Chapter 159: Dream Butterfly (Part 3)

Guan Niang quietly led Xu Qianyu to the back hall, sighing, “I tried to wake the master, but he’s half asleep, and his mind is still unclear. This is all we can do.”

Xu Qianyu replied, “It’s fine. Once we solve the puzzle, he’ll surely wake up. Just let me take a look at him.”

Guan Niang raised her voice towards the inside, “Master, a guest has come to speak with you.”

Through the curtain and screen, Xu Qianyu saw her grandfather’s bare feet, stretched out and covered with a light quilt. He looked just like when he used to nap in the afternoon, and an old, nostalgic feeling swept over her like warm water. She suddenly felt like a child again, shy and anxious, as she adjusted her clothes, afraid her collar might be unkempt.

Guan Niang gave her an encouraging nod, and Xu Qianyu stepped forward. “Did you sleep well?”
Shui Rushan slowly sat up, his eyes squinting in the dim light. He looked at her for a while, then pointed to his forehead, saying, “Thanks to the Immortal’s care, forgive my rudeness. I just had a very vivid dream. I dreamt that many years later, I had a granddaughter, who looked just like you.

She had a red mark on her forehead and liked to wear red.”

He spoke with a sense of surprise and began to laugh to himself. “But she was still small, not as tall as you. If she grows up like you, she’ll surely be very happy.”

Xu Qianyu’s eyes glistened in the night. After a long pause, she managed to murmur, “Mm.”

Shui Rushan coughed repeatedly in the chilly air, and Guan Niang hurriedly went inside to pat his back. From outside, the servants’ calls announcing the start of the banquet reached their ears.

Xu Qianyu signaled Guan Niang with a glance, saying, “Master, take care. I must leave now.”

“Immortal,” Shui Rushan suddenly called out from behind.

“Hmm?” Xu Qianyu turned around, her skirt flowing as golden-orange sword energy flickered along the wooden sword slung at her back. Her figure was slender, but the wooden sword appeared ancient and broad.

“This sword is heavy, isn’t it?” Shui Rushan remarked, pointing at her, chuckling. “You’re too thin.
You need to eat more.”

Xu Qianyu pursed her lips, forcing a dry smile. Only when she had passed the roof did she quietly raise her hand to wipe away the tears that had fallen. Once she had patted her skirt back into place, she gracefully descended and regained her composure, removing her veil and walking arrogantly through the courtyard filled with the sounds of silk and bamboo.

Her senior brother’s situation was unpredictable. She still had a hard battle to fight.

The courtyard was brightly lit as if it were daylight. Thin ropes ran through the courtyard, with various lanterns hanging from them, including long lamps, round lamps with a jade rabbit holding the moon, and a revolving lantern depicting Chang’e flying to the moon. On the side, there was even a wall of lights. The orange light flickered across the lotus pond, resembling blooming golden flowers. From the waterside pavilion, the sounds of pipa and lusheng music drifted across the water.

Every year, the Mid-Autumn banquet was a grand affair at the estate. This year, due to Shui Rushan’s illness, the banquet was organized by Shui Weiwei, the young lady of the Shui family.

Shui Weiwei was very attentive, especially setting up the banquet in the courtyard to allow everyone to appreciate the scenery and the moon. Guests gradually took their seats, all praising the Shui family’s artificial mountains, ponds, and lanterns.

Maids moved around, serving dishes between the tables. Xu Qianyu concealed her aura and was guided to a round table. The table was already filled with various delicacies, and before long, the seats around her were filled with people. With a glance, she saw that the table was full of strange, untrustworthy figures—fortune-tellers, shamans, and Taoists.

Shui Weiwei had grouped her with these swindlers.

However, after a while, the door to the east wing opened, and Xu Binglai came out, leading Xu Qianqian. They seated themselves at the main table, directly facing the waterside pavilion. This arrangement revealed Shui Weiwei’s favoritism.

