Ning Ning always had a bad feeling.
It was already noon, but when she and Pei Ji sobered up and planned to leave the inn and go to the City Lord's Mansion, they did not see the shadow of other people in the sect.
Meng Ju, Zheng Weiqi, Lin Xun, He Zhizhou and even Master Tian Xianzi, the warriors who stayed in Tianxiang Tower to continue drinking, none of them came back. The door was locked and no matter how hard they knocked, there was no response.
"Could they be," Ning Ning recalled Pei Ji's appearance last night, and couldn't help but worry for a while, "drunk and still not sober?"
Today is the day to announce the results of the first round of the Dharma Assembly. If the disciples don't show up, they may not be discovered;
however, Tian Xianzi is an elder of the Xuanxu Sword Sect. Listening to his eloquent speech at the banquet last night, it seems that he will give a speech in front of everyone and tell them about the formation in the secret realm.
If he doesn't show up, her master's reputation will be completely ruined.
"They may have gone to the City Lord's Mansion."
Pei Ji didn't know why he always seemed a little reserved and cold. He stood behind her and said in a deep voice: "The journey from Tianxiang Tower to the City Lord's Mansion is not long."
This is the luckiest possibility now.
Ningning nodded: "Let's go to the City Lord's Mansion first."
=====
Before entering the City Lord's Mansion, Ningning came to the door and saw the phoenix statue as soon as she looked up.
The City Lord's Mansion was full of pavilions and terraces. The phoenix spread its wings between the green tiles and eaves. The emerald gems inlaid in its eyes shone brightly, and they were even more dazzling in the bright daylight, as if they could penetrate the heart at a glance.
"I heard that there are two phoenix statues."
Pei Ji saw her looking up and looked up along Ningning's line of sight: "One in the north and one in the south. The gems embedded in the eyes are cast with magic, and can continuously rotate within a certain angle to record the scene."
It's like four surveillance cameras that are constantly shaking.
However, just as surveillance cameras always have blind spots, these four stones also have obvious loopholes.
"Even if there is a phoenix, the murderer can still take advantage of the gap when the gem is moved away?"
Because of what happened last night, Ning Ning always felt a little nervous when she was alone with Pei Ji.
She didn't know whether those drunken words and actions were true or false. She couldn't just ask him directly with a thick face: "Why did you say such ambiguous words last night?"
This was too embarrassing, and she would not be able to see Pei Ji again.
And-
Ning Ning glanced at his quiet profile, and for no reason remembered the smile that Pei Ji had when he was lying on the bed last night.
He said that he had practiced for a long time, and it was definitely not a fake smile.
Did Pei Ji really practice smiling in front of the mirror because of a joke she had said before?
This thought made her a little confused.
Pei Ji certainly didn't know the complicated thoughts in her mind, and he replied softly, "Yeah."
After he said a word, he seemed to think that such a response was a bit perfunctory, so he continued in a deep voice, "It is said that after the Luan Bird Statue was installed, a girl went missing in Luan City. The criminal justice envoy searched through the recorded images and found no useful clues."
Ningning walked with him to the mansion, and asked curiously, "Where did the girl go missing?"
"A place full of brothels."
Pei Ji's tone was still very calm, and he was completely different from last night: "There is a long street with brothels in Luan City, named 'Bai Hua Shen'. The missing girl was a dancer. Because she had no relatives, she was discovered missing by the brothel nanny several days later."
Thinking of this, it is inevitable to feel a little sad.
They are all poor people who come out to make a living. The girl has no one to rely on, and no one knows that she has evaporated from the world.
Now that the demons have disappeared, the world can barely be called peaceful. If it were in the past, such things would be common. Mortals with low cultivation are all ants. Even if they fight desperately, they can't shake the great cultivators at all, and can only be crushed to death like ants.
Ning Ning sighed at this thought, and when she looked up again, she had arrived at the front gate.
The disciples who had all their tokens taken away and left the illusion midway knew that they had no chance, and most of them did not come to attend today's banquet. Looking around, the banquet lineup was still the same, but most of the guests were missing.
Ning Ning looked left and right, searching carefully, and finally her eyes lit up, and she found the figure of Little White Dragon Lin Xun in the corner.
But he seemed a little bit strange.
The white robe seemed to have been ravaged wildly, and the wrinkles were like ripples on the river surface during a flood, and it was very wrinkled. He sat motionless in the shadow of the eaves, as if his brain had been eaten by a zombie, and he had become a walking corpse, the kind that didn't even need makeup to play a zombie.
Later, when she looked closely, she found that not only was the white robe as if it had been ravaged, but he himself looked like a shrunken sponge baby, without a drop of water left, extremely miserable.
