Ningning always felt that there was something wrong with her system.
It's smart, but it only makes a ding-dong sound every time it releases a task. Not only are the plot predictions it gives out extremely unreliable, but it also seems to have no reasonable judging criteria. Even if she goes astray by a huge margin, it can still pass smoothly.
But if you say it's stupid, judging from the few exchanges she has had with the system, although this thing has a bad temper and doesn't like to talk to people, it definitely has a certain level of thinking ability and can communicate with people unimpeded.
However, the most urgent task is not to speculate on the trick. As a conscientious party who suffers from PTSD from system sounds, Ningning paused for a moment after hearing the ding-dong sound and quickly turned her attention to the words that emerged in her mind.
She no longer remembers the specific content of the original work clearly and can only vaguely recall the general plot.
Recalling it now, even Ningning herself felt very surprised. This book was clearly not her type, but she was able to read it all word for word.
"Sword Breaks the Sky" is a work with a male protagonist and is an upgrade-oriented work. It repeats a vicious cycle of frustration, upgrades and face-slapping throughout the whole process. Most of the plot is spent in the secret realm, telling how Pei Ji breaks out of the siege and ascends to become an immortal at a speed that shocked the entire cultivation world.
What appeared in her mind at this moment was the plot after the first round of the Dharma Assembly.
According to the original novel, Pei Ji, as Ning Ning's mortal enemy, naturally could not go into the secret realm with her.
He has always been a loner, ruthless and decisive in his actions. He obtained countless tokens in the secret realm, and became very famous for a while, attracting the favor of many immortal elders.
At times like this, it was naturally her turn as the vicious female supporting character to take action.
In the original novel, Ning Ning lived under the spotlight since childhood and was determined to take the lead in the Dharma Assembly. However, she did not expect that all the limelight was snatched away by Pei Ji and she failed to make any splash at all.
She had long harbored resentment towards this cheap junior brother, and all the resentment in her heart erupted today. When Pei Ji was recuperating, she broke into his room and not only humiliated him with words, but also smashed the fairy spring he was using for healing.
The vicious words and brutal actions can be likened to arsenic mixed with chili peppers, both poisonous and spicy.
It's over now.
The more Ning Ning read, the more frightened she felt, and her mind stayed on the last sentence.
[The crisp sound of the medicine bottle breaking was like a knife cutting across the eardrum. Pei Ji looked at her coldly, and there was a dark tide surging in his dark pupils, full of undisguised disgust. ］
Every word was so suffocating. She was still pinching her philtrum and taking a deep breath when she heard the system notification sound as cold as a popsicle:
[Host, please complete the task as quickly as possible, recite the lines according to the established plot, and smash the elixir. ］
Pei Ji quickly noticed Ningning's daze. The young man leaning on the bed raised his eyelashes, looked at her quickly, then with a slightly dimmed look in his eyes, he reached out and picked up the porcelain bottle containing the elixir from the bedside.
"If you find it inconvenient, I can apply the medicine myself—"
His voice was very low, and he hid all his emotions when he spoke. It was no different from his usual indifferent and gloomy tone. Only the ending sound was like a drooping little tail, which inexplicably sounded a bit lost.
“No, it’s not.”
Ning Ning was upset and confused, and couldn't think of a reasonable explanation. The system was still counting down in a tone like a funeral announcement. In desperation, she had no choice but to give up and recite the first line that came to her mind -
"Even if I win the first round of the ceremony, what does it matter? I'm still a useless piece of shit."
……Um?
Wait, something doesn't seem right.
Because time was tight, Ningning only had time to take a quick glance at all the lines and didn't know the specific content of each sentence.
Now that I read the first sentence myself, I suddenly remembered:
That's not right. Since the plot is so messed up that even the author can't recognize it, the first place in this secret trial seems to have changed from Pei Ji to her.
So this line is... I'm scolding myself?
Pei Ji didn't understand why she suddenly said such a thing, and there was a hint of confusion and hesitation in his eyes.