As soon as the two appeared, the guests burst into astonished admiration. Xu Binglai, dressed in white, with white hair cascading down to his heels, a golden sword mark on his forehead, and his delicate, languid features, looked ethereal. The girl he held by the hand, Xu Qianqian, wore a white immortal robe, her face pale as snow and her eyes dark as ink. Both looked exceptionally pale but were as graceful and extraordinary as jade.

As Xu Binglai was about to sit down, he suddenly cast a sharp glance towards Xu Qianyu’s table.

The distance was too far to see clearly, and he hadn’t expected to find such a highly skilled practitioner among the guests. Could this person be the one behind the plot?

Xu Qianyu had no intention of looking at Xu Binglai. One hand holding her veil hat, she casually picked up peanuts from the plate. Her mind was focused on another matter: Guan Niang had awakened, and her grandfather had also recalled the reality, but the illusion remained as firm as ever, with no change at all. This indicated that neither Guan Niang nor her grandfather were dreaming.

The Shui family in the illusion was clear and vivid, with the maid Meizi appearing, even including her wet nurse, Zhang mother, in such details. The most likely person to be dreaming, apart from Guan Niang and her grandfather, was Shui Weiwei.

Xu Qianyu spun a copper coin between her fingers and tossed it onto the table.

She had learned a simple form of divination from Hua Qingyu. When necessary, she could ask the heavens a question. All she needed was a simple yes or no answer. She wanted to prove her hypothesis, but to her surprise, when the coin fell, it landed with no reaction, silently hitting the table. Xu Qianyu, unwilling to believe in bad luck, tried several more times but couldn’t gain any insight.

A chuckle came from the person sitting next to her, the priestess, who had a restrained female disciple with her. The disciple looked at Xu Qianyu and said, “Little girl, the heavens favor those who are neither human nor non-human. You used to be like that, but you’re not anymore. Do you still think the heavens will help you?”

Xu Qianyu was a bit thrown off. She hadn’t expected that even though her soul was whole now, she had lost the ability to ask the heavens. But after finally learning how to love, she wasn’t eager to return to her old self. She sneered, putting the coin away, “Who cares about their favoritism?” The priestess shook her head and said no more.

The noise around her didn’t stop.

In the mustard seed golden bead, two butterflies were fighting endlessly. The beak phoenix butterfly, before it became her ornament, was once the demon core of an earth spirit, beautiful on the outside but cruel on the inside. When it flapped its wings, it sent the illusion dream butterfly crashing into the wall, scattering gold dust. The illusion dream butterfly wasn’t willing to back down, rushing to flap its wings and try to lift the beak phoenix butterfly. The mustard seed golden bead kept shaking, making loud popping sounds.

Mixed in with it were the voices of her sword, mocking, “Ha ha.”

Also, the malicious laughter of the floating grass, Shenchong: “Hmph.”

After briefly stepping into the semi-divine transformation realm, Xu Qianyu could hear every little sound with crystal clarity. She could even hear the thoughts of her sword and magical tools, something she had never experienced before, and she felt the noise was overwhelming.

She thought to herself: In her past life, when her senior brother ascended to Daojun, he could hear everything in the world—how noisy that must have been. She wondered how he had endured it.

“Stop fighting.” Xu Qianyu pinched the mustard seed golden bead. She didn’t want to break the golden bead her senior brother had given her.

The beak phoenix butterfly shouted, “What, one butterfly is enough for you? Why do you need another one? This butterfly is clearly pretending to be weak and pitiful. You used to always wear me in the most prominent place, but now, ever since you got it, you put me inside the golden bead. You’re just a fickle woman.”

The illusion dream butterfly also emitted unintelligible dream-like sounds, like thousands of bubbles popping.

Xu Qianyu took the beak phoenix butterfly out and pinned it to her collar. The butterfly flapped its wings, and everything calmed down.

