"That day, the city lord held a banquet in his mansion. The lanterns were lit, and there were singing and dancing. Then a woman in a red dress came walking on the moon. After a colorful dance, she stunned everyone."

The storyteller on the stage slapped the wooden stick hard, and his voice became louder. "That was the first time the city lord and his wife met. Later, according to the city lord, he had often had the same dream since he was a teenager. In the dream, the goddess walked on the moon, her red dress was like fire, and her figure gradually disappeared in the clouds and smoke. No one knew where she was. The city lord had been searching for her for many years, and finally saw her on that day."

Most of the audience were disciples of the immortal sect who came to participate in the Ten Dharma Conference. They were very interested in this love story of a flash marriage with a huge disparity in status between men and women. Someone heard this and shouted, "But I heard that when he married his new wife, the previous city lord's wife had been dead for less than a year!"

This was simply a blatant attempt to ruin the party, but many people followed him and echoed, "Yes! How can we be worthy of the previous lady's spirit in heaven?"

"This, this--"

The storyteller was obviously a little flustered, and hurriedly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief: "You little Taoist priests don't know that the city lord and the previous lady are not only a family marriage known to the whole city, but also a well-known emotional discord. When they appear together on weekdays, although they can be said to be 'respectful to each other', it is easy to see that there is no friendship between them and they are very cold."

He spoke until his mouth was dry, After drinking a half cup of cold tea, he saw that many monks below the stage showed curiosity, so he took the opportunity to continue: "The last city lord's wife was named Song Xianning. She was a young lady who grew up in a secluded house. She was always in poor health and rarely went out of the house."

The stories passed down by the people in the city were all about the destined love story between Luo Yuanming and Luan Niang, and few about this Miss Song. Many people heard her name for the first time, and they closed their mouths subconsciously and continued to listen with their ears raised.

"But what about the city lord? A cultivator who has been training outside for many years, if he had not had to inherit the position of city lord, might still be traveling around the world. The experiences, interests and personalities of these two are completely different. Even if you really want to create sparks, it may be difficult."

The storyteller shook his head and sighed: "In fact, that was also a good girl, but unfortunately, she suddenly became seriously ill and passed away... Alas, fate plays tricks on us."

"I have another question!"

The young disciples have been practicing hard in the sect for so many years, and they finally have the opportunity to come into contact with some exciting gossip. All of them are very enthusiastic and took advantage of the chaos to say loudly: "I have heard a rumor that the missing girls in Luancheng may be related to Luan Niang - I wonder what you think about this, sir?"

There was an uproar from the stage.

This question is quite sensitive, but the storyteller was so excited that he didn't care about anything else for a moment. He lowered his voice and said, "Actually, this story has long been heard by the city lord and his wife. In order to prove her innocence, the wife specially asked people to search the bedroom and personal belongings thoroughly, but nothing was found."

Ning Ning sat in the corner and listened quietly, looking at the white paper full of words on the table, feeling confused.

Since Pei Ji noticed that Senior Sister Zheng was missing, they have been flipping through the images of that night. People come and go in the depths of Baihua, but there is no trace of Zheng Weiqi.

The eyes of the phoenix statue in the city lord's mansion are rotating, so as long as you grasp it properly, it is easy to avoid surveillance. She disappeared without a sign, and the only possible explanation was that she was abducted by someone with ulterior motives.

He Zhizhou's first reaction was to immediately find the city lord and Luan Niang and confront the latter face to face.

However, what the gentleman said was right. When the rumors spread in the city, Luan Niang thought that she had nothing to fear because she was upright, and even asked people to search the study room she often went to, but naturally nothing was found in the end. The

city lord was extremely partial to his wife, and since then he has trusted Luan Niang even more, and ordered others not to make irresponsible comments and link her to the disappearance.

That is to say, now that Zheng Weiqi is missing, even if they report this to the city lord, let alone whether he will believe the one-sided statement of the young disciple of the immortal sect without any evidence, even if he really agrees to let them search for Luan Niang, he may not be able to find any suspicious clues, but will instead alarm her and make her more defensive.

They have too little information, and must not act rashly.

