I stood on a hill outside Moon City, gazing at the city of demons protected perfectly by barriers. Outside the city, dozens of weirdly beautiful aircrafts that had illegally infiltrated lay scattered about in disorder.
Police, military, and scientific researchers were dispersed all around, everyone on high alert as if facing a great enemy. They couldn't fathom how these aircrafts managed to avoid their sensitive radars and stealthily infiltrate this place. Illegal intrusion is indeed an extremely dangerous matter.
However, until radar systems that are immune to demon energy interference are developed, I'm afraid they may encounter many similar accidents.
I concealed my presence and continued forward.
Fatty and Skinny, who had annoyingly followed me, still couldn't understand why, after seeing a news report this morning, I didn't hesitate to ride the clouds thousands of miles to this city on the edge, almost forgotten by the world.
In fact, I had been waiting for Ku Yue to return. I have been saving that bottle of wine for him. But when he came to retrieve his wings from me, I had a vague sense that we might not have another chance to have a good time over wine.
Five hundred years ago, after we became friends, he took off his wings and entrusted them to me. He said he didn't deserve to be a Night Butterfly. So, he didn't need his wings. The inherent fighting power of a Night Butterfly is all in those wings. I only hope for his safe return, and for us to enjoy a time of revelry.
This morning, as is my habit, I was having breakfast while reading the newspaper when a news headline caught my attention — UFOs unexpectedly appeared in a small border town, and a large number of butterflies were seen rushing out in the desolate area overnight, which was highly unusual. Relevant personnel had already rushed to the city one after the other. Biologists and meteorologists stated that the possibility of butterfly migration triggered by climate change could not be ruled out.
Putting down the newspaper, I immediately rushed to Moon City. Watching those dark green butterflies fluttering gracefully near the flying machines, the guess in my heart was confirmed by reality.
Those dark green ones were not real butterflies; from their scents, I could clearly detect the smell of humans. They are humans who have been turned into butterflies by some force.
I arrived at the cockpit and peered inside, but there was no one there. The news had also mentioned that the inside of the aircrafts had been empty since their discovery. I sniffed the residual scent in the cockpit and it was the unmistakable scent of humans, identical to the scent emitted by the butterflies fluttering randomly outside.
After a moment of standing outside Moon City, I ultimately abandoned the idea of going inside. On my way back, the only thing I did was pray. Since that day, there hasn't been any news about Ku Yue.
One night a month later, I returned from outdoors and had just reached the door of "Unceasing" when a small shadow gracefully descended from the air.
A black butterfly with beautiful wings adorned with dark blue patterns slowly flapped and perched on my shoulder. A brilliance burst forth before me, and I couldn't help but close my eyes.
When I opened my eyes again, Ku Yue stood before me smilingly, in a translucent form. I let out a long sigh and crossed my heart, pretending to be calm, "Thank God, He heard my prayers."
"Haha, you, a demon, praying to God. How strange," he laughed, still smiling at me like before, showing a row of pure white teeth.
"In your current state, can you even have a drink?" I observed his current condition, and it was obvious that he had almost exhausted his vitality and needed to revert to his original form to conserve his physical strength. "Did you use the power of your wings to turn all those unfortunate fools into butterflies?"
"You didn't know my wings had this kind of godly power too, didya?" he raised his head feigning arrogance, "After all, I've been cultivating for a thousand years. Are you a little sorry you didn't embezzle them back then?" I rolled my eyes.
"Well, I've come to bid you farewell," his smile faded gradually as he patted my shoulder, though it was merely symbolic as I couldn't feel his touch.
There was a newfound sense of lightness in his eyes when he said, "I think I've found the place I want to stay forever."
"Moon City?" I guessed.
"I really like a bar there called Butterfly Kisses, and the people there are also quite interesting. Men who spend a thousand years making a rocking chair, and women who think up every possible method to capture the sun and the moon to put into their paintings." As he spoke, a serene expression graced his face. "Besides, there are other things waiting for me to do, like mediating between a father and daughter who have had a falling out for a long time. Although the daughter still refuses to call him 'daddy,' since I forcefully brought her to Moon City, I'm responsible for seeing it through."
"I won't ask too much about your affairs. As long as you believe it's the right thing to do, then go ahead," I said. I wasn't entirely sure what he had encountered in Moon City, but the relief in his eyes genuinely pleased me. "However, mediating family conflicts has always been the job of Women's Federation workers[1]. If you want to succeed, you'll have to put in extra effort!"
"I will," Ku Yue smiled confidently, "As long as they're family, nothing else matters. They will reconcile; it's just a matter of overdue communication. I believe this."
"Go for it!" I gave him a thumbs-up. "I'll keep that bottle of wine for you. Come find me when you've regained your human form!"
"A hundred years, let's get drunk again in a hundred years," he promised me, and then suddenly asked, "When I came to see you the other day, I left a box in the corner."
"Oh, that, I thought you forgot to take it. I was tempted to keep it for myself, but I decided against it. I've been holding onto it for you. Do you want to take it back with you?"
"That's a gift for you. I don't need those things anymore," he heaved a long sigh, then laughed, "You got a real bargain this time!"
With that, he gave me a meaningful look, "Look after yourself. I hope the next time I come to see you, it'll be a drunken party of three people."
His body gradually faded, condensing into a small ball of light, transforming into a fluttering butterfly, and flew in the direction of Moon City, gradually disappearing into the night sky.
I returned to "Unceasing" and retrieved the box he had left from my room. Upon opening it, I found a bunch of keys and a stack of property deeds from all around the world. Strangest of all, each property deed had my name written on it.
I quickly converted the real estate prices to gold bars in my mind, and the conclusion was that I had effortlessly come into a substantial fortune.
This summer is so beautiful. However, I will genuinely save that bottle of wine for a certain someone, be it a hundred years or a thousand years.
This Night Butterfly is worthy of me getting drunk with him.
[1] fù nǚ zhǔ rèn: director of the local committee of the Women's Federation. Kinda like Social Services.
Translator:
From assassin to mediator... Good for you, Ku Yue.
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