Chapter 003: Heaven and Hell

Ning Yi was not swayed by this, as he pinched Pei Fan's cheeks with both hands, playfully manipulating them. Watching the girl exclaim in pain, he thought about how everything was almost ready at that moment. He glanced at his relatively plump pouch, feeling quite pleased, and cheerfully corrected himself: "It is indeed good to be wealthy"

Ning Yi gazed at the sunlight illuminating Pei Fan's profile; this face was clean and youthful, radiant and captivating, with features gracefully arranged, resembling a lotus emerging from the water. At this moment, with clenched teeth and furrowed brows, it truly evoked a sense of pity.

Having completed these tasks, it was already dark. The two of them casually dealt with some food.

Ning Yi sighed, squatting down beside her, watching Pei Fan pick and choose, ultimately playing with a red fish jade pendant, unable to part with it.

The girl who was holding Ning Yi's arm had changed into a white outfit and specially spent half a tael of silver to buy a replica sword, which she attached to her waist. She was jumping around, particularly happy, and said with a smile: "Four hundred taels, we still have over three hundred taels left, and there’s still a large amount!"

Even if one could truly capture a thousand taels, it would have nothing to do with oneself

There was another disturbance outside the city gate, sounding like the ringing of swords, and the crowd became agitated once more

Pei Fan was left speechless.

"Fortune?" Another person pondered: "The mass grave over there has always been sinister... The Great Thunder Sound Temple and the Daoist sect wanted to pry open a piece of burial ground, and in the process, seventy to eighty disciples died, not a single one came out. Will it be the same this time?"

The girl being pulled along by Ning Yi was somewhat dazed, murmuring: "No, the graveyard is empty, and it's pitch dark, I can't see anything. I climbed up with you on my back and dragged you for a while, and just as we were about to leave, I heard strange sounds coming from the mass grave over there..."

A rustling sound emerged from the crowd

When one can bow their head, why bother competing with those who have trivial matters?

The streets of Qingbai City have made way for a road

Who is willing to deal with those mysterious and ghostly matters

Compared to Zhongzhou, Xiling is located in a remote area, is not prosperous, and is even somewhat tumultuous

In a hurried rush, Ning Yi felt a tingling sensation on his scalp and quietly asked, "Pei Fan, when you came down to meet me, did you see any strange phenomena?"

Ning Yi conducted another round of inspection, and the uneasy thoughts in his heart dissipated to a large extent, leaving only a slight trace. He felt a sense of justification as he pushed Pei Fan towards the bed, saying: "Just endure for a little while, it is only for tonight. We will leave at dawn."

The crowd surged.

Yet the eyelids feel as heavy as a thousand-pound pendant, slowly closing, as drowsiness gradually creeps into the mind

"They are the people of 'Tiangong'... They have always acted in a high-profile manner, but Xiling is not their territory. Why have they come to Qingbai City?"

Pei Fan remained unmoved, still appearing as if he was about to part with the jade pendant, and said pitifully: "I fear that if the money is insufficient, you will sell me and return to Xiling alone"

Ning Yi has lived in the Bodhisattva temple since childhood, totaling more than ten years. Even though he does not fully believe in the ways of gods and spirits, he still harbors a sense of reverence deep within his heart

Ning Yi took a deep breath and rubbed his brow

Ning Yi did not know, but he was aware that his life was not easy

The mass grave, eerie, unclean things

Pei Fan watched Ning Yi walk back and forth, arranging the dilapidated temple inside and out. In the end, still feeling uneasy, he took out the "Panlong Incense" he had bought from his bag, lit it with considerable reluctance, and placed it in front of the statue of the Bodhisattva. The smoke from the incense curled and spread out. Ning Yi earnestly clasped his hands together, murmuring softly, and stared at the Bodhisattva statue for a long time. Then he inserted two cloves of garlic into the incense burner... The smoke from the incense curled and spread out. Ning Yi earnestly clasped his hands together, murmuring softly, and stared at the Bodhisattva statue for a long time. Then he inserted two cloves of garlic into the incense burner...

In Xiling, when in the city of Qingbai, Ning Yi purchased a large number of self-defense items

The sinister feeling deep within is growing stronger.

Ning Yi immediately felt a great headache and, enduring the pain, said: "Just buy it, just buy it"

Ning Yi let out a long sigh, thinking that this girl would probably become a disaster for the country and the people when she grew up. He quickly tossed down a small handful of copper coins and turned to pull Pei Fan away.

He looked at his right hand, having not mentioned the matter of "Sui Yangzhu" to Pei Fan. That bead had shattered in his hand, and since then, the feeling of lingering gloom had already wrapped itself around his heart.

Canned black dog blood, trickling down to the ground, a peach wood sword, hanging high in front of the temple, swaying in the wind

After the city gate swung wide open, more than ten tall and robust white horses emerged, their hooves thundering and ringing in the ears. The riders atop the large white horses were all clad in plain white linen robes, which were not particularly clean and bore bloodstains that had not been washed away in time. At this moment, the robes fluttered in the wind, obscuring the faces of these individuals, making it difficult to discern their features

All the way

Ning Yi squinted his eyes and took two steps back while holding Pei Fan.

Various factions are intertwined, and the Sui Dynasty in the Central Plains is unable to intervene. The monks of the Great Thunder Sound Temple, along with the Daoist sects, are forming alliances on this land, and incidents of armed violations of prohibitions are frequently observed.

Ning Yi's expression grew serious as he turned his back to the practitioners riding white horses and draped in white robes. He raised a finger to his lips and gently shushed, then opened his arms and softly embraced Pei Fan

Pei Fan was still unhappy and muttered, "Then I don't want that, I want to be with Ning Yi!"

