The sixth book, chapter six: You have Zhang Liang's plan, I have a ladder over the wall.

  We are living a peaceful life. We are pretending to prepare the dowry, and then sit in the boudoir to cultivate our spirit, preparing for tomorrow's grand battle.

  In the meantime, Ye Liu Ying appeared once with the help of Hei Bao Hua. As for last night's incident where we fell deeply into the Dream Pool, he didn't mention it at all, as if nothing had happened, and only simply asked about the preparations for the wedding. We naturally made some polite conversation.

  "How is the lady doing?"

  The little princess did not answer.

  "Tomorrow is the big wedding day, I've finally waited for this day." The night flow in the ice flower seemed to smile but not quite, with a pitch-black gaze that was unfathomable.

  I smiled and bowed: "Congratulations, Your Majesty. To be honest, we've been waiting anxiously too." According to the masked demon, Mengtan was a demonic artifact refined from Ye Liu's inner elixir, so even if he was asleep, his inner elixir would sense our presence and it was impossible for him not to notice. He just wanted to wait until our wedding ceremony tomorrow and then take care of us in one fell swoop.

  "Even if you defeat an opponent, choose the most perfect way." The words of the masked demon still echoed in my ears. With such an ally who knows the weakness of Yoru no Kōri, tomorrow's battle is almost a sure win. My only concern is that the masked demon will betray us after crossing the river.

  "Tomorrow is my grand wedding, I believe many people can't wait for it. Including myself." Ye Liu Bing laughed loudly. I also laughed sweetly.

  At the last moment, the mouse always thought it could escape the cat's palm with its cleverness, but didn't know that the cat had long been staring at it, waiting for it to take the road to death!

  I flung out my sleeve, made a show of waving my hand repeatedly: "Ah, great auspiciousness. Before the grand wedding, don't mention anything about life or death. The king's wedding must be lively and resplendent, with boundless splendor."

  "Dying is not scary, what's scary is being tortured without dying." Ye Liu Bing's eyes were as cold as frozen ice.

  I pretended to be deaf and dumb, packing up the jewelry box. I folded up the new clothes that came with my dowry, pretending not to have heard his nonsense. The Night Flowing Ice was just using intimidation tactics to put great psychological pressure on us. But fortunately, with the help of the Masked Monster and Sun Si Miao, how could I be a mouse for you to play with at will?

  "Thinking of tomorrow, I'm so excited that I can't help myself, haha! My lady, get some rest early, I bid you farewell." Ye Liu Xiang disappeared into the ice flowers.

  I spat a wad of phlegm onto the ice flower on the table: "Ptooey! What's with all this hanging around? Until the very end, who knows who's the mouse and who's the cat?"

  From start to finish, the little princess didn't even glance at Ye Liu Bing. She stood quietly in the corner, her hands behind her back, staring at the large red "喜" character on the wall, and a faint mist seemed to rise in her clear eyes. As for the plan to cooperate with the masked monster, we naturally told her everything in detail.

  "Don't worry, the plan is foolproof, there won't be any mistakes that will drag Huatian down." I comforted the little princess for a few sentences. Once we get rid of Ye Liu Bing, we can leave with a clear conscience, but she has to continue to bear the unknown pressure. I always feel a bit guilty towards her.

  "I was born in the flower field and have never been to the outside world. Almost all the flower spirits are like this, born in the flower field, died in the flower field." The little princess turned her head to look at me, then turned back, saying softly.

  "I understand."

  "The flower field is beautiful and peaceful, like a colorful cradle. I still remember last year on my birthday, the purple-red sunset filled the sky, dyeing the layered sea of flowers crimson. The wind blew by, every petal was dancing, every flower spirit was clapping and singing. Amidst everyone's laughter, I was drenched in jar after jar of amber-colored honey, shining brightly all over."

  I sighed, the Demon Lord was born, and the peaceful life of Huatian was bound to be broken sooner or later.

  "Huatai is our home, everything. Countless ancestors rest there, and countless flower spirits will be born there. All the flower spirits will defend Huatai at all costs." She looked at the bright red wedding characters, smiled sadly: "This is why I am willing to marry Ye Liu Bing."

