Metamorphosis

Luo Qiu had a habit of browsing forums and online communities, a common phenomenon among young people. No matter how mundane the topic, it could always garner a response from netizens.

For instance, Luo Qiu had just posted this in a forum he frequented: "Saw a huge worm devouring a large praying mantis alive. How can I look directly at it? Urgent, waiting online."

But perhaps the question was too boring even for netizens to bother with. After glancing at other posts that were flooding the page, the Insect Yokai finally got its revenge, having devoured its enemy.

The bizarre scene before him was no less gory than the zombie movie scenes Luo Qiu had watched. Feeling fortunate that it was well past dinner, Luo Qiu took a deep breath and broke the silence, "Would you like some water? The river water over there is clear..."

Don't expect someone who craved solitude, preferred observing people from a distance, and easily felt awkward in conversations to offer any insightful words of comfort at a time like this.

Luo Qiu felt that in such an awkward situation, being able to say something like "Let's have some water to moisten our throats" was already a precious achievement.

The Insect Yokai was taken aback. It looked down at its handiwork, got scared, and immediately jumped away, scrambling to the riverbank. It lowered its head and began to vomit with a gurgling sound.

After a long while, the Insect Yokai drank some water and slowly walked towards Luo Qiu and You Ye. It seemed much more composed. "Thank you, you, helped, me, get, revenge."

Luo Qiu nodded. "No need to be polite. After all, this was a transaction, a clear purchase. Your enemy, whom you feared, is now deader than dead. What's next?"

It had asked for protection for one night. If the night hadn't passed, the goods delivered wouldn't be considered complete. Logically, Luo Qiu had no standing to collect the Insect Yokai's Jade Token just yet.

But if the buyer said it was enough, that would be another matter.

So, Luo Qiu was planning to do just that. "But you only said you feared this praying mantis Yokai. Since it's been... well, since it's dead, you shouldn't have anything to fear now, right? This is a desolate place, not somewhere anyone would want to come."

"Protect, me, before, sunrise."

"Mmm..."

After receiving a definite answer from Luo Qiu, the Insect Yokai seemed much relieved. "Thank you."

It spoke its most fluent sentence yet.

Next, the Insect Yokai began to shed its black overcoat, revealing an extremely ugly body. The extent of the torn flesh on its body was even more severe than what Luo Qiu had seen yesterday.

Silently turning around, the Insect Yokai walked step by step towards the riverbank, slowly but with each step appearing steady. Luo Qiu didn't know what the Insect Yokai intended to do next, but he had a feeling that he might witness something unforgettable.

The new moon hung high in the sky. The Insect Yokai had walked to the shallow part of the river and submerged its body in the icy water. It tilted its head, facing the high new moon, and its ugly body began to stretch out as much as possible, then slowly contract.

Luo Qiu still wasn't sure what the Insect Yokai intended to do.

However, the feeling began to change.

The Insect Yokai's completely curled-up body showed signs of hardening... perhaps drying out. Luo Qiu wasn't sure and instinctively moved closer.

The riverbank in midsummer was now shimmering with specks of deep blue light, as if adorned by countless fireflies. The faint blue light now illuminated the surroundings of the riverbed. The pebbles washed ashore by the river now looked like deep blue gemstones, breathtakingly beautiful.

And on the Insect Yokai's body, a light yellow radiance was gathering. It gradually felt more solid, like flowing golden water.

"It's absorbing the essence of the water and the moonlight," You Ye's voice suddenly sounded in Luo Qiu's ear. "Master, it's preparing to emerge from its chrysalis and enter a new stage of life."

"Mmm," Luo Qiu merely nodded.

Looking at the Insect Yokai's current appearance, Luo Qiu had already formed a general guess. You Ye provided an answer to this guess.

What the Insect Yokai truly wanted was to emerge from its chrysalis tonight, which was why it needed protection.

The essence of the water, the glow of the moonlight, and the joy of entering a new life... The surrounding forest was still, and the river breeze was light, as if also celebrating this moment.

After an unknown amount of time, Luo Qiu was still immersed in this magnificent light of life.

It wasn't until the new moon receded and the radiance faded that a dull sound was heard... The chrysalis had broken.

"Why does it seem... like it can't get out?" Luo Qiu suddenly frowned.

Yokai that transform from animals and insects cannot escape their natural animal or insect origins. It was basically confirmed that the Insect Yokai was a type of butterfly or moth.

Under normal circumstances, butterflies breaking out of their chrysalis is a difficult process. However, due to their nature, they will eventually overcome difficulties and emerge.

But what Luo Qiu meant by "can't get out" was that it truly couldn't get out—the wings hidden inside the chrysalis at this moment could not extend out from the cracked opening of the chrysalis.

"It's too weak..." You Ye shook her head. "Even after absorbing the essence of the water and moonlight, it's not enough. It's a shame it's not a full moon tonight, otherwise, it might have been able to strengthen it a bit."

Weakness...

Looking at the wings struggling to emerge from the chrysalis, unable to break through because the opening was too small, Luo Qiu sighed.

It was weakened because it had consumed harmful substances.

Luo Qiu suddenly took a deep breath and walked directly to the giant chrysalis. He inserted both hands into the chrysalis and forcefully pried the cracked opening wider. "Listen, I can only help you this far, to let your wings come out. But you have to struggle out of the chrysalis yourself. If you can't even overcome the difficulty of coming into this world, why bother coming into this world at all?"

A pair of wings began to emerge from the cracked chrysalis. The timid wings were not yet firm and seemed to need time for the flesh and blood within to fill them.

Until they began to unfurl in the wind.

A mix of emerald green and pinkish purple, arranged symmetrically in four sections, they flapped weakly.

Luo Qiu let out a breath and slowly stepped back. The Insect Yokai had successfully spread its wings. The next step was to wait for its main body to complete its life transformation within the chrysalis.

Luo Qiu sat down on a round stone by the river, with You Ye accompanying him silently.

"Found it," Luo Qiu suddenly exclaimed happily, raising his phone. "There are clues after all!"

You Ye looked at the butterfly displayed on the phone screen, which almost perfectly matched the butterfly wings the Insect Yokai had unfurled, and softly read the butterfly's name, "Golden... what butterfly?"

"Golden Swallowtail Butterfly," Luo Qiu said with a smile. "Even an ordinary Golden Swallowtail Butterfly is already at the level of being protected. Moreover, this is a Golden Swallowtail Butterfly that has become a Yokai, which makes it even rarer."

"So beautiful," You Ye couldn't help but exclaim.

Luo Qiu stood up and walked forward, smiling, "This is probably a rare spectacle of life's celebration. It's better to get a closer look."

Luo Qiu, who had walked up to the chrysalis, began to feel expectant.

The praying mantis Yokai was enormous after revealing its true form—the Insect Yokai was already as tall as an adult, so what about after emerging from the chrysalis?

An unprecedented Golden Swallowtail Butterfly, as large as a human, might be a major discovery in human history.

Finally, the crack in the chrysalis suddenly broke open completely, and a soft glow slowly spread from within.

Then, a pair of fair, boneless-looking hands gently pushed open the sides of the chrysalis.

Luo Qiu opened his mouth and met the gaze of the transformed Insect Yokai—well, now a Butterfly Yokai. He realized that what emerged from the chrysalis was not the giant butterfly he had imagined, but a woman with butterfly wings.

Why was the art style changing again?

What happened to the major discovery in the history of human biology?