Night Butterfly - Part 9

The scorching July sun blazed in the sky, and the daytime temperature in Moon City was ridiculously high, while the nights were freezing cold. Starting this week, Luoye crossed four streets every day and made her way to a hillside adjacent to an abandoned construction site. She carefully caressed the clump of plants growing densely in the stone crevices, where white flowers bloomed like stars among the light purple branches, their light fragrance sprinkling tenderness in the scorching summer.

"Is this the Starlight Hibiscus you've been waiting for?" Ku Yue squatted beside her, holding a weed in his mouth, and gazed at the unremarkable little wildflowers.

"Yeah!" she nodded happily and sniffed, "They will be in full bloom in three days at most."

"You're determining the flowering period based on their fragrance?" Ku Yue fiddled with the tiny, snow-white flower buds, "What makes these flowers so special?"

Luoye raised her face, feeling the lingering warmth of the setting sun, and said, "Don't be in a hurry. Look at them again after the sun goes down."

"All right," Ku Yue lay flat on the grass, waiting for the arrival of the night.

"You really look like an idler with nothing to do. Your Little Long's whereabouts are still unknown, right? Why do I feel like you're less and less anxious about finding him," Luoye remarked as she sat down beside him.

"Finding a person requires fate. Maybe the Heavens have decreed that Little Long won't return to his mother," Ku Yue turned the weed in his mouth as lied without batting an eye.

Luoye held her legs with a hint of sadness, her chin resting on her knees, murmuring, "Mother... I'm quickly forgetting what my Royal Mother looked like..."

Royal Mother^[1]? This girl calls her mother "Royal Mother"? Ku Yue removed the weed from his mouth and turned to look at her, with obvious doubts in his eyes.

Perhaps realizing she'd made a slip of the tongue, Luoye straightened up in a bit of panic and quickly said, "Oh, I mean mother, not royal mother... I..."

"Alright, you don't even know how to cover up," Ku Yue chuckled, "King has already told me all of Moon City's secrets. You don't need to be so flustered. I know you're not human. Even though everyone is a supernatural being, you're different from the other 'residents' of Moon City."

"He told you everything?" Luoye stared at him with wide eyes.

"Yeah," Ku Yue replied bluntly, "Maybe King also thinks I'm not a bad person, heh heh."

After a moment of silence, Luoye let out a sigh of relief, "Well, I can tell that King not only takes good care of you but also trusts you a lot. Although it's rare, I know he must have his reasons for it. I am indeed a supernatural being." She chuckled, "Or rather, a particularly useless one."

He could sense the aura of various supernatural beings, and the scent of Luoye clearly told him that she was a butterfly, the same as him and Jin Feiyu – a butterfly demon.

The scent of butterflies was something he was more familiar with than anyone else. It was just that Luoye's scent was a bit strange when compared to others of their kind.

"You..." he sat up straight and carefully examined the extremely ordinary girl beside him, "Are you a descendant of the Snow Butterfly King?"

"That was many, many years ago," Luoye stuck out her tongue at him like a bystander, "I don't remember much anymore. I only remember my Royal Mother holding me in her arms and feeding me with the sweetest honey. No flower can ever match my Royal Mother's scent."

"Your mother was the most beautiful in the Snow Butterfly clan," Ku Yue gazed at her puzzled for a moment, teasing, "But look at you; it seems you didn't inherit any of your mother's strong points."

"You're a butterfly demon too?" Luoye first looked surprised, then punched Ku Yue hard and pouted, "I'm just too lazy to dress up!"

Ku Yue laughingly said, "Alright, alright, I'll believe for now that one day you'll be as beautiful as your Royal Mother..." He paused and suddenly changed the topic, "But from what I know, your parents were eaten by a ghost-faced spider, and King saved you and raised you."

"I'm not entirely sure. I was very young at the time," Luoye sounded a bit bewildered. "King told me that he once fostered me with a human couple for a while. That day, we somehow attracted the archnemesis of us butterfly demons, the ghost-faced spider. Even though King arrived in time, he couldn't save them." As her memories unfolded, a tinge of sadness gradually appeared on Luoye's face. "I vaguely remember that couple protecting me with all they had until the end when that monstrous creature attacked, even though they could've just abandoned me and fled."

Ku Yue's expression momentarily stiffened, but fortunately, Luoye couldn't see his unusual reaction. He quickly returned to his usual demeanor and asked, "Do you remember what happened to your Royal Father^[2] and Royal Mother?"

Luoye shook her head, "My most complete memories start from when I wandered with King until we settled in Moon City. I really don't remember much from before that."

"True," Ku Yue smiled self-deprecatingly, mumbling under his breath, "You were too young back then. Besides, such a scene... it's better you don't remember."

"What did you say?" Luoye leaned in to ask.

"Nothing," he instantly changed the subject, pointing to the Starlight Hibiscus, "Hey, they're glowing!"

Upon hearing this, Luoye grinned proudly and said, "See, I told you that when the sun goes down, you'd understand the uniqueness of the Starlight Hibiscus. They are my favorite flowers in Moon City. Although I can't see them, I can feel their petals with my fingertips…" She gently placed her fingers on the unopened white flower buds. "Well, I feel hope."

Ku Yue looked at the clusters of flowers, one by one, emitting a faint glow in the night. They were like starlight fallen to the mortal world, waiting to be held in the palm of someone's hand and placed in their heart.

"Over all these years, I've known that King hasn't really been happy," Luoye retracted her fingers with a touch of melancholy. In that moment, she was suddenly no longer the madcap girl sitting on the rooftop, but like a genuinely mature woman who held a man in her heart.

This sudden change only lasted for a short moment as she giggled and said, "So that's why I need to finish his birthday gift as soon as possible and give it to him. It'll surely make him happy!"

"Yeah. Birthday gifts always bring joy. Keep up the good work!" Ku Yue patted her head.

Considering his seniority, he could easily be considered an elder to Luoye. Ku Yue smiled bitterly, and his violet eyes seemed to stir up with deep emotions as he fell into the most instinctive memory of an old incident.

---

Footnotes:

[1] 母后 (mǔhòu): term of address for the empress used by children of the emperor.

