Chapter 294

Ning Ning rolled lazily on the bed, turning from lying on her back to a relaxed prone position.

She had several long and chaotic dreams, and now, upon waking up, she couldn’t recall anything at all.

Her mind felt empty, but she was clear-headed and refreshed.

Abundant spiritual energy swirled in her sea of consciousness like a gently flowing mountain spring, occasionally tugging at some fragmented memories, like scenes from a movie.

Wait, spiritual energy?

Ning Ning thought groggily with her eyes still closed.

Hadn’t she exhausted all her spiritual energy before?

What exactly happened in the Demon Refining Tower?

Oh, right. She had eaten half of the Lingshu spiritual herb and entered Pei Ji’s heart demon.

Her thoughts came to a halt.

A vast, endless blackness and the shadow of a young man standing within it surfaced in her mind.

Ning Ning remembered walking step by step toward him, and then—

Pei Ji’s lips were soft.

That thought shot through her head, jolting her awake.

Ning Ning felt a wave of heat rise from the soles of her feet, spreading through her entire body. The blood in her heart felt like it was boiling, bubbling over.

No way.

She—she—she kissed Pei Ji—

Ning Ning abruptly opened her eyes, stopping her thoughts.

She curled up like a shriveled dead fish, stiffly rolling to the edge of the bed.

Her movements were so clumsy that she nearly fell off, but luckily, a hand suddenly reached out, gently pressing her shoulder.

It was a young man’s right hand, with long fingers, distinct knuckles, and slightly pink nails.

There was also a dark scar visible on the back of the hand.

After her rolling around, the entire quilt was wrapped around her, leaving only her head sticking out and her hair in a messy tangle. Ning Ning looked up dazedly, meeting a pair of deep black eyes.

Pei Ji was sitting at the bedside, looking down at her, his Adam’s apple moving silently, as if he wanted to speak but hesitated.

His tightly pressed lips seemed to move slightly.

In her final memory, Peiji had stood in that deathly still darkness, kissing her earlobe and collarbone.

Ning Ning: …

The heat in her ears intensified, even more so than before.

Remaining sanity: 50%.

Ning Ning quickly shifted her gaze away from his thin lips, trying her best to keep a straight face as she shrank further into the quilt, leaving only her eyes darting around, pretending to be calm.

This is bad.

Now, whenever she saw Pei Ji, her heart would start racing like an electric motor, pounding in her chest as if it might burst out any second.

Hopefully, he wouldn’t notice the redness on her face, or Ning Ning would die of embarrassment.

“…Feeling better?”

Pei Ji saw her avoiding his gaze and lowered his long eyelashes.

From Ningning’s angle, she could see shadows floating in his dark eyes.

He paused as he spoke, showing a hint of nervousness, and deliberately kept his voice calm: “Is there anywhere else that feels uncomfortable?”

Ning Ning replied honestly, “I feel much better.”

Actually, to be precise, Pei Ji’s condition seemed worse than hers.

She was filled with spiritual energy, and there were no obvious external injuries on her body, likely due to careful healing.

When she woke up from sleep, she felt no different from her usual lazy mornings.

But Pei Ji was completely different.

He was rarely seen wearing white clothes.

His long black hair draped down, making his face appear drained of color, with dark circles under his eyes like smudged ink, as if he hadn’t rested in a long time.

At a glance, he looked like the one who should be lying in bed instead.

Ning Ning thought over her words for a while, rubbing her nose against the quilt, and softly asked, “How are your injuries?”

Pei Ji’s lips tightened slightly before he responded in a low voice, “They’re fine. Mostly superficial wounds, just need some medicine.”

“Come on, you call those’superficial wounds’?”

Cheng Ying, recalling the deep bite marks and claw wounds Peiji received during the beast horde, wanted to give this useless young man a beating: “At times like this, you should just act like a spoiled brat and beg for a hug, okay? Why don’t you talk about your own suffering! How can you downplay it like this?”

The more Cheng Ying thought about it, the more upset he became, so he flopped down, jumping up and down: “I refuse! Why aren’t you telling the truth!”

Pei Ji ignored him with a cold expression.

Ning Ning couldn’t hear Cheng Ying’s voice and naturally didn’t respond.

She continued, following Pei Ji’s words, “You haven’t been here for long, have you?”

Bingo!

This question had a teasing tone.

Even if Pei Ji hadn’t been sitting by her bed the whole time, it wouldn’t make her seem too self-indulgent.

It could be brushed off with a lighthearted joke.

Thanks for the charm of the Chinese language!

“Right, right! This stinky brat hasn’t slept for three days and two nights!”

Cheng Ying regained his energy and yelled righteously, “He didn’t go to the Baicao Hall, didn’t take any medicinal baths, just did some quick bandaging, and ran here. He’s been sitting here like a husband-waiting rock, practically growing mold—Pei Ji, tell her the truth!”

Pei Ji: “Just a little while.”

Cheng Ying was so mad that he almost vomitted milk.

Although Pei Ji’s words were vague, Ning Ning could tell the truth from the obvious dark circles under his eyes.

Which meant that for a long time, those beautiful, deep eyes had been focused on her face.

And she had been completely unaware—

Wait, wait.

She hadn’t been snoring or grinding her teeth, right?

Ning Ning’s expression froze, and her thoughts spiraled in a strange direction.

She had just woken up from her dreams, so her hair was definitely a mess.

And her wriggling around in the blanket like a worm—he must’ve seen it all.

Remaining sanity: 30%.

Ning Ning’s heart thumped twice, and she took a small breath.

“Did I snore or drool in my sleep?”

Pei Ji paused, then shook his head.

She subconsciously let out a sigh of relief, though still uncertain, and asked, “And—and I didn’t say anything… weird in my sleep, right?”

Another shake of the head.

Ning Ning responded with an “Oh.”

How strange.

She had been so nervous about what happened in Pei Ji’s heart demon, but Pei Ji didn’t seem to care.

His demeanor and tone were as usual.

But at that time, it was clearly him who—

*(T/N: I use he/him/his for Cheng Ying instead of ‘it’ because I feel that Cheng Ying the sword spirit is more like a human than an object..)*