Chapter 88: The Ancestor's Belated Rebellion (15)

Night fell.

The Black Serpent had no one knew where, gone wandering again, and came back by climbing through the window.

The moment it entered, someone seized it by the throat.

"......"

"Are you insane?"

The Black Serpent cursed him out, first the man himself, then his ancestors for eighteen generations.

When it had finished, Luo Xingluo finally spoke. "What did you find out?"

The Black Serpent rolled its eyes and, cowed by his tyranny, said unwillingly, "Over at the Heaven Purity Sect, they're looking to capture that demon lord. They even said there'll be a generous reward for anyone who gives her whereabouts. As for the Mount Hule Manor... everyone ran. Not a single one was caught."

Its eyes spun around. "Why don't you just sell her out? We're not far from Butterfly Seeking Mountain now; you should be able to hold out until then."

"Why would I do that?"

"You're a despicable, shameless, hypocritical worm. Doing that would maximize your own benefit, so why wouldn't you?"

Luo Xingluo gave no reply, and tossed the Black Serpent out through the window.

"......"

Heh. Nailed it.

The shameless man was furious out of embarrassment.

Leaning by the window, Luo Xingluo toyed with the jade coronet Ling Qiong had given him.

It was only a very ordinary object, nothing compared to the one he already had.

He set his own coronet in place. The instant his fingers left it, they returned again.

After thinking it over for a long while, he finally replaced it with the one Ling Qiong had given him.

He snuffed the lamp and lay down fully clothed, closing his eyes to rest.

...

The next day.

No one knew when the Black Serpent had slipped back in. It was hanging from the bed curtains like a length of rope, startling enough to make anyone jump when first seen.

Luo Xingluo ignored it, got up, and though he had slept all night, not a wrinkle marked his clothes.

"Aren't you tired sleeping like that?" the Black Serpent said, swinging itself like a child's swing. "Like a wooden plank."

Luo Xingluo paid it no mind, finished dressing, and went out.

"......"

...

Butterfly Seeking Mountain was not far from Seven Stars City. After two days on the road, they reached the mountain's vicinity.

Butterflies were everywhere near Butterfly Seeking Mountain, brilliant in color and varied in species.

Whenever something moved, they would surge toward it and follow along in flight.

Ling Qiong was leaning out of the carriage window, reaching out to tease the butterflies.

"Ancestor, be careful. Those butterflies may be poisonous."

Ling Qiong immediately drew her hand back, and casually wiped it on Luo Xingluo's sleeve beside her.

"......"

"Up ahead is Butterfly Seeking Mountain. The carriage can't go any farther." Jiang He brought the carriage to a stop. "Little Ancestor, we can only see Young Master Luo this far."

"Mm."

Luo Xingluo got down from the carriage. Just as he was about to take his leave, Ling Qiong also came out of the carriage and held out her hand to him.

Luo Xingluo took it by reflex and helped her down.

Page One of Three

After doing all that, Luo Xingluo came to himself. What was he doing?

Why had he helped her?

Ling Qiong said to Jiang He, "You wait here. I'll go with him."

"!"

Jiang He dragged Ling Qiong aside. "Little Ancestor, are you all right? The people of Butterfly Seeking Mountain have been to the Heaven Purity Sect and have seen you. Isn't this just walking straight into a trap?"

Had she gone mad?

It was already more than generous to have escorted her this far.

Ling Qiong produced a mask. "Wouldn't that solve it?"

"......"

Heh. So clever of you.

No matter what Jiang He said, it was useless. Ling Qiong insisted on going up the mountain with him, and Jiang He nearly exploded on the spot in fury.

"I'll go with you."

Ling Qiong offered a merciless reminder: "Hasn't more people seen this face of yours than mine?"

The odds of her being recognized were much lower than Jiang He's.

"......"

...

In the end, only Ling Qiong, Luo Xingluo, and a snake went up the mountain.

Luo Xingluo glanced downward; Jiang He and the others were already nearly out of sight.

