Chapter 254: Butterfly Begging for Food! Li Kechuan's Sky Fell!

Li Qingluo washed herself clean, then simply ate something and immediately pulled the covers over her head to sleep.

She slept through until the next day.

After she got up and recalled everything that had happened these past few days, she immediately called Que'er in.

"Que'er, quickly take me to see your grandmother first."

After returning yesterday, Li Qingluo felt dizzy and swollen-headed, and she rested before she could handle anything.

Now that she's awake, the first thing to do is naturally to go see Deng Mama first.

Fortunately, although Deng Mama's injuries were somewhat serious, with the Luo Shen Physician present she had managed to save her life.

After the master and servant exchanged their heartfelt gratitude, Li Qingluo wiped her wet eyes and left Deng Mama's room, immediately asking about the young woman they had brought back yesterday from the Pei family's dungeon.

Cui Er came over and said, "Miss, that young woman has already been washed clean by us, and she's also eaten her fill and drunk enough, and even took a nap."

"Would you like to see her?"

"She's that obedient?"

Li Qingluo recalled how fierce she had been when attacking and killing, and couldn't help but find it strange.

After she returned yesterday, she had instructed Que'er and the others, saying that the woman might be afraid of daggers, so they should each carry a dagger as a precaution.

Could it be that she's truly that afraid of daggers, which is why she's so obedient and well-behaved?

"Come on, let's go take a look."

Li Qingluo was led by Cui Er and the others to the neighboring courtyard.

Seeing that the young woman had indeed been washed clean and changed into a new set of clothes, and that her few scraggly hairs had all been shaved off cleanly.

Now she is just a bald head.

Because there were many sores on her face and head, some dark ointment had been applied to them.

Although she still looked ugly, she was no longer so terrifying.

Cui Er said, "Miss, she's also too pitiful—she hardly has any teeth, and she can't even walk normally."

"The maidservants brought her plenty of liquid food yesterday, but she seemed not to know it was hot and should be eaten slowly, gulping it down in a few wolfish bites and finishing it all."

"Moreover, she seems never to have eaten anything good—just a bowl of meat congee—and after finishing it she looked hopefully at the maidservants, as if wanting another bowl."

"The maidservants only thought it strange how fast she ate, so they slowed their movements a bit—who knew she would then bang 'bang bang bang' on the ground, kowtowing hard at the maidservants, as if… she were begging for food."

"Begging for food?"

Li Qingluo looked at the young woman and saw her crouching before a patch of grass in the courtyard, curiously feeling this and that.

In spring, everywhere sprouted new shoots and bloomed tiny flowers.

The little garden in the courtyard was full of spring vitality, with vibrant spring scenes everywhere.

She seemed never to have seen such things before, her eyes filled with curiosity and delight.

But even though she liked them, she had no intention of reaching out to pluck and destroy them.

She merely extended her finger cautiously to touch them.

Suddenly, a butterfly lightly landed on a small flower, and she instantly widened her eyes.

Just as she was about to reach out to touch the butterfly, it fluttered away lightly.

She let out a "gurgling" cry from her mouth, stretched out her hand and lifted her foot to give chase.

But her movement was not like a normal person's; she didn't stand up, remaining in a puppy-like posture, with both hands and feet together running forward on the ground.

Until she turned around, suddenly seeing Li Qingluo, her face instantly lit up with a look of joy.

"Ah—ah—ah—"

The young woman pointed at the butterfly in the sky for Li Qingluo to see.

Li Qingluo squatted down, stared into the young woman's eyes, and asked, "You haven't seen these before, have you?"

Li Qingluo still remembered that, when she had just come out of the dungeon yesterday, the young woman seemed even afraid of seeing the blue sky and white clouds.

Combining all her various behaviors, Li Qingluo formed a guess in her mind.

Either she is foolish, or she has truly never seen the outside world.

She seemed able to understand speech, and indeed shook her head.

Li Qingluo smiled: "As long as you can understand, that's good. Can you speak?"

She opened her mouth, seeming not to dare to speak, and then shook her head again.

Li Qingluo: "Then do you want to follow me? Perhaps I can help you become a somewhat normal person."

She quickly nodded again, her face bearing a hint of a shy smile.

"Let me give you a name first. Do you like that butterfly just now?"

The young woman lifted her head to look at the butterfly flying farther and farther away, and naturally liked it.

