Qingxu Valley at noon is not as lively as other places. The layers of forests and mountains cover the sky, blocking out the bright sunlight that is setting in the distance.
Very little light passed through the gaps in the woods, but because the halo was so faint, it was filtered by the leaves, leaving only vague shadows. Not only did it fail to illuminate the valley, but it also added a sense of ambiguity.
Gently open the window and you can see a bird perched timidly on a branch.
The round body moved suddenly, accompanied by the rustling sound of swaying branches and leaves. Under the trembling branch, a leaf slowly fell down.
It was not until he caught a glimpse of the withered yellow leaves that Wen Hemian suddenly realized that autumn had arrived without him noticing.
Qingxu Valley has always been quiet, with few outsiders coming to disturb it, but today there were a few hurried footsteps. He looked up suddenly and saw a familiar shadow.
All the disciples of Xuanxu Sword Sect know that Elder Jiangxing has lived in Qingxu Valley for a long time and has listed this place as a forbidden area that cannot be set foot in.
In fact, if you think about it carefully, most people probably don't do it out of awe or fear. The most important reason is sympathy for the fall of a genius.
What Wen Hemian hated most was sympathy.
Under normal circumstances, this kind of emotion would never be expressed to him.
He used to be so proud, but something unexpected happened to him during the war between fairies and demons. Whenever he encountered other people's hesitant gazes, he could not help but feel extremely annoyed.
That look clearly told him without any concealment that Wen Hemian had become a useless waste.
Although this is indeed true.
Fortunately, Qingxu Valley is sparsely populated, so he doesn't have to care about other people's opinions. Until now, the only ones who are still willing to keep in touch with Wen Hemian are the elders and a few old friends in the sect.
...and a weird little girl.
And today, they appeared in front of his house together.
Wen Hemian was stunned.
"Oh, Senior Brother Wen! Why is it such a coincidence today?"
Tian Xianzi looked up and saw him, and smiled foolishly without any elder's demeanor: "We are so in tune with each other! Come, come, let me introduce you, this is my little disciple Ningning - do you remember that piece of Lingshu Immortal Grass? She picked it!"
Ningning had come here many times to make trouble before, and now that she was brought to Wen Hemian by her master personally, she couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed.
She felt the other party's surprised gaze, and tried to pretend to be righteous and confident, and looked into the eyes of the weak young man: "Hello, Elder Jiangxing."
"Ningning was seriously injured in the Demon Refining Tower. After returning from Luan City, she rested alone for a long time. That's why we couldn't bring her to see you until today."
Ji Yunkai had to raise his head desperately to look him in the eye. Even though he suppressed his expression and looked serious, there was no trace of majesty on his face as pink as a white dumpling.
He coughed lightly and said, "Thanks to her for bringing the Lingshu Immortal Grass, the only herb left to cure your body is the Lone Moon Lotus."
Wen Hemian's eyes flickered, and his gaze fell quietly on the face of the little girl not far away.
When she was walking with her uncles and aunts, she was much quieter and more well-behaved than in the previous times.
And he could also clearly feel that the immaturity and ignorance between Ningning's eyebrows and features were gradually fading away, and she was now more sharp and aggressive. Compared to the girl who used to do things recklessly, she now looked more like an increasingly mature swordsman.
He secretly followed the progress of the Ten Dharma Assembly, and since the end of the assembly, he often waited in the forest where they had met.
Unfortunately, Wen Hemian never saw Ningning. Instead, he received news from Tian Xianzi, who claimed that a young disciple had obtained the Lingshu Immortal Grass in the Demon Refining Tower and was willing to give it to him for free.
He just thought that the girl's enthusiasm had worn off and she had lost interest in a useless person like him. He never thought that she was the disciple who sacrificed his life to obtain the magic herb.
It was as if fate had played a trick on me, and the unhappiness and worries in my heart suddenly disappeared at this moment.
Perhaps it was for this reason that when Wen Hemian and Ning Ning looked at each other, he felt unconsciously a little flattered and embarrassed.
"…Thank you very much."
Wen Hemian was silent for a moment, and then said softly: "I have no talent, I don't know how to repay you——"
"Stop, stop, stop! There's no need to be so polite between us!"