Amidst the clinking of cups and bowls, Shui Weiwei’s voice cut through the noise clearly:

“Immortal Lord, why don’t you try some of my homemade osmanthus wine? It pairs very well with crab claws.” Shui Weiwei had dressed up carefully today, her hairpin adorned with Shuiyue glass ornaments, dangling with shimmering beads. Her fox-fur shawl was wrapped around her in a noble yet delicate manner, her eyes full of anticipation.

The osmanthus wine she held was the same brew from that day, enriched with extra ingredients.

Xu Binglai’s expression was downcast. He didn’t look at her or respond.

The young Xu Qianqian tugged at his sleeves, staring at the two of them. Her pale face flushed, like flames dancing beneath a thin layer of ice. Her eyes glistened with cold, filled with resentment and unbearable suppression.

She tugged at Xu Binglai’s sleeve, her lips parted, seemingly about to speak, but Xu Qianyu’s bright eyes flicked over. She took a peanut from the plate and secretly flicked it like a bullet.

The peanut hit the meridians on Xu Qianqian’s shoulder, silent and fast, delivering a sharp blow. Xu Qianqian’s face immediately changed; her body convulsed with pain, but no sound escaped her.

Xu Qianyu thought to herself: Xu Binglai and Xu Qianqian couldn’t possibly be in the Shui family right now. The two people in front of her were likely creations of demonic energy, so she didn’t hold back.

The illusion dream butterfly eggs that should have been added to the osmanthus wine had already been replaced with awakening talismans that had no real effect, so drinking it wouldn’t cause harm. She was hoping Shui Weiwei would drink the wine and wake up sooner.

If the illusion was truly Shui Weiwei’s dream, it might be shattered right here. If not, she wanted to see what kind of outcome Luo Shui expected from giving Shui Weiwei the eggs.

Shui Weiwei looked around and said, “Immortal Lord, are you displeased with me? Did I not serve you well? In front of our guests, I hope you can show the Shui family some courtesy.”

Xu Binglai stared at Shui Weiwei for a moment, glanced at the wine glass, and took it from her.

The two drank from the same cup. Shui Weiwei couldn’t hide her joy and drank it all in one go.

Xu Qianyu looked up, the autumn lights swaying on thin cords. The clinking of cups continued, and a pale round moon in the mist gazed at her. Something felt off, and she couldn’t help but feel confused.

Could this dream not be Shui Weiwei’s?

Not long after sitting down, Shui Weiwei saw no changes, and the joy on her face began to shift subtly. She looked at the wine jar, then glanced at Xu Binglai, who was holding Xu Qianqian, her expression freezing.

Xu Qianqian, suffering from both illness and the hidden blow from Xu Qianyu, suddenly collapsed backward, fainting. Xu Binglai immediately cradled her in his arms and infused her with spiritual energy. “Qianqian?”

Shui Weiwei wanted to express concern but couldn’t find a way to speak. Her gaze turned to the wine jar; her face alternately flushed and pale, barely concealing her disappointment. Yet she had no idea what had gone wrong.

After a moment, her eyes scanned the crowd, as if seeking help from someone.

Soon after, a maid in pink stepped forward, approaching Shui Weiwei.

This maid was the high-level demonic creature who had delivered the insect eggs to Shui Weiwei that day. Xu Qianyu immediately focused her gaze on her, wanting to see what this demon was trying to achieve by manipulating Xu Binglai into the dream.

The maid approached, and two purple illusion dream butterflies flew silently from her hands.

Xu Qianyu felt a buzz in her chest and thought to herself, This is bad. The beak phoenix butterfly, in its rage, had already seen the illusion dream butterflies and pounced on them. Xu Qianyu tried to stop it, but it was too late.

The beak phoenix butterfly flapped its wings and struck the two illusion dream butterflies into powder, causing the maid to release demonic energy, which alerted Xu Binglai. He immediately drew his sword, placing his daughter under the table, ready for action.

