Xie Yu, the man who loves to dance around criminal law the most in the entire cultivation world, was punished mentally for the first time.
Although he was a love-brained person with an aura of reduced intelligence, he could always taste a hint of mockery in Ningning and Bai Ye's words as he thought about them. After realizing this, he became more and more uncomfortable and soon ended this chaotic banquet in a hurry.
Ningning felt happy after scolding, and she exchanged a glance with her comrade Bai Ye. Their great revolutionary friendship grew like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
Looking around at everyone at the table, Master Yonggui had composed an impromptu piece of music and was about to sing it, but the Demon Lord gave him a dark look and ran away. He had no place to vent his enthusiasm, and was shaking his head in agony, muttering to himself.
Pei Ji sat obediently aside, remaining silent from beginning to end, and hardly moving the chopsticks in front of him.
Although this serious junior brother was not much different from his usual self, Ningning could still tell at a glance that he was in a bad mood.
It makes sense. Pei Ji's mother, who was tortured to the point of madness, has passed away a long time ago. Now that he has finally met his biological father whom he had never met, he has to watch Xie Yu's emotional entanglement with two other women.
What’s more, it is such a bloody and confusing plot.
Xie Yu couldn't recognize him, let alone remember his mother. The presence of this mother and son is so weak that they are not even worth mentioning as minor supporting roles in the complicated grudges and hatreds of the Demon Lord.
Like it never existed.
The most leisurely one is Meng Jue.
He was sitting not far from Xie Yu, and was leaning back in his chair with nothing to do. He looked up at the three people's receding backs, and he didn't know what he was thinking of, and his handsome brows slightly frowned.
"Brother Meng," Bai Ye was very outgoing and approached him and asked, "What are you looking at? Have you noticed something fishy in the illusion?"
Meng Jue smiled, his right hand with distinct joints half clasped on the table, and tapped it lightly with his index finger: "Do you think... Miss Zhou looks familiar?"
Ningning tried hard to recall after hearing this, but she searched her entire head and still couldn't find a face in her memory that matched Zhou Yimei's.
Bai Ye was also puzzled, scratching his head blankly and said, "I should have never seen her - how come, from what Senior Brother Meng saw, who does she look like?"
This question has not been answered.
Meng Jue rarely smiled and followed Zhou Yimei's thin back with his eyes until the shadow was swallowed by the darkness and disappeared from his sight. When he turned his head to look at Bai Ye again, the young man's lips curled up calmly again: "Maybe I made a mistake, fellow Daoist, don't mind it."
He couldn't tell who Zhou Yimei looked like, so the matter had to be put aside for the time being.
Xie Yu arranged guest rooms for everyone in the Zhou Mansion. Ningning was very tired and just wanted to close her eyes and have a good night's rest. However, when she threw herself on the bed like a pancake, she suddenly remembered what Pei Ji said during the day.
——At that time, Bai Ye fell to the ground like a charred corpse. Pei Ji was silent for a moment and then told her: If you have a nightmare in the middle of the night and can't sleep, you can go to the bamboo forest next to the Zhou Mansion to find him.
He practiced swordplay there.
In fact, Ningning felt that this was more like a joke that was mentioned unintentionally.
After all, his tone at the time was as light as a feather, flat and without any ups and downs, and there was no sense of ritual like an agreement at all.
What's more, Pei Ji had also consumed most of his spiritual energy in the previous demon refining tower, so he should have a good rest in the room. In any case, tonight is not a good time to practice swordplay.
Ningning shivered in the cold wind and thought seriously:
So there must be something wrong with my brain since I listened to his unintentional words and obediently went to the bamboo forest at night.
But if I don't come, the thought of Pei Ji sitting in the corner with his eyelashes drooping -
It's almost as if "I want to be comforted" is clearly written on her face! Even if there was only a one in ten million chance, if he really stayed alone in the woods to practice swordplay...
I always feel a little pitiful.
Ningning hated herself for being so soft-hearted. She didn't have a nightmare and she wasn't bored, but she still came to the bamboo forest despite feeling very tired.
