"Your Majesty, we servants do not know either..."
Lu Pianpian's heart jumped into his throat. He could only imagine what would happen if he saw Huan Changming in his current state. He couldn't let himself become a beast who only knew how to seek pleasure under Huan Changming.
He threw off the covers, got out of bed, and scrambled toward the window. The palace door was pushed open with a bang from the outside, and Huan Changming's voice came in, "Lu Pianpian, what kind of trouble are you causing now?"
Lu Pianpian finally reached the windowsill, and just as she reached out to push open the window, footsteps approached from behind her.
"Lu Pianpian".
Lu Pianpian's body stiffened for a moment. She pulled the gauze curtain next to her and wrapped it tightly around herself, trying to block out his strange behavior.
But his actions at this moment are nothing short of self-deception.
He desperately wrapped himself in gauze, shrinking on the ground so that no one could see him. Huan Changming walked towards him, and with each step he took closer, he felt that he was one step closer to purgatory.
"Get out...get out!"
Huan Changming casually tore the thin gauze, revealing Lu Pianpian wrapped inside.
Huan Changming had a rough idea of Lu Pianpian's identity, but when he actually saw Lu Pianpian's demon form, a hint of surprise still showed in his eyes.
As if out of fear, the gilded wings fluttered incessantly behind Lu Pianpian, and with each opening and closing, fine golden powder fell continuously. These wings were so beautiful that they seemed otherworldly; even the veins and patterns on them were breathtakingly beautiful, as if painted by a master artist.
Bewitched by the beauty of those wings, Huan Changming couldn't help but reach out and touch them, causing Lu Pianpian to tremble all over. She lifted her face from her arms and looked at him, saying, "Don't touch me!"
Huan Changming lowered his eyes, looking at Lu Pianpian's face with interest.
Perhaps because he had revealed his demonic form, Lu Pianpian had a faint golden mark on his forehead, which made his face look even more holy. However, his appearance and expression were full of unsatisfied desire, and his clear eyes were tormented by lust, making them wet and red, as if he were openly telling Huan Changming to pull him down from his holy pedestal.
"Everyone says the Spirit Rhinoceros Butterfly clan has a superior appearance, and seeing them today, it's certainly true." Huan Changming pressed his fingertip against the corner of Lu Pianpian's reddened eyes. "You're in heat... waiting for me to help you?"
Lu Pianpian slapped Huan Changming's hand away, and with the last bit of consciousness, she swayed to her feet and tried to open the window to escape, but someone grabbed her waist from behind.
Huan Changming hugged him tightly, buried his face in his neck and took a deep breath of the fragrance emanating from him, and said in a hoarse voice, "When a butterfly in heat goes out, is it planning to defile others, or be defiled by others?"
Lu Pianpian screamed hoarsely, "Let me go..."
"No." Huan Changming slowly stroked Lu Pianpian's wings with his other hand, causing Lu Pianpian's body to go weak and she uncontrollably collapsed into his arms, trembling.
He lowered his head, took Lu Pianpian's earlobe into his mouth, and gently sucked and nibbled, "What if my butterfly gets bullied if I let you out?"
"No... I'm not..."
I am not yours, not your butterfly.
But Lu Pianpian was overcome by instinct and couldn't even utter a complete sentence.
The wetness and pain at the tip of his ear made Lu Pianpian feel numb all over. He even craved more from Huan Changming. He hated his body.
Huan Changming picked him up and placed him on the bed. His vision blurred, and the instinct of a butterfly controlled his body, but tears of shame could not be stopped from overflowing from the corners of his eyes.
Lu Pianpian's mind went blank. Even his thoughts were firmly controlled by Huan Changming. He was like a puppet doll trapped in Huan Changming's arms.
Lu Pianpian was in a daze, barely able to hear his own breathing, and he couldn't help but hug Huan Changming's neck.
Huan Changming paused, and then a barrage of kisses landed on his lips.
“Pianpian, Senior Brother…” someone whispered passionately in Lu Pianpian’s ear, “My little butterfly…”
Outside the palace, several butterflies perched on the peach trees, their branches laden with buds, quietly enjoying the gentle breeze of spring.
