5 – Lucky Butterfly Ya Ya Almost Got Blindsided by the Glare
As for the Demon Lord’s death threat, Liu Wuzhi wasn’t particularly concerned. Perhaps if Wuzhi died, she could return to her own body.
Of course, killing affected immortal cultivation, so unless absolutely necessary, she tried to keep both of them alive.
The Demon Palace twisted and turned like a maze, and Liu Wuzhi had been swept in by a tornado, so even if she wanted to escape, she couldn’t find her way out.
Even if she did manage to leave, without breaking the dual realm seal between the celestial and demon realms, she couldn’t return to the Azure Mist Sect. Now that the deadline for completing the task of repairing the Inter-Realm Rift had passed, not only would she fail to receive the reward spirit stones, but she had also lost her identity as an immortal herb.
Ah, what a headache.
Faint rustling sounds echoed around her.
With the Sovereign Lord gone, the Nether Butterfly Dusky Crows inhabiting the bedchamber grew restless, viewing the girl left alone as a shared midnight snack.
Worse than death was the inability to die. Life Beasts born from the resentment of Wraiths were most adept at torment, and the deep red stains that had accumulated over the years on the bedchamber’s floor tiles and walls were partly their doing.
The butterfly swarm surrounded Liu Wuzhi, while the crows had already begun sucking the congealed blood from the corpses by the bed.
The lingzhi spirit herb wasn’t skilled at understanding human emotions, but she was very adept at grasping animal instincts.
The butterflies and night crows must have been terribly hungry.
She first patted herself from head to toe—unfortunately, during the dressing and grooming earlier, anything unrelated to attending the bedchamber had been confiscated by the corpse puppets.
Fortunately, Liu Wuzhi had studied the basics diligently at the Azure Mist Sect and knew that just as cultivators had Spirit Mansions, the demon race naturally had Abyssal Ruins within them, capable of storing many things.
She sat upright on the Demon Lord’s bed with her legs crossed, mimicking Immortal Techniques to channel energy and form hand seals, attempting to inject demon energy into her dantian region. In no time, she actually managed to open Wuzhi’s Abyssal Ruins space.
Liu Wuzhi wasn’t good at organizing and categorizing; her Spirit Mansion was a tangled mess. Wuzhi’s Abyssal Ruins, however, were exceptionally neat and orderly, almost perfectly matching the meticulousness of the senior disciple brother.
Searching systematically, Liu Wuzhi found no suitable food for feeding, only a few unlabeled medicine bottles. Pulling the stopper from one, she sniffed it—the fragrance seeped with the cloying sweetness of honeyed cherries.
Liu Wuzhi understood: “It’s flower nectar.”
Pleasing the Demon Lord’s pets meant pleasing the Demon Lord. Since Wuzhi had already entered the harem, she probably wouldn’t mind her helping to feed them, right?
The Dusk Crows were busy drinking blood, so Liu Wuzhi first beckoned to the Netherworld Butterflies, generously splashing all the liquid from the bottle.
The droplets evaporated into a crimson mist within the bedchamber, saturated with thick, sweet juice.
The act of spilling and dripping on the Demon Lord’s bedside was far too reckless. The Netherworld Butterfly swarm was startled at first but soon captivated by this berry-scented fragrance. As the first purple-spotted butterfly boldly landed—tentatively tasting—and quickly became addicted, other companions flocked over eagerly.
Delicious! Truly delicious! Far more delectable than the marrow of beauties! This was the true feed meant for them!
Seeing the Netherworld Butterflies’ delight, Liu Wuzhi couldn’t help but curl the corners of her eyes, leaning over the Demon Lord’s bedside to observe curiously.
A while later, the butterfly that had first tried the “flower nectar” suddenly began dancing around another. It circled alone in the air before landing back-to-back with its partner. Liu Wuzhi watched wide-eyed as their abdomens connected, swiftly sticking together in a sticky embrace.
No way, are they actually mating in public now? Could this be what the elders meant by “well-fed and warm, thoughts turn to lust”?!
Soon, other Netherworld Butterflies also began pairing off in twos.
“…” Whatever, the bedchamber is indeed a suitable place for mating.
Respect and blessings.
By the time harmony was achieved with the Netherworld Butterflies, the Dusk Crows had already drained the corpses discarded by the Demon Lord and were eyeing Wuzhi’s injured body.
Liu Wuzhi took out the remaining jade bottles, trying to pour out a few pills marked with demon markings, but all were mercilessly kicked away by the Dusk Crows with their claws.
“Caw—caw—”
Liu Wuzhi guessed they were probably already full and looking for some entertainment. All crows under heaven are equally black—the Dusk Crows resembled mortal crows in appearance, so their preferences were likely similar.
Question: What do crows like most?
Answer: Shiny things!
At the Azure Mist Sect, the piles of copper coins and metal pieces on Liu Wuzhi’s windowsill were collected day after day by her spirit crow companions. In their shared fondness for “shiny things,” she and they coincidentally found common ground.
