?"

"In my opinion, it's probably that the dead man crawled out of the underworld and came to take Tianxianzi's life! How can we understand the entanglement of the immortal sect!"

The crowd's ability to associate is amazing, and they imagined a bloody drama of a revengeful immortal hero and a terrifying thunderbolt.

Poor Tianxianzi did nothing, but he was given the title of "the first beheading madman in the immortal sect".

After watching the excitement, the diners closed the door with a chattering, and finally came to a conclusion: everyone is welcome not to sign up for the Xuanxu Sect;

several disciples present, including Ning Ning, were silent, not knowing what to do.

Among all the people, only the Lord of Luancheng was terrified and looked panicked.

——Because he finally remembered that the young swordsman who pushed Tian Xianzi downstairs was He Zhizhou, who was twisting and crawling in the mysterious mirror and was accused of being a snake-like heart by Xiao Taohong! As expected, he had smallpox

at the age of five and a stroke at the age of ten. In addition, he was bullied to the point of mental disorder in the brothel. He was indeed cruel and ruthless, not a normal person. He actually became a mass murderer in the Tianxiang Building in public!