Chapter 164

Pei Ji was extraordinarily resilient in temperament; no matter what danger he faced or how severe his injuries, he could always endure silently. However, in his dealings with people, he could sometimes be as childish as a kid.

He didn’t know how to speak well or how to make others happy. When something went wrong, he resorted to fighting, and otherwise, he remained silent. Even when comforting someone, he was awkward.

Pei Ji frowned, showing displeasure at being called “junior brother” for the first time: “I’m older than you.”

“Alright, alright.”

She put her hands behind her back, using the light to see the road ahead, and smiled slightly.

“Actually, I was thinking of my parents. I haven’t seen them for a long time.”

Cultivators transcended the mundane, living much longer than ordinary people. Thus, they often severed ties with their families, not deliberately keeping in touch with their parents.

Pei Ji didn’t find anything wrong with her words and responded with a low “hmm,” then hesitated, “If you miss your parents, when we have some free time—”

He paused for a while, turning his gaze to the opposite side of Ning Ning, speaking casually: “I can make some time to accompany you down the mountain.”

“Oh,’make some time,’ you’re really making an effort, aren’t you? I’m already feeling good about it inside.”

Cheng Ying mocked from the side: “So eager to see the in-laws, Pei Xiaoji. You should show a bit more restraint.”

“It’s not really about going down the mountain…”

Ning Ning sighed lightly, changing the topic: “Does Qiao Yan know the truth now?”

“Yes,” Pei Ji replied, “but the Fox clan can still be saved. We’ve agreed to take them all out once the secret realm opens.”

Qiao Yan had lived for her clan for many years. Learning that the people she thought were her kin were actually demons must have been heartbreaking. Fortunately, the spirit fox lineage wasn’t extinct, giving her a glimmer of hope.

The village wasn’t large, and they soon reached the end. Just as they were about to head back, a sudden thunderclap echoed from the sky.

Ning Ning looked up blankly, and before she knew it, raindrops began to pelt her face.

“…It’s raining?”

Still in a daze, staring at the raindrops, she felt her sleeve being tugged, and a thin layer of fabric was suddenly placed over her head.

Pei Ji had taken a coat from his storage pouch and draped it over her head, grabbing her sleeve to lead her towards the nearest house.

The place was remote, with little light, and the house, ravaged by war, was reduced to ruins, with a narrow eave that could barely shelter five people.

The night flowed like water, and as Ning Ning looked forward, she saw the blurred silhouette of the young man.

Perhaps it was a hallucination, but when darkness enveloped them, Pei Ji’s fingers gripping her sleeve tightened slightly, pulling Ning Ning a step closer.

“What’s wrong?”

After a while, Pei Ji’s voice came from the darkness, as heavy as the night itself: “Nothing.”

Once inside the ruined house, he released her sleeve, holding his sword as he leaned against a wall; Ning Ning, unconcerned, stood nearby, observing the scene outside.

It must have been a long time since it rained in the secret realm. The ground had cracked with fine lines, and now small, transparent bubbles were forming from the moisture. A distant lantern cast a faint light, turning the raindrops a murky white.

“It seems to be getting colder.”

The house was half-collapsed, with no doors, windows, or most of the walls. Rain slanted in from the front, and Ning Ning, her eyes stinging from the cold wind, wrapped Pei Ji’s coat tighter around herself and turned to look at him: “Are you cold?”

As she turned her head, a flash of lightning illuminated the sky.

The blinding white light revealed the young man’s stern face, and Ning Ning was surprised to see Pei Ji biting his lip hard, his face unnaturally pale.

The demonic energy was still lingering around… Was it affecting him, causing another episode?

But there was no black mist around him as before, unlike previous episodes.

Ning Ning only glanced briefly before it turned dark again. She was puzzled and suddenly remembered the brief descriptions in the original story.

Pei Ji’s mother had once locked him in a dark, cramped cellar, where he was tortured and wounded all over…

Right, the original text did mention that he often kept a light on when he slept.

When Ning Ning read it, she was puzzled by this behavior.

Thinking about it now, could it be that Pei Ji was afraid of the dark?

Another flash of lightning streaked across the sky. The black-clad youth in the corner sensed her gaze and turned his head away with a stern expression.

His black hair was soaked by the rain blowing in sideways, and his body was indeed stiff and straight, gripping his sword tightly.

