There is still some time before the end of the trial. After unanimous discussion, everyone decided to split up after dawn tomorrow to find other foxes in the secret realm and then bring them to the outside world for recuperation.
Qiao Yan brought Yan Qing and other members of the same clan into the room to heal their wounds, and then stayed indoors without going out.
As the only sober descendant of the fox clan, she must have felt bad after learning the truth and thinking about every detail of the past few years. Even the most rough-minded He Zhizhou knew this very well and did not bother him too much.
It was getting late, and everyone found a room to rest for a while.
Pei Ji specially chose a quiet little room for Ningning. After cleaning it carefully with dust removal techniques, a broom and a towel, he took out a quilt from the storage bag and spread it on the bed.
When he picked her up from the wooden chair beside him and carefully put her on the bed, Pei Ji subconsciously lowered his head.
Ningning is very light.
Before this, he had very few impressions of other people's bodies. No matter if it was a fight during his childhood wanderings or a provocation from his fellow disciples after he became their apprentice, the people he met were always hard. Even if he hit them hard with his fists, Pei Ji would not feel the slightest bit of pain.
But when he hugged Ningning, he didn't dare to use even a bit of extra strength. His palms on her shoulders were soft and hot, making him feel more at a loss than ever before.
The little girl in his arms was soundly sleepy, her body so soft that it seemed as if one could not feel her bones. When Pei Ji stood still, he could hear her shallow, regular breathing.
He hadn't felt it before when he was beside the roaring waterfall, but now the sound seemed to have a bit of heat, and when it gently passed by his ears, he felt a little irritated for no reason.
...So strange.
Pei Ji pursed his lips and moved his eyes away from her face. He laid Ningning flat on the bed and tucked in the quilt for her in an unskillful manner.
He was first-rate in fighting and swordsmanship, but this was the first time he did this for someone else, so he looked very clumsy, and his cautious look even made Chengying laugh out loud.
"Hey, Pei Xiaoji, you are just tucking in the quilt, there is no need to be so formal, right? If you don't know, you would think you are serving the emperor."
Chengying kept laughing: "Why, you're so reserved, you don't dare to touch her?"
When it said this, Pei Ji was flattening the quilt near Ning Ning's neck. Hearing this, he responded coldly: "What kind of person is the emperor?"
"Yo, yo, yo! You have guts, that's incredible!"
Its laughter became a little deeper, and it became a little shrewd and malicious: "I know, I know, no one can compare to Ningning. If you think she is important, just say it directly. What is the relationship between us brothers? Do we need to beat around the bush like this?"
It seems that Chengying would do anything to gain connections. She used to call herself "old lady" and now we're brothers. I wonder what other names she'll call me in the future. Every word is really irritating to the ears and every sentence destroys my worldview.
Pei Ji ignored it, his long eyelashes cast a shadow under his eyes, and he lowered his eyes to look at Ningning again.
He had deliberately turned his eyes away from her not long ago, and he felt that he was really weak-willed.
When she lay on the bed, her entire head sank slightly into the pillow, and her scattered long hair gathered on both sides of her cheeks, reflecting her fair skin like beautiful jade.
With a quick glance, he could see her long eyelashes like a small fan, her delicate nose and her rosy lips. Ningning was the exact opposite of him. Whether she was awake or asleep, she exuded an approachable and gentle aura from the inside out, making people want to get closer to her.
Unlike him, he has always been cold and dry, can't interact with others, and doesn't understand any fun. There are only two things in his life: "living" and "practicing swordsmanship". It's so boring.
Pei Ji thought seriously many times about why Ning Ning was willing to approach him again and again.
It was obvious that he could not give her anything and was of no use to her, but she always had many friends around her and did not need him anyway. Even so, Ning Ning would still go to the yard to find him every now and then, standing at the door and waving with a smile: "Junior brother!"
Later Pei Ji thought that maybe the reason why Ningning was nice to him was because she was nice to everyone.
——But he didn't want her to be so nice to everyone.
Pei Ji was startled by this strange idea and frowned in confusion. Just as he frowned, Ningning, who was lying on the bed, also frowned and shook her head gently.
It turned out that a few strands of hair fell on her face, and the night wind blew them around like a tickle.
