"It's over, it's over! I told you, Fan Zhong will definitely win in the end!"
Luancheng City Lord's Mansion, top floor attic.
The fireworks have faded away, and the night has returned to its former silence. The long-burning lamp climbed up to the window eaves together with the moon, quietly flowing into the beautifully decorated building, illuminating the faces of the elders of the major sects present.
Tian Xianzi clapped his hands in delight, grinning like a silly kid who finally got his allowance, and tapped the tabletop with his knuckles: "Come on, come on, accept the loss, and those who guessed wrong should put their spirit stones on the table!"
Although Mayoi had a sullen face, he was actually very considerate of his junior fellow apprentice. He placed his right hand on the jade table, and a lot of spirit stones fell down.
He is a man born with a sword heart in the true sense. He devotes his whole heart to the sword, and therefore firmly believes that money is just an external thing. He almost never spends money on weekdays, and once he spends money, he spends it as if it were drinking water without any regret.
"I put these Le Xiu together. Not bad, right?"
As the leader of the Xuanxu Sword Sect, Ji Yunkai naturally has the authority to release the content. After watching such a good show, his arms and legs were shaking with excitement: "I knew that every Le Xiu was extraordinary, a real talent!"
The leader of the Paramount Sect was quite dissatisfied: "A musical instrument is half the life of a music cultivator. How can it be used to hit people? If you really want to be so violent, you might as well become a sword cultivator."
Tian Xianzi and Ji Yunkai said in unison: "Thank you for the compliment, Sect Master!"
...Actually, I don’t mean to praise you sword cultivators.
"I thought the suona would definitely take the top spot."
Watching his own disciple being beaten, He Xiaochen, the head of Liuming Mountain, sighed: "You don't know, I and several elders in the sect love to go to the hilltop where Le Xiu is for a walk. The scenery is beautiful and the music is even more beautiful. It is a place to cultivate our sentiments. Until this girl suddenly appeared, my goodness, the suona sounded, and the master's support was in vain. All the pianos and flutes were out of tune because of her alone."
The more he spoke, the more he admired her: "Since then, there has been a large-scale ensemble led by suona every day on that mountain. Once a foreign visitor was shocked by the sound and asked me tremblingly who had died on Liuming Mountain to have such a large funeral procession."
"I just feel sorry for the guy playing the flute. He looked like he had seen a ghost."
The Great Elder of Haoran Sect could not bear to watch and sighed, "Master Ji, there is no need to force a normal person into the melee, and there is no need to kill him so much."
“It’s for the sake of diversity.”
Ji Yun laughed out loud, his childish eyes were like two round black pearls, shining faintly under the light: "Didn't the elders specially pick a few mortal enemies who were notoriously incompatible and put them together?"
Tian Xianzi immediately became interested after hearing this: "Right, right, right! How is the fight going for that group of people? Did I win the bet I placed?"
=====
The elders were enjoying the show very much. Unlike the happy and cheerful atmosphere in the attic, the atmosphere in the secret trial realm was much quieter and more depressing.
At least that's the case here.
The monk swung the bell pestle with the force of a mace, and when the man and the woman were both knocked unconscious, he searched for tokens from them, without any awareness of the taboos between men and women.
Later, he became so impatient with the search that he simply grabbed the green-clothed woman's ankles and hung her upside down, shaking her like a sieve until the token fell out.
This is no longer at the level of "not being gentle with women", it is simply cruel and brutal destruction of flowers.
After the token was picked up by the monk, the two music practitioners were forcibly moved out of the secret realm. It was clearly a movie about four people, but in the end only the one holding the bell and pestle had a name.
Ningning watched the show with great interest, and at this time she didn't have much thought of the mantis stalking the cicada while the oriole was behind.
Not to mention that she has always adhered to the principle of "I will not offend others unless they offend me", just looking at the moves that the monk used to repel the enemy, he must have a very high level of cultivation.
She doesn't like to fight with brute force. If she had to fight for the token every time she met someone, she would probably become a human sandbag with holes all over it in no time.
Ning Ning yawned quietly and wanted to leave after the monk left, but she didn't expect to see a forehead as round and smooth as a boiled egg shining not far away, and his voice came in the wind: "How long do you want to watch?"
Ningning was slightly stunned.
It is said that Le Xiu has sensitive five senses, and it seems to be true. Even if she deliberately hides her aura, she still cannot escape the other party's perception.