[2] 父王 (fùwáng): term of address for the emperor or king used by his children.

---

Translator:

🎆New Year's Eve! 🎆 Are you ready to party?🎉🥳

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Night Butterfly - Part 8

Inside a hidden research institute in the outskirts of Washington, a group of individuals with diverse skin tones dressed in white isolation suits bustled around various complex and precise instruments.

Outside the glass wall, a bearded man in a well-fitted suit and tie with blue eyes and a prominent nose, could hardly contain his excitement as he said to the young woman in front of him, "If this operation goes smoothly, we will collect the strongest magical beings' primordial spirits in history all at once. With this, our research results are imminent. Miss Mo, you really deserve our gratitude this time. Without you, we wouldn't have been able to locate Moon City."

The woman, with most of her face hidden by a wide-brimmed hat and vibrant lipstick coating her beautiful lips, glanced briefly at the busy scene inside the glass wall and replied coldly, "No need to thank me. We're each taking what we need, that's all."

Walking along the path outside the research institute, the harsh sunlight bathed the woman's slender and graceful figure. Her pace was measured, and she wore a long off-white dress. She was like a piece of everlasting ice, refusing to be melted by any sunlight.

At the end of the path, she stood still and glanced back at the seemingly ordinary building, where those "scientists" who were obsessed with creating the most powerful bio-psionic weapons in history worked tirelessly day and night, neglecting their sleep and meals.

By the end of next month, the supernatural beings in Moon City would become a key step in their research project, contributing all their energy to psionic weapons. Moon City would turn into a true ghost town, just like it was after the plague a century ago. That was how it was supposed to be.

Jin Feiyu, not only you, not only those precious Soul-gathering Star Crystals, but also her, and all those low-class monsters, everything you desperately want to protect will ultimately be destroyed.

Mo sneered in her mind. This is the price you should pay, father.

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Night Butterfly - Part 7

"This is the highest place in the entire Moon City."

Jin Feiyu stood shoulder to shoulder with Ku Yue in the rustling wind. Beneath their feet was a "tower" formed from metal fertilizers and various other construction debris.

Looking down, the entire city lay before their eyes. Among the sporadic twinkling lights, Ku Yue saw vast vortexes of deep darkness. Upon closer inspection, there were many abnormal surges within the darkness — some of various shapes. Things enveloped in multicolored lights, like birds in the sky or fish in the water, cruising freely.

This was...a city full of supernatural beings. However, they were all low-level small demons with insignificant spiritual power and no lethality to speak of.

"Moon City had few living people even a hundred years ago," Jin Feiyu's clothing fluttered in the wind like a pair of black wings. "Some so-called scientific research organization used this remote and backward Moon City as a secret experimental base. Their final result was a severe man-made plague, and most of the city's residents died in the disaster. The authorities covered up the truth, sealed off Moon City completely, and decided that if the plague could not be contained within three months, they would bury the entire city regardless of whether there were any survivors left."

Ku Yue's brow furrowed slightly. Jin Feiyu opened the peach wood box in his hand, and a refreshing fragrance assaulted his nostrils, sweet and somehow comforting.

Ku Yue watched as he scooped out a handful of something as fine as sand from the box. It twinkled like dense fluorescence or crushed stardust, so beautiful that one couldn't help but want to cup it carefully in their hands and marvel at it closely.

"Wouldn't it be such a pity if this place were to be buried?" He turned and smiled at Ku Yue, "If there's another way to save this city, I think we're all willing to try, aren't we?"

He raised his arm, and the stardust-like twinkling powder scattered from his fingers, creating a colorful mist in the night sky that evenly fell over every corner of the city. The beings wandering in the darkness rejoiced and excitedly embraced this fragrant mist, making the halos on each of their bodies shine much brighter than before.

The city beneath their feet suddenly transformed into a flowing, multicolored sea. Within it, the small demons could be heard laughing joyfully in sounds only they could understand, creating a special sense of happiness in the darkness.

Jin Feiyu's action brought a different kind of vitality to this otherwise lifeless city.

"This..." Ku Yue's eyes momentarily lost focus as he stared fixedly at Jin Feiyu's peach wood box. "This powder…is the Soul Gathering Star Crystal that only the Snow Butterfly Clan, the rulers of the Butterfly Demons, can refine, specifically designed to replenish the essence of demons?"

Jin Feiyu closed the box and nodded, "Actually, most of the demons in Moon City are pitiful creatures abandoned by their own kind. Take Seven, for example; he's just a wolf demon with a broken leg, unable to move freely, and certainly incapable of hunting in groups with his fellow kin. Consequently, he's destined to be despised and discarded. These minor demons have such low cultivation that they wouldn't even dare to expose themselves to the sunlight, let alone attain human form. I took them in and brought them to Moon City, letting them live in the bodies of the deceased residents. This way, they not only have a safe place to make their homes but also possess human bodies, allowing them to live openly in the sun since then." He smiled, "And those humans who had the intention of wiping out the entire city were frightened out of their minds and fled when they saw the residents of Moon City resurrect overnight."

"Such a 'miracle' is something those people will never let go of. Didn't they return to Moon City to investigate the mystery of the resurrection?" Ku Yue asked in bafflement. In his impression over all these years, Moon City had been just a remote, rarely mentioned small town, with nothing noteworthy about it.

"Of course they want to come back," Jin Feiyu gazed into the distance, "It's just that they can no longer find Moon City. I've placed a defensive barrier around this city, so anyone not allowed to enter Moon City can't find it. Over a century has passed, and those who knew of this history have all passed away. Moon City has gradually normalized, like a true city. These little demons have also become accustomed to living in human bodies, even completely regarding themselves as humans. During the day, they work, go to school, fight, fall in love, and at night, they separate from their physical bodies and swallow the Soul Gathering Star Crystals to keep their primordial spirits intact and their physical strength strong. This cycle continues year after year."

"You feed an entire city," Ku Yue raised the corners of his mouth, seemingly teasing, "What a great Snow Butterfly Demon. Refining Soul Gathering Star Crystals consumes a lot of vitality, and yet you've persisted for so many years."

