Chapter 148: Butterfly Village
The cold night wind brushed past her ears, and as the chill air swept over her, Li Zhi felt her body temperature drop slightly, the feverish heat receding a bit.
Her body was pressed against a soft abdomen—the most vulnerable part of an insect-like creature. All she needed now was a sharp weapon to pierce through it, and she could end this half-human, half-butterfly monster.
The tentacles growing from his body coiled tightly around her. Li Zhi tilted her head to look down. Under the moonlight, the entire village took on the shape of a butterfly with outstretched wings. From this height, if he let go now, she would plummet to her death.
Just to be safe, Li Zhi reached out and wrapped her arms around his no-longer-human body.
She looked up, getting a clearer view of the blue-gold butterfly scales spreading from his neck up to his face. Those scales seemed to emerge from beneath his skin, giving him an eerie, mesmerizing beauty.
Tentatively, she called out, "Li Jianxi?"
The half-human, half-butterfly monster lowered his head. His blue eyes were filled with a mix of struggle, madness, and violence.
Li Zhi stared into those otherworldly eyes, feeling as though he might bite down at any moment and drain her blood.
But instead, he merely hovered in mid-air, wings fluttering, staring at her for a long moment before suddenly diving back down into the forest with her in his arms. The sensation of weightlessness rushed over her, accompanied by the rustling of leaves. The moment they landed, his enormous blue-gold wings folded inward, cocooning her completely.
Li Zhi felt as though she had been wrapped inside a giant chrysalis. The butterfly scales on his wings shimmered faintly under the moonlight. The half-human, half-butterfly monster slowly lowered his head again, as if examining his prey.
Li Zhi remained motionless, watching him.
His strange, beautiful face drew closer, nearly touching the tip of her nose before she finally heard his hoarse whisper: "ZhiZhi..." He sniffed. "You have a fever..."
Li Zhi reached up and touched his face.
It was cold—utterly devoid of warmth.
Softly, she asked, "What happened to you? Why did you become like this?"
Li Jianxi fought against the monster's instincts, his expression pained. "...Punishment."
Li Zhi's fingers trembled slightly as she remembered the memory she had forcibly extracted from the system by bending the rules in the last dungeon.
The system couldn't defy higher-dimensional laws and had no choice but to comply with her demand. However, it could punish the NPC trapped within the dungeon—the one who had lost his memories. It had turned him into a murderous monster and even made sure this monstrous version of him appeared before her.
This was Li Jianxi's punishment—and a warning to her.
Viewers currently indulging in their romantic fantasies noticed Li Zhi's expression turn icy:
[Holy shit! Li Zhi's glare is terrifying! It feels like she's about to tear the damn system apart any second now!]
[Seeing her loved one tortured like this—who could take it?! Go Li Zhi! Destroy the system!]
[This tragic, beautiful love story has me crying while I ship them!]
[Even as a monster, Li Jianxi could still recognize Li Zhi—this is true love!]
[Will our Xiao Li stay a monster forever? Or will he return to normal in the next dungeon?]
[System, go to hell!!! How dare you do this to our Xiao Li!]
[System, you're done for. Li Zhi looks seriously pissed—I've never seen her this angry before. You're finished.]
[Who else thinks monster Li Jianxi is even hotter?!]
[A timeless love story between a butterfly spirit and a human!!!]
Butterflies are cold-blooded creatures—their body temperature changes with their environment.
Li Zhi felt the once-cold body pressed against her gradually grow warmer. The blue eyes before her flickered between confusion and frenzy. Li Jianxi didn’t want to hurt her, but he seemed unable to control the monster's instincts.
The cocoon of blue-gold wings tightened around her. Just as Li Zhi was about to speak, Li Jianxi suddenly scooped her up and launched back into the air.
She heard his fragmented, hoarse murmurs: "Fever... ZhiZhi has a fever..."
He flew at incredible speed. Within a few bounds, Li Zhi spotted a lake below. His wings folded around her again as they plummeted straight down, crashing into the water with a loud splash.
Li Zhi: "…………"
The icy lake water swallowed them instantly. In the clear water, his wings resembled blue feathers, gently vibrating with the ripples. Li Zhi struggled briefly, but Li Jianxi held her firmly in place. His blue eyes remained open—apparently, he could breathe underwater—and he watched her quietly, almost innocently, as if trying to cool her fever.
Li Zhi: "..."
Fine. No point arguing with a little monster. Bubbles escaped her lips as she fished out a teleportation talisman from her inventory, preparing to escape the lakebed. But just then, that strange, beautiful face leaned in, and cold lips pressed against hers, giving her a breath of air.
Li Zhi froze underwater.
The monster didn’t understand kissing—he was only acting on instinct to help her breathe.
Even though the water was freezing, fire seemed to rush up from Li Zhi’s feet, burning her entire body.
Those blue eyes remained open, his eyelashes brushing against her eyelids. Having tasted sweetness, the monster deepened the contact, biting her lips again and again.
Viewers at home screamed in delight.
Overwhelmed by the extreme cold, Li Zhi passed out.
