Lu Qingjiu dreamed of himself in a snow-covered mountain. Looking up, he saw a vast expanse of blinding white between heaven and earth. He wandered aimlessly through the mountains when he saw countless icy-blue butterflies take flight from the foothills. These butterflies, blotting out the sun and sky, soared into the air, quickly enveloping the entire snowy mountain. One butterfly landed on Lu Qingjiu's shoulder, but the moment it stopped, it melted into a puddle of snow.

Lu Qingjiu felt a chill, his consciousness gradually fading, as if he were about to be pulled out of this bizarre dream. But just before waking, he vaguely saw a figure amidst the countless blue butterflies. It seemed to be a child, dressed in ice-blue clothing. His face was unclear, but his hair was a beautiful shade of blue. He watched from afar, his gaze seemingly piercing Lu Qingjiu's body, looking towards an unknown direction.

Lu Qingjiu wanted to take a closer look, but he had already woken up. Bai Yuehu's voice reached his ears, with a layer of hazy sound effects. He called his name, trying to wake Lu Qingjiu from his dream.

"Qingjiu, Qingjiu, wake up, wake up quickly!" Lu Qingjiu opened his eyes with difficulty and saw Bai Yuehu's worried look. Bai Yuehu must have used his strength just now, because his hair grew longer again, and now it was hanging down from the side of his face and falling on Lu Qingjiu's skin.

"Where... am I..." Lu Qingjiu said blankly.

"On the mountain." Bai Yuehu replied in a low voice. His tone was very unhappy, and one could tell that he was very dissatisfied with Ao Run. "Did he bring you up the mountain?"

"No," Lu Qingjiu said, "I wanted to come up on my own." He sat up and looked around, only to find himself sitting on a patch of grass. It was now completely dark, and the coldness of the dream was gone. The June wind had already brought a hint of heat.

"Did he do anything to you?" Bai Yuehu looked worried.

Lu Qingjiu was silent for a moment: "He told me about my mother."

Bai Yuehu was slightly stunned.

"He ate my mother." Lu Qingjiu originally thought it would be difficult for him to say these words, but when he really said it, he found that it was not as difficult as he imagined, at least in front of Bai Yuehu. "Because my mother was also polluted. After eating my father, she wanted to eat my grandmother."

Bai Yuehu said nothing, but just reached out and hugged Lu Qingjiu. His hands were very strong, and he wanted to hug Lu Qingjiu into his body.

"That's why he did it." Lu Qingjiu said, "So logically speaking, it's true that he ate my mother."

Bai Yuehu listened quietly.

Lu Qingjiu said, "Let's talk while we walk." He stood up from the ground and patted the grass debris stuck to his butt, looking nonchalant. "I didn't eat much at noon, and I'm a little hungry now."

"Okay." Bai Yuehu followed Lu Qingjiu.

So along the way, Lu Qingjiu told Bai Yuehu roughly what Ao Run had said to him. Of course, he also emphasized the matter of the mastermind behind the scenes. He originally thought that Bai Yuehu would reveal something to him, but Bai Yuehu was very quiet from beginning to end, and only her black eyes were still full of worry.

When he mentioned at the end that the red-haired Ao Run slapped a blue butterfly onto his head, Bai Yuehu suddenly frowned and asked in detail about the appearance of the butterfly.

Lu Qingjiu also became alert and asked, "What's wrong? Is there anything special about that butterfly?"

Bai Yuehu said: "It is special."

Lu Qingjiu asked, "What do you mean?"

Bai Yuehu thought for a moment and said, "I can't explain it to you right now. I just have some vague guesses, which I can't confirm yet."

Lu Qingjiu said helplessly: "Then you have to give me some hints, right?"

Bai Yuehu said, "The butterfly may be related to the person who polluted your grandfather and mother."

Speaking of this, Lu Qingjiu immediately remembered the snow-capped mountains and the figure of the child among the butterflies in his dream. What did this dream mean? Could the child he saw be the mastermind behind the incident? But when Lu Qingjiu described his dream to Bai Yuehu, Bai Yuehu was also confused, obviously not understanding the hidden meaning of the dream.

Lu Qingjiu sighed and said that they should go back to eat first. When they were hungry, their brains were not getting enough blood and they couldn’t think of anything.

