I Need To Find A Way To Make Her Love Me Again - Chapter 42

After resting for a brief moment, the group continued their scheduled journey toward the Yulan Palace. During the day, the mountain forest teemed with birds and beasts, but as they drew closer to their destination, a thick, sudden fog rose up to block their path.

Yan Xingyu looked up, noting the jarring contrast between the scorching sun above and the dense mist below. The noisy chatter of birds and insects that had annoyed her throughout the trip suddenly fell into a dead silence.

Gazing at the fog, Yi Rong said, “The Yulan Palace is just ahead. This fog appearing out of thin air is likely an anomaly. We must be extremely careful once we enter.”

Jiaoyu’s nose wrinkled as her features twisted in disgust. “Do you two smell that? There’s a strange scent.”

“A sickening smell,” Guan Fei added, finishing her thought.

However, Yan Xingyu and Yi Rong exchanged puzzled glances; neither of them could smell anything.

Hearing no confirmation from the others, Guan Fei speculated, “Could it be that something here is specifically targeting the two of you?”

Thinking of Yan Xiaoling’s insidious and malicious nature, Yan Xingyu frowned. “It’s very possible.”

“Then Yuyu and I will scout ahead,” Guan Fei said, summoning her sword. She attempted to cleave a path through the mist, but the sword qi only dispersed the fog for a second before it swirled back together instantly.

Jiaoyu observed, “This mist is being controlled by someone.”

“We have no choice but to go in,” Yan Xingyu decided.

“Fine. Stay close behind us and be careful,” Guan Fei warned as she took the first step forward. As they entered, a wave of rotting stench hit them, far worse than before.

Jiaoyu felt the same, suppressing her nausea, she vigilantly scanned their surroundings while making sure the two behind them were keeping up.

Walking through the mist, Yan Xingyu felt a sense of deja vu, reminiscent of the fog back at Qingding Mountain. Despite the eerie silence, she felt as though something was about to leap out at her.

Suddenly, a light breeze brushed past her hand. Curious as to why the wind was blowing downward, she looked down to find a blue butterfly fluttering by her side.

Yan Xingyu’s heart skipped a beat. Wasn’t this the same butterfly that had previously captured her and taken her to the City of Fallen Ghosts? Why was it here? She called out, “Yi Rong, look!”

Her voice caught the attention of the others, but before they could turn around, a powerful force lunged directly at them.

Guan Fei swung her sword to parry the blow, barely holding her ground. Behind her, Jiaoyu’s voice rang out: “It’s a demon!”

A massive silhouette flew out from the mist. A Plain Moth (Su’e), its white wings heavy with swaying cocoons, swept toward them.

Seeing the moth appear, Yan Xingyu ignored the butterfly and prepared to charge forward to help Guan Fei subdue it.

Yi Rong, however, spotted another figure emerging ahead. A sense of foreboding washed over her. She flew forward to pull Yan Xingyu back just as a piercing sword light flashed toward them.

Yi Rong pressed down on the blade’s edge, attempting to capture the sudden black-clad interloper. But the stranger was cunning, they hurled their sword as a distraction and flipped backward into the thick fog, vanishing instantly.

Yi Rong didn’t give chase. She turned back to Yan Xingyu, only to find that in those few heartbeats, everyone else, including the moth demon had vanished. Her pupils contracted in shock.

How could they disappear so silently? Panicking, Yi Rong tried to locate them using the Shadow Fish, only to find that Yan Xingyu was already far away and moving rapidly.

She turned toward that direction, her brow furrowed, and sped off to catch up.

It turned out that in the second after Yi Rong had pushed Yan Xingyu back, the Plain Moth fighting Guan Fei had seen an opening. It spat out silk, instantly wrapping Yan Xingyu from head to toe in a cocoon before flying away with her.

Jiaoyu tried to pursue, but a figure appeared behind them, chanting an incantation to trigger an array. They were transported to a different barrier. As the heavy fog cleared, the silhouette of a palace was revealed, leaving her stunned.

She saw Guan Fei’s body stiffen, but the latter reassured her, “Yuyu, don’t worry. We’ll get out of here soon.”

Jiaoyu looked at the woman in green walking toward them, remaining silent.

With the group scattered, Yan Xingyu found herself trapped inside the cocoon, unable to move. However, she wasn’t alone; a blue butterfly was trapped inside with her.

Her hand felt itchy and a sensation of heat made her anxious. Suddenly, a breeze drifted through the silk. Sensing she could move her arm, Yan Xingyu pulled out a short dagger, sliced through the silk, and freed herself.

Watching the blue butterfly take flight, she felt suspicious. However, seeing the Plain Moth returning to capture her again, she stayed on guard. Once she broke free, she immediately flew downward on her sword to escape.

