The Ninth Ephemeral Dream

“Senior Brother,”
A soft call came from the window.
Jiang Xue He’s hair was disheveled, and a deep, ghostly scar marked his face. When Di Ying climbed onto the bed, he remained motionless.
Di Ying then knelt beside him, examining his Sea of Consciousness.
She remembered that previously, when entering his Sea of Consciousness, she would always accidentally get entangled in his Divine Sense, which was quite troublesome for her. Senior Brother had never spoken of what that stimulating sensation was; each time she miscalculated, he would quickly separate their Divine Senses.
Now, Senior Brother was unconscious and unable to help Di Ying.
Truly.
She had to be careful herself.
And she had to help him examine his wounds.
Di Ying sighed.
Di Ying had just cultivated a new method, and boastfully separated a wisp of her soul to enter Jiang Xue He’s Sea of Consciousness and examine his soul. Seeing his once barren spiritual pond now overflowing with spiritual energy, merely from his trip to and from the Liu Clan from the ancient battlefield, Di Ying couldn’t help but be stunned.
She was both surprised and delighted, yet also angry and jealous.
Delighted that although his spiritual power was depleted, he could slowly recover it himself;
Jealous of his extraordinary talent. Similar injuries on Di Ying would have troubled her for a long time, even if it was just a matter of depleted spiritual power.
Senior Brother was indeed that kind of cultivation genius.
Di Ying was not without jealousy and bitterness.
She recalled how those disciples in Yujing praised Jiang Xue He;
Upon arriving at the Liu Clan, she had just met the rogue cultivators from Lin Ze invited by Liu Qing Mi, all of whom were very concerned about Jiang Xue He…
If Di Ying hadn’t cried and fussed, preventing them from seeing her Senior Brother, then Senior Brother would be lying here, surrounded by male and female cultivators flattering and praising him.
A hint of gloom appeared between Di Ying’s brows.
She suppressed her displeasure and observed the Restraining Human Charm on his soul.
It looked truly terrifying.
She merely carefully touched it with a wisp of her Divine Sense, and was almost entangled, scaring Di Ying into immediately retreating.
But when that charm touched her, it seemed to recognize her identity, immediately tightening around Jiang Xue He’s soul, without strangling her.
Di Ying vaguely sensed the chilling killing intent within the Sea of Consciousness.
She was startled, "Senior Brother, is that you?"
— He had discovered her entering his Sea of Consciousness, and although he hadn’t woken up, he still controlled the Restraining Human Charm, preventing it from harming her.
Di Ying was dazed, looking at the young man’s soul sitting with closed eyes amidst the spiritual pond, and sighed softly.
She remembered her Senior Brother’s affection for her.
She truly envied his talent.
And she truly cherished him.
Di Ying whispered, “Alright, I’ll help you heal. You must wake up quickly and play with me.”
She began to cast spells, helping him stabilize the Restraining Human Charm’s influence on his soul.
But Di Ying quickly grew tired.
Her face was sullen as she realized that despite her increased cultivation, her spiritual power was still insufficient. Her spiritual power growth could never keep up with her consumption.
Breaking through the current checkpoint had cost her who knew how much effort.
Never mind.
Rest a bit.
Rest a bit, and when her spiritual energy recovered, she would continue to help Senior Brother heal.
Di Ying left Jiang Xue He’s Sea of Consciousness. This turmoil, though not involving much, had left her exceptionally tired.
She naturally didn’t know the subtle taboos of entering and exiting the Sea of Consciousness, all aspects of which were related to dual cultivation. She only knew she was tired, so she lay down, resting her head on her Senior Brother’s chest.
Di Ying complained, “It’s all your fault!”
It was a pity that when she threw a tantrum now, he wouldn’t wake up to coax her.
Di Ying was silent, truly missing him, truly feeling lonely.
She lay in his arms, taking out a sound transmission talisman to chat with others. But neither Ye Chuan Lin nor Bai Lu Ye paid her any attention. Di Ying tossed and turned for a while, her attention once again returning to Jiang Xue He.