The two walked back home from the mountain. Yin Xun and Zhu Miaomiao, who were sitting in the yard, were very excited to see them come back, especially Yin Xun, who thought something had happened to Lu Qingjiu.

"Have you had dinner?" Lu Qingjiu asked.

"No." Zhu Miaomiao said, "We want to wait for you to come back and eat together."

Lu Qingjiu said, "Then I'll just make something casually, wait a minute." It was almost ten o'clock, and there was no time to make any overly complicated dishes. For convenience, Lu Qingjiu just made some noodles, and the family ate like that.

After eating, Lu Qingjiu took the initiative to talk about his own affairs, but he did not mention Ao Run. He just said that he had gone to the mountains for some unexpected matters and did not encounter any accidents, so the two of them did not need to worry. Yin Xun was hesitant to speak. Zhu Miaomiao looked at the strange atmosphere in the room. Although she felt something was wrong, she did not understand what was going on.

After dinner, everyone went to rest.

Lu Qingjiu felt a little tired, so he washed up and went to bed early. Bai Yuehu slept beside him as usual. But before going to bed, he turned off the air conditioner and conjured up his big fluffy tails.

"What are you doing with your tail?" Lu Qingjiu was a little confused. The temperature was almost 30 degrees Celsius, and he would definitely get heatstroke if he was entangled by a tail.

Bai Yuehu said, "It's useful."

Seeing Bai Yuehu's resoluteness, Lu Qingjiu stopped dwelling on it. As soon as he fell asleep, he understood what Bai Yuehu meant by "useful." In this scorching summer heat, he unexpectedly felt cold. The chill seemed to emanate from his brain, chilling him to the bone. Only by hugging the warm, furry tail did he find some solace. What irritated Lu Qingjiu most was that he dreamed of the snowy mountains again, seeing countless fluttering blue butterflies. This time, his vision was clearer than before, and he even heard the sound of ice breaking. At first, Lu Qingjiu thought it was the ground beneath his feet breaking, but as the sound grew clearer, he realized it was coming from above him.

In the dream, Lu Qingjiu raised his head and saw the blue sky shattering into pieces like a mirror. Black objects were falling down along with the shattered sky. Ice-blue butterflies were dancing around him like a carnival. The whole world seemed to be collapsing.

Lu Qingjiu was shocked by the scene before him. He watched helplessly as the sky collapsed piece by piece. Just as the whole world was about to fall into darkness, Lu Qingjiu was shaken awake. He woke up in a cold sweat and saw Bai Yuehu sitting next to him, staring at him with worried eyes.

"I...I had a nightmare." Lu Qingjiu said in a trembling voice.

Bai Yuehu reached out and hugged him, gently stroking the top of Lu Qingjiu's head. He said, "He's about to come, just bear with it a little longer."

Lu Qingjiu had just woken up, his consciousness still a little hazy, so he didn't ask Bai Yuehu who he was. He was completely dazed, still trapped in the horrific scene in his dream.

The sky gradually brightened, sunlight shone through the window, footsteps were heard at the door, and then someone knocked gently on the door.

"Come in." said Bai Yuehu.

The man pushed the door open and walked in. Lu Qingjiu looked in the direction of the footsteps. Unexpectedly, he saw Zhu Rong who came to look for Bai Yuehu yesterday.

"How is he?" Zhu Rong asked coldly.

"Not very good." Bai Yuehu said, "The cold has penetrated into my bones."

Zhu Rong walked over to Lu Qingjiu, sat down, and then checked Lu Qingjiu's body. His expression was solemn, which made Lu Qingjiu nervous, as if she had some terminal illness.

"Am I okay?" After being treated like this by Zhu Rong, Lu Qingjiu's sleepiness was completely gone. He stretched out his hand for Zhu Rong to feel his pulse and asked nervously.

"Hmm..." Zhu Rong frowned.

Lu Qingjiu held his breath and felt like a serious criminal waiting for sentencing.

"It's not good." Zhu Rong moved his lips slightly and uttered two words.

Lu Qingjiu and Bai Yuehu's expressions changed slightly when they heard this. Countless names of terminal illnesses flashed through Lu Qingjiu's mind. Bai Yuehu was calmer than Lu Qingjiu. He held Lu Qingjiu's hand and said coldly, "Speak to the point."

