Chapter 13
Chapter 13: Ten Years May Change Nothing—Then a Hundred, a Thousand
Ruyi Palace.
The place's actual name was a palace, but in truth it was no different from any other stone cave dwelling.
The name came from the Golden Butterfly King's treasured artifact, the Jade Ruyi—which had been found in this very location.
Jiang Linxian was reporting to the Golden Butterfly King about the anomaly on Solitary Hill and the matter of the vine coiling into a hill-shaped growth.
"You're saying the vine bore 7 fruits shaped like hilltops, each a different color?"
"Yes, My Lady."
Jiang Linxian reported it exactly as he had seen it.
The Golden Butterfly King fell into silence. 7 differently-colored hilltop fruits, a lonely old grandmother...
The thing she had spent so many years searching for—who would have thought it had been right under her nose all along.
The Golden Butterfly King could not rest easy. She left Ruyi Palace directly and headed straight to the location Jiang Linxian had described—she needed to see it with her own eyes before she could be sure.
High noon.
The Golden Butterfly King returned. Her mood seemed excellent; she even took the initiative to ask Jiang Linxian if there was anything he wanted as a reward.
If one were to ask what Jiang Linxian wanted, it was naturally the Jade Ruyi.
The Jade Ruyi could control Golden Butterfly Manor, repel enemies, and held many other transformations.
But this was something Jiang Linxian only dared to think about in his heart—there was no chance those 3 items would ever be given to him. What mattered most to him right now was...
"My Lady, I wish for a treasure that can increase my cultivation."
The Golden Butterfly King did not dislike greedy individuals—especially one as handsome as Jiang Linxian, who was of the same demon kin. The greedier the demon, the easier to control.
"Not bad. Your foundations are solid and your cultivation advances steadily. I trust it won't be many more years before you take a seat among the captains. In that case, I shall reward you with this Demon Core."
The Golden Butterfly tossed out a Demon Core—it was from a near thousand-year-old Red-Headed Rat she had slain.
That Red-Headed Rat had come from the dragon camphor trees of the Dark Clan Kingdom. Its demonic energy was unlike that of wild demons; it was peculiar and clashed with her own magic. Using it as a reward was most fitting.
Jiang Linxian accepted it with thanks.
The Golden Butterfly King simply patted Jiang Linxian's serpent head, her thoughts unknown.
"Achieve Manifestation sooner, little one."
"Thank you, My Lady."
For now, Jiang Linxian's cultivation was not even worth calling a variable among all these interlocking schemes—all he could do was persist in his training.
If 10 years changed nothing, then a hundred—a thousand!
****
One year later.
Every demon in Golden Butterfly Manor had been dispatched. Only Jiang Linxian remained in Ruyi Palace.
During that year, Jiang Linxian witnessed someone make a great disturbance in Golden Butterfly Manor. Who the intruder was, he did not know clearly—only that the Golden Butterfly King and her followers quickly subdued them.
The 3rd year.
Another person came to challenge Golden Butterfly Manor.
A thousand-year Demon Lord within the manor personally stepped out to deal with them—yet nearly perished, body and demon-core destroyed. The intruder had skin like bronze and bones like iron, impervious to blade and lance, as though they were an immortal.
It was only through the Golden Butterfly King's stratagem that they were finally captured.
By this point, Jiang Linxian had been in Golden Butterfly Manor for nearly 10 years. His cultivation had reached 50 years, and the changes in his body grew more and more pronounced.
The most striking was the 2 small lumps protruding from the top of his head—already showing a hint of something unusual.
The Golden Butterfly had originally intended to send Jiang Linxian out to assist in the battle, but when she caught sight of those changes, she hesitated.
Others might not understand what this transformation signified—but the Golden Butterfly knew.
She was not a butterfly demon of Yunan Road.
She was a being from Bashu who had forced her way in from outside long ago, claiming territory for herself—a demon nearly at the rank of Demon Lord.
Naturally, her experience surpassed that of any demon native to this land of Yunan Road.
It was a pity she had been suppressed for several thousand years...
For one to show an auspicious omen from the time of being a Minor Demon—in 9 cases out of 10, such a demon could weather tribulation and transform into a Flood Dragon.
If she could cultivate him as a husband, a Flood Dragon was naturally preferable to any other demon kin—not to mention the added satisfaction of having raised him herself.
After much deliberation, the Golden Butterfly King allowed Jiang Linxian to continue staying in the manor and training.
Afterward, the Golden Butterfly King captured 6 more individuals one after another—yet the 7th was nowhere to be found.
Then one day, an old grandmother was brought in.