Pei Ji's fingertips moved slightly.
His right hand moved down quickly and lightly, and when his fingertips just touched Ningning's cheek, his entire spine visibly paused for a moment.
When the fingers brushed away the hair, they also stroked the delicate skin on the girl's face.
...encountered.
Ningning's cheek was incredibly soft. With just a light touch, the fingers would slide down quickly along with the force. Even though he quickly moved his hand away, that faint, gentle and soft touch still remained on his fingertips.
Pei Ji has always hated being touched by others, but for some reason, he doesn't hate this feeling.
Even...even if I have more, it won’t be a problem.
He suddenly felt a little confused.
"Does this count as," Chengying didn't notice Pei Ji's abnormality and tried to choose his words, "secretly touching Ningning's face?"
Pei Ji finally responded this time, his tone full of impatience: "Shut up."
Chengying didn't understand why the young master suddenly became in a bad mood. He watched him walk out of the room with a sullen face and close the door as quietly as possible.
It was not until she caught a glimpse of his thumb pressed tightly against his index finger that she suddenly burst into laughter: "No way Pei Xiaoji! Ningning is still sleeping now, and you can make yourself embarrassed. What will you do when she wakes up!"
Pei Ji spoke each word with a murderous look in his eyes: "Shut up."
=====
Perhaps because she was thinking of Qin Niang, Ningning dreamed of her parents from another world.
She was spoiled since she was a child, and later she fell seriously ill, which made her parents even more worried. It was a pity that they gave so much for her, but in the end they didn't get any of the filial piety that a daughter should have, and they parted ways early.
The more Ningning thought about it, the sadder she became. When she woke up, she was in tears and her eye sockets were swollen like walnuts. She couldn't fall asleep again no matter what she did.
She didn't know how long she had slept, she could only see through the window that it was still late at night.
Wait, windows.
Didn’t she stay by the waterfall with Pei Ji before? Could it be that he changed his position? By the way, when we were by the waterfall...
Was she held horizontally by Pei Ji, with her head resting on his shoulder as she slept?
No, no, the action of leaning head against shoulder seemed to be initiated by Pei Ji himself... right?
She was unconscious, half asleep and half awake, and had no idea what was reality and what was a dream. However, no matter whether the rest of the memories were true or false, that unquestionable hug was absolutely real.
If Pei Ji really put her head on his shoulders——
Ahhh, that's too, too ambiguous!
The more Ningning thought about it, the more panicked she became. She simply curled up in the quilt, rolled around on the bed with her eyes closed, and wrapped herself up into a round ball like a silk cocoon.
She is beautiful and has a good personality. She has received many confessions since she was a child, but has never been in love. Not only because her family was strict, but more importantly, it seemed that Ningning had a hard time developing feelings for those boys.
They don't like overly intimate contact between the opposite sex, and they also resist teasing and shows of goodwill with a strong purpose. They are immune to all kinds of sweet talk and bombardment. They are invulnerable to swords and guns, and can resist no matter how hard or soft they are.
However, when I thought about what happened with Pei Ji by the waterfall, unexpectedly, I didn't seem to hate it.
Ningning poked her head out from under the quilt and stared at the ceiling in a daze.
There must be a reasonable explanation for this.
Maybe it was because her life was at stake, so all these actions could be forgotten. Maybe it was because she and Pei Ji had a life-or-death friendship. Maybe it was because the customs in the cultivation world were open, and between men and women -
Pooh.
Even if the world of cultivation opens up again, can it compare to the 21st century?
The more Ningning thought about it, the more upset she became. Seeing that sleep had become a luxury, she climbed out of bed with her messy black hair.
The core of the water mirror formation was broken by her, and now the two secret realms should have been merged into one. The place where this house is located must be the village where the foxes once lived together.
The village had been abandoned for a long time and should have been dusty and dirty, but here it was clean and tidy, with not a speck of dust on the bed; her shoes were placed neatly on the ground, completely unlike her usual habit of kicking them away.
It was only then that Ning Ning seriously tried to think: the person who brought her here should be Pei Ji, the one who cleaned the house, took off her shoes and tucked in the quilt for her...
Could it be him too?
I don’t think so.