"Hahaha, you're getting talkative," Jin Feiyu laughed heartily, his eyes behind the lenses shining with a different radiance in the night. "If it were you, maybe you'd make the same choice as me."

"I only kill demons, never save them," Ku Yue returned to his normal state and said lightly, "A killer only has money in their heart and nothing else."

Jin Feiyu locked onto his violet eyes almost as if he could see through Ku Yue and said with profound meaning, "Butterfly Demons are divided into two groups: the Snow Butterflies and the Night Butterflies. Snow Butterflies excel in defending and healing, and have noble lineage, with all Butterfly Kings hailing from the Snow Butterfly clan. On the other hand, Night Butterflies excel in attack and destruction, and have extraordinary skills, so protecting the Butterfly King and defending the territory is the bounden duty of the Night Butterflies. The Snow Butterflies and Night Butterflies complement each other — one literary, and the other martial.^[1]"

Ku Yue fell silent for a moment and then said, "So what?"

"Did you forget that I placed a barrier around Moon City? Outsiders can't enter without my permission. Yet, you effortlessly walked into Moon City. Unless your body is naturally compatible with my barrier, or simply put, you should be one of my kind. And you should have known this from the first time you saw me," Jin Feiyu smiled at him. "But there's one thing that I find quite strange."

"I know we belong to the same clan, but I didn't know you're a Snow Butterfly," Ku Yue was calm and collected as he looked at Jin Feiyu. "However, it doesn't matter to me at all whether we are of the same clan or not."

"You seem... not quite whole," Jin Feiyu shook his head, "Not the same as the Night Butterflies I've seen before. But I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong."

"If you can't put it into words, then let's not dwell on it." Ku Yue leaped down from the tower to the ground.

Jin Feiyu silently landed behind him and laughed, "What an interesting guy."

"Not as interesting as you." Ku Yue turned slightly and said with a hint of mockery, "You can make a whole city of demons respect and love you, yet your own daughter repeatedly hires assassins to hunt you down."

Seeing Jin Feiyu's bitter smile, Ku Yue coldly snorted and turned to leave.

No matter when, sleeping was a serious business.

---

[1] 一 文 一 武: Literary refers to academic success, and martial arts refers to military success. Because a monarch is mentioned, the Snow Butterflies must be lords or civil servants with administrative power in the king's court, whereas the Night Butterflies are the combat force or military.

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Night Butterfly - Part 6

"I knew you would definitely come to find me for a drink one night." Jin Feiyu sat comfortably at the back of the bar, raising his glass to the approaching Ku Yue.

"Do you know everything?" Ku Yue calmly walked up to him and sat down, "Including...I'm here to kill you?"

"Including that you need this." He reached into the shadow beside him and took out a square thing, placing it on the table. It was a deep brown carved peach wood box exuding a profound simplicity. The slowly rotating light overhead cast gorgeous light patterns on its surface.

Ku Yue's expression remained unchanged from beginning to end.

"People as indifferent as chrysanthemums^[1]; this is the best expression to describe the true top-notch assassins. I'm happy to play along with you until now; I don't want your identity to scare the residents here." Dark red alcohol trickled from the bottle into an empty glass as Jin Feiyu pushed the glass towards Ku Yue, saying with a smile, "Ku Yue, you're worthy of me buying you a drink."

"Thank you." Ku Yue downed the drink in one go, the astringent taste still lingering in his mouth.

The soothing and melodious music floated in the surrounding air, the same song "Butterfly Kisses" as before—

There's two things I know for sure
She was sent here from Heaven, and she's Daddy's little girl
As I drop to my knees by her bed at night
She talks to Jesys and I close my eyes

The man's warm voice came over and over again.

Since Ku Yue first came to that bar, the music played there had always been this song, never changed.

"You're completely different from the guys who came before," Jin Feiyu stated.

Ku Yue remained silent, swirling his empty wine glass, which reflected Jin Feiyu's smiling face. He appeared to be under forty, but his hair was an unusual silver-white color. He wore a stylish pair of black-framed glasses, and when he smiled, fine lines had already appeared at the corners of his eyes. Nevertheless, his handsome face and clear eyes made him an exceptionally charming man. This charm was a long-term accumulation, the result of slow transition of experience and vicissitudes over time. It was not obvious but adhered to him discreetly.

A person like this was undoubtedly not someone that the "colleagues" who came before him could deal with. It was likely that his employer, after countless failures, was willing to spend a significant sum to hire him. His service fee had always been more than a hundred times that of an ordinary assassin. This fee was not something everyone could afford or would be willing to pay.

"Want to know what's in here?" Jin Feiyu gently tapped the box.

Ku Yue shook his head. "My duty is just to deliver it to my employer. What's inside is not my concern."

"You truly are different from the rest," Jin Feiyu shook his head with a smile. "This time, she has found the right person." He looked at Ku Yue. "When are you planning to make your move?"

"When you finish that glass of wine," Ku Yue replied honestly. There was still a little less than half a glass of red wine in Jin Feiyu's glass.

"If I were to ask you to fulfill your duty on the last day of next month, would you refuse?" Jin Feiyu asked very seriously.

Ku Yue's brows twitched slightly. The 26th of next month is King's birthday, and I'm preparing a birthday gift for him — Luoye's happy face during the day suddenly flashed before his eyes.

"Okay," he didn't hesitate much. He had a three-month agreement with his employer, so he could act next month. This was not a breach of contract for sure.

"Thank you," Jin Feiyu poured him another glass of wine. "How is she doing?"

"She?" Ku Yue stared blankly.

"Your employer."

Ku Yue recalled briefly and said, "A beautiful woman; she should be a part of those who live an excellent life. Although I didn't see her entire face."

"Assassins' instincts are usually accurate," Jin Feiyu sighed and added in a relaxed tone, "If she really is living well, I'll be relieved."

Perhaps it was the effect of alcohol, or perhaps it was because the man in front of him was so unique, or maybe it was the environment they were in at the moment was more suitable for chatting than for murder. In a departure from his usual strict adherence to the principle of only asking the "three essentials," Ku Yue, for the first time, asked, "Murder for love^[2]?"