Jiang Linxian had a strong impression of her, for this woman who appeared gentle and kind-eyed looked exactly the same as she had several years ago—not a single change.
The Golden Butterfly King surely knew this as well, but for some reason chose not to expose it.
She simply treated this old grandmother as an ordinary elder and used her as a hostage.
Soon the 7th, 8th, and even 9th individuals arrived.
This number far exceeded what the Golden Butterfly King had anticipated.
They rescued the old woman—and even freed several of the others.
The Golden Butterfly King flew into a rage and personally led her forces in pursuit.
Yet she did not return for a long time.
Another 10 years passed.
Jiang Linxian had fully refined the Red-Headed Rat's Demon Core. His body had grown to 12 meters—and even for demons, size became increasingly difficult to increase the further one progressed. This length was already extremely close to that of a Flood Dragon.
After fully absorbing every last bit of the Red-Headed Rat Demon Core, his cultivation had reached 99 years.
Most critically, the Dragon Pearl had filled to capacity once more, radiating a precious light.
By then, the Golden Butterfly had been gone from the manor for 10 years.
The demons within the manor had fled or scattered—some running, some slipping away.
Only the Toad Captain, the Red Toad Sprite, and the Blue-Green Toad Sprite remained. These 3, though not particularly sharp in mind, were truly loyal.
In other words, it was now Jiang Linxian who held authority in Golden Butterfly Manor.
These days, the Red Toad Sprite no longer went out on mountain patrols. Instead, she stood guard at the manor gates every day, reporting anything unusual to Jiang Linxian at once.
Another year later.
The Golden Butterfly had still not returned—but her younger sister, the Yellow Butterfly Sprite, arrived at Golden Butterfly Manor alongside a Great Demon.
The Yellow Butterfly Sprite had no husband. Devoted entirely to her cultivation, her abilities surpassed even her elder sister's. In looks she bore a striking resemblance to the Golden Butterfly—true sisters, without a doubt.
Facing the Yellow Butterfly Sprite, whose cultivation ran far deeper than his own, Jiang Linxian very sincerely recounted everything that had transpired in Golden Butterfly Manor over these years.
Upon hearing it all, the Yellow Butterfly Sprite naturally wished to avenge her sister.
Yet after she had observed Jiang Linxian closely for a moment or two, she said:
"In that case—all of you, come back to the manor with me. You were my sister's subordinates; however she treated you, so shall I."
The moment the Yellow Butterfly Sprite laid eyes on Jiang Linxian, she had seen through her sister's intention—the older woman had been trying to cultivate a true dragon husband.
True dragons were nearly impossible to find in the world these days, and they would never deign to look at a butterfly demon. Her sister's ambitions had been grand—a pity she had fallen just short of the mark.
How fortunate for the younger sister.
"Thank you, My Lady, but..."
Jiang Linxian showed no particular reaction—it amounted to nothing more than trading one butterfly for another. For him, there was no real difference.
But he still needed to play along properly. After all, on the surface the Golden Butterfly had treated him well. If he showed no reaction whatsoever, what would the Yellow Butterfly Sprite think?
That would be no different from an unawakened cold-blooded creature—he would earn no regard whatsoever.
The Yellow Butterfly Sprite seemed moved; a smile shifted faintly across her face.
"How loyal you are. Very well—once there is news of my sister, I will personally tell you myself. For now, continue cultivating in peace."
Jiang Linxian thanked her at once.
"Thank you, Yellow Butterfly My Lady."
The Yellow Butterfly Sprite's temperament differed from the Golden Butterfly's. She simply covered her mouth with a coy laugh.
"'My Lady' sounds so dreadful. Call me Elder Sister from now on."
Jiang Linxian did not want to—he already had an Elder Sister Green—but for the sake of opportunity, this was a small price to pay.
"Yellow Butterfly Elder Sister."
"Mm."
The Yellow Butterfly Sprite was quite pleased.
Before she left—
The Yellow Butterfly Sprite also took away the thousand-year Cold Cauldron sealed beneath the mountain, which contained a pill-refinement furnace. Refining the Seven-Heart Pill required a superior furnace.
Since her sister had prepared everything in advance, it would be a failing of the younger sister not to take it.
Jiang Linxian harbored a great many doubts.
He noticed that the Yellow Butterfly Sprite seemed to regard him in much the same way the Golden Butterfly had—and so, unable to restrain himself, he asked.
For instance: who exactly was that old grandmother? And those individuals who could spew water and fire, were impervious to weapons, and could grow large or small—were they human or demon?
The Yellow Butterfly Sprite held Jiang Linxian in high regard and was quite willing to resolve these doubts for him.