In the third month of spring, a fine drizzle blanketed the landscape.
On the stone steps of the pier, Mayor Wang paced back and forth with his hands tucked behind his back.
Behind him stood two servants, both with their necks hunched against the chill, their expressions sour.
“Mayor Wang, do you think these people from the Zhengqing Sect…” One servant rubbed his hands together, stepping closer to the mayor. “I heard the person coming this time is only nineteen years old a mere child! Can he really be reliable?”
Mayor Wang shot him a sharp glare but said nothing. After all, the government officers sent by the county earlier had dawdled for half a month, only to leave behind a single line—“A demon is at work; this is beyond human power” before fleeing in a hurry.
The other servant snorted and spat onto the ground. “What do you know? How could those useless freeloaders compare to the cultivated adepts of the Zhengqing Sect? I heard that the one coming this time isn’t just an ordinary disciple, but the Sect Leader’s senior disciple, Mo Yumian!”
“Mo Yumian?” The first servant’s eyes lit up. “Is he that… young man who single-handedly slayed the ship-swallowing flood dragon during the Tang River spring tide last year? I heard that dragon was as massive as a small mountain, yet he severed its demon core with a single stroke, saving a ship full of people!”
“That’s him!” At this point, the second servant couldn’t help raising his voice, though he quickly lowered it upon noticing Mayor Wang’s displeased scowl. “And two years ago, when the fox demon on Mount Longhu caused havoc, bewitching half the townspeople, even the government troops were useless. He took two junior disciples there and resolved the whole matter in just three days! As the Sect Leader’s chief disciple, to possess such capability at such a young age that’s no empty boast!”
Hearing this, Mayor Wang let out a heavy sigh, interrupting the two. “No matter how formidable his skills are, he still has to actually find the children.”
He stared out at the misty river, exhaustion deeply etched into the corners of his eyes. “Three months… and thirteen children have vanished…”
Seeing the mayor’s frustration, the two servants shut their mouths, subdued.
Mayor Wang looked up, his voice suddenly trembling. “They’re here… they’re here!”
Everyone raised their eyes to look. A black-canopied boat parted the rainy mist, slowly gliding toward the shore.
Standing at the bow were two young men in white robes. The leader stood tall and elegant like a towering jade tree, a long sword slung diagonally across his back. Its plain white tassel swayed gently with the motion of the boat.
He held an umbrella, lifting it slightly as beads of rain trickled down its rim. His eyebrows were deep and refined, his expression somber and lost in thought.
The youth bore a melancholic air, his dark hair bound high, and a forehead band wrapped across his brow. The onlookers were mesmerized by his refined and handsome appearance.
Behind him stood another youth holding an umbrella, still looking quite naive and young.
The one leading was indeed the chief disciple of the Zhengqing Sect, Mo Yumian.
At fifteen years old, he had won top honors in the Sect Tournament relying solely on his “Floating Cloud Sword Technique,” rising to fame in a single battle. Since then, rumors had spread throughout the martial world of his youthful brilliance and his feats of slaying evil demons across the realm.
Now that world was in turmoil, the Zhengqing Sect had reached an agreement with the imperial court to take special responsibility for capturing rogue demons in the mortal realm.
A few days ago, the Zhengqing Sect received an urgent report sent by the imperial court stating that children were vanishing one after another in Yunxi Town.
The Sect Leader had handed the dossier to him, speaking with gravity: “Yumian, this town is not far from the capital. If handled improperly, it could shake public confidence. I hope you will uncover the truth swiftly and not bring disgrace to our sect’s reputation.”
Mo Yumian had ridden day and night without rest, bringing his junior disciple, Shen Chang, straight to Yunxi Town.
Mayor Wang’s eyes lit up upon seeing him, and he hurriedly stepped forward to greet them.
As the gangplank touched the shore, the rain gradually ceased. Mo Yumian folded his umbrella and stepped onto the bank.
He cupped his hands in greeting to Mayor Wang, his voice calm and steady: “Mayor Wang, I am Mo Yumian. I have come by order of my sect.”
Mo Yumian’s voice carried a comforting sense of reassurance, allowing Mayor Wang’s tense body to relax.