"The young master is really amazing."
She flashed out from the shadows of the trees. Perhaps because she had been gradually trained by her master to be thick-skinned, she did not feel embarrassed after being discovered. "This is the first time I have seen someone enjoying the Brahma Bell. I am Ningning from the Xuanxu Sword Sect."
The young monk took a quick look at her and said calmly, "Donor Ning, I have long admired you."
Seeing the other party's surprised expression, he added woodenly: "My Buddhist name is Mingjing, and I have always been good friends with Junior Brother Mingkong. He once mentioned you to me."
It turns out he is Mingkong’s friend.
First there was Mingkong, who focused all his skills on defense because he was afraid of pain, and now there is Mingjing, who uses a bell pestle as a stick. Birds of a feather flock together, and she doesn’t know how many surprises there are in Fanyin Temple that she doesn’t know about.
Ning Ning saw that he looked gentle and had no intention of fighting, so she felt relieved and continued, "I happened to pass by here and was attracted by your fighting, so I stopped to watch. I had no intention of fighting for the token."
Ming Jing nodded: "Monks are compassionate, and I have no intention of fighting."
There is nothing wrong with this sentence itself, but it seems a bit weird coming from a big guy who just knocked two people unconscious with a pestle.
Ningning took a look at the Buddhist bell that he swung away, and thought of the scene of a man and a woman rising to the sky and falling to the ground at the same time, and her chest couldn't help but ache slightly.
I'm afraid those two disciples would never have dreamed that the funeral song they played together did not kill Mingjing, but instead killed them.
"What's more, a disciple of your sect has done me a favor. Even if it is to repay his kindness, I will not easily take action against the Xuanxu Sect."
Ming Jing was serious when he spoke, and his tone was as bland as boiled water, but Ning Ning was still interested and continued, "You're indebted?"
"Back then, when I left Fanyin Temple to go out for training, I encountered several demon cultivators who blocked my way and robbed me. I was no match for them with only my own strength."
His clear eyes narrowed slightly, and as he lost himself in memories, his pupils seemed to be covered with a layer of hazy mist: "Thanks to that disciple from the Xuanxu Sect who came to my rescue and eliminated most of the robbers, I was able to escape."
He curved his lips as he spoke: "His name is He Zhizhou, and I heard that he is familiar with Donor Ning."
Ning Ning listened to his description and subconsciously imagined in her mind the image of a chivalrous and highly skilled young swordsman. Now, she was caught off guard by the image of He Zhizhou...
Sorry, the only thing she could think of was a strange human head stuck on the flying boat.
"He Zhizhou?" Ning Ning couldn't hide the surprise in her tone, "He is so powerful?"
"yes."
Ming Jing looked into the distance thoughtfully, and said in a deep tone: "70% of those demon cultivators attacked him, and 30% attacked me. If most of their attention had not been on him, I would not have been able to escape in the chaos."
Ningning: ...
The result was that both of you were beaten up together, and you just ran away! Are you doing this to be worthy of He Zhizhou who bravely helped you?
He Zhizhou is the most miserable one.
Ningning mentally put this monk, who looked very serious and reliable, on the danger list.
"Since neither you nor I have the heart to fight, I will take my leave first."
Ming Jing clasped his hands together and bowed to her, his voice still gentle: "Take care, benefactor."
Ningning nodded: "Goodbye, Master Mingjing."
She had no grudges or entanglements with Mingjing, so her farewell was particularly neat. After they parted ways, Ningning was the only one left around.
The four music practitioners had just made such a big noise, but no one else was attracted except her. Presumably, this forest was sparsely populated, and the other disciples had been dispersed and sent to other places.
Ningning walked forward aimlessly, looking at the scenery in the forest.
The forest seemed to be immersed in the previous gloomy music. The night grew slowly like sea fog, and slowly spread out like ink on rice paper, bringing with it wisps of chill that penetrated the bones. A few faint bird calls were heard from not far away. They lacked the lively and agile nature that birds should have, and were so shrill as to sound like wails.
As for the front, there was endless darkness. The shadows of the tilted branches looked like the knuckles of a ghost, and a human head, palely illuminated by fluorescent light, floated in the air.
etc.
Why is there a floating human head in the woods?
Ningning was so frightened that her whole body froze. Only when she could barely see the scene not far away did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.
