Chapter 50 The Blacksmith's Bones, the Black Butterfly Formation...
At noon, in the locust grove.
Wen Chuan, who had rushed over, helped Qing Yu up, and Qing Yu smiled at him.
Dappled sunlight filtered through the tree shadows. Wen Chuan gazed at her, finally looking at her face. The young man pursed his lips and silently patted the fallen leaves off her clothes.
Then Wen Chuan turned to Qin Tianshu and asked, "When will this Black Butterfly Demon wake up?"
Qin Tianshu waved his fan, "Soon... Did you find anything in Jizhou City?"
Wen Chuan looked down at the man on the ground. "We went to the yamen. The case file says that Gao Da Gao Ershi was a servant of the governor of Jizhou. Before he died, he only went to the blacksmith shop in the south of the city."
"Looking at the case file, the mortal coroner noted that the two corpses were horribly shriveled, as if they had suddenly fallen ill. But it doesn't make sense for two people to be like this at the same time... We went straight into the morgue, and Dr. Lin personally performed the autopsy. In the end, he found that the spiritual energy of the tall, second-year mortal had been absorbed."
Qingyu: "The blacksmith shop in the south of the city? Spirit absorption? The south of the city is very close to Xichun Inn... and this spirit absorption is too strange."
The reason why a person becomes a cultivator is because of his aptitude and opportunity. One's own aptitude can also be understood as the spiritual energy flowing between the five internal organs in a person's body.
Everyone possesses this so-called spiritual energy; the only difference is the amount—
Some, like Zhang Xuan, possessed the abilities of a Heavenly-level cultivator at the age of sixteen. Others, like sickly mortals, lacked the energy even for daily life, let alone cultivation.
Qin Tianshu also said, "Spiritual energy is the foundation of a person's body. However, mortals have very little spiritual energy, and this kind of spiritual energy-absorbing technique is very difficult. Why would someone use such a laborious and thankless method to kill someone?"
Wen Chuan shook his head, then continued to recount their discoveries in the city.
"The blacksmith shop was originally owned by a man surnamed Li, but he later fell ill and passed away, and the apprentices all left, so the shop closed down."
“A year ago, a newcomer from outside the city bought this shop. His surname was Liu and his name was Liu Ruonv. Although he was a blacksmith, he was good-looking and did not take on apprentices. He did small jobs such as repairing carriages and making kitchen knives by himself, and his prices were cheap. Many people in Jizhou City knew him.”
“Since yesterday, Mr. Liu has been missing. His shop is closed, and the officials have found nothing.”
“I went to the blacksmith shop and saw that there was a formation hidden deep inside the room. I wanted to go in and take a look, but Zhang Xuan suddenly said that the governor of Jizhou invited him and Doctor Lin to his residence.”
So I let him go first.
After saying that, Wen Chuan looked down at Qing Yu, "Although the Heavenly Book is here, I'm still a little worried, so I came out of the city to find you first."
The truth is, when Wen Chuan was about to approach the depths of the blacksmith's shop, he suddenly smelled a floral fragrance—he was very worried about Qing Yu, and on his way out of the city, he met Zhang Xuan and Lin Fanxiang.
Zhang Xuan said that he felt really better today. Apart from the powerful demons and the Demon Suppression Pavilion Master, he was no longer afraid of anyone he encountered. So Wen Chuan didn't need to stay in the city to protect the two of them. He should go out of the city first.
Wen Chuan patted Zhang Xuan on the shoulder and then left the city. He knew that with Qin Tianshu around, Qing Yu would be safe, but he was still worried that something might happen to her. She was always a bit stubborn about certain things.
Qingyu didn't sense Wen Chuan's thoughts. She sighed. The handsome Boss Liu, Liu Ruonv, sounded like the one on the ground.
Qin Tianshu: "What do we do now?"
He looked at Qingyu, the girl's face was still a little pale.
Qingyu caught her breath and smiled. "I'm fine. That demon didn't hurt me much in the end. Besides, you're all here."
She looks weak now, but that's only because her spiritual energy hasn't recovered well; she'll be fine after a good night's sleep.
Wen Chuan: "Take this demon with you for now, let's go to the blacksmith's shop first."
Qin Tianshu glanced at the hundred-year-old demon lying unconscious on the ground. "How are we going to take him? He's still unconscious."
Wen Chuan lowered his eyes, and the boy reached out. A strong and eerie cold wind blew, blowing directly at the butterfly demon on the ground.