Initially, seeing how young he was, the mayor had worried the Zhengqing Sect hadn’t taken the missing children of Yunxi Town to heart. But seeing his confident demeanor, his worries dissipated.
At the thought of those missing children, Mayor Wang felt a throbbing headache and quickly turned to lead the way: “Daoist Mo, please come this way! The situation in town… sigh, let us discuss it in detail inside.”
Mo Yumian’s gaze swept across the tightly closed shopfronts along the street; the vast thoroughfare was completely deserted.
“Senior Brother, there’s something wrong with this place,” Shen Chang transmitted his voice through spiritual communication from behind.
“I know.”
Mo Yumian’s fingers stroked the Qingxuan Jade Pendant at his waist. The pendant emitted a faint, subtle vibration.
This was the Telepathy Technique practiced by Zhengqing Sect disciples, capable of sensing anomalous qi in the surroundings. The qi of this town felt as if its very soul had been drained, leaving behind nothing but numb, walking corpses.
He withdrew his gaze and quietly followed behind Mayor Wang.
Upon entering the house, Mayor Wang began explaining the strange occurrences of the past three months first, whose child had vanished, and then the sightings of the demon.
When mentioning the demon, Mayor Wang paused.
Mo Yumian lowered his eyes, getting straight to the point: “Did all thirteen children disappear at night?”
“Indeed,” Mayor Wang nodded.
Beside him, Shen Chang was just about to ask if the children shared any commonalities before their disappearance when, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a tiny shadow at the doorway.
It was a girl of about five or six years old. She clutched a corner of the doorframe, revealing half her face.
Her face was somewhat pale, and she looked very frail. She peered timidly into the room, and the moment her gaze met his, she abruptly pulled her head back.
“Who is this…?” Shen Chang asked softly, afraid of frightening her.
Mayor Wang turned his head following Shen Chang’s gaze. Seeing the girl, he stood up, walked over, and gently pulled her into the room.
The girl did not resist; she merely hid behind him, her little hands tightly clutching the hem of his robe.
“This is my daughter, Ah Yue,” the mayor’s voice grew heavy. “She is the one who… saw that demon.”
Mo Yumian raised an eyebrow.
“Around the time young Zhu-zi went missing, Ah Yue felt unwell in the middle of the night. Just as she stepped into the courtyard, she saw a shadow floating above it.”
He glanced at his daughter huddled in his arms, gently caressing her head as he continued: “She said… that shadow was very tall, with many shimmering powders floating off its body, and… and it had a pair of wings.”
Nighttime? Shimmering? Wings?
Shen Chang knitted his brows. What kind of demon could that be?
“From that day on, my daughter couldn’t sleep at night, and her health…” Pain flashed across Mayor Wang’s face, and he did not finish his sentence, simply instructing a servant to carry Ah Yue away.
Mo Yumian cast a glance at Ah Yue; the child indeed suffered from innate weakness. He stood up and said, “Mayor Wang, please take me to the courtyard where Ah Yue saw the demon that night.”
Mayor Wang froze for a moment, then quickly nodded: “Ah, yes, right away!”
He led the two into the courtyard.
Mo Yumian used his spiritual energy to search the area, attempting to find any lingering traces left by the demon, but came up empty-handed.
Strange. Mo Yumian’s expression turned somewhat hesitant. Mayor Wang said the demon had wings, and winged demons were nothing more than birds or flying beasts. Such demons were usually large; if one had appeared, how could it leave no trace behind?
“Young master, how… how is it?” Mayor Wang asked anxiously, tugging at Shen Chang’s sleeve.
“I don’t know,” Shen Chang replied indifferently.
“You don’t know?” Mayor Wang was speechlessly stunned. Hadn’t he come alongside Daoist Mo? How could he not know?
“Then… will that demon come back?” Mayor Wang pressed on. Ever since that night when the demon failed to carry Ah Yue away, no more children had gone missing in town.
Yet Mayor Wang remained terrified. Had someone not witnessed it that night, his own daughter would have been carried off by that monster!
“I don’t know either,” Shen Chang maintained a completely composed expression.
Mayor Wang choked with frustration and demanded: “Then… then what do you know?”