Ning Ning tried hard to suppress the shock in her heart, and moved her consciousness stiffly to the second line: "Even if you were so popular before, now your spiritual power is greatly reduced and you can't do anything - the wound on your body must be very painful, right?"
Something is wrong. This direction is wrong.
Obviously these are all extremely vicious lines, but once the subject is changed... why do they suddenly become like confessions in a Qiong Yao drama!
Especially the line "It must be painful."
If these five words were read out in the context of the original text where the two people are at loggerheads with each other, the effect would be absolutely explosive. Combined with a sarcastic sneer, it would be a ruthless mockery that could attract all the hatred from Pei Ji in minutes.
But now...it seemed as if she was blaming herself for being powerless and unable to treat him properly.
That’s not the case! A garbage system destroys people's innocence! Reading the lines like this, it seems like she has some shameful thoughts about Pei Ji, but she is clearly not worried at all -
All right.
Although she was indeed a little worried, it was really only a little.
Ningning never thought that one day she would feel so embarrassed that her ears would turn red when she recited the vicious female supporting role's lines.
"Ningning baby, why do you have to do this?"
Chengying was so moved that she almost shed two lines of tears like an old mother: "Pei Xiaoji, go and comfort her! How can there be such a kind girl who blames herself so much for not being able to protect you... My heart is about to melt!"
As it spoke, it glanced at the little girl in front of the bed. It saw Ningning had a complicated expression and her ears were a light pink, and its heart softened.
Looking at her desperate expression, it must have taken all her courage to say these words. She is so naive, so cute, and so touching.
If Ningning could hear its voice, Chengying would definitely yell at her: "Don't blame yourself, dear! Pei Ji, that brat, is not worth it! As the first place in the ceremony, you are the best!"
Ningning stepped from one abyss into another hell, resisting the urge to blush, and continued to look down.
The previous few sentences could barely cause misunderstanding due to some coincidences, but the following plot could not be resolved at all.
The original owner's sarcasm was met with Pei Ji's retort, which made him furious. He rushed into the house from the door, snatched the fairy spring on the table and threw it to the ground.
The most fatal thing was that she called out "the evil spirit from the demonic world" in front of Pei Ji in an extremely straightforward manner.
Ningning felt that it was over.
She was in a state of panic. Seeing Pei Ji staring at her in a daze with the porcelain bottle in his hand, she gritted her teeth secretly, and even her voice became a little hoarse unconsciously: "Give it to me."
Pei Ji was unaware of her inner struggle. He handed the bottle forward without giving it much thought.
"Strange. Pei Xiaoji, do you think... Ningning's expression is a little strange?"
Chengying carefully observed her expression, thinking: "She has been staring at this fairy spring since not long ago."
Pei Ji naturally noticed this trick.
Ever since he picked up the porcelain bottle from the bedside, Ningning's eyes became more and more gloomy, as if she wanted to say something, but always hesitated. Now she took the bottle and stared at the elixir inside without saying a word, wondering what she was thinking.
He had never seen such an expression on her face.
Just when I was wondering, I suddenly heard Ningning's voice: "It's just the evil spirit from the demon world——"
The evil spirit of the demon world.
He had heard these four words from countless people before, but he had never thought that she would say them herself.
There were only two of them here, so Ningning could only be referring to him.
Pei Ji's heartbeat paused and his right hand clenched the bed sheet tightly.
The little girl in front of him lowered her eyes and stopped looking at him. She took a deep breath and continued, "How dare you act rashly in the Ten Dharma Assembly!"
Then there was a sharp crashing sound.
Ningning broke the porcelain bottle containing the fairy spring.
The room was dark and quiet.
The harsh sound of ceramics breaking and the sound of spring water pouring onto the ground rang out together, like a sharp blade piercing the silence.
Along with it, there was also a light gasp.
This time, not only Pei Ji, but even Ning Ning was stunned in astonishment.
She followed the system's instructions and smashed the porcelain bottle according to the original plot, but the moment the bottle shattered, what gushed out was not the fairy spring.
