Chapter 99: The ugly appearance was seen!
The glass villa was filled with floor-to-ceiling windows and skylights, making it intensely bright during the day. On sunny days, the interior would be almost too bright. But today, stepping inside, the atmosphere felt dim and hazy, even darker than the overcast sky outside.
The furniture and decor seemed unchanged since Yu Shi had left, but on closer inspection, something felt off. With his sharp memory, Yu Shi quickly noticed subtle differences in the shapes, colors, and details of the floor and furniture around him.
He stared at the carpet on the floor for a moment, realizing the patterns were rotating. He understood then that this seemingly normal house was, in fact, an illusion.
In the past, Feng Xuexiang would only make a normal environment seem abnormal. This time, he was struggling to maintain a facade of normalcy, revealing just how far from normal he had become and how weak his efforts were.
Yu Shi climbed the stairs to the second floor and pushed open the bedroom door.
The soft yellow light by the bed and the drawn curtains were just as they had been when he left. The only flaw was that the person lying on the bed had turned into a figure of flawless beauty.
But when Yu Shi had last seen him, he was emaciated, nearly reduced to skin and bones.
Standing where he could clearly see the person on the bed, Yu Shi encountered a resistance that prevented him from moving any closer.
It seemed this person had compromised, allowing Yu Shi to see him but hoping he wouldn’t come any closer.
Yu Shi raised his hand, pressing against the invisible barrier in front of him, and without a word, he gathered his strength and pushed forward, determined to break through.
He had been working hard all winter, doing heavy labor without much rest. Despite taking care of himself, it was inevitable that his hands and body had suffered some bumps and wounds.
After just two attempts, the small cuts on his palms, which had not yet healed, split open again.
On the third attempt, the seemingly solid invisible barrier shattered like glass.
The cozy bedroom, which had been a façade, instantly transformed, revealing its true appearance.
The ground beneath his feet turned into dry mud, with withered water lilies and scorch marks.
In front of him, a large circular mirror emitting a faint glow displayed a deformed figure reclining on it.
The upper half of the figure’s body was pressed against the mirror, while the lower half, starting from the waist, was still attached to a deflated cocoon, vaguely resembling a shapeless mass of white flesh.
Even the upper body didn’t fully resemble a human, as the hands looked more like long, thin white branches.
When Yu Shi saw Feng Xuexiang in this form, he hesitated briefly before quickly stepping forward.
“Xuexiang.”
He knelt on the white surface of the mirror and called out softly.
Feng Xuexiang’s head was hidden between two slightly folded, ethereal wings. Upon hearing Yu Shi’s voice, the wings trembled slightly but did not open.
“Xuexiang, let me see you. Are you awake?”
Yu Shi touched the trembling butterfly wings, feeling their dry texture, taut like sails.
The eye-shaped patterns on the wings swirled as if observing him.
As Yu Shi brushed against them, all the eyes seemed to itch and blinked rapidly.
Yu Shi leaned in and gently pulled one of the wings open, revealing the head inside.
Feng Xuexiang’s eyes were closed, but as if disturbed in his sleep, he slowly opened them.
His eyes were larger than usual, filled with countless small purple circular eyes, swirling in different directions like a vortex, creating a bizarre sight.
Unlike the affectionate and dependent gaze that had once looked at him, the demonic eyes before him now were terrifying, leaving no room to discern any underlying emotions.
The wing that Yu Shi had pulled aside trembled before covering half of Feng Xuexiang’s face again. It was an act of concealment, yet not fully, much like the barrier Yu Shi had encountered upon entering—a blend of resistance and invitation.
Yu Shi realized that Feng Xuexiang was no longer in his right mind, likely clinging to only a faint sense of awareness and instinct, which explained the struggle.
His hand gently touched Feng Xuexiang’s sharp cheek and chin. Yu Shi wanted to ask him, ‘Didn’t you say you could handle it on your own? Didn’t you say you didn’t need me to accompany and take care of you? So how did you end up like this again?’
But he didn’t voice these thoughts, merely letting his gaze sweep over Feng Xuexiang’s body, pausing for a moment at the torn section where his lower half still clung to the cocoon.
