Chapter 23

Dusk fell upon Moon Embrace Peak.

Unconsciously, it was already deep into the summer night. The twilight obscured the sky, casting a myriad of flowing hues. Under the relentless sunlight that had yet to rest, the surrounding mountain peaks appeared like a continuous black silhouette that touched the heavens. Occasionally, a gentle breeze would brush by, carrying the melodious cries of cranes and the resounding voice of a man.

“Pei Ji!”

Ning Ning, who was lying on a peach tree, lazily yawned.

Similar to various academic competitions in the 21st century, there were also unified competitions among the sects in the cultivation world.

Correspondingly, only disciples who excelled within their sects were eligible to participate in competitions and challenges between sects, such as the current Xiaochongshan Secret Realm.

The Xiaochongshan Secret Realm opened once every fifty years and contained numerous rare spiritual plants and magical beasts. Whether for resource plunder or practical combat experience, it was an excellent destination.

However, this secret realm was extremely fragile and could only be entered by cultivators of the Golden Core stage and below, and the number of people it could accommodate was very limited. As a result, it became an excellent place for outstanding disciples in the Golden Core stage of various sects to compete with each other.

Currently, Xuanxu Sword Sect is holding a competition to select candidates for the secret realm.

Most participants in the competition were in the Golden Core stage, with occasional appearances by disciples who had achieved the Foundation Establishment Completion stage. Ning Ning’s first-round opponent wasn’t too challenging, and she won a match without much effort. On the other hand, Pei Ji’s luck seemed to be quite unfortunate.

After a period of recent cultivation, he had already reached the third level of the Golden Core Stage. This was almost an astonishing speed of advancement, but unfortunately, Shuang Wen emphasized the principle of overcoming the strong with the weak and counterattacking in adversity. The opponent he encountered this time happened to be at the fourth level of the Golden Core stage.

Cultivation levels are strictly divided, and even with just a small gap in realms, the difference in strength between two people can be enormous. It’s evident that Pei Ji’s ability to win this match was quite challenging.

The biting sword energy that had filled the entire Moon Embrace Peak just moments ago suddenly dissipated, disappearing with the wind into the quiet aftermath of the setting sun.

The slender figure of the young man was pulled straight by the slanting sun, and on his thick as ink silhouette, there were terrifying crimson bloodstains dripping.

“At such a young age, to comprehend the Guiyi Sword technique so thoroughly is impressive.”

Standing on the platform was a boy of twelve or thirteen with a delicate and fair appearance. His jet-black eyes were as calm as ancient wells, and at this moment, he flashed a faint smile. “Although the other one lost, the power of his sword qi was not to be underestimated. Equally commendable.”

Tian Xianzi, the one in white with a sword on his back, leaned against a stone pillar, smiling recklessly. “Of course, can my disciple be weak?”

“The disciple is not weak, but the master may not necessarily be strong.”

A beautiful woman stood beside them, her beauty and grace suggesting she was only in her twenties. Her mesmerizing peach blossom eyes sparkled with a hint of mockery. “Well, that young disciple does have quite the handsome appearance. If only I had met him earlier, I wouldn’t have been taken by that poor guy.”

Tian Xianzi pretended to be injured and widened his eyes, looking at the Zhenxiao by his side. “Senior Brother, she’s making fun of me!”

Zhenxiao: …

Zhenxiao remained solemn,resembling a headteacher inspecting a sickroom: “Jingyi, you are an elder of the Xuanxu Sword Sect, not a female cultivator from the Hehuan Sect of the demonic sect. When you see handsome disciples, you should maintain the dignity of an elder.”

The woman snorted coldly and approached the boy, asking, “Why should I listen to you?”

After a pause, she lazily smiled again. “Tell me, did our esteemed sword master Zhenxiao get jealous when he heard me mention other men? Sect Leader.”

The boy chuckled calmly. “Is that so?”

Swordmaster Zhenxiao’s eyebrows twitched, not knowing whether he was angry or embarrassed, and his ears turned a bit red. “Senior Jingyi, let’s have a sword match!”

