Chapter 151: Butterfly Village

A cold flash of light gleamed as Jiao Shen lunged forward, his blade pressed tightly against Yin Fu’s throat. The freshly sharpened military knife was lethally sharp—one slight pressure was enough to break the skin, and blood seeped out in thin lines.

His eyes were cold and ruthless. “You think I won’t kill you?”

Yet Yin Fu didn’t seem afraid of death at all. Even with a knife at her throat, she remained languid and indifferent, her alluring eyes tinged with a trace of apathy.

After a moment, Li Zhi spoke calmly, “Jiao Shen.”

Jiao Shen pulled the blade back, retreating with a dark expression.

Li Zhi stepped forward, taking a tissue from the box on the nightstand, and gently wiped the blood from Yin Fu’s pale neck. Yin Fu tilted her head slightly, half-smiling as she watched her. “I actually quite like you. It’s a pity. You’re going to become the person I hate the most.”

“Oh?” Li Zhi smiled faintly and sat down on the edge of the bed. “What kind of person is that?”

“Petty. Calculating. Always wanting to compete with me,” Yin Fu replied with a lazy tone. “Giving this body to her is such a waste.”

Li Zhi raised an eyebrow. “Why did you all choose this place back then?”

Yin Fu chuckled with a hint of mockery. “Still trying to get me to talk?”

Li Zhi didn’t mind, her tone light, “I’m guessing it’s because of proximity, right?”

Yin Fu’s smile faltered slightly, her relaxed posture subtly tense now. She stared at the composed woman before her, hearing her continue, “It was one evening, wasn’t it? A swarm of butterflies flew into the village, bathed in the golden light of dusk, their wings shimmering like gold.”

It was the legend the village had fabricated for tourism promotion.

“That swarm of butterflies was you. You came to this village, parasitized the locals, and took over this place. Those parasitized grew butterfly tattoos on their backs. To conceal it, you created the legend of the celestial butterflies.”

Li Zhi smiled at her as if simply recounting a bedtime story. “You took root here, developing generation by generation through this twisted form of longevity after losing the ability to reproduce. Over hundreds of years, you tried parasitizing people of influence and status, but because the host had to return to the cocoon every forty-nine days for a fixed duration, otherwise…”

She paused, noticing the grim look on Yin Fu’s face.

Li Zhi tilted her head, asking lightly, “Otherwise, would they turn into monsters?”

Yin Fu stared at her coldly without a word.

Li Zhi smiled again, unhurriedly continuing, “Because of that limitation, you couldn’t parasite powerful figures on a large scale. They’re too closely tied to the outside world; any abnormal behavior would attract attention. So, you’d selectively parasite one influential person at a time to ensure the village’s development. Like turning this village into a tourist spot—that must’ve been the doing of some official you parasitized.”

Suddenly, Yin Fu snapped, her voice tinged with rage, “Was it her? Did she tell you? Did she?!”

“She?” Li Zhi raised an eyebrow. “You mean the one who tried to take over my body?”

She gave Yin Fu a faint glance. “You don’t actually think she could take my body, do you?”

Looking at this woman, so composed while unraveling century-old secrets, Yin Fu suddenly realized—with dread—that choosing Li Zhi had been a disastrous mistake for their kind.

“You can’t reproduce, which is why there are no children here. You wouldn’t parasite children either. But it’s odd that there are no elderly in the village. You don’t parasite the elderly, but hosts still age. Why is that? Is it because you can’t stand decaying bodies and switch before then, or is it that the more times you parasite, the shorter the lifespan within a host becomes?”

As she speculated, Li Zhi carefully observed Yin Fu’s increasingly angry expression, confirming she was right.

“See? Whether you speak or not, I already know your secret,” Li Zhi smiled gently. “Except for your origin—why you became butterfly people. But that’s not important anymore. Tonight, I’m going into the mountains and burning that cocoon forest.”

Yin Fu struggled upright, only for Li Zhi to press down on her shoulder, instantly rendering her limbs weak and numb. Terrified, she collapsed back onto the bed, eyes wide with fear.

“Those cocoons matter to you, don’t they? What will happen if they’re burned?” Li Zhi smiled like a true villain now. “I’m looking forward to it.”

Yin Fu stared at her. After a long moment, she suddenly let out a low chuckle, which soon erupted into mad laughter.