Ningning and Pei Ji looked at each other, walked up and called softly: "Junior Brother Lin?"
The moment Lin Xun raised his head, she smelled a sweet smell of wine. It is worthy of the return of spring in Jiuzhou. Even after so long, the lingering fragrance is still like a spring breeze.
Seeing that he was still in a daze, Ning Ning asked worriedly: "Are you okay? What about the others besides you? What happened last night?"
The dragon boy stared at her, and after a long while, he took a deep breath with red eyes, and cried out aggrievedly: "Little, little senior sister - so scary, so scary, Master and the others are crazy!"
Lin Xun had the appearance of a harmless and fair-skinned young man, but now his eyes were full of tears, his voice was as soft as cotton, and his two light pink dragon horns swayed with his head, making him a killer in the world.
Chengying chuckled: "You were almost like this kid last night, when you were acting coquettishly towards Ningning, oh my god, it was so straightforward hehe."
Pei Ji's eyes dimmed, and his expression, which was not friendly to begin with, became even gloomier, and he pursed his thin lips tightly.
If he had heard Chengying's words in the past, he would have ignored them with complete disgust, but at this moment, looking at the way Ningning comforted Lin Xun softly, he subconsciously spoke in his heart.
"I--"
He seemed to feel extremely ashamed of this sentence, and his tone was extremely stiff. It took a lot of courage to finish it in one breath: "Who is better, me or him?"
Chengying was stunned.
Then it burst into a startled laugh: "Oh my God, Pei Xiaoji! Is this something you would say? The sun rises from the west?"
It became more and more excited as it spoke, with extremely weird and devilish "hehe" sounds interspersed between its words: "Are you... jealous or are you coming to your senses?"
Pei Ji frowned, holding back the hot air surging in his ears, and said in a cold voice: "The answer."
Chengying laughed for a long time, and said in a whisper: "Of course it's you! Pei Xiaoji is the cutest in the world. When Ningning heard you acting coquettishly last night, her face was super super red."
Pei Ji: ...
Pei Ji was confused and wanted to draw his sword and chop himself, and die together with this extremely obscene uncle voice.
But no matter how shy he was, he was always rational. Hearing this, he silently raised his eyelids and quietly looked at the girl's ear.
It was as white as jade, without any red.
Lin Xun did not make her feel shy or embarrassed.
Pei Ji withdrew his gaze with satisfaction, and the annoyance in his heart mostly dissipated. He was reluctantly willing to forgive Cheng Ying's chattering.
Ning Ning was startled by the little white dragon, and responded in a soft voice: "Tell me slowly, what happened to Master?"
"Last night, you and Junior Brother Pei left Tianxianglou. Master and Senior Sister Zheng said that Jiuzhou Chungui was indeed a good wine. We finally managed to trick the city lord into treating us, so we couldn't waste it. So we kept drinking. Senior Brother Meng Ju and I were also forced to drink by them..."
Lin Xun gradually showed a look of fear, and his eyes widened. "In the end, everyone went crazy. Master, Senior Sister, and Senior Brother He jumped out of the window like monkeys. They ran away. Senior Brother Meng Ju was lying on the ground unconscious. I drank the least, so I barely had a little consciousness left to chase the three of them, but I also fainted halfway and couldn't remember anything. "A
good drinking party turned into a monkey show. The thought of the three people jumping up and down with their teeth bared and unconscious, and finally jumping out of the third-floor window in full view of everyone...
It was so horrifying that people dared not think about it carefully.
Ning Ning also had a night pearl in her storage bag. She had planned to give it to Lin Xun as a gift after the first round of trials. However, seeing how distraught he was at this time, it was obvious that he had no intention of accepting it.
She had no choice but to put the matter aside for now, and continued to ask thoughtfully: "Senior Brother Meng Ju didn't show up in the City Lord's Mansion either... Do you remember where the master and the other three went?"
Lin Xun didn't know what he remembered, and shuddered all of a sudden, whispering four words: "Deep among the flowers."
Oh no.
Coincidentally, it was the long street where the last woman disappeared. Who knows if the three of them would cause any trouble if they ran in in a daze.
"Miss Ningning!"
She was worrying about the misfortune of her master, and another clear voice rang in her ears. Ningning turned her head and bumped into Qiao Yan's light brown eyes.
The little fox girl finally shed her past melancholy, revealing a faint smile from the bottom of her eyes. When she saw her, her ears shook, and the sun reflected a faint halo.
Lin Xun's drunkenness and social phobia broke out at the same time, and he curled up in a corner.
