Chapter 23: Emperor Jiang

"Who?" Mei Ruoxue asked urgently, "Who's here?"

Shi Ran, however, said nothing more; her gaze was vacant and bewildered, making Mei Ruoxue's heart pound. "Junior sister, junior sister, say something!"

Mei Ruoxue's movements woke Feng Shuangyu, who had been dozing askew. They gathered around her, and Xiaomu Yu calmly took out the Ride-Clean-Wind fan, fanning Shi Ran vigorously.

"You drank pear blossom white again?" Luo Changfeng snorted. "How come you're acting like you're drunk?"

Shi Ran didn't have time to respond to him, for a faint, elusive fragrance was boldly invading her nostrils, straight to her upper palate.

Shi Ran blinked, her face blank as she looked at the four heads of Feng Shuangyu Xue gathering around. "You... why are you sneaking peeks at me while I sleep?"

Feng Shuangyu Xue fumed and toppled backward; Mei Ruoxue flicked Shi Ran's forehead familiarly. "Who has the leisure to watch you sleep? Tell me, what's wrong with you! Did you have a nightmare?"

No, it wasn't a nightmare. Shi Ran suddenly recalled that earlier sensation, and gooseflesh rose all over her body. "No..."

"Something's coming!" The night watch, Gu Yusheng, drew his Chase-Moon sword with a jerk, his voice trembling slightly. "Everyone... be careful!"

Before his words faded, a ball of fire came from afar, moving extremely fast, almost arriving before their eyes in an instant.

Only then did they see clearly: a crimson flame enveloping its body, a yellow sack for a torso, six legs and four wings, featureless chaos.

"This is..." Shi Ran stepped back. "Di Jiang?!"

How could Di Jiang appear now? And why would it show up in Fumeng Sect? It clearly ought to appear in the middle-to-late part of the original text, in the demon realm!

"What are you standing there for!" Luo Changfeng's Broken-Cloud sword instantly split into countless sword shadows, yet it could not even graze Di Jiang. The flames surrounding it illuminated the dark night, yet extinguished the light in everyone's hearts.

"Silver Soul! Go!" Qicheng Shuang's sword transformed into a long, swimming serpent, continually lashing at Di Jiang's body. Di Jiang could not endure the harassment, its wings unfurled, and it gave a mighty flap, sending countless sparks flying toward the few people.

"Be careful!" Gu Yusheng was distracted and incapable, utterly unable to pass Di Jiang to rescue Mei Ruoxue.

Yet Shi Ran casually drew a talisman: "With my essence blood, I draw forth the spirit as a shield, wind and fire fear not—solid!" A huge talisman, resembling a shield, appeared before the few people.

"You... you how, who did you learn this talisman from..." Fumeng Sect being sword cultivators as its mainstay, the sect master knew talismans but nowhere near Shi Ran's stunning fluency! Luo Changfeng stared at Shi Ran in doubtful astonishment—this, damn it, is the genius of a talisman cultivator!

"Just random guessing, talismans are all roughly the same!" Shi Ran, in her fluster, grabbed Luo Changfeng's arm. "You go inward first..."

The result was that Luo Changfeng's Broken-Cloud had not yet retracted its sword form when he flung it outward; he hadn't expected the motion to be too large, directly forcing Qicheng Shuang out of the talisman's boundary.

"Qicheng Shuang!" "Second Senior Brother!" Everyone shouted his name. Qicheng Shuang lowered his gaze and saw a fireball pierce through his chest, where there was now nothing.

So unwilling! Qicheng Shuang gave a bitter smile and collapsed heavily.

Shi Ran stared wide-eyed in disbelief. What situation is this? How did Qicheng Shuang log off this early? He wasn't supposed to die at this time!

"I'll fight you to the end!" Immersed in her own thoughts, Shi Ran also failed to notice Luo Changfeng had already lunged forward with a fierce plunge!

"Senior Brother!" "Eldest Senior Brother!"

Shi Ran clutched her chest, watching Luo Changfeng struggle in the flames until he fell motionless. What the hell is this! How did another one log off? This must be a dream, this must be a dream! This is definitely a dream; their death knots aren't here!