She couldn’t help but turn over, propping her chin with both hands, staring at her Senior Brother.
Having been with him for so long, she had ignored the black qi wounds on his face and body, only staring at his eyelids.
Hmm, she believed that Jiang Xue He at this moment, and the Jiang Xue He she first met, had unchanged looks, but one detail had indeed changed…
He had truly become much more handsome.
Was it because he was resolving the Restraining Human Charm?
Di Ying’s eyelashes fluttered, and she secretly thought: Is he not staying in Liuye City because of the charm resolution? Why, does he have undissolved ghostly karmic energy on him, so he can’t stay in Liuye City?
Oh, she would only know this after he woke up.
In boredom, Di Ying reached out a finger and playfully poked his eyebrow. She then touched his eyelashes, finding them soft and black. Lifting her palm, her Senior Brother’s eyelashes were like a delicate sieve, truly interesting.
Di Ying’s finger brushed his nose.
She got into the mood, climbing all the way up, her finger touching his lips.
Di Ying’s eyes were pitch black.
She was extremely malicious, fiercely pinching him with her fingernail. The corner of her Senior Brother’s lips was pressed, leaving a bright red mark, dazzling to the eye, which made Di Ying’s expression subtly shift.
She stared blankly.
Her finger pressed against the corner of his lips, gently rubbing. The bright red was so soft, like fresh blood, yet also like a rosy sunset.
Di Ying recalled a memory.
She looked at his lips, and with her other hand, suddenly formed a water spell, mercilessly splashing it onto his face.
Water droplets trickled down his eyelashes and nose, winding across his cheeks. Di Ying’s eyesight was good; she indeed saw a few drops of water linger between his lips.
It was the blood-red streak, imbued with vitality, becoming moist and alluring.
Di Ying was lost in thought.
She was flustered, her finger lightly tracing the corner of her own lips, pressing it.
The sensation of touching herself was different from the sensation of pressing against her Senior Brother back then.
It was Senior Brother who didn’t let her kiss him.
Di Ying lowered her gaze, staring motionlessly at Jiang Xue He’s lips.
After a long while, she thought: What does it matter? He was unconscious first, didn’t his lips already touch her? She didn’t initiate it; he accidentally touched her.
There was no logic in this world that allowed officials to light fires but forbade commoners from lighting lamps.
Di Ying suddenly understood this principle. Her clear eyes immediately lit up like stars in the Milky Way, shining brightly.
She joyfully jumped up.
If an outsider were present, they would recognize what her intense gaze, like one looking at meat and bones, represented.
Di Ying merely sat up, kneeling beside the unconscious young man, very obediently: “Senior Brother, may I kiss you?”
The young man naturally could not answer her.
Di Ying then curved her eyes and smiled: “You didn’t refuse, so you must be shy. Then I’ll kiss you.”
She joyfully leaned down, bringing her lips closer.
Her heart pounded like a war drum, her palms sweated, utterly nervous.
She feared Jiang Xue He would suddenly wake up, feared an accident, someone interrupting her.
But none of these things happened.
A crescent moon hung in the sky.
On the forbidden window lattice, the faint silhouette of a young girl was cast.
She lay on his pillow, carefully touching the corner of his lips.
Extremely soft.
Just a touch, and she felt the same surge of excitement as when her soul had just entered his Sea of Consciousness.
She was still afraid, pressing closer and closer. Seeing that he didn’t wake up, she felt even more at ease. But she wondered if she had done something wrong; the feeling of "losing one's soul and bones" in the storybooks shouldn’t be just like this…
The storybooks also said, "sweet fragrant lips."
Where was the sweetness?
Di Ying blinked. She tried to stick out her tongue, carefully touching his lips. She was afraid he would wake up, so she quickly retreated after one touch, already preparing a defensive spell, fearing he would hit her if he woke up.
But he didn’t wake up.