His sword was like a long jade ruler, exuding a cold, icy aura like frozen steel, yet it burned like fierce fire, causing the maid to scream in agony.

Then tables and chairs were overturned, bowls and dishes shattered, and the guests screamed and fled. Black mist curled upwards, and the maid in a pink dress revealed her true form. Her face was covered with fine fur, and wings sprouted from her back—she was a giant illusion butterfly.

On its large wings were many blinking eyes. When Xu Binglai’s sword struck, almost all the eyes were cleaved in half. Moments later, the eyes fell off, transforming into many small illusion butterflies.

Xu Binglai struck again, almost cleaving the illusion butterfly in two. Xu Qianyu couldn’t wait any longer. She dashed forward, unsheathing her sword and slashing. The scorching sword energy hit her face, and the illusion butterflies turned to ash, like dry leaves.

She cut the illusion butterfly twice and took the opportunity to strike at Xu Binglai, hoping to eliminate the demonic energy that had been manipulated.

Xu Binglai felt the scorching sword energy approach and slid back several steps. The strands of hair on his chest instantly ignited and burned up to his cheeks. He looked stunned and raised his sword to swipe aside Xu Qianyu’s veil, shouting, “I told you to kill demons, not me!”

Xu Qianyu felt a chill on her cheek, a coldness that made her heart shiver. Their sword energies clashed, and they both froze for a moment, sensing something was wrong. Why did this Xu Binglai feel… so real?

Somehow, the thin string had been cut, and the lamps began to fall one by one, many landing on the ground and catching fire. The flames reached Xu Qianqian’s sleeves. She hissed in pain, and more lamps, like fireballs, fell from the sky. Xu Binglai didn’t have time to explain. He hurriedly lifted Xu Qianqian from under the table.

Xu Qianyu turned around and slashed again. The giant illusion butterfly was cleaved in two.

“Wait.” She stared directly at Xu Qianqian, her mind in a haze. “Master, are you really in the Shui family? Is Xu Qianqian in the Shui family too?”

Xu Binglai replied, “Yes.”

The demonic creature crashed to the ground, raising a cloud of dust before shattering like black glass.

The remaining demonic energy swiftly flowed back into the “shaman” sitting at the table, causing her body to tremble and blood to leak from the corner of her mouth. The “Daoist” beside her looked at the mess on the floor and said flatly, “Sister, she hurt you. I’ve told you, bringing her in would cause trouble.”

The two figures vanished and revealed their true forms, both resembling elegant and beautiful women—Yin Xiangjun and Yin Luo Shui. Between them hung strings of puppets. However, the butterfly inside the glass lantern in Luo Shui’s hand was gone, leaving only the dim lampshade.

Luo Shui bit her lip, a trace of blood staining it. She gazed expressionlessly at Xu Qianyu.

Behind Xu Qianyu, an enormous bird-like shadow silently appeared, purple demonic energy swirling as hundreds of whispers echoed in her ears. Xu Qianyu was suddenly shoved forward, crashing directly into Xu Binglai. She instinctively tried to dodge but fell into empty space.

When she opened her eyes, the sounds of celestial music in different tunes reached her ears.

She stood in a vast, unfamiliar place. Before her were many tables laden with delicacies.

The palace was shrouded in mist, with richly dressed cultivators seated around the tables.

One table in front of her had familiar faces. Xu Binglai was speaking to the young Xu Qianqian.

“What do you want to eat? Father will help you.”

Xu Qianqian pointed to something, and the female cultivator beside her smiled and said, “Here, have this.”

Is this Xu Qianqian’s biological mother?

As the family of three happily shared their meal, Xu Qianyu’s expression hardened. From the ground, a crack split open, and a tendril reached out. She gripped her sword tightly.

But this thing was far larger and more terrifying than she had imagined.

When it fully emerged from the earth, the ground trembled, and thick demonic energy surged like sharp arrows, blowing her hair backward.