After the villagers arrived and saw that the wolf demon had been caught, those whose sheep had been stolen and whose family members had been injured went right up and kicked the wolf cub a few times.
Yet when it came to taking human lives, the wolf cub truly had never done such a thing.
Ning Ke then gave those villagers some gold and silver as compensation, and right in front of everyone, he placed a restriction on the wolf cub, making him guard the Ning Family Village for a year so the villagers would remain unharmed by other demons and monsters, taking it as atonement for his sins.
The one-hundred-year-old wolf cub possessed a mental age equivalent to a brat of ten or so.
Ning Ke gave him a few spiritual fruits and coaxed him.
The little fellow then obediently went to play with the children of the village.
Gone was any talk about the Demon Clan reigning supreme or unifying the two realms; he directly turned into a large husky, rolling over to expose his belly on the ground and letting the children rub and pet him.
Ning Ke observed him for a few days, and seeing that everything was fine,
he took Ning Xiaoxiao and Lou Yunxiao along to go play in the city.
Their location was close to Nantong City, which once fell under the jurisdiction of the Flowing Cloud Sect and was now managed on its behalf by the Music Sect.
Knowing they were entering Nantong City, Lou Yunxiao's mood had remained consistently low.
He had visited this place a few times in his youth, led by his father and mother on either side to see the famous illuminated night pleasure boats of Nantong City.
Yet now, things remained while the people were gone; not only were he and his parents separated by the boundary of life and death, but even this pair of eyes once used to clearly see those bustling lights was no longer bright.
During the two years following the destruction of his sect, he rarely recalled the past and rarely cried.
He had constantly, continuously suppressed himself, always forcing himself to progress.
And now, standing amidst this surging crowd on the street, looking around in a daze, everything within his field of vision was darkness.
That sense of panic born from the heart, that feeling of dissonance where he was out of step with those around him, began to continuously erode his entire being.
"Brother, someone is selling talismans over there! Come on, let's go take a look together!"
Ning Xiaoxiao grabbed the corner of Ning Ke's robe, yet failed to pull Ning Ke along.
She looked up, discovering that Ning Ke's gaze was fixed on the eldest disciple who had stopped moving at some unknown point, putting distance between them.
A pair of pupils surged with emotions she could not understand.
Unlike the brother who was always laughing and joking at ordinary times, she could sense that at this moment, Ning Ke was somewhat sorrowful.
It made her own heart twinge in sympathy.
A large hand descended onto the crown of her head, blocking her inquisitive sight as well. Ning Ke's voice carried no trace of abnormality as he told her, "Be a good girl, Xiaoxiao. Go play by yourself for a bit first; I'll bring the eldest disciple to find you in a moment."
"Alright." Ning Xiaoxiao loosened her grip on the teenager's robe.
She turned and headed toward that stall, unable to resist looking back along the way to find that Ning Ke was parting the crowd and resolutely walking step by step toward the eldest disciple.
Something was budding within her heart.
For the first time, Ning Xiaoxiao felt that her brother's feelings for the eldest disciple did not seem as simple as she had imagined.
*
Fire was burning.
Blood covered the ground.
Flesh and skin sizzled as they burned.
Lou Yunxiao found himself plunged into darkness, seemingly able to hear the miserable shrieks and wails of his loved ones.
He breathed with difficulty, his hands at his sides clenching into fists that tightened unceasingly as his nails pierced his flesh, leaving bloody marks.
He knew he needed to keep up with A Ke and the junior sister.
Yet he was unable to move a single step further.
The chaotic scents around him grew increasingly numerous.
He could scarcely manage to trace those two people who had walked away.
Would someone... please help him?
Could anyone... come and help him?
"Eldest Senior Brother."
A sudden shout pierced the darkness, charging into Lou Yunxiao's world.
Someone grabbed his chilled wrist, and the next instant, Lou Yunxiao felt himself being pulled into an embrace by Ning Ke.
A familiar, reassuring scent filled his nasal passages.
He heard his junior brother say:
"I'm sorry, Eldest Senior Brother. I'm late."
The eyes beneath the silk ribbon widened slightly. Lou Yunxiao stood stiff all over as Ning Ke held him, yet he simply could not bear to push him away.
For he could sense that once Ning Ke appeared, those terrifying sounds and scenes all vanished.
The surroundings grew lively once more, and he was no longer alone.
Now, he had a junior brother.
His junior brother was his family.
The hand hanging at his side tentatively raised, ultimately returning Ning Ke's embrace.
Neither he nor Ning Ke spoke.
They simply held each other quietly until Lou Yunxiao's mood completely calmed down.
"I walked too slowly and fell behind, you're not to blame." Lou Yunxiao released Ning Ke and asked, "Where is the little junior sister?"
"She went to look at the talisman-selling stall." Ning Ke curved a finger to scratch his face, feeling somewhat unnatural as well.
In truth, he didn't know why, when he clearly could have just taken Lou Yunxiao's hand and jokingly led him to catch up with Ning Xiaoxiao, his brain had short-circuited and changed to hugging Lou Yunxiao instead.