Instead, his lips became even redder.
Di Ying then moved closer again, curiously leaning down to examine him.
Aside from the black qi on his body, he was currently just an empty shell. Her Senior Brother’s face was still fair, his breathing steady, with no sign of waking up.
How strange, she remembered that before, his vigilance was very strong.
But his weakened vigilance… just gave Di Ying time to play.
She then lay down, continuing to gently brush the corner of his lips with her tongue.
She closed her eyes and felt for a moment, then disappointedly mumbled, “It’s not sweet.”
Neither losing one’s soul nor sweet and fragrant; perhaps the storybooks were all lies.
No, not quite…
Di Ying slowly recalled, there was one time when Senior Brother was bathing, and at that time, she felt very, very strange…
At that time, her tongue had broken free from his shackles, burrowing between his lips and teeth. Although it was a very short time, the dizzying sensation at that moment was somewhat interesting…
Di Ying suddenly understood.
She acted on her impulse, immediately using her tongue to push his lips.
But his habit even in unconsciousness was truly good; his lips and teeth were sealed, and she could only circle outside, unable to even pry open his teeth.
Di Ying was drenched in hot sweat.
Although it wasn’t fragrant or sweet, her cheeks were flushed, her breathing was chaotic, and her temples were burning.
Anxious and itching, flustered and longing, Di Ying couldn’t help but pinch his cheeks, pressing her fingers against his lips, wanting to forcefully open his teeth with martial force…
Di Ying was busy, that capricious disregard, even she herself couldn’t control it.
She was engrossed in her fiddling when suddenly, a knocking sound made her break out in a cold sweat.
“Knock, knock, knock.”
Three unhurried knocks, and Liu Qing Mi’s melodious voice drifted in: “Young Master Jiang, I wonder if you are awake yet?”
Di Ying was stunned: Why was Liu Qing Mi here?
Liu Qing Mi heard no response from the room, but she didn’t leave. She apologized, “Young Master is injured, and my Liu Clan has many guests, so our hospitality has been lacking. I only now have free time. I have prepared some spiritual medicine for Young Master… It is not of this world, bought from those cultivators. I wonder if it can be used for Young Master’s injuries.”
Liu Qing Mi spoke to herself, “I do not mean to disturb Young Master; I merely wish to enter the room, leave the medicine for Young Master, and ask for your forgiveness.”
Immediately after, the room door was pushed open.
Di Ying in the room immediately pulled down the bed curtains, covering the bed.
She truly hadn’t expected Liu Qing Mi to enter.
She clumsily used the bedding to cover Jiang Xue He’s body, even covering his face. At this moment, the Concealing Body Talisman was too late. Di Ying simply burrowed into the bedding, tightly hugging her Senior Brother’s waist and abdomen, becoming a small ornament on her Senior Brother’s body.
She was short and thin; hidden in the bedding, as long as that Miss Liu didn’t lift the covers, she shouldn’t be seen.
Moreover, wasn’t Miss Liu a family lady? It was inappropriate for a family lady to enter a man’s room while he was unconscious. Surely Liu Qing Mi wouldn’t insist on seeing Senior Brother before leaving?
Di Ying’s mind was in a chaotic mess, clinging tightly to Jiang Xue He’s waist and abdomen in her panic.
Gradually, she felt a hard object protruding between her Senior Brother and herself, poking her uncomfortably. She held her breath in the covers, slowly changing her posture, but no matter how she shifted, the object poked her even more painfully.
What was that?
What weapon was he hiding on him? Why didn’t she know that a spell cultivator like him needed to carry so many weapons?
Di Ying directly reached out, wanting to see what he was hiding on his person. Through his clothes, her hand touched it, and she suddenly felt something was wrong…
At this moment, Miss Liu outside was speaking again, drawing Di Ying’s attention.
Liu Qing Mi said, “Young Master Jiang’s injuries are so severe, that he cannot even be seen?”
