The alley was very shallow, and we reached a corner before we walked far.
In the silent alley, the mellow night sky solidified into a solid black air, and the mercury moonlight sprinkled on the ground, reflecting the shadows of the lush weeds.
All the houses around had turned off their lights, only an inconspicuous, dilapidated wooden house had a light on.
As Ningning stepped forward, a breeze blew past. The dark and thick gauze curtain in front of the wooden house was lifted by the night wind, like a wave of water in the air, with ripples rising and falling one after another, revealing a bit of dim candlelight in the gauze curtain.
That is the “behind the curtain” mentioned in the note.
Pei Ji has always been cautious. He held the sword and lifted the curtain first. He leaned forward to make sure everything was safe before pulling Ningning into the black tent.
Before she came here, she had imagined many scenes "behind the curtains", but when she set foot here in person, she couldn't help feeling a little surprised.
In terms of decoration, this place is not much different from other houses in the slum area.
It is cramped and old, narrow and dull, with dim candlelight filling every corner, entangled with the night that refuses to dissipate. Everywhere you look, there is dust, cracks and crumbling spider webs. It is so poor that it could have made its debut in a horror movie.
Rows of shelves are displayed in a cluttered manner, making the already small space seem even more cramped. When Ningning looked closely, she could see talismans and classics scattered on the shelves, as well as many strange things she had never seen before.
There were several crooked paintings hanging on the wall. Ningning looked at them curiously and was immediately attracted by one of them.
The painting shows an endless sky, with light and pale sunlight shining through layers of condensed clouds, revealing a gentle and soft goose yellow color like a veil.
Under the painting, there were a few large characters written on it. She read them out word by word: "Firming Po" - it sounds like Song Xianning's name.
"We dare not offend that lady. What would you like to order?"
A strange male voice suddenly sounded. Ningning looked up and found a young man sitting on a pile of books among the scattered books on the ground.
Although she could tell that this was a shop, she knew nothing about the goods in the shop. Just as she was thinking about how to answer, she heard Pei Ji beside her say, "Has the wife of the city lord been here?"
He was really straightforward and came straight to the point.
The young man's expression changed when he heard this, but he still maintained the cross-legged sitting posture, and his back straightened slightly.
He looked to be only in his twenties, but he already had a lot of white hair and heavy bags under his eyes. His black and white hair matched with his startling dark circles. When he sat on the ground, he looked like a national treasure turned into a spirit.
"Madam of the City Lord?"
The man yawned and asked, "Which city lord's wife are you talking about?"
Ning Ning was startled: "You mean... both of them have been here?"
The other party stopped talking.
"If you tell the truth, we will reward you."
She thought of her pitiful purse, which she frantically tested every day on the edge of having not a drop left, and gritted her teeth as she continued, "I wonder if you could give me some information?"
"Are you kidding? Am I the kind of person who would lose my principles for money? The privacy of customers must be completely protected. This is the creed of my shop!"
The young man chuckled: "But if you are willing to give more, it's not impossible-"
Before he could finish his words, he saw a beam of white sword light coming towards him, cold as ice, just cutting through a few strands of his falling hair.
The young man's mouth twitched.
The girl who came into the store late at night was kind and pretty, with a gentle tone and expression. Unexpectedly, the young man next to her was like a mad dog, pulling out a sword and threatening directly. If you didn't know, you would think it was a robbery by a bandit, which scared him to death.
The Ten Dharma Assemblies were being held recently, and the two young men carrying swords looked like disciples from the Immortal Sect. Although they were all wearing black, their hearts were definitely as white as paper.
His original intention was to be reserved and polite, and slowly raise the price of his friendship in order to fool these famous and upright people who were ignorant of the ways of the world. However, he did not expect to be given a show of force by the other party on the spot. The sword energy was cold and fierce, and there was no trace of righteousness at all.
Which sect is this disciple from? Could it be...
The famous name of a certain sect slowly emerged in his mind, and the young man couldn't help but shudder: "Are you disciples of the Xuanxu Sword Sect?"