Nearby players shifted uneasily, backing away a few steps.

Tears streamed down Yin Fu’s face as her laughter faded, leaving only a faint sorrow and relief on her once stunning features. She closed her eyes and whispered, “Forget it. I’ve had enough.”

Hundreds of years of parasitizing others, sealed in cocoons before even dying, enduring agonizing pain—all for the continuation of their bloodline. Killing the innocent, destroying happy families, watching again and again as their hosts’ loved ones broke down in despair, screaming why at her over and over.

She was exhausted.

Their faith, once firm, had long dissolved into nothing over the centuries. What remained was nothing but monsters.

Li Zhi saw the death wish in her eyes.

After a while, Yin Fu said softly, “You’d best let me go.” Her eyes glimmered with an inhuman gleam—something Li Zhi recognized from another monster she’d encountered. “Time’s almost up.”

Li Zhi recalled her earlier deductions. These butterfly people had to return to the cocoons every forty-nine days, and if they didn’t…

Likely, they would turn into monsters.

She made her decision within two seconds and stepped forward to untie Yin Fu’s ropes.

But two other players blocked her, panicked. “We can’t let her go! Even if she’s about to transform, if she’s free, she’ll be even harder to deal with!”

Yin Fu said coldly, “Let me go, and I’ll leave right away.”

Jiao Shen glared at her. “How do we know you’re not lying?”

Yin Fu sneered, “Fine. Leave me tied.”

Jiao Shen turned to Li Zhi. “Let’s kill her now.”

Killing her before she transformed—logically the safest choice.

Li Zhi didn’t respond immediately. Jiao Shen stepped toward Yin Fu, blade in hand. “I’ll do it.”

Suddenly—the locked door clicked open.

A figure burst in, clutching Yin Fu’s spare keycard from behind the bar.

Li Zhi froze for a moment. “Le Yan?”

Le Yan’s expression twisted with madness as he dashed forward, shielding Yin Fu behind him, glaring at the others. “What are you doing to Yin Fu?!”

Jiao Shen raised his knife. “She’s not your girlfriend—she’s a monster. Your real girlfriend is long dead.”

“She IS my Yin Fu!” Le Yan roared hoarsely. “MY Yin Fu!”

He had been watching the teahouse across the street, waiting all night because he knew she should have gone into the mountains by now. When she hadn’t come out again, he knew something was wrong.

Tonight was never delayed before.

Le Yan had slipped past the distracted staff, using the spare keycard to find her. Hearing Yin Fu’s laughter moments ago, he had rushed over.

“Move!” Jiao Shen growled, trying to shove him aside.

But Le Yan, driven by desperation, found strength he didn’t know he had and shoved Jiao Shen away. He turned back and threw his arms around Yin Fu, shielding her completely. “You’ll have to kill me first!”

Yin Fu looked at the frail, haggard man covering her. He was thin, hollow-eyed, no longer the bright, spirited man she remembered.

She recalled that first time she stepped into their cozy little home—he had come out of the kitchen and swept her up in a warm embrace.

“Yin Fu, you’re back! I missed you so much!” He had kissed her forehead, excited and affectionate, before rushing to grab a small gift box. “I bought you a bracelet two days ago! The moment I saw it, I knew you’d love it!”

Yin Fu had extended her hand with amusement.

As he slid the bracelet onto her wrist, he hesitated, gently touching her forehead. “What’s wrong? You seem… strange. Are you sick? Did you overdo it on your trip?”

After so many years together, of course he would sense her oddness.

“Le Yan.” Yin Fu whispered his name, and with it came all the memories she thought had long since faded. She smiled gently at the man shielding her with his life. “I’m not Yin Fu. You’ve known that for a long time.”

Tears welled in Le Yan’s eyes, spilling down and landing on Yin Fu’s pale cheeks.

He kissed her forehead desperately. “You are Yin Fu—you are! Shh… shh… don’t say anything. I’ll take you away!”

“I’m not her,” she said softly, looking into his eyes. “It’s been four years, Le Yan. You need to face it. You knew from the very first time you saw me… so why keep lying to yourself?”

Le Yan stared at her blankly, hand trembling as he caressed her face. “Just let me see Yin Fu one more time… please…” His voice broke into sobs. “Please…”