She gazed at the bed curtains, and the tightly wrapped bedding on the bed, seeing nothing.
She mumbled to herself, “Could it be that some demonic creature is lying there, and the person in this room has long since been replaced, not Young Master Jiang?”
Di Ying in the bedding was flustered.
After her suspicion, Miss Liu walked towards the bed.
Di Ying was afraid she would lift the curtains, immediately forgetting to consider what strange object her Senior Brother was poking her with. She gritted her teeth, hugged her Senior Brother, and forcefully rolled over on the bed, making Jiang Xue He turn over.
Inside the warm bedding, the young man’s breath descended, his long black hair, cold and damp, brushed against Di Ying’s face.
Di Ying’s heart pounded.
She grabbed his wrist, pushing one of his unblemished arms out of the bedding, letting it dangle halfway beside the bed.
That arm was dry and pale, long and slender, loosely resting on the edge of the bed.
Liu Qing Mi paused after lifting the curtain to investigate.
Liu Qing Mi suddenly felt a little embarrassed, taking two steps back, avoiding the curtain.
She whispered, “It was I who overstepped; Young Master, please do not blame me.”
She recognized Jiang Xue He’s hand, and naturally no longer doubted that the person on the bed had changed appearance. She herself did not cultivate, and at this moment only speculated that this might be an immortal secret art, which she, an outsider, was not privy to.
Liu Qing Mi sat at the wooden table, picked up a brush, and wrote a letter, roughly explaining how to use the spiritual medicine she had brought.
She then apologized again, and stared suspiciously at the bed curtains for a long time. But this time she did not try to investigate, instead turning and leaving.
As soon as Liu Qing Mi left, Di Ying lifted the quilt that had almost suffocated her.
She panted.
She cried out, “What exactly are you hiding on your body?!”
She reached down, fiercely poking his waist and abdomen. Indeed, that hard object was still protruding.
Di Ying unhesitatingly reached out, wanting to see what it was.
However, the window suddenly blew open with a cold wind, rushing into the room.
Di Ying’s expression changed: “More coming?!”
This time, it wasn’t Miss Liu, but a vengeful ghost.
Di Ying initially didn’t know it was a ghost. Her good deed interrupted, she furiously jumped off the bed, wanting to help the Liu Clan subdue the demon.
The ghost’s face flickered in and out of sight. Di Ying chased it out of the house, seeing the lanterns under the eaves swaying violently, and the bells at the four corners of the eaves ringing louder.
She stood still for a long time, when suddenly a black shadow struck from somewhere.
Di Ying suddenly turned around, clutching a talisman in her hand, revealing a malicious smile: “Got you…”
She froze.
The talisman in her hand stuck to a pale face. That face manifested under the talisman, its entire body floating unrealistically.
Pale face, black lips, dense blood vessels, long hair trailing to the ground.
Looking up, a chilling wind blew in gusts, revealing a cruel smile…
Di Ying’s eyes first turned black, then golden stars spun chaotically.
She turned and ran, stumbling, her voice choked: “Senior Brother, Senior Brother, save me! There’s a ghost here…”
—
Even if Wuzhi Wei were here, Di Ying would have the courage to face it.
But ghosts alone, she would not.
She was as timid as a chick, making her unable to display any strength when not angry.
She didn’t understand why she kept encountering ghosts recently, only knowing that this ghost was chasing her, consciously, unlike those mindless ghosts in the ancient battlefield…
Di Ying burrowed back onto the bed, cuddling into Jiang Xue He’s arms.
She screamed for a long time, but her Senior Brother still hadn’t woken up. However, the vengeful ghost had already broken through the window and was approaching the bed curtains.
Di Ying was both terrified and angry.