Jingyi stood outside the hall, his face deathly pale, and it took him a long time to come to his senses.
He walked down the steps in a daze, his body swaying and he almost slipped and fell. He managed to stand up by holding onto a peach tree beside him.
Jingyi slowly stood up, and his eyes caught sight of a few butterflies perched on a branch, which fueled his jealousy. He wanted to set them all on fire and burn them to death.
“Lu Pianpian…” Jing Yi murmured hatefully, as if he wanted to crush the person with that name into pieces.
A note from the author:
Huan Changming: My Little Butterfly
Chapter 49
Every year around the beginning of spring, the Phantom Butterfly clan enters its mating season, transforming into animals driven by desire.
Lu Pianpian's biggest fear every year is this period, when the demonic instincts hidden within him will erupt uncontrollably, turning him into a monster who only knows how to seek pleasure. He deeply hates this version of himself.
So every time this happens, he locks himself away, not letting anyone see his disheveled and out-of-control state, and suffers alone through this painful period.
But this time, he didn't get his wish.
Inside the palace, day and night were reversed, and Lu Pianpian lost her mind. Outside the palace, she didn't know how much time had passed.
Once he regained some consciousness, Huan Changming was no longer by his side.
Lu Pianpian scrambled off the bed in a disheveled state, her hands trembling as she picked up the clothes scattered on the floor and put them on one by one.
Behind him stood a bronze mirror about half a person's height, clearly reflecting the boy's frail and broken figure.
His beautiful wings were folded back, but in a way that was almost trampled by Huan Changming.
A few tears fell onto the floor with a patter. Lu Pianpian hated Huan Changming's cruelty and was angry at her own cowardice and incompetence.
He kept scratching at the erotic marks on his body, trying to cover them up, but this only made things worse. His skin was covered in bloodstains, looking both painful and horrifying.
The air inside the hall still lingered with that aura, like an invisible net sweeping towards Lu Pianpian, constantly tightening and compressing, awakening his painful memories.
If he lingered a moment longer, those images would become even more etched in his mind.
He walked to the window, pushed it open, and stumbled out of the hall. He couldn't stay by Huan Changming's side any longer; he would go mad, he would die!
Before leaving the palace, Huan Changming instructed the palace servants not to let Lu Pianpian leave.
Upon hearing the commotion, the palace servants guarding outside the hall rushed over to stop him, "Young Master Lu, His Majesty has said you cannot go out now..."
Lu Pianpian drew her sword and pointed it at them, "Don't stop me!"
He was always gentle and mild-mannered, and the palace servants had never seen him so enraged. Fearing that he would strike them down with his sword, they quickly retreated.
Lu Pianpian carried her sword and went straight out of the palace, heading straight for the prison.
He could no longer let Huan Changming control him. He had to rescue his father, senior sister, and junior brother and take them with him. Otherwise, once he died, his family would certainly not have a good end!
When the prison guards saw Lu Pianpian approaching with a sword, exuding a chilling and resolute aura, they knew he was up to no good and was likely planning a prison break. So they engaged Lu Pianpian in a fierce fight.
Since Lu Pianpian dared to break into the prison, he cut off all his escape routes. He drew his sword fiercely and fought his way from the gate into the prison without any mercy. When he arrived at Lu Zhong's cell, he found it empty.
He pulled up the hellish soldier he had knocked down from the ground, his eyes bloodshot, and demanded, "Where did the people inside go?"
The jailer trembled like a leaf, "What...who is it?"
"Lord Lu Zhonglu, the former Imperial Seal Envoy! Where is he?!"
The jailer shuddered, then remembered, "Lord Lulu... he committed suicide by running into the wall last night!"
Lu Pianpian was startled, and the jailer took the opportunity to escape from his grasp, picked up a knife and slashed his arm.
The stinging pain jolted him awake. He kicked the jailer away and immediately pushed open the cell door. The cell was empty and completely bare, except for a dried bloodstain on one wall, its red color almost glaring.
Lord Lu committed suicide by hitting his head against a wall last night.
Lu Pianpian pondered the meaning of the sentence very slowly—her father was dead.