"Not only Senior Sister Zheng, but Senior Brother is also missing."

Ning Ning dragged her face with her hand and put a question mark next to the two words "Meng Ju" on the paper.

According to Lin Xun, Senior Brother fell in the wine shop after getting drunk, but when the three went to Tianxiang Pavilion, they learned that he also jumped out of the window last night and disappeared.

"According to common sense, it should be difficult for cultivators to get drunk. It's even more outrageous that you guys got drunk as badly as you did last night."

Ning Ning pondered for a moment, and said seriously amid the sound of the alarming hall wood: "Especially Master, he has the highest cultivation level, but he was drunk the longest and the worst, and he hasn't recovered until now; there is no news from Senior Brother, if nothing happened, he should still be drunk - could the wine be specially added with medicine specifically for cultivators, the higher the cultivation level, the greater the impact?"

"And Jiuzhou Chungui was specially asked by Luan Niang for us to drink!"

He Zhizhou was so angry that his teeth itched: "There must be something wrong with the wine. Why did Luan Niang do this on purpose?"

"The method of offering sacrifices is to seek the mutual generation of yin and yang, and to exchange one by one."

Pei Ji said in a deep voice: "If you can find a cultivator with profound spiritual power, the benefits of the exchange will be greater. Sister Zheng's level of cultivation is rare."

He Zhizhou was shocked when he heard this, and when he looked at Ning Ning, he was sweating profusely without realizing it.

If Pei Ji hadn't been drunk last night, and Ning Ning had just sent him back to the inn to rest, and didn't drink Jiuzhou Chungui... maybe it wasn't just Zheng Weiqi who was missing, but also her.

"But if it is really Luan Niang who is behind this, it is too blatant to cover it up like this."

Ning Ning also felt a little scared, and thanked Pei Ji, who couldn't drink, thousands of times in her heart: "Not only did she put drugs in the wine, but she also just happened to take Senior Sister Zheng away. Isn't it obvious that she wants to tell us, 'I did everything, you can investigate if you have the ability'."

He Zhizhou snorted: "Maybe she just likes this. ? She looked pitiful, but actually she was smiling in her heart when she saw how exhausted and helpless we were. Moreover, with the city lord backing her up, it would be hard to trace Luan Niang no matter how she did things. "

While he was talking, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a white shadow passing by, followed by a familiar male voice: "Little Taoist priests, are you discussing the case of the missing girl in the city?"

However, when he looked up, he saw an ordinary unfamiliar face.

Ning Ning recognized the owner of the voice and lowered the volume a lot: "City lord?"

"It's me."

Luo Yuanming smiled and nodded: "I often disguise myself and go out of the house to investigate the people's sentiments - do you mind if I sit here?"

He Zhizhou couldn't keep his words to himself, and after exchanging a glance with Ning Ning, he said tentatively: "City Lord, we drank Jiuzhou Spring Return last night and lost consciousness, and our eldest senior sister disappeared for no reason, and hasn't come back yet."

Luo Yuanming's smile instantly faded, with a hint of surprise in his eyes: "Daoyou Zheng?"

He Zhizhou nodded vigorously and told him everything that happened last night and today. The more Luo Yuanming listened, the tighter his brows furrowed. Finally, he said helplessly in a deep voice: "So, the young Taoist priests all suspect that this was done by my wife - but from last night until today, she has been inseparable from me. Now she has gone to the study to read, and she is also accompanied by a maid."

Ning Ning paused.

"Luan Niang is not from a high-class family, and many people are prejudiced against her. I am her husband, and I understand her best. Although she is a dancer, she has a strong character and lofty ambitions, and she will never do anything illegal."

Although his voice was low, his eyes revealed a fiery determination and aloofness. He clenched his fists while speaking and said seriously: "Don't worry, everyone. Luo will do his best to investigate this matter and bring peace to Luan City."

This city lord is well-known for his integrity and diligence. It is said that in order to find out the real culprit, he stayed up for three days and three nights in front of the image recorded in the Luan bird statue -

although in the end he found nothing.

According to the established rules, these people are no different from the police in domestic movies. When something happens, they are clueless, and by the time they rush to the scene, the incident has already been completely resolved by the protagonist.