Ningning tried to imagine the situation at that time, but she always felt it was very awkward. In the original novel, Pei Ji does whatever he wants, like a god of death who proves his truth with sword. How could he be the kind of person who would have the patience to do such a thing?
But... there was indeed his scent on the quilt. Ningning smelled it when she wrapped herself in it.
She couldn't figure out the reason, and because the dream made her particularly upset, she had nothing to do, so she decided to go out for a walk alone.
When you open the door, you'll see a courtyard. The yard was square, surrounded by several other houses. In the center stood a large, withered tree, and next to the trunk—
Ningning was slightly stunned.
There was a tall and straight figure standing next to the tree trunk, it was Pei Ji.
It must be very late now.
The sky was completely dark, even the moon had disappeared. Only a long-burning lamp at the door was still on, making the scenery seem even more eerie, as if a ghost fire was burning in the abyss, with blood-red demonic energy wandering around.
She never expected to see Pei Ji at this moment. She called out hesitantly, "Pei Ji, are you still not asleep?"
After that, he chuckled again and asked in a joking tone, "Are you waiting for me to wake up?"
Ning Ning was indeed joking, and Pei Ji did as she expected, holding the sword and responding calmly, "No."
After a pause, he added in a deep voice: "I couldn't sleep, so I came out for a walk."
"Bah! It's still 'not'! You lie without blinking an eye!"
A strong middle-aged male voice sounded in his ears, full of bitterness and indignation, as if telling tales: "Ningning, listen to me! This guy is obviously worried that you will wake up suddenly in the middle of the night, and either you don't know the current situation, or your spiritual energy is exhausted and something goes wrong, so he has been guarding here - he even dares not to enter your room, saying something like 'men and women should not touch each other', bah!"
Unfortunately, Ningning couldn't hear a word.
Pei Ji had a blank expression on his face as he listened to Cheng Ying continue to shout indignantly: "Did you see the sword he was holding? This kid is afraid of the dark, he has to hold it to stay outside alone! Damn it! It made me unable to sleep, how many hours did he have to wait? The old man should also rest, okay!"
"You can't sleep either?"
Ningning smiled: "How about we go out for a walk together?"
Pei was silent for a moment, and seemed a little reluctant: "Yeah."
Chengying: Haha.
=====
The real secret realm was much more eerie than the previous one. It was as dark as the set of a horror movie, with only a few eternal lamps hanging in front of the gate emitting light.
There is not much romance in walking side by side in this kind of atmosphere. It is more like a couple in a horror movie who are about to die.
Pei Ji held the sword in his hand all the time, occasionally lowering his eyes to glance at her inconspicuously.
The two of them were far apart before, and it was dark all around, so he couldn't see Ningning's appearance clearly. Now that we are walking side by side, I realized that she might have cried, and her eyes are slightly red.
He didn't know how to comfort people, and he couldn't figure out why the little girl beside him was crying. Although he thought about how to start the conversation for a long time, in the end he just told her coldly: "If someone makes you unhappy, you can tell me."
Ning Ning looked at him in astonishment, and listened to Pei Jiyun's calm explanation, seemingly not caring too much: "I can fight."
She originally felt a little depressed, but after hearing this, she burst out laughing and asked him with squinting eyes: "Junior brother, do you usually use this trick to deal with people?"
Ningning seldom called him "junior brother", but now she pronounced these two words particularly clearly, with a hint of teasing in it.
Pei Ji was an extraordinarily strong-willed person. No matter what kind of danger he encountered or how badly he was injured, he could always endure it silently. However, when it comes to dealing with people and getting along with the world, he is sometimes as childish as a child.
He can't speak, and can't please others. He beats people when something happens, and keeps silent the rest of the time. He is even stupid when it comes to comforting people.
Pei Ji frowned, and for the first time expressed dissatisfaction with this title: "I am older than you."
"Okay, okay."
She put her hands behind her back and used the light to see the road ahead clearly. She pursed her lips and smiled: "Actually, I was thinking of my father and mother. I haven't seen them for a long time."
People who practice spiritual cultivation are beyond the mundane world and have much longer lifespans than ordinary people. Therefore, they often cut off worldly ties and do not deliberately contact their parents.