  "After a long silence, I said in a low voice: 'If one day, the flower field is invaded, I will fight for you with all my might.'"

  "After a long silence, the little princess said softly: 'Thank you.'"

  At the time when the dawn light dyed the white window and the ground, I got up with a start, feeling both tense and excited. Of course, I didn't sleep well all night. I even sneaked out for a while. Having thought about today's battle plan countless times, I was worried that the masked monster would change its mind halfway. My brain was as messy as a pot of porridge.

  The little princess sat in front of the dressing table, wearing a gold-embroidered and flower-patterned pleated skirt, carefully drawing her eyebrows in front of the phoenix-patterned copper mirror. The table was piled high with glittering jewelry, shining brightly, which made the little princess's face look somewhat pale by comparison.

  "Wow, you're up earlier than me!" I stuck out my tongue and picked up a bottle of honey to drink, filling my stomach first before having the energy to do anything.

  "Who's like you, sleeping and eating without a care? Alright, where did you sneak out to last night?" Hai Ji asked with a pout.

  "It's a state secret." I blinked and grabbed the mouse official: "Are you annoying or not?" He was like a headless fly in the house.

  He muttered to himself: "God bless, great auspiciousness. God bless, a good year."

  Gan Ning lifted a corner of the window curtain, gazed for a moment, and said: "From last night to now, there has been no movement in the Burial Mound of Flowers. Nor is there a single demon soldier or general stationed."

  "Hmph!" I snorted, "The Masked Monster said it himself, Night Flowing Ice is too arrogant, thinking he can toy with us to death with just his own power. This time, I'll have some fun with him!"

  "Don't underestimate the enemy." Gan said solemnly: "Remember what we agreed on beforehand, if we fail, whoever can escape is a gain."

  The old mouse nodded desperately, and I gave him a slap in the face: "Damn it, you haven't made any progress at all."

  In the next few hours, Hai Ji and Gan Ning were both secretly adjusting their breath, nourishing their spirit. Only I was chatting and laughing, trying to ease the tense atmosphere in the room. Although I was nervous before, when I really faced this moment, I didn't panic. Anyway, whether you stick your head out or not, it's all the same, so might as well relax.

  "Whoosh", the sound of flapping wings suddenly came from outside the window, one after another. I pulled up the curtains to take a look, and saw that Hua was leading a group of flying monkeys, who were all wearing red vests and high-winged red hats, looking very comical as they flew in and landed around the Embroidered Tower.

  The flying monkeys appeared in our midst, if the Night Flow Ice had a big wedding and not even one of his subordinates was present, it wouldn't make sense. According to prior agreement, Mouse King and Hai Ji led the way out first, I accompanied Gan Zhen with Little Princess, waiting for the bridal chamber ceremony.

  The sudden sound of firecrackers burst forth, and from the window, one could see over a hundred demons wearing large red robes, beating gongs and drums and setting off fireworks, making a ruckus as they approached the Embroidered Tower.

  My heart skipped a beat, how did so many monsters come? Although it's a wedding celebration, the number of people is too large.

  The firecrackers' sounds gradually came to an end.

  "The auspicious hour has arrived." The little princess said slowly, putting down the danxiang box, picking up the phoenix crown on the table and wearing it well, and then covering her head with a red veil. With the support of Gan Zhen and me, she walked out of the boudoir step by step.

  The wedding hall was in the middle of the Embroidered Building, already decorated with new things. A big red "double happiness" character was pasted on the wall, and two giant red candles on the table shone brightly. The flying monkeys stood around the wedding hall, shooting fierce glances. Ruhua's face was expressionless, and she bowed to the little princess.

  "Something's not right." Gan Zhen whispered, I also noticed that the flying monkeys were almost blocking the entire hall, and the demons who were beating gongs and drums had blocked the gate.