Ning Ning had a headache, and with the little hope left, she asked him: "City Lord, the Criminal Court has been searching all night in recent days. Have you come to any conclusions?"

"We have considered many motives, and the most likely one is the use of living people as sacrifices."

Luo Yuanming said: "Most of the missing women are sixteen or seventeen years old, which is the best age to be used as sacrifices. The person who abducted them should be a cultivator, and the purpose is unknown. The methods of the evil way are strange and unpredictable, and there are countless methods that use living people as the guide. Soul refining, spirit snatching, body snatching, and even furnaces used for replenishing are all possibilities."

Well, it's almost the same as not saying anything.

"Besides that, I have another secret. It is said that the city lord is gifted and an outstanding cultivator, but few people know that he has been suffering from sea of ​​consciousness damage and weak spiritual power since birth. Fortunately, he traveled around and found an unexpected opportunity in the border city of Shazhang."

The storyteller on the stage was unaware of the city lord's presence and continued to talk. Ningning glanced at Luo Yuanming and received a gentle smile from him, indicating that she should continue to listen.

“The desert is a place where one can hardly survive without a single fatal danger, but it also hides countless natural treasures. At midnight, one can see the sands stretching across the sky like snow, the clear moon like a hook, and under the looming Crescent Moon Spring, where the water ripples, there is a red lotus blossoming—”

Another startling sound came from the hall: “That is actually the rare spiritual plant that is rarely seen in a hundred years, the Lone Moon Lotus!”

Someone in the audience asked curiously: “What is the connection between this lotus and the sea of ​​consciousness?”

“For cultivators whose sea of ​​consciousness is damaged, it is tantamount to the end of their immortal path. Ordinary people say that even gods cannot save them. However, if several rare herbs are used to refine pills, it can have the effect of changing one’s fate and reshaping one’s bones.”

Ning Ning’s heart skipped a beat.

The original novel did say that the reason why Wen Hemian was able to recover was because the other elders of the Xuanxu Sword Sect had taken great pains to find medicinal herbs, but there was no mention of what those spiritual plants were.

The most regrettable thing is that it would take many years to collect all the medicinal herbs, and by the time Wen Hemian recovered, he was already full of old illnesses and was depressed all day long. Even if his sea of ​​consciousness recovered, it would be difficult to reach the level of the past. After

all, the two of them are still pen pals who keep in touch. If she can do her best to look for it carefully, maybe Elder Wen can recover earlier and he won't have to suffer so much unnecessary pain.

Ning Ning thought of this and raised her eyes to look at Luo Yuanming. The latter noticed this line of sight and frowned and whispered: "Miss Ning Ning, are you interested in this matter?"

Ning Ning was not shy when facing him, and nodded and said: "I know someone who also had his sea of ​​consciousness destroyed... I have been looking for a way to restore it."

"Someone you know?"

He was slightly stunned, then smiled: "Could it be Elder Jiang Xing?"

Ning Ning nodded.

Pei Ji, who had been quiet all the time, moved his fingertips when he heard the words, raised his eyelids and glanced at her quickly, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

"To cultivate the Sea of ​​Complexity, a total of five herbs are needed. The elders of the Xuanxu Sword Sect are also trying their best to find them for him, and now only two are left."

Luo Yuanming said, "One is the Solitary Moon Lotus, and the other is the Lingshu Immortal Grass."

Ning Ning memorized the two herbs in her heart and nodded gently.

"The Solitary Moon Lotus is the hardest to find. It may grow on cliffs, volcanoes, or just a red lotus by the pond of an ordinary family. It depends on fate to meet it. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Seeing the serious look on the face of the little girl in front of him, he couldn't help but let out a low laugh from his chest: "As for the Lingshu Immortal Grass... It is rumored that there is a plant growing in the secret realm of your next trial."

After saying this, Ning Ning couldn't help but breathe a little: "Next trial?"

"There are two rounds in the Ten Dharma Assembly. The second round used to be a one-on-one battle among the disciples, but this year a more fierce method has been adopted."

Luo Yuanming said, "You will enter the secret realm..."