Due to the presence of monsters, a dark demonic aura permeates the entire Chongling Town, quietly spreading out in the inky night, like the half-hidden and half-exposed shadows of goblins.
A pale full moon hung alone on the top of the tree. Although this metaphor was not quite appropriate, Ningning always felt that it was like an expressionless dead face, just suspended right above her head.
The bamboo forest is desolate and silent. The green bamboo leaves are like a clear spring under the moon. Their shadows on the ground sway in the wind, like cascading pools of water with ripples.
At first glance, it gave me a psychedelic feeling of being underwater. Everything seemed clear and cool, and unreal.
If Pei Ji wasn't here tonight, she would be so embarrassed.
wrong.
As Ningning walked, she began to have wild thoughts. Anyway, no one knew that she went out in the middle of the night, so the embarrassment of being alone was nothing. It would pass after a good night's sleep.
She walked forward step by step without holding out much hope. The bamboo leaves were brushed away layer by layer, and the quiet moonlight rippled to both sides. The surroundings were dead silent, but suddenly a sword energy flashed, knocking down a cluster of fallen leaves.
Ningning's heart skipped a beat.
She felt that the corners of her mouth were unconsciously curling up. In order not to appear too happy, she calmed down and tried to push the corners of her lips down.
Taking another step forward, she saw Pei Ji's shadow.
He had actually been practicing swordplay in the open space in the bamboo forest.
It was already quietly getting dark.
The bamboo shadows danced and the moonlight flowed like running water, outlining the tall and slender back of the young man. The sword energy was as cold as ice, and the moment she approached, it was like flowing wind and turning snow, blowing towards her face along with the night wind.
The originally sharp sword intent, accompanied by the gentle bamboo breeze, suddenly became exceptionally soft and gentle when it hit her cheek, like a lover's fingertips gently brushing across her snow-white neck, bringing an irresistible itch.
At the same time Pei Ji turned around.
The remaining sword light fell like rain, illuminating his clear face like white jade and lighting a beam of cold light in his black pupils.
First-rate beauty.
"Wow! It's Ningning!"
Chengying jumped up and couldn't stop grinning: "She actually came! It's worth it that you're so tired and insisted on practicing sword in the woods!"
Pei Ji responded coldly: "I'm not waiting for her specially."
"Yes, yes, you didn't go out of your way to wait for her, you didn't stay in the upper tower exhausted and just wanted to rest, and you didn't keep looking towards the entrance of the bamboo forest."
Chengying shook his head and sighed sarcastically, "Even though he is already exhausted, he still uses his precious sleep time to practice sword in the bamboo forest. He really deserves to be called a swordsman."
The sound was so annoying that Pei Ji didn't want to pay attention to it.
The young man in black subconsciously pursed his lips, quietly erasing the small arc that had been raised, and chose the simplest and most stunned opening line: "Are you having a nightmare?"
"No!"
Ning Ning glared at him: "I couldn't sleep at night, so I went out for a walk - but you, are you still practicing sword so late?"
Pei Ji lowered his head and looked at her. There seemed to be a very light smile in his eyes, which was barely noticeable: "I can't sleep either."
Chengying: “Haha.”
He turned a deaf ear to Chengying's matter and blocked out the voice completely. Then he put away his smile very familiarly and lowered his head to look for something in his storage bag.
Ningning was curious and looked at him with blinking eyes.
Pei Ji had just practiced swordplay, and his jet-black hair was soaked with sweat, lying messily on his forehead and temples, contrasting with his cold pale skin. Her face was illuminated by the cold moonlight, and her eyes were filled with tears, making her look extremely beautiful.
His fingers were long and thin, and when he bent them, the protruding joints could be seen. Soon, a round object appeared in his hand.
It looked like a snack or dessert, meticulously wrapped in white paper. When the night breeze blew, it brought the scent of peach blossoms.
Pei Ji moved his arm closer to her: "Here you go."
"What's this?"
Ningning took it without any preparation, raised her eyes and glanced at him quickly: "Can I open it now?"