Zhu Rong said: "It's almost midsummer, and Lu Qingjiu's body is probably..."

Lu Qingjiu swallowed, waiting for the final answer. Bai Yuehu frowned, as if about to say something, but he held back and waited quietly for Zhu Rong to finish.

Zhu Rong said, "I'm afraid I won't be able to eat ice for the whole summer."

Lu Qingjiu: “…”

White Moon Fox: "..."

Lu Qingjiu and Bai Yuehu were silent for about a minute. Lu Qingjiu managed to utter, "That's it?"

Zhu Rong was puzzled: "Isn't it serious that I can't eat ice?" He waved his hand casually, and a bright flame appeared on his finger. The flame seemed to have life and directly penetrated into Lu Qingjiu's skin. Lu Qingjiu's body had always been very cold, but as soon as the flame entered his body, he felt that the cold air seemed to be expelled from his body, and he was no longer cold at all.

"I don't really like eating ice." After the coldness left his body, Lu Qingjiu felt much better. He said, "It doesn't seem to make any difference whether I eat it or not."

Zhu Rong's expression turned serious when he heard this, and then he said, "You humans are really scary."

Lu Qingjiu: "..." He felt a little helpless, because he realized Zhu Rong was serious. And as the god of summer, it seemed normal for him to like to cool down. After all, his body was filled with scorching flames. Drinking some cold sour plum soup and chewing on a couple of milk-flavored popsicles were all happy pastimes for him. If there was a summer where he couldn't touch anything ice-cold, Zhu Rong might consider roasting the person who caused him to be in this state.

Lu Qingjiu said: “Are there any other sequelae?”

Zhu Rong shook his head.

After the flame helped Lu Qingjiu dispel the cold, it shot out of his body, but as it shot out, it transformed into a butterfly. Lu Qingjiu looked closely and was shocked to find that this butterfly was somewhat similar to the ice-blue butterfly he had seen. The only difference was the color of the two butterflies...

Lu Qingjiu looked at Bai Yuehu, but Bai Yuehu gave him a look, signaling him not to speak.

Zhu Rong said: "Okay, I will help you get rid of the cold. Just keep warm and don't go to extremely cold places. I'm leaving first." He was called here by Bai Yuehu. Now that he had finished his work, he naturally planned to leave.

Bai Yuehu and Lu Qingjiu watched Zhu Rong leave.

After making sure he was gone, Lu Qingjiu turned to look at Bai Yuehu: "Why didn't you let me ask?"

Bai Yuehu said, "If you tell him, he will definitely know that you have been in contact with your grandfather."

Lu Qingjiu immediately understood that Zhu Rong was the executioner, and his mission was to track down Ao Run. As long as Ao Run refused to come back, he would show no mercy. The dragon claw that was cut off before was the best proof.

Lu Qingjiu said, "That's right..." After knowing the truth, he really didn't want Ao Run to get hurt again. "But why is the butterfly I saw exactly the same as the one on Zhu Rong? Are they related?"

Bai Yuehu frowned and said, "I've been thinking about this too." But he hasn't found the perfect answer yet.

Lu Qingjiu showed the same expression as Bai Yuehu.

But from the current perspective, at least Lu Qingjiu's health is fine. According to Zhu Rong, as long as he doesn't eat ice this summer and doesn't go to extremely cold places, he'll be fine. But there are many things that bother Lu Qingjiu, such as who the owners of the ice butterflies are, and why the grandfather who turned red-haired put the ice butterflies into his head...

If Grandpa really wanted to kill Lu Qingjiu, he would only need to move his fingers. After all, Lu Qingjiu, who was only one-quarter dragon blood, was almost the same as an ordinary person in front of him, and there was no need to use such a complicated method.

With doubts in his mind, Lu Qingjiu went to make breakfast.

Seeing Lu Qingjiu's serious expression, Zhu Miaomiao thought something had happened and asked him if he needed help. Lu Qingjiu rejected Zhu Miaomiao's kindness, and then looked at Yin Xun's worried expression and realized that he seemed a little too serious. Although he had something on his mind, these things could not be solved in a short time. It would be better to let nature take its course and enjoy the present moment. Besides, Zhu Miaomiao's vacation was only three days, so there was no need for him to bring his unpleasant emotions to her.