Pei Ji didn't hear anything wrong, he hummed softly, then hesitated and said: "If you are thinking about your parents, when you have some free time -"
He paused for a long moment, turned his gaze to the other side opposite to Ningning, and said nonchalantly: "I can barely spare some time to accompany you down the mountain."
"Oh, you mean 'reluctantly'? You really are very reluctant. You must be very happy in your heart."
Cheng Ying sneered and said sarcastically, "You are so anxious to meet your parents-in-law, I can't tell, Pei Xiaoji, we should be a little more reserved."
"It's not a question of whether to go down the mountain or not..."
Ning Ning sighed softly and changed the subject: "Qiao Yan knows the truth?"
"Yes." Pei Ji said, "But the fox tribe can still be saved. We have discussed and agreed that we will take them all out when the secret realm is opened."
The girl Qiao Yan had lived for her fellow tribesmen for many years. When she found out that the people she thought were her tribesmen were all demons, she must have been heartbroken. Fortunately, the fox spirit clan has not yet become extinct, allowing her to regain some of her lost hope.
The village was not big, and the two soon reached the end. They wanted to go back home, but unexpectedly, a loud thunder was heard in the sky.
Ningning looked up blankly, and as soon as she raised her face, she was hit by crackling raindrops.
“…It’s raining?”
She was still staring at the raindrops in a daze when her sleeve was unexpectedly pulled and a thin layer of cloth was suddenly covering her head.
It turned out that Pei Ji took out a coat from the storage bag, put it on her head, grabbed Ningning's sleeve, and led her straight to the nearest house.
This place is remote and has little light. The houses are reduced to ruins due to the war, and the remaining eaves are so narrow that they can only cover less than five people.
The night flowed slowly like running water. When Ningning looked forward, she saw the blurry shadow of the young man.
I don’t know if it was an illusion, but when the surroundings were completely shrouded in darkness, Pei Ji’s fingers holding her sleeve tightened slightly, leading Ningning to take another step forward.
"What's wrong?"
After a while, Pei Ji's voice came from the darkness, as dull as the night: "It's okay."
After entering the dilapidated house, he let go of Ningning's sleeve, walked to the corner with the sword in his arms, and leaned against the wall; Ningning was carefree and stood not far away looking at the scenery outside the house.
It must have been a long time since it rained in the secret realm. The ground was cracked with fine lines, and small transparent bubbles appeared under the nourishment of the rain. There was a light on in the distance, but it was only a very vague glow, dyeing the raindrops a muddy white.
“It seems to have cooled down.”
The house collapsed to the point where only half of it remained, with no doors, windows or most of the walls left. Raindrops flew in from the front, and Ningning's eyes were sore from the night wind. She pulled her coat closer and turned to look at Pei Ji: "Are you cold?"
When she turned her head, a flash of lightning happened to flash across the sky.
The dazzling white light illuminated the young man's stern face. Ningning was somewhat surprised to find that Pei Ji was biting his lips tightly and his face was abnormally pale.
The remnants of the demon clan are wandering around here... Is he affected by this, and is the demonic energy acting up again?
However, there was no black gas beside Pei Ji, which was different from the previous times.
Ningning just took a brief look before the scene in front of her became dark again. She was confused and suddenly remembered the brief description in the original book.
When Pei Ji was a child, he was locked up in a cellar by his mother. The dark room was cramped and dark, and he was covered with wounds from being tortured...
By the way, the original text does say that he often leaves a light on when he sleeps.
When Ningning saw this action, she was very puzzled. Now that she thought about it carefully, could Pei Ji be afraid of the dark?
Another flash of lightning passed by, and the young man in black standing in the corner noticed her gaze and turned his head to the other side with a stern face.
His black hair was soaked by the rain that flew in diagonally. His body was stretched straight, and his hand was tightly holding the sword.
Ningning guessed roughly, and after a brief hesitation, she took a few steps forward and slowly approached him.
Pei Ji quietly moved to the corner of the wall, his voice stiff: "What's wrong?"
"I'm afraid of the dark."
She smiled as she spoke, and walked to his side like a gust of wind, bringing with her the gentle scent of gardenia: "I want to talk to you."