Di Ying: “I, I don’t even know you. Whatever grievances you have, don’t come looking for me…”
Under the bed, shadows stretched, and a cold wind blew in, making it feel as if something was climbing onto the bed, entangling Jiang Xue He…
Di Ying tightly hugged Jiang Xue He’s arm, trembling: “And, and don’t look for my Senior Brother! My Senior Brother surely has no grievances with you. You might see ghostly qi on him, but he is absolutely not of your kind…”
She then threatened the ghost: “I’m very powerful, and my Senior Brother is also very powerful! You, you little ghost, I don’t even consider you a threat, but I am kind and cannot bear to harm an innocent you… You, you, you, hurry and run away! Don’t make me regret it!”
The ghost bared its teeth, its long tongue hanging down…
Di Ying: “Senior Brother, oh oh oh…”
She couldn’t wait.
She grabbed Jiang Xue He’s spiritual veins, and regardless of whether Jiang Xue He could endure it, or whether she herself could endure it, she directly withdrew all her Divine Sense and burrowed into his Sea of Consciousness.
That ghost could just ignore the empty bodies she and her Senior Brother left behind. She, she would hide first… She was determined not to come out… Unless Senior Brother woke up.
—
Di Ying, in her fear, only worried about another mistake.
Her Divine Sense entered Jiang Xue He’s body, instantly becoming entangled by his Divine Sense, tightly bound…
A numbing sensation spread from her Heavenly Spirit Root. Her entire body immediately went limp and she fell, crashing into his Primordial Spirit. But with this crash, the force entangling her grew stronger, even pulling her in…
Di Ying thought to herself, this is not good.
But she couldn’t escape that suction force, and with another careless moment, her entire being was swallowed.
—
Di Ying thought she would encounter something, but then she opened her eyes and found herself standing on a bustling, lively street.
The cries of vendors, the calls of flower girls, echoed ceaselessly. Handsome youths rode horses across stone bridges, and courtesans leaned on second-story windows, smiling charmingly and waving their handkerchiefs…
A river flowed through.
Nearby, pavilions stood in dense rows; in the distance, villages looked interesting; in secluded spots, dry tombs hid among the villages.
Apricot blossoms fell in spring, the sun was bright and beautiful, water flowed gurglingly, beautiful to the point of unreality.
Di Ying stood on the stone bridge, listening to the sounds from all directions, watching the bustling crowd, unsure where she had come.
Strange.
This seemed like an illusion.
How could there be an illusion in Senior Brother’s Sea of Consciousness?
Unless he had a Heart Demon… He was young, gentle, and had unparalleled cultivation talent. If even he with such talent had a Heart Demon, shouldn’t she, with her ordinary abilities, have cried herself to death by now?
Di Ying didn’t understand what this place was, so she just stood foolishly on the stone bridge, looking around.
Suddenly, her eyes caught sight of a figure under the bridge—
Outside the crowd, a young man in an orange-yellow martial robe slowly walked by.
He walked with his hands behind his back, moving very quickly. Occasionally, he would inadvertently bump into someone. His ponytail swayed slightly, and he would turn his head, revealing a fair-skinned, red-lipped youthful face.
He smiled at the person he bumped into: “My apologies.”
However, whether it was vendors or young women, all were captivated by his smile, eagerly making way for him.
Di Ying leaned over the stone bridge, waving at him:
“Senior Brother, Senior Brother!”
“Jiang Xue He… Little He Ge Ge?”
That young man paid her no attention.
Even when she called him "Jiang Xue He," he didn't react.
Di Ying’s suspicion grew. She corrected herself: “Ye Sha!
“Ye Sha Ge Ge!”
The young man suddenly turned his head. Across the crowd, his face still held a lazy smile, his eyes dark and chilling.
Di Ying breathed a sigh of relief.
Di Ying mumbled, “Indeed it’s Little Night Fiend, not Jiang Xue He…”
… Why was it Ye Sha?
She didn’t understand in her heart, but still enthusiastically waved at him.
The young man watched for a long time, then indifferently turned away, as if he hadn’t seen her, and continued on his way.
Di Ying: “…”
Ye Sha Ge Ge didn’t recognize her?
Was he suffering from amnesia again?