There is a river flowing through the dense forest not far from the top of the cliff.
Pei Ji stood in the middle of the river, allowing the spreading evil energy to engulf him. The river flows very slowly, bringing with it the sound of water rippling like the sound of a musical instrument, and the faint cries of animals like the weeping of birds.
Compared with the others, his luck was really bad. As soon as he opened his eyes, he found himself in a tide of beasts raging with evil breath.
The monsters trapped in the Demon Refining Tower are always of high level of cultivation. Once they gather in groups, they will be even more difficult to deal with. He fought his way out of the encirclement with the help of a sword, and when his consciousness was about to fade, he met Bai Ye and Yong Gui.
They said they had seen Ningning not long ago.
She went to the top of the cliff with Senior Brother Meng Jue and has not returned yet.
Pei Ji has the blood of the demon clan and can sense the demonic energy around him more clearly than orthodox cultivators.
The place was shrouded in black fog, and ordinary people could not see what was going on, but he could clearly sense that the higher he went, the stronger the deathly aura became.
He was worried that Ningning was in danger, so he rejected Yonggui's suggestion to heal his wounds first and insisted on going to the top of the cliff to meet her.
When the young man thought of this, a gloom grew in his dark eyes, and he let out a self-deprecating chuckle from his throat.
What he saw was that Ning Ning ignored her own safety and pushed Meng Jue away. The handsome and handsome senior brother protected her behind him and wiped the blood splattered on the girl's face with his hand.
"Ningning, you don't have to sacrifice yourself to save me. I will protect you for the rest of your life."
……ha.
This life is comprehensive.
The waist-high river water was icy cold, and occasionally it rippled with the waves, licking the wounds torn by sharp claws, causing excruciating pain.
Pei Ji was indifferent to this. He lowered his eyelashes slightly, reached out to scoop up a handful of clean water from the river, and pressed it fiercely on the bloodstain on his lower abdomen.
He took off his shirt, and a mixture of blood and water flowed down, dyeing the river water beside him dark red, like layers of cinnabar spreading out.
At this moment, his palm was pressed on the wound. Although it was called "cleaning", he applied force without hesitation. The skin became even more bloody and the blood kept pouring out.
Only such severe pain could allow him to regain some clarity of consciousness from his almost chaotic mind.
What's more, he has long been accustomed to this, and no one, whether Pei Ji or others, will care.
"Pei Xiaoji, are you crazy?"
Chengying's heart was beating wildly in his sea of consciousness, and there was a rare hint of anger in his tone: "If you are jealous, then just be jealous. Is it necessary to torture yourself like this? Stop it now!"
The young man in the twilight pursed his thin lips and replied in a dark voice: "I didn't—"
He stopped talking halfway through.
He had no courage to deny it.
When he saw Meng Jue approaching her step by step and his fingers brushing Ningning's cheek, he could clearly feel the emotions surging in his heart.
My chest felt stuffy and sore, and I felt a lot of grievances and anger for no reason. I just wanted to look away hastily, as if standing there was a torture.
Even though he didn't want to admit it, it was clearly naked jealousy, like a raging fire that consumed his bones and burned his heart, almost driving him insane.
Pei Ji took a deep breath, his palm passed over the bloody crack on his shoulder, and he unconsciously exerted more force, his eyes becoming darker.
The eldest senior brother was as graceful as the autumn moon in a curling pot; his character, swordsmanship and status were all first-rate. Even when he spoke frankly and intimately, there was no fear on his face.
Therefore, Meng Jue could tell Ning Ning frankly that he would protect her for the rest of her life.
But can he?
Not long ago, someone replaced the fairy spring water he used to heal his wounds with poison water, which even hurt Ningning and left bloody burns on her calves.
His identity is so low that he will never be able to get rid of the title of "monster". Even if no one deliberately targets him openly, it is difficult to hide the contempt and rejection underneath.
Apart from swordsmanship, Pei Ji had never pursued anything else.
The boy, who had been hated since birth, knew very well that he was not worthy of anything else except swordsmanship.
What’s more, Ningning is so bright and warm.
He is really useless.
A hero is paired with a beauty, it is written like this in all stories. If Ningning is really with her senior brother, it is understandable.
However, whenever he thought of this ending, Pei Ji's heart felt empty and painful.
He came to her with injuries all over his body, but she didn't say a word and just stood beside Senior Brother Meng, not at all...
Don't care about him at all.
He was upset and had no way to vent his grievances and frustrations. He could only wipe the blood off his body again and again, but because he used too much force, the wound burst open even more seriously.
Chengying was shouting and screaming in anger, and the grunting and panting sound continued for a long time. Somehow, at some point, the sound suddenly stopped.
Pei Ji felt something and raised his eyelashes calmly.
The girl in a plain gauze dress stood on the shore, her eyes fixed on him, frowning unhappily: "Is this how you clean wounds?"
It’s Ningning.
Shouldn't she be with Senior Brother Meng at this moment?