Sword Master Zhenxiao’s social skills were abysmal. He believed that competing in swordsmanship with friends was the way to build better relationships, and if someone angered him, he’d resort to swordplay to settle disputes. In his idle time, he surprisingly spent money to challenge Tian Xianzi every day.

If someone who didn’t know the truth looked at them, they would never imagine that the enchanting beauty standing beside Sword Master Zhenxiao was none other than Jingyi, one of the top elders of the Xuanxu Sword Sect, and the boy next to her was their Sect Leader, Ji Yunkai.

Ji Yunkai had suffered a severe injury during the battle between the immortals and demons, causing his body to take on the appearance of a twelve-year-old child. As for Jingyi, her tendency to dote on handsome individuals was genuine.

“There was a young girl named Ning Ning who was quite impressive before this—she was impressive.”

Jingyi smiled. “She won decisively, reminiscent of my own style in the past. If she could follow me in her cultivation—”

Enough, enough.

Thinking of the time when this female demoness had toyed with almost half of the disciples in the sect, Tian Xianzi couldn’t help but scrunch his face like a bitter gourd. Don’t harm the lovely and loving Ning Ning in his family; that little girl hasn’t even held a boy’s hand.

“Among the younger generation, talents are emerging. I heard that the Wanjian Sect, Fanyin Temple, and Liuming Mountain have also produced interesting young disciples.”

Ji Yunkai squinted his eyes, and in his deep and mysterious gaze, which didn’t quite match his childlike appearance, there was a hint of indifference. “It seems that this Xiaochongshan secret realm won’t be boring.”

“But let’s not talk about that for now.”

Jingyi gently curled her lips, her voice as clear as spring water. “One of my disciples came back from the foot of the mountain with lots of snacks. Custard buns, sugar figures, and candied hawthorns Does the sect leader have any interest?”

The little bean-sized boy cheered, “I want candied hawthorns!”

Pei Ji, who was at the center of the topic, naturally knew nothing about the conversation among the elders.

He refused the proposal for medical treatment from the cultivators and returned to his room as soon as the competition ended. There was no other reason for this except for the fact that the demonic energy within him was surging and about to break free.

As the son of a demonic cultivator, Pei Ji inevitably inherited a heavy burden of demonic energy within his body. This power and his own bloodline were intertwined and clashed with each other, making it difficult to control and restrain.

This led to occasional outbursts of his demonic energy, eroding his body and rationality like surging waves. When this happened, he couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by excruciating pain and have the urge to alleviate it through killing.

By the time the black-clothed youth staggered to close the door, he had no strength left to move forward.

The rebellious and violent forces slumbering in his blood vessels tore at his nerves one after another, urging him to embark on a killing spree. Pei Ji leaned against the wooden door, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

He had not yet fallen to the point of succumbing to it.

Nor did he want to become a creature that only knew how to kill.

The wounds from the sword qi were still bleeding, and he pressed his hand over the injuries in a self-punishing manner.

Then he exerted force.

Under the pressure, the torn bloodstains opened up even more, and blood gushed out one after another.

Pei Ji, however, seemed accustomed to this heart-wrenching pain. He stood still with a slight tremor in his spine, only the tightly clenched lower lip and the cold sweat on his forehead revealing the agony.

He didn’t want to kill, so whenever the demonic energy raged, he used a small knife to cut open one wound after another on his own body to alleviate the pain and the overwhelming desire that felt as if it would burst his head.

All around was silent, with only the heavy breathing of the young man audible. The dusk gradually crept in from the western hills, gradually engulfing the entire courtyard.

Unprepared, Pei Ji heard a series of footsteps.

The person’s steps were light and quick, so much so that, for him, even his own breathing seemed louder. Besides his master, Tian Xianzi, who had visited a few times, no one had ever stepped into the courtyard where he lived.

Following that was a series of knocks on the door, accompanied by a familiar voice: “Little Junior, are you in your room?”

A ripple of emotions stirred in his heart.

