Sui Anlan certainly didn’t dare to venture into single-handed danger. Before coming, she had already transmitted the matter of the dreamscape into Mo Yumian’s dream using the dream-butterfly on the back of his hand.
Halfway there, she had heard her Benefactor’s voice in her mind: “Act with caution. I have your back.”
With those words from him, Sui Anlan felt immensely reassured.
Now that the butterfly demon had seen through her, she naturally harbored deep caution toward demon hunters and wouldn’t trust her easily again.
Sui Anlan could only explain while fleeing for her life: “Sister Butterfly Demon, you’ve misunderstood! They are good people and won’t harm you.”
“Nonsense!”
Hearing this, the butterfly demon attacked her even more fiercely. “You almost lost your own life to them, yet you have the nerve to say such things?”
“Shen Chang lacks brains, but my Benefactor is different! Didn’t you call me here precisely to expose the truth to the public?”
Sui Anlan nimbly dodged her attacks, but strange enough, even though she exerted all her strength, she still couldn’t fly out of this bamboo forest.
Was this bamboo forest always this vast? Sui Anlan’s wings gradually grew exhausted.
As if seeing through her thoughts, the butterfly demon sneered: “This bamboo forest was sealed with an array by an expert hired by Wang Chong. Once a demon enters, it is permitted only to enter, never to leave!”
A look of ferocity flashed in her eyes as she unleashed her demonic power, striking Sui Anlan dead on.
Sui Anlan collapsed to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood.
Clutching her shoulder, she gasped for air as pain radiated through the wound. The excruciating, heart-wrenching pain left her head spinning and her vision blurring.
Her previous sword wound from Shen Chang hadn’t even healed yet, and now she took another heavy blow.
“Then why did you call me here?” Sui Anlan’s voice dropped a few tones as she lay curled up on the ground, panting heavily.
The butterfly demon squatted in front of her and spoke slowly: “I was too lonely. Come keep me company and talk with me.”
Sui Anlan squeezed out a faint smile. She turned over to lie flat on her back, staring up at the bright moon hanging high in the sky.
“The core of the array isn’t here. Those two demon hunters won’t ever find this place,” the butterfly demon mocked herself with a bitter laugh. Nor would she ever escape in this lifetime.
“That Taoist priest, what did he say to you?”
She was a Moon Soul Butterfly whose demon core had been gouged out by Wang Chong and scattered all across the town. Thus, she could perceive the occurrences throughout the town. Yet precisely because of this, she was able to construct dreamscapes for those children, luring them into entering the bamboo forest on their own accord.
Sui Anlan looked at her and suddenly let out a low laugh: “Take a guess.”
The butterfly demon’s brows knit tightly as she yelled in rage: “With death at your doorstep, you still dare to be so stubborn?!”
Gathering magical power in her palm, she made a move to strike Sui Anlan right across the face!
A gust of wind swept in from afar. The dream-connecting thread of the dream-butterfly surfaced on Sui Anlan’s wrist, and she closed her eyes.
Finally, he’s here.
“A single blade’s frost-cold glow,” Mo Yumian’s deep voice echoed.
The Floating Cloud Sword tore a sharp fissure through the bamboo forest, charging straight toward the butterfly demon’s face.
The butterfly demon hurriedly dodged. Before she could even regain her balance, the Floating Cloud Sword shifted its angle in midair and slashed horizontally toward her.
The sword edge cut through the air with a piercing howl, coming with ferocious momentum.
The butterfly demon darted frantically through the bamboo forest to dodge the attacks of the Floating Cloud Sword. She cursed internally, she had assumed the demon hunter who arrived this time was merely a greenhorn, never expecting he could actually find his way here.
Looking back, the Floating Cloud Sword behind her was pursuing her relentlessly.
She snorted coldly, she had truly underestimated him! The butterfly demon formed hand seals with both hands, chanting incantations under her breath.
The surrounding bamboo forest began to vibrate violently, flying toward the space behind her to construct layer upon layer of barriers.
Even stranger, as soon as one batch was sliced down, another batch immediately grew out wildly in its place. Though the Floating Cloud Sword was razor-sharp, it could not overcome a barrier with no end.
Mo Yumian’s expression remained stern and cold. His fingers flicked repeatedly as powerful air currents shot from his fingertips, forming a magic sphere in the air.
The sphere rolled larger and larger as continuous streams of water surged into it from underground.
In an instant, the lush green bamboo leaves withered and turned yellow, followed immediately by the entire bamboo forest collapsing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Stripped of her shelter, the butterfly demon’s form was quickly exposed. Just as she attempted to cast a spell, demon-binding ropes burst forth from the ground, binding her securely until she couldn’t budge a single inch.
