"Master, this stove nurtured by spiritual fire is truly comfortable and reassuring," Ming Kong said as he raised his hand to eat a snack, displaying a compassionate smile, "The snack melts in the mouth, and the warmth of the stove enters the heart. Winter is truly wonderful."
The old monk also smiled and looked towards the corner, "Anyone wants a bite? It's sweet and warm, coming here will let you feel the temperature of the stove, isn't it wonderful?"
Ningning was stunned. It was truly heart-wrenching.
What does "killing with kindness" really mean?
—In the original story of "Seduction Discipline," the so-called "uniform" was not a noun but a complete verb!
Looking back at He Zhizhou and Lin Xun. Both were furious, panting like dogs, yet helpless and resembled hollowed-out corpses. When they looked into her eyes with tears, it was pitiful, extremely pitiful. Especially Bai Long, who knew nothing, was dragged into this class by He Zhizhou in confusion.
Ningning felt heartache and quietly left the courtyard with Pei Ji. As dusk approached and many classes ended their day of teaching, she intended to find Zheng Weiqi's figure in the crowd. After some searching, she finally saw the senior sister at the main hall entrance.
Zheng Weiqi's Zen realization had ended. For some reason, when Zheng senior sister walked expressionlessly, she didn't look like a sword cultivator but more like a homeless female ghost.
Ningning felt uneasy and tentatively called out, "Senior Sister Zheng?" Seeing the other person's bewildered turn, she added, "How's your learning going?"
Zheng Weiqi looked at her deeply, her dark eyes like eerie bottomless pits, sending shivers down Ningning's spine.
The scene fell silent for a moment. In an instant, senior sister's expression seemed to smile but not, a twitch at the corner of her mouth forming a slight curve.
Ningning saw her reach into the storage bag, take out a handful of fine sand, and throw it into the wind, getting her face and head covered in sand, smiling grimly against the wind. Immediately, Zheng Weiqi lifted a banner with one hand, while using her left hand to hold a pot and her right hand to hold a cup, pouring tea continuously, letting the hot water pour onto her hand, and finally taking out a scorpion, allowing it to sting her arm madly.
Zheng Weiqi laughed wildly, "Is it the banner that moves or is it when it's full that you must learn to let go? If you want to contaminate something pure or want to trap someone with a clear mind, evil will only hurt yourself. Stinging is its nature, compassion is my nature, my nature will not change because of its nature—hahaha!"
Ningning: ...
Ningning's eyes became sharper and sharper.
Help! Senior Sister Zheng is gone mad!
*
This Fan Yin Temple is unbearable.
The next day, there were small classes. He Zhizhou, Lin Xun, and Zheng Weiqi were deeply affected. After returning, they were so sad as if attending a funeral. After some discussion, they decided to immediately go to the debate platform and cross out their names from the registration form.
"He asked me to memorize a hundred Buddhist philosophical stories within the time it takes to burn an incense stick."
Walking towards the debate platform, Zheng Weiqi lamented sadly, "Is this something a human can do? No! The most unbelievable thing is that several monks actually managed to memorize them!"
"How could this be?"
He Zhizhou's eyes were lifeless, "I thought this small class would be a dozen monks in robes dancing around me, and I could resist the temptation... Why did it turn out like this?"
Lin Xun shivered in the cold wind, "Wuwuwu..."
"So," as they were about to reach the debate platform, Ningning asked cautiously, "Are you really planning to sneakily go and erase your names?"
Zheng Weiqi vowed, "There are so many people in a small class. Even if one or two disappear, it won't attract attention. The only thing we need to be careful of is that our actions tonight must not be noticed by anyone."
To ensure safety, Ningning and Pei Ji were assigned to stand still at the two entrances of the debate platform, keeping watch.
In the cold winter night, everything appeared especially lonely and desolate. The moon shone down with a bright white light, shimmering like water flowing on snow.
Ningning was fully focused, looking around, when suddenly, without warning, she felt a sudden surge of spiritual power.