"Miss Yue, there was no need for you to come up the mountain with me."

Ling Qiong blinked, her voice soft and airy. "How could I let you go up alone? What if someone bullies you?"

"......"

Butterfly Seeking Mountain was not very high, but the path was poor. There were no broad, imposing stone steps like those built by other sects, only a very primitive mountain trail.

As they walked, Ling Qiong shook her head.

How poor was Butterfly Seeking Mountain?

They did not even bother to pave a road.

"Stop right there!"

A sharp cry rang out in the open. Ling Qiong and Luo Xingluo both halted.

A woman in blue stood atop a rock ahead, watching them warily.

Ling Qiong looked up at her. Wasn't this the butterfly girl?

The woman in blue let her gaze sweep across Ling Qiong and paid her little mind.

"......" Did she not recognize her father?

Though she had agreed to wear the mask for Jiang He's sake, the woman had appeared so abruptly that she had not had time to put it on.

But it seemed the woman did not know her.

Had a mere few days passed, and she was already forgotten?

The woman in blue said, "Who are you? What are you doing up the mountain?"

Luo Xingluo gave a slight nod, his tone courteous. "I have been poisoned by a deadly toxin and have come seeking an antidote."

"Poisoned?" The woman in blue studied them for a few moments, then said, "There is business in the mountain these days, and we cannot receive guests. Come back after some days."

"Then in a few days I would be dead," Ling Qiong said.

The woman in blue gave a cold snort. "Butterfly Seeking Mountain is not the Divine Physician Valley, a place for healing and saving lives. If you are in a hurry, go to Divine Physician Valley."

"Ladies and gentlemen, my apologies. Please come back another day."

Luo Xingluo's brow tightened, but he did not press the matter further. "In that case, forgive the disturbance... Miss Yue!"

...

The sky was a clear blue, unmarked by a thread of cloud, and butterflies danced and chased one another among the hills.

Luo Xingluo looked at the woman in blue lying on the ground, then at the little girl seated on a rock, rubbing her wrist.

She had struck without the slightest warning...

And far too quickly.

By the time he came up, it was already over. She stood there quietly, obedient and well-behaved, watching him as if she had not lifted a finger at all.

"Why did you kill her?" Luo Xingluo truly did not understand.

Just because she would not let them pass?

Wasn't that a bit too much... like a demon lord?

"I didn't kill her. She's still alive." Ling Qiong kicked the woman in blue. "See? She's still breathing, isn't she?"

Luo Xingluo: "......"

Ling Qiong tilted her head. "Besides, she isn't even human."

Luo Xingluo looked over. Perhaps from the injury, a section of tail had been exposed behind the woman in blue, and demonic aura was gradually leaking out.

A demon beast?

All the disciples of Butterfly Seeking Mountain were human. How could there be a demon beast here?

"How does Miss Yue know she isn't human?"

"I've seen the owner of that face before." Ling Qiong took out a small fan and fanned herself. "They're not the same."

That butterfly girl carried an alluring charm in every gesture, something that seeped from the bones.

Compared with her, this woman in blue was far inferior.

Besides, she had drawn a card; the antidote was definitely here on Butterfly Seeking Mountain.

This woman would not let them go up, which was no different from a monster blocking the road in a game stage.

Why not fight? Should they keep her around for a chat?

"You struck just because of that?"

Ling Qiong blinked. "She was impersonating someone else's face. Of course something was fishy."

"......"

It did make a certain amount of sense.

Luo Xingluo looked at the woman in blue on the ground, her tail exposed. "Then what do we do now?"

He only wanted to get an antidote.

He had never expected such a scene the moment he arrived.

Ling Qiong kept fanning herself briskly. "Let's ask her what is happening in the mountain. Only by knowing both yourself and your enemy can you win every battle."

Little Theater

Luo Xingluo: I only wanted to get an antidote.

The Little Fairy: With enough votes, anything is possible!