He did not finish his words. He frowned unexpectedly, bent over and let out a suppressed cough. When the right hand covering his lips moved away, Ning Ning could still see a hint of blood, although he tried to conceal it.

"I've been feeling ill lately, and it's often like this. I don't know what's going on."

Luo Yuanming wiped the blood off his hands and smiled awkwardly: "It's just a minor illness. Maybe it's because I've been overworked recently. I'll be well soon." As

soon as these words fell, before Ningning had time to continue asking about the second round of trials, she heard the storyteller on the stage laugh, completely breaking the previously tense atmosphere:

"These are all meaningless. In view of the enthusiasm of the young Taoist priests, I will tell you a wonderful story about the city lord's three hundred rounds of battle with the female cultivators of the Ten Thousand Demons Cave at the frontier! It was so vivid, wow!"

Luo Yuanming's face turned red instantly, and he waved his hands to explain: "Adaptation is not making up, and narration is not nonsense... This has never happened! Believe me!"

"Slave over there! Go and close the door!"

The gentleman was extremely excited and kept laughing: "If the criminal justice officer comes in, it will be over. Let's talk about it in private."

Someone laughed and said: "Sir, you also know that you will be locked up if you spread rumors?"

"This is not a rumor!"

He put on a stern face: "Even if I am really arrested and taken to the Criminal Court, the charge is 'leaking the city lord's important secrets' - quick, quick, do you want to listen to "Yuan Ming Playing in the Cave of Ten Thousand Demons" or "The Witch Playing with the Orioles and Swallows"? "

Luo Yuanming: ...

Luo Yuanming stood up with a stiff face, his voice as cold as iron in the cold winter: "I want to listen to "The Storyteller's Fu Punishment"."

He was full of aura, and he took off the mask on his face while walking forward, and walked out of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

The teahouse was in chaos, and the storyteller thought he was just an undercover criminal envoy, and begged for mercy with a bitter face: "Lord Criminal envoy, I have no choice but to do this for my livelihood. Please be merciful and don't tell the city lord-"

Halfway through his words, he saw the man's extremely familiar face after taking off the mask.

The storyteller smiled in his grave, talking nonsense: "Oh, haha."

Oh, it turned out to be the city lord himself.

That's all right.

=====

No more useful information could be obtained from Luo Yuanming. Considering that Tian Xianzi and others all ran to Baihuashen after getting drunk, Ning Ning inferred that in addition to the drug that made people unconscious, the wine might also contain aphrodisiac incense that could attract souls.

Therefore, the most likely place for Meng Ju to go was still the flower street with many alleys.

Ning Ning was afraid that he would get into trouble, so she went into Baihuashen again with Pei Ji; as for He Zhizhou, he was ashamed to set foot in this place, so he took on the responsibility of gathering intelligence and collecting relevant clues from the people in the city.

"The last city lord's wife died of a mysterious illness, and the city lord coughed up blood today," Ning Ning was anxious, and forced herself to calm down and analyze, "This is obviously wrong. Does the person behind it want to kill them all?"

And the city lord's own reaction was also quite strange. He was clearly spitting blood, but he still trusted Luan Niang wholeheartedly, as if he was possessed by a snake.

Now that evening is approaching, the sky is gradually getting darker, and the famous Baihua Deep Place quietly reveals its proper appearance in the flickering light and shadow.

The numerous buildings were illuminated by the lights, shining like jade. The lanterns were linked together, and the dark red candlelight was in every corner of the air. The wind was filled with the laughter of men and women, accompanied by the crisp sound of bells on the eaves, like the tinkling of a stream.

She was always worried about Zheng Weiqi in her heart, and had no interest in watching the scenery. She was thinking about how to find Meng Ju, and suddenly saw two figures arguing not far away.

The man seemed to be drunk, and he pulled the sleeve of another girl without saying anything. The girl looked only fifteen or sixteen years old, her face flushed, and she tried desperately to break free.

"Let go!"

The girl was so angry that her voice was trembling: "I'll call someone!"