He had seen too many women who love deeply, hate fiercely^[3]. For a man like Jin Feiyu to have one or even several such women appear in his life would be far from surprising.

"Hahaha," Jin Feiyu gracefully clinked glasses with him. "She is my biological daughter."

The two glasses collided, their tinkling lingering for a while.

---

Footnotes:

[1] 人淡如菊: keep away from fame and wealth. A metaphor for people who live in a simple and unadorned manner, just like chrysanthemums.

[2] 情殺 (qíng shā): murder done with motives of passion.

[3] 爱之深, 恨之切: deeper the love, deeper the hatred.

---

Translator:

Butterfly Kisses is written in English in the raws. You've no idea how glad I am; it's such a pain to translate poems and songs. And…

🎅Merry Christmas!!🎄🎁

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Night Butterfly - Part 5

"Nothing gained today."

His email content was always very simple, and for several consecutive days, it was the same sentence.

This was unprecedented in his "work history." As the highest-priced hitman, he had always been known for being fast, accurate, and ruthless. He would cleanly handle a supernatural being, big or small, within 72 hours without fail. It was his routine, or rather, his numbness to this "neatness." So this time's "business" gave him a vague sense of unease.

After shutting down his computer, he didn't lie down on the bed to sleep as he usually did.

He stepped out of his room and, through the window in the hallway, saw a vast night without stars or the moon. It was now 3 a.m.

In this rundown two-story motel, there were no other tenants besides him. He quietly descended the stairs and found that the motel owner, the bald fatty who always seemed to eye him suspiciously, was lying face down on the front desk at the moment. A large bag of unfinished potato chips was thrown on a pile of scattered newspapers, and the TV on the side remained on, displaying nothing but static.

During the day, this fatty snored like thunder even when taking a nap, but right then, he was so quiet that not even a hint of breathing could be heard. His obese body seemed like a pile of mud, completely unmoving.

Ku Yue stepped forward and touched his carotid artery. There was no pulse.

He turned the motel owner over and saw a deathly pale face with lips tinged a dark purple. The fatty's body showed no sign of life.

Ku Yue lifted the motel owner's T-shirt and saw a fist-sized hole on his chest. There was no blood, only bottomless black and faint fluorescent spots in the hole. He quickly left the motel.

The entire Moon City seemed to be shrouded under a boundless deathly  silence. In that time and moment, there was not a soul in the streets and alleys, not even wild cats and dogs. Only sporadic lights flickered intermittently, seeming to remind Ku Yue that this was a city meant for human inhabitation.

However, in Ku Yue's eyes, that place had become a silent tomb.

He already had a fairly good idea of why Jin Feiyu had warned him not to go out at night.

Taking a deep breath, he took determined steps toward Butterfly Kisses.

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Night Butterfly - Part 4

"Target found, searching for the box."

Ku Yue wrote this sentence in RMAIL and sent it. This was an agreement between him and his employer; every step of the operation had to be communicated to the other party.

After turning off his computer, he lay down comfortably on the relatively soft bed. The guy named Seven had set him up in a small hotel across from Butterfly Kisses. Before leaving, he distinctly saw Seven whisper a few words to the hotel owner, who then glanced warily at Ku Yue and nodded discreetly.

This was indeed a cautious subordinate. Although Ku Yue didn't like Seven, he praised his work ethic.

After settling in there, for several consecutive days, Ku Yue would leave on time every morning, roaming the streets and alleys with an anxious expression, showing an old photograph to people and asking questions.

Putting on a play also requires professional spirit, including hiding a killer's "professionalism." So when Seven ambushed him from behind and knocked him out with a stick, Ku Yue played along and fainted.

This afternoon, he dragged his "whacked" body into Butterfly Kisses and, as usual, chose a window seat, ordered a glass of red wine, and sat down.

"No results yet?" Luoye walked over holding a glass of juice and sat down across from him.

"Not yet," Ku Yue shook his head. He looked at the girl in front of him. The light from outside the window shone through the glass, casting a delicate glow on her almost translucent skin.

Luoye was Jin Feiyu's daughter, but they were not related by blood. Years ago, Jin Feiyu had rescued the young Luoye from the clutches of a ghost-faced spider. Her parents had fallen prey to that old monster. Due to coming into contact with the venom spit by the monster, her eyes were permanently blinded, and because of his intervention, Jin Feiyu had almost lost an arm. To this day, there remained a large scar on his right arm as a reminder of that encounter.

Jin Feiyu was the leader of the entire Moon City, and all the residents in this place looked up to him. From Ku Yue's observations during this time, their obedience to Jin Feiyu did not stem from fear but from genuine awe. They respected this man and willingly followed his commands as the guiding principles of their lives. Of course, the reasons behind this phenomenon were not something an assassin should delve into. His sole mission was to kill Feiyu after obtaining the peach wood box his employer wanted.

"You shouldn't have come to Moon City at this time. If I were you, I'd leave as soon as possible," she said, biting her straw and taking a hard sip. "You don't belong here."

"Except for the lack of the hustle and bustle of a big city, everything here is quite nice, and the people are friendly," Ku Yue replied as he leaned forward, studying her face. He asked, "But I'm curious. On the day we first met, you said you were basking in the sun?"

Luoye laughed loudly and said, "On any sunny day, I sit on the rooftop to enjoy the view and soak in the sun. When you suddenly questioned me from below that day, I just answered without thinking much."

"You can see the scenery?" He was quite surprised.

"Sunshine, buildings, trees, flowers, I can see them all," she pointed to her head, "They're all in here." She paused, and a faint blush crept onto her cheeks. "And... King's appearance, I can see that too."

"Eh?" Ku Yue feigned surprise. "Do you have a crush on King?"

"Shhhh!" The blush on Luoye's face instantly spread to her ears, and her whole face turned as red as a ripe tomato. She hurriedly tried to cover Ku Yue's mouth, almost knocking over her juice glass in the process.

"Okay, okay, I promise to keep it a secret, absolutely!" Ku Yue solemnly vowed, "If I tell anyone, I'll choke to death on your juice!"

