Page 28

The surroundings were deathly silent, with only the youth's heavy, ragged breathing audible. Twilight crept bit by bit from West Mountain, gradually swallowing the entire courtyard.

Caught off guard, Pei Ji heard a series of footsteps.

The person's gait was light and brisk; to him, it was even quieter than his own breathing.

Except for his master, Tian Xianzi, who had visited a few times, no one ever set foot in the courtyard where he lived.

Immediately following this was a series of knocks on the door, accompanied by a familiar voice: "Junior Brother, are you in your room?"

The Chengying in his heart stirred slightly.

No candles were lit in the room. In the murky darkness of the night, Ning Ning could only see a blurry, standing shadow through the window paper under the moonlight.

Hearing no response, she hesitated for a moment before knocking again: "Master asked me to bring you some medicine."

The young girl's fingers were fair and delicate, her knuckles tapping against the door panel to produce a crisp sound.

The force of the knocking caused the wooden board to tremble ever so slightly. That vibration traveled through the door and straight to the back Pei Ji had pressed against it, bringing with it a faint, imperceptible numbness.

Separated by a thin wooden door, Ning Ning's knuckles were positioned right over his heart.

Pei Ji tilted his head back slightly, finally pulling his teeth away from his lower lip. It took almost all his strength to produce a sound, his voice strangely hoarse: "Leave it at the door."

Ning Ning outside the door seemed to be stunned for a moment, responding with a hint of hesitation: "Can you not open the door? There is something I need to hand to you personally."

His throat bobbed weakly. Pei Ji pressed his palm against the door panel, his curled knuckles turning white from the exertion.

At a time like this, he really should have run out of patience.

The agony in his mind and the bone-chilling pain racking his body were torturing him every second, leaving him no time to think of anything else. Pei Ji had a bad temper; in the past, he would never have responded to another word from anyone.

But for some reason, he suddenly recalled the figure of the young girl bursting into the Outer Sect Disciple quarters that day.

In the midst of his chaotic thoughts, he found himself asking in a muffled voice: "What is it?"

This time, it was Ning Ning's turn to hesitate.

She paused, seemingly embarrassed to say the name of the item, and lowered her voice in a slightly dejected manner: "It's nothing important... I'll just leave it at the door with the medicine box."

Pei Ji didn't speak, his fingers pressing harder against the door.

There was no sound from outside for a long while. He assumed the girl had already left, but unexpectedly, he heard her soft voice again: "Are you keeping the Yin Mountain Ghost Pearl I gave you with you?"

Ning Ning had read the original novel and knew that he sometimes suffered from leaks of Devilish Qi.

Pei Ji wouldn't be so petty as to refuse to open the door for her; the reason he had rejected treatment from the medical cultivator at the martial arts arena and returned to his room must have been for this very reason.

Although the Yin Mountain Ghost Pearl couldn't cure him completely, it could at least alleviate some of the pain. If he had received such a treasure only to leave it in a drawer, it would be a complete waste of a precious item.

She said this all in one breath, and only after she finished did she realize that something seemed a bit off.

Pei Ji did not know that the Yin Mountain Ghost Pearl could suppress Devilish Qi. In his eyes, she had given him the pearl and then shamelessly insisted that he must keep it on his person...

It was practically the same as making him wear a token of affection!

Ning Ning's ears turned red abruptly, and she hurriedly explained, "I heard that the Yin Mountain Ghost Pearl can treat illnesses. If Junior Brother happens to be poisoned while out on a trial, you can use it to turn danger into safety."

Chengying would usually never speak up to annoy him when Devilish Qi was surging, but at this moment, it clicked its tongue: "The young lady wants you to remember a token of affection, Pei Ji."

What token of affection.

A sneer crossed the youth's lips. As if he felt the sword wounds on his body weren't deep enough, he pulled a small knife from his robes and stabbed it into his wrist.

There is no such thing as love or affection without reason in this world. He and that proud, arrogant Senior Sister had almost no interaction; how could she be enamored with him?

Even if she truly had some interest, it would only be because she fancied this useless appearance of his. Before long, this cheap sentiment would vanish into thin air.

He was not a fool; he would not let himself fall into it.

As Pei Ji dragged the small knife to the right, he responded nonchalantly, his expression one of a mocking smile: "Many thanks, Senior Sister. However, the Yin Mountain Ghost Pearl is truly too precious. I, Pei Ji, have no fortune to enjoy it. It would be better to return it to you."

He did not want to owe any favors. Last time, Ning Ning had turned and run away the moment she finished speaking, leaving him no chance to refuse. This time, he could finally make things clear.

The young girl outside the door seemed to grow anxious, her volume increasing by several degrees: "You saved my life; it is only right that I repay you. That pearl—"

Just as she reached this point in her words, a creaking sound rang in his ears.

Pei Ji opened the door.

His appearance was wretched to the extreme. The bloodshot veins in the whites of his eyes grew like vines, occupying the better part of his vision.

His entire body was permeated with the scent of blood. His black clothes and black hair melted into the night, and only his pale cheeks, dampened by the moonlight, were so fair they seemed to glow.

The thick, dark night was as gloomy as ink, pressing the moonlight down in silence.

The gloom in the depths of Pei Ji's eyes was even worse, fierce and vicious, as if he were about to swallow her whole in one gulp.

"In any case!"

Ning Ning was not afraid of him. She quickly unwrapped the handkerchief she held in her hands, revealing a pale yellow, spherical object inside. The moment Pei Ji opened his mouth to refuse her, she stood on her tiptoes.

Then, she stuffed that thing into his mouth without the slightest hesitation.

The sensation upon entry was incredibly soft. Half of the squishy, round little ball was shoved into his mouth, and the youth's thin cheeks were suddenly stretched until they were bulging, puffed out like a steamed bun.

The ferocity on Pei Ji's face gradually dissolved, replaced by eyes full of astonishment and bewilderment. He blinked, at a complete loss for what to do.

Even the remaining, wispy Devilish Qi came to an abrupt halt, as if it were somewhat shocked and shy, quietly spinning in mid-air before diving into the pitch-black shadows.

"I don't want to hear anything you have to say. I told you to carry the pearl, so you must carry the pearl, otherwise I—"

She thought for a long while but couldn't come up with any harsh words, so she could only stare at him with wide eyes: "Otherwise, I will be very, very angry, and I am very scary when I'm angry."