Little Lingzhi observed her surroundings again and made a surprising discovery: this bedchamber, or rather the entire Demon Palace, was originally built from piles of Amethyst Crystal. However, due to being stained with too much blood and the Demon Lord never cleaning it, it had long been polluted and dulled.
With dawn still far off, Liu Wuzhi couldn’t find any cleaning tools, so she took a cloud-patterned brocade gown from Wuzhi’s Abyssal Ruins, lifted it by the collar, and tore it forcefully along the seam.
“Rip—”
The sound of tearing fabric was like a trumpet signaling the start of a major cleanup.
She first pried out an eyeball from the Amethyst dragon head at the Demon Lord’s bedside. Using the residual demon energy from Baili Zheque, she pinched a cleaning spell with one hand while holding a cloth scrap in the other, rubbing it quickly.
After a while, she opened her palm to the Dusk Crows.
Cleaned of bloodstains, the original color of the Amethyst Crystal finally saw the light of day again.
This crystal was no larger than a fingernail, like a fragment of crushed stardust flowing between her fingers. Light passed through the crystal core, fine as hair, weaving a glowing spiderweb in the demon energy-laden bedchamber.
The crystal felt cool to the touch, yet a faint, subtle tremor seemed to come from within, as if someone had sealed fireflies into thousand-year-old ice.
The lingzhi spirit herb didn’t know that the Demon Lord was born from the skeleton of a Purple Crystal Illusion Dragon, and each of these Purple Dragon Crystals, condensed from demon energy, was a mustard seed storing the Spiritual Source of heaven and earth.
The so-called “all demons return to their origin” was both submission to power and an instinct to draw close to the Spiritual Source.
Cleansed by Immortal Techniques that guided demon energy, the true form of the Purple Dragon Crystal appeared before the Dusk Crows, radiant and dazzlingly brilliant.
The leading Dusk Crow paused, immediately lowered its head, picked up the crystal with its beak, and turned away neatly. Seeing this, the others flocked over, soon tussling and fighting over this speck of cosmic essence.
They pecked at each other, pressed each other down, fell together, rolled around, locked claws, flapped wings at each other, and even disrupted several inseparable pairs of Netherworld Butterflies.
“Hey, stop fighting, stop fighting!” Liu Wuzhi hadn’t expected them to get so worked up. Seeing that persuasion was useless, she quickly pried out a few more crystals, wiped them clean, and tossed them out.
“Caw—” With more bait falling, the crow flock erupted.
In for a penny, in for a pound, Liu Wuzhi jumped off the bed, tied up her hair and sleeves, rolled her skirt up to her knees, and took on the cleaning task for the Demon Lord’s bedchamber—no one had cleaned it for decades before her.
The injured girl worked alone, and even the sentient demonic creatures understood. The Dusk Crows helped tear the brocade dress into shreds, sweeping away dust and grime, wiping every corner and crevice, leaving no detail untouched. Even the human-skin lanterns were polished until they looked brand new.
Liu Wuzhi stole a moment of leisure, trying to teach them to speak: “Zhizhi.”
“Gah—zhi—”
“Wrong, it’s Zhizhi.”
“Zhi—gah—”
“Try again, Zhizhi.”
“Gah—zhizhi—”
Liu Wuzhi curved her eyes into a smile, then used the same method to teach them “Baili Zheque”—these four characters were a bit difficult, and she spent quite some time teaching them, but the crows’ voices still couldn’t get it quite right.
Outside the window, the full moon shifted from blood-red to dark, gradually taking on the pallor of bleached bone, hinting at the arrival of daylight in the demon realm.
Wiping the sweat from her temples, Liu Wuzhi lay back on the bed, utterly exhausted. Her body ached with fatigue and pain, but her spirits were renewed.
A year’s time—even if she couldn’t return for now, it didn’t matter. While currying favor with the Demon Lord, she could also do what she could within the demon realm. That, too, was a form of cultivation.
First, set a small goal: feed all the butterflies and crows!
The bed was terrifyingly large, easily able to fit ten of her. As Liu Wuzhi traced the patterns along the bed’s edge, she imagined how the Demon Lord usually slept on this bed.
Her thoughts drifted, and the little lingzhi, who hadn’t rested for three days and nights, finally fell into a deep sleep.
Every full moon night, the Demon Lord was at his most unpredictable.
Everyone had thought that with a beauty attending the bedchamber, others would be spared disaster. Yet, less than half an hour later, the Demon Lord emerged from his bedchamber with a dark expression.
A crystal throne rose on the zither platform. Yuan Lan knelt among the crowd, trembling with fear: today’s beauty lantern had been carved far too quickly.
The Sovereign Lord could see through people’s hearts, but his reasons for killing were truly unfathomable—sometimes because guards at his side ruined his enjoyment of fighting alone, sometimes because a minister’s clothing resembled that of an Immortal Venerable he despised, or even because a soldier who always entered the Demon Palace with his right foot first had stepped in with his left. The Sovereign Lord would publicly behead and shatter their souls, swearing there must be something abnormal about them.
Remembering the girl’s crisp, clear calls of “Brother Yuan Lan,” Guardian Jie Hui felt a rare pang of regret in his heart.
