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Chapter 38: The Poisonous Butterfly, Part 3
"Huh?"
"...."
Married? What's this guy talking about? I just want to remove my clothes. What—
(๏_๏)
O-Oh...
"N-No! It's not what you think! I'm still wearing my robe from earlier! I just felt comfortable. That's all." Be normal, Liu Xiao! Be normal! Don't think about it! At casual!
Wu Qingge slightly parted his lips and nodded slowly, comprehending Liu Xiao's intentions. "I understand." He then stepped forward, his hands drawing the pastel blue ribbon that embraced Liu Xiao's slender waist. The lengthy summer yellow robe felt its own weight and cascaded down Liu Xiao's form, unveiling the simple light blue robe he donned earlier.
"Phew! Much better!" Liu Xiao exhaled as though he had been holding his breath the entire time. Is this what modern women feel like when they wear a bra after a long time? My sympathies.
Just as Liu Xiao settled into comfort, he sensed a surge of subtle demonic energy from the floor below, indicating a battle was underway. Following the demonic energy waves, Bai Lan burst through the door and halted upon noticing Liu Xiao and Wu Qingge.
"We heard him here!"
"Hurry! Climb up!"
"Kill him!"
"Shit!" Liu Xiao cursed, swiftly pushing Bai Lan under the king-sized bed. "Go! Hide quickly! Lower your killing intent." Once Bai Lan complied, disappearing beneath the bed, Liu Xiao, with a sense of urgency, pushed Wu Qingge onto it, causing him to bounce from the force. Climbing atop him, Liu Xiao whispered an apology: "I'm really sorry."
In his haste, Liu Xiao leaned forward, and his warm lips met Wu Qingge's in a pressing kiss that left him momentarily frozen, taken aback by Liu Xiao's audacious action. Moments later, the door burst open for the second time as three to five demonic cultivators entered, surveying the room. Wu Qingge, grasping the situation, wrapped one hand around Liu Xiao's waist while the other gently cradled his chin, deepening their kiss and eliciting a soft groan from Liu Xiao. Meanwhile, a pair of glowing, blood-red eyes observed the intruders, glaring with intense killing intent.
The five demonic cultivators were overwhelmed by Wu Qingge's intense killing intent, causing them to retreat hastily. Once Liu Xiao sensed the absence of the faint demonic qi throughout the building, he ceased kissing Wu Qingge and exhaled a sigh of relief. "Did they leave?" inquired Liu Xiao. Without responding, Wu Qingge maintained his gaze on Liu Xiao, prompting Liu Xiao to realize the situation and retreat with an awkward chuckle, apologizing. Noticing Wu Qingge's continued silence, Liu Xiao drew back the bedsheet from the lower portion of the king-sized bed to reveal Bai Lan, who was prostrate on the wooden floor.
"It's safe now, Bai Lan. They're gone," assured Liu Xiao.
Bai Lan raised his head, his face etched with a frown and astonishment. Perplexed by Bai Lan's expression, Liu Xiao cocked his head and tugged at Bai Lan's left arm to coax him from his hiding spot. As Bai Lan emerged, his frown deepened while facing Liu Xiao. "What's wrong?" demanded Liu Xiao, a mix of irritation and bewilderment in his voice.
"You..." Bai Lan shifted his intense stare from Wu Qingge back to Liu Xiao, his frown intensifying and his expression souring further. Before Liu Xiao could voice his confusion, he caught sight of his own reflection in the large wall mirror.
Shan Ling had meticulously styled his hair, but now it appeared disheveled, with the sapphire hairpin askew. His lips were swollen and reddened. Liu Xiao clenched his eyes shut, biting his lip to restrain himself from the shame that urged him to bang his head against the wall. After taking several deep breaths, he reopened his eyes and gazed at Bai Lan.
"What did you do? Why are you being reckless?" Liu Xiao asked, referring to the battle that happened earlier.
Bai Lan shook his head and answered, "It's not me."
Liu Xiao frowned. "Then who is it?"
"Lan Yang."
Huh? Liu Xiao pondered for a moment, then asked again, "Where are the others? Why are you hiding?"
"The poisonous flower knew that there were cultivators in this town that planned to kill her. She sent a few demonic cultivators down to kill us. Lan Yang was downstairs, having a battle, while Chen Yi and Shan Ling were nowhere to be found," Bai Lan answered.
"Why didn't you help Lan Yang downstairs?!" Liu Xiao questioned with a frown, picking up his sword on the large round table and hanging it on his waist.
"He's strong; he can do it," Bai Lan indifferently said.
Liu Xiao sighed and tied his hair into a ponytail. "Let's head to the top floor now. I need to send a message to Chen Yi, Shan Ling, and Lan Yang," he said. Approaching Wu Qingge, he took his hand, and together with Bai Lan, they left the room and hurried to the staircase leading to the highest floor.
As they ascended the stairs quietly, Liu Xiao took out three pieces of paper and murmured a few words: "Chen Yi, Shan Ling, and Lan Yang, stop your current tasks and come to the seventh floor immediately."
Upon reaching the top floor, Liu Xiao almost coughed up blood from the overwhelming demonic aura enveloping the area. The atmosphere was dense with black and red hues, reminiscent of clouds billowing from hell. Quickly donning a veil, he handed one to Bai Lan and gave another to Wu Qingge, cautioning, "Be careful; it's toxic."
Bai Lan donned the veil with a scowl, while Wu Qingge smiled as he put his on. They took another step forward when suddenly, a faint sound echoed through the vast, shadowy room—a sound akin to wood knocking, followed by more of the same, as if someone were manipulating a wooden puppet.