Ning Ning saw that this person wanted to blackmail someone, so she didn't stop Pei Ji. She smiled and nodded in response: "Yes! How did you know that?"
He wanted to cry but had no tears.
What nonsense.
Apart from the Xuanxu Sword Sect, no other sect can hang the heads of disciples on a boat and fly. This is a pinnacle masterpiece of magical realism and you cannot deny it.
This terrifying sect had long been causing a stir in the city, and had become the material for ghost stories to scare children. Today was truly a blessing that he had accumulated over three lifetimes, allowing him to meet these two people, and they really lived up to their reputation.
In terms of brutality, the Xuanxu Sword Sect is invincible.
Pei Ji never had a good temper towards strangers, not to mention that the shop owner clearly had evil intentions. He held the sword with an unchanging expression and repeated Ning Ning's previous words: "Have both city lords' wives been here?"
"Let's talk it over nicely! We've all been here before, we've all been here before!"
The young man hurriedly responded: "What do you want to know?"
The girl was still smiling. Seeing her companion draw her sword, she had no intention of stopping him. "What's so special about this shop? What have they done here?"
He finally figured it out.
The hearts of these two people rolled in the same pile of coal.
"Most of the goods I have here are spells and talismans."
Seeing Ning Ning showing a disappointed look, the young man hurriedly said: "These spells are very different from those of the famous and upright sects! In my shop, the word 'evil' is the most important."
evil.
Ning Ning frowned slightly: "Witchcraft?"
"Exactly!"
The young man straightened up from the pile of books with difficulty, and his tone unconsciously became much more excited: "Most of the orthodox mental methods focus on the mutual generation of the five elements and follow the right way. What about mine, hey - jump out of the five elements, whatever is useful can be used."
There are numerous techniques and sects in the world of cultivation. The mysterious sword art that Ning Ning has come into contact with is just a drop in the ocean. Among all the ways of cultivation she knew, the art of talismans was the most bizarre and changeable.
The idea comes before the pen is put down, and the strokes are all carefully considered. Even a slight misplacement may lead to a world of difference from the original intention. The different materials used for drawing talismans, such as ink, cinnabar and blood, will have very different effects.
"I see that both of you are sword practitioners, and perhaps you don't know much about spells."
The young man was very polite and grinned at Ning Ning: "Evil magic is mostly related to curses, prohibitions and souls. It can not only take people's lives from thousands of miles away, but also turn others into puppets that can be controlled. There is nothing it can't do as long as you can think of it."
Ning Ning responded seriously: "It's quite weird."
"There are even more weird ones!"
The man became interested: "I heard that in the old days, the demons had a life-changing technique that could use the luck of others to offset one's own evil. Once successful, it would be a cover-up, and even the laws of nature would not be able to do anything to you. Not only that -"
He was halfway through his speech when he noticed Pei Ji's impatient gaze. He knew he had strayed from the topic and coughed awkwardly: "Let's get back to the point. Mrs. Song came to me to ask about soul swapping."
Ning Ning's heart tightened as he continued, "At that time, she and the city lord were not on good terms, and her face was pale when she came to me. But soul-changing is a taboo against fate, although it has been recorded in ancient books... but I am just a small shop owner after all, how can I know the specific method? I can only tell her that I can't help her."
Ning Ning responded thoughtfully: "Besides this, did she ask anything else?"
"She seemed to be hesitant to speak, but she never asked in the end. A few days after she left here, she suddenly became seriously ill."
The young man rolled his eyes, leaned forward, and lowered his voice: "This is not the most bizarre thing - not long after Song Xianning died, when Luan Niang had not yet married the city lord, she actually came into my shop one day and asked if there was any way to reshape muscles and bones and nourish spiritual power."
He paused, as if his mouth was dry from talking, and he picked up the teacup beside him and gulped it down. "Don't you think it's strange? My shop has always been restrained and rarely leaks news. Most of the people who come here are dignitaries, and ordinary people rarely know the details. However, Luan Niang grew up in Nuanyu Pavilion since she was a child, and she rarely even goes out. Where did she get the news?"