Ning Ning smiled and said, "Calling me 'Miss Ning Ning' is too formal. Just call me by my name. I wonder how the people of the Spirit Fox tribe are doing?"
"Last night, the elders of the Suwen Hall diagnosed the entire tribe and said that evil spirits had entered their bodies. If they recuperate well in a place with rich spiritual energy, they will be able to regain consciousness within half a year and become the same as before."
Qiao Yan said, "As for the demons, they have all been imprisoned in the dungeon. After the ceremony is over, they will be taken back to the Demon Refining Tower by the elders of Kunshan."
Ning Ning nodded in understanding, paused for a moment, and asked slowly, "Which sect do you plan to take them to?"
"Suwentang's dedication to medical skills will greatly benefit the recovery of my people. In addition, I have been studying medicine in the secret realm for many years, which is exactly in line with this path."
The fox girl blinked her eyes and smiled calmly and gently: "In addition to my spiritual fox clan, there are many people in the world who are imprisoned. If I can learn something and use medical skills to save them from danger, that would be my greatest wish."
She really grew up a lot overnight. She was no longer the little girl who was holding a bow and arrow and wanted revenge when she first met Ningning and her group. Ningning was not surprised by this result. Thinking of the secret realm, she added: "The Burning Sun Bow--"
Qiao Yan smiled and shook her head.
"I don't know how many people killed and robbed that bow. Now I have no ability to control it. It's better to leave it in the secret realm."
This is the best ending.
The Lord of Luancheng, who was not far away, had already walked to the center of the banquet and said a lot of official polite words similar to a speech under the national flag. Ningning finished talking to Qiao Yan, and in a trance, she heard him laugh loudly:
"Many disciples do not know what happened in the secret realm, the remnants of the demon clan, the illusion formation, and it was thanks to Little Taoist Ningning of the Xuanxu Sword Sect that the Shuijing Secret Realm was saved. Today, at this grand banquet, his master, Elder Tianxian, will explain the secrets to everyone one by one." As
soon as he finished speaking, the disciples around him stopped their actions one after another, keeping the same posture as Luo Yuanming, looking forward to it. However, after half a cup of tea, Elder Tianxian, whose name was called, did not appear.
A cloud in the sky came slowly and left slowly, without making any sound from beginning to end.
Luo Yuanming was very embarrassed, and looked at each other with the other elders, his temples throbbing.
Ning Ning pulled Pei Ji's sleeve, her expression stiff.
Her heart was in her throat, and she stared at the center of the banquet without moving. She never expected that a very familiar young man suddenly appeared in front of her and walked slowly forward.
It was simply the tenth wonder of the world. Tian Xianzi, who should have been drunk and lost his way, actually appeared in the City Lord's Mansion. However, his expression was not right, and his eyes were red and swollen, like a wandering murderer who had been on the run for ten years.
He won't, he is not sober yet.
Ning Ning's sixth sense was like being thrown into a trash can, rotated 720 degrees, and then fermented with stinky mandarin fish, stinky tofu and snail noodles for 49 days. It was worse than before.
"My fellow Taoists..."
Tian Xianzi stood where Luo Yuanming had stood before, grinning at everyone. He didn't stand steady, so he swayed to the side, his expression twisted like a bowl of wontons.
Thanks to him, a good banquet of the righteous sect turned out to be like a gathering of demons reporting murders. "As we all know, these ten methods..."
He paused here, as if he had forgotten the words, and took out a piece of thin paper from his pocket, squinting and looking down: "The ten methods are a rare event for us in recent years!"
The ten methods of his mother's ceremony. What were they here for, a funeral exchange meeting?
Luo Yuanming's eyes widened, he almost couldn't catch his breath, hesitant to speak.
"Well, let me see. Let's cultivate--"
Tian Xianzi was obviously still drunk, staggering to identify the handwriting on the paper.
He was not clear, the words were all blurry, he couldn't tell whether it was "Xian" or "Zhen" or "Dao" after the word "Xiu". He tried to identify it for a long time, frowned in annoyance, and looked away.
Under the paper, his feet were spread out.
Oh, it's not "Xian" or "Zhen", and it's not "Dao".
He understood. The words that occupied his mind at this moment were:
"The Ten Dharmas are a rare event in the shoe repair industry!"
Tian Xianzi raised his eyebrows and said, "Among them, my good disciple Ning Ning is a talent in the shoe repair industry. I am very proud of her!"
Many people around him cast extremely shocked glances. Ning Ning just wanted to close her eyes and die in a decent way.
Luo Yuanming pinched his Ren Zhong fiercely to prevent himself from fainting. Tian Xianzi beside him was still talking nonstop:
"You will never be able to imagine what happened in the secret realm!"