"That's more like it," Luoye breathed a sigh of relief, returning to her seat. But before she took her seat, she got up again, circled the table and sat next to him, grabbed his collar and said, "You must keep it a secret!"

"I swear on my honor!" he raised his hands in surrender. Looking at this young girl who was as lively as a rabbit, Ku Yue found it hard to believe that she was a blind person. It was this noisy crazy energy that reminded him of an old friend, a tree demon who also leaped about like a rabbit.

"The 26th of next month is King's birthday, and I'm preparing a birthday gift for him." Luoye spoke softly as she calmed down, "I'll be able to finish it when the Starlight Hibiscus blooms!"

Her excited and happy expression made Ku Yue feel as if the sun had delayed its descent below the horizon.

"Why are you telling me all this?" He gazed into her eyes. "I'm just a stranger who's a newcomer here. You can see how Seven and the others still regard me as deceitful."

Luoye gulped down a big mouthful of cold juice, chewed the coconut inside and said carelessly, "Anyway, you are not a bad person."

He had long been accustomed to capturing the information he wanted from the eyes of any opponent. However, with Luoye, he couldn't find any clues in those eyes that were consistent and tranquil like a pool of water. Such an enigmatic quality was usually present in only two types of people — those with deep secrets or those as pure as a blank sheet of paper.

"What if I'm a bad guy?" he suddenly asked seriously.

Luoye curled her lips and put down the empty glass on the table, saying, "A bad person wouldn't have thought to rescue me when I fell from the roof."

Ku Yue was stunned. "I do have eyes, it's just that they grow here," she pointed to her heart. "Oh, I have to go now; Bunhead is sick, and I need to check on him."

"Wait," Ku Yue held her back. "You're going to see Bunhead? Let me take you there."

"Hey, come on! I can find even the smallest ant nest in Moon City wherever it is, so I don't need you for that! Just stay here." She made a face at him and then cautioned, "Also remember what King said, you must never go out at night! You don't belong here." She furrowed her brow. "And give yourself a deadline; if you haven't found your Little Long before the Starlight Hibiscus blooms, leave! I'm not kidding you."

"I'll seriously consider that," he nodded.

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Night Butterfly - Part 3

"Let him go." A faint and strange smell wafted through the air in the dark and cold basement as a dim light swung overhead. Hidden in the swaying light and shadow, four or five people stood vaguely. They were headed by a middle-aged man, who looked at the trussed up figure of Ku Yue and gave orders to the people around him.

The young men exchanged glances in dismay. One of them, a tall man with a red headscarf and a limp left leg, said to the middle-aged man, "Will that be okay? We haven't confirmed this guy's identity, and there's less than two months left until the deadline. If he's sent by the other side, a single misstep could make us..."

"No one will send a man who is easily knocked out to be a spy," the middle-aged man said calmly. "Have you found anything suspicious on him?"

"No, we haven't," the man with the red headscarf muttered, "but I still feel uneasy..."

"Let him go," the middle-aged man repeated, "Is my command no longer effective?"

The group of people became flustered, and the man with the red headscarf hastily said, "No, no, King, we'll release him right away." Ku Yue rubbed his numb hands and feet and stood up from the ground. They escorted him out of the basement.

"I apologize for the misunderstanding," the middle-aged man had Ku Yue's backpack brought over and returned it to him. "You can go now."

Above the basement was the Butterfly Kisses bar. Through the window, Ku Yue could only see the dawn breaking outside, making it impossible to estimate the current time. There were a few scattered tables with customers, who were teasing or whispering among themselves under the alcohol's influence, while the song "Butterfly Kisses," the namesake of the bar, played softly, swirling through the room.

"Thank you," Ku Yue rubbed his head and took his backpack from the man. "Although I don't know why you had to knock me out, I really came here to find my friend."

"What's his name?" the middle-aged man asked.

"Ah-Long^[1]," Ku Yue sighed. "He's my childhood friend, and we lost contact. I put in a lot of effort to find out that he came to Moon City in Sword district. That's why I came here specifically to look for him."

"Do you have any idea how many guys named Ah-Long there are in the entire Moon City?" the man with the red headscarf interrupted loudly, furrowing his brows.

Ku Yue smiled bitterly, "I know. It's okay; I'll go door to door if I have to. Just please don't treat me like a bad citizen and hit me with a rod or something at any time."

"Do you have a picture of him?" a crisp voice came from behind the bar. Ku Yue saw her again, the girl on the rooftop. She had taken off her cap and her long hair hung straight and smooth down her shoulders, making her gender unmistakable at last.

"Yes," Ku Yue took out a partially damaged photo from his wallet. In the photo, two boys about six or seven years old were smiling brightly at the camera. "The one on the left is Ah-Long."

When the group of people crowded around to take a look, the man with the red headscarf shook his head, "Tut! It's no damned use to rely on this photo alone. Devil knows what he'll look like now."

"This is all I have," Ku Yue put away the photo. "No matter what, I have to find him. His mother is waiting for him, and she doesn't have much time left."

"I see…" the middle-aged man pondered for a moment and then turned to the man with the red headscarf. "Seven, arrange a place for him to stay and get some people to help him search."

"Alright," Red Headscarf nodded reluctantly and limped out.

"You can stay here for now," the middle-aged man poured a glass of red wine for himself and Ku Yue from a half-empty bottle on the bar counter. "But, don't go out at night, otherwise I may not be able to guarantee your safety. By the way, what's your name?"

"Ku Yue," he took a small sip, feeling the astringency flowing on the tip of his tongue. "And you? Any name?"

"Jin Feiyu. But everyone calls me King, it's simpler," he smiled at Ku Yue, swirled his wine and downed it in one gulp.

"Nice to meet you," Ku Yue held out his hand to Jin Feiyu with a bright smile.

---

[1] 阿龙: ā is prefix used before monosyllabic names, kinship terms etc to indicate familiarity; lóng is dragon.

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Night Butterfly - Part 2

"Why are you sitting so high?" Ku Yue stood in front of a bar called Butterfly Kisses, looking up at the person sitting on the roof of the bar.

The person loudly replied, "To bask in the sun!"