When the sinister fog finally cleared from their view, they saw a stark, bright red curtain with the silhouette of a woman seated at its center. Her golden eyes shone from behind the curtain as she rose slowly, her movements reminiscent of a marionette's.
Wolves are asleep amidst the trees.
Bats are all swaying in the breeze.
Liu Xiao felt a chill run down her spine as she heard the woman's voice sweetly singing alone, reminiscent of a lullaby sung to a child. Then, a pale wooden hand slowly pushed aside the red curtain, and the sound of the wood echoed once more.
But one soul lies anxious and wide awake.
Fear of the manner of ghouls, hags, and wraiths
As the woman advanced towards them, her pale wooden body appeared limp, dragging one foot after the other. The rigid butterflies perched atop her head as ornaments suddenly fluttered their black and red wings, scattering about the area.
For your dolly, Polly, sleep has flown.
Don't dare let her tremble alone for the demons
"What the fuck, that's a puppet?!" Liu Xiao blurted out. Closing his eyes, he spread his spiritual qi throughout his body and released it all at once, causing the orange jewel on his forehead to emit a radiant glow.
Heartless, cold, and pain in a coin of gold
"Urk, will you please stop singing?!" Liu Xiao whispered as he gazed at the woman who remained motionless behind the red curtains, surrounded by black and red butterflies fluttering about.
Suddenly, the woman's wooden figure sprang towards them. Her eyes shone with a golden hue, and with a single wave of her pale, slender wooden hands, she sent a large swarm of butterflies, shaped like blades, hurtling towards them at an incredible speed.
Wu Qingge swiftly summoned demonic qi into his palms, forming a stunning purple pearl. He hurled it towards the oncoming wave of venomous butterflies, creating a robust shield of black and purple demonic qi.
The butterflies shattered into fragments, and the puppet woman stood frozen in shock. Moments later, her body swayed gently as she emitted a piercing wail that echoed throughout the room. In the shadowy corners, numerous demonic cultivators emerged, drawing their swords and preparing for battle.
"This is bad! Where is Chen Yi and the others?!" Liu Xiao yelled in frustration. Bai Lan on his side unsheathed his sword and replied calmly, "Don't mind them for the time being. Focus on the battle."
Liu Xiao expanded his orange spiritual qi, which formed into delicate shapes resembling orange plum blossom petals. These petals glowed as they floated around him, and with a swift wave of his hand, he directed the myriad of plum blossom petals towards the demonic cultivators.
Following the initial assault, Bai Lan tapped his foot to leap upward, striking the puppet woman's body in rapid succession. However, the puppet woman evaded his blade effortlessly, as if she were a weightless piece of paper caught in a breeze. On the verge of losing his balance in midair, Bai Lan withdrew and clicked his tongue in frustration. "This is bad. That demon cult leader is made of wood, so it's basically weightless. Her advantage will be her speed plus the poison of the butterflies around her."
Liu Xiao stabbed one demonic cultivator who was about to strike him and replied with a yell, "USE A WIDE RANGE ATTACK SO THAT THE BUTTERFLIES CAN'T REACH YOU! THOUGH I WON'T KNOW IF IT WILL WORK!"
"DON'T SUGGEST THINGS IF YOU DON'T KNOW IF IT WILL WORK! I MIGHT DIE YOU KNOW!?" Bai Lan yelled back.
"SORRY!" LIU XIAO REPLIED AGAIN.
While Liu Xiao and Bai Lan were engaging the horde of demonic cultivators, Wu Qingge remained upright, fixated on the puppet woman hovering in mid-air. A black lotus flower emerged from his body and morphed into a sword, darting towards the puppet woman autonomously.
Amidst the chaotic battle, Chen Yi, Shan Ling, and Lam Yang made their entrance. Confronted with the mass of demonic cultivators, they plunged into the battlefield without hesitation. Liu Xiao, upon noticing them, was struck with an idea and shouted, "CHEN YI, SET UP A PROTECTIVE ARRAY! WE CAN'T HAVE THE PEOPLE DOWNSTAIRS KNOW ABOUT THIS!"
Chen Yi acknowledged him with a nod and extracted numerous talismans from her dimensional ring. With a gesture, she summoned a yellow spiritual qi that enveloped the talismans, causing them to levitate and adhere to the wall. Subsequently, a robust yellow barrier enveloped the entire floor.
The black lotus flower, transformed into a sword, aimed to sever the puppet woman's leg in a single strike. However, the puppet woman evaded swiftly, and her feet, which bore the brunt of her evasive force, detonated with a display of black and purple mist.
Wu Qingge snapped his fingers a second time, releasing another projectile of black and purple qi from his fingertips. It targeted the puppet woman's other foot, disrupting her balance and sending her tumbling onto the wooden floor.
Emitting a piercing scream, the puppet woman endeavored to rise despite her lack of feet. A swarm of butterflies converged and launched an assault in Wu Qingge's direction. Liu Xiao moved to shield him, but Wu Qingge drew him back and unfurled his palms, conjuring a vast barrier of black and purple demonic qi that obliterated the butterflies.
With the butterflies dispersed, the puppet woman's cries echoed once more as she struggled to stand. Meanwhile, demonic cultivators were systematically eradicated by Shan Ling, Bai Lan, Lan Yang, and Chen Yi at the stairwell entrance. They were also reinforcing the integrity of the protective array. After completing their task, they relaxed and lifted the seal.
As they observed the puppet woman retreating amidst wails and shrieks, her luminous eyes bore into them fiercely, and her reddened lips were clenched in anger. Bai Lan poised his sword to decapitate her when Liu Xiao interjected with a shout, "Wait!"
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Wanjie | 万杰, The Poisonous Butterfly
(The Puppet Woman)