Tian Xianzi made a pause gesture. His previous sentence was still righteous, but when he spoke again, his tone softened instantly: "Brother, to be honest, we do have a favor to ask of you. This can only be done by you, no one else can do it."
After hearing this, Wen Hemian himself didn't believe a word of it.
His sea of consciousness was damaged and his cultivation was close to zero, but he didn't cause trouble to others, which was better than building a seven-story pagoda. How could there be something in the world that only he could do?
However, Tian Xianzi spoke with great confidence and claimed mysteriously that "this is a long story", so Wen Hemian had to invite everyone into the house and listen to him while making tea.
"During the Ten Dharma Conference, a strange thing happened in the Demon Refining Tower. Please watch this video."
While he was speaking, Zhen Xiao took out a mysterious mirror from his storage bag. A faint light flashed on the mirror, and the scene of Pei Ji's possession of the devil that day appeared on the mirror.
In the picture, dark clouds were pressing down and black dragons were wreaking havoc. Pei Ji was surrounded by heavy demonic energy. Ning Ning used the sword to disperse the demonic energy. Then came waves of beasts. Bai Ye stood in front of the two of them.
Wen Hemian read it carefully from beginning to end, and heard Ji Yunkai's voice: "Xiao Wen, do you feel anything is wrong?"
"The boy next to her has demonic energy, so it's only natural that he attracted a wave of beasts to attack."
He nodded and responded gently, "After the evil spirit dissipated, the monster shouldn't have continued to target them, but..."
But that's not the case.
The tide of beasts was still rushing towards her and Pei Ji. If Bai Ye hadn't been protecting them, they would have probably lost their lives long ago.
“That’s the problem.”
Tian Xianzi sighed: "We originally thought that Pei Ji was the only source of the beast tide, but from what happened later, besides him, Ning Ning was also a moving target for the group of monsters."
Wen Hemian's eyes paused.
“That doesn’t make sense.”
The young man in white frowned, his tone a little more urgent than before. His voice was as clear as sweet spring water. He spoke faster, causing his throat to itch. He coughed softly and said, "Only demonic energy can attract demonic beasts. She is just an ordinary cultivator. This shouldn't happen."
"That's why we need your help."
Ji Yunkai took a sip of the hot tea, but couldn't stop drinking it as he began to chew the leaves he had picked from the tree outside the house.
"Although Ningning is an ordinary person, she said that before the Demon Refining Tower was opened, someone replaced the fairy spring that Pei Ji used to heal his wounds with a corrosive poison containing demonic energy. She was not careful and got splashed on her leg by the bottle of water."
This was the most puzzling thing for Ning Ning. Until the end of the Ten Dharma Assembly, the culprit who replaced the fairy spring was not found.
At that time, she was injured by the potion. Although she saw traces of evil spirit in the water, she just thought it was a necessary ingredient in the poison and did not think much about it.
As for who exactly replaced the fairy spring, she and Pei Ji naturally believed that someone was dissatisfied with his demon bloodline and deliberately made a move -
But now it seems that it is not that simple at all.
"Later, Baicaotang conducted a thorough investigation and found that the demonic energy in the bottle was extraordinary. After it penetrated into Ningning's body, it made her a popular item in the eyes of the monsters, emitting strong demonic energy at any time."
Ji Yunkai continued, "Similar to the magic-attracting incense, even if you just stand still, it can have a strong attraction to the magic beast."
He spoke bluntly, and Wen Hemian was so smart that he immediately understood the hidden meaning in his words.
This potion was eventually applied to Ning Ning by some unknown means, but according to the original plan of the mastermind, it should have hurt Pei Ji.
Once Pei Ji is contaminated with the poison and enters the Demon Refining Tower, he will not only have to endure his own surging demonic energy, but he will also be surrounded by many demons and be overwhelmed by their rich demonic aura.
For him, it was undoubtedly a huge torture.
"If the potion is used on Pei Ji, then what is trapping him is not just his inner demons."
Tian Xianzi came to a categorical conclusion: "The only possible outcome is that the demonic energy will surge and devour his mind, turning him into an evil demon who does not recognize his relatives and only knows how to kill."
At that time, not only the monster will suffer, but also the disciples of the sect who are traveling with him will probably not survive.
The atmosphere in the room gradually froze. Wen Hemian frowned and said in a deep voice, "Is this the work of the demons?"