Ning Ning nodded: "This 'muscle and bone remodeling'——"
These words clearly hit the nail on the head. The young man suddenly grinned, leaned forward and lowered his voice, "Isn't it the art of soul refining? Using the soul power of others to nourish your own body can not only maintain your youthful appearance, but also greatly help improve your cultivation."
He then laughed sinisterly a few times: "Don't you think this is very similar to the disappearance cases in recent days?"
Pei Ji glanced at him coldly: "You think the missing case is related to Luan Niang."
He used a very confident tone to state the matter. The young man did not refute it after hearing it. He shrugged and replied, "You should be investigating this matter, right? This is just my personal opinion. Believe it or not."
Ning Ning was concerned about the safety of her senior sister and didn't waste time talking to him: "Do you think... Luan Niang is very likely the late Song Xianning?"
"Why else would she ask about the soul-swapping technique? And how did Luan Niang find this place?"
The young man looked outside the door, and after making sure that there was no one there, he continued, "And I heard that Luan Niang's personality is completely different from before. Isn't she a completely different person?"
Perhaps because no one had ever discussed this with him, the young man became more and more excited as he spoke: "If you ask me, the story should be like this: Song Xianning couldn't get the love of the city lord, and she happened to be ill and didn't know how to live long, so she decided to go all out and used the soul transfer secret technique to attach herself to Luan Niang."
He took another sip of water. "Luan Niang has exactly the look that the city lord likes. However, she has not cultivated immortal arts, so her appearance will eventually age. So Song Xianning used the soul refining method to try to keep her appearance forever and improve her cultivation, so that the city lord will become more and more obsessed with her."
This line of reasoning does seem to make sense.
Ning Ning's eyes still had a gloom in them, and she asked him in a deep voice, "Shopkeeper, have you ever heard of the Ziwei Magic Records?"
"Mrs. Song bought a copy of it. True Man Ziwei is a master of evil magic."
The young man smiled and said, "As for that book, it happens to talk about soul-swapping, but it's only briefly discussed and it doesn't have much effect."
At this point in the conversation, it seemed that many things became clear and there was no more topic to continue the conversation.
Ning Ning thought of Zheng Weiqi's whereabouts, frowned and said in a deep voice: "Then how should the soul refining technique be performed?"
"It's very simple. It's nothing more than living people, spells, and array formations."
The young man glanced at her, as if remembering something, and showed a slightly mysterious expression again: "Soul refining is very interesting. The more living souls you sacrifice at the same time, the greater the reward you can get. The same number of souls, the effect of refining one by one is far less than sacrificing them at the same time - perhaps those missing girls are not dead yet, and the murderer behind the scenes is waiting for a grand sacrifice with the right time, place and people."
This reminded Ningning of the Goose City in the Pagoda.
The evil cultivators back then also gathered the souls of everyone in the city together, waiting to refine them together. If it is true as the store owner said, the girls who mysteriously disappeared are still alive...
As long as they find out the truth as soon as possible, perhaps they can save everyone including Zheng Weiqi.
"Did you two enjoy listening to this?"
The young man timidly looked at Pei Ji's expression, raised his right hand and pointed at the shelf beside him: "Since I've been talking for so long, do you want to buy something?"
=====
After all, the disciples of Xuanxu Sword Sect were not demons. Ningning thanked the shop owner in a friendly manner, and then selected some small gadgets that might be useful before leaving the shop with Pei Ji.
Because of the previous confused hand holding, the atmosphere between the two has always been extremely subtle.
I didn't notice it when I listened to the shop owner chatting before, but now it's so quiet that I can even hear my own footsteps and breathing. The night and the faint light blend together, making it seem even more ambiguous.
Ningning walked towards the inn with her head lowered, trying to sort out her confused thoughts.
Why did Song Xianning ask about the soul exchange? Luan Niang's personality changed drastically. Is it really related to her? Also, did she really take the initiative to hold Pei Ji's hand before?