It turned out that it was not a floating human head, but Pei Ji dressed in black.
In this way, in the original book, the male protagonist did first appear in an unknown jungle.
His clothes blended in perfectly with the night, but his skin was an extremely eye-catching cold white. When illuminated by the mushrooms growing wildly in the woods, his entire face looked like a walking eternal lamp, truly glowing white.
Pei Ji didn't expect to meet her here, and was stunned when their eyes met.
"Junior brother!"
Ning Ning didn't have as many concerns as him, and trotted forward: "What a coincidence, why are you here too?"
When I got closer, I noticed that there were several bloody scratches on his face, as if he had just been in a fight.
"I heard a few bells ringing and followed the spiritual energy." Pei Ji looked her up and down, his voice a little hoarse, "Are you injured?"
Ning Ning quickly shook her head: "No, no! I didn't fight with them."
After that, he paused for a moment, took out a box of ointment from his storage bag and handed it to him: "You were just injured, but you didn't take care of it properly - did you have a fight with someone?"
"It's just a small matter."
Pei Ji took it with his hand, and after briefly thanking him, he heard Ning Ning say, "Since we have met, why don't we go together? The trial secret realm is extremely dangerous, and at least we can look after each other."
In the past, when facing other people, Pei Ji would have refused without hesitation.
He has been used to being alone since he was a child. If there are other people around him, he will just feel annoyed for no reason. But at this moment, he somehow felt a little hesitant. He raised his eyes and saw Ningning's straight gaze, and his heart beat uncontrollably.
This feeling is unpredictable and difficult to control, and Pei Ji doesn't like it.
But he still looked away for the first time and nodded slightly.
=====
The two of them walked in Luan City all day long, and now it was midnight, when they were most sleepy and tired.
Pei Ji's experience in surviving in the wild was obviously much richer than Ningning's. After walking and stopping for a while, he took her to find a cave where they could rest.
The cave is very small, like a groove in the mountain wall, and can accommodate less than six people at most.
Vines grow thickly on the stone walls, painting the rugged rocks a vibrant green. A few shiitake mushrooms grow in the corner, like a small table lamp with a unique shape, emitting a steady stream of soft white light.
It's just that the light is too dim, appearing weak and insignificant in the black velvet night. Wisps of thin light mixed with sparse shadows, like the dark tide swaying in the deep sea, were gently blown by the night wind and turned into scattered waves and floating flowers, dyeing the entire cave with a quiet light gray.
Especially since it was so quiet all around and the cave was so narrow and cramped, in the quiet midnight like the gentle waves, it was inevitable that some indescribable ambiguity would arise.
The word "ambiguous" is very annoying.
In order to facilitate living in the wild, monks often carry one or two quilts in their storage bags. Because the cave was narrow, the distance between them was not very large, only about one person's distance apart.
It was the first time for Ningning to sleep in the same place with a boy of the same age. She felt a little embarrassed after thinking about it. It didn't feel right whether she lay flat or on her side.
But she was a senior sister after all, and she couldn't show her fear at this moment. She could only pretend to be calm, turned her back and lowered her voice: "I slept."
A clear and clean boy's voice came from behind: "Yeah."
Then the sounds around gradually faded away like the tide, leaving only the faint light that filled the entire cave.
The summer night brought with it continuous heat, like sparks falling on one's heart. Pei Ji lay flat on the thin quilt without saying a word, feeling a little dry from the heat.
Because of the experience of being locked in a cellar by his mother as a child, he has always had a disgust and resistance to darkness.
When I was a child, if I was alone in a narrow space where I couldn’t see my hand in front of me, I would tremble with fear all over. The situation got a little better when I grew up, but I still don’t like an environment that is too dark.
Fortunately, there were magical mushrooms growing in the cave, which made him feel more at ease.
A few strands of black hair fell on the boy's delicate eyebrows. Perhaps it was the unique dryness of summer that made him upset. Pei Ji frowned and turned his head away without warning.
His movements were silent, even his breathing was hidden in the night, and all he could see was the girl's slender back.
He had never looked at Ningning so carefully before. When he finally mustered up the courage to take a look at her, it was only when her back was facing him.
Because she had washed and dressed in the inn, the girl had the elegant scent of gardenia on her body. The black hair stretched down, like pure black ink spreading out slowly, covering the slender neck and back, revealing only the thin light purple skirt.