"Ningning is afraid of the dark? Why didn't I notice it before? She also said that she couldn't sleep because of the shaking of the spirit mushrooms."
Chengying whispered to him slyly, and suddenly burst out laughing when she suddenly realized something: "Pei Xiaoji, she must have noticed that you are afraid of the dark, but she didn't want to say it directly to embarrass you, so she used this excuse!"
Pei Ji just wanted to punch it in the face.
"I'm not afraid of the dark."
He moved another step towards the corner, this time with no way to retreat, and came to the cold corner: "I just don't like it."
Ningning was slightly stunned.
This person's train of thought is really strange. She has thought of a foolproof excuse to get close to Pei Ji without scaring him. Unexpectedly, he not only saw through her intentions, but also blew himself up on the spot, which was extremely awkward.
She turned her head to look and saw the angular outline of Pei Ji's profile. He probably felt embarrassed, so he lowered his head and stared at the ground in the corner.
Ning Ning suppressed her laughter and asked him in a brisk voice, "You don't like the dark, and you go out alone when you can't sleep at night?"
She had only said it casually before, but now she really suspected that the reason he was standing alone in the dark yard was to wait for her to wake up.
"Hahahaha Ningning, you are worthy of it!"
Cheng Ying rolled around in joy, twisting his body like a worm: "Pei Ji, that stinky brat, not only waited outside the door for you to wake up, he also secretly poked your face while you were asleep!"
Pei Ji closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and gripped the sword tighter.
The heavy rain diluted all the light, and the room was filled with dust and stuffy air. A muffled thunder sounded unexpectedly. Ningning's heart moved, and she looked at Pei Ji again.
He subconsciously frowned and the sword in his hand swayed slowly.
If their relationship was closer, maybe they could cuddle like the hero and heroine in a romance movie, but she couldn't just go up to him without saying anything -
There were thunder in the dark night, violent storms, an empty old house and a woman who suddenly approached. This was clearly a horror movie or a legal documentary, the kind that would give you nightmares if you recalled it in the middle of the night.
The atmosphere was somewhat frozen for a moment.
Suddenly Pei Ji heard her voice, like a cat's claw gently scratching his ear: "Pei Ji."
He looked up suddenly and saw Ningning's bright eyes.
She seemed to hook her finger at him, looking mysterious: "Come closer."
Seeing his confused look, Ning Ning chuckled: "I won't eat you, what are you afraid of?"
So Pei Ji stiffened his back and took a step closer to her.
The familiar fresh fragrance enveloped his nose again, and he was caught off guard, as if something was covering his head.
Ningning put the coat back on him.
Pei Ji couldn't understand her intention and shook his head in confusion in the fabric. He was caught off guard when he suddenly felt his outer shirt being lifted up and another little head poking out from the side of him.
Ningning stood with him under the coat, the thin cloth swaying and falling, blocking the slanting raindrops and forming an extremely small space around the two of them.
There was room only for the two of them.
Pei Ji hated darkness and cramped conditions, but at this moment, having both made him feel unprecedentedly at ease.
Maybe it was because there were not only them, but also Ningning here, and it was the first time someone was with him.
Although they did not touch, they were close to each other. This small space was filled with the girl's warmth and breath, enveloping him completely.
"Then I won't be afraid."
Ningning laughed softly: "I can tell you are next to me."
She paused for a while, and suddenly asked: "Pei Ji, what kind of girls do you like?"
Chengying, who was originally rolling around chattering, suddenly stopped and did not make any sound at all.
"Don't think too much. I'm just asking casually. I don't mean anything else."
Her voice became smaller and smaller, almost swallowed by the sound of the rain: "Because you seem to seldom interact with the girls in the sect, I feel a little bit—"
The last word "奇" was stuck in Ningning's throat and she couldn't continue.
No, no, even if Pei Ji remains a bachelor for his whole life like in the original book, it has nothing to do with her. What is she curious about? This explanation makes it even more strange.
Ningning didn't know why she asked that question so confusedly. She felt a little embarrassed and her ears turned red. She subconsciously pulled her coat tighter, pursed her lips and raised her eyes.
When he saw this, he couldn't help but be stunned.
Pei Ji's eyes were dark and deep, staring at her without blinking.
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