The last thought came so suddenly that her speculations came to a halt instantly. Ningning moved the fingertips of her left hand awkwardly, and seemed to be able to feel the solid touch of the back of the boy's hand, as if she was dreaming.
I can't figure out why she would subconsciously do that, and why she said "this is how you hold hands"...
That's a bit too proactive!
There was still some distance from here to the inn where the Xuanxu Sect was located. In order to avoid the atmosphere becoming increasingly awkward, Ning Ning bit the bullet and spoke to Pei Ji: "Junior brother, what do you think?"
She was nervous and blurted out these words without much thought. Unexpectedly, Pei Ji did not answer immediately, but turned his head to look at her in silence.
He was very suitable for the night, his jet-black hair was blown to his forehead by the evening breeze, and a few distant light points in the distance were like falling stars, hanging in a pair of gloomy and deep black pupils, reflecting a few halos of uncertain light, spreading faintly like the shadow of the moon in a deep pool.
When Ningning saw him looking at her like this, she felt a little depressed.
Pei Ji's tone was cold and firm, and he enunciated every word clearly. Although he pretended not to care, there was a hint of hesitation in his voice, and the ending tone was like a cat's drooping tail, gradually becoming lower: "Senior Sister used to call me by my name."
Ningning choked.
Wow, this guy!
After holding hands, I started to get more and more demanding! Isn't she nervous and wants to use this title to make herself look more serious? Why do you say it so bluntly? childish!
Ning Ning kicked a stone in front of her away, a little unconvinced: "Didn't Junior Brother also call me 'Senior Sister'?"
She placed extra emphasis on the word "junior brother".
Chengying laughed heartily, "Hahaha, no way! Pei Xiaoji, is this considered acting like a spoiled child? Ningning actually fought back against you. Hahaha, that's too lame!"
Pei Ji turned his head back.
Ningning noticed that he had looked away, so she took the opportunity to raise her eyelashes and glance at him calmly.
The moonlight softened Pei Ji's angular features. From her perspective, she could see his taut jaw. The long black eyelashes as slender as crow feathers fell in front of his eyes, making his vision even darker and unclear.
She couldn't see what Pei Ji was thinking at this moment, she only knew that he frowned.
Then Pei Ji opened his mouth slightly, as if he wanted to say something, and at the same time turned his head, just in time to meet Ning Ning's clear gaze.
Both of them looked away at the same time.
"I--"
Ningning heard him whisper, which stopped abruptly after just one word, followed by a shallow inhalation.
Pei Ji's voice seemed to pour out from his chest. Although it was just two short words, he pronounced them extremely awkwardly and clumsily. Each sound turned around on the tip of his tongue thousands of times, as if he was reluctant to touch it.
Fortunately, he finally read it out.
Pei Ji said: "Ningning."
Ningning, your voice sounds pretty nice.
Ningning was walking on the dim path. Somehow, she suddenly felt her steps became lighter, and her heart was beating so fast that she couldn't catch it.
"oh."
She pursed her lips to hide the smile on her face, put her hands behind her back and walked forward, with an impulse to jump up, pretending to be serious and solemn: "Little Pei Ji, what do you think of this matter?"
Chengying covered her mouth and laughed while saying, "Pei Xiaoji, she is saying that you are childish."
After a pause, he laughed even harder: "You can't admit defeat! Listen to me, call her 'Ningning sweetheart' or 'Ningning little darling', hehehe, she will never dare to tease you again. Men have to be more proactive and stronger!"
If he really shouted like that, she would not dare to tease him anymore, but he would be the same as dead.
Pei Ji's face was gloomy, and his bony right hand gripped the sword tighter. Although there was a hint of impatience and murderous intent in his eyes, the corners of his lips were stretched into a straight line, quietly suppressing the upward arc.
This is how it feels when her name comes out of my mouth.
The thin overlapping tones were gentle and light, just reading out that name...
This would make him so nervous that his heart would tighten, but he couldn't help but smile, and he was so happy that he couldn't contain himself.
He is really hopeless.
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