The moment this abnormal emotion arose, the Demon Lord immediately locked onto him, plucking the zither and drawing his sword.
Shattered crystals condensed into icy strings. The Sky-Burning Zither rose, and corpses littered the land for miles. The Moon-Burying Sword emerged, and countless souls perished.
That night, Baili Zheque bathed the Demon Palace in blood, yet the bedchamber became the safest place of all.
While others wailed and fled for their lives, Liu Wuzhi was feeding butterflies and teasing crows.
While corpses piled up like mountains, Liu Wuzhi was fast asleep.
The wind howled mournfully; the moonlight was ghastly pale.
The Demon Lord sheathed his blood-drenched sword directly into the zither, returning with exhilaration. From afar, he could already smell the scent of blood and imagine how the spy must be groaning in agony.
Her flesh torn apart by Dusk Crows, the Netherworld Butterflies would shatter her spirit. In such a state, extracting clues about Baili Xuanye would be much easier.
If she had already died of fright, her corpse would be hung on the city walls as a warning.
His thoughts were interrupted by a strange crow call: “Zhi—gah—zhizhi—”
Baili Zheque: ?
His Dusk Crows never made sounds like mice.
The Demon Lord’s expression froze instantly. He strode into the bedchamber and pushed the door open—only to be nearly blinded.
The blood-stained bedchamber was now spotlessly clean. The walls, floor tiles, even the bone lanterns—everything had been wiped clean, pristine and gleaming, brightening the entire room by several degrees.
The light was so dazzling it was uncomfortable. Baili Zheque raised a hand to shield his crimson right eye, staring in disbelief at the scene before him.
Netherworld Butterflies and Dusk Crows were symbols of darkness and death, misfortune and gloom.
Yet now, the Dusk Crows were piling up Purple Dragon Crystals one by one, hoarsely croaking “chirp chirp,” while the Netherworld Butterflies danced in pairs. The air was thick with the lingering fragrance of floral dew—no, the scent of aphrodisiac incense.
Even the corpse in the corner had been pieced back together, adorned with a wreath made of blood-stained cloth.
“…”
The culprit behind all this lay flat on her back on the Demon bed, blood soaking through the quilts, pillows, and sheets, looking exactly like a murder victim at a crime scene.
As he approached to examine her pale sleeping face, the Demon Lord let out a cold laugh.
She was indeed half-dead, but not because she had been tormented by her Life Beasts. Instead, she had brought this upon herself by failing to bandage her wounds and engaging in strenuous activity.
Could such a fool truly have been sent by Baili Xuanye?
Perhaps that Reverse Scale Powder bow was just a coincidence, and the real spy was someone else.
The girl’s breathing rose and fell evenly. Sensing the undercurrent of murderous intent, her usually loyal Life Beasts actually stepped forward in a protective stance, shielding their master.
How could he allow another to sleep soundly by his side?
Baili Zheque’s eyelashes trembled violently, his pupils narrowing into slits as he furiously brushed aside the butterflies and crows.
A massive shadow loomed closer. Just as his sharp nails were about to pierce her heart, the sleeping girl suddenly broke into a sweet smile. “Eldest Senior Brother…”
Her voice was soft and feathery, a stark contrast to her striking appearance.
The Demon Lord paused for a moment.
She was dreaming.
Dreams were the most vulnerable part of a person’s heart, where no secrets could remain hidden.
At this moment of life and death, Baili Zheque’s hand remained poised to pierce her heart. As he hesitated, it was suddenly enveloped by a pair of soft hands.
Her slender fingers were like willow branches in early spring. Lost in her beautiful dream, the girl clung to the cold, blood-stained hand of the Demon Lord, her smile unchanged, as if she were holding a fluffy toy she slept with.
As their bodies touched, her emotions flowed into him like a gentle stream.
The Demon Lord had never liked joy.
But this joy was entirely different from the lingering traces in his five hundred years of memories. It was gentle, soft, clear, and carried a lightness that blossomed from within, like a cluster of golden sunlight flowing into his chest, washing over his heart, and bubbling softly in his blood.
As for the taste, it wasn’t nauseating, just disgustingly cloying.
The room was filled with the sweet fragrance of aphrodisiac incense, making the person before him seem like an overly sugary dessert.
His boiling rage subsided slightly.
Purple light reflected in his heterochromatic eyes. After observing for a long time, Baili Zheque curled his lips into a faint, disdainful smile. This half-dead little thing, is she still hinting in her dream that I should favor her?
Playing hard to get again and again? For the sake of the grand plan of revenge, I’ll reluctantly allow you to live a little longer.
Threads of demon energy flowed through their intertwined fingers. As the door to her dreams opened, the wind stirred the gauze curtains, and the young man leaned down, his silhouette resembling that of a lover in an embrace.
Reveal Baili Xuanye’s secrets, and then let her die in a nightmare.
Author’s Note:
#Demon Lord’s 100 Ways to Woo a Wife
① Hang a corpse to scare the wife to death (Failed)
② Use a handsome face to charm the wife to death (Failed)
③ Release pets to bite the wife to death (Failed)
④Sleeping to Death of Wife in a Dream (Stay Tuned)