Floating Life Like a Dream (Part Six)

Upon the ancient battlefield, demonic winds howled in gusts. Di Ying raised her eyes and saw the fake general clad in heavy armor, each step he took emitting a dull, clanking sound. Even in battle, he refused to shed it; she knew not what bizarre habits these monsters possessed.

But she did not care to ponder it. Di Ying glanced at the sky and saw that the auspicious hour had not yet passed. As long as she swiftly subdued this demon, she would be in time to dispel her own calamity, and even owe her Senior Brother a great favor—truly killing two birds with one stone. At this thought, her spirits rose.

As the great demon swept forward with a howling gale, she gave a soft cry, wielding her sword as she leapt forward to strike directly at her opponent. After days of bitter training at the Yujing Sect, she also wished to seize this opportunity to test the fruits of her cultivation.

The bridal gown she wore was cumbersome and heavy. In the midst of the clash, Di Ying borrowed the great demon's force to tear the wedding dress, revealing the neat male robes beneath, with the faint hem of a pale yellow skirt showing. Seeing the bridal gown torn, the fake general suddenly went mad, his eyes turning blood-red as he roared and charged straight at her.

Di Ying met the attack with a palm strike, her toes lightly tapping the tip of her sword as she leapt high into the air, looking at him in surprise: "Are you truly infatuated with Lady Liu? Does she even know who you are?"

The fake general trembled with rage: "If not for you all, she would have married me tonight..."

As his words fell, a world-shaking boom resounded, and countless hoarse whispers echoed. In an instant, the vast, empty battlefield was filled with countless ghostly shadows as thick as dark clouds, surrounding and attacking Di Ying under the fake general's command.

Di Ying shuddered, cold sweat pouring down. She was naturally terrified of ghosts, and she had never expected these ghosts to obey a demon's command—it defied all logic. Attacked simultaneously by the spectral shadows and the fake general, she was thrown into a frenzy, retreating step by step. When a cold ghostly shadow brushed against her, she could not help but scream: "Do not touch me!"

In her panic, Di Ying fell into a disadvantage. Seeing this, the fake general channeled his magic to strike directly at her forehead. Di Ying tumbled to the ground, hastily raising her sword to block, but she was still struck by a ghostly shadow, tilting her head to spit a mouthful of fresh blood onto the yellow earth.

At the same time, along the road, Jiang Xuehe suddenly felt a sweetness in his throat, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood. The "Heart-to-Heart Formation" had taken effect; any injury Di Ying suffered would be transferred to him. His face remained expressionless as he casually wiped the blood from the corner of his lips, thinking to himself that it was fortunate he had forced this array upon her that day; even if he was not by her side, he could still protect her. He hastily urged his spiritual energy, accelerating the transport formation.

Upon the ancient battlefield, the young maiden kneeling on the ground suddenly raised her head, her expression dark. Di Ying was naturally proud and possessed a fiery temper; usually, because she was doted on, her fierce aura was concealed by her innocent appearance. But once she was truly angered, even Jiang Xuehe had to keep his distance.

This fake general had truly enraged her. Di Ying stood up abruptly, the cold wind whipping her messy hair and the hem of her robes. She swung her sword horizontally, her voice low and harsh: "You dare injure me. Even a single strand of my hair is incredibly precious, and this blood cannot be spilled in vain. You truly deserve to die!"

The fake general was equally astonished. He had clearly struck her, yet in the blink of an eye, the blood on the maiden's lips had vanished, and her pale complexion had restored to normal. She stood there, her murderous aura so overwhelming that he could not help but shudder. He hastily urged the ghosts to charge at her.

"How many times do you intend to use the same trick?" Di Ying looked coldly at the ghostly shadows. She admitted she feared them, and her mind was affected just by looking at them. But fear did not mean she would lose.

Di Ying swung her sword, and the white silk ribbon at her waist flew out, covering her eyes. She chose to blindfold herself, listening to the wind to discern positions. In the dark night, the blindfolded maiden danced amidst the encirclement, her pale yellow skirt as brilliant as a blooming flower in the middle of the battlefield.

The fake general had not expected her to be so difficult to deal with, her strength no less than Jiang Xuehe's. He began to feel fear, yet he still exerted all his strength to fight. Though Di Ying could not see, thanks to the compass in her breast pocket, she knew the auspicious hour was about to pass. If she did not swiftly capture this demon to bring good fortune, her calamity would haunt her forever.

"I must capture him alive, not kill him," Di Ying calculated silently. In the midst of the battle, the transmission talisman in her Qiankun Bag suddenly lit up. She retreated to dodge an attack and hastily activated the talisman. Ye Chuanlin's voice rang out: "Xiao Ying, are you alright? I heard from Second Senior Brother that you are in trouble. Where are you?"

Di Ying had no time to reply; she had to concentrate fully on listening to the wind. "Can't you see I am busy? If you cannot come immediately, do not talk nonsense to distract me!" With that, the transmission talisman burned to ashes.

