The Soul-Ferrying Formation is a grand Buddhist formation where one sacrifices one's life for the Dharma. Its power should not be underestimated. In addition, the thousands of souls sealed in Goose City have been refined for a whole year, making the power of the formation even more unstoppable.
Under the golden light, the demons in the city had nowhere to hide. They didn't even have time to utter a panicked wail before they turned into dust and shadows and disappeared.
Ningning stood alone in the dilapidated Buddhist temple, looking around with a lost look.
Back then in the illusion, Chen Lubai and their group came here when they were walking through the streets.
In those days, Lingquan Temple was shrouded in Buddha's light, with majestic Buddha statues and bustling pilgrims coming and going. But now it was desolate and silent, with only her left.
The fire on the altar was still flickering, but the girl standing there had long disappeared. Ningning looked at the place where she had been standing before, and heard the footsteps of Zheng Weiqi and others behind her. She wiped away the tears from her eyes without leaving a trace.
He destroyed his own appearance, invited demons into his body, put on a hypocritical mask day after day, and became a completely different person.
Chen Lubai is so brave that she doesn't need pity or sympathy from others.
Ningning respects her.
Chen Lubai died, golden light appeared, and the trial of this level of the pagoda came to an end.
There is no trace of the old Goose City anymore.
=====
Everyone gained a lot from this trip.
In fact, there are many ways for people who practice Taoism to make money, but as disciples of a sect, Ningning and others rarely have the opportunity to go down the mountain. Most of the time they stay in the sect to practice hard, and their only source of income is the pocket money given by Xuanxu Sword Sect every month.
But sword cultivators have to spend money to forge swords and buy sword manuals, talisman cultivators have to spend money to purchase raw materials, and as for beauty cultivators, it is well known that cosmetics and skin care products are all very expensive no matter in ancient or modern times, at home or abroad. If you want to maintain a healthy complexion and refresh your spirit, you have to spend a lot of money.
This has led to a large number of disciples spending more than they earn, especially sword practitioners who love to cause trouble. When practicing sword skills, they either cut down ancient trees on the mountain or destroy stone pillars in the training ground. Once their tempers flare up, they might even start a fight with anyone.
The pile of repair costs, medical expenses and maintenance fees immediately makes the poor families even worse off.
But now it’s different!
The spring breeze of reform is blowing everywhere, the pagoda is really doing well, the children have money and are finally standing up!
Ningning is no longer the newbie who waits for help from the sect like Yueyue. She even has the confidence to drink water. She gently picks up the teacup and takes a sip. She lowers her eyes and says those elegant and mellow Chinese characters: "1982, boiled water."
Tian Xianzi didn't understand the meaning of this sentence, but she often said sentences whose meaning was hard to understand, so he just thought that his little disciple was too tired from practicing sword and was talking nonsense to himself.
He got on the water and sat cross-legged on the ground without any otherworldly manner. "Ningning, why did you come to see me this time?"
"My senior sister and junior brother and I passed the Goose City Demon Transformation in the Pagoda Tower together."
Ning Ning said softly: "Master, since there really was an E City in history, what was its final outcome?"
She had the most contact with Chen Lubai in the illusion. Later, when the illusion was broken, Ningning saw with her own eyes the little girl jumping into the fire without hesitation.
She had never experienced too many separations and deaths, and she still had the mind of a little girl in her heart. Moreover, Chen Lubai's sacrifice was so heroic that she naturally could not remain indifferent.
"Goose City?"
Tian Xianzi thought about it for a moment and smiled calmly: "That level was quite difficult, how could you pass it?"
As a training ground specially opened by the Xuanxu Sword Sect for its disciples, the Pagoda not only tests swordsmanship, but also takes into account one's mentality and wisdom. If we talk about a typical example, the Goose City Monster Transformation is undoubtedly the one.
Every inner disciple and direct disciple in the sect can enter the tower, and the copies can be recycled. Even if someone has passed it before, the remaining disciples can continue to participate. However, the reward for the first person to pass will be much higher.
Just as Pei Ji said, the spiritual power required to construct an illusion is enormous, and usually memories are used to merge memories with illusions. The pagoda is no exception, and most of the illusions are selected from real events.
"As for the matter of Goose City, it actually has a lot to do with our sect."
Glancing at the little girl in front of him with her eyes slightly widened, Tian Xianzi smiled mysteriously: "It was during the Great War between Immortals and Demons, and every sect was so busy that they had no extra energy to go to E City to eliminate the demons. They could only set up a net to temporarily trap them. It was at that time that several disciples of the Xuanxu Sword Sect volunteered to go to E City to investigate the situation."
