The butterfly shook its head in confusion.
Xue Qing rummaged through her clothes and pulled out the smallest size garment, placing it on the Cocoon Butterfly bed: "You wear mine for now, and we'll buy you a few sets of Central Plains clothes when we go shopping."
"Yes, thank you, Auntie."
"No need to thank me. You must be tired after traveling all day. Waiter, fetch a tub of bathwater for the young lady," Xue Qing instructed the waiter.
"Alright!" The waiter was about to go out to fetch water, but before he could even take a step, his body stiffened. His mouth gaped open wide enough to fit a giant bottle of loofah juice, and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. The red-clad girl in front of him had easily ripped off her red silk outer garment, leaving only her undergarment underneath. The waiter had only ever seen cheap street erotic films; he had never witnessed such a sensual sight. Not only was the waiter, a vigorous young man, stunned, but even Xue Qing, a woman, was frozen in place. What was this all about? She couldn't understand it at all.
Fortunately, Liu Ying was still awake. She pulled the clothes off the bed and covered Jian Die with them. Xue Qing noticed the waiter's expression and scolded him harshly, "What are you looking at! Go fetch some water!"
The waiter snapped out of his daze and said, "Yes! Yes! I'll go right away!" and ran off.
Xue Qing kicked the door shut and exclaimed excitedly to Jian Die, "My little darling, what are you doing!"
"Taking a bath...doesn't that require taking off clothes?" Cocoon Butterfly said innocently.
"...It is necessary to take off your clothes, but..." Xue Qing saw that Jian Die's expression did not seem to be joking: "You can't take off your clothes in front of these people!"
Although Cocoon Butterfly was holding the new clothes that Firefly had given her, most of her skin was still exposed. Xue Qing secretly glanced at Firefly, thinking that this girl should blush and look away. However, Firefly remained calmly standing next to Xue Qing, her face still fair and light pink. Where did that shy light pink go?
"Uncle-Master, Miss Cocoon Butterfly has always lived with her mother and has never met outsiders. Perhaps that's why she behaved so rudely," Liu Ying whispered to Xue Qing.
Xue Qing thought it made a lot of sense. Luckily, she was there to keep an eye on her, otherwise, how many stinky men would have taken advantage of her?
"After we leave, lock the door from the inside. Make sure to lock the door when you take a shower. Put your clothes on quickly after you finish showering, and don't take your clothes off randomly unless necessary," Xue Qing repeatedly instructed Jian Die before leaving. "By the way, Auntie will teach you a secret trick. If someone breaks in while you're showering, use your palm technique to splash water and block their view."
Was it Xue Qing's imagination? The shy pink hue returned to Liu Ying's face.
The last time I wrote about the harmonious dream of fireflies was a prank. Seeing the girls' tearful faces, I felt so ashamed. So I actually wrote about fireflies' dreams, which can also be considered a small side story, explaining fireflies' past (I'd like to nominate the song "I'm the One Who's a Passionate Lover," it's so suitable for the deeply affectionate supporting characters):
The night was dark, and the dream was long.
The surrounding area was desolate, with sandstorms swirling around the ruins of houses and people. This was the nature of the desert; the arrival of the Central Plains people only added bloodshed to the already barren desert.
"Run! The people from the Central Plains are almost here!"
Some shouted this, but many others didn't even have the strength to shout. Exhausted, they picked up their children and took their wives' hands, continuing their escape. Liu Ying remained seated, because no one would carry him, no one would hold his hand. A stronger sandstorm swept through. Liu Ying closed his eyes, waiting for the razor-sharp wind to finish scraping his cheeks. After the pain subsided, Liu Ying reopened his eyes and was surprised to find half a fruit protruding from the swirling mud. He was overjoyed and dug it out with the skill of a mouse. The fruit was already somewhat rotten, but it didn't matter; the surrounding area reeked of decay, so it wouldn't taste good anyway.
Fearing that the fruit would be snatched away by passing refugees, the fireflies kept their heads low.
"Hey, are you the savage from the desert?"
The clear, beautiful voice of a girl she had never heard before reached her ears. Liu Ying knew immediately that she was from the Central Plains. Women in the desert lived in the wind and sand, and their voices were hoarse and as unpleasant as those of camels.
Fear gripped Liu Ying's heart, and he lowered his head even further. If he raised his head, he would surely be killed by the people of the Central Plains. It was as if lowering his head would make others forget his existence.
"How rude! I'm talking to you, you should answer, shouldn't you?" The domineering girl grabbed Liu Ying's chin and turned his face up. She didn't think there was anything wrong with what she was doing. Anyway, her second senior brother always acted like this when he saw women.
The moment their eyes met was their first encounter. One was a high-ranking, gold-adorned disciple of the sect leader, and the other was a mud-covered, dying man from the desert.
