Chapter 158: Dreaming Butterfly (Part 2)

Xu Qianyu’s shoes pressed against the floor, causing the white frost to melt inch by inch, retreating to the edge of the bed.

She looked down, her heart softening. She gently tugged on Shen Suwei’s hand, then kneeled beside the bed: “I’m back.”

Shen Suwei’s fingers curled, suddenly pulling her into his embrace.

The mustard-sized golden beads on the floor paused, then rolled further toward the door.

Xu Qianyu struggled to sit up. Shen Suwei’s face showed no expression, his round eyes staring at her yet seeming to look through her, as if into an empty space. But Xu Qianyu could feel the hidden emotions within them—fear, perhaps, or sadness—something that made her feel uneasy.

“Are you feeling unwell?” She extended a finger and gently touched his lips.

Wuzhen stood by the door, saying, “He asked you to wait for an hour, but then failed to show up.”

Shen Suwei’s lips moved slightly, and Xu Qianyu almost felt an apology emanating from them. She quickly pressed her hand over his mouth. “No apologies.”

“Senior Brother, I know you’re exhausted,” Xu Qianyu said. “If there’s trouble, it’s fine to miss an appointment. What’s it to wait a little longer for you? You wouldn’t think me unreasonable, would you?”

She paused for a moment, then looked out at the round moon through the window, murmuring, “In the past, I asked you to wait so many times. Why didn’t I feel guilty then?”

Every morning, she would lie in bed, no matter the wind, frost, rain, or snow. Shen Suwei was always the one waiting for her outside. All these years, he never once complained.

Yet, he was upset after missing one appointment.

Xu Qianyu used to be very picky, lacking patience. If her meal wasn’t to her liking, she would refuse to eat. If she couldn’t get something she wanted right away, she would lose interest and toss it aside. He had always immediately responded to her, satisfying her needs. Who could have predicted that one day Xu Qianyu would press her finger between his, her voice like warm, flowing water entering his consciousness: “Take your time; I’ll wait for you, no matter how long.”

Shen Suwei suddenly closed his eyes, his other hand gripping the sword handle tightly.

Xu Qianyu also felt uneasy, but strangely, her heart remained steady. She couldn’t help but feel that she had grown a lot.

Things were different now. She looked at the palm of her hand; she was no longer the weak Foundation disciple. Even if Senior Brother never woke, she had the confidence to lead him out of this predicament.

When the killing intent left Shen Suwei’s body, Wuzhen asked, “What did you find out?”

Xu Qianyu told him what she had seen, then added, “There are at least two groups of cultivators in this illusion. One is in the east wing, and there are two more in the rear courtyard. The demon is their subordinate, but I couldn’t understand what they were saying.”

“It’s not a secret language,” Wuzhen said. “You’ve used the communication technique of Penglai before. Outsiders can’t hear a thing. The chanting you heard should be ‘thingspeech.’ Heaven and earth create things; each has its own way of transmitting messages. The mirage creatures do this, and some plant spirits do the same. Sometimes, the Heavenly Dao transmits its will through thingspeech. Mortals can’t understand it.”

Xu Qianyu was puzzled. “So, they’re mirage creatures? Spirits?”

“Doesn’t seem like it.”

Indeed, these lower-level beings wouldn’t be able to make a high-level demon their servant.

At this point, the cracked floating grass, Shenchong, sighed deeply and complained about his injuries. Xu Qianyu pulled it out from her sleeve and handed it to Shen Suwei. “Brother, can you fix this?”

Wuzhen: …

Shenchong was so frightened it nearly flew out of its skin, scrambling to escape. “Ah, a demon! I don’t want this…” but was immediately grabbed by Shen Suwei and forcibly restored. “Mmm… gurgle…”

Moments later, it was struck by Shen Suwei’s sword qi and flew through the window, embedding itself like a dart in the flowerpot on the windowsill. It took root in the soil, and Shenchong’s leaves unfurled, letting out a long, melancholy sigh.

Xu Qianyu took out the triangular porcelain vial she had received from Shui Weiwei. “I also saw that demon turn into a maid and give this item to Shui Weiwei. I’m not sure what they’re scheming.” The porcelain bottle twirled skillfully in her hands. “This type of bottle is used by the Immortal Sect to store pills. It’s rarely seen in the mortal world.”

Wuzhen said, “Open it and see.”

A round, brown pill fell into Xu Qianyu’s palm. She sniffed it; spiritual energy and a faint trace of a demonic aura entered her nose.

Xu Qianyu felt something stirring and immediately used sword qi to cut the pill in half. Inside the cleanly cut surface was a half-transparent insect egg embedded. Silver mist flowed within, and something curled up could vaguely be seen inside.

In an instant, Xu Qianyu recalled the warship to the Demon Domain, where Yin Xiangjun and Luo Shui Yuanjun had provided their disciples with snacks that contained similar insect eggs, though smaller. Shen Suwei had said these were used to control the mind and prevent disciples from rebelling—poisonous insects.