The room was not lit, and in the pitch-dark night, Ning Ning could only see a blurry figure standing under the moonlight through the paper window.

She heard no response and hesitated for a moment before knocking again. “Master asked me to bring you some medicine.”

The young girl’s fingers were fair and delicate, and her knuckles tapped on the door panel, producing a crisp sound.

The force of knocking on the door caused the wooden board to tremble ever so slightly. This vibration, transmitted through the door, reached Pei Ji’s back that was pressed against it, bringing a barely noticeable numbness.

Separated by a thin wooden door, Ning Ning’s knuckles happened to strike the area near his heart.

Pei Ji tilted his head slightly, finally moving his teeth away from his lower lip. It took almost all his strength to speak; his voice was hoarse and strange. “Leave it at the door.”

Outside the door, Ning Ning seemed to hesitate for a moment, then replied with a hint of uncertainty, “Can’t I come in? There’s something I need to hand over to you personally.”

His throat rolled weakly up and down, and Pei Ji pressed his palm against the door, his curled knuckles turning white from the pressure.

At a time like this, he should have run out of patience.

The pain in his mind and the intense physical pain were torturing him relentlessly, leaving him no time to think about anything else. Pei Ji had a bad temper, and in the past, he wouldn’t have responded to anything the other person said.

But somehow, he suddenly remembered the figure of the girl who had burst into the outer disciples’ room that day.

In the midst of his chaotic thoughts, he managed to speak in a hoarse voice, “What?”

This time, it was Ning Ning’s turn to hesitate.

She paused for a moment, seemingly reluctant to say the name of the thing she had, and then lowered her voice with a hint of disappointment. “It’s not something important… I’ll just leave it at the door along with the medicine box.”

Pei Ji didn’t say anything, but his fingers pressing against the door became even firmer.

For a while, there was no sound from outside, and he assumed that the girl had left. Unexpectedly, out of the blue, he heard her say in a soft voice, “Are you carrying the Yinshan Ghost Pearl that I gave you?”

Ning Ning had read the original text and knew that he sometimes had an outburst of demonic energy.

Pei Ji, not wanting to appear stingy to the point of refusing to open the door for her, had refused medical treatment from the cultivators on the competition stage and returned to his room for this reason.

Although the Yinshan Mother Ghost Pearl couldn’t completely cure him, it could at least alleviate some of his pain. If he possessed such a treasure and left it unused in a drawer, it would be a waste.

Her words came out in one breath, and only after she finished did she realize that they seemed a bit inappropriate.

Pei Ji didn’t know that the Yinshan Mother Ghost Pearl could suppress the demonic energy. In his eyes, she had given him the pearl and was now persistently reminding him to carry it with him…

It almost seemed like she was giving him a token of affection!

Ning Ning blushed suddenly and hurriedly explained, “I heard that the Yinshan Mother Ghost bead can treat illnesses, so if Junior Brother goes out and gets poisoned, you can rely on it to get out of danger.”

Cheng Ying would never bother him when his demonic energy surged, but now he clicked his tongue and said, “The little girl wants you to remember the token of affection, Pei Ji.”

What is a token of affection?

A sardonic smile flashed across the young man’s lips. It seemed that the sword wounds on his body weren’t deep enough, so he took out a small knife from his pocket and stabbed it into his wrist.

There was no love or affection in this world that came without reason, and he had almost no interaction with his proud and arrogant senior sister. How could she have a crush on him?

Even if there were any feelings, it was probably because she was attracted to his superficial appearance. It wouldn’t take long for this cheap emotion to fade away like smoke.

He wasn’t foolish; he wouldn’t let himself get caught up in it.

As Pei Ji ran the knife across his wrist, he casually responded to her, a smirk in his eyes: “Thank you, Senior Sister. But this Yinshan Mother Ghost bead is truly precious, and I don’t deserve it. I should return it to you.”

He didn’t want to owe favors to anyone. Last time, as soon as Ning Ning finished speaking, she turned and ran away, not giving him a chance to refuse. This time, he could finally voice his refusal.