Tian Xianzi did not answer but asked: "I wonder if you still remember the strange changes in the ancient forest in Xiaochong Mountain?"
Seeing the other party nod, he continued: "Now that the demonic energy has dissipated, the ancient tree has grown for thousands of years. If there is no human interference, how could it suddenly become possessed by a demon overnight? The most thought-provoking point is the source of the changes in the forest—"
Wen Hemian lowered his eyelashes and replied in a deep voice: "It was a disciple named Pei Ji who approached the ancient tree."
Immediately, strange changes occurred and countless disciples of the immortal sect suffered tragic disasters.
"Perhaps at that time, someone tried to use him to achieve some purpose."
Ji Yunkai said leisurely: "It's a pity that Ningning risked her life to rescue Pei Ji from the sea of trees, ruining their plan - and then there is the Ten Dharma Assembly this time."
He chuckled as he spoke, as if he found it amusing: "They definitely never expected that Ning Ning would mess things up again."
Everything is calm now, but if it weren't for so many coincidences, the situation would have become out of control.
Wen Hemian pondered for a while: "What is their purpose in doing this?"
“We can’t figure it out either.”
Tian Xianzi let out a bitter laugh from his throat: "The only thing that is certain is that the demons are ready to make a move and have set up a plan in secret."
No one spoke for a while.
Ningning sat obediently on the wooden chair. When she heard him mention the demons, memories of the war between fairies and demons involuntarily emerged in her mind.
There are a large number of demons. In addition to the demon soldiers who are keen on war and killing, there are also civilians with shallow cultivation and who have not participated in the war.
All things have spirits, so it is naturally impossible for the world of cultivation to wipe them all out. In order to prevent evil demons from entering the world, after slaughtering all the demon kings and demon lords, they set up a large formation at the entrance to the demon realm to block the communication between the human and demon worlds.
It is worth mentioning that the location of the formation is exactly where Luo Yuanming encountered the devil cultivator and practiced the soul refining technique.
An endless desert.
"There may be something wrong with the formation. If we want to find out, we must go to the source of the formation."
Ji Yunkai stared into the young man's clear eyes and told him word by word: "In the decisive battle, countless cultivators died. Those who set up the formation and knew the desert like the back of their hands... now only you are left."
"We won't force you. It's up to you to decide."
He spoke slowly, each word was extremely clear, and with a decisive force: "The demons have entered the world, the desert is dangerous, are you going or not?"
=====
"And then? Did Elder Wen agree to go with us?"
He Zhizhou stuffed a mouthful of sweet and sour eggplant into his mouth, squinting his eyes and twisting his body with happiness: "This eggplant is amazing! How did Pei Ji's hands grow? They can definitely be selected as a national first-class treasure! Today, I will also dance 360 degrees on the spot for the magic of love for Pei's cooking skills!"
Ning Ning felt a tingling sensation on her back after hearing his flattery. She made a gesture of surrender and said, "Be more normal—he didn't give us a definite answer. He said he needed to calm down and think about it carefully."
She could roughly understand Wen Hemian's thoughts.
He had abandoned himself for so many years and had already built an unbreakable shell in Qingxu Valley. Coupled with the inferiority complex he had developed over the years, how could he just leave?
It is said that the formation in the desert is called the "Liang Yi Micro Dust Formation", which is based on the flesh and blood and spiritual power of several monks and took a long time to condense.
Once the formation was in place, an insurmountable barrier was created between the Demon Realm and humans. Now the demons seem to be causing trouble. The only possible explanation is that there is something wrong with the formation.
However, they had no evidence and everything was based on speculation, so they could not mobilize a large army to go to the desert this time. Only Tian Xianzi and several of his disciples would go with them.
In order to thank the grandmother who took him in, Meng Jue temporarily stayed in Luancheng to help Qiu Baishuang clean up the red-light district and the slums; Zheng Weiqi was out fighting demons and could not come back, so the only candidates who could go were Ningning, Pei Ji, Lin Xun and He Zhizhou.
These people are all still young, and both the desert and the demon clan are new and exciting to them.
Especially Lin Xun and He Zhizhou, their righteousness was aroused. When Little White Dragon heard the news, his face turned red with excitement, and his back was as straight as a bamboo board: "Thank you, Master! I will definitely do my best!"