Xu Qianyu distastefully moved the insect egg farther away and took out a thin soul-snatching whip. She cupped her hand into a bottle shape, and three clusters of different colored flames appeared above it. She tossed the insect egg into the fire.

Wuzhen said, “Don’t burn it just yet…”

He realized his misunderstanding of Xu Qianyu. She wasn’t planning to destroy it. Instead, the insect egg, placed in the fire, didn’t explode like popcorn. Instead, it was gently lifted by the three flames and floated in the air, like dew evaporating.

The fire sizzled, and the silver insect egg gradually expanded, becoming transparent. A silver insect with horns crawled out of the egg, circled it once, and quickly grew wings. The wings fluttered.

The two wings spread open, soft and beautiful, glowing with a purple light, like a lady’s elegant dress under the lamp.

The entire process was as beautiful as a shadow play in the mortal world. Except for a pair of sharp outlines on the butterfly’s wings, which suddenly “opened,” revealing a pair of round, eye-like patterns. Like a beast’s eyes, they blinked, sending a shiver down one’s spine and inexplicably inducing drowsiness.

“Wuzhen,” said, “…Dream Butterfly.”

“What is it?” Xu Qianyu shook her head, trying to shake off the influence.

“This illusion is a dream illusion,” Wuzhen said as he pulled down the bed curtains to block the candlelight. His figure appeared beneath the curtains, and the butterfly fluttered to the boy’s fingertips. “The Dream Butterfly is the mark that opens this realm. It can induce dreams and construct illusions.”

Upon seeing the butterfly, Xu Qianyu instinctively thought of Luo Shui Yuanjun, recalling that Luo Shui had once entered her dream. She said, “I have the power to enter dreams.” She couldn’t help but shiver—when she saw that butterfly before, it was the Dream Butterfly.

The appearance of the Dream Butterfly marked that Luo Shui was invading her dream.

“Is this a tool of a cultivator or a divine power?”

Wuzhen replied, “It’s both a realm and a divine power. The Dream Butterfly is a virtual object, it does not exist in reality. Some people’s realms are made up of countless Dream Butterflies, which allow them to manifest the dream world outside.”

Xu Qianyu inhaled sharply. “How could there be such a realm?”

If this person used the Dream Butterfly as their realm, they would have the ability to traverse others’ dreams at will. The scenes in their dreams would become the person’s personal space; being able to externalize the realm would mean trapping others in their dreams. This ability could be considered god-defying.

Wuzhen continued, “You said this person has cultivation below half-step transformation into spirit but has the ability to construct illusions above the ninth realm. It’s hard to find someone with such a condition in the four great immortal sects. If she was born with such a realm, it would make sense.”

Wuzhen released his grip, and the Dream Butterfly flew onto Xu Qianyu’s shoulder. Perhaps because she had incubated it, it regarded her as its master. Xu Qianyu endured for a moment before extending her finger and flicking it three feet away with a “pop.”

She couldn’t understand—she had no enmity with Luo Shui, so why had Luo Shui, who had previously shown kindness to her without reason, now come to her home to create an illusion?

“Why did she give Shui Weiwei the insect eggs?”

Wuzhen made a hand gesture and calculated, but did not immediately answer.

Xu Qianyu flicked the Dream Butterfly flying toward her away again, and her own phoenix-winged butterfly leapt up, forcefully knocking the Dream Butterfly far away. The two butterflies clashed together. Xu Qianyu decisively stored them both in the mustard seed golden pearl. “Master, you said the illusion we are in is a dream. If I wake up the person who is dreaming, will we be able to leave?”

Wuzhen’s dark, heavy eyes looked at her, seemingly surprised by her way of approaching the problem. “It shouldn’t be that simple… You need to first determine whose dream we are in.”

He formed a hand seal, drawing a spirit awakening talisman, which he placed inside a white earth triangular bottle, sealing it and handing it to Xu Qianyu. “If the item is lost, she will become suspicious. Return it to where you took it from.”

*
Xu Qianyu easily placed the bottle back in the dressing table without disturbing anyone. Shui Weiwei was trying on a new skirt behind the screen, completely unaware.

When Xu Qianyu stepped out, she happened to see a servant girl carrying a silver tray with a wine cup enter Shui Weiwei’s chamber. “Miss, this is the osmanthus wine for tonight’s guest.

Please try it and see if it suits your taste.”

Xu Qianyu hid behind the curtain, listening.

Shui Weiwei responded lazily but took the wine cup into the inner room. As she avoided others, she took the white earth triangular bottle from the dressing box, hurriedly poured its contents into the wine pot, and immediately handed it back to the servant.

A large blush spread across her face, though it was unclear whether from embarrassment or nervousness. “It’s very sweet. Remember to serve this wine to the Immortal Lord tonight, along with sour plums and crab claws.”