It was now half past five in the afternoon. It was summer, but the sky had already darkened, with only a thin line of twilight on the horizon. Moon City was indeed too remote; so remote that it had a time difference with the last city he lived in.

Whenever he arrived in a new city, the first place he looked for was a bar. He needed to relax; even if it was artificial, it had become a habit.

He followed the gaze of the person on the roof and only saw only chimneys belching black smoke into the air amidst the various factories, as well as some damaged and incomplete neon lights flickering continuously in the twilight. There were no gorgeous rows of skyscrapers here, nor clean and luxurious nights with perfume filling the air. All the buildings in this place appeared old-fashioned, and so did the passing vehicles and the people living here.

Every part of Moon City seemed as aged as an old photograph abandoned by time.

"Aren't you hot?" He became interested in the person who enjoyed basking in the sun on a rooftop in the midst of summer, gazing at such a view.

"Not at all!" The person responded excitedly.

In the distance, there were a few heavy and long chimes of a bell. Upon hearing the bell, the person on the rooftop moved, as if preparing to come down.

Just then, a stone whizzed through the air, shooting out from the alley diagonally opposite the bar, hitting the person's butt like a prank.

A shriek followed, and the person wobbled for a moment, actually falling from the rooftop.

As Ku Yue was about to make a move to rescue the unfortunate fool, the chap floated in mid-air less than a meter from the ground, arms outstretched like wings, and then descended slowly to the ground.

"Darned bunhead, you're playing with slingshots again! See if I don't beat you to death next time!" The person who safely landed on the ground shouted loudly at a little boy hiding in the alley, who was as plump as a steamed bun. As they yelled, they carefully stashed a glass bottle with a peculiar shimmering light into their shoulder bag.

"Big Sis Luoye^[1], I won't dare do it next time!" The chubby boy, holding his slingshot, made a funny face in their direction and then swiftly ran away with a group of giggling friends.

Ku Yue sized up the girl in a washed-out T-shirt and jeans with frayed hems. She wore a baseball cap with a hole in it and looked to be around sixteen or seventeen years old. Other than her fair and delicate skin and her petite stature, she didn't seem like a woman at all.

He looked around and approached her, staring as he asked, "Excuse me, is this the Sword district?"

"Yes," she turned her head and looked directly in his direction.

The ambient light from the horizon mixed with the bar's entrance lights, casting a glow on her face. Ku Yue only just noticed that she had a pair of extraordinarily beautiful large eyes. However, those eyes that should have rivaled the stars were veiled by a dark gray layer.

He tentatively reached out his hand and waved it in front of her. No response. Her gaze seemed forever fixed in some distant reverie.

"Did you grow up here?" he asked, retracting his hand.

"It seems so," she nodded, then stepped back cautiously. "Are you from outside?"

"Yeah, I'm from outside." Ku Yue asked with curiosity, "How did you know? Do I have an accent or something?"

"You don't smell like the residents here," she took another step back.

"You don't have sight, so your sense of smell is so sharp?" he chuckled and sniffed his arm. Aside from a faint natural fragrance, there was nothing else.

"How did you enter Moon City?" As she continued to step back, her hands began searching for tools that could serve as weapons. Finally, she picked up an iron shovel used for shoveling garbage by a trash bin outside the bar and held it tightly. Her posture suggested that she might yell harsh words like "catch this pervert" at any moment.

"Miss, I came here only to visit an old friend. I don't have any ill intentions," her manner made Ku Yue want to laugh, "I was looking for directions when I approached you, nothing more."

She gripped her "weapon" even tighter, and her lifeless eyes accurately locked onto his position. In the next moment, her long, dense eyelashes quivered.

Thump! A hard, cold object hit Ku Yue hard on the back of his head, and amid several chaotic shaking figures, he fell to the ground with a groan.

---

[1] 落叶 (luò yè): dead/fallen leaves.  

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Night Butterfly - Part 1

It was not too difficult to find Ku Yue^[1]. When he was not sleeping, he was usually at the bar. He ordered a drink but never actually drank it. He lazily lounged from afternoon to dusk and finished reading a book during this time. Sometimes it was a fashion magazine, sometimes it was Lorca's poetry collection, and sometimes it was just a boring novel or a comic book.

He always chose a window seat and drew the curtains halfway to let the sunlight in, but never let it touch him. Nestled in the soft sofa, he would hold a book, his long violet-pupiled eyes half-closed. His dark chestnut hair softly framed his forehead, and to the casual observer, he appeared no different from the ordinary folks who enjoy leisure time. The more top-notch the hitman, the simpler their daily life.

When the woman found him, he, as usual, asked only three questions: "Time? Location? Target?" To Ku Yue, being an assassin was no different from writing an essay; the most important things were these three elements, and he didn't care about anything else.

Over the years, he had taken the lives of countless supernatural beings, and the rewards he had earned were also immeasurable. Most of it had been spent by him buying houses, apartments, villas, and ordinary homes all over the world, just like a child buying candies. It was just that he never lived in these houses; he just let them sit there, accumulating dust over the years.

"Kill him after you get that box." Under the wide-brimmed hat of black velvet, only half of the woman's face was visible, with her attractive lips colored a vivid red. She pushed a bag of diamonds across the table to him, saying, "This is half of the payment."

Location: Moon City, Sword district.

Time: Within three months.

Target: Jin Feiyu^[2].

PS: Before dealing with the target, acquire the peach wood carved box in his possession, and it must be undamaged (Extra payment).

Ku Yue carelessly jotted down these lines in his notebook.

"When you kill these supernatural creatures, do you ever feel remorse?" The woman lifted her head slightly, revealing her delicate, straight nose and a smile that reached the corners of her mouth.

"Do you feel remorse when you hire me to kill them?" he countered.

"Hehe," the woman took a sip of the Lafite in her glass, "Why did you become an assassin?"

"I will deliver the goods on time." He didn't look at her, the pages of the book rustling between his fingers.

The woman smiled, pulled out a banknote, and placed it on the table. "Good. This drink is on me. I'll be waiting for your good news."

He nodded, listening to the sound of her high heels fading away. The spot where she had sat left a faint, distinct fragrance lingering in the air, falling into the crystal-clear glass.

Ku Yue closed his book and left the bar.

