40 Stimuli
If so, she could lower it just a little bit, just a tiny bit more.
"What are you thinking about?" Du Zhijin asked after he hadn't heard a sound from him for a while.
She noticed the furrowed brows of the person beside her and suddenly reached out and poked his forehead.
For no apparent reason, she didn't want to see him looking so gloomy.
Suddenly, she felt a soft, warm sensation between her brows, so light that all her distracting thoughts vanished instantly. Ying Jianhua snapped out of her reverie, saw it was her, and, losing all interest in investigating further, shook her head to indicate that she was alright.
The man is gone, and even if Master Baopu saw something amiss, it would be too late. As a son, he had done all he could; the rest was up to fate.
Seemingly sensing his hidden worry, Du Zhijin opened her mouth as if to speak but hesitated, wanting to tell a joke to lighten the mood but unable to think of one. Suddenly, her gaze swept over the rows of empty weapon racks, and a flash of inspiration appeared in her eyes: "Amo, you like reading storybooks, aren't the names of the swords and sabers in those stories all very impressive?"
Although she didn't know why she brought up the question, Ying Jianhua nodded in agreement and added at the end, "Xingyue Zuilan is also a very nice song."
"So-so." She smiled shyly at first, then lowered her voice mysteriously and asked in his ear, "Do you know what the sword of the Immortal Baopu is called?"
Ying Jianhua's face showed a rare hint of confusion.
What is the name of Baopu Zhenren's sword? How would he know?
Du Zhijin's lips curled up slightly. He had originally wanted to play hard to get and argue a bit, but Ying Jianhua stopped him with two words: "Speak quickly."
A bit fierce.
“Oh.” She touched her nose awkwardly, forced to step out of the storyteller’s role, and dryly stated the truth, “Her sword is called ‘Wait.’”
Wait a minute?
At first, Ying Jianhua didn't think there was anything wrong with the name, until he followed Du Zhijin's line of thought and put himself in the shoes of someone shouting "Wait!" when he encountered an opponent in a martial arts competition, and then he suddenly realized.
You thought the other party was begging for mercy, but actually "Wait" is the name of the sword. It's really, really...
He couldn't help but say, "It's not a fair victory."
Du Zhijin nodded vigorously: "That's right. After that, other disciples followed suit, giving their swords strange names like 'Spare Me,' 'Step Away,' and 'The Competition Ends.' Oh, and some bolder ones even named their swords after the True Immortals and the Sect Leader. For a while, the arena was full of Nascent Soul cultivators, but the moves they used were all the most basic sword techniques." "And you, did you give Xingyue Zuilan any strange names?" Ying Jianhua asked curiously.
This should be considered playful banter among peers; not participating would be considered social exclusion.
He hadn't expected Du Zhijin's answer to actually be "no".
The reason is simple.
"I haven't changed it at all. Because I haven't been to the training ground since I was ten years old. That's a place for those below the Golden Core realm."
From the age of ten, below the Golden Elixir stage. She spoke casually, as if these words were meant to be combined from birth. But as the painting suggests, that's not the case.
He didn't just read useless books. Especially after meeting Du Zhijin, he intentionally searched for classics and stories related to cultivators. Therefore, he knew that the spiritual energy here had become thinner since six hundred years ago, making cultivation difficult for mortals, and many people only barely managed to reach the Golden Core stage in their entire lives.
Du Zhijin achieved the Golden Core stage at the age of ten.
Furthermore, her master was the only person in six hundred years to successfully ascend to immortality. Only now did he realize that the person who had always been by his side might actually be the greatest in this world.
First, right?
The interior of Zhufeng Hall was dimly lit, the daytime as dark as night, making it hard to breathe. A few sparks popped out from the cracks in the secret chamber. Du Zhijin looked around, seemingly checking if Elder Jun had noticed her. Once she was sure that Elder Jun wasn't looking, she unnecessarily stretched out her foot and crushed the sparks.
One stomp isn't enough; you have to stomp twice.
...It should be seen that the "first" in the painter's heart has been shattered.
He withdrew his gaze expressionlessly, silently warning himself not to casually elevate Du Zhijin's image in the future.
It will affect his ability to immerse himself in reading the storybook.
The two waited outside the secret room for an hour before the stone door, which was almost integrated with the wall, opened.
Old Master Jun removed his mask, revealing most of his charred face. Ying Jianhua's gaze lingered on her face for only a moment before he politely looked away.
Everyone has their own secrets.
"Is that all?" Du Zhijin reached out a finger and carefully touched the jade hairpin, but was immediately chased away by Elder Jun: "Hey, hey, Gu Zhang's disciple, don't touch it! Weapons must recognize their masters."
She muttered under her breath, "It's almost the same as acknowledging me," but still obediently stopped and made way for Ying Jianhua to get closer.
Ying Jianhua held his breath and concentrated, his hands trembling involuntarily.
The jade hairpin before me was translucent like solidified cream, its soft light shimmering as if bathed in spring water. Taking a gentle sniff, I detected a fragrance that was hard to describe, a scent that was neither quite sweet nor pleasant. It was like the first melting of snow, or the budding of grass and trees; its aroma brought clarity to the mind and calmed the heart.
Upon grasping it, a hint of surprise flashed in Yingjian Hua's eyes.