The scenes in the pagoda are all transformed from real events, that -
Ning Ning blurted out: "Did those disciples also experience the same thing as us?"
"That's right."
Tian Xianzi nodded and said, "First, he fell into the maze set up by that Zhao Qian Sun Li... Oh! Miss Chen Lubai, and then he went out to subdue the monster and help her complete the Soul Crossing Formation."
After a pause, he murmured, "Strange, after all these years, I still remember her name."
So in the real history that happened, Chen Lubai succeeded.
Ning Ning breathed a sigh of relief, but she still felt a little sad. She took a sip of water and continued to ask, "Master, how is the old locust tree?"
"Under the Soul Crossing Formation, demons and evil spirits must be killed."
Tian Xianzi paused, and said in a lighter voice: "From the moment it agreed to help Chen Lubai, it already understood the final outcome. You don't have to be too sad, that was a decision they made with a clear conscience, and their revenge was achieved, so there are no regrets. Moreover, cause and effect are linked, and the six realms are reincarnated, so there will always be a time to renew our past relationship."
Ning Ning was silent for a long time, then spoke in a muffled voice: "The disciples who volunteered to go to Echeng back then...are they still in Xuanxu now?"
Tian Xianzi chuckled.
"You didn't expect that."
He said: "The one who figured out the mystery and assisted Chen Lubai in completing the Soul Crossing Formation—hey, it was your senior brother Meng Jue."
=====
"No, no!"
The courtyard was quiet, but a female voice that sounded like a possessed person suddenly rang out, startling a flock of birds: "Can a human solve this problem? Meng Jue, did you find a difficult problem specifically to trick me?"
Then, a gentle and soft voice with a hint of helplessness came out: "Junior sister, this is the exam question from the year before last. Before you do it, you should first figure out the intention of the elder who set the question."
"What could his intention be? He just wants me dead!"
Ningning was startled when she heard the voice and knocked on the door gently.
After the Goose City level was over, although they gained a lot of treasures, they were too exhausted to think about dividing the treasures, so they deposited all the spoils in the eldest sister's storage bag and agreed to discuss it again today.
Listening to the sounds in the room...it seems that my senior sister is preparing for the exam.
Zheng Weiqi in the room had long been dizzy from the test questions. When she heard the knock on the door, she knew that Ningning and the others had come. She suddenly woke up from her dying illness and asked with a smile where the guests came from: "Come in!"
Ningning pushed the door open and went in, followed by Pei Ji and He Zhizhou.
In the room, besides Zheng Weiqi, there was also a man in white with a slender figure.
It was the eldest senior brother Meng Jue.
Meng Jue is extremely talented, and he always comes out on top in both literary and martial arts examinations. If Tian Xianzi were to choose a disciple who would be the least troublesome, it would most likely be this one.
I don't know why, but since Meng Jue, the four disciples he accepted were weirder than the last. He thought this kid was the beginning of the glory of his sect, but he didn't expect that he would be the pinnacle.
Maybe it's just like what the saying goes, meeting you has used up all my luck.
Among all of Tian Xianzi's disciples, Ning Ning had the least contact with this eldest brother. After all, he was either practicing sword skills in seclusion or going down the mountain to subdue monsters all day long. He had even rarely seen him punch in or scan his face, let alone get to know him in depth.
Meng Jue was born with a thin and upright figure, eyes like bright stars. He was like the saying "stones piled up like jade, pines lined up like emerald green". In addition, he often had a smile on his thin lips, which made people feel close to him.
——If you ignore the fact that this person is a complete black-hearted person who even smiles while killing people.
Ningning thought very inappropriately that it seemed that at the next plot point, the eldest senior brother would join the protagonist group.
And her diligent plan to commit suicide will reach a higher level. The more ruthless she is, the more severe the revenge she will receive from Meng Jue in the future.
I’m so angry. Is this the fate of the vicious female supporting role?
He Zhizhou was not shy and greeted her casually: "Senior Sister Zheng, are you still preparing for the imperial examination?"
The second disciple under Tian Xianzi has long been famous throughout the sect. To put it simply, others have "five years of college entrance examinations and three years of simulations", but she is more untainted by the mud and has managed to complete "fifty years of college entrance examinations and thirty years of simulations".
Her colleagues who went to school with her back then have now become her teachers.
It's very embarrassing.