The scenery below had shifted back to mountain ranges and green forests. She had been carried out of the mist in a very short time. Frustrated by the demon’s trickery, she didn’t want to engage it, she only wanted to return to Yi Rong and the others.

But the Plain Moth wouldn’t let her go so easily, spreading its wings to give chase.

Observing that this moth looked similar to the one from Qingding Mountain but was more aggressive and persistent, Yan Xingyu’s eyes flashed with impatience. She flicked her fingers, launching three silver needles behind her.

The moth barely dodged, but one needle pierced its wing. Under Yan Xingyu’s control, the needle sprouted “flowers” sharp claws that tore through the creature’s flesh.

Hearing the agonized shrieks behind her, Yan Xingyu didn’t look back. The blue butterfly circled her hand and then flew in front of her as if trying to block her path.

Though it had technically helped her just now, she didn’t have time to stop. As she tried to shoo it away, the screaming behind her grew louder and more piercing.

A golden light descended from the sky, and a man’s voice cut through the noise: “Miss Yan, we meet again.”

Yan Xingyu looked at the sudden arrival of Jiang Yueren in surprise. “Young Sect Leader?”

The Plain Moth gave them no time for pleasantries. Its bulging eyes darted around in rage as it shook its wings, dropping all the cocoons it carried toward the ground.

Jiang Yueren’s expression changed drastically. He threw his fan out, using his sword to try and catch the falling cocoons, but he only managed to save one. The rest hit the ground, and the forest floor seemed to erupt. Four pillars of black energy shot into the sky.

Four figures stepped out. Their heads were tilted at odd angles, their eyes were pure white, and their necks were entwined with countless white threads connecting them to their bodies. Their limbs were a gruesome patchwork of various beast parts, and rotting flesh peeked through tattered clothes, emitting a foul stench.

These “monsters” neither human nor demon, moved with unnatural speed, appearing instantly before Yan Xingyu. Acting on instinct, she blocked a lunging claw with her blade and slashed downward with her other hand. An arm fell to the ground, but the creature showed no reaction.

Sensing another attack from behind, she kicked the monster away, ducked, and drove her spike forward, impaling the second attacker.

As its head dangled partially off its neck, the white threads twisted to make it look at her. Despite the decay, the face looked disturbingly familiar to Yan Xingyu.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Jiang Yueren using hooked ropes to pierce the other monsters, tethering them to his folding fan. He manipulated them like marionettes, though these puppets were incredibly disobedient.

Controlling them with the ropes, Jiang Yueren used his spiritual power to bind them. Seeing Yan Xingyu fighting the remaining one, he shouted, “Miss Yan, leave this place of trouble first!”

Yan Xingyu didn’t hesitate, she kicked the monster in front of her toward him with full force.

Seeing the shadow flying toward him, Jiang Yueren’s eyes widened. He reacted quickly, using his hooks to snag the new arrival and bring it under his restraint.

The Plain Moth, observing from the sidelines, saw that its summons were failing. Looking at a bodiless head rolling among the monsters, it let out a cry to reclaim it.

Tired of the annoying demon, Yan Xingyu turned to attack it, wanting to end the nuisance so she could find her friends.

“Miss Yan, don’t kill it!” Jiang Yueren yelled. “Otherwise, these ‘Guh-heads’ will become truly uncontrollable!”

Yan Xingyu froze. Her blade grazed the moth’s wing, leaving a bloody streak. The resulting shriek acted as a powerful command to the monsters.

One monster erupted with sudden strength, breaking free of Jiang Yueren’s control and charging straight at her.

The distance was short, and the impact was imminent. But faster than her own reaction was the blue butterfly. It spiraled upward, blocking the monster’s attack and being shattered into pieces in the process.

As Yan Xingyu prepared to counter-attack, the fragments of the butterfly drifted back to her side on the wind. With an irresistible force, it suddenly yanked her downward.

“Miss Yan!”

Jiang Yueren watched her plummet. He struck back the frenzied monsters and dived on his sword to save her.

But the Plain Moth, battered and enraged, wouldn’t miss this chance. It flew in front of Jiang Yueren, its shrieks driving the monsters into a frenzy, forcing him to defend himself on all sides.

Falling rapidly from the sky, Yan Xingyu had no choice but to let her silver tool, Xiao Yin, transform into a soft ball to cushion the impact. She scrambled up from the ground to see the blue butterfly, now fully reformed, fluttering before her eyes.

She was furious. Any gratitude she felt for its earlier “accidental” help vanished. Just as she tried to drive it away, she felt something seize her.

She looked down. A pair of withered, aged hands had clamped firmly onto her ankles, violently dragging her down into the earth.