Xu Qianyu thought to herself—Shui Weiwei used that bottle to add something to the wine. Did she know it contained insect eggs? If she and Wuzhen hadn’t swapped the items, then the “Immortal Lord” was going to be put into a dream.

Shui Weiwei continued to change clothes, but she became more restless, unable to tie her dress properly. “I can’t find the plums. Zhang Mother, help me with my clothes.”

A graceful woman, Zhang Mother, hurried over to assist.

“Zhang Mother, I heard your nephew joined one of the four great immortal sects. The life in the immortal sects must be much better than in the mortal world, right?” Shui Weiwei asked while changing.

“They say the immortal sects have countless spiritual mountains and fields, and everyone in there is gifted, with long lifespans.”

Shui Weiwei’s tone couldn’t hide her yearning: “I’ve enjoyed mortal riches already. If I’m lucky enough to live in an immortal sect, that would be even better. I could bring Father there to extend his life and protect him from the demonic creatures.”

Xu Qianyu’s gaze fixed on Zhang Mother’s face.

When Zhang Mother left the room, Xu Qianyu followed her out, closed her eyes, and swung her sword from behind, severing her neck. This was her childhood nurse. Even though she knew it was a creation of demonic energy, she still trembled slightly when she struck.

As Zhang Mother collapsed, a tremulous shout rang in her ear: “Stop!”

Xu Qianyu felt her wrist being tightly grasped and pulled around. In front of her stood the flushed Guan Niang.

Guan Niang glanced at Zhang Mother’s body on the floor and then looked at Xu Qianyu. She had never looked at her with such a gaze—full of wariness, disgust, and fear. Guan Niang’s eyes were slightly red as she suppressed her anger and said, “I saw it that day. Meizi, you killed her too. Immortal Lord, I know your powers are unmatched. But these are my people, my family. You cannot, you cannot…”

She knew that mortals were like ants compared to cultivators, and if the other party got angry, she would not fare well. But when facing this young girl, she could not suppress the agitation in her chest.

Xu Qianyu’s wrist was hurting, but she remained silent, watching Guan Niang. With a flick of her sword, a breastband slipped out from Zhang Mother’s collar, and then a rattled drum fell from her sleeve.

Guan Niang covered her mouth with her sleeve, staring at these objects, which were quite unfamiliar to her.

Xu Qianyu calmly looked at Guan Niang and said, “Did you see? She was a wet nurse.”

“Only unmarried maids serve Miss closely. If they have children, they are sent to do other tasks,” Xu Qianyu said. “Guan Niang, let me ask you, is there a newborn child in the manor at this time?”

“…No.”

“Then Miss is pregnant?”

“Of course not.” Guan Niang quickly covered her mouth. “Miss is unmarried.”

Xu Qianyu said, “Since there’s nothing, why would there be a wet nurse, Zhang Mother?”
Guan Niang stood frozen for a moment.

Indeed, as the head maid of the household, she couldn’t explain why one of the young maidservants she managed—a maidservant who should have been among the others—was inexplicably a wet nurse, serving the unmarried young lady.

But Zhang Mother, she indeed knew her. She remembered that not long ago, they had spoken.

Several fragments flashed in her mind: her and the wet nurse together holding a baby wrapped in a swaddle, rocking the cradle while chatting. Zhang Mother had also helped tend to the mad young lady… The young lady disliked the baby in the swaddle, and the baby had a cinnabar mark on its forehead. There was also the plum—she had indeed died protecting her mistress on the day Shui Weiwei gave birth.

The “Zhang Mother” under Xu Qianyu’s sword transformed into black mist, dispersing into the air.

Guan Niang watched as the black mist floated upwards, slowly realizing something. Her eyes widened as she looked at Xu Qianyu, filled with doubt and disbelief. Slowly, her eyes reddened. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words.

Xu Qianyu held her hand tightly.

When one realizes something is wrong in a dream, it’s time to wake up.

But as she looked around, the scene hadn’t changed.

It seemed they were not in Guan Niang’s dream. But Guan Niang waking up was a good thing; the surrounding demonic energy faded a little.

Guan Niang gazed at her deeply with affectionate eyes. Soon, she composed herself and recognized the danger of the situation. She quickly became sharp and said, “Immortal Lord, what brings you here? Has something happened at home? Is there anything I can do to help?”
Xu Qianyu said, “It’s not serious; as long as you’re all awake, it can be resolved. I want to see the master.”

Guan Niang replied, “The master is currently suffering from a cold and is resting in the pavilion. He may not wake up, but I can take you to see him.”

Xu Qianyu nodded. “By the way, do you still remember who is residing in the eastern chamber?”

“The eastern chamber is… is…” Guan Niang suddenly looked at her. “It’s Immortal Lord Xu from Penglai, with his little daughter.”

Xu Qianyu was stunned.

This was her cheap father and stepmother, the night banquet where they had met.