The man laughed in anger: "Are you still pretending to be noble? What good stuff can there be in this red-light district? I think highly of you, so--"

He didn't finish his words, and a burst of cold sword energy suddenly flashed behind him, like a star or lightning, drawing a silver-white light in the air, and directly hit the center of the man's neck.

Ning Ning was in a hurry and didn't have time to waste words with such a person. This blow was merciless, and he lost consciousness in an instant and fell to the ground, causing the girl to step back in a hurry. When she came to her senses, she hurriedly raised her head and saw the two of them: "Thank you..."

She had no spiritual power, so she couldn't tell which one had just used the sword technique.

"Miss, you're welcome."

Ning Ning lowered her eyes and saw that the other person was holding a stack of scrolls and brushes and ink.

The girl was dressed simply, and she was probably not born in a wealthy family that could send her daughter to school to learn painting. She took the scroll on the busy street, and it should be to sell the paintings to make money.

People who sell paintings and paint will always pay attention to the actions of everyone on the street. She understood in her heart, and immediately asked: "Miss, have you seen a tall and handsome young man in a white shirt with a sword hanging on his waist? He should be drunk and not sober."

She didn't have much hope.

Unexpectedly, the girl's eyes widened when she heard the words, and she quickly looked at her and Pei Ji: "Who are you to him?"

=====

"My name is Ah Hui, and that young man was found by my grandmother at the door of our house."

The girl led the two of them through the long alley and walked quickly into the depths of Baihua. The deeper they went, the dimmer the dazzling firelight beside them became, like a grand fireworks display gradually extinguished, leaving only a few scattered points of light, swaying on the house and about to fall.

Ningning couldn't help but take a deep breath, slightly opened her lips, but couldn't speak. Deeper

in Baihua, there was another scene that was completely different from the lights, wine, and women, and extravagance.

The high walls are leaning, the houses are getting shorter, the long-burning lanterns like dragons have disappeared, and only a few lonely lights are left, vaguely outlining the outlines of the crowded and cramped houses, all of which are hunched and short, like dying giants crawling on the ground.

Going further, there is no more extravagance and laughter, and the surroundings are filled with the smell of food and oil smoke, potholes in the water ditches, and ash peeling off the walls. Someone sitting in front of the door looks up at them, his eyes dark and deep, as if in a quagmire.

It's like a slum.

The house that Ah Hui brought them into was not outstanding, but was one of the houses submerged in the dark shadows. When the door creaked open, there were five or six shadows in front of them.

The house was narrow and dark, and there were several girls of different ages sitting around the dining table. When they saw Ah Hui push the door open, they all showed surprise.

When they saw her and Pei Ji, they were a little scared and kept silent.

"They are all children adopted by grandma like me."

Ah Hui explained softly: "Girls are often abandoned on the roadside after they are born."

She turned her eyes to the girls at the table and said: "Where is the brother who came home today?"

A little girl who was less than ten years old answered softly: "He fell asleep and rested in the room."

"Are there guests?"

While the two were talking, an old woman with white hair and wisps of dust walked out of the room next to them. She seemed to be sick, her thin face was as dry as firewood, and she walked weakly, holding on to the wall. Her eyes were cloudy and empty, like a dirty pool of water, reflecting a drowsy shadow.

Ah Hui quickly stepped forward to help her: "Grandma! Why did you get out of bed?"

Ning Ning smiled politely: "Grandma, we are your fellow students who took in that person this morning, and we came here to look for him."

"Oh - that child."

She nodded suddenly, still standing against the wall, and curled her lips in a hoarse voice: "You guys follow me."

The house was not big, and since it was full of girls, the beds were naturally small. Meng Zhu was tall, and had to curl up when he lay in bed, which made him look cute and adorable.

This was exactly the quality that was most incompatible with him.

"Thank you!"

Ning Ning's heart, which had been hanging for him, finally fell to the ground, and she breathed a sigh of relief: "Grandma, are you raising those girls outside the room alone?" The

old woman seemed to be unable to hear clearly. She opened her mouth and thought about what Ning Ning meant for a long time before she raised her lips and smiled softly, "Yes."