When she woke again, it was already daylight.
Li Zhi found herself lying inside a cocoon—the same kind they’d seen in the hotel room days earlier. Back then, those cocoons had held desiccated corpses. But she was still alive.
The soft cocoon wrapped around her like a blanket. Beneath her was a thick layer of forest leaves. Li Zhi tore open the cocoon and crawled out. Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, birds chirped, and everything was peaceful.
She searched the area but found no trace of Li Jianxi.
The monster had fled after kissing her.
Li Zhi touched her lips, already dreading how she would explain this to her brother later.
The morning forest brimmed with life. This was the forbidden zone of Butterfly Village—the undeveloped mountains hiding the village’s secrets. Just yesterday, they’d been racking their brains over how to infiltrate these woods. Who knew surprises could come so unexpectedly?
Li Zhi left a marker on the spot, then observed the tree crowns to determine direction before heading deeper into the forest.
Since I’m here, I might as well bring back some clues—for the teammates who probably grieved all night for me.
They must have assumed she was dead.
Being abducted by a butterfly monster—what a cool way to go.
The back mountains were vast, teeming with snakes and insects. Li Zhi picked up a sturdy branch to ward them off while scouting the path. By the time she realized she was unconsciously heading in a specific direction, the trail had already grown clearer.
Li Zhi eyed the well-trodden mountain path hidden in the forest and raised an eyebrow.
Last night, Xu Yan had unconsciously recited the recipe for a local dessert. Today, she had instinctively found her way through these mountains. These subconscious behaviors leaking from within them seemed to confirm one thing:
Something was parasitizing them, gradually merging with their bodies.
That thing was silently consuming them. By the seventh day, it might completely seize their consciousness and flesh.
Li Zhi quickened her pace, following the path forward.
The trees around her grew thicker, ancient giants blocking out the sunlight, casting the area in gloom. The winding trail led into the heart of the mountains. After climbing a slope, the view abruptly opened up.
Ahead lay a sparse grove—and on every branch and trunk hung countless cocoons.
Dozens upon dozens of them. Some were as large as a person, others no bigger than a fist. Whatever was inside remained hidden, waiting silently for the moment of metamorphosis.
Staring at this cocoon grove, Li Zhi suddenly felt a burning sensation on her back.
It was like a signal, guiding her toward a specific cocoon.
Her mind stirred. Following this subconscious pull, she stepped toward the grove. But just as she reached the edge, hurried footsteps sounded behind her. Li Zhi turned to see the village chief rushing over with his men.
Their faces registered shock at the sight of her standing there alive. The villager who’d charged in with a trident the night before blurted, "You’re alive?!"
Li Zhi nodded. "Yeah, I’m alive."
"Why didn’t that monster kill you?"
Li Zhi feigned innocence. "No idea. I passed out last night and woke up near here." She glanced at the chief, curiosity and confusion in her eyes. "But what is this place? What are all these cocoons on the trees?"
The chief seemed to relax slightly and beckoned her over. "Come here. Don’t go any further—it’s dangerous."
With these people around, there was no way she could enter the cocoon grove now.
Li Zhi walked over, adopting a wary, shaken expression. "You dare host a tourism festival when your village has monsters?! So many tourists have died—I’m exposing this online!"
"Calm down, young friend," the chief said gravely. "That monster is just a stray. We’ve been hunting it down. Once we catch it, nothing like this will happen again."
"A stray?" Li Zhi eyed him. "Are you saying there’s more than one of these butterfly monsters? They appear in groups?"
The chief studied her, and Li Zhi detected a hint of arrogance in his gaze. "This is Butterfly Village’s secret. If you insist on digging deeper, you’ll only bring disaster upon yourself. I advise you to forget what you saw today and enjoy the rest of your trip."
He didn’t seem the least bit worried she would actually expose them.
Li Zhi fell silent, then suddenly smiled. "Fine, I won’t ask. I value my life too much."
The chief gave her an approving look. "Then let’s escort you back to the village. Your friends are worried sick."
The return journey took nearly an hour. Once they left the heart of the mountains, the clear path vanished. The terrain here was complex—without a local guide, tourists could easily get lost forever.
At the mountain’s base, Li Zhi spotted Xu Yan and Han Wenlin waiting anxiously by the "No Entry" sign. They knew the chief had taken a search party up the mountain for Li Zhi and had clung to hope while waiting here. But seeing her descend alive still stunned them.
"ZhiZhi!"
"Zhi-jie!"
They rushed over, momentarily speechless with emotion.
Everyone had assumed Li Zhi was dead. Apart from these two, the other players had already accepted her demise.
While lamenting how a top-fifteen player could fall in this dungeon, they’d also begun worrying about their own fates, scattering at dawn to search for clues.
Only Xu Yan and Han Wenlin refused to give up. They’d prayed for a miracle—and against all odds, it had happened.
Xu Yan wanted to ask questions, but with the villagers nearby, she swallowed her words. Li Zhi patted their shoulders gently. "Let’s go back to the inn first."