Moon City, that distant border town, was a long way from the city he currently called home. Before heading there, he needed a good night's sleep. It was only in his dreams that he truly felt safe and happy.

---

Footnotes:

[1] 枯 (Surname. The word kū means dry; withered; decayed; boring.) 月 (yuè: moon; moonlight.)

[2] 靳飞羽. Jìn (Surname. Jìn means stingy). Fēi is to fly and yǔ is feather. So Feiyu can be interpreted as "flying feather."

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Night Butterfly - Introduction

His foothold is located at the highest point of the entire Moon City, a tall tower built from stacked scrap metal, which only flickers with chaotic light under the round, golden full moon with blades of light criss-crossing.

On a badly damaged billboard lying at the bottom of the tower, someone has written unintelligible words in bold, exaggerated, and oversized letters using blood-red paint. The font is so eye-catching that even the night can't cover its conspicuousness. There's no expression on his face, only the slowly pulsating heart, awaiting a destiny.

Early this morning, he paid a visit to an old friend. That woman, or rather, demoness, was perhaps his only friend in life.

They hadn't met in three hundred or maybe five hundred years. She is still the same, full of charm, laughter, and anger. She has opened a dessert shop in a small alley, scolding and joking with two seemingly foolish helpers. She has the appearance of someone who has cast aside the world's troubles and hidden herself, carefree and unconcerned about the sufferings of the world.

Who could have imagined that on a certain evening in some distant years past, the two of them stood atop the frozen peaks of Ink Mountain by the Yellow Springs Lake, a half-ice, half-flame expanse. They worked together to deal with a double-headed, red-scaled python that had devoured countless people.

At that time, she had long hair and a snow sword, her powers rivaling that of a god, and her movements were as agile as a leopard. The monstrous beast, with its enormous and dangerous form, spewed crimson venom, writhing and roaring under the setting sun, churning water waves that obscured half the sky.

He watched her sword dance a beautiful and calm trajectory in the faint golden light, and it precisely pierced the throat of the red-scaled python.

As the behemoth's lifeless body fell heavily into the lake, its azure blood swiftly spread across the entire surface of the lake, as if reflecting the rarest piece of blue sky.

"You're the most ruthless demon I've ever seen," he said, casting a glance at her. With a single stroke, she cut open the back of the red-scaled python and extracted a "thread" as thick as a thumb from within. She wound it into several circles and put it into her pocket.

She scooped up snow from the ground and carefully wiped her sword, smiling, "Same here."

"Can we be friends?" he suddenly halted before leaving.

Before that day, the word "friend" had never been a part of his life.

"If you treat me to a nice meal and throw in a box of gold bars..." She got to her feet, shrugged, and stuck out her tongue at him, "I can consider it."

In the days that followed, they became friends. Even though they didn't meet often, and when they did, it usually turned into a merry escapade in the Jiāng hú^[1], with the drunken him watching the drunken her laughing and making a scene. Eventually, she would end up sprawled on the ground and fall asleep on his lap.

He knew he was different from her. The ruthlessness of her sword was only to protect those who couldn't protect themselves. His blade, however, was different, even though it possessed the same power.

One day, he went to find her and entrusted her with something of utmost importance to him.

"Keep it safe for me," he patted her shoulder.

She looked at what was in her hand and remained silent for a long time, then said, "You should think it through, you might not have a chance to get it back from me."

"If that's the case... then it's your gain," he winked at her, turned around, and walked away without any worries.

Over the course of hundreds of years, time flowed intermittently, sometimes as slow as a dripping tap, and sometimes as swift as a passing steed, not at all up to anyone.

Yesterday, he sat in her "Unceasing," calmly sipping the awfully bitter tea she had prepared for him, and said, "You don't even ask me why I came to retrieve that thing?"

"I'm just asking how much you plan to pay me for safekeeping," she raised an eyebrow.

"You really haven't changed a bit," he laughed.

She didn't reply but instead, watched him and took a deep breath, stepped forward, and gave him a big hug, not letting go for quite some time.

As he was leaving, he turned back and asked, "If I come to see you tomorrow, can we get drunk again?"

"That depends on how many gold bars you're willing to part with," she teased, sticking her tongue out at him.

Standing at the doorstep, she watched his retreating figure, and a subtle layer of secret concern crept into the corners of her always cheerful expression — I'll definitely get drunk with you, just like so many days of the past, as long as you appear safe and sound before me tomorrow.

She said to herself in her heart.

---

[1] The word 江湖 (Jiāng hú) is a Chinese expression that is a bit challenging to translate directly into English. It is often used in Chinese literature, martial arts novels, and colloquial speech, and it has a nuanced meaning. Since this novel is not set in a martial arts world, I opted to leave it in Pinyin. FYI, Jianghu can mean the world, society/ community; underworld/underbelly; reclusive place etc. 

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Fox Guard - End

The snow-white fox sat gracefully on a chair, using its paws to pick up a piece of red bean cake and stuffing it into its mouth. It swayed its big furry tail contentedly as it chewed.

"This red bean cake is pretty good. It's just that this tea is too bitter," it smacked its lips and pushed the cup of Fleeting Life tea far away from itself.

"No regrets?" I cast a sidelong glance at it.

This fox had exhausted all of its cultivation to eliminate the special powers in Tang Xiaohua that came from being the reincarnation of the prophecy flower, and also erased all her memories of the past and the former past.

On April Fools' Day, Tang Xiaohua had become a true and healthy ordinary person, while Ah-Tou had reverted to his original form and had to start from scratch.

"What's there to regret?! She's a real human now. There shouldn't be any foxes or prophecy flowers in human lives. She should go to school, fall in love, get married, and have children like any ordinary girl. That's true happiness," Ah-Tou said softly, then he gave me a pointed look and changed the topic, "I said I'll hand over Welcoming Moon Mountain to you to take care of in my absence. Look how ghastly it has become now!"

"I'm not the mountain god there," I pouted. "Besides, you're back. Although you've lost your human form, your spiritual energy remains. I officially hand over the restoration work of that mountain and the not too serious SkyRift issue to you!"

"In that case, I'll pay you half!"