“I don’t know anything,” Shen Chang shook his head as before.
Before heading down the mountain, his Sect Leader had instructed him that he only needed to mind his own tongue and leave everything else to his Senior Brother to handle.
Shen Chang kept this strictly in mind. He had admired Mo Yumian since childhood, believing his Senior Brother could solve any problem in the world. Thus, he simply kept his mouth shut and stayed out of the way when asked, his answer was always “I don’t know.”
Just as the elderly mayor was nearly breathless from anger, Mo Yumian spoke up: “Mayor.”
“Ah, yes?” Mayor Wang stroked his chest, catching his breath.
“We will need to stay in your residence for a few days. Would that be fine?” Mo Yumian asked.
Mayor Wang could ask for nothing better than for them to stay, nodding repeatedly in agreement: “Of course! I’ll have the guest rooms cleaned immediately.”
Forget a few days, they could stay for years if they wished!
Mo Yumian and Shen Chang settled into the west wing of Mayor Wang’s residence.
Over the next few days, Yunxi Town remained exceptionally quiet, with no further child disappearances.
Initially, Shen Chang thought that although this demon possessed some tricks, having encountered his formidable Senior Brother, it would surely be subdued within a few days. Yet several days passed, and the demon showed no sign of activity at all.
Unable to sit still, he practically turned Mayor Wang’s residence upside down, yet still found no clues whatsoever.
On this day, he came to Mo Yumian’s room, munching on a peach as he mumbled with his mouth full: “Senior Brother, it’s been several days now. How come there isn’t a single shred of news…”
Shen Chang sighed, then suddenly changed the topic as if realizing something: “Do you think… maybe there isn’t a demon here at all?”
Mo Yumian glanced at him without speaking.
Shen Chang scratched his head and grinned: “Though I must say, Mayor Wang’s house is huge! It took me two whole days just to walk through the entire estate.”
“If you’re so idle, go practice your sword techniques,” Mo Yumian said, dark circles lingering beneath his eyes. He sent Shen Chang away and lay back down on his bed, his expression bearing a hint of pain.
Every night for the past few days, he had been plagued by nightmares.
In his dreams, he always returned to that rainy night when he was twelve years old. His mother had hidden him inside a wardrobe, blocking the door with her own body. Outside was the roaring of a feral wolf demon, followed immediately by his mother’s muffled groans.
Through the crack in the wardrobe, he saw his mother’s dress drenched red in blood… Finally, as she collapsed onto the ground covered in blood, she turned toward the wardrobe, her lips parting slightly: “Yumian, don’t be afraid…”
Mo Yumian would wake up startled every time, drenched in cold sweat, sitting limply on his bed as his mind filled with images of his mother being mauled by the wolf demon.
Late that night, thunder clapped sharply in the sky.
Mo Yumian snapped his eyes open, his chest heaving violently as he sat up, covered in cold sweat.
Outside the window, the rain fell once more, tapping against the window frame—the pitter-patter sounded hauntingly like the sharp claws of that feral wolf demon scratching at the door years ago.
He walked over to the window, wanting to catch a breath of fresh air. Looking up, he noticed a butterfly resting on the old peach tree in front of his window.
It perched on the lowest branch, very close to the window, so close that Mo Yumian could reach it with a stretch of his hand.
Another flash of thunder struck, illuminating the cowering form of the butterfly.
Mo Yumian was reminded of that night when he saw the wolf demon he, too, had cowered inside the wardrobe like this, not daring to utter a single sound.
Feeling a sudden trace of irritability in his heart, he reached out and pinched the butterfly’s wings between his thumb and index finger.
The butterfly fluttered violently between his fingertips, leaving glowing powder from its wingtips smeared across his finger pads.
“Tsk.” Mo Yumian frowned, his tone laced with impatience as he tossed the butterfly inside his room.
Ungrateful creature.
With a heavy bang, he shut the window, turned back to his bed, pulled the blanket over his head, and covered himself completely.
The butterfly thrown onto the floor twitched slightly. It shook the water droplets off its wings and turned toward Mo Yumian’s bed.