His seniors are so outstanding, he can't always live under the care of others.
He will definitely work super super hard!
As for this moment.
Tian Xianzi has always loved being in a lively atmosphere. He casually suggested having a meal with everyone to boost morale the night before departure. Most of them only knew how to stir-fry melons, so at Ning Ning's instigation, Pei Ji became the chef.
Except for her, the others didn't know Pei Ji could actually cook. He Zhizhou and Tian Xianzi, two poor guys, ate so much that they cried and called him "God of Cooking" with tears in their eyes.
Lin Xun's eyes also lit up, claiming that he had regained the taste of the delicacies on the jade plate in the Dragon Palace. He almost couldn't help but called him "nanny" reflexively.
The group of people ate and chatted about all sorts of things. Tian Xianzi, being an extremely unreliable master, even brought a few jars of his treasured wine.
After that—
Pei Ji couldn't help but frowned when he thought of this.
He didn't remember what happened after that very clearly. It should be that everyone drank some wine and went back to their rooms. He couldn't drink much, and as soon as his head hit the pillow, he closed his eyes due to exhaustion.
If I remember correctly, he should have fallen asleep.
Then why... is my mind still confusedly thinking?
Pei Ji tried to open his eyes as if his body was stuck in a quagmire from which he could not escape.
All I could see before my eyes was shattered light, hazily scattered everywhere. The ears were also unable to hear clearly. Countless fragmented noises were stretched infinitely, piercing straight into the brain through the eardrums and becoming mixed together.
His scattered vision gradually focused, and he looked up in a half-asleep state, and saw the black hair flowing down like water, and the girl's face as white as the moonlight.
Just seeing that face made his heart start racing.
It turns out that I am dreaming at this moment.
The girl he had been dreaming about was sitting on his belly.
The ghostly light and shadows overlapped and intertwined, passing through her profile and nose tip in turn, and finally reaching her slender neck with smooth lines. Further down, there was a surging dark color.
Pei Ji originally didn't dare to look down.
But the dream was completely out of his control, and his sight fell silently, as if the darkness had become a deep cliff or whirlpool.
She was roughly covered by a light white shirt, and that was all she wore. Pei Ji recognized it at a glance. It was the same one he had put on Ningning at night when the autumn wind was cold today.
It was obviously too big and slid down her shoulders, revealing her delicate collarbone and the girl's round shoulders.
Below the collarbone is a piece of soft and fair skin, which is lightly covered by clothes, half-exposed and half-covered.
She placed her hands on his chest and pressed her legs together. The sudden force turned into a trickle of warm current, causing a burning sensation.
Pei Ji knew it was a dream.
On the one hand, he was disgusted with such dirty thoughts that could not be seen in public, but on the other hand, her spring-like eyes melted all his thoughts and he fell deeper and deeper.
He is so terrible.
"Pei Ji."
She smiled and called his name. The voice seemed to come from far away yet close, making him feel dazed for a moment: "Pei Ji."
Her voice was soft and tender, and as soon as it touched the eardrum it melted away, spreading the sweetness of the scent of gardenia.
Before Pei Ji could react, he suddenly saw her leaning down, slightly opening her red lips and holding his Adam's apple.
Just like Ningning had done before.
He heard the girl's gentle breathing, which gradually wrapped around him like a vine, and his heart was suffocated little by little by her movements.
As if in response, Pei Ji in the dream reached out and held her slender waist.
Too soft.
It's like holding a pool of water, without being able to touch the bones, and the soft flesh seems like it will spill out from between your fingers if you're not careful. The thin shirt rose and fell with her breathing. His palms were hot and he restrained his strength and squeezed it.
Her bright almond-shaped eyes were instantly covered with mist. She raised her head and looked at him. Her rosy lips trembled slightly and she let out a faint breath that was barely audible.
Pei Ji kissed her and with a little force with his palm, the girl fell to the side limply.
And he leaned forward, his kneecaps resting on her trembling waist, shrouding her in shadow.
The thin shirt had slipped down without me noticing.
All senses are infinitely magnified.
The dark clouds rose gradually without any explanation, biting the pure and bright white moonlight in the sky. The moon moved timidly and was swallowed up by it bit by bit.
