Chapter 368

That voice didn’t belong to his mother; she would never speak to him in such a gentle tone.

— Had she finally grown tired of him and given him away to someone else?

Cheng Ying’s voice no longer lingered, leaving only pitch-black darkness before him.

Surrounding him was confusion, panic, despair, and endless fear.

Suddenly, the scent drew closer again.

Something warm landed on Pei Ji’s forehead.

“Pei Ji.”

The voice was soft and gentle, slipping into his ears and directly into his heart: “Don’t be afraid. Open your eyes.”

The boy’s fingers clutched the bed sheet.

In the cellar, his mother occasionally ordered him to beg for forgiveness or apologize, but Pei Ji rarely complied, enduring it in silence most of the time.

Yet, this voice carried an inexplicable familiarity that made him instinctively want to lean closer.

Slowly, Pei Ji opened his eyes.

The previously blinding sunlight had completely vanished, replaced by the soft glow that enveloped the room.

The window had been shut at some point, and the person before him placed their thumb on his forehead, shading his eyes with their hand, blocking out the intrusive light.

“My name is Ning Ning.”

Ning Ning smiled at him.

Backlit by the glow, her dark almond-shaped eyes glimmered gently, like water rippling softly under the night sky: “Your mother isn’t here. I won’t hurt you.”

After saying this, she pondered for a moment, then softly asked, “May I touch you?”

Pei Ji pursed his lips but gave no answer.

The stranger in front of him hesitated, sighed lightly, and then leaned closer, lowering her voice to a near whisper: “Come here.”

As she extended her hand, his instinct was to shield his head and evade her touch.

Unexpectedly, no scolding or slap came.

Instead, one hand cradled the back of his head while the other gently supported his arm, lifting him slightly.

In an instant, the boy’s frail body was pulled into Ning Ning’s embrace.

Pei Ji tensed, at a loss for what to do, his heart pounding faster than ever.

He was still trembling, his small frame painfully thin.

Holding him felt like cradling a skeleton.

Pei Ji as a child was like this—fragile, timid, and unaware of the world, like a quiet cub that had yet to grow fangs.

Ning Ning’s heart ached as she placed one hand on his protruding shoulder blade and gently patted his head with the other.

The sensation of being patted was peculiar.

Pei Ji couldn’t tell if it was comforting or ticklish.

It was the first time someone had ever done this to him.

The warmth of her embrace, accompanied by a faint fragrance, gradually calmed his trembling.

Pei Ji dared not move, but he heard her voice: “How old are you this year?”

He bit his lower lip.

His voice was soft and childlike but carried an unnatural hoarseness.

Timidly, he murmured, barely audible: “Twelve… or thirteen.”

***

“Tsk..tsk, was Pei Ji this soft and adorable as a kid?”

He Zhizhou gazed at the little boy sitting on the stool with great interest, the corners of his lips curling mischievously.

“Come on, Pei Ji, call me big brother.”

Pei Ji kept his head down, not looking at him.

“Don’t bully him,” Ning Ning said, shielding Pei Ji.

“Be careful—if he regains his memory, he might draw his sword against you.”

After discovering Pei Ji had reverted to his childhood form, Ning Ning quickly sought her master’s help.

Tian Xianzi, who was well-versed in such matters, examined him and assured them there was no serious problem.

With some rest, he would recover.

Because Pei Ji was so emaciated, Tian Xianzi insisted on taking them to the dining hall, where they coincidentally ran into He Zhizhou and Zheng Weiqi.

Usually cold and imposing, Pei Ji now looked shy and docile.

Zheng Weiqi’s maternal instincts were triggered as she gazed at him with a doting “auntie” expression.

“Little Ji Ji, don’t mind that uncle. Come play with your pretty sister instead.”

He Zhizhou exclaimed, “Don’t think I didn’t catch you messing up the seniority on purpose!”

“Pei Ji’s spiritual sea of consciousness hasn’t fully recovered. He must’ve secretly practiced swordplay, disrupting his spiritual flow and causing his body to revert to his childhood state, along with his memories,” Tian Xianzi explained thoughtfully while stroking his chin.

“This is no big deal. Once his spiritual flow stabilizes, he’ll return to normal. Now then, Pei Ji, call me Master!”

He squatted in front of Pei Ji, making silly faces and enthusiastically encouraging him.

“Repeat after me: ‘The greatest under heaven… Master!’”

Standing beside Pei Ji, Ning Ning didn’t hear him repeating anything about being the “greatest.”

Instead, she noticed a light tug on her sleeve, so faint it was almost imperceptible.

She looked down and met Pei Ji’s dark eyes.

He wasn’t used to noisy environments, and being stared at by so many strangers made him feel even more uncomfortable.

The child’s clear eyes, devoid of the grim aura he usually carried, resembled unpicked, dew-covered black grapes.

A slight blush appeared on his face as their gazes met, and he quickly lowered his head.

Adorably devastating.

Ning Ning’s heart melted into a puddle.

“Unbelievable. Even as a kid, this brat only clings to Ning Ning,” He Zhizhou complained bitterly, his face twisted with jealousy.

“What’s wrong with us sisters, uncles, and grandpas?”

Tian Xianzi knocked him on the head repeatedly.

“It’s an imprinting instinct. In an unfamiliar place, he’s bound to cling to the first person he sees.”

Ning Ning crouched down and looked up at Pei Ji.

“Are you hungry? The porridge will be ready soon.”

No sooner had she spoken than Zheng Weiqi exclaimed, “Quick, quick, the porridge is done!”

Pei Ji didn’t like greasy food, and his current condition couldn’t handle anything too spicy.

After some deliberation, they decided on a bowl of sweet rice porridge for him.

“Be careful with the heat, my good disciple. Come, come, let the master blow it for you.”

Tian Xianzi seldom took care of children, and his movements of feeding him porridge with a spoon were very unskilled.

When the porcelain spoon touched the boy’s pale lips, Pei Ji’s long eyelashes trembled slightly, and his whole body froze as if hesitating.

Suddenly, a warm hand gently clasped his right hand.

Reassured by the comforting warmth, Ning Ning said softly, “It’s okay. Don’t be afraid.”

Only then did Pei Ji open his mouth and take a bite of the sweet rice porridge.

Tian Xianzi beamed like he had just discovered a legendary sword technique; the corners of his mouth were almost raised to the sky.

He laughed wildly in voice transmission: “Look, he ate it, he ate it! I fed him!”

The porridge was a bit hot but not uncomfortably so.

Instead, its warmth spread soothingly through him.

The sweet scent of sugar filled the air, leaving Pei Ji staring blankly in surprise.

So warm.

The heat radiated from his tongue to his throat and stomach, filling every cold, parched corner of his body with a gentle, nourishing warmth.