"Everyone is here today, how can I study in silence? Come on, come on, sit down! You rarely see Meng Jue, right?"
Zheng Weiqi finally saw her savior and was able to temporarily escape from the chattering mouth of her senior brother. She was extremely happy: "Come, have a chat with senior brother!"
Meng Jue's expression remained unchanged, his sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes were full of smiles, and he nodded at them: "The Ten Dharma Assembly will be held soon, I wonder how you are preparing?"
As expected of a genius student, the first thing he talked about was this.
The Ten Dharma Assemblage is the next important plot point in the original novel.
Unlike the previous Xiaochongshan Secret Realm, although the ceremony also gathered elite disciples from various major sects, it was much more formal and solemn than Xiaochongshan, where only those at the Jindan level and below participated and whose purpose was limited to searching for treasures from heaven and earth.
By then, elite disciples from all major sects will be present. After layers of selection, they will finally compete on the ring. It will be a real battle and they will not be able to slack off or do nothing.
In order to win the championship, the original body put a lot of obstacles in Pei Ji's way, which led to the complete intensification of the conflict.
Ningning felt a lump in her heart again.
Zheng Weiqi glared at him: "Why do you keep talking about these things?"
At last, he turned his head and grinned: "Brother and sister, you finally came to my yard, why don't I show you my treasures!"
They are called “inventory”, but in fact they are just the items at the bottom of the box that cannot be sold. After she said this, she left the wooden table, moved to a pearwood box, and opened it with ease.
The sunlight slowly came in from the window, and Ningning saw the dust on the box dancing with the light.
"The things that can't be sold are mostly clothes."
Zheng Weiqi said this with a sad look on her face, and she sighed, "It's a pity that no one is willing to wear them. Even if I want to see what these children look like wearing them, it's an unattainable luxury."
That look and tone were just like an old mother who couldn't marry off her daughter.
He Zhizhou was the most enthusiastic about this matter, and he took a step forward without hesitation: "Don't worry, we are here!"
Zheng Weiqi lowered her eyes, still covering her mouth with her sleeves: "Really? But they are not popular, and they don't look good..."
"I definitely don't mind!"
Zheng Weiqi glanced at him dimly.
For some reason, He Zhizhou always felt a chill in his heart, and vaguely felt that something was wrong.
So Zheng Weiqi turned away without saying a word.
When he turned around, he was holding several pieces of clothing in his hands, red, pink, green and flowery, but none of them could be worn by anyone.
Moreover, He Zhizhou seemed to have discovered it.
These are all damn women's clothes.
He finally understood why Zheng Weiqi covered her mouth with her sleeve when she was luring him into the trap.
This woman...she is laughing wildly!
But the vicious woman with a heart of a scorpion still smiled innocently: "Thank you very much."
He Zhizhou: “Haha.”
He Zhizhou: "I think——"
"There's no need to express gratitude to fellow disciples."
Before he finished speaking, Meng Jue at the side spoke up. He was elegant and easy-going, "Let us try on these clothes."
He Zhizhou:?
No way, Brother Meng, have you become stupid from studying so much? This is women's clothing! Women's clothing!
He wanted to refuse, but he heard Meng Jue's voice again: "As Junior Brother He said just now, we will never despise you."
You are so cruel.
He Zhizhou took a deep breath and forced out a smile that was uglier than crying: "Yes, haha."
After he agreed, everyone present looked at Pei Ji at the same time.
The taciturn young boy is like a sheep that has strayed into a wolf's den. Even if he has a cold face and holds a sword, he cannot escape the identity of a lamb to be slaughtered.
Zheng Weiqi: "Junior brother..."
Pei Ji looked at her, then looked at Ning Ning's expectant expression.
He applied a little force to the knuckles holding the sword, lowered his eyes and said "hmm".
So Ningning, Pei Ji, Meng Jue and He Zhizhou walked into a small house in the courtyard, while Zheng Weiqi stayed in the room and waited patiently.
He Zhizhou was the first one to come out.
He was wearing a light pink wide-sleeved moonlit dress with many folds. As he walked, the dress looked like the faint moonlight swaying in the wind. It was soft and elegant, and every step was graceful.
Zheng Weiqi tried hard to hold back the urge to burst out laughing, and in order to prevent He Zhizhou from noticing her upturned mouth corners, she stood up and did a handstand on the spot.
When you can't help but curl the corners of your mouth, if you can stand upside down, your lips that were originally curving upwards will turn downwards.