Pei Ji was a little dazed and glanced in the direction she was looking.
It happened to be on his chest.
The gloomy-looking boy paused for a moment, then lowered his whole body, submerging his chest completely in the water, leaving only his slender neck and pale face exposed.
Pei Ji's voice was very cold, and a thin layer of ice quickly covered his peach blossom eyes: "What are you doing here?"
Chengying snorted disdainfully.
This kid ignored it, but now its nemesis is here, it's time to watch the show.
Look at his disgusting and pretentious appearance, he seems quite arrogant in front of Ningning.
I don’t know who was so aggrieved that he almost exploded, wondering over and over again in his mind why she didn’t come.
"You haven't answered my question yet."
Pei Ji's body was covered with scratches and bite marks. Ning Ning frowned as she saw them. She wanted to teach him a lesson, but when the words came to her lips, she softened: "Go ashore first, I'll help you."
Pei Ji's eyes flickered for a moment, then quickly disappeared: "...No need. I can do it myself."
He would never have said such words in such a stiff tone before.
Like he's sulking and having a tantrum.
Ningning looked at him from afar through the misty black fog and said nothing.
Pei Ji's extremely white, snow-like skin was particularly noticeable in the twilight. Because his hairband was removed, his black hair spread out like a waterfall, pouring onto the flowing river.
Looking down again, one can see a long, thin red mark on his neck, climbing up from the collarbone and mostly hidden by wet hair.
No matter how sharp and cold Pei Ji's gaze was, it was difficult to conceal this strange beauty. What's more, the boy's eyes were slightly red for some reason, and there was nowhere to hide against his cold white skin.
Ningning felt a little anxious and pursed her lips subconsciously.
She could see that Pei Ji was unhappy.
Why is he unhappy? Wasn’t Pei Ji fine before in Xie Yu’s Buddha Realm? As for what happened after that...
Ningning thought half-jokingly, could it be because of the misunderstanding between her and Meng Jue?
She originally came up with this idea in her mind with a bit of sarcasm, but as she thought about it, she gradually realized that something was wrong.
According to the narration of Master Yonggui and Bai Ye, since Pei Ji was able to go up the mountain to find her despite his injuries, it meant that he was not angry before reaching the top of the cliff.
If there was any possible trigger, it seemed that the only thing left was her interaction with Meng Jue.
Could it be that Pei Ji was unhappy because she risked her life to save Meng Jue and the latter wiped off his blood at close range?
...No way.
This idea seems a bit too bold.
What kind of emotion it implies is so self-evident.
Ningning thought, she must have blushed.
It's really useless to act just because of some wild idea.
She looked at the young man in front of her with red eyes, and felt flustered without warning. Thinking of the bloodstains on Pei Ji's body, she could only speak again in a hoarse voice: "You... go ashore first."
Ning Ning paused after speaking, and when she saw that he didn't respond, she raised her voice a little: "If you don't come up, I'll go down."
This sentence is indeed useful.
The river water was as cold as ice chips. Pei Ji would definitely not let her stay in the rolling water. After a short pause, he stood up and waded slowly to the shore.
Even in this situation, he still had no way to deal with her and could only obey her obediently.
With the sound of his legs stepping in the water, Ningning finally saw what he looked like at this moment.
The mist outlined the young man's tall figure, his black hair soaked by the river water, sticking wetly to his naked arms and waist.
The broad neck and shoulders have smooth lines, and below them are the bloody chest and abdomen. The waist is thin and extremely pale.
Pei Ji felt her gaze and his body suddenly stiffened. He lowered his eyelashes and stared at the river.
Why is he so shy?
This should have been a very normal scene, but Pei Ji's evasive action gave it a vague sense of ambiguity.
Ningning was already a little nervous, and now she felt a heat rushing to her head, and her whole body was so stiff that she couldn't move.
The way he did this... made her look like a villain who had evil intentions towards her beauty.
Ningning pursed her lips without saying a word.
Although she was indeed tempted.
When Pei Ji got ashore, the initial awkward feeling dissipated quietly.
The injured boy was covered in a smell of blood. Ningning asked him to sit by the river and took a handkerchief from the storage bag.
"I heard from Bai Ye and the others that you were worried and insisted on coming to the top of the cliff to find me and my senior brother."
Ningning lowered her head and gently wiped his neck with the wet handkerchief. When Pei Ji lowered his head, he could see her long black eyelashes.
Like a fan, with just a slight movement, all the anger in his heart could be blown away, leaving only a few traces of bitterness.
She was really cunning. She knew that he was determined to be alone, but she would always get closer to him at times like this, making it impossible for him to even get angry.
"But if you do this, won't all your wounds get worse?"
Ning Ning wiped away the blood with full concentration, and touched the side of her neck next to the wound with her fingertips: "Does it hurt?"
Pei Ji shook his head and asked her in a muffled voice: "Where is Senior Brother Meng Jue?"
After asking, I felt regretful. Why would I say such nonsense?
"how."
Ningning smiled: "Do you want to see him more than me?"