She utilized the Eight Trigrams and Six Lines, planting four command flags in four directions to establish the Spirit-Locking Formation. Believing she was fleeing in fear, the fake general pursued triumphantly: "So you are just Jiang Xuehe's little lover, your strength is only mediocre."

Di Ying cursed inwardly, "Lover my foot!" As the second command flag was planted, the yin energy and demonic energy in the world suddenly stagnated, making the fake general's movements heavy.

"You ambushed me!" he roared.
"Are you blind? This is an open attack!" Di Ying retorted sharply.

The battle grew fiercer than ever. Di Ying unleashed all the skills she had learned at the Yujing Sect, especially the sword formula of her master, Shen Chuan. Finally, as the sky began to brighten, the last command flag was planted. The fake general's miserable shriek rang out; he had been immobilized within the array.

Di Ying removed her blindfold, intending to mock him. But at that moment, a bone-chilling coldness from behind locked onto her. Her instincts screamed of danger, and she hastily dodged, but she was still clawed at her waist, blood instantly soaking her robes.

A giant bird swooped down from the sky, intending to tear her apart. Di Ying leaned backward, thrusting her sword at it. A piercing screech echoed, making her eardrums ache, and the monster snatched her, flying high into the air.

"Bi Fang?" Di Ying realized in horror that the great demon from the Demon Realm was hunting her and Bai Luye. This great demon was incredibly cunning; it had silently watched her fight the fake general, waiting until her moment of greatest vulnerability to strike.

Di Ying was tossed about in the air by the Bi Fang, continuously vomiting blood. She worried her injuries would affect Jiang Xuehe, but she could not lose. She used her sword to strike its beak, but the ordinary sword of the Yujing Sect instantly snapped against the demon's steel-like hide.

Unable to use her sword, she switched to talismans. A human and a bird battled in midair. Di Ying was covered in wounds, but thanks to the array, her vitality was continuously restored. Just as she was about to risk her life in a final struggle, a familiar, cool fragrance enveloped her.

"Xiao Ying, step back." Jiang Xuehe's gentle voice echoed from behind. Di Ying immediately retreated three zhang, escaping the Bi Fang's attack range. Jiang Xuehe appeared, his snow-white robes fluttering, as he cast spells to trap the great demon. Di Ying also seized the opportunity to slap a talisman onto it. Raging flames erupted, burning the feathers on the Bi Fang's belly, causing it to howl in agony.

Under the seamless coordination of the senior brother and junior sister, the Bi Fang was heavily injured, transforming into a fireball as it crashed to the ground. It roared threateningly, summoning a tornado toward them before fleeing. The exhausted Di Ying was swept into the tornado, but Jiang Xuehe timely pulled her into his tight embrace.

Both fell onto the yellow earth, dust swirling around them. Di Ying lay in her senior brother's firm chest, hastily wanting to remove her blindfold, but because she had sealed it too tightly, she could not untie it.

"Senior Brother, why aren't you helping me?" she asked anxiously.
Jiang Xuehe sat up, one hand supporting her waist, the other drenched in blood. "My hand is injured, it is not convenient to help you."

Hearing this, Di Ying was extremely worried. She tried her best to untie the knot, but it only grew tighter. She fumbled around his body, searching for a sharp object to cut the cloth, causing Jiang Xuehe to stiffen. He grabbed her hand: "What are you doing?"

"See if you have any knives or swords," Di Ying explained.
Jiang Xuehe fell silent for a moment. In truth, he could have used magic to untie it, but he did not want to. He leaned down, his warm breath brushing against her ear: "I have no knives or swords. Can I help you in another way?"

He leaned close to the back of her head, using his teeth to bite the knot of the silk ribbon and slowly pulling it loose. Di Ying froze, her fair skin flushing red all the way to her ears. She felt this excessive intimacy but did not know how to react.

As the cloth fell, Di Ying saw Jiang Xuehe's magnified face right before her eyes. His deep gaze looked at her, leaving her in a daze.

"What are you looking at?" he asked softly.
Di Ying hastily looked at the wound on his hand. Seeing it was not too serious, she let out a sigh of relief. Suddenly, a red bridal veil was blown from a dry branch by the wind, landing right on her head. Jiang Xuehe reached out to lift the veil, gazing at her beautiful face under the morning light.

Di Ying suddenly remembered something and scolded vexedly: "It is all your fault! The wedding to bring good fortune failed, you ruined it all!"
Jiang Xuehe was taken aback, then chuckled softly: "Did it truly fail?"
He looked at her, his eyes filled with doting affection, and coaxed gently: "In the future, I will make it up to you with another wedding, alright?"
Di Ying was stunned, her anger vanishing. She pushed her luck: "Then can I choose my own husband?"
Jiang Xuehe looked at her in silence, then changed the subject: "Whose male coat is that you are wearing?"