The young girl outside seemed to be in a hurry, raising her voice several notches. “You saved my life, so I should repay you. That bead—”

Her words were cut off abruptly.

Pei Ji opened the door.

He looked extremely disheveled, with bloodshot veins in his eyes growing like vines, occupying most of his eyes.

His entire body was filled with vigorous vitality, blending into the darkness with his black clothes and hair. Only his pale cheeks were dampened by the moonlight, shining as if they were glowing.

The thick night was dark as ink, pressing the moonlight silently downward.

But the darkness in Pei Ji’s eyes was even darker, and he looked as ferocious as if he wanted to devour her in one bite.

“Anyway!”

Ning Ning, however, was not afraid of him. She quickly unfolded the layers of fabric in her hand, revealing a pale yellow spherical object inside, and in the moment when Pei Ji opened his mouth to reject her, she tiptoed.

Then, without hesitation, she stuffed that thing into his mouth.

The sensation as it entered was unbelievably soft, and more than half of the round, soft, and rolling ball was pushed into his mouth, puffing up the slender cheeks of the young man like a steamed bun.

The ferocity on Pei Ji’s face gradually dissipated, replaced by a bewildered and blank expression, blinking his eyes in confusion.

Even the residual weak demonic energy suddenly stopped, as if it were startled and shy, quietly swirling in mid-air and disappearing into the dark shadows.

“No matter what you say, I don’t want to hear it. I told you to carry the bead, so you have to carry the bead, or else I—”

She thought for a while but couldn’t come up with a threatening remark, so she just stared at him with wide eyes and said, “Or else I’ll be very, very angry. I’m very scary when I’m angry.”

Pei Ji didn’t say anything, and he couldn’t say anything either.

“The medicine box is for you.”

She picked up the medicine box from the ground and stuffed it into Pei Ji’s arms without any explanation. Then she pointed to the thing in his mouth and said, “These are custard buns I bought from someone else. They must be eaten while they’re hot, so I said I would deliver them to you as soon as possible.”

She emphasized, “Don’t spit them out! Eat them quickly! Do you know how much money I spent on these? It’s ten percent of my belongings! I’m really poor, you know! If you spit them out, it’s like cutting off your senior sister’s flesh!”

Pei Ji: …

Before opening the door, most of the demonic energy in his body had already dissipated. Now, with the warm and fragrant aroma filling his mouth, it seemed to cleanse away the long-accumulated smell of blood. His cold and battered body warmed up again, and he moved his stiff fingertips slightly, leaning against the door.

Probably because she was afraid that he would talk nonsense again after eating, Ning Ning said goodbye and turned to leave, leaving Pei Ji alone in front of the door.

What the hell is this?

He had prepared so many heartless and sarcastic words, but she blocked him from saying a word and could only stand there in a daze.

……useless.

He couldn’t even hurt her.

He wanted to make a self-deprecating smile but found that the corners of his mouth were so stiff that he had no strength. The aroma in his mouth lingered on the tip of his tongue. Pei Ji held the bottom of the custard bun with his hand and bit it lightly with his teeth.

The warm filling is like a thick and sweet warmth, filling the entire mouth in an instant. The cold and broken body was warmed up again by this warmth. He moved his stiff fingertips, which were bloody and fleshy, and leaned sideways against the door.

As the moonlight descended and the shadows of the trees deepened, the young man, shrouded in demonic energy, puffed up his cheeks and licked the sweet and sticky custard bun.

=====

What Pei Ji didn’t know was that after Ning Ning delivered the custard bun and returned to her room, the first thing she did was take out a communication talisman and send a letter to one of the outer disciples’ rooms.

The letter had a few large characters written on it: “Tomorrow evening at dinner time, at Pei Ji’s residence, make sure to take action.”

Ning Ning was forced to do this out of necessity.

The system hadn’t issued any tasks for a long time, and when it finally did, it was an especially outrageous one.