I don’t know if it was an illusion, but Pei Ji held the sword tighter.
But he still nodded expressionlessly.
As you open the layers of wrapping paper, the refreshing scent becomes more intense.
The faint scent of bamboo trees and peach blossoms wafts over to your face, and the moonlight illuminates the surprise that is meticulously packed in the innermost layer.
It turned out to be a flower cake.
There was no such food in the world of cultivation. When she was discussing the recipe with He Zhizhou, she had specifically mentioned the possibility of getting rich by selling flower cakes.
Unfortunately, the two tried to do it several times later, but they all failed without exception, and the matter was left unresolved.
She just mentioned it to Pei Ji once unintentionally and casually.
“Maybe it doesn’t taste right.”
His voice was strained: "I don't know how to do it."
yes.
She told Pei Ji nothing. He knew nothing about the raw materials, production methods, and process steps. The only thing I know is a simple phrase: "shortbread wrapped in flower petals".
But Pei Ji made it anyway, wrapped it carefully in layers of paper, and gave it to her in a serious manner.
Ningning looked at him again in a daze.
The swordsman in black had a cold look on his face, the scene of flying branches and leaves and shining swords still fresh in his mind. However, even such a Pei Ji would stay in the kitchen, pick up the pots and pans, and think over and over again about how to cook flower petals and starch.
...Will Pei Ji also wear an apron?
No, ancient agents did not wear aprons.
Her mind was full of random thoughts, bubbles popping up uncontrollably in her head, and she rubbed her cheek with her free left hand.
This is too unfair.
Ningning didn't dare look at him again. She lowered her head and took a bite of the peach blossom cake.
The puff pastry is soft and breaks apart layer by layer between the lips and teeth. The crispy aroma of starch and the sweetness of peach blossoms are intertwined, which is incredibly gentle.
It is sweet.
It was so sweet that she couldn't help but feel happy.
Pei Ji said nothing. The moment he saw the girl take the first bite, he clenched the hilt of the sword, his knuckles turning slightly white.
Then Ningning raised her head with a grin on her face, her eyes full of undisguised smiles: "Delicious!"
My whole heart relaxed.
His throat moved slightly, and he turned his face away and responded softly: "Yeah."
In the awkward silence, Pei Ji heard her voice again: "By the way, are you...are you okay? After meeting Xie Yu."
Ningning asked cautiously, but he never showed any expression of sadness. Hearing this, he said in a deep voice, "No problem."
After a pause, he hesitated and said, "Didn't I tell you about my mother?"
Ningning suddenly looked up and opened her eyes wide.
"That's not a very important story."
Pei Ji's tone was very calm, as if he was discussing today's weather. When he mentioned the past, he slightly curled his lips, with a sneer full of sarcasm in his eyes: "She was born into a noble family. One day, she saw injustice on the road and saved a seriously injured and unconscious young man. The two fell in love with each other and ate the forbidden fruit."
That young man should be Xie Yu.
Ningning didn't interrupt and just listened quietly.
"Unfortunately, that man is not a good match. He is just a demon who wants to get close to her and steal the family's skills. When she risked the world's condemnation and stole the skills from the family's forbidden land--"
He paused for a moment here, his eyes showing a stronger sense of self-mockery: "The demons invaded the city in a big way. In just one night, all my family, wealth, and cultivation were gone. The only thing left was the unborn offspring in my belly."
Bastard.
Ningning's heart trembled and she slowly frowned.
These are words that Pei Ji has never told anyone else.
He has a strong and stubborn personality and has never bothered to show his past scars to others. But at this moment, he wants to let Ningning know for the first time.
Pei Ji couldn't explain clearly what he was thinking.
His power was so insignificant that he was powerless against the wanton humiliation from the outside world. He could only grit his teeth and not beg for mercy, enduring day after day.
Over time, the boy gradually got used to living with contempt and rejection. He could endure pain, punishment, and the fine line between life and death without any help, relying only on his own strength.
——Pei Ji should have been used to it.
But Ningning threw out candies one by one, and he tasted the sweetness and wanted more. In the darkest corner of his heart, there was a voice clamoring for more.