The spiritual power felt gentle and deep, like a majestic green mountain standing still. Sensing something amiss, Ningning quickly used telepathy to alert the people inside. Before she could finish speaking, a swift wind brushed past her.
"Late at night, why is the little benefactor staying here? I see you looking around, are you looking for someone?"
The gentle voice of a young man was as clear as snow, and Ningning looked up to see a monk with distinct eyebrows and starry eyes.
His gaze shifted slightly, bypassing Ningning and directly looking at the three figures standing motionless on the debate platform, "Or are you doing something on purpose... something bad?"
This person had arrived silently, almost appearing by her side in an instant, indicating his profound cultivation.
Sure enough, in the next moment of realization, Ningning heard his polite voice, "I am Jiru."
It turned out to be Elder Jiru from Fan Yin Temple.
Being caught in the act of mischief by the host, the situation suddenly became awkward.
"I, I was just..."
If they were taking a stroll, they would have dispersed in different directions. Zheng Weiqi and others were still standing in front of the list, and explaining this way would only raise suspicion.
Unable to come up with a reason, Ningning could only stall for time, wracking her brain to come up with excuses. Just then, she heard Pei Ji's voice.
He whispered, "I've found them."
What? Found who? Who was supposed to be found?
Ningning couldn't comprehend the logic behind the statement and could only nod blankly in agreement, listening as Pei Ji continued, "Be prepared, they are not the same as usual."
He paused, emphasizing, "After all... they are... sleepwalking."
Ningning was dumbfounded.
Pei Ji had said something extremely outrageous with a straight face!
As the words settled in, not only was Elder Jiru stunned, but the other three on the debate platform were also at a loss, exchanging hurried glances.
He Zhizhou: "Sleepwalking?"
Lin Xun: "Is, is that possible?"
Zheng Weiqi: "He said so, we can only follow—wait, who knows what sleepwalking really entails?"
He Zhizhou: "Watch me!"
Under the moonlight reflecting on the fresh snow, there was a brief moment of silence. In the boundless night, Jiru clearly saw a figure on the debate platform slowly moving.
It was a kind of wriggling motion.
The moonlight illuminated the person's face, revealing the appearance of a young swordsman.
Pale-faced, with a vague expression, his eyes half-opened, showing only a small slit through which one could see rolling white eyes and a frenzied eyeball.
As the moonlight dimmed, three bodies suddenly rose, each with their heads and arms hanging down, moving slowly and stiffly. The scene was eerily strange, resembling a scene from a village chasing corpses.
Especially the young man with the rolling eyes became increasingly deep, with twisted features.
Thinking of He Zhizhou's appearance, Ningning inappropriately thought of the Yuanmou Man from history class.
"This..."
Jiru was speechless, "Is this sleepwalking?"
He struggled with the last word as He Zhizhou approached closer, walking like a zombie while muttering demonic incantations, "Hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium, boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, neon, sodium, magnesium, aluminum, silicon, phosphorus..."
These were just the elements from the periodic table, but Jiru was clueless.
He felt it was eerie and terrifying. The words spoken by this sleepwalker sounded like ancient spells, incomprehensible to him!
"Elder Jiru."
Pei Ji spoke calmly, "My sect disciples often group sleepwalk. Should I wake them up?"
Jiru's expression was complex.
Jiru: "Maybe not? I heard that sleepwalkers cannot be awakened midway... Or should we do it quietly?"
After a pause, he hesitated again, "I never expected the pressure on the disciples of the Xuanxu Sword Sect to be so great that they developed such a condition."
Pei Ji stayed silent. After a while, he pointed to a plum blossom nearby.
Jiru suddenly realized, "Oh! Are you saying that the fragrance of the plum blossom comes from the bitter cold, and after practicing the sword for many years, such hardships are inevitable?"
Pei Ji shook his head, pointing to He Zhizhou and Lin Xun not far away, "Swordsmanship."
Then he glanced at the falling plum branch in front of him, "No money ('Mei Qian')."
Ningning exclaimed in her mind, "Wow, Pei Ji is really good at drawing inferences from one example!"