It looks small, like a willow branch that can be broken with a little force.
...Is this really what she is like?
[Ahem. ］
Chengying coughed twice: "Pei Xiaoji, peeking secretly is not a gentleman's behavior. ］
Pei Ji responded expressionlessly: "I didn't."
[…You can’t even watch someone openly while they’re asleep, you little brat! ］
It had followed this kid for so many years that it could already figure out most of Pei Ji's thoughts. It couldn't help but sneer: "What's the matter? You usually ignore me, but now you come to peek at me?" Pei Xiaoji, ah Pei Xiaoji, I hate that you are a piece of wood. ］
"No." Pei Ji responded quickly, "I just can't sleep--"
Before he could finish his sentence, he heard a very slight rustling sound in his ears.
——Ningning, who should have been fast asleep, suddenly turned around in an instant, her almond-shaped eyes wide open, looking straight at him without any concealment.
Pei Ji kept turning his head to look at her, and their eyes met.
Pei Ji's ears suddenly turned red, and his breathing stagnated: ...
Chengying brayed like a crazy donkey, totally losing his dignity: [Pei Ji, close your eyes quickly——! ］
After saying that, she struggled desperately in his heart, shouting at the top of her voice: [Ahhh! ! ! Dead! Dead! ! ! She won't notice you peeking, will she? ! ! ］
Pei Ji was stunned for a moment, then obediently closed his eyes under Ning Ning's gaze.
Chengying: ...
[Are you sent by God to torture me? ］
Chengying was in tears and his voice was filled with sobs: "Covering one's ears to steal a bell, the more obvious it becomes." What's the point of closing your eyes and pretending to be asleep at this time, huh? Are you a fool? ］
Then Pei Ji opened his eyes with a wooden face again.
The man and the sword appear calm, but in fact there is a raging storm in his heart. Pei Ji only felt the heat in his ears becoming more and more intense, climbing up to the corners of his eyes and face, causing a burning sensation.
He had been through countless near-death experiences and had never retreated or hesitated, but now, for some reason, he was distracted by an unexpected gaze.
What Pei Ji didn't know was that Ning Ning was just as panicked as he was.
She couldn't fall asleep, so she just kept her eyes open and counted the leaves on the vine one by one. Later, she got bored and suddenly had an idea. She decided to turn her head to see Pei Ji sleeping.
After all, many novels say that the male protagonist who always has a gloomy face will appear particularly harmless after falling asleep peacefully. She couldn't imagine Pei Ji with his eyes closed obediently, so she decided to go and see for herself.
This was really just a sudden thought, but Pei Ji was not asleep at all. As soon as she turned around, she met his dark eyes.
Help! Isn't this just being caught doing something bad?
The atmosphere was a little awkward for a moment.
Both of them felt that their peeking was discovered by the other, and their eyes quickly looked away after a brief encounter.
Ning Ning stared at a small stone on the ground and said, "Those mushrooms are too bright. I can't sleep."
Then he coughed seriously and said the most hesitant words in the stiffest tone: "You, you, you...you were woken up by me?"
Pei Ji lay flat this time, staring straight at the top of the cave, his red ears completely covered by his black hair: "It doesn't matter, I wasn't asleep anyway."
As soon as the first three words were uttered, it was clear that she wanted to completely deny the fact that he had peeped. The reason she turned her head away was because she heard the sound of Ningning turning over.
Chengying is filled with mixed emotions: [Tsk tsk, to deceive an ignorant girl, how cruel and scheming. ］
"You can't sleep either?"
Ning Ning saw that he looked cold and didn't care, and the stone in her heart finally fell to the ground. After thinking for a while, she said, "Why don't we talk?"
This time she finally saw Pei Ji's appearance clearly.
The night was as dark as ink, outlining the boy's slender eyes, high nose bridge and soft black hair beside his ears, while his lips were the color of roses, pursed downwards in a thin arc.
The handsome boy still carries a hint of childishness, but the cold hostility in his eyes has largely dispersed it; a layer of blush has somehow appeared at the corners of his eyes, making the teardrop mole look a bit more alluring.
Ningning never hesitates to give praise, Pei Ji is indeed very good-looking.
"The injuries you suffered before," she supported her face with one hand, and when she looked up at him, she could smell the clear pine scent all over the boy's body, "are they all healed now?"
Pei Ji said "hmm".
