Chapter 148: Caidie’s True Form

Qu Qiuming’s face grew paler and paler, beads of sweat trickling down his forehead.

“I… I…” he stammered for half a day, but nothing coherent came out.

Beside him, Caidie panicked. She clutched his hand tightly, eyes brimming with tears.

“Brother Ming, you don’t want to save me?” she asked in a trembling, pleading voice.

“N-no, I…” Qu Qiuming’s panic deepened, the sweat pouring from him like rain. Under the crowd’s increasingly puzzled gazes, he grit his teeth and forced out, “Of course I’ll save you!”

Caidie’s eyes instantly lit up with hope and joy, and she smiled sweetly through her tears.

“I knew Brother Ming was the best to me.”

But Qu Qiuming couldn’t muster his usual affectionate smile. His mind seemed to drift elsewhere, his thoughts scattered. Perhaps because of that distraction, this time he actually forgot to tell the others to leave.

He pulled a few silver needles from his robe. Though this case was unlike his past patients, that shouldn’t matter—he had healed everyone before; Caidie would be no different.

Taking a deep breath, he grabbed her wrist and began inserting the needles.

Chang Ping frowned. Those acupuncture points were dangerously close to the vital meridians. He wanted to warn him, but feared that interrupting might disturb the procedure if this truly was some special technique. Besides, Caidie appeared calm, even cooperative—like she’d seen him perform this before.

After placing the first few needles, Qu Qiuming pulled out more, his movements growing faster and more erratic. One hand worked the needles, the other still clung tightly to Caidie’s fingers. His speed was so fast it no longer looked precise—it looked random, almost frantic.

Caidie’s face, which had been full of trust, suddenly twisted in pain. Sweat rolled down her pale forehead. The color drained from her cheeks as if all blood had vanished. Her voice broke as she cried out,

“Brother Ming…”

Qu Qiuming’s expression changed drastically. Panic filled his eyes, all traces of confidence gone. He snatched up the last needle, raising it toward her head—

Yun Jiao frowned sharply and stepped forward, seizing his wrist mid-motion.

“If you put that needle in,” she said coldly, “you’ll kill her.”

He froze, face turning as white as paper, instinctively wanting to argue.

“And another thing,” Yun Jiao continued, pointing to the hand that still grasped Caidie’s.

“You should let go. If you keep draining her demonic energy like that, she’ll revert to her original form.”

“What?” Qu Qiuming stiffened, eyes wide in disbelief.

“I said,” Yun Jiao repeated evenly, “your left hand—it’s been absorbing demonic qi, hasn’t it? It’s one thing to draw out evil energy from others, but what are you doing draining it from a demon’s body? And those needles—every one of them struck a demon’s core point. Are you trying to heal her or exorcise her?”

Her words hit like thunder. The entire room froze. Even Caidie’s face turned deathly white. She jerked her hand free and stared at Qu Qiuming with horrified disbelief.

Hall Master Xu was the first to break the silence, blurting out the only thing his brain could process:

“Wait—what… what demon?!”

Yun Jiao blinked, a little surprised by the question, and pointed calmly at the stunned Caidie.

“You really didn’t notice? She’s a butterfly demon—order Lepidoptera, class Insecta, phylum Arthropoda.”

Hall Master Xu: “……”

The old man: “……”

All the sect masters: “……”

Qu Qiuming: “……”

You’ve got to be kidding me?!

Σ(°△°|||)︴

The girl who looked utterly human, whose body carried not a trace of demonic aura—she was actually a demon?!

For a moment, everyone’s instincts as exorcists kicked in. With near-perfect coordination, the hall exploded into motion—

some drew talismans, some formed seals, some unsheathed swords—

a synchronized, full-scale catch-the-demon response.

Caidie reacted quickly. Still stunned from Qu Qiuming’s betrayal, she suddenly raised her hand and unleashed a violent gust of wind. Golden dust scattered in every direction, whipping through the cramped room as she flipped a heavy table and hurled it toward them.

The space was too tight, too crowded—before anyone could dodge, the table crashed into the group, sending elders and sect leaders sprawling across the floor.

In that instant, Caidie’s body began to twist and change.

The delicate girl vanished—replaced by a massive, black-bodied creature with enormous, shimmering wings that filled the room. Each flap scattered more glittering powder like deadly pollen.

“A demon! A demon!!!” Qu Qiuming screamed, closest to her. His face twisted with sheer terror as he fell backward, scrambling on all fours to escape.

“Trying to run?”

The butterfly’s voice was icy, its earlier softness replaced by pure malice. Two long antennae lashed out, coiling around Qu Qiuming and lifting him into the air.

“If you can’t cure me, you won’t live either!”

With a furious beat of her wings, she summoned a roaring wind, shattering the window and soaring out into the sky—taking him with her.

“After them!” Hall Master Xu shouted furiously, leaping to his feet. The others followed in outrage.

A butterfly demon had walked straight into the Celestial Masters Hall—that was a humiliation none of them could bear.

---

But Caidie didn’t get far. Once she revealed her true form, her massive wings and radiant colors made her impossible to hide. Worse, she was grievously wounded, her flight weak and uneven.

Even before the masters caught up, she was spotted by the patrol disciples and swiftly subdued.

When the group arrived, they found her crouched on the ground, wings wrapped tightly around her like a cocoon. Inside, she was sobbing uncontrollably—any trace of her earlier ferocity gone.

“Waaaaaahhh! You humans are all liars! Big, fat liars!” she wailed between hiccups. “You promised you’d heal me, but you just wanted to drain my power! You’re all awful—horrible—mean—stupid turtles! Waaaaahhh!”

The furious elders and sect leaders, who had come ready to battle a rampaging demon, stood frozen mid-step.

“…This feels… off.”

What happened to the terrifying monster act?!

The once fearsome butterfly demon now sat there bawling, wings trembling pitifully.

Yun Jiao sighed, stepped forward, and knocked lightly on the cocooned wings.

“Come out. Let’s talk.”

“I won’t!” came the muffled voice from inside. “You’re all liars! You can’t trick me again! You said you’d cure me, but you tried to suck out my demon energy instead! You’re a big meanie!”

“Just tell me what happened,” Yun Jiao said patiently. “If you haven’t harmed anyone, I’ll treat your illness myself.”

The cocoon trembled. After a moment, it cracked open slightly, and a hesitant voice replied,

“Really?”

A single enormous compound eye peeked out, reflecting hundreds of miniature Yun Jiaos at once. It made her scalp tingle.

“Really,” Yun Jiao said solemnly.

“Okay then!”

With surprising trust, the butterfly demon immediately unfolded her wings, revealing her true form again.

Everyone: “……”

…Are all demons this easy to convince?

The massive creature crouched obediently before Yun Jiao, lowering her head respectfully.

“Can you turn back into human form first?” Yun Jiao asked gently. “This look is… a little unsettling.”

“I can’t!” the demon whimpered, voice full of grievance. “He drained all my demonic energy! There’s nothing left!”

As she spoke, she suddenly flung out one of her antennae, tossing something onto the ground with a thud.

It was Qu Qiuming—unconscious, pale, and limp. Whether he’d fainted from terror or from lack of air inside the cocoon was unclear.

The butterfly demon gazed at Yun Jiao earnestly.

“If you can cure me,” she said, voice sincere and hopeful, “then I won’t like him anymore. I’ll like you instead!”

Yun Jiao: “……”

…Yeah, no thanks.

(End of Chapter)