The liquid was colorless and odorless, and there was no way to tell what it was from the outside. But when it splashed onto her calves, it was like highly corrosive sulfuric acid, instantly emitting unbearable scalding heat.
Immediately, demonic energy overflowed from the wound, and a light black mist was like an invisible little snake, penetrating deep into the body accompanied by piercing pain.
"Oh no! Xianquan has been replaced!"
Chengying restrained his smile and exclaimed: "Pei Xiaoji, go quickly——"
Before it could finish its sentence, Pei Ji turned over and got out of bed, picked up Ning Ning without saying a word, and placed her on the bed where he had just been sitting.
Ningning's head was completely confused.
This was never mentioned in the original book. She should have smashed the porcelain vase and walked out of the room in a swagger. However, this evil spirit that came from nowhere -
It's really an evil spirit from the devil world.
So why did the fairy spring become like this?
She was in so much pain that she couldn't think.
So Ningning gave up thinking and leaned her head on the bed in a Ge You-like posture. After a brief eye contact with Pei Ji, she seemed to suddenly remember something and raised her hands to cover her entire face.
"Don't look at me!"
She endured the pain while speaking, and finally gathered her scattered consciousness again: "My expression right now must be very-hiss!"
Chengying was so distressed that he trembled all over: "Oh my God, if Ningning hadn't noticed that the fairy spring was different, wouldn't you be finished? Who replaced the fairy spring?"
No wonder she had been staring at the fairy spring before, no wonder she showed such a complicated look, and no wonder Ningning blurted out "the evil spirits from the demon world".
What's in this bottle is not a life-saving elixir at all, but a deadly poison that has been infected by evil spirits.
Pei Ji's face was cold. He took out the medicine and cotton cloth he had prepared from his storage bag and gently lifted the hem of her skirt.
The girl's calves were slender and slim, but now they were covered with bloody burns. He forced himself to suppress the murderous intent that was growing in his heart, and his knuckles turned white as he held the medicine bottle.
Ningning covered her face, and in the darkness, she felt something soft gently brushing the edge of her wound.
She was in great pain, and because she didn't want Pei Ji to see her facial features that were distorted like plasticine, she just opened a small gap between her fingers and secretly looked at him through the gap.
He seemed a little angry, with his brows furrowed.
But his eyes were clearly mixed with many indescribable emotions, like the surging waves in the deep sea on a stormy night.
Pei Ji's fingers were trembling slightly.
Ning Ning heard his voice, which was so hoarse and low that it was almost inaudible: "...Why are you helping me?"
She was stunned: "What?"
"You don't have to wait for me to come here, I—"
There was a sinister look on his face, not towards her, but towards himself.
Those few simple words kept turning over and over on the tip of my tongue. When they were finally spoken, they carried with them an inexplicable sense of self-abandonment and disgust: "I have nothing to give you."
Pei Ji really didn’t understand.
He was aloof and gloomy, and came from a humble background. Others either kept their distance from him or mocked and ridiculed him openly, but Ningning was different.
She always approached him with a smile, just like she treated everyone around her.
Even though he was taciturn and had poor speaking skills, and Ningning often said a lot but he could only reply a few words stiffly, she never became impatient.
As for the hand holding that night, those hasty hugs, and the words she said today——
Why do you always help him? Why are you so nice to him?
Pei Ji couldn't figure it out.
Just like he didn't understand why he was so upset and almost went crazy after seeing Ningning injured.
"You want to know the reason?"
After a brief silence, her voice suddenly rang in my ears.
Ningning's voice was melodious and clear, and because of her smile, she seemed to be more approachable and naive. When Pei Ji looked up after hearing her voice, he actually met her eyes which were so close to him.
In order to apply the medicine to her calf more conveniently, Ningning sat on the bed with her knees bent.
At this moment, she leaned forward, her chin resting on her arms, and her arms wrapped around her knees. In an instant, she was extremely close to him. When the corners of her lips curled up slightly and she smiled, shallow dimples appeared on her cheeks.