He was not good at speaking, but he knew that a simple "hmm" would definitely lead to an awkward silence, so he added awkwardly: "Thank you, Senior Sister, for the Yinshan Ghost Pearl and the medicine for my injuries."
Ningning was just a simple-minded girl after all. After being thanked in person, she looked away from his face with embarrassment: "They are all external things, so... there is nothing to thank me for."
Thinking of the Yinshan Ghost Pearl, he hurriedly asked, "Is the evil energy in your body still acting up?"
Pei Ji hesitated and replied: "Even if there is an attack, it will definitely not hurt Senior Sister."
“Don’t underestimate me!”
She opened her eyes wide in dissatisfaction: "Even if your demonic energy attacks, I will not be hurt by you. This is not what I am worried about, it is clearly——"
She suddenly lost her temper in the middle of her sentence, as if she was hesitating about whether to say the next sentence.
Chengying understood the meaning of this passage and laughed in his heart, sometimes making the sound of a donkey braying and sometimes crowing like a rooster.
Pei Ji frowned slightly and looked at her sideways in confusion.
"That's right," Ningning touched the tip of her nose and lowered her voice several degrees, "Isn't it very uncomfortable when the demonic energy attacks? It would be great if it could alleviate some of the pain."
She was actually worried about him.
Ever since the great war between immortals and demons, the demons have become the rats crossing the street that everyone wants to kill. As a remnant of the demonic cultivators, with dirty blood flowing in his body, he had long been accustomed to the cold treatment and deliberate exclusion of others. Now, after hearing Ningning say this, he was unable to adapt and was almost at a loss.
Pei Ji pursed his lips silently, and his heart felt like it was brushed by a furry tail, causing an inexplicable itch out of nowhere.
This was also a very strange feeling, but unexpectedly, he didn't feel much disgusted.
Chengying was already radiating maternal radiance, wandering freely in his sea of consciousness alone, and occasionally clucking like a hen.
Ningning was a chatterbox. When she was in the mood, she could talk nonstop for most of the night. She got gossip about her master from Lian Jianxin, and even brought up her past. She said to him with a proud face:
"I once had a serious illness that left me unable to get out of bed and I could die at any time. During that time, I couldn't do anything at home. I could only lie in bed and read books or play with my pet."
After a pause, he continued, "Bobo is a rabbit that I raise at home. It's white and plump, very cute. Have you ever had a pet?"
Pei Ji nodded: "I also adopted a rabbit, but it died after three days."
Ning Ning was stunned for a moment: "I'm sorry, I didn't know... You must have been very sad at that time."
"No problem."
Pei Ji comforted her seriously: "Roasted rabbit smells delicious."
So you ate it! This is not called "adoption" at all, it's simply capturing people and using them as food!
Ningning was choked by him and thought to herself that he was a talented person. Later, I talked a lot in a confused manner, and as I became more sleepy, the topic gradually became more and more fantastic.
For example, "The little mermaid fell in love with the prince, but was rejected because of her human body and fish head", and "The feasibility of using lightning rods to survive the natural disaster".
Then it became: "Why don't you use the headband I bought for you? Don't you like it?"
Pei Ji was silent for a while, then replied in a low voice: "No."
On the contrary, it is because we cherish it too much that we are reluctant to use it. He had a lot of killing in his life, and he didn't want the Yunjin to be stained with blood and tarnish its appearance.
But he would definitely not say this to his face.
Ningning was tired of talking, so she fell asleep in a daze, and mumbled in a half-awake state: "Good night, Pei Ji."
Her voice was filled with deep weariness, and it fell softly on the eardrums, with a hint of coquettishness: "Saying goodnight to each other is a custom in my hometown. It means wishing you... a good dream tonight."
The young man in black clothes and black hair lowered his eyes to look at her sleeping quietly, and the thin light outlined Ningning's bright and well-behaved eyebrows. After a while, a low, muffled laugh emanated from his chest.
His movements were very gentle. He stood up, took out a piece of clothing from the storage bag, raised his hand and threw it, letting it fall onto the fluorescent mushroom.
There was no more light to disturb her sleep, only the dusk that surrounded her, rising gently like a tide and drowning her sight.
A clear young boy's voice rang out in the silent night, but it was deliberately kept very low. I wonder if Ningning heard it.
Pei Ji's voice was rough but soft, and he said to her softly, "Good night."
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