"Biluo!" Xiaomu Yu's jade fan in his hand transformed into twin swords, but he and Gu Yusheng merely managed two coordinated moves before being forced, having no choice but to retreat into Shi Ran's shield talisman.

Di Jiang was too powerful—so powerful that the few of them had no strength to retaliate, only able to hide beneath the shield talisman, watching Di Jiang leap up and down; a few rounds and it had destroyed Mingzheng Hall.

"Where is the sect master?" Shi Ran, while noting Di Jiang's movements, led the few people in cautious movement. "Why hasn't the sect master come yet? The grand uncle-master is also missing!"

"The sect master might.... have encountered some demon beast!" Mei Ruoxue looked at Shi Ran: "Junior sister, we have to rely on ourselves!"

Rely on what ourselves rely on ourselves! She's a little white who knows nothing; relying on herself, she couldn't possibly survive a few chapters. Shi Ran felt she must be dreaming, but this dream just wouldn't let her wake up.

Di Jiang's fire burned continuously outside the shield talisman; this fire seemed able to burn through the talisman to consume spiritual power. Shi Ran truly could not hold on, and she vomited a mouthful of fresh blood, softly leaning against Mei Ruoxue's embrace.

"We can't just sit and wait for death!" Xiaomu Yu glanced at his junior martial siblings: "Di Jiang has no eyes or ears; trying to feint east and strike west is not easy!"

"Gu junior brother, you go east, I go west, you two head north all the way, go find the sect master!"

"No way!" "No way!" Mei Ruoxue and Shi Ran spoke in unison; Mei Ruoxue's eye sockets reddened, she gazed stubbornly and deeply at Gu Yusheng: "Too dangerous, you can't go; we will surely find a way!"

Gu Yusheng smiled; outside, firelight flickered, his eyes just as they were when they first met: "Senior sister, sorry, I swore an oath to protect you for life—let me give this one my all!"

"Don't! You promised me we'd roam the four seas together, you......" Tears fell soundlessly, yet his heart held feeling.

"Now!" The ever-smiling Xiaomu Yu ceased smiling, he stroked Mei Ruoxue's hair: "Ah Xue, rely on you—send her to the sect master's side!"

"Head north all the way, don't look back!" Gu Yusheng laughed as he first dashed toward the firelight, then Xiaomu Yu followed.

Shi Ran really wanted to stop them from leaving, or let Gu Yusheng and Mei Ruoxue escort them together—after all, they are the original novel's male and female leads! Surely they could dodge this calamity, but she was in too much pain to speak a word.

Mei Ruoxue carried her as they raced madly along the mountain path; Shi Ran failed to notice her tears flying in the wind, nor did she notice the intermittent green light and moonlight behind them gradually fading. Di Jiang sped toward them from where they had been, flowing fire falling upon them, on the roadside, in the sky, and the sect grounds continually twisting in the firelight.

Mei Ruoxue could run no further; she set Shi Ran down: "Go find him! Senior sister will hold off for you!"

No! Shi Ran reached out, but grasped nothing: "Youge!" She saw Mei Ruoxue turn her back and draw the ancient sword: "Let me fight this once with you!"

"Hurry up!" Mei Ruoxue did not turn back; the wind lifted her long hair, as if kissing the mortal night.

She should have used Bingxi's! Shi Ran gritted her teeth, turned, and stumbled northward. After this brush with death, she would give Bingxi to her senior sister—she is the female lead, she will surely be fine!

Suddenly, Shi Ran stopped her steps; amidst the snowflakes flying wildly across the sky, that person slowly turned around.

"It's the sect master!" Hope rose in Shi Ran, but she was in too much pain, fell to the ground and could not rise again; through her blurred, tear-filled eyes, she saw Di Jiang hopping and jumping beside the sect master, frolicking happily!

Why?

Why?

Why must they be treated this way?

Shi Ran flung her eyes open; Mei Ruoxue anxiously asked her: "Who? Who came?"