"You dare!"

The two of us - a person and a fox - were chatting happily, completely ignoring the looks of extreme resentment and frustration in the eyes of Fatty and Skinny who reeked.

Alright, I admit I tricked them on April Fools' Day. I told them we were going on a spring outing, but in reality, I wanted them to play the double role of mud-diggers and divers and dig out Ah-Tou, whose primordial spirit had returned, out of the filthy and foul-smelling Welcoming Moon River. This was our agreement from a hundred years ago.

Foxes are always clever, and he had thought it through thoroughly. After struggling outside for so long, there was barely any strength left for the primordial spirit to crawl out from the bottom of the river after returning to itself. Accidentally drowning would be quite a tragedy.

"We strongly request overtime pay!" Skinny and Fatty floated over to me like a complaining woman. This time, I didn't hesitate at all. I went into the back room and fetched two gold bars, stuffing them into their hands. They simply couldn't believe my generosity. Fatty grabbed the gold bar and bit it hard N times. "It's real!" The two of them happily jumped around, holding up the gold bars and ran out.

Five minutes later, I heard several strange screams.

Fatty and Skinny ran back with distorted faces. The gold bars in their hands had turned into pitch-black crows with a pair of protruding eyes, squawking, "April Fool! April Fool!"

Yes, today is April Fools' Day. Nothing's impossible on this day, am I right? Hehe. I believe that the next time I go by Welcoming Moon Mountain, it should be bright and sunny.

---

Translator:

Poor Fatty and Skinny... always scammed😆

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Fox Guard - Part 12

I dragged my aching body back to the Tang family. Yes, I was hit by a speeding and overloaded truck. Though my body wasn't a true flesh and blood form, I still felt pain to some extent.

Tang Xiaohua was still fast asleep. Moonlight had appeared outside the window at some point, casting a silver glow on her face when she turned over. Delicate and gentle, it was clearly a different visage, yet it vividly reminded me of another person.

I gently caressed her youthful face. Finally, I placed my hand on her forehead, closed my eyes, and let a warm power flow from my heart through my hand, seeping into her world.

"Bu Yu..." I called her name over and over in my heart.

"Yes..." Tang Xiaohua, still fast asleep, moved her lips.

"Why did you have to lie to those dying people?" My gaze fell on her wrist which was missing flesh and blood, a dull ache in my heart.

"The Spider-Man asked me if I wanted to truly help those in danger," she said slowly, "He said that if I told those dying people that you could live another twenty years, they wouldn't die."

I had to curse that wretched Bug Man in my heart. It was him who, in order to obtain the prophecy flower's petals, which were Tang Xiaohua's flesh and blood, awakened all of her abilities using this method and subsequently provoked the Hell officials who were in charge of life and death.

"I'm not an ominous being... not a doomsayer... I can also save people," Tang Xiaohua murmured, "It turns out that lying isn't necessarily a bad thing..."

I was stunned and asked the question I wanted to ask the most, "Why did you lie to me about Shifu?"

"I warned my senior brothers... I saw Shifu use a sword to cut open their bodies, extract their inner cores, and finally turn their bodies into green ashes, putting them in porcelain jars and sealing them in the walls. But they didn't believe me and said I had a Qi deviation^[1] while practicing. That day, Snow Leopard accidentally discovered Shifu making medicine with our senior brothers' inner cores. Shifu wanted to kill Snow Leopard to silence him... I heard Snow Leopard crying for help... I felt like I was going insane; scorching power was running through my body. I struck him in the chest with one palm... My right arm felt like it was on fire..."

"Why didn't you promptly tell me?" I really wanted to grab her and give her a good beating.

"You love Shifu so much, trust him, respect him... Toppling him would mean toppling your entire world," Tang Xiaohua's brows furrowed slightly, "Your inner core hasn't been refined yet... You've always wanted to be Shifu's successor. If... the murderer is Shifu, will you still continue to practice? Giving up cultivating at this critical moment...would seriously damage your primordial spirit and could be fatal. However, if the murderer is me... you will be angry and deeply hurt, but as long as you have the heart to seek revenge from me, you will definitely work hard to refine your inner core... Once you pass this trial, you will become the mountain god you aspire to be." Her brows relaxed, "There's nothing more important than ensuring you live well. Telling lies wasn't to deceive you, but because... I love you."

Foxes, especially male foxes, never cry. However, I made an exception today. "You're such a fool!" I wiped away my tears, took a deep breath, and pinched Tang Xiaohua's nose.

She sneezed and opened her eyes. "Xiao Tou... you're not sleeping yet?" She sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"I'm going away for a while," I pretended to be casual, speaking grumpily as usual.

"Where are you going? How long?" She asked nervously.

"Home. Um... about a month," I poked her on the head. She breathed a sigh of relief. I carefully studied her appearance, trying to engrave her silly look in my mind - I'm not leaving for a month, it's forever. But before that, there's one more thing I need to do.

"Go to sleep. I have to leave," I gently pressed her back onto the bed.

"Right now?" She looked at me reluctantly. I nodded. She gazed at me for a long time and then suddenly grinned, "Then, let's pretend we'll see each other tomorrow!"

Tomorrow is April 1st, April Fools' Day. I smiled, "Sure. See you tomorrow!"

"See you tomorrow!" She happily snuggled into her blanket, "Make sure to come back soon!"

I left her room without saying a word. It wasn't until she was sound asleep once again that I passed through the wall and stood by her side, watching her sleep like a little pig. I think the warm and doting smile on my face at that moment was something that hadn't appeared in many years. You'll become a normal girl. From now on, you won't remember anything related to me. You'll have a brand new happiness. This is the last thing your guardian spirit, this fox, can do for you.

Before dawn, a fox with snow-white fur leaped out of Tang Xiaohua's bedroom window. It landed lightly on the ground, glanced up at Tang Xiaohua's home, and then vanished into the dim light without looking back.

---

[1] 走火入魔: to experience serious negative physiological and psychological changes resulting from the ‘improper’ practice of qigong or other self-cultivation techniques; to develop meditation psychosis. You might have come across terms like inner demon, obsession etc. to describe qi deviation.

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