  "It's nothing." I said with a calm tone. According to plan, during the wedding ceremony of Ye Liu Xing and Xiao Gong Zhu, Xiao Gong Zhu suddenly fainted, attracting Ye Liu Xing's attention, and we took the opportunity to launch an attack on Ye Liu Xing. Of course, this was just the first wave of our feigned attack, and afterwards, we fought while retreating, and Ye Liu Xing would not let us off easily. When we escaped to Sun Si Miao's residence, we intentionally held hostage a fake Shifu sister, a mask-wearing demon. Finally, pretending to be defeated, we allowed Ye Liu Xing to take the hostage, and amidst the chaotic situation, the mask-wearing demon launched a fatal attack.

  Yoru Nagare would never have thought that the wife he had worked so hard to reclaim would suddenly take his life. And all we need to do is coordinate with the masked oni to attack, and isolate Yoru Nagare's subordinates who are trying to rescue him. Plus, there's also Tengu lurking at the entrance of the tunnel, ready to jump out and provide reinforcements at any time. The plan devised by the masked oni is indeed extremely meticulous.

  "The auspicious hour has arrived, shouldn't the king be here by now?" I asked Ruhua with a smile.

  Ru Hua looked at me without looking at me and said coldly: "What's the hurry?" Thick, as soon as he spoke, his teeth chattered.

  On the way to Embroidered Tower, a large amount of dust suddenly rose. Accompanied by bursts of thunder-like roars, one after another, the ferocious faces of monsters appeared in the distance.

  We all changed color at once. I forced a smile and said: "The king's wedding is really grand, inviting so many distinguished guests to attend."

  Ye Liu Bing still hasn't shown up, the demons formed a neat formation and rushed towards the embroidered building. Each demon held colorful gift boxes and carried gift chests, quickly surrounding us from all sides. Looking at the dense crowd of demons, my heart kept sinking. What's going on? Did Ye Liu Bing summon the demon soldiers from the nearby hills? At this point, even an idiot would understand that Ye Liu Bing had revealed his ferocious appearance and was determined to deal with us with all his might.

  The situation has turned for the worse. Facing nearly a thousand monsters, the four of us wanting to assassinate Ye Liu Bing is like a fool's dream. My heart sank, and my mouth felt bitter. Why? Why did Ye Liu Bing mobilize his army to deal with us? Everything happened too suddenly, we didn't even have time to escape.

  Isn't the mask demon betraying us? I stared at Gan Ning, Hai Ji and Mouse Gonggong, took a deep breath, clenched the flower seed that restored my shape in my palm, and prepared to fight desperately.

  A loud laughter suddenly echoed in the hall, a black ice flower appeared on the table like a ghost, and the red candle burst into a bright flame. The enchanting light flashed across Yueliang's face: "I'm late, please forgive me, my queen."

  What's going on? Are you going to turn against me and attack now? In an instant, the three pairs of eyes from Hai Ji, Gan Ningzhen, and Shu Gonggong all turned towards me.

  Chapter 6 (Part 2) of Volume 6: You have Zhang Liang's plan, I have a ladder over the wall.

  The hall was lightly traversed, the little princess's red hood fluttering, the edge of her coronet hanging down. There was a deathly silence all around, a cold sweat slowly rolling from my temples.

  "Is this king's wedding grand enough?" The dark eyes of Ye Liu sparkled with a hint of mockery.

  I turned my mind over a few times, forcing myself to calm down and decided to remain unchanged in the face of all changes. Forcing things would only lead to our own downfall, and just the monsters outside the Joyful Hall were enough to torment us to death. Now, the only plan is to put our bets on the Masked Monster, believing that he won't betray us. With the Masked Monster's cunning and experience, seeing the current situation of the Burial Flower Abyss, he will definitely adapt to changing circumstances and think of a way to lend us a helping hand. After all, without us, it would be hard for him to find another better opportunity to assassinate Night Flowing Ice.

  "Your Majesty, the auspicious hour has arrived, you should pay your respects now." I walked slowly to the front of the hall, forcing a few smiles.

  "Peony, aren't you impatient? The good show has just begun." Yeliu Bing's smile was as cold as ice, the black ice flower quickly melted, and Yeliu Bing floated out of the ice flower like a phantom shadow, silently falling onto the case, looking down at us from above.