It's well-founded and you can't refuse to accept it.
——What a ghost! This is not even good enough to cover up one's faults! Who gave you the courage to laugh so wildly after doing a handstand?
He Zhizhou just wanted to give this vicious woman a sword, but suddenly the sound of a door being pushed open brushed past his ears with the wind, making him subconsciously turn his head.
Ningning and Meng Jue were hesitating about something, and the second person who came out was Pei Ji.
He obviously didn't know how to wear women's clothing, and his lake blue fairy dress was worn crookedly.
However, this girl has excellent appearance. Even in disheveled women's clothing, she can still show a seductive charm. Her neck is white and flawless like jade.
Pei Ji had a blank expression on his face, and he looked like he was ready to kill someone while wearing women's clothes.
After the two of them left the room, Ningning and Meng Jue actually pushed open the door at the same time. He Zhizhou originally wanted to see the amazing Senior Brother Meng in women's clothing, but he turned his head with joy.
Why didn’t you two bastards change your clothes? ! !
He Zhizhou heard the sound of something cracking.
He was in a trance and seemed to ask, "Brother Meng, your clothes..."
I never expected that Meng Jue would smile calmly without changing his expression, and say the most damning words in the most nonchalant way: "If I hadn't said that, how could you have agreed?"
Ning Ning also touched her head, a little embarrassed: "My senior brothers and sisters told me through voice transmission that I just need to wait in the room for you two to come out - you two are so beautiful!"
He Zhizhou:?
He Zhizhou:? ? ?
Is it true that the senior brother whom you call a bright and modest gentleman is actually this kind of person? ah? Why does the little guy have two faces?
Look at Pei Ji again.
He used to be such a cold and cool little boy, but now he was standing there grabbing the hem of his skirt with a helpless look on his face, and his ears were slightly red.
He looked like a poor, honest man who had been cheated of his house, children and wife, and was shivering in the cold wind.
It’s so tragic. So tragic. ——You are not human! Bullying an honest person! Can you bear it! How can you repay the debt you owe him? ! !
"Why did you change it too?"
Ning Ning was closest to Pei Ji. She walked to his side like a gentle breeze. Although she was trying hard to hold back her smile, the curve of her mouth was obvious: "I'm sorry, I thought they also told you through voice transmission that they are here to team up to deal with He Zhizhou this time."
In the end, I couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Pei Ji frowned, feeling like he couldn't move or stay still. His ears were burning for some reason, while Cheng Ying in his heart was howling, "He didn't do this for you. He didn't want you to be alone in those ugly clothes. Wuuuu! Can you bear to treat him like this, Ningning! He tried so hard to wear women's clothes--"
He paused, as if he couldn't pretend any longer, and let out a thunderous laugh: "I'm sorry Pei Xiaoji, I really tried my best, hahaha! You look really beautiful now, hahahaha!"
Pei Ji: ...
"But that's not how you wear this dress."
Ningning took another step closer to him, slowly raised her right hand, her fingertips fell on the boy's fair neck, and she picked up a corner of his clothes to cover his exposed skin.
"It is well known that only the wife will arrange her husband's clothes."
Chengying said seriously: "You made a profit, Pei Xiaoji."
Nope.
Pei Ji thought that it was not only his wife who was tidying up his clothes, but also his loving mother at home.
What's more, even if he doesn't want to, the junior sister won't marry him, so how can he make money or not?
"And here," Ningning blinked, her eyes lowered to Pei Ji's open cuffs, "this sleeve has a tie design, if you don't tie it properly, your arm will be completely exposed."
As she spoke, she leaned forward, her deft fingers landing on the light-colored laces. Pei Ji's arms can be seen through the open long sleeves.
It was long and straight, and extremely white, as if it had not been exposed to the sun for a long time, with pale blue veins visible. On the cold white skin, there were several old scars, most of which were whip marks, and some were burn marks, which looked particularly hideous against the young man's slender arms.
Pei Ji's mother hated him to the core, and the original novel only mentioned this briefly, but judging from these scars, it seems that it is not as simple as being "alone and helpless".
Ningning's heart sank slightly when she noticed Pei Ji's arm suddenly shrink.
His attention had just been distracted by Chengying's words. When he came back to his senses, he found Ningning looking at his scarred arm from outside his sleeve.
He didn't want her to see him like that.
"Okay, okay, I'll teach you about sleeves later - I just changed my clothes, why did your hair get messed up?"