Flapping its wings, it slowly rose into the air, circled the room once, and finally landed on the faintly glowing Qingxuan Jade Pendant at the head of Mo Yumian’s bed.
The light from the pendant enveloped the butterfly. Resting upon the jade, it ceased its trembling as the powder at its wingtips merged with the glow of the pendant…
Mo Yumian’s brow smoothed out, and he enjoyed a night of peaceful dreams.
By noon the next day, as soon as Shen Chang woke up, he began clamoring to go demon-hunting. Mo Yumian sent him out to clear his head.
Mo Yumian went to find Mayor Wang to request the registry of the recently missing children.
On his way back to the west wing, he caught sight of Ah Yue by the koi pond, playfully trying to touch the fish.
Mo Yumian paused in his tracks, a flicker of vigilance passing through his eyes.
Swimming in the pond were Tancho Taisho Showa koi of supreme quality.
Back in the Zhengqing Sect, there was a martial uncle who, during his leisure, loved tending to flowers and plants and raising small animals.
Unlike the Sect Leader, this uncle often taught Mo Yumian that one’s own safety was paramount while everything else was secondary. Having been influenced by him over time, Mo Yumian recognized rare and valuable species.
This town was hardly prosperous, and the townsfolk barely made enough to keep themselves fed and warm, yet this pond was filled to the brim with costly koi.
“Miss Ah Yue’s illness shows no sign of improvement, and she’s growing thinner by the day. A fortune-teller said this is a calamity in her fate, so Mayor Wang specifically purchased these to suppress evil spirits for her,” a servant explained.
Mo Yumian gave a faint nod and turned to leave.
After playing for a while, Ah Yue let out a yawn, looking weary.
Seeing this, the nanny lifted Ah Yue into her arms to take her back to her room.
Ever since Ah Yue saw the demon that night, she didn’t dare sleep at night. Thus, Mayor Wang had instructed the servants to make sure she took an afternoon nap.
The nanny placed Ah Yue by the window: “Let me smooth out your bed first, alright, Miss Ah Yue?”
Ah Yue nodded obediently.
Seeing her like this, the nanny felt a pang of heart-wrenching sympathy. This child had originally been exceptionally lively, but now she hardly dared to speak a word.
A light rain began to fall from the sky. Ah Yue turned her head and saw a butterfly resting at the window sill.
It was a blue-and-white butterfly, with two trembling droplets of water clinging to its wingtips, looking as though it could no longer fly.
Ah Yue’s eyes sparkled. What a pretty butterfly. She softly shuffled to the window sill and gently touched the butterfly’s wing with her fingertip.
“Little butterfly…” she whispered softly. “Did you get soaked in the rain?”
The butterfly’s wings fluttered weakly.
Ah Yue pursed her lips and gently cupped the butterfly in her palm. Her hand was very small, just large enough to shield the butterfly inside. The butterfly quivered in her palm without struggling.
She placed the butterfly onto the petals inside the peach blossom vase on the table.
“It’s safe to hide from the rain here,” Ah Yue blinked at the butterfly, her voice even softer. “When the rain stops, you can leave.”
The butterfly suddenly flapped its wings, its antennae lightly brushing against her fingertip, as if responding to her.
Once the nanny finished making the bed, she carried Ah Yue over and sang lulling melodies to coax her to sleep. Only when Ah Yue’s breathing grew steady did the nanny stop gently patting her, tucked in the blanket, and stepped out.
Inside the room, only the patter of the drizzling rain could be heard.
Suddenly, the butterfly on the window sill moved.
It flapped its wings, showering blue and white powder down. Following a flash of blue light, a shapely, delicate young maiden appeared standing by the window.
Her skin was as fair as snow, and between her eyebrows rested a flower mark consisting of two blue petals edged in white. Her eyes shimmered like clear autumn waters, her brows knitted gently like spring hills a truly breathtaking beauty.
Looking at Ah Yue, who was frowning deeply in her sleep, the butterfly demon crept over and tapped her forehead with a finger.
“This way, you can enjoy a peaceful sleep,” the butterfly demon smiled gently.
At the same time, Mo Yumian, who had just returned to his room, suddenly whipped his head around as if sensing something.