A giant gourd surfaced before her eyes. Terror flickered within the butterfly demon’s eyes it was a Demon-Suppressing Gourd!
Her legs buckled, and she collapsed to the ground in panic.
No! She didn’t want to be trapped inside a Demon-Suppressing Gourd!
“Daoist, spare my life!” the butterfly demon pleaded for mercy, her gaze inadvertently falling upon the old well in the open clearing.
For some reason, she suddenly calmed down, speaking slowly: “Forget it.”
Following a flash of spiritual light, she was drawn into the Demon-Suppressing Gourd.
With a flick of Mo Yumian’s hand, the Demon-Suppressing Gourd shrank back to its normal size, returning to hang at his waist. Forming hand seals with his other hand, the massive sphere of water in the air slowly descended into the well.
Fresh bamboo shoots began to sprout over the withered forest, and a vibrant scene of vitality returned to the land.
Only then did Mo Yumian let out a sigh of relief. He looked down at the unconscious Sui Anlan lying on the ground, his eyes calm and unruffled.
Retrieving a gourd bottle from his robes, he poured out a tiny red pill onto his palm.
Mo Yumian knelt down and popped the pill into her mouth.
Outside the koi pond, Shen Chang was leaning against a peach tree, holding his sword.
He lazily stretched his arms, casting a casual glance into the pond, wondering in his heart why his Senior Brother hadn’t emerged yet.
Mayor Wang was pacing frantically in circles, wiping cold sweat from his forehead with an anxious, erratic gaze.
The household servants behind him were whispering amongst themselves.
Just moments ago, Daoist Shen had suddenly beaten drums and sounded gongs to gather everyone here, stating that Daoist Mo was going to personally subdue the demon and telling everyone to stay sharp.
“He’s out!”
Someone shouted, and Shen Chang looked up to see Mo Yumian emerging from the blood-red koi pond.
Drenched in the blood-stained water of the pond, his white robes were dyed crimson. His lowered side profile appeared somewhat cold and sharp, his lips pressed thin with a distant, indifferent composure.
Mo Yumian held his right fingers covered with his left hand. Shen Chang narrowed his eyes, wanting to get a clearer look, but Mo Yumian shielded it even tighter.
“Senior Brother,” Shen Chang called out.
Seeing this, Mayor Wang also rushed forward, asking anxiously: “Daoist… how did it go?”
Mo Yumian raised his eyes with a cold, indifferent expression that made Mayor Wang’s heart tremble with fear.
Swallowing hard, Mayor Wang was about to say more when he heard Mo Yumian speak:
“The demon has confessed.”
“What?!” The mayor’s voice spiked sharply, a cold glare flashing in his eyes as he gritted his teeth and demanded: “What did she say?”
The butterfly on the back of his hand shifted its direction. Mo Yumian lowered his head, lightly tapping her antennae.
“She said she hid the children in the bamboo forest behind the mountain. She merely extracted their spiritual qi and did not harm them.” Mo Yumian paused before continuing, “She placed a fasting spell upon those children. Mayor Wang, you need only inform the villagers to go up the mountain to search for them.”
“Then… did that demon say anything else?” Eager urgency gleamed in Mayor Wang’s eyes as he stared fixedly at Mo Yumian, desperate to know what else the demon had revealed.
Could she… have spoken of everything from the past?
At this thought, a ruthless look surfaced on Wang Chong’s face. Seeing Mo Yumian remain silent, he let out a cold sneer, he shouldn’t have merely broken her legs back then; he should have beaten her to death alive!
“Nothing else.” Mo Yumian shot a glance at Shen Chang. Just as he was about to depart, his footsteps suddenly paused.
“By the way, one more thing the demon is dead,” Mo Yumian said indifferently.
Upon hearing this, Wang Chong’s body froze. Turning around to look at Mo Yumian, his expression relaxed: “Dead? Dead is good…”
His future, his reputation… were saved! Everything was saved!
Before he could finish his sentence, Wang Chong caught sight of Ah Yue hiding behind the main pillar of the gate.
Ah Yue didn’t seem to realize what was happening, simply staring at him blankly as she called out sweetly: “Daddy.”
Wang Chong was struck speechless.
“Then again, that demon extracted the pure spiritual qi of children to help her own child survive her Lunar Calamity. When she appeared in your estate, I failed to detect her demonic aura simply because she didn’t come in her true form, but through dreams.”