The hairpin has become lighter?
Master Jun nodded and instructed him to pinch the magnolia at the end of the hairpin and then twist it open. He did as he was told, his eyes widening slightly when he saw the hollow hairpin.
"This is..." "You know poison, right?"
He was taken aback, unsure whether he should admit it, and hesitantly looked at Du Zhijin. Du Zhijin couldn't guess what Elder Jun was thinking either, so both of their eyes turned to her.
Master Jun chuckled at their antics, saying, "What's the big deal? Are you afraid I'll report you to the sect leader? You youngsters... Listen to me, kid, your foundation is weak, so you can't use those swords and spears. That's why you have to work on other things. For example, this hollow hairpin can hold half a finger's worth of poison. Just press the magnolia on the back and it will be released. Besides, I've also made special modifications to the inner wall. Ordinary poison will become extremely poisonous if it's boiled inside for ten or fifteen days."
"How poisonous is it?" Du Zhijin asked.
Old Master Jun chuckled and said, "It won't kill you, but a drop will be enough for any other human or demon besides you."
She blinked: "You can too?"
Master Jun: ......
See the painting: ......
"Cough, cough! Water..." He suddenly covered his mouth and coughed violently. Du Zhijin's attention was indeed drawn to him, and he went to look for water.
While she was away, he quickly apologized to Elder Jun: "That's just how she is, she speaks her mind and doesn't mean to offend you."
Grandma Jun waved her hand, indicating that she didn't care: "It's not like I've known them for just the first time. If I were to hold a grudge, I wouldn't be alive today."
"Master and disciple?" Ying Jianhua was surprised. Did it mean that Du Zhijin's master was just like her? Or that she was just like her master?
That's really true; a tiger's teacher has no dog's disciples.
"To be honest, it's been two years since I've seen her." After saying this, she turned her scarred half-face away and let out a sigh.
Her gaze seemed to fall on the empty weapon rack, or perhaps drifted through the walls of the secret room to a more distant place, filled with endless melancholy.
Upon hearing this, Ying Jianhua couldn't bear to see her senior grieving alone, so she tentatively asked, "Are you talking about... that master who became an immortal?"
Old Master Jun turned around, looking surprised: "She even told you this?"
He nodded hesitantly, and then saw a smile bloom on Old Master Jun's face. Yes, a smile that didn't resemble that of an immortal, but rather that of Aunt Huang next door who had successfully pulled the boat across the river.
Just then, Du Zhijin returned with water and bumped into Old Man Jun, who had a half-smile on his face.
"?" She handed him the water, her eyes asking a question. He silently lowered his head, pretending not to know anything.
However, the sudden heat that ignited in my ears was something that no amount of water could dissipate.
After losing five hundred taels of silver, Du Zhijin quickly inquired about the "drowning ghost," fearing that Master Jun's ear ailment might relapse.
Old Master Jun replied, "I've never heard of it."
"How could that be?" Knowing that Elder Jun only liked to joke around and would not really joke about important matters, Du Zhijin couldn't help but frown.
Old Master Jun glanced at the two of them and said, "The most powerful demon in Wanze City right now is only of the third rank."
Upon hearing this, Ying Jianhua also fell into deep thought.
Even he knew the meaning of "Category C"—Category C meant second to last. If the most powerful demon in Wanze City was only Category C, then what was it that was entangled with Huo Qing?
After saying goodbye to Master Jun, the two walked slowly along the street, lost in thought. Du Zhijin suggested they go take a look at the plaque wall, where she often took orders before.
Upon closer inspection, instead of seeing the monster, they found their own bounty poster. Beneath layers of brand-new notices, a portrait of the "See You" was prominently displayed.
It's neither new nor old; if we were to guess its age, it would probably be after they fled Wuling Village.
Ying Jianhua didn't react much, but Du Zhijin was genuinely startled.
"Are the people from the Prince's Mansion still not giving up?"
He didn't say anything, glanced at the bounty poster, and after confirming that there was no usable information, he pulled her away.
He walked in a hurry, and Du Zhijin thought he was upset because he had been reminded of the past, so she comforted him, "Your disguise skills are so superb that even Xiao Hong doesn't know what we really look like, so don't worry."
Ying Jianhua saw her concern and felt a deep sense of unease.
He wasn't worried about being recognized; what he was worried about was... whether she would notice something was amiss.
"If you're really worried, let's go back first and not stay outside." In his moment of panic, she took his hand.
Very restrainedly, only using the wrist.
He lowered his eyes, looking at his empty palms, and a thought inexplicably came to mind.
If so, she could go down a little bit more, just a tiny bit more.
Back at Huo Qing's house, Jiang Wei had been waiting for a long time. Seeing that the two of them looked distracted, she immediately changed her tune and said, "I've searched everywhere, but there's no trace of the drowning ghost."
Du Zhijin nodded at him, as if he already knew the answer. Jiangwei originally wanted to say something, but after looking at her and then at Ying Jianhua, who remained silent, she ultimately said nothing and quietly withdrew.
Looking up, I saw a bright moon on the horizon, resembling a silver plate, with the promise of complete perfection.
He pressed his hand to his pounding heart, and his tail uncontrollably emerged from behind him.
The night of the full moon is almost here.
[Author's Note]
I'm late (wiping sweat)
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