Chapter Fourteen Pianxian

Although it wasn't the giant butterfly she expected, it was acceptable that what finally emerged from the chrysalis was a woman with fluttering butterfly wings.

Of course, the butterfly yokai hadn't fully emerged from the chrysalis. A golden, misty aura swirled within it, obscuring the beautiful things about to be revealed to this wonderful new world.

Seeing the butterfly yokai about to step out of the chrysalis, Luo Qiu thought for a moment, took off his trench coat, and threw it towards her. He said calmly, "It's best if nothing unpleasant or awkward happens."

The trench coat landed in the butterfly yokai's hands.

The butterfly yokai simply smiled and said slowly, "You humans are so strange."

Luo Qiu touched his nose and smiled too, not taking up the topic. Because the butterfly yokai had wings on its back, it naturally couldn't wear the trench coat. Instead, she draped it in front of herself, holding it with both hands.

The butterfly yokai's wings suddenly unfurled, and she gracefully flew out of the chrysalis. Bathed in the hazy gray light, she was breathtakingly beautiful. Finally, she slowly landed in front of Luo Qiu and said gratefully, "Thank you. Without you, I probably wouldn't have been able to get out."

It was a beautiful smile, and her crystalline skin made her look even more flawless. Thinking of her ugliness before she broke free from the chrysalis, her current beauty seemed even more precious.

At this time, the sky was turning a pale white, and the sun was about to rise, signaling the end of their night of protection. Luo Qiu had learned a little about yokai that had taken human form from You Ye.

Most yokai that could effectively conceal their true forms would blend into society and crowds, living like ordinary people. Of course, many yokai preferred not to interact with humans and chose to hide in remote or uninhabited places.

If the butterfly yokai could conceal her wings, she would have been a rare beauty even without any adornment. Moreover, she possessed an ethereal aura.

Whether judged by looks or temperament, she was impeccable.

"You're speaking very fluently now," Luo Qiu said, choosing not to respond to the butterfly yokai's gratitude, his curiosity piqued by her ability to speak.

The butterfly yokai replied, "Yes, before breaking free from the chrysalis, my body structure wasn't complete. Now that my vocal cords have been properly formed, speaking is no longer a problem."

Luo Qiu nodded. "You've successfully transformed. What are your plans now? Will you re-enter human society, or will you be a free-spirited yokai in the mountains?"

The butterfly yokai thought for a moment and then said, "I want to see this world... Do you have any suggestions?"

Luo Qiu was taken aback. As a student who was technically still enrolled in school, he couldn't claim to fully understand society. But being asked and being unable to answer felt embarrassing, so he said, like an old monk telling a story, "I think, first of all, you need a name."

"A name?"

Luo Qiu smiled. "For humans, coming into this world begins with having a name."

"I... don't have a name," the butterfly yokai shook her head. Then she suddenly looked up, her eyes flashing with a strange light. "Can you give me a name?"

It was like framing a painter's artwork, bestowing a beautiful name upon the butterfly yokai made something already beautiful even more so. Instantly, Luo Qiu felt a surge of eagerness.

He lowered his head, gazing at the riverbank, looking at the sky and the distance, watching the gradually rising sun. The magnificent scene of the river's fluorescence and the moonlight from not long ago still lingered in his mind. Finally, his gaze settled on the butterfly yokai's graceful flight, and he couldn't help but softly chant, "Floating on the verdant expanse, amidst the flowing wine..."

Luo Qiu suddenly turned around and looked at the butterfly yokai, as if presenting a painting to a child. "Pianxian! It's a bit unusual, but if you think it's acceptable, how do you like the name Pianxian?"

"Pianxian..." The butterfly yokai lowered her head, silently repeating the name a few times before looking up and nodding with a smile.

The butterfly yokai, reborn in a single night, now had a name.

Her beautiful golden-ringed swallowtail wings spread, and the butterfly yokai ascended into the air. A ball of light slowly descended from her hand and landed in Luo Qiu's palm – it was the Jade Token used for the transaction.

"Thank you! I hope we can meet again sometime."

The butterfly yokai spread her wings and flew towards the direction where the sun was rising.

Luo Qiu held the Jade Token and watched for a long time before turning to You Ye and saying softly, "I know a bun shop that has delicious buns, and their soy milk is freshly ground."

While eating the buns he had just bought, Luo Qiu examined the white Jade Token he had received from the butterfly yokai, Pianxian.

It felt as smooth as congealed fat, and he couldn't put it down, but ultimately, a decision had to be made.

Should he sacrifice it to gain seventy days of lifespan, or use twenty days of lifespan for further appraisal?

On the way back, Luo Qiu had diligently asked You Ye for her opinion on this matter. Then, the very loyal doll had uttered a familiar, generic phrase.

Master, as long as you're happy...

"Let's just keep it for now? Using twenty days for appraisal isn't worth it... and I don't have that much to spare. But sacrificing it immediately would be too much of a waste," Luo Qiu muttered to himself.

If he kept this item, when his remaining lifespan reached its end, and if he was unlucky enough to not complete a single transaction, he could use this Jade Token to extend his life.

But if he was always earning and always having... then he should already know the secret of this Jade Token, shouldn't he?

"Luo Qiu, why are you grinning like an idiot? And why are you up so early today?"

Ren Ziling, with her hair disheveled, emerged from her room, looking as if she hadn't woken up yet. Luo Qiu pointed to the buns and soy milk on the coffee table in the living room and said softly, "You're up early too."

Ren Ziling yawned and sat down right beside Luo Qiu, putting an arm around his shoulder and smiling. "Kid, you've been a bit strange these past two days, haven't you? You can tell me! I'll dutifully act as your life mentor!"

Luo Qiu shifted away slightly and reached for the remote to turn on the television. Ren Ziling didn't mind and reached into the bag to grab a bun.

Luo Qiu frowned. "Did you... brush your teeth?"

Ren Ziling blinked. "Won't it be cleaner if I brush my teeth after eating?"

"Indeed, a life mentor," Luo Qiu mocked drily.

Ren Ziling shrugged and put the bun down. However, she noticed the Jade Token Luo Qiu had casually placed on the coffee table and reached out to pick it up. "Do we have anything like this at home?"

"We do now."

Ren Ziling weighed it in her hand and frowned. "I feel like I've seen this somewhere before... Where was it?"

Luo Qiu's heart stirred, but he calmly took the Jade Token back and stood up. "You can tell me when you remember. But before that, you really need to wash up properly. Do you know that women who smoke long-term have terrible morning breath?"

Ren Ziling immediately clasped her hands together and blew on them, saying quite naturally, "No?"

"So, are you going to brush your teeth or not?" Luo Qiu picked up the steamed bun bag from the coffee table.

Ren Ziling, with a look of frustration, rushed towards the bathroom.

Luo Qiu, meanwhile, was once again examining the Jade Token in his hand, lost in thought.

The morning news then began to report the latest information. The dignified female anchor said in a clear, resonant voice: Today, Hengxin Group will announce its latest development project. According to reports, this development will be a collaboration with the city's established industrial company, 'Golden Eagle Manufacturing'...

Luo Qiu glanced at it, realizing this was likely the project Cao Ziqian was developing with the real estate company.

However, there was no mention of Jin Zifu, the chairman of Golden Eagle Manufacturing. But Luo Qiu knew that Jin Zifu was later sent by Cao Ziqian to a decent convalescent home.

At this moment, Ren Ziling suddenly rushed out, still holding a toothbrush in her mouth, "I remember where I've seen this Jade Token before!"