The girl cried out all the way, while the boy in front was pulling her along. They only paused slightly after passing the stall on the road

The conversation of those few people earlier left Ning Yi and Pei Fan in silence. Seizing this opportunity, they quickly slipped away from the crowd in Qingbai City, found a secluded spot, and then cautiously left the city.

Ning Yi sighed and said, "If the money is not enough, would it be acceptable for me to sell myself, my ancestors?"

Moreover, I heard that in the latter half of last night, when that 'thing' emerged, the Heavenly Palace had already engaged with 'it'. It seems that... they did not gain any advantage. The person beside Ning Yi glanced around and whispered with a frown: 'Those people from Zhongzhou arrived even faster than those from the Great Thunder Sound Temple and the Dao Sect, indicating that there may be considerable opportunities associated with that 'thing'.

Pei Fan was momentarily taken aback, offering no resistance. She pressed her lips together, her brows and eyes relaxing, a hint of a smile gracing her features. With her hands naturally encircling Ning Yi's waist, she buried herself in his chest, taking a deep breath.

When Ning Yi went to the pawnshop to pawn the blood jade necklace, he was quite cautious and declined the shopkeeper's kind offer to auction it on his behalf. He took four hundred taels of silver and left. If he were to discuss it in depth, he might wonder how many taels this necklace could fetch... Ning Yi did not know, but in this chaotic area of Qingbai City, he probably had an idea of the number of corpses buried each year.

Ning Yi said helplessly: "We can't just walk there, hiring a vehicle all the way. The West Ridge is quite chaotic, and if we have to follow the caravan... you will complain about my nagging again. Feel free to spend money, anyway, if we run out of silver halfway, I will sell you off to make up for the travel expenses and continue my life in my dilapidated temple."

These words stirred in his mind, an invisible pressure weighing heavily on Ning Yi's heart. Last night's experience felt like a heavy stone and a picture book; even those in the heavenly palace could not contain it. What on earth was it? Surely it couldn't have been something he released himself

Pei Fan jumped in front of Ning Yi, resting his hands on his knees, a smile spreading across his face, and said playfully: "Ning Yi, you are truly wonderful!"

Four hundred taels, we bought a total of six sets of clothes, spending one tael, I bought you a hairpin, costing half a tael, we had a good meal, half a tael, miscellaneous expenses, adding up to a total of four and a half taels. Ning Yi counted on his fingers, frowning and said: "Pei Fan, why is a copy of the Xiling map so expensive, it actually sells for ten taels? Have we been cheated?"

Ning Yi shook his head and turned around three times, then took out a string of garlic and hung it by the head of the bed

On a sunny afternoon, Ning Yi led Pei Fan, and the two of them changed into a brand new set of clothes. Previously, relying on muddling through in Qingbai City, and fearing to provoke powerful figures they could not afford to offend, Ning Yi only dared to steal small items and trinkets. ... They resorted to grave robbing in the mass grave ... purely out of desperation after several days without any "harvest".

Pei Fan wore a troubled expression as he placed the red fish jade pendant back, his hand hovering in mid-air, clearly waiting for someone to speak up

Pei Fan pinched his nose, extremely reluctant, yet still squeezed onto a small, shabby bed with Ning Yi

Pei Fan sat at the head of the bed, watching as the young man unwrapped the large package and began to take out items one by one

What is there three feet above one's head

The smell in the temple has become quite strange

Ning Yi cast a sidelong glance at the girl, took the garlic, broke it in half, inhaled deeply, and held his breath as he said: "A cautious approach ensures a long journey. We will set off tomorrow. If that monster dares to come knocking tonight, I will let it experience what true madness is like"

Upon arriving at the Guanyin Temple, Ning Yi remained restless, while Pei Fan appeared calm and composed, unaffected by the wind and rain, as steady as a mountain. He was popping red dates into his mouth one by one, mumbling, "Are you worried about being haunted by a demon? If that thing has come out and fought with the people from the Heavenly Palace, it probably didn't gain anything from it. If it seeks revenge, it should go after those from the Heavenly Palace, not us. Besides, we released it, so if it comes looking for us, it should be grateful to us."

When it came to the word "one," Pei Fan jumped forward a large step, turned around and made a cat face, baring her teeth and waving her claws. It was evident that the girl was genuinely happy, and she squatted down by the roadside stall, joyfully selecting the trinkets of little girls.

With meticulous preparations, Ning Yi stared wide-eyed at the string of garlic hanging by his bedside, ready to endure the night by simmering it, just to get through it.

The stall owner gazed at the girl's half-profile, lost in thought, unable to resist the urge to give her the jade pendant, while also wanting to teach the stingy poor boy a lesson.

Ning Yi looked around and gritted his teeth, saying: "This is a Bodhisattva temple, I refuse to believe that you would dare to act recklessly in front of the Bodhisattva"

It is said that something unclean has emerged from the mass grave outside Qingbai City. The major forces nearby, upon learning of this news, are likely to arrive at Qingbai City soon. Not only will there be practitioners from the Heavenly Palace, but also strange beings from the Underworld, and several sacred mountains from the Central Plains may also come.

The city gate of Qingbai City resonated with a clear sound.

Pei Fan disdainfully picked up the garlic, furrowed her beautiful brows, covered her nose, and said: "Ning Yi! When did you buy this?"

Ning Yi felt a brief sense of relief in his heart, followed by a wave of fear. He murmured softly, "Fortunately, we are both lucky. If you had been any slower and encountered the Heavenly Palace or those unclean things, we would probably be finished.