In the golden forest, at midday, the warmest time of day—the sun was still shining, but a bone-chilling wind suddenly swept in, and the deep blue spiritual energy seemed endless, eerie and cold, constantly compressing the unconscious Liu Ruonv.
Little by little, it deprives the black butterfly of its breath, freezes its wings, until its white tail is cold and frost forms between its brows—in an instant, it has become a tiny black butterfly.
Qingyu paused for a moment, then bent down to pick up the black butterfly. To be honest, the butterfly's wings were very cold, almost like holding a block of ice.
Qingyu looked at Wenchuan, "Won't it freeze to death?"
Wen Chuan shook his head. "No."
They will get frostbite and then die.
Qingyu nodded, looked around, and then solemnly handed the book to Qin Tian.
"A centenarian butterfly, showing filial piety to my eighteen-year-old brother."
Qin Tianshu: "..." Thank you.
...
South of Jizhou City.
The three of them moved very quickly, heading towards the blacksmith's shop without even having eaten.
Wen Chuan was holding a bag of chestnuts, and Qing Yu was walking in front, also holding a bag, cracking and eating them as they went.
Qin Tianshu and Wen Chuan walked side by side. The scholar turned his head to speak to Wen Chuan, "Array cultivators are quite interesting. They can both defend and attack, and they use all sorts of things."
Take Qingyu, for example. He likes to study these formations in his spare time. With just these skills, he could become a Heaven-level formation cultivator in the Human Demon Suppression Pavilion.
Judging from the formation she used today, she used leaves in the locust grove, and when she passed a stall, she said she wanted to buy roasted chestnuts, adding that chestnuts could also be used as tools for formations—she just had to tinker with them.
Wen Chuan: "Taoist cultivation is more important. As long as you have talent and are willing to work hard, you can make anything."
Qin Tianshu sighed while fanning himself, "The book says that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is not as good as before. I really don't know what the human world was like before the ancient flood, when heaven and earth were first created and gods and immortals were everywhere."
Wen Chuan raised an eyebrow and replied, "Those are all legends from millions of years ago... Did you read some trendy novels again last night?"
Qin Tianshu smiled: "...I am a book cultivator, I just need to cultivate more."
Wen Chuan nodded, very seriously, "You've worked hard cultivating every night, my eighteen-year-old brother."
Qin Tianshu: No, what kind of illogical joke is this? A man is in his prime at eighteen, what's wrong with that?
Qin Tianshu nodded to Wen Chuan, very seriously, "Let's encourage each other, eighteen-year-old brother."
Wen Chuan: Okay, that's enough. Eighteen is great, very good. Let's leave this topic at that.
Qingyu, who was eating chestnuts at the front, listened to their conversation while laughing as she ate. She wanted to speak, but her mouth was full of chestnuts—
Strangely and awkwardly, the three of them entered the blacksmith's shop.
There are many shops in the south of the city, but this shop is located deep in an alley—it seems that Mr. Li relied on his reputation and acquaintances to do business in the past.
With a creak, they opened the door, and the room was silent.
The first thing you see is a square blacksmith's furnace in the center, its walls blackened and shiny from the smoke and fire, and the charcoal inside the furnace is not burning, making it look somewhat forlorn.
The bellows stood quietly to the side, the wood grain on its body clearly visible in the dim light. The hemp rope that pulled the handle was neatly coiled on one side, and several piles of coal were neatly stacked beneath it, each piece black and shiny.
Qingyu looked around and said, "This blacksmith shop is quite clean, and everything is neatly arranged."
Qin Tianshu looked at the rows of tools hanging on the surrounding walls. The wooden handles of the hammers were worn smooth, and the anvils were covered with dense dents. On the other side, the finished blades gleamed coldly, with axes, knives, and swords arranged in order, exuding a cold and desolate aura.
The scholar also said, "To be honest, I've never been to a blacksmith's shop before. So this is what it looks like."
Wen Chuan smiled and said, "Zhang Xuan will probably like it here. Back in Shengjing, he took me to see the blacksmiths at the blacksmith shop."
Qingyu replied, "There's no blacksmith here, so it doesn't seem very interesting."
Ultimately, what truly captivates about these shops is the sweltering heat amidst the sparks flying, the blacksmith's patient and powerful forging of iron, the apprentices moving about with the clanging and banging of metal, and the everyday life of people working with their instruments.