She raised her head as she spoke, following the boy's strong jawline and looking up into his dark eyes.
Pei Ji's eye sockets were still a little red, and his pupils were stained with spider-web-like bloodshot, reflecting the small teardrop-like mole at the end of his eye, showing a confusion and embarrassment that was completely different from usual.
He spoke in a dry voice, his light pink lips faded and were as thin as paper: "No."
After a pause, he said in a hoarse voice: "I just want to see——"
He clearly only wanted to see her.
This secret is buried deep in Ningning's heart and she will never know it.
Pei Ji heard her chuckle.
Ning Ning did not ask about the word he had hidden. She continued to wipe the blood and asked slowly, "Why are you unhappy?"
She used a tone that pretended to be doubtful and smiled, without looking up at him: "Is it because of me?"
Pei Ji answered without much thought: "No."
"real?"
Ning Ning whispered, "I thought you hated me."
Through a thin handkerchief, Pei Ji could feel the soft touch of her fingertips, which felt itchy and numb when they touched the wound, causing sharp pain.
The pain should have been an excruciating feeling, but because of her touch, it became almost addictive.
Pei Ji calmed down a little and took a deep breath: "I won't hate you."
He was clumsy in speaking, but he tried hard to say a few more words to her. He trembled slightly at the piercing chill on his wound, and his voice became even hoarse: "No matter what, I don't hate you."
Ningning did not respond immediately.
She seemed to have considered her words for a long time, and her voice rang out like a ringing bell: "So... do you like talking to me?"
As she spoke, she used force with her fingertips and gently circled around the teeth marks on his lower abdomen.
The pain spread like a flame, and Pei Ji subconsciously gritted his teeth to avoid making any shameful sound.
A strange question.
He answered helplessly, as if surrendering: "...I like it."
The two words were pronounced so awkwardly that the boy's ears were stained a striking pink, like a pool of water, spreading silently to his neck and cheeks.
Ningning was so close, she must have seen everything. When she saw him blushing, would she... find it funny?
His chest ached at this thought, and Ningning's voice rang in his ears again: "Holding hands? Do you like it too?"
Her fingers slowly moved down and reached his lower abdomen.
Pei Ji's whole body was tense and stiff like a sculpture.
His voice was just as harsh and hoarse, as if it was as hot as his ears: "Yeah."
"oh."
She lowered her head and asked, "What about hugs?"
She pressed on step by step, her questions became more and more ambiguous, and every word she uttered weighed on his heart.
Pei Ji had no way to retreat. His voice, which was pretending to be calm, trembled unconsciously: "...I like it."
Ningning paused for a long while.
She seemed to understand everything about why Pei Ji was unhappy and the secrets he had hidden in his heart.
The girl sitting by the river suddenly looked up and her eyes quickly met his.
Her face flushed, but she had a smile on her lips: "Really?"
The rising tail sound was like a cat's tail shaking, and when it tickled his eardrum, a slight itch suddenly exploded in his blood.
With only the last string of hope hanging in his head, Pei Ji looked into her eyes, his mind seemed to be bewitched, and he could only obey her and answer, "Yes."
The little girl in front of him winked at him.
Then, without saying a word, he stretched out his left hand and grasped Pei Ji's protruding wrist bone.
In the dispersing mist, he saw Ningning lower her head again.
The old scar on the middle finger knuckle was suddenly covered with a warm and unfamiliar touch.
Those were the girl's soft lips.
All the sounds around her seemed to disappear because of her action.
In the complete silence, there was only the sound of my frantic heartbeat.
My mind was in an unprecedented state of panic.
Something in his heart exploded with a rumbling sound, and Pei Ji felt as if he was in a dream.
Ningning lowered her head, her expression was not visible, and she asked in an unintelligible tone, "What about this?"
He had no way to retreat and his army was completely routed.
His throat rolled up and down unconsciously, and Pei Ji could only mumble out in a mushy state, "Blood, dirty..."
The two words hung slowly on the tip of his tongue before he finished speaking.
——Ningning moved forward, with the scent of gardenia, and kissed his earlobe without saying a word.
Her voice was close to his ear, like a warm breeze blowing gently past.
The unstoppable tremor was like an electric current, spreading rapidly from the ears, sweeping through every drop of blood and every bone marrow in the body.
He heard the girl murmur in a whisper: "So... do you like this?"
Pei Ji's ears turned red visibly.
It was so red that it seemed like blood would drip out if it was touched even the slightest.
When her lips touched him, she could feel the heat from the river breeze rising from the boy's body.
So cute it’s unfair. "Pei Ji."
Ningning smiled more deeply, stepped back a little and stared into his eyes.
When she spoke, two shallow dimples appeared on her cheeks, and her voice seemed to be soaked in the sweetness of gardenia, which made him involuntarily confused and unable to resist.
I can't suppress my excitement.
Ningning's voice sounded along with her violent heartbeat, and Pei Ji heard a very light laugh: "Do you like me?"
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