  I secretly breathed a sigh of relief; since Night Slayer had revealed his true form, we might still have a chance to fight him.

  With a gentle clap of his palm, Ye Liu's soft voice said: "Come in, bring the king's betrothal gift to the lady."

  Several monsters carried a small, intricately carved wooden box and placed it in front of the little princess. Ye Liu Bing swept his sleeve, and the lid opened with a creak, revealing a dog's tail inside! It had been dead for some time, its body stiff and its seven orifices bleeding.

  Ye Liu Bing smiled and said, "Many years ago, Gou Wei Ba teased the madam and betrayed Hua Tian. Therefore, this king will have him executed and his corpse returned to Hua Tian. I believe that from now on, no flower spirit will dare to betray Hua Tian again. Does the madam find this betrothal gift satisfactory?"

  "Thank you, Your Majesty." After a pause, the soft voice of the little princess came out from under the red hood.

  I'm completely baffled, why did Ye Liu Cheng suddenly kill his loyal dog tail? Is it just to please the little princess? Things are getting stranger and stranger. It's as if the curtain on the stage has been lifted, and the entire plot of the play has changed overnight. We can only watch with cold eyes, after all, Ye Liu Cheng will definitely put on a good show, playing us like a cat plays with a mouse.

  "The second gift is for the few of you. Peony, snow lotus, golden basin, and butterfly orchid, I won't be stingy with the dowry maids either." Ye Liu Bing gave me a sly smile, waved his hand, and two rows of waist-pouching knives-wielding demons carried in a large coffin made of fragrant wood, walking into the bridal chamber.

  Mouse Lord, Hai Ji, and Gan Ning all looked solemn and didn't say a word. I rolled my eyes and blocked the coffin: "Ah, great king, it's a great auspicious day. Why bring a coffin at such a joyful time? Aren't you afraid of bad luck?"

  "Open the coffin!" Ye Liu Ming shouted, and the purple-black coffin lid was slowly opened, revealing Ju Danmei who was unconscious. "Hsss", the monsters simultaneously drew their knives, dozens of gleaming blades were placed on Ju Danmei's neck at the same time.

  "Lin Fei, Gan Ningzhen, Hai Ji and even a mouse spirit. Are you all satisfied with this gift from me?" In the midst of Ye Liu's maniacal laughter, I felt as if I had suddenly fallen into an icy abyss.

  Slowly turning my head, I gazed at Little Princess, speechless.

  She gently lifted her red veil, like a beautiful iris slowly blooming.

  "It's you." I said hoarsely.

  The little princess's toe touched the ground, and she floated in front of Ye Liu Bing. She looked back at me. Her head full of pearls and jade trembled slightly: "In order to protect the flower field, I can give up everything. You guessed it right. It was I who told Ye Liu Bing everything."

  I let out a furious roar and took the opportunity to toss the flower seed into my mouth. It was indeed her who betrayed us! Because the masked demon had no idea what our true identities were! Apart from dressing us up as the flower spirit's little princess, Ye Liu Bing wouldn't have known who we were!

  "On the first day I arrived at the Tomb of Flowers, I decided to do this." The little princess said calmly, her voice as soft as a blue iris petal: "Dream Pond leaked the assassination plan, and with several thousand stationed demon soldiers nearby, the possibility of assassinating Ye Liu Bing became extremely slim. I'm not afraid of death, but I couldn't let my clansmen take risks, nor could I let the flower fields be destroyed by war. So I secretly contacted Ye Liu Bing through Dog Tail, and made a secret agreement with him. Ye Liu Bing promised me that he would only be a nominal husband to me; at the same time, as long as the flower fields provided 3,000 bee warriors for the demon lord's conquests, he would ensure the eternal peace of the flower fields."

  "To show sincerity, I'll kill the dog's tail." Ye Liu Bing sneered at me: "Lin Fei! Water Six Rang and others have been searching for you everywhere, didn't expect you to come here voluntarily"

  Heaven, let me build a foundation under the Demon Master's seat! Hand over the Peony Map of Freedom in Heaven and Earth, and I can consider letting you die a little more comfortably!"