He was so despicable that he couldn't cross the gap between them, so he had to resort to poison to quench his thirst, using such despicable and humble means to try to make her look at him more.
Even I find it ridiculous.
Pei Ji lowered his eyelashes and didn't look at her.
His voice was also very low: "Those things have nothing to do with me, you don't need to give me sympathy."
After a pause, the boy's voice became inexplicably hoarse: "...I'm not pitiful."
The love-hate relationship between Xie Yu and that woman really had little to do with him, but Pei Ji revealed so many secrets, and the only thing he concealed was his own story.
For example, he endured his mother's hatred for Xie Yu, and lived in a dark cellar with wounds all over his body;
For example, he wandered around after his mother died of a serious illness, and was once broken on the forehead by a street thug because of a bun;
For example, he inherited the strong demonic aura from the Demon Lord and was regarded as an untouchable monster by others. He suffered countless humiliations and indifference.
The woman named him "Ji".
What mother would give her own flesh and blood such a name? It was clearly a curse that could never be escaped from for eternity. From the moment he was born, he had endured endless hatred.
Sometimes Pei Ji would wonder, who on earth is he?
Hated by his biological mother and abandoned by his biological father, he could not find a place to settle down in this vast world. Except for the sword, everything in the world seemed to have nothing to do with him.
He doesn't care about others, and no one cares about him.
These are things he doesn't want Ningning to know.
Like a fish out of water and about to drown, his life was in a horrible state.
But even so, there is still a desire to hold on to the last bit of one's shattered dignity.
Only her.
Pei Ji didn't want to be looked down upon by Ning Ning.
There was silence in the bamboo forest for a moment.
He was afraid of hearing a tone of comfort or pity, but he heard a rustling sound in his ears. It turned out that Ningning lowered her head and kicked the bamboo leaves piled on the ground with her feet.
The faint noise tickled Pei Ji's heart.
She spoke in a whisper: "I have no sympathy for you."
Pei Ji clenched the sword in his hand and felt his heart beating wildly for some reason.
"Because you are excellent. Excellent people don't need others' sympathy."
Ning Ning raised her head and looked at him. Her clear voice echoed in the hazy moonlight, with an inexplicable magical power that bewitched people: "Our Pei Ji is so good. He can cook, exorcise demons, and make many beautiful toys. Who else can be better than you? I can't even admire you enough."
...How could she say such words in such a normal tone?
The boy, who had always been a loner, had never heard such straightforward words. Even though he knew she was trying to comfort him, he was still so overwhelmed that his ears were burning.
"Besides," Ning Ning paused, staring at his face for a long time, and smiled to herself, "Pei Ji is very handsome, much more handsome than many people."
The moonlight makes all emotions visible.
A leaf fell slowly, and the boy's fair face was dyed pink like peach blossoms.
He suddenly wondered for no reason whether the peach blossom cake was too sweet.
The moonlight was scattered all over the ground, quietly entwined with the boundless night, and spread out a thin smoke as cold as cold water.
Pei Ji held his breath and turned his head away, but he didn't realize that doing so was just like covering up the bell and he couldn't avoid that sight.
Ningning noticed his shyness and felt quite curious for a moment, so she moved closer to him as if it was a prank.
Her eyes moved down his face.
Like a burning flame.
But there was also a heartless voice with a smile on it, speaking each word with emphasis, and the ending tone rose in a very bad way.
"Eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth—"
People who are usually cold are the most interesting when they become shy. Ningning was laughing at first, but was caught off guard and suddenly met a pair of dark eyes.
——Pei Ji turned his gaze back and fixed it on her face without blinking.
His Adam's apple rolled up and down, his eyes were filled with moonlight, and his long eyelashes trembled slightly.
The pupils were dark and surging.
Ningning's faint smile froze on her lips. She was clearly the one who took the initiative to tease, but her heart started beating wildly when he looked at her.
Ning Ning touched her nose, lowered her head in a cowardly manner, and said in a much lower voice than before: "...They are all very beautiful."
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