In the quiet night, sparse shadows emerge, faint fragrance wafts in the air, and white smoke blurs the vision.
The turbid clouds grew thicker and thicker, swallowing up the full moon hanging high in the sky. There was no wind, but the new leaves on the branches were trembling slightly.
He is really crazy.
Want to touch her.
Wanting to do everything in his power to please her.
I want to keep her by my side and never leave her.
His kiss was cautious, moving down from the ribs to the girl's white ankles.
At this moment, the black pupils that were full of lust suddenly froze.
What to do next...
He couldn't imagine it.
There was a bang without any warning.
All the scenes in front of him shattered, clusters of white light exploded, and he heard a knock similar to that of a door, and a clear girl's voice.
Ningning really called out "Pei Ji".
The dream was shattered in an instant.
Pei Ji suddenly opened his eyes, frowned at the sunlight coming in through the broken window, his unfocused pupils swayed slowly, and he heard a noisy sound outside the door.
"Strange, Junior Brother Pei always wakes up the earliest, is he still asleep today?"
This clear and high-pitched voice should have come from He Zhizhou: "Could it be that he was too tired from yesterday's meal?"
Then Lin Xun's voice was deliberately lowered: "Brother He, where are you going?"
"Isn't there a crack in that window over there?"
It didn't take long before Pei Ji saw a big head.
The big head of He Zhizhou was embedded in the half-open window.
Pei Ji: ...
Pei Ji had a blank expression on his face, and for some unknown reason he pulled the quilt over himself.
"No way, Junior Brother Pei! We are both grown men, why are you so shy?"
He Zhizhou smiled as heartlessly as usual. Seeing him lift the quilt upwards, he showed a surprised look: "Oh my God, why is your face so red?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the people next to him came up to him curiously. He Zhizhou understood what she meant and moved aside to make some space for her.
The bright golden light of autumn floated down, and the breeze lifted a corner of the curtain, allowing Pei Ji to see Ningning's dark eyes.
He was ashamed to see her.
Just like in the dream, she was warm at this moment. When her thin lips opened slightly, he felt as if he couldn't distinguish between illusion and reality, and his heart was in turmoil.
The palm of my hand seemed to still retain that water-like touch.
Pei Ji's head was hot and he could hear the heavy heartbeat in his chest, which hurt his chest.
It was not a wonderful experience.
The desire that was buried deep in his heart, that dared not be expressed or seen in the light, seemed to be forced to be exposed to the sun. The more unconcealed her smile was, the more despicable he felt.
"Wow—I'm really blushing."
Ningning also looked at him with a smile, blinked at him, and looked at the scenery in the house.
Pei Ji's bedroom was clean and tidy, and was kept meticulously. The only place that could be described as "messy" was the bed in the corner.
The quilt and the person underneath it were both dishevelled and messy. The young man's long hair cascaded like a waterfall, making his angular face look pale.
But there is also a rich pink color that spreads wildly, covering the corners of the eyes, the sides of the face and the neck, until it disappears deep into the messy lapels.
Feeling her gaze, Pei Ji subconsciously exerted force on his fingers clenched on the quilt and lowered his head in embarrassment.
"What's wrong?"
Ning Ning was amused by this action and burst out laughing. She raised her hand and knocked on the window: "We are all from the same school. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. Don't be shy."
He Zhizhou replied seriously, "Junior Brother Lin Xun and I can be ignored. As for you, you are a girl after all, so you should be more reserved."
Ningning turned her head and looked at him quickly: "It's not like I haven't seen Pei Ji just woke up--"
She gritted her teeth and stopped talking halfway through. When she looked back into the room, her face was slightly red. "Hurry up and get up. We should leave."
Fortunately, she knew nothing, otherwise he would have gone crazy with shame.
Pei Ji took a deep breath, his voice was hoarse, as if it had been burned by fire: "Hmm."
He is calm enough.
The most urgent task is to suppress the undercurrent of restlessness in the body as soon as possible and prevent them from noticing any clues.
As for this quilt...
The boy's eyes became darker and he lowered his eyelashes to hide the gloom flowing between his dark eyebrows.
Burn it as soon as possible while no one notices.
To cut off the family line and grandchildren, and to grind the bones and scatter the ashes.
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