"I don't want anything from you."
Ning Ning said: "Would you be nice to someone you hate?"
He shook his head.
"That's right! On the other hand, if you really want to be nice to someone, it must be because -"
Pei Ji pursed his lips indifferently. Only he knew that his heartbeat beneath his chest was already wildly rapid.
He heard Ningning say, "Because I like it."
Chengying held back his voice and laughed silently, his entire body wrapped up into a ball.
"You, look."
She seemed a little shy about the word "like" and buried her chin gently in her arms.
"There are many kinds of love in the world, such as family love, friendship, teacher-student love, and the love between us two fellow disciples - I will not get close to my fellow disciples casually. The reason I am willing to help you is only because you are Pei Ji."
The dark tide in his heart weaved into secret but surging emotions. Pei Ji was completely stunned by the last few words, and the dark color in his black eyes gradually deepened.
"You were the one who asked me first, so don't call me cheesy."
The wound on her leg still hurt, but Ningning forced herself to endure the pain and continued to smile faintly.
The self-loathing in Pei Ji's eyes was obvious. She had read the original novel and knew what kind of life he had led from childhood to adulthood.
He was rejected by his mother, isolated by his peers, and there was no one around him who was willing to identify with him. All the values he accepted stated the same consensus: he was a monster with impure blood who should not have been born.
He must be disgusted with himself from the bottom of his heart, so he isolated himself from the world and devoted himself to kendo.
Only when practicing sword, you don't need to be distracted by other things.
Ningning wanted to help him.
Even though her power was limited and the cognition that had been deeply rooted in his heart for many years could not be easily changed, she still wanted to tell Pei Ji.
"Pei Ji is better than many other people."
Ningning said: "If you can be happy without any thanks, I will also be very happy."
These are words that would never appear in a dream.
Pei Ji had trouble breathing.
Maybe it's because my heart is beating too fast and too violently.
How could she... say such a thing so casually?
The young man remained silent. Because his headband was loose, his messy long hair fell quietly in front of his eyes, covering up the unknown emotions that were gradually rising in his pupils like dark clouds.
The strange yet strong feeling grew like a vine, entwining around his heart in circles. Pei Ji seemed to have the answer to the previous question.
About why he was upset about Ningning's injury.
A strange feeling that I had never experienced before emerged from the bottom of my heart.
He heard the sound of his own heart beating.
“Oooooooh! It hurts! Be gentle, be gentle!”
“…I haven’t touched the wound yet.”
"Wait, wait! Let me help you change the bandage first! Your shoulder is bleeding again - what are we doing, disabled people helping each other?"
This time Pei Ji's tone of response was particularly strong: "Friendship between fellow disciples."
=====
When Elder Mu of Su Wen Hall rushed to the inn, he found that Pei Ji's door was ajar and not closed.
He knew that this was a door specially left for him. Just as he was about to knock on the door, he saw the scene inside the room through the tiny gap.
Pei Ji closed the window screen, and a thin light as soft as water flowed in the room. The thin boy sat upright at the head of the bed, his body wrapped in gauze. On the bed, lay a familiar looking girl who had quietly fallen asleep.
He recognized it as Ningning from the Xuanxu Sword Sect.
Because Pei Ji had his back to the door, Elder Mu could not see his expression at the moment. He only knew that the other party stood at the bedside for a long time without saying a word. He wanted to reach out and touch her several times, but hesitated and retracted his actions.
Just then a breeze blew by, blowing the window screen and bringing with it a stream of light pouring down.
In a moment of soft light, he saw Pei Ji bow slightly and lower his head carefully.
——The young swordsman who had always been decisive and murderous, and full of hostility, made a gesture similar to surrender for the first time, leaned forward silently, and lowered his eyelashes quietly.
His eyes were pitch black, but his thin lips were tightly pursed, with a light red hue like peach blossoms.
In the leisurely flowing breeze and sunshine, Pei Ji kissed the girl's bandaged calf gently and devoutly.
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