Ning Ning had a pretty good guess. After a brief hesitation, she took a few steps forward, slowly approaching him.

Pei Ji quietly moved a bit closer to the corner, his voice stiff: “What’s wrong?”

“I’m afraid of the dark.”

She spoke with a hint of a smile, moving to his side like a breeze, bringing with her the light scent of gardenias: “I want to talk to you.”

“Ning Ning, afraid of the dark? I never noticed before—she even said the glow of spirit mushrooms kept her awake.”

Cheng Ying whispered mischievously to him, then suddenly burst out laughing as if realizing something: “Pei Xiaoji, she must have figured out you’re afraid of the dark and didn’t want to embarrass you, so she used that excuse!”

Pei Ji wanted to punch it right in the face.

“I’m not afraid of the dark.”

He moved another step toward the corner, now completely out of space, and pressed against the cold wall: “I just don’t like it.”

Ning Ning was slightly taken aback.

His reasoning was odd; she had carefully crafted an excuse to approach Pei Ji and not let him feel scared. She didn’t expect him to see through her intention and awkwardly blurt it out himself.

She glanced up, noticing the sharp lines on Pei Ji’s profile. Embarrassed, he stared intently at the ground near the corner.

Ning Ning suppressed a smile and asked him lightly: “If you don’t like the dark, why do you go out alone at night when you can’t sleep?”

She had mentioned it offhandedly before, but now she genuinely suspected that he stood alone in the dark courtyard, waiting for her to wake up.

“Hahaha, Ning Ning, you’re something else!”

Cheng Ying wriggled around in his mind, its body twisting like a worm: “Pei Ji, that brat, not only did he wait outside for you to wake up, but he also secretly poked your face while you were asleep!”

Pei Ji took a deep breath with his eyes closed, gripping his sword tighter.

The pouring rain diluted all the light, filling the house with dust and stifling the air. A sudden clap of thunder echoed, and Ning Ning looked at Pei Ji again.

He unconsciously frowned, his sword wavering in his hand.

If their relationship were closer, they might hug like the protagonists in a romantic movie, but she couldn’t just rush up to him without a word—

Thunder, wind, rain, the desolate old house, and a woman suddenly drawing near—it seemed more like a scene from a horror movie or a crime documentary, the kind that would give you nightmares.

The atmosphere grew tense.

Suddenly, Pei Ji heard her voice, like a cat’s paw gently scratching his ear: “Pei Ji.”

He looked up in a daze, seeing Ning Ning’s bright eyes.

She seemed to beckon him with her finger, a mysterious look on her face: “Come closer.”

Seeing his puzzled expression, Ning Ning laughed softly: “I won’t eat you; what are you afraid of?”

So Pei Ji, with a stiff back, took a step closer to her.

The familiar, fresh scent surrounded his nose again. Unprepared, he felt something cover his head.

Ning Ning had draped the coat over him again.

Pei Ji couldn’t understand her intention. Confused, he shook his head under the fabric, then suddenly noticed another small head slipping under the coat beside him.

Ning Ning stood with him under the coat. The thin fabric swayed and fell, blocking the slanting rain and creating a very small space around them.

A space just for the two of them.

Pei Ji hated the dark and cramped spaces, but at this moment, having both made him feel unprecedented peace.

Maybe it was because he wasn’t alone—Ning Ning was there with him for the first time.

Though they didn’t touch, they were close enough in this small space filled with her warmth and presence.

“This way, I’m not scared.”

Ning Ning laughed softly: “I can know you’re right beside me.”

She paused for a while, then suddenly asked: “Pei Ji, what kind of girls do you like?”

Cheng Ying, who had been chattering nonstop, suddenly fell silent, making no more sound.

“Don’t overthink it. I just, um, casually asked. No other reason.”

Her voice grew softer, almost drowned out by the rain: “It’s just that you seem to have little interaction with the girls in the sect, so I was a bit curi—”

The last syllable caught in her throat, and Ning Ning couldn’t continue.

No, no, even if Pei Ji remained single for life like in the original story, it had nothing to do with her. Why was she curious? This explanation made it even stranger.

Ning Ning didn’t know why she blurted out that question. Her ears turned red with embarrassment as she instinctively wrapped the coat tighter around herself, looking up with pursed lips.

That look left her stunned.

Pei Ji’s deep, dark eyes were fixed on her without blinking.