Before the butterfly demon inside the room could satisfy her curiosity about Ah Yue, she was struck right out the window by a burst of sword qi!
“Ah!”
Before she could react, the butterfly demon crashed heavily onto the ground outside Ah Yue’s room.
“How dare a demon act so boldly!”
Shen Chang followed right behind, leaping out from the window sill with a drawn longsword pointing straight at her throat.
The butterfly demon propped herself up on the ground with both hands, the wound on her left shoulder still bleeding.
She raised her head, her eyes filled with panic: “Daoist, spare my life! I haven’t harmed anyone…”
“Silence! A demon is a demon!” Shen Chang slashed his sword toward her neck.
Terrified, the butterfly demon squeezed her eyes shut.
After waiting for a long time, the expected pain never came. Trembling, the butterfly demon opened her eyes.
What met her sight was a striking silhouette with robes fluttering in the wind. Mo Yumian stood before her, his longsword raised horizontally to block Shen Chang’s attack.
With a crisp clang, the two swords collided.
Shen Chang was no match for Mo Yumian; his sword was knocked aside, making his palm go numb as he stumbled back two steps.
Having just taken human form, the butterfly demon cherished her life greatly. Seeing this, she scrambled forward, tightly grabbing Mo Yumian’s hem, pleading piteously: “Benefactor, save me! I haven’t harmed anyone! I was merely…”
“She’s a demon!” Shen Chang roared.
“I am, but I am not an evil demon!” the butterfly demon quickly explained right after.
“Pure lies! Senior Brother, slay her quickly!”
“Don’t kill me! I was only dispelling nightmares for that child!” The butterfly demon’s face turned pale from fright.
“Who would believe that? Senior Brother, killing her is what matters!” Shen Chang shouted.
“On what grounds?” The butterfly demon glared at Shen Chang, burning with anger.
“You’re a demon, isn’t that reason enough?” Shen Chang glared right back.
“You slaughter the innocent, you are the bad person!”
Mo Yumian felt a headache coming on from their squabbling and interrupted them: “Silence.”
“Senior Brother!” Shen Chang stared in disbelief, pointing his sword at the butterfly demon, his voice trembling: “She’s a demon! She might be the very demon who harmed the children in town! Why are you protecting her?”
Mo Yumian sheathed his sword, his eyes deep and unreadable: “I said, do not act rashly.”
“But she…” Shen Chang wanted to argue further, but met his Senior Brother’s sharp gaze a look that served as a stern warning, forcing him to swallow the rest of his words.
Ultimately, he gnashed his teeth and reluctantly sheathed his sword.
The rain continued to fall. The hands supporting the butterfly demon on the ground trembled slightly. In that brief moment just now, she thought she was a goner, never expecting this demon hunter to suddenly step in front of her.
She looked up at Mo Yumian’s back, feeling that his aura was somewhat familiar. However, she didn’t dwell on it, only speaking in a soft, weak voice: “Thank you… thank you, Benefactor, for saving my life.”
Mo Yumian lowered his eyes to look at her, his pitch-black eyes fathomless.
A gust of wind blew, causing a peach blossom petal from the courtyard to flutter down onto the butterfly demon’s head.
She looked up, gazing at him timidly with tears welling in her eyes, clutching his robe tightly, looking utterly pitiable.
Mo Yumian sneered internally. As expected of a demon, adept at bewitching human hearts.
He cast a spell, causing his dark eyes to turn crimson for a brief split second before returning to normal.
So she’s just a little demon who has barely attained human form, Mo Yumian thought to himself.
“What are you doing here?” he questioned.
The butterfly demon swallowed her breath and said: “I… I can read and discern dreams. Over the past few days, I was drawn here by the nightmares lingering in this residence. Unexpectedly, something awakened my spiritual soul, allowing me to transform into human form.”
Mo Yumian nodded slightly. Firefly butterflies were among the lowest tier of demons—so low that before cultivating a human form, no demonic aura could even be detected on them, making them indistinguishable from ordinary butterflies. Furthermore, very few such tiny demons ever managed to achieve human form.
Because they were harmless to humans, many demon hunters didn’t even bother catching them.