"Uncle-Master! Uncle-Master!" Two women, clearly more than ten years older than the girl, ran over carrying swords, squatted down, and hugged Xue Qing, saying, "Uncle-Master, please don't run around. If you get lost again, the sect leader will definitely send us down the mountain."
"You bastard from the desert, what do you think you're doing to your martial uncle!" A woman saw Liu Ying and immediately drew her sword, pressing it against Liu Ying's neck. Fortunately, the mud on her neck was thick, otherwise the sharp sword tip would have definitely made her neck bleed.
The girl patted the sword with the back of her hand, causing the sword to tremble violently and forcing the woman holding it to take a step back. The sword then naturally left Liu Ying's neck.
"This is the beautiful wild man I found. You are all not allowed to bully him. I want to take him back to Lingyu," the girl said, standing in front of Liuying.
In her dream, Liu Ying turned over and brought the dirty savage back to the Central Plains. For her, it was just a momentary pleasure, but for Liu Ying, it meant that her entire life was changing.
The dream crumbled, spinning like a mirror maze with no way out. The firefly's breathing became increasingly rapid. After struggling in the darkness, she finally saw that smiling face.
"Liu Ying, he's here, isn't he? I'm going to see him. If my senior sister wants to see me, just tell her I'm in seclusion." Xue Qing, now a woman, grabbed Liu Ying and said, her already pretty face becoming even more charming with her smile.
The firefly in the dream wanted to speak, but he couldn't open his mouth. He wanted to tell the woman who was walking further and further away, "Don't go, he will go mad, and you will risk your life to save him. Don't go!"
Overwhelmed with emotion, he finally cried out, "Uncle-Master! No!"
The dream shifted, and Xue Qing pinned him against the wall, her face radiating seductive allure: "Hmm? Don't want what? Don't want this? Or don't want this?"
Liu Ying opened her arms and hugged Xue Qing, who looked like she had taken the wrong medicine, tightly: "Don't leave me!"
do not leave Me.
Even if people don't love me, I will still love them; even if people love others, I will still love them; even if people live for others, I will still love them; even if people die for others, I will still love them; even if people cry, I will still love them; even if people laugh, I will still love them; I will still love them; I will still love them; I will still love them…
First encounter with Jian Wuxin
The bumpy journey was only physically tiring, but the chrysanthemum's antics were exhausting for Xue Qing's heart. She needed a hot bath to soothe herself. She ordered the innkeeper to bring hot water and soaked herself completely, even grabbing a handful of flower petals she'd bought from him. A woman should treat herself well, after all. Her skin was in excellent condition; aside from the thick calluses on her hands from wielding a sword, the rest of her skin was practically flawless. Her fair complexion made the dark butterfly on her left breast even more striking. Of all the women Yan Ming had been with, only Nangong Luoluo didn't have this mark. She was Yan Ming's most beloved woman, so her treatment was naturally different. In the original novel, Xue Qing was imprisoned in the Martial Alliance's dungeon because this mark was discovered. Women in ancient times were very conservative in their clothing and behavior, so it wasn't difficult to hide anything. All they had to do was take precautions when taking a bath. Xue Qing would always carefully close the doors and windows when she took a bath, and she would keep her bath towel by her side. If someone really broke in, the first thing she would do was not scream or cover her face, but to block out this deadly thing.
Every time she traveled with Liu Ying, Xue Qing would think she was just an ordinary transmigrated woman. But every time she changed clothes at night and saw the mark on her left breast, she would remember that she was not an ordinary transmigrated woman, that she had a past full of flaws. Several times she collapsed onto the bed and pounded her pillow: This is ridiculous! She never reads novels without permission!
Knock, knock, knock. Someone is knocking on the door.
"Who?" Xue Qing asked warily as she submerged the dark butterfly in the water.
"Uncle-Master, it's me." It was Liu Ying's voice from outside the door.
"Okay, wait a minute."
Xue Qing wiped herself with a white cloth, got dressed, and went to open the door. Liu Ying entered the room carrying a tray with a pot of freshly brewed tea on it.
"Don't forget to take your medicine today," Liu Ying said after placing the teapot on Xue Qing's table. The medicine he was referring to was the bottle of python blood pills that Bai Xichen had given her. Xue Qing took them on time every day, although she felt that they had no other effect except for causing fever right after taking them. But since they were free and meant to nourish her body, she figured she might as well take them.
"Yes, with you watching over me, how could I forget?" Xue Qing said with a smile.
Liu Ying smiled gently: "Tomorrow I can go to Broken Sword Manor to modify the sword, and then go back to the inn to stay in the evening. The day after tomorrow I can go to Mount Goulu to see my master."