Chapter 188

Pei Ji’s voice still carried a hint of laughter, the kind of sincere laughter that seemed to overflow from the depths of his heart. He pronounced each word slowly, as if handling a precious treasure, unwilling to let it be damaged in the slightest.

Very close to her ear, Pei Ji whispered in a very soft voice, “Good night.”

Then the breath suddenly drew closer, almost touching her skin.

A soft, warm sensation landed on her earlobe.

It didn’t feel like a finger, but something even softer.

Ning Ning’s wildly beating heart suddenly skipped a beat, and she instinctively held her breath.

No way.

…No, no, no, no, that can’t be!

Her heart felt like it had exploded, making her dizzy in an instant, and her mind was turning completely blank, like molten lava surging up and bursting forth.

If she weren’t pretending to be asleep, Ning Ning would have immediately covered her face and curled into a ball.

Did Pei Ji really… kiss her earlobe while she was asleep?

The action ended quickly. The person so close to her, seemingly realizing she might have noticed, soon got up and moved away, sitting down on the wooden chair where Ning Ning had been before.

Still drunk, Pei Ji walked unsteadily and bumped into the wooden table with a dull thud, quickly stopping to avoid waking her.

Thus, he didn’t notice that Ning Ning, who had been lying stiffly in bed, quickly covered her head with the blanket and curled into a shrimp-like position.

She should have disliked such a touch.

Yet now, feeling dizzy, she thought, since Pei Ji dared to kiss her…

Why only in that spot?

=====

When Pei Ji woke up, it was almost noon. He was used to getting up early, so seeing the sunlight flooding the room startled him.

He was in the guest room where he was staying, which was now empty except for him. The quilt on the bed was neatly folded into a tofu block, looking clumsy and not at all like his handiwork.

The back of his head throbbed with pain.

Last night—

Last night, he had gone to Tianxiang Tower with his fellow disciples. At Cheng Ying’s instigation, he had blocked the wine for Ning Ning, and then—

Pei Ji’s expression suddenly froze.

In his mind, Cheng Ying pretended to play dead, lying motionless.

Pei Ji: …

Pei Ji: “I called her name?”

Cheng Ying finally twisted like a tapeworm, his voice barely audible: “That.. um.. ah.”

Pei Ji closed his eyes and took a deep breath, continuing to ask, “And I told her not to spend time with Senior Brother He… and to spend more time with me?”

Cheng Ying couldn’t help but let out a silly laugh. After realizing that this behavior would only embarrass Pei Ji even more, he said with a stern face, “It seems to be the case.”

A silence fell.

Noticing Pei Ji’s ears turning red, Cheng Ying heard him ask in a cold, hesitant voice, “Did I—”

He couldn’t finish the sentence, as if it were too shameful. Gritting his teeth, he asked in a voice of cold determination, “Did I secretly kiss her?”

Anyone recalling that scene would find it hard to suppress a smile.

Cheng Ying’s reaction ,however, was exaggerated, bursting out with a happy goose cry.

Seeing this, Pei Ji realized what had happened last night was indeed true. His chaotic and blurry memories were not imagined. He had really—

“Pei Xiaoji, it’s alright. Although you were speaking the truth while drunk, Ning Ning doesn’t know. Just play dumb, say it was drunken nonsense, and she won’t mind too much.”

Cheng Ying tried to comfort him earnestly: “And about that kiss, she was asleep and unaware. Just act like it never happened.”

Pei Ji’s expression turned grim, his fists clenched tightly.

It was a pity that, in just a moment, his defenses collapsed completely. His fingers loosened weakly, and a faint red blush crept up from his earlobes, spreading to his eyes.

For the first time in its life, Cheng Ying felt that this kid, who had always been like a mad dog or a lone wolf, now inexplicably resembled a flustered, red-eyed rabbit with its fur standing on end.

However, Pei Ji was worthy of being Pei Ji, he quickly suppressed the turmoil in his heart and picked up his sword from the table with a cold face.