Lu Qingjiu sorted himself out, showing his usual gentle smile, and said: "I'm really fine. Instead of worrying about me here, you might as well think about what we're going to eat for lunch."

"What do you want to eat?" Zhu Miaomiao accepted everything. "I'll eat whatever you cook. I like everything..."

Lu Qingjiu thought for a moment and said, "Then let's just have Bai Yuehu kill a rabbit and make a rabbit hot pot. Yin Xun, you can go to the fields and pick some fresh vegetables. We can have a little of everything."

Yin Xun sighed happily and went out with the basket.

Zhu Miaomiao was helping Lu Qingjiu in the kitchen and chatting with him about recent events at the company. She explained that Mr. Wu, who had previously been at odds with Lu Qingjiu, was about to be promoted, but for some reason had declined the transfer and chosen to remain at headquarters. His temper had also improved significantly, and the company's employees joked with him about whether Mr. Wu had taken a fancy to one of their employees and was reluctant to let them go.

Lu Qingjiu was stunned when he heard the name "Mr. Wu." Then, he immediately remembered his connection with Lao Shu. That was last year, when Wu Xiao and Lao Shu had become partners by accident. Lu Qingjiu had been a little worried about him, but then he disappeared. It seemed like they were getting along well. August was approaching, and Lu Qingjiu planned to visit Lao Shu again when he returned to pay respects to his parents. This was their agreement.

Zhu Miaomiao, unaware of this, continued to talk about Wu Xiao, saying he maintained himself well and looked much younger. Everyone suspected he was in a relationship, but they never saw his partner. They only noticed he spent a long time sitting in a park after work almost every day. Some employees even claimed to have seen Wu Xiao mumbling to himself, but this claim wasn't widely accepted. After all, Wu Xiao's serious and steady image was still deeply rooted in people's minds.

"Speaking of which, could he be possessed by some demon?" Zhu Miaomiao lowered her head while peeling garlic. "Is that a possibility?"

Lu Qingjiu said, "Hmm...it exists." To be honest, the old tree can also be considered a tree demon.

Zhu Miaomiao said: "The one who can charm Mr. Wu must be a beautiful little fairy, like Bai Yuehu."

Lu Qingjiu thought about Bai Yuehu's beautiful face, and then thought about his prototype that was disliked by children, and couldn't help but smile.

Zhu Miaomiao breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Lu Qingjiu's mood had indeed improved. After all, she was a girl and was much more sensitive. She knew that Lu Qingjiu must have reacted the way she did before because something had happened. However, since Lu Qingjiu was unwilling to talk about it, it must be a private family matter, so she didn't insist on asking.

Yin Xun returned with fresh vegetables, followed by Bai Yuehu, holding a large, beautiful bird in his hand. The bird's feathers were flaming red, with a hint of green on its beak. Its feathers were vibrant and vibrant, but the only flaw was its head, which Bai Yuehu had twisted off and lay crookedly on the side, lifeless.

"What kind of bird is this?" Zhu Miaomiao asked, noticing the bird's beautiful feathers. "Isn't it a nationally protected species?"

"Probably not." Lu Qingjiu knew that if the White Moon Fox went hunting, it would definitely hunt non-humans. Although he couldn't remember what the bird was for a moment, the only thing he could be sure of was that the bird must taste good.

"Wagtail." Bai Yuehu uttered two words, "Delicious."

Lu Qingjiu then remembered the bird's identity. It was called "鸰腰," a species from the Classic of Mountains and Seas. Its entire body was fiery red, save for its green beak. Eating this bird would prevent nightmares and ward off evil spirits and disasters. He raised his gaze to the White Moon Fox, and their eyes met, each understanding the other's intentions.

It was obvious that the White Moon Fox had hunted this monster specifically because of the painful look on Lu Qingjiu's face during the nightmare. Lu Qingjiu's heart moved slightly and he said with a smile: "Then you can prepare the fur and cook it with the rabbit later."

Bai Yuehu nodded.