  The sound of Ye Liu Bing's maniacal laughter was deafening. I silently gazed at the little princess, unsure whether to hate her or pity her. Or perhaps I should have felt a few strands of respect for her.

  "I can only do this." The little princess lowered her head, her face slightly red.

  "This is your choice. No need to explain it to us." I suddenly smiled, just like Master said, a person's life is all about choices. We can't decide on others' choices, we can only stand up straight, with our waists held high, as straight and hard as a spear, learning to face things head-on.

  I suddenly realized how strong my master was, who had been hurt by Chudu and barely survived with the help of Longqi.

  Even if it's a small princess who blushes easily when speaking, she must also be strong-willed.

  "I'll trade you a map of the Heavenly Realm for the Jade Dew Mushroom!" In that instant, I regained my composure.

  The situation turned sharply downward, but at least I still had a choice, and everything was not entirely under the control of the Night Flowing Ice. The emotions of anger, anxiety, and fear melted away like snowflakes, my bones crackling with sound, my body constantly expanding, returning to its original shape.

  Tore off the flower skirt, threw away the wig, kicked off the embroidered shoes. I gaze straight at the night flowing ice, the torn clothes fluttering in the wind, the momentum in my chest surging like a thousand-mile mountain range.

  I want to save Jū Dan Mei! This is my choice. Whether it's life or death, no matter how many monsters are around, no matter how far away I am from Jū Dan Mei. This is my choice!

  I stretched out my hand and grasped Hai Ji, Mouse Gong Gong. Our eyes met, and Gan Ning gave me a faint smile.

  We stand shoulder to shoulder.

  Ye Liu Bing shook his head: "You have no room for bargaining, let alone Ah Fangti and Sun Si Miao. If you escape or resist, I will immediately kill Ju Dan Mei." His gaze swept across the restored Hai Ji and Gan Ning Zhen, shimmering with strange colors.

  Aphanti? That masked demon is called Aphanti? Isn't Aphanti one of the Demon Kings of Mo Xie Tian? I silently ponder. Ye Liu Cheng laughs with great satisfaction, he must be looking forward to seeing my painful expression as I make a choice.

  "I have room for negotiation, if you don't believe me, take a look." I patted my brow lightly with one palm, and a thread of icy air emerged from within me, bursting out between my eyebrows and spreading towards the Grave Flower Vine. I carefully controlled this thread of air, while my left arm transformed into a sharp blade, cutting open a gash on the back of my right hand, and fresh blood dripped out.

  Ye Liu Bing looked at me strangely, of course he didn't understand why I wanted to self-mutilate. This witchcraft is called Bloodthirsty Mutilation*, leaving a killer move for myself. At the beginning, in order to force out Ye Liu Bing's true body, I thought of this method.

  "What a beautiful scene, right? Don't worry, they won't die, as long as we stop the bleeding quickly, it'll be fine." I stopped my spell and slowly retracted the scattered threads of spiritual energy. This demonic art is extremely cruel, and unless absolutely necessary, I wouldn't want to harm those innocent female demons either, even if their lives are worse than death.

  "I'll chop you into a million pieces, grind your bones to dust!" Ye Liu Bing's voice was like it was squeezed out from between his teeth, his face expressionless, the bright red groom attire looked like a raging flame, dancing wildly.

  "Whatever." I shrugged, feeling a bit relieved. Night Flowing Ice was absolutely intolerant of those female demons being destroyed. A perverted monster who revered perfection, couldn't have any speck of dust in his eyes.

  The one-sided situation began to become subtle, and after a long silence, Ye Leng coldly smiled: "Good, indeed you have a trick up your sleeve. No wonder Sanlang and the others couldn't do anything to you." With a wave of his hand: "Release him."

  The Demon King of the generation indeed had some temperament, and without waiting for me to set conditions, he proactively released Jiū Dān Mèi. The steel knives withdrew one after another, and Jiū Dān Mèi curled up in the coffin, motionless, unconscious.