Cheng Ying trembled with fear, “Pei Xiaoji, calm down, please calm down! It’s just a bit embarrassing; there’s no need to commit suicide!”

Pei Ji closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then walked straight toward the door.

“Practicing swordsmanship.”

Right, he was a sword cultivator.

Cheng Ying finally breathed a sigh of relief, “Practicing swordsmanship is fine, just don’t go killing anyone or yourself in a moment of impulse!”

Pei Ji ignored it and walked out with a cold face and red eyes.

He hadn’t even left the room when the partially closed door suddenly opened.

Ning Ning walked in.

The intense sword aura around the young man immediately softened.

“Oh, you’re awake?” Ning Ning yawned, looking no different from usual.

She placed something on the wooden table, “I bought you some hangover soup and breakfast. The soup is a bit bitter, so I also got some sugar and hawthorn—do you prefer sweet or sour?”

Cheng Ying, who was so timid in front of Pei Ji, was just as flustered when Pei Ji faced Ning Ning.

Fortunately, she showed no signs of anything being amiss. Maybe she really didn’t take last night seriously and hadn’t noticed what he had done secretly.

Pei Ji, who wasn’t this nervous even when encountering a wild python in the wilderness as a child, gripped the sword hilt tightly and replied in a flat, dry voice, “Anything is fine.”

Ning Ning nodded and stepped back, pointing to the table.

“If your head doesn’t hurt, you don’t have to drink the hangover soup. Eat your breakfast first. The results of the first round of the Ten Method Assembly will be announced soon; we can’t be late.”

His head still throbbed with pain. After standing still for a while, when he stepped forward, the lingering alcohol hit him again.

His mind went almost blank. Without time to react, he staggered unsteadily under the heavy dizziness. Ning Ning, quick to act, stepped forward and caught him.

It was an instinctive action, prompted by Pei Ji’s stumbles the night before. Ning Ning thought she would be used to it by now, but as she touched his lean and upright body, her breath hitched.

…Right, Pei Ji isn’t drunk now.

The sober Pei Ji was less filled with the scent of alcohol than last night, but there was a cold sharpness to him, and his heartbeat was faster and more intense than it had been the night before.

When her hand pressed against his chest, it almost made her hand go numb.

Strange… Could it be that he seemed calm on the surface but was actually very nervous inside?

“Sorry.”

The spot on his chest where she touched it felt hot. Pei Ji felt a burning sensation all over his body. He quickly stood up straight and walked to the table, sitting down with his back to her.

Thinking it over, he realized it wasn’t right to leave like that, as if fleeing.

Ning Ning watched him turn his back and finally sighed in relief.

The reason she hid her nervousness and pretended to be calm was not just to urge Pei Ji to eat breakfast and drink the hangover soup but also to see how he behaved when he was sober.

Luckily, he seemed not to remember what happened last night, acting as if nothing was amiss, even somewhat cold.

Great.

It was fortunate that Pei Ji didn’t know she hadn’t been asleep when he sneakily kissed her cheek.

If he ever found out, she would surely be embarrassed to death.

“Hehehe, Ningning bought breakfast, hehehe.”

Cheng Ying was in high spirits, revitalized, and looked around happily at the food on the table, “Once you two become Dao companions, it’ll probably be like this, hehehe.”

Pei Ji: …

Pei Ji kept a straight face, biting into a soft custard bun.

He rarely indulged in sweets, but the warm, milky fragrance flooded his tongue, making him reluctant to swallow.

Last night, in his confusion, he had done so many absurd things, but the most absurd was that…

That kiss.

Just thinking about that word made his heart sink heavily.

It was fortunate that Ning Ning didn’t know about it. If she found out…

The thought flashed through his mind, instantly turning the young man’s entire face red.

Pei Ji leaned on the table, rubbing his cheek against his arm. Unfortunately, this clumsy gesture did nothing to reduce the burning heat; instead, it made him more restless with each repeated touch.

If Ning Ning ever found out, he would surely be embarrassed to death.