The father who took him home as an orphan, raised him, taught him to read and write, and took meticulous care of him is no longer alive.
Lu Pianpian's throat tightened, "Father..."
The cell was dark and the wind howled hoarsely, but no one answered his call.
Lu Pianpian gripped the sword tightly, tears streaming silently down her face. "Father, I'm sorry... I'm too late..."
The sound of reinforcements' footsteps filled the entire prison. Lu Pianpian wiped away her tears, swung her sword to cut through the prison's shackles, and faced the enemy.
He also had junior brothers and senior sisters; he couldn't let them follow in their father's footsteps.
Enemy blood splattered everywhere, dripping onto Lu Pianpian's pale face. His eyes were cold, like a god devoid of emotion and desire, and no one could stop him.
He arrived deep into the dungeon, where Huan Juntian was still imprisoned in a cage. Upon seeing him, Huan Juntian quickly stood up from the cage. "Senior Brother?"
The sleeping dragon raised its head from its tail, yawned in Lu Pianpian's direction, and pretended to be threatening.
Lu Pianpian cut the lock on the cage with her sword and pulled Huan Juntian out of the cage. "Junior brother, I'll take you away."
Seeing that his feigned inaction was useless, the demon dragon slowly stood up from the ground, and with each step he took, the entire dungeon trembled.
"Senior brother, you mustn't." Huan Juntian didn't want to drag Lu Pianpian down with him. "I'm already a cripple. Taking me with you will only be a burden. Senior brother, you should go first!"
Lu Pianpian shielded Huan Juntian behind her, showing no fear as the demonic dragon approached.
The demonic dragon roared as it charged through the dungeon. Unable to maneuver its massive form within the dungeon, it suddenly leaped into the air, smashing through a large hole and flying out. The entire prison shook violently, with rocks and mud raining down.
The commotion caused by the demonic dragon hovering above the dungeon attracted the attention of the entire capital. Jing Yi led the Imperial Guards and hurriedly ran to the prison gate, where he encountered Lu Pianpian and Huan Juntian face to face.
Jing Yi said, "Lu Pianpian, breaking into a prison without permission is a capital offense. Do you want to die?"
Lu Pianpian protected Huan Juntian, saying, "Anyone who blocks my way today will be killed without mercy."
Jing Yi sneered, "All of you, get up here!"
Lu Pianpian led Huan Juntian out of the encirclement. A demonic dragon came from above, spewing out a sky full of dragon flames. Lu Pianpian rolled on the ground with Huan Juntian in her arms to barely avoid it.
Jing Yi looked up and roared at the demonic dragon, "Spare Lu Pianpian's life! His Majesty still needs his wings as an antidote!"
Lu Pianpian paused in picking up the sword. Huan Juntian got up from the ground, summoned his willow-leaf blade, and stood protectively in front of Lu Pianpian. "Senior brother, you fly away on your sword first, I'll cover your retreat!"
Lu Pianpian pressed down on Huan Juntian's shoulder, "Even if I die today, my senior brother will die before you."
Upon hearing this, Huan Juntian knew that Lu Pianpian was determined to die, and his heart was moved. "Senior brother, I cannot let you go to your death!"
Suddenly, applause rang out. Huan Changming stepped out from behind Jing Yi, clapping as he sighed, "What deep brotherhood between us..."
Jingyi quickly bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
Huan Changming stopped clapping, personally helped Jing Yi up, then drew a sword from a guard behind him, suddenly closed in, and slashed straight at Huan Juntian's face, saying, "Then I will grant you this deep affection!"
Lu Pianpian flashed in front of Huan Juntian, blocking Huan Changming's knife in advance, and sparks flew as the sword and blade collided.
Huan Changming smiled, but his eyes were full of resentment as he stared at Lu Pianpian. "It seems that I haven't worked hard enough, which allowed you to take advantage of the situation and even have the idea of running away with Huan Juntian."
"Shut up!"
Lu Pianpian kicked Huan Changming in the stomach, but Huan Changming dodged it. "Am I wrong? You were just making love with me in the palace a moment ago, and now you can't wait to rush to Huan Juntian's side to try and escape with him... Lu Pianpian, you really are heartless as soon as you get out of bed!"