Feng Xuexiang shifted slightly, and Yu Shi felt a warm sensation on his fingers—Feng Xuexiang was actually licking the small wounds on his hand.
“Licking” wasn’t quite accurate; “siphoning” would be more appropriate, as butterflies have a siphon-like proboscis.
If he were in his right mind, Feng Xuexiang would never have exposed such a “tongue” in front of him.
Yu Shi opened his palm, allowing the butterfly to tend to his wounds as if sipping nectar or drawing water.
With his free hand, Yu Shi gently stroked Feng Xuexiang’s hair. Without realizing it, the butterfly had rested its head on his knee.
Feng Xuexiang grasped Yu Shi’s wrist with both hands, his grip cold and damp, while countless eerie eyes focused on him.
The iridescent, ethereal wings occasionally brushed lightly against Yu Shi, but he remained composed.
Withdrawing his hand, Yu Shi gently moved Feng Xuexiang’s head from his knee. As Yu Shi made to stand, Feng Xuexiang, who had been lying on the mirror, lifted his upper body, leaning toward him as if unwilling to let him go.
“I’m not leaving.” Yu Shi shifted his position, lying down on his side, and just like before, he embraced his not-so-normal partner, softly stroking the back of his head.
“Clearly, you need me so much, yet you still wanted me to leave?”
Feng Xuexiang, of course, couldn’t respond to him. He merely squinted his eyes and moved his inconvenient body closer to Yu Shi, including the area where the cocoon was torn, now resembling a mass of flesh.
Cold, blood-like, foul-smelling mucus began seeping from the cocoon, dripping onto Yu Shi’s leg.
Yu Shi inhaled deeply and held Feng Xuexiang’s head, soothing him in a soft voice:
“Xuexiang, it’s not time for you to wake up yet. Don’t be nervous.”
“It’s alright, just go back to sleep.”
He continued speaking softly for a long time until the butterfly wings behind Feng Xuexiang drooped and gradually disappeared.
Then, Yu Shi lowered his gaze.
He didn’t know how much time had passed, but eventually, Yu Shi felt the soft skin beneath his hand harden into a shell.
Feng Xuexiang had begun his second cocooning.
Yu Shi still didn’t move, quietly waiting.
*
The people outside waited until nightfall, then from night until dawn, but no one came out.
The exorcists who didn’t know Zhou Shi speculated privately that he had likely died inside.
Even if he had feelings for the spirit demon inside, the spirit demon would have to be conscious to recognize him.
As things stood, what use would an ordinary person be in there?
But with two other spirit demons waiting outside, they didn’t dare voice their thoughts.
At dawn, Ming Tang volunteered, “I’ll go in and check the situation, and bring him out.”
Xue Xiu shook her head, her voice ethereal as if carried by the snow: “Wait a little longer. I can sense that the violent energy inside is gradually subsiding.”
“Going in now and disturbing him could trigger vigilance and resistance, which wouldn’t be good.”
“Are we just going to wait indefinitely, leaving this to someone without any power? Even if Feng Xuexiang doesn’t harm Zhou Shi, without food or water, he’ll pass out in there eventually.”
Despite everything, Ming Tang rather admired that insightful young man and didn’t want him to die here.
Xue Xiu considered his words and acknowledged that he made some valid points, though she still didn’t think it was a good idea to disturb them now.
“Let me give it a try,” Xue Xiu said, gesturing with a wave of her sleeve.
In an instant, heavy snowflakes blanketed the glass courtyard and the surrounding area within a hundred meters.
Originally, the plan she and her family had devised was for her to use her powers to encase Feng Xuexiang in ice, forcibly putting him back to sleep. If they were lucky, he might be able to continue gathering strength, eventually forming a cocoon and emerging from it.
Yu Shi lay on the cold mirror surface, watching as Feng Xuexiang transformed into a pale purple cocoon.
At some point, Yu Shi noticed that the cocooning process had accelerated significantly, and a layer of white frost had formed on the surface.
The air around him also grew colder.