The original host, sensing the elders’ appreciation for Pei Ji, had become increasingly jealous and had planned to seek revenge. Among the outer disciples, there were all sorts of people, many of whom engaged in various side businesses, such as taking on substitute lessons, doing homework for others, and even fighting on behalf of others.

Given their dire financial circumstances, it was incredible that the original host could still manage to be so malicious and hire people to squeeze out the last of her private savings. She was truly a model of a malicious supporting character, and Ning Ning couldn’t help but feel inferior in comparison.

In any case, she needed to contact the outer disciples’ rooms, engage in some business negotiations, and then hire a group of people to cause trouble in Pei Ji’s courtyard.

Although the story naturally concluded with Pei Ji’s victory against multiple opponents, he was injured in the battle on the arena today. Regardless of the outcome, his resistance tomorrow would exacerbate his wounds, making the injuries even more severe.

That’s why Ning Ning decided to go all out and buy a custard bun as a discreet apology gift.

The response from the other side came quickly, with a brief message: “[Received].”

However, there was something Ning Ning didn’t know.

She would never imagine that, in a certain house tonight, someone had also sent out a letter just like hers.

The content was identical, as if it had been copied and pasted: “[Tomorrow evening at dinner time, at Pei Ji’s residence, make sure to take action].”

=====

So, on the second day, when Pei Ji returned to his residence after eating, he was greeted by seven or eight people gathered at his doorstep.

All of them were at the Foundation Establishment Mid Stage, and they had a hostile look with masks covering their faces.

“You must be Pei Ji,” the leader said with a cold smile. “You’re out of luck; someone hired us to teach you a lesson.”

His tone was resolute, but before Pei Ji could react, another strong voice came from not far away. “Where’s Pei Ji?”

Turning toward the sound, there were another eight burly men slowly approaching from the path. They were also at the Foundation Establishment Mid Stage and wore masks.

Both groups of people faced each other.

Their small eyes were filled with confusion, and they all wore masks with a similar posture, resembling a group of cloned dolls.

“What are those people doing here? Could it be that someone among us leaked the information, and Pei Ji prepared in advance, intentionally hiring people to protect him?” Someone whispered this in hushed tones, and the people standing at the door immediately felt alarmed.

They had just surrounded this young man named Pei, and now another group of menacing individuals appeared nearby. Judging by their fierce appearance, the newcomers were definitely not friendly.

A murmur of voices spread through the crowd.

“Oh, playing the hero to save the beauty? In this day and age, they still pull off this act.”

“They’re pretty arrogant. Do they think they can protect him even if they know where Pei Ji is?”

The leader of the first group snorted coldly and shouted loudly, “He’s right here! What do you want?”

He sounded fierce and domineering, as if he wouldn’t allow anyone to touch the young man beside him. It was a possessive gesture.

But to others, it seemed completely different.

Where did this mother hen come from, guarding the nest?

The outer disciples, who had been brought in by Ning Ning, were equally puzzled as they stood by the path, exchanging hushed voices that only they could hear.

“What’s going on? Why are there so many people around that boy?”

“Could it be that Pei Ji knew we were coming and hired people to protect him?”

“Does he really think we can’t handle those people? Does he think that having someone block us in front of him would stop us? Today, I’ll beat them until they’re a bloody mess!”

“What are we supposed to do?”

The leaders of both groups stepped forward, their tone brooking no interference. “If you’re smart, you’ll leave his side right now, or else don’t blame us for being impolite!”

“Hey, masked perverts! If you have the guts, step forward and fight one-on-one! We’re going to settle this with that kid today!”

The two teams confronted each other, tense and on edge. It was unclear who accidentally sparked it, but suddenly there was a distinct sense of impending violence.

Like a calm lake suddenly rippling with layers of waves, the standoff shattered like broken glass, and everyone erupted in anger, fists swinging forward.

Everyone held a crystal-clear belief in their hearts, one that was unwavering and shone brightly: “Pei Ji, you arrogant brat, who do you think you are looking down on? Do you really think they can’t handle those masked men? Once they deal with your hired bodyguards, it’s your death sentence!”

