Chapter 163

Perhaps thinking of Qin Niang, Ning Ning dreamed of her parents from another world.

She was pampered growing up, and after she fell seriously ill, her parents were even more worried. Unfortunately, despite all they did for her, they never got to enjoy the filial piety a daughter should provide, as they were separated too soon.

The more Ning Ning thought about it, the sadder she became. When she woke up, her face was covered in tears, her eyes were swollen like walnuts, and no matter what, she couldn’t go back to sleep.

She didn’t know how long she’d slept, but through the window, she could see it was still deep into the night—

Wait, the window.

Wasn’t she with Pei Ji by the waterfall before? Could he have moved them? Right, when they were by the waterfall…

Did Pei Ji carry her in his arms and let her rest her head on his shoulder?

No, no, resting her head on his shoulder—that action seemed like it was initiated by Pei Ji himself…right?

She was dazed and half-asleep at the time, not knowing what was reality and what was a dream. Regardless of whether the other memories were true or not, being held in his arms was undoubtedly real.

If Pei Ji indeed lets her head rest on his shoulder—

Ah, isn’t that too intimate?

The more Ning Ning thought about it, the more flustered she became. She pulled the covers over her head, rolling around in bed, wrapping herself into a cocoon.

She was beautiful and had a good personality. She had received many confessions since she was young, but she had never been in a relationship. It wasn’t just because her family was strict; more importantly, Ning Ning found it hard to develop feelings for those boys—

She didn’t like overly intimate interactions between the opposite sex and was resistant to blatant flirting and gestures of goodwill. Flowery words and relentless pursuits were all ineffective against her; she was practically immune to them.

But thinking about what happened with Pei Ji by the waterfall, she surprisingly didn’t dislike it.

Ning Ning poked her head out of the covers, staring blankly at the ceiling.

There must be a reasonable explanation for this.

Perhaps because it was a life-and-death situation, such actions were overlooked. Perhaps because she and Pei Ji shared a bond of mutual survival, or maybe because the cultivation world was more open about interactions between men and women—

Pah.

No matter how open the cultivation world was, it couldn’t compare to the 21st century!

The more Ning Ning thought about it, the more agitated she became. Realizing that sleep had become a luxury, she got up from the bed, her hair in a messy tangle.

She had broken the core of the Water Mirror Formation, so the two secret realms should now be merged into one. This house was undoubtedly part of the village where the Fox clan once lived together.

The village had been abandoned for a long time, and it should have been dusty and dirty. Yet, it was clean and tidy here, with not a speck of dust on the bed. Her shoes were neatly placed on the floor, unlike her usual habit of kicking them off.

Only then did Ning Ning seriously consider: Pei Ji must have brought her here, and the one who cleaned the room, took off her shoes, and tucked her in…

Could it also have been him?

It shouldn’t be, right?

Ning Ning tried to imagine the scene, finding it very odd. Pei Ji in the original work was self-willed, a veritable killing god proving his way through the sword. How could he patiently do such things?

But… the quilt did have his scent on it. Ning Ning had smelled it when she wrapped herself in it.

Unable to make sense of it and feeling particularly upset because of the dream, she decided to go out for a walk.

Opening the door, she saw a courtyard. The yard was square, surrounded by several other houses, and in the center stood a large, withered tree. Beside the tree trunk—

Ning Ning was slightly startled.

Beside the tree trunk stood a tall, upright figure—it was Pei Ji.

It must be very late now.

The sky was dark, and even the moon was absent. Only a long-burning lamp by the door was lit, making the scene more eerie, like a ghostly flame flickering in an abyss, with blood-red demonic energy swirling around.

She hadn’t expected to see Pei Ji at this hour. Hesitantly, she called out, “Pei Ji, you’re still awake?”

Then she chuckled softly, jokingly asking, “Were you waiting for me to wake up?”

Ning Ning was indeed joking, and Pei Ji, as she expected, replied with a bland expression while holding his sword, “No.”

After a brief pause, he added in a deep voice, “I couldn’t sleep, so I came out for a walk.”

“Bah! ‘Not at all’! You can lie without batting an eye, can’t you?”

A robust middle-aged male voice sounded in his ear, full of bitterness and indignation, like reporting a complaint: “Ning Ning, let me tell you! This kid was worried you might wake up in the middle of the night, be unsure of the situation, or have a spiritual energy deficiency. So, he stayed here all along—but he didn’t dare enter your room, saying something about’men and women shouldn’t touch hands’. Bah!”

Unfortunately, Ning Ning couldn’t hear a word.

Pei Ji remained expressionless, listening to Cheng Ying continue to rant indignantly: “Did you see the sword he’s holding? This kid is afraid of the dark and needs to hold it to stay outside alone! Damn it! It kept me up too. How many hours have it been? Even an old guy like me needs rest!”

“You can’t sleep either?”

Ning Ning smiled.

“Why don’t we go for a walk together?”

Pei Ji paused for a moment, seemingly a bit reluctant: “Alright.”

Cheng Ying: Heh.

—

The real secret realm was much more sinister than the previous one, with a dimness that felt like a horror movie set, with only a few lanterns by the courtyard gate offering some light.

Walking side by side in this atmosphere wasn’t very romantic; it was more like a scene from a horror movie where the doomed couple was about to meet their end.

Pei Ji held his sword the whole time, occasionally glancing at her unobtrusively.

Earlier, they were far apart, and the surroundings were dark. He couldn’t clearly see Ning Ning’s face. Now, walking side by side, he noticed she might have been crying, her eyes faintly red.

He didn’t know how to comfort people, and he couldn’t understand why the little girl beside him was crying. Despite thinking for a long time about how to speak, he only managed to tell her coldly, “If someone upsets you, you can tell me.”

Ning Ning looked at him in surprise, hearing him explain calmly, as if it didn’t matter: “I can fight.”

She felt a bit down, but upon hearing this, she couldn’t help but laugh, her eyes bending into a smile as she asked, “Junior Brother, do you always use this tactic to deal with people?”

Ning Ning rarely called him “Junior Brother.”

Now, she bit the words particularly clearly, with a hint of teasing.