Zhu Miaomiao said hurriedly: "Please leave the feather to me. It's so beautiful. It would be a pity to throw it away. I will use it to make some handicrafts."

Bai Yuehu nodded, agreeing.

Unlike the human world, the otherworld is a world where the strong prey on the weak. The greatest power is the laws of heaven and earth, but these laws are meant to constrain the powerful, not protect the weak. The dragon clan, to which the White Moon Fox belongs, is the ultimate predator. They are at the top of the food chain, the gods who rule over everything.

Lu Qingjiu prepared the soup base and skinned the rabbit, then cut it into chunks. Zhu Miaomiao collected all the bird's red feathers, planning to bring them back to the company as gifts for her colleagues.

After Yin Xun cleaned the vegetables, he placed the dishes and chopsticks on the table and waited obediently for dinner to start.

Lu Qingjiu set up the induction cooker and brought up the bright red soup base. He then lit the fire and put the rabbit and wagtail meat in. The white meat rolled in the red soup, looking very appetizing. The rich aroma filled the whole room. Zhu Miaomiao and Yin Xun slurped their mouths beside them.

Lu Qingjiu prepared the seasonings, and when he saw that the meat was almost cooked, he asked them to start eating.

Everyone was not polite and used their chopsticks to pick up the fattiest parts. Lu Qingjiu tasted a piece of the loin meat first and found that the meat tasted very good. It tasted a bit like chicken, but it was much fatter than chicken. You could taste the soft texture of fat in it, but it was not greasy and there were not many bones. After being cooked in the soup base, it was tender and delicious, fragrant and spicy.

"Delicious." Lu Qingjiu praised, "This bird meat tastes good, you all should try it."

The other people tasted the bird meat and praised it highly. Lu Qingjiu then took a bowl and filled some for Su Xi, Xiao Hei, and Xiao Hua. Of course, he did not forget the concubine Yu Shi in Su Xi Maomao.

The first pot of meat was quickly finished, and Lu Qingjiu put in a second pot, adding some vegetables like enoki mushrooms, lettuce, vermicelli noodles, pumpkin, etc. While waiting, the four of them stared at the pot intently. Lu Qingjiu was in a daze, Yin Xun and Zhu Miaomiao were eager to try, and Bai Yuehu seemed calm, but in fact he was ready to go, chopsticks in hand, ready to join the battle at any time.

"Are you done?" Yin Xun finally couldn't help but turned around and asked Lu Qingjiu.

"Hmm... let me see." Lu Qingjiu picked up a piece of bird meat, tasted it, and then nodded, "Okay, eat it."

At the command, the three people put their chopsticks into the pot at the same time. This was a bloody battle, and only the winner could eat more meat!

Lu Qingjiu was stunned by their actions. The three of them were moving their chopsticks back and forth so fast that Bai Yuehu tried to pretend at first, but later he was too lazy to do so. He ate the meat without even spitting out the bones. Zhu Miaomiao discovered that Bai Yuehu was cheating and screamed, "Fuck, Bai Yuehu, you don't even spit out the bones when you eat meat! That's too much!"

Bai Yuehu said ruthlessly: "You can choose not to vomit if you can."

Zhu Miaomiao was speechless.

But just as she discovered Bai Yuehu's cheating, Zhu Miaomiao noticed something was wrong with Yin Xun. Yin Xun picked up such hot meat and stuffed it into his mouth without even blowing on it, as if he wasn't afraid of the heat. Zhu Miaomiao said in horror: "Yin Xun, aren't you afraid of burning your mouth?"

Yin Xun: "I'm not afraid of the heat."

Zhu Miaomiao: “…” She lost.

One doesn't spit out bones, and the other is not afraid of heat, but Zhu Miaomiao, who was born as a human, lost at the starting line from the very beginning.

Lu Qingjiu, who had fed himself by eating the dishes that no one else was snatching away, looked at the tearful Zhu Miaomiao with pity, touched her head, and said it was okay, he would save some space for her now and make her dessert in the afternoon. This barely comforted Zhu Miaomiao's broken heart.

The author has something to say: Lu Qingjiu: It’s not good to eat too fast, it will burn you.

Bai Yuehu: Okay, I’ll eat slowly.

Lu Qingjiu: Hurry...hurry up!