The City Lord's Mansion was as silent as death. Pei Ji stood in front of Ning Ning expressionlessly, blocking the sight from all directions for the latter, and she herself did not dare to listen any more.
"The secret realm was set up by the demons as a water mirror formation. The place where everyone first arrived was actually the dark side of the formation and the place where the demons gathered."
He spoke passionately, gesticulating: "It was Ning Ning who discovered the eye of the formation, took the Demon Lord and fought with the sword for three hundred rounds, which severely damaged the demons and restored peace to the secret realm!"
Holding. Demon. Lord.
Zhen Xiao Jian Zun, who usually had the best relationship with this person, had a sullen face. His hand holding the teacup trembled slightly, and he gulped down a mouthful of hot tea.
"Elder Tianxian."
This person was a well-known and powerful person in the immortal sect. Even if Luo Yuanming saw something wrong, he couldn't humiliate him in public.
Seeing that Tianxianzi stopped talking at this point, he was very good at judging the situation and lowered his voice. He reminded in a low voice that only two people could hear: "Elder Tianxian, it's time to ask Ningning to come on stage, and I will give the award."
Tianxianzi nodded, twisted his head stiffly like a broken artificial retard, and scanned most of the people present. Because Ningning was blocked by Pei Ji, he didn't see the shadow of the little girl in his impression.
"But Ning Ning..."
He tilted his head, his eyes full of despair and confusion, and said to Luo Yuanming in a dumb voice without disguising: "Ning Ning, she is gone. Even if you call her name now, no one will come up."
The elders were shocked, the disciples were stunned, and the scene was in chaos.
Gone.
——Oh my God! Ning Ning is dead? !
Junior Sister Ning Ning of Xuanxu Sword Sect, she, she died of serious injuries after the duel with the Demon Lord? ! Was the black dragon incident at the exit of the secret realm that day the last time they saw her? !
No wonder she looked different that day, could it be... a last burst of life? !
Ning Ning's eyes went dark, she tightly grasped Pei Ji's sleeve, and tried to take a deep breath.
People who were not near her sighed and lamented. The disciples beside her looked sideways, their faces horrified, and they took a few steps back without making a sound.
Then they heard Tianxianzi's voice like a broken gong: "The rest of you, fellow Taoists, don't be discouraged. No matter how unknown you are now, as long as you practice diligently, you will be like Ningning, and one day you will lose your head and become a phoenix burning with lust!"
This time, not only Luo Yuanming, but the whole venue was boiling.
Who would want to lose their head like her!
"This guy is crazy!"
Lin Qian shouted in shock: "Quick, quick, someone go stop him!"
"Does he want to say 'get ahead' or 'rise from the ashes'?"
Qu Feiqing could see that Mao Jiao was stupid at a glance: "He's drunk."
"Elder Tianxian, what's wrong with you!"
Luo Yuanming was so scared that his face turned pale. He hurried forward to stop him, but Tianxianzi suddenly turned his head. The ferocious and crazy murderous intent in his eyes like a beast made him dare not step forward.
This look was really scary. The guards in the City Lord's Mansion followed suit. They thought that Elder Tianxian was going to draw his sword and fight. Unexpectedly, he just smiled coldly, took a step back and said, "What are you doing? Want to catch me? No way!"
So everyone at the banquet watched Elder Tianxian do backflips and fly backwards. The guards beside the City Lord rushed to chase him, like a monkey walking, and finally came to the stables of the mansion.
He ran, they chased, he couldn't escape even if he had wings.
Under heavy siege, Tianxianzi was not panicked, but jumped straight to a horse in the corner, raised his hand to hold the reins, and shouted with overwhelming pride: "Brother Ma, you were always ridden before, today I will let you ride me too! Let's run away!"
His arrogance finally turned into a knife stabbing at him.
Everyone inside and outside the City Lord's Mansion was shocked.
- Help! Elder Tianxian picked up a horse without saying a word, raised a big circle in the air, and ran to the street with a scream like a horse killing a pig!
People and horses were falling and screaming on the street. The horses were bouncing up and down on his shoulders, wailing and foaming at the mouth. The laughter of Tianxianzi was so loud that it echoed all over the place.
His wildness was far beyond the reach of ordinary people. The people of Luancheng called him "the number one horse-slaughtering and beheading demon in the immortal gate", and his reputation will be passed down through the ages.
"Little Senior Sister Ningning, go and save them!"
Lin Xun in the corner either felt the same way or was frightened by Tianxianzi, sobbing: "If even the master has become like this... then Senior Sister and Senior Brother He will do something in the depths of Baihua!"