His throat and lips were dry, and his stomach was burning with hunger, gradually becoming numb, but he still didn’t move.
It wasn’t until the cocoon in front of him had thickened, completely obscuring Feng Xuexiang’s figure and falling silent, that Yu Shi slowly got up and walked out.
“He’s coming out!”
Jiang Mang was the first to spot Yu Shi’s figure. Among those present, she was the most familiar with him, and seeing him emerge safely, she was the happiest.
Yu Shi walked out of the snow-covered courtyard. Though his face was pale, his spirits seemed relatively good.
“Xuexiang is asleep now, so there shouldn’t be any more problems.”
“Aunt Xue Xiu also said she could barely sense any of my uncle’s energy leaking out. If you hadn’t come out soon, we were about to go in and check on you,” Jiang Mang said as she handed him a cup of hot water.
Ming Tang, seeing that Zhou Shi had come out safely, felt embarrassed to stay any longer and quickly left with his people.
On the Xue family’s side, after Xue Shanwei inquired about the situation and was reassured, he instructed Xue Xiu to encase Feng Xuexiang’s cocoon in ice and bring it back to the Xue family residence.
By the time the Feng family members woke up and heard the news, they discovered that everyone had already left.
The Xue family placed Feng Xuexiang in the secluded spot where Xue Xiu usually trained, ensuring that he wouldn’t be disturbed.
“If you want to visit Uncle occasionally, you can. I’ve already spoken with Aunt Xue Xiu about it,” Jiang Mang said considerately.
“No need, I’ll stay here for a few days to make sure he’s alright, and then I’ll head back to Qinglu Village,” Yu Shi replied.
“What? You’re still planning to live there?” Jiang Mang wanted to say, “Are you still upset?”
Yu Shi sighed helplessly. “I left in a hurry, and there are many things at home that I haven’t had time to pack up, and some tasks left unfinished.”
“He’s currently asleep and can’t perceive what’s happening outside, so there’s no need for me to stay here all the time. It’s better if I take care of my own matters.”
Unable to persuade him to stay, Jiang Mang could only watch as he left. She sighed inwardly, thinking how troublesome emotions could be; she might as well focus on her cultivation.
…
On the way back, Yu Shi finally remembered the system’s reminder about the male protagonist, Feng Zaiyin.
“Mr. Yu Shi, you finally remembered,” the system lamented.
Yu Shi apologized, “I’m really sorry. I wonder how the male protagonist is doing now. Is he dead?”
“After running a check, no, he’s not. He’s still in his body for now, but his soul is being suppressed and is very weak,” the system replied.
Yu Shi said, “As expected of the protagonist, he’s really resilient. It seems he doesn’t need my help; he should be fine.”
The system: “So, you’re not planning to intervene, right?”
But this wasn’t within the host’s task range, and even if Yu Shi didn’t want to do it, the system had no choice but to reluctantly accept complaints from its colleague next door.
Yu Shi reassured the system, “Since he didn’t die back then, he still has a chance. I promise that the next time I see him, I’ll pay more attention to his situation.”
“Right now, even if I actively sought him out, there wouldn’t be much I could do.”
…
When Yu Shi returned to Qinglu Village, Jiang Mang gave him updates on Feng Xuexiang’s condition every week.
But there was no new information.
Inside, there was a chrysalis, and outside, a thick layer of “ice” that enveloped it so tightly nothing could be seen clearly.
After the harsh winter passed, Yu Shi tidied up the yard. The tulips planted last year in the yard bloomed.
In early spring, the scattered flower seeds sprouted into a patch of green seedlings.
In the two small vegetable plots outside the house, Yu Shi planted vegetables recommended by the village elders.
It was Yu Shi’s first time cultivating and farming, and he quickly got the hang of it, making the vegetable garden look well-maintained.
The rapeseed flowers in the village bloomed, and every time Yu Shi drove along the narrow, old concrete road, he could smell the strong fragrance of the flowers.
Unfortunately, the yellow flowers didn’t last long before they started to wither.
Time passed both quickly and slowly.
In the blink of an eye, it was late spring.