Could it be that Lou Yunxiao just then had been too pitiful?
Biting his lower lip, his palms gouged until they bled, standing alone amidst the bustling street as if he had been abandoned by the entire world...
"Then let's go find her." After Lou Yunxiao said this,
he paused.
Then, for the first time, he proactively reached out a hand toward Ning Ke, a faint red suffusing his cheeks that would absolutely go unnoticed without careful inspection.
"But I don't know the direction. Could I trouble Junior Brother to... hold my hand?"
Ning Ke eyed the hand extended before him, his fox-like eyes blinking once, twice, three times, unable to resist speaking to Xiao Yuan in his consciousness: Xiao Yuan, look, is this licking dog of mine about to turn legitimate?
[...I'd say you as an actor are about to turn bent instead!]
Ning Ke: I am not, I didn't, stop talking nonsense. Bro is straight as an arrow!
Yet being straight did not mean he wouldn't hold a delivered hand!
After all, he was currently the junior brother who "wholeheartedly fancied" the male protagonist, right?
Grasping Lou Yunxiao's hand in a firm grip, he tucked it into the pocket of his cloak as Ning Ke said, "You'd better hold my hand tight this time, and don't fall behind or get lost again, you understand?"
"Alright."
*
Ning Ke had not led Lou Yunxiao very far when he heard a commotion coming from ahead. Pushing aside the crowd of onlookers, he discovered it was precisely the talisman stall Ning Xiaoxiao had mentioned earlier.
And his little sister was standing right at the table, side by side with the stall owner, engaged in a live talisman-drawing competition!
The young girl held a talisman brush, concentrating her mind and gathering her Qi, a pair of eyes holding a seriousness unlike usual.
The stall owner beside her was a teenage boy of roughly the same age, whose talisman-drawing speed was a large margin faster than Ning Xiaoxiao's, and whose brushstrokes were extremely steady, flowing like clouds and water.
"Judging by the stall owner's attire, he should be from the Music Sect, right? Aren't they people who play musical instruments? Who would have thought he'd be so formidable at drawing talismans too?"
"Ordinary Music Sect disciples aren't this formidable! Do you see the silver ring on that boy's right ear? He's the number two on the Heavenly Dao Stele, Zhuang Yusheng!"
"It's actually him?! That all-rounded genius?"
"Right, everyone says that although the Heavenly Dao's talent stele shows Lou Yunxiao as number one, if they truly compared, Zhuang Yusheng might surpass Lou Yunxiao by a huge margin!"
Lou Yunxiao cared nothing for such talk, but Ning Ke couldn't stand listening any longer.
He stepped forward and said, "Big Brother here, you can't put it quite like that. Seeing is believing, while hearing is doubtful, right? Which of the two of them is stronger-won't we know when the sect grand tournament arrives in early spring?"
That person turned his head, and upon seeing Ning Ke and Lou Yunxiao, his breath hitched.
He hurriedly agreed with a stream of "right, right, right" while asking:
"The bearing of these two Immortals is extraordinary; might I ask what sect you hail from?"
"Traveling out and about, keep a low profile, keep a low profile." Ning Ke smiled as he said, "Right, I'd like to ask why the two of them are competing in drawing talismans?"
That person said, "I recall the little girl saying she's recently been learning to draw talismans with her brother, and wanted to take this opportunity to make her brother look at her in a new light and give him a surprise, though I don't know which one her brother is."
He couldn't help marveling, "That young Immortal is also quite formidable; although she couldn't keep pace with Zhuang Yusheng's speed, for her age, to accomplish this much is already quite good."
Ning Ke lowered his eyes slightly, his emotions stirred.
Looking over again, Zhuang Yusheng had already completed the painting of all the talismans.
He stopped his brush.
Knowing she had lost, Ning Xiaoxiao felt no annoyance, her eyes still shining brightly.
She said, "You really are amazing! If I could reach your level, my brother should be quite happy..."
"I'm already very happy right now." Ning Ke walked over, ruffling the little sister's hair. "Our Xiaoxiao's hard work has been seen by Brother."
"Brother!" Ning Xiaoxiao held up those drawn talisman papers, looking just like a child asking for merit as she let Ning Ke look. "Look, these are all drawn by me. I've been seriously studying everything you taught me! I wasn't just thinking about playing around!"
"Mm-hm, Brother knows. From now on, Brother will never say you aren't working hard again."
Ning Ke spoke to her in a soft voice, yet when he turned his head, he saw Zhuang Yusheng staring blankly at him.
As if he had lost his soul, standing completely unmoving for a long while.
"?"
Ning Ke said, "Many thanks to Fellow Daoist for taking care of my younger sister just now..."
The moment he finished speaking, he watched Zhuang Yusheng's handsome face flush red at a speed visible to the naked eye.
As if mustering all his courage, he stammered to him:
"F-Fellow Daoist, do, do you have a dao companion?"
"If you don't, would you mind being, being together with me?"
Ning Ke:???
Ning Xiaoxiao:(ΩДΩ)
Lou Yunxiao:...!
Before you continue