As she spoke, she glanced out the door and deliberately lowered her voice so that the girls would not hear her. "You may not know, young lady, that people in our area are extremely poor, and the daughters they give birth to are never welcomed. If you walk deep into the alleys, you can often see abandoned baby girls. I don't have much ability, and I can't be called a 'raiser'. I just sell paintings on the street on weekdays and make some money to provide them with food."

However, how much money can you make from buying and selling calligraphy and paintings?

Ning Ning lowered her eyes and looked at her thin shirt full of patches, feeling a little disappointed.

"It's a pity that I'm old, my eyesight is not clear, and I can't remember anything. Now I'm sick, so I can only let Ah Hui go out to sell paintings... I don't know what these girls will do after I'm gone."

Ah Hui gently held her wrist and said softly, "Grandma, no."

Ning Ning hesitated: "Don't they... have anywhere else to go?"

"Isn't it like this everywhere in the world?"

A trace of sadness flashed across the old woman's cloudy eyes: "Women are born humble and are nothing more than vassals of men. If they were boys, they might be able to help out at construction sites and docks, but who would want a weak little girl in a place that does physical work? Life is like an ant, life is like an ant, my miserable life--"

She coughed heavily a few times after she finished speaking, and when she raised her eyes again, she looked at Ningning with some confusion in her eyes, and said to Ah Hui beside her: "Who are these two...?"

"They are friends of the brother this morning."

Ah Hui explained patiently, then turned to Ningning and said: "I'm sorry, grandma often forgets things."

This is a symptom of Alzheimer's syndrome.

"Oh."

The old woman nodded blankly and coughed a few times: "Wait for grandma to go back to her room and continue painting... While I can still see, I will make more money for you. If I am gone in the future, you won't even have food to eat, what will happen then?"

The girl tightened her fingers holding her arm subconsciously.

Ah Hui remained silent all the time, just because she didn't want to tell her grandma in person that her eyesight was getting worse day by day, and the things she drew had long been crooked and the traces of the brush could not be seen

clearly; she couldn't bear to let her know that those weird paintings had not been sold for many days, even if she endured the pain and worked night after night, all she did was in vain. It seems that the fate of most poor women is difficult and powerless.

In Luancheng, murders occurred frequently, and several girls disappeared, and no news has been received so far.

In the depths of the flowers, the dusty woman has been selling smiles all her life, and most of her words are insincere and her life is like flying catkins.

Deep in the mud, there is no way to retreat, and there is no way to resist. She can only be forced to accept this life that can be seen at a glance -

but is it really impossible to resist?

"Grandma."

Ningning sighed: "Can I see your paintings?"

Ningning wanted to buy these paintings with all her private money.

She originally just had the idea of ​​appreciating them. Under the guidance of Ah Hui, she came to grandma's room and flipped through the scrolls one by one. When she saw one of them, she couldn't help but stand there in a daze.

It was an old painting, depicting a man and a woman walking side by side under the moon.

They were both wearing men's clothes. The boy on the left showed only his thin back. The girl on the right had her hairband blown away by the wind. She turned around hurriedly and stretched out her right hand, trying to hold it again.

Her hair was long and her eyes were beautiful. Her long and slender eyes were like an abyss. Others would fall into them willingly after just one look.

She recognized this face.

It looked very much like Luan Niang.

"Do you like this painting?"

Grandma smiled hoarsely, "I used to see two young men walking side by side in the red-light district late at night. Today I realized that one of them was a pretty girl."

"The two of them..."

Ningning's heartbeat accelerated unconsciously.

In everyone's narration, no one mentioned the boy who was very close to Luan Niang. If it was him who was sending letters to her -

"Grandma, do you know what their relationship is?"

"I have never talked to them."

The old man shook his head: "One of them is the current city lord's wife, right? I painted two portraits of them. One day, the lady passed by the stall and stopped for a long time. She bought one of them on purpose - that was the back view of them both wearing men's clothes, sitting by the river and talking at night."

After many years, when Luan Niang saw the painting again, she still stopped to buy it. It can be seen that the boy has a high status in her heart, perhaps...

even far higher than Luo Yuanming.

Ning Ning softened her voice and continued to ask: "Do you know the name or identity of the boy in the painting?"

The old man was stunned for a moment.