Wen Chuan smiled upon hearing this. He walked to the vicinity of the large iron furnace. The boy reached out his hand, and a cold wind instantly rose from his palm. A black and red array appeared on the iron furnace—there was something behind this iron furnace.
Qingyu stepped forward, and she and Wenchuan exchanged a glance. Wenchuan stepped back, allowing Qingyu to stand in front and observe the formation.
To be honest, Qingyu learned to use formations simply because she couldn't defeat some powerful demons when she was young, and she always wanted to use strange things to fight or defend herself. She was stubborn, and if she couldn't come up with a solution in one day, she would think about it for another.
Every day, a little girl would draw and paint under the locust tree with a branch, connecting the dots with her hand gestures, and somehow she figured out what the array eye, array base, and array patterns were—it was both talent and temperament.
At that moment, a burst of array light appeared on the iron furnace. The girl smiled; it was quite interesting.
With a few "crackling" sounds, Qingyu casually peeled open a few chestnuts in her hand and calmly handed the chestnut meat to Wen Chuan beside her.
With lightning speed, before anyone could react, the girl had already tossed the chestnut shell into the air—
Nine chestnut shells floated in the air for a moment, the fine dust in the air seemed to stand still, and a sliver of red light flashed in the girl's calm eyes.
A faint "sizzling" sound came from the iron furnace, and the originally blurry patterns on the furnace body began to emerge. The lines twisted like living things, and all the patterns flew up and floated in the air in an instant!
Light threads intertwined, the array shimmered, and the shape of a fluttering butterfly gradually appeared, with fine lines along the edges, like the continuous veins on a butterfly's wings.
Immediately afterwards, black and white light seeped out from these patterns, initially like a faint candle flame, but soon becoming brighter and brighter—the white light was pure and dazzling, the black light was deep and mysterious, and the two blended together to form a strange halo.
With a single, fluid gesture, Qingyu unleashed a seal, and nine chestnut shells flew into the floating array patterns. In an instant, red light entered the array, and a dazzling halo enveloped the entire blacksmith shop—
The light was eerily strong. Qingyu closed her eyes for a moment, Wenchuan turned his head to avoid the light, and Qin Tianshu shielded his eyes with his fan.
As the light dimmed, the scene before my eyes was completely different:
The once clean and tidy blacksmith shop was instantly transformed into a desolate and gloomy place. The iron furnace was covered in dust, a pair of long-handled iron tongs lay casually on the ground, covered in mottled rust, the leather of the bellows next to it was worn, and the hemp rope was rough and tattered. The tools on the surrounding walls were as they always were, but their cold gleam conveyed a sense of desolation.
Qingyu's gaze was fixed on the ground, where scattered scrap iron and dust lay in a corner, with a dusty hammer beside a pile of white bones.
Not just that one pile, but in many corners of the shop, there were piles and piles of bones—and scattered around were many dead butterflies.
What's terrifying is that Qingyu could smell the fragrance of the black butterfly demon's flowers from those butterfly corpses and bones.
Dust covered the ground, and a black and white butterfly array phantom was visible nearby.
The deaths of these people were inextricably linked to the Black Butterfly Demon. The butterfly formation was exquisite, as if it had been meticulously crafted for the Black Butterfly Demon, bearing its outline and color. In the center of the giant butterfly's body, there was even a real white dried flower petal.
It was a jasmine flower, a jasmine that had been dead for many years.
The petals are the key to the formation. As long as the butterfly demon carries these petals, the formation protecting him will always be in place—this formation was created by human cultivators for the sake of a demon.
The girl in red smiled, then suddenly looked very puzzled.
"You're already a great demon, why is that?"
Qin Tianshu lowered his eyes and shook his sleeves—the black butterfly fell into the dust, its wings fluttering, feeling only cold and bitter.
Wen Chuan gently raised his hand, and in an instant, Liu Ruonv transformed into human form, lying on the ground in a disheveled state.
The man's delicate face was smeared with dust, and his hair was a mess, making him look quite comical.
Liu Ruonv coughed repeatedly, but the dust in the air seemed to seep into his body, and the utensils hanging on the surrounding walls gleamed coldly in the sunlight—they were all watching him.
Liu Ruonv suddenly laughed. He looked at the black and white butterfly formation that appeared above the iron furnace and smiled broadly. "It's been so many years since I've seen this formation."
Black and white butterflies, with jasmine hidden in their hearts.
She's still so beautiful.
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