Pathetic Little Butterfly

Tang Wutong had spent this past month in extreme torment and misery.

Ever since that day, Xiao Yi had vanished from her life as if he had evaporated into thin air; she hadn't seen him for an entire month.

She couldn't quite wrap her head around it, trying to convince herself every day that she didn't know whether she missed the sensation of that tingling pleasure spreading through her body, or if she missed Xiao Yi the person—it was likely both.

During this time, she had come to a clear realization of her true feelings for Xiao Yi; it wasn't the possessiveness one feels for a friend, but the attraction one feels for the opposite sex.

She wanted to express her feelings, but Xiao Yi remained absent, and whenever the dead of night arrived, she could only toss and turn, unable to sleep, relying on the lingering scent he had left behind to drift off, just as she had before.

Yet, that tingling sensation remained etched in her mind, making her feel as though she were going insane; she would curse Xiao Yi for being a heartless man in her heart while having no choice but to take matters into her own hands.

Every day, after training with Xiao Xiao and Huo Yutong, Tang Wutong would return to the dormitory and open the door with anticipation, only to find that the figure she longed for was nowhere to be seen.

Then, she could only succumb to that throbbing ache, murmuring Xiao Yi's name while her small hand reached inside to resolve it herself.

After living like this for over twenty days, Tang Wutong finally reached her limit; she had to find Xiao Yi!

She believed that Xiao Yi was avoiding her specifically because of what happened that night.

The truth was far from that; Tang Wutong spent her days running between the classroom, the dormitory, and the training grounds, which meant she and Xiao Yi were constantly missing each other.

Xiao Yi wasn't deliberately avoiding her—there was no need for that—he was simply too immersed in alchemy to pull himself away; even Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan had only bumped into him by chance on the way to the Library Pavilion.

This little butterfly was too dim-witted to think of asking anyone for his whereabouts.

Opening the door, Xiao Yi glanced at the night sky outside, curious as to who it might be; Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan had already visited that evening, and since they knew his routine, they wouldn't come to disturb him at this hour.

Usually, he would be refining medicine or researching herbs at this time, preparing to create new pill formulas; could it be Tang Wutong? Xiao Yi wondered.

Although he had intended to leave the girl hanging for a while, he hadn't expected that she wouldn't come looking for him at all, so he had stopped paying it any mind.

He figured her prideful nature was acting up; as expected, she wasn't so easy to tame, but a good spanking once she returned would fix that.

Opening the courtyard gate and looking down, he saw that familiar powder-blue figure. She was drooping her little head, wearing a powder-blue dress, looking pitiful and aggrieved, her powder-blue eyes staring straight at Xiao Yi.

She had followed Tang Ya and the other girl here earlier but hadn't followed them inside.

She wanted an environment where she could be alone with Xiao Yi; she didn't want anyone else to see her in that state. Although she had been trained into a well-behaved girl by Xiao Yi, that was limited to him alone.

Xiao Yi, who had expected to be bombarded with crazy questions from this girl, was rather surprised; she looked exactly like a little pet abandoned by its owner, standing outside the door, wet-eyed and begging for forgiveness.

"Xiao Yi, why didn't you come back to find me..." She had intended to put on her usual front, but she couldn't manage it; instead, she sounded quite aggrieved.

Even if I did go all night, you can't just never come to find me.

"Come inside first." Xiao Yi said to this somewhat unfamiliar Tang Wutong. Does leaving her alone for a while really have such an effect? What has she been trained into?

The two walked into the room without a word and sat opposite each other. Just as Tang Wutong was about to speak, she was interrupted.

"I've been busy with other matters during this time, and the dormitory isn't very convenient, so I haven't returned there to rest." Xiao Yi stated, which was the complete truth. The academy was crowded and full of prying eyes, and the side-effect-free Soul Ascension Pill he had refined could boost a soul master's power by two levels at every stage.

"Are you sure you aren't deliberately avoiding me?" Tang Wutong's voice carried a hint of tears, her eyes filled with unease. Having only recently understood her own heart, she didn't want to hear any other answer.

"Why would I lie to you?" Xiao Yi looked at the pitiful Tang Wutong and took out the portion of pills he had prepared for her.

He had prepared plenty of Soul Ascension Pills of various grades; he had them for everyone he was close to. He had never been stingy with his own people, let alone the girls around him, who would likely be his partners in the future.

Tang Wutong looked at the jade bottle in Xiao Yi's hand through tear-blurred eyes, not knowing what it was.

"These are Soul Ascension Pills refined through a special method at the academy; they have no side effects. Once you take them at level 28, you can break through directly to a Soul Elder." Xiao Yi smiled and placed the jade bottle into Tang Wutong's small hand.

Tang Wutong stared blankly at Xiao Yi, feeling a sense of relief in her heart. So he wasn't avoiding me after all. She felt at ease.

She tucked the jade bottle away, slowly leaned in, wrapped her arms around Xiao Yi's waist, and buried her face in his chest, breathing in his scent greedily.

Feeling the delicate body in his arms, Xiao Yi hugged her back, somewhat surprised by her initiative.

"Xiao Yi, do you like me?" A muffled voice came from the girl in his arms, her tone trembling with unease; she was terrified of hearing an answer she didn't want to know.

Xiao Yi froze. He hadn't expected Tang Wutong to ask this. Like her? Probably not. As for Tang Wutong, he mostly used her to spite Tang San; he didn't have any other feelings for her yet, not the kind of affection he felt for Tang Ya or Jiang Nannan.

Tang Wutong didn't hear Xiao Yi's reply. She panicked, a surge of intense unease rising in her heart. She lifted her head to look at the silent Xiao Yi, the grievance in her eyes replaced by confusion. Her reason, built upon the accumulation of emotions over this period and Xiao Yi's final silence, began to crumble.

Before Xiao Yi could react, Tang Wutong lunged at him, pinning him onto the bed and straddling his stomach.

Her eyes were filled with a sickly, obsessive possessiveness.

"I don't care, Xiao Yi, you have to be mine." Her tone returned to its former state, though it still trembled; she had heard the answer she didn't want to hear from Xiao Yi's silence.

Xiao Yi was stunned by Tang Wutong's actions. What are you doing, you big fool?

Before Xiao Yi could speak, he felt the soft touch of her lips, clumsily demanding a response.

Feeling the delicate body in his arms, Xiao Yi finally reacted—he was being pushed back. He wanted to stop her, but he felt his weakness being gripped. Xiao Yi's eyes widened. Wait, sister?

After a long while, their lips parted. Tang Wutong sat up, panting, staring straight at Xiao Yi with eyes full of provocation and desire.

Before Xiao Yi could speak, she leaned in again, pressing against him. The soft touch and the sensations from her body constantly teased Xiao Yi's nerves.

As they separated again, Tang Wutong's trembling voice rang out: "Xiao Yi, you..."

But before she could continue, she felt a surge of force, and their positions were reversed; the attacker became the defender.

"You asked for this."

The long night stretched on, the butterfly fluttered its wings, and the little butterfly began the first flight of her life.