"As for names," her light grey pupils rippled slightly, and she frowned as if she was a little troubled, "I remember a boy and a girl. The girl sometimes called him 'Zhou', and sometimes added the word 'Yun'..."

Zhou, Yun.

No matter how the pinyin tones were arranged and combined, they were names Ningning had never heard of before.

This painting was a pleasant surprise. She was about to tell her grandmother that she wanted to buy all the paintings when she suddenly heard the sound of footsteps behind her.

Turning around, it was one of the girls.

Ah Hui smiled and leaned over: "What's the matter?"

"Outside," the girl looked very scared and lowered her head aggrievedly, "the brother outside..."

She was talking about Pei Ji.

It was inconvenient for Pei Ji to enter the women's bedroom, so he waited for Ningning to see the paintings in the living room. He often had a cold face and held a sword in his hand, and it was not the first time that he scared the children.

Ning Ning found it funny for some reason, so she squatted down, propped up her cheeks and looked at her, smiling with her eyes squinted, "Do you think he is fierce and scary?"

The girl nodded with a pout.

"He's actually a very nice guy, very gentle, but he doesn't like to talk."

She pinched the little girl's face, only feeling a layer of soft skin. "He'll be sad if you come in like this, and feel that he's hated - please, can you not be afraid of him? You can pretend not to be afraid."

Ningning lowered her head and took out a few candies from her storage bag and handed them to her. The little girl had never eaten much candy since she was little. She blinked her big eyes, thanked him and took it carefully: "Really?"

"Of course it's true!"

Ning Ning replied seriously: "In fact, he is also very cute when he has a serious face. Think about it, does he look like a stupid big dog? He is still very likable."

"Well."

She finally nodded slowly, and very sensitively caught the last sentence of this strange big sister: "Sister, do you like him?"

Ning Ning's expression froze instantly.

She had just said that Pei Ji was "likable" not long ago. If she denied it at this time, her kind words of persuasion would have no persuasiveness. How could she ask others to like someone she didn't even like?

But for her to admit that she likes Pei Ji, that's also -

"Like, like this kind of thing -"

She stuttered for some reason, but considering that Pei Ji himself was not around and she was coaxing a child, she simply nodded in one go: "Yes, you see, that brother is actually not scary at all, I like him very much. It would be great if you could like him a little bit and not let him think that he is a disgusting guy."

This is Ning Ning's true words. She doesn't want Pei Ji to always be excluded by others and become the lonely one who is feared and hated.

He has been instilled with various wrong values ​​by his mother since he was a child, and he hates his own existence from the bottom of his heart. If he continues like this, over time, his self-loathing and self-abandonment mentality will definitely become more serious.

She spoke seriously, gave candy, and explained the reason, but she didn't expect the little girl to purse her lips after listening, as if her evil plan had succeeded, and pointed behind her with a smile.

Wait, that can't be.

Ningning's head was buzzing at that moment, and she felt something in her heart and turned around stiffly.

Pei Ji came to the front of the house not far away without knowing when, and when his eyes met hers, he subconsciously held the sword tighter, and for the first time, he showed a panic-stricken look.

"Oh——"

The girl ran out happily with the candy. When she passed by Pei Ji, she quickly looked up at him: "Brother is blushing."

Chengying laughed so hard that he rolled over. He imitated the little girl's tone in a mean way, and made his voice soft and thin: "Oh, brother is blushing~"

After he finished speaking, he suddenly stopped and turned his eyes to the other side.

The little girl holding the scroll in the house suddenly lowered her head, and the crimson color spread from her ears to her white neck.

Pei Ji should be able to understand what she meant? The so-called "like" was just a pure like... He is so smart, he will not think too much, right?

- But if he really thinks too much, then what should he do!

Ning Ning did not dare to look at him. She just wanted to find a quiet corner and close her eyes. After a long while, she quietly changed the subject, trying to ease the ambiguous and gloomy silence around her: "I plan to... sneak into the City Lord's Mansion tonight."

Pei Ji stared at the sword and replied in a muffled voice: "I'll accompany you."

Huhu.

Cheng Ying grinned quietly.

Sister's face seems to be redder.