Sui Anlan flew toward Ah Yue, landing on her hair. Ah Yue reached out her small hands trying to catch her, giggling with delight.
“However, the missing children were hidden right in the mountain behind the estate. Over all these days, did no one ever take a single look up there?” Mo Yumian asked.
Wang Chong remained silent, while a servant beside him quickly chimed in: “That forest is haunted! The mayor feared people might wander in and get hurt, so he ordered everyone forbidden from going to the back mountain.”
“Mayor Wang truly possesses the heart of a Bodhisattva.” Mo Yumian withdrew his gaze, waving his hand, and Sui Anlan flew back into his palm.
“Hahahahaha!” From behind came Wang Chong’s hysterical, manic laughter. Shen Chang originally wanted to turn around to see what was going on, but Mo Yumian urged him to “keep up,” so he had no choice but to follow in a hurry.
The three left the Wang residence together.
A few days later, inside an inn.
Two major events had taken place in Yunxi Town:
First, the missing children were found! Strangely, they appeared completely fine; in fact, after returning, their appetites had grown significantly, and they had become much more sensible.
If asked what they experienced over those days, they only said they had a dream where a mother cradled them while singing a nursery rhyme a song they had never heard before.
The second event was that Mayor Wang suddenly went to the official magistrate’s office, claiming that the slaughter of the Li family years ago was connected to him, shouting for the government to lock him in prison.
Everyone knew the Li family massacre years ago was the work of a demon, so how could it be related to Mayor Wang?
After the magistrate tried to reason with him nicely, Mayor Wang remained frantic, babbling and demanding to be thrown into jail.
Losing his patience and assuming the mayor had gone mad from the shock of a demon appearing in his estate, the magistrate had him tossed out of the office.
“My wife is a demon! My wife is a demon!” Mayor Wang pounded on the closed gates of the magistrate’s office, tears and snot streaming down his face.
No one paid him any mind, assuming he would recover on his own after a few days. Unexpectedly, that very night, Mayor Wang took his daughter Ah Yue and left Yunxi Town for good.
Mo Yumian reported the entire affair to Sect Leader Qingya in full detail. Upon hearing it, Sect Leader Qingya let out a long sigh over the impermanence of the world, instructing the two to hurry back to the sect at once.
Mo Yumian agreed.
After packing his belongings, he went outside Sui Anlan’s guest room and knocked on the door.
Sui Anlan opened the door. Seeing it was him, her eyes filled with delight: “Benefactor!”
Mo Yumian nodded, avoiding her gaze as he spoke: “I have come to bid you farewell.”
“Farewell?” Sui Anlan’s brows knit slightly, but quickly unraveled. Her tone carried not a trace of reluctance: “Alright!”
With that, she made a motion to close the door, but Mo Yumian swiftly extended a hand to block it: “Wait.”
Sui Anlan froze, looking up with a flicker of surprise in her eyes.
Mo Yumian cleared his throat and explained: “Don’t misunderstand, I also came to offer you my thanks.”
Thanks? Sui Anlan grew even more puzzled. Wasn’t the deal that she would be set free once she helped him find the butterfly demon? It was a collaboration—why thank her?
Though bewildered in her heart, she accepted Mo Yumian’s gratitude nonetheless.
He taught Sui Anlan how to conceal the demonic qi on her body so she wouldn’t be captured by demon hunters. Finally, he gave her all the spiritual stones he had on him.
The next morning, just as Sui Anlan was about to open her door to go out for food, she suddenly heard Mo Yumian talking with the inn waiter.
Spurred by a sudden impulse, she pulled back her hand and hid behind the door to eavesdrop on their conversation:
“Guest, you’re leaving so early?”
“Yes,” Mo Yumian replied calmly.
“Then… what about that young lady? Is she not traveling with you?” Seeing only him and Shen Chang, the waiter inquired.
Mo Yumian looked back toward her room and replied: “That lady and we do not walk the same path.”
He had Shen Chang pull out a handful of spiritual stones and handed them to the waiter: “This is enough for her to stay for half a month. Deliver fresh flower arrangements to her room every day.”
The waiter eagerly agreed.
Inside the room, Sui Anlan’s fingers resting on the door curled slightly, her heart throbbing with an odd flutter.
She turned around and leaned back against the door, a bewildering flurry of emotions surging within her chest. What was wrong with her?
Mo Yumian was gone.
Sui Anlan leaned over the window sill, watching his departing figure melt into the crowd until he disappeared. He didn’t turn back to look even once.
A sudden sense of helplessness washed over her.
Where should she go from here?