They wouldn’t know that Pei Ji, who was supposed to be the target of their anger, had quietly returned to his room at some point, unscathed.

They wouldn’t know that after realizing the truth, their own tears would fall like a torrential downpour, clear in their hearts.

In this world, there are many things that others don’t know.

=====

Ning Ning looked at the bill with an expressionless face.

Medical expenses, hiring fees, mental damages… and even a fee for repairing professional camaraderie? You two groups fought like there was no tomorrow, and yet Pei Ji just went back to his room to sleep. Do they really want to blame her for this?

She thought about just going and robbing them.

“[Who sent the other group of people? ]” she sent quickly.

The response came promptly: “[We have professional ethics, so we don’t usually disclose the identity of our employer.]”

“You’re ruthless.”

Her hand holding the brush trembled slightly.

When she put the brush to paper again, each word she wrote was filled with tears and blood: “[Add more money.]”

The communication symbol appeared at her window shortly after.

“[—But if you insist, it’s not impossible. Although we have professional ethics, you also know we lack morals, haha.]”

She continued to read without any expression, her gaze numbly falling on the last three words.

“[He Zhizhou]”

It was a somewhat familiar name, and Ning Ning subconsciously furrowed her brow, trying hard to recall any information about him.

Little did she know that, upon remembering, she’d be in for a shock.

In the original text, this senior brother He is mentioned only a few times in passing, but Nìng Nìng has quite a lasting impression of him.

There are mainly three incidents:

Firstly, he not only adores swords with great passion, constantly acquiring and forging them in various styles, but he also spends his days reveling and feasting down the mountain. He spends money as if it were water, matching the level of destitution akin to Tian Xianzi. This person’s brain circuit is extraordinary. When he was in dire straits, pursued by loan sharks, he used the last remaining ten thousand spirit stones on his person to buy a pile of rocks and pigments and proceeded to craft a thousand counterfeit spirit stones.

This audacious endeavor was already pushing the limits of reason, but he was further exposed when the creditor immediately recognized that the thousand spirit stones were fake. When asked why he had made counterfeit currency, his naive response was, “Because I couldn’t make real ones!”

Secondly, this man is incredibly straightforward in nature. When he encounters someone he dislikes, he immediately draws his sword, regardless of the other person’s identity. However, one day, for some inexplicable reason, he got into a dispute with a seven-year-old novice monk from the Fanyin Temple. Buddhists emphasize acting with a pure heart and not moving unless provoked.

The young monk sat down peacefully and waited, so he hesitated to strike a younger opponent, yet he also didn’t want to back down. Thus, he stood with his sword in the scorching sun, facing off against the novice for three hours. He eventually succumbed to heatstroke, collapsing while foaming at the mouth, and in a dazed state, he asked the young monk, “Why did you bully me? Why?”

As for the third incident…

The third incident that shocked the entire sect was when He Zhizhou, a disciple of the Xuanxu sect, was so poor that he resorted to selling himself in a brothel and even became a courtesan. Some believed that he possessed the aura of a cultivator and should have been a man of the dao. However, he shamelessly declared, “I am a disciple of the Wanjian Swords Sect, and you have excellent taste!” Unbeknownst to him, there happened to be a senior disciple from the Wanjian Swords Sect in the establishment who mercilessly berated him without a trace of sympathy: “Bah! You’re clearly that fake currency guy from the Xuanxu Sect!”

And thus, a legendary courtesan met his downfall, and He Zhizhou of the Xuanxu Sect gained notoriety throughout the realm.

After reminiscing about these incidents, Ning Ning was left flabbergasted. Such a terrifying individual existed in the world, and he was involved in a variety of unbelievable affairs!

However, despite He Zhizhou’s astounding and eccentric nature, in the original text, he had very little screen time and hardly interacted with the main group of characters. Now, out of the blue, he seemed to be making quite a scene…

It was all too strange.

No, this wouldn’t do.

Ning Ning thought to herself that she had to go and meet with He Zhizhou.