Ningning knew that he had a strong sense of self-esteem, and pretending to be concerned at this moment would only add to the embarrassment, so she pretended to be calm and straightened up, looking up at Pei Ji's messy black hair.
Who would have thought that the original hero could draw a sword, slay demons, and cook, but was clumsy in dressing himself, and after all that work, his hair was as messy as a chicken coop.
After all, this is not the 21st century. Although the world of cultivation advocates equality and free communication, physical contact between men and women is still not allowed.
Moreover, she and Pei Ji were not close enough to touch each other's heads randomly, so she could only smile softly and point to the top of her head: "You are messy here."
Pei Ji imitated her movements and touched the same spot on his head.
As far as he could remember, no one had ever taught him how to dress and tie his clothes so patiently.
His childhood memories are no longer very clear, but he remembered that his mother hated his clumsiness the most. Even if she pointed out some questions to him, she would get very impatient and beat him if she was unhappy.
Now Ningning was telling him with a smile and in a soft voice how to do such a trivial thing well... It always felt a little strange.
Even his own thoughts became a little strange.
Chengying chuckled: "Just tell me, did you make money?"
=====
"Strange, Meng Jue usually doesn't leave his room easily, he's either studying or practicing swordsmanship, why is he gone today?"
The shadows of trees in the mountains were mottled, and birds were chirping. Tian Xianzi walked side by side with another tall young man and talked freely: "But don't worry, he will come back soon. I will take you to Weiqi's courtyard first. She has been studying hard recently, so she must be in the house."
The young man laughed out loud and said, "Thank you, Elder Tianxian. You really care about me and took the trouble to tell me everything about the Dharma Assembly."
Tian Xianzi was indeed shameless. He didn't refute what he said, but snorted and nodded: "That's not the case."
The young man next to him was the contact person of Xuanxu Sect sent by the Ten Dharma Association. As a master who was looking after his disciples, he led the other party to inform them one by one.
Unexpectedly, Meng Jue was not there, and the two were turned away.
"My second disciple is born with a stubborn streak. Now that the academy assessment is approaching, she must be studying hard."
As they approached Zheng Weiqi's courtyard, Tian Xianzi laughed: "Oh, the door is not closed!"
After he said that, he took a step forward.
You can clearly see what's inside the house without knocking or pushing the door.
Tian Xianzi's smile froze at the corner of his mouth.
Oh, Mr. Huang Tian.
What kind of chaos is this? ? ?
But Pei Ji was wearing a long dress, his clothes were disheveled, and his face was red. Ningning kept touching him, grabbing him left and right, smiling and saying something.
The poor little boy was so angry that he dared not say anything, his body was stiff and motionless.
——Robbing a man in broad daylight is truly an act of bullying.
He Zhizhou was wearing a light pink moonlit dress, and his smile was so beautiful that it could make fishes sink to the bottom of water, geese drop to the ground, and the moon hide in shame. Meng Jue, who was standing beside him, smiled and said to him, "Junior Brother He, you have the appearance of an immortal, so there is no need to be ashamed of this. I admire you very much."
He Zhizhou raised his orchid finger and patted him: "Hate it, no."
——What do you admire about him? Wearing women's clothes? My dear disciple Meng Jue, please wake up and don't do this!
And Zheng Weiqi herself is even more terrifying.
She stood upside down with her hands on the ground, her whole face twitching, the corners of her mouth twisted into an extremely strange arc, and she laughed wildly.
——Tian Xianzi didn’t want to comment on this.
Pale hands, trembling slightly.
Tian Xianzi closed the door expressionlessly.
"Sorry, I seem to have had some hallucinations just now."
Tian Xianzi suppressed the twitching in his forehead and tried to squeeze out a convulsive smile from his lips: "Let me open it again."
As the voice fell, the door was pushed open again.
It seemed as if time had stood still in the courtyard, and it was no different from before the gate closed.
Five pairs of blank eyes stared at the door, as quiet as chickens.
Pink and delicate.
Forced stripping.
Laughing wildly and standing on his head.
It’s great that everything is still the same as it was at the beginning.
The gentle wind blew through the hall, and Tian Xianzi's heart also fluttered.
All these years of trust and time were ultimately wasted.
"Disciple of Elder Tianxian..."
The contact had never experienced such a strong visual impact before. He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead and said in panic: "As expected, they are as close as brothers, their love is as deep as the sea, they are so affectionate, they forcefully snatched a woman, and it's hard to tell whether she is a man or a woman... Oh, I'm sorry! Look at my mouth!"
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