Li Qingluo: "Then from now on you can be called Butterfly. I hope you too can break out of your cocoon and become a butterfly, so that one day you can fly freely in this world as a beautiful, variegated butterfly."

The young woman was overjoyed: "But, butterfly? Ah!! Butterfly? Ah—butterfly……"

She stammered out those two words, then clapped her hands, and again chased after the butterfly like a little dog.

Li Qingluo looked at the butterfly's utterly innocent appearance and murmured softly: "So Butterfly, just who are you? Why, among all the young women captured in the dungeon, are you the only one still alive?"

Just then, Nan Gongdi and the Luo Shen Physician suddenly arrived together.

"Luo'er."

Nan Gongdi came to see Li Qingluo, while the Luo Shen Physician had been sent to take Li Qingluo's pulse.

Who would have thought that when Butterfly saw the two of them, she suddenly let out a low growl and then lunged forward at full speed.

Fortunately, Nan Gongdi reacted swiftly, grabbing Butterfly's neck with one hand and quickly restraining her both hands with the other, then shoving her far away with a look of disgust: "What is this thing?"

"Luo'er, where did you bring back this madwoman from?"

Li Qingluo hurried over: "Master, Luo Shen Physician. It's really strange—why does she go berserk every time she sees a man, as if she can't control herself, even feeling the urge to eat human flesh and blood?"

Li Qingluo finally discovered it.

Hudie still behaves like a normal person when facing a woman.

But every time she faces a man, she goes mad.

The Luoshen Doctor and Nan Gongdi exchanged a glance.

"Could it be… the Raging Blood Disease?"

Li Qingluo, seeing that the two of them actually knew, was greatly surprised and said, "Master, Luoshen Doctor, what exactly is the Raging Blood Disease? Can you tell me, Luo'er?"

Nan Gongdi: "This matter is no small thing. Luo'er, we'll go tell your grandmother. You tidy this place up, and in half an hour meet us in the Old Lady's courtyard."

After speaking, Nan Gongdi shoved Hudie aside and then hurried away with the Luoshen Doctor, leaving Li Qingluo's Free Abode.

Hudie had intended to chase after them, but Li Qingluo called out, "Hudie! Come back!"

"If you don't obey, I'll drive you out!"

Hudie instantly slumped down, returned to Li Qingluo's side with a pitiful look, gazing at her and no longer daring to show the ferocious expression she had just had.

Li Qingluo softened in her heart upon seeing her like that.

"Those are my master and my grandmother's friend. If you hurt them, I will certainly not keep you any longer. Remember that, okay?"

"I know you may not be able to control yourself, but since you've returned to the outside world, you must adapt and gradually learn to control yourself."

Seeing her bewildered expression, Li Qingluo sighed, "Fine, take it slowly."

"Cui Er, give the order: no man may approach the Free Abode. Also, do not let Hudie go out; before she adapts, prevent her from harming anyone again."

Que'er: "But miss, what about your martial training later? Mr. Nangong still wants to come teach you martial arts."

Li Qingluo: "I can also go to my master's courtyard."

Seeing Hudie quickly forget what just happened and happily squat on the ground to play by herself, Li Qingluo finally turned and left.

During breakfast, Que'er said, "Miss, the Lord has been locked up by the Old Lady."

Li Qingluo: "Who are you talking about? Li Chao Jing?"

Li Qingluo recalled Li Chao Jing's visit that day and then asked, "By the way, did he do anything to harm Grandmother?"

Que'er shook her head, "I don't know either, but it should be none. I also returned after hearing Zheng Mama say that the Old Lady that day seemed… seemed originally planning to kill the Lord."

Li Qingluo exclaimed, "What!?"

Grandmother intends to kill Li Chao Jing?

Can Grandmother really act on it?

Although Li Chao Jing previously tried to force Grandmother to death, hasn't Grandmother always left him a sliver of leeway?

Otherwise, thirty years ago she wouldn't have done nothing but abandon Jiangjun Fu and leave.

Though mother and son say they've torn the face, after all she is Grandmother's only flesh‑and‑blood lineage.

For some reason, Li Qingluo instinctively felt this matter was related to her.

"After Li Kechuan's incident, hasn't Jiangjun Fu looked for him? Also, in his disappearance these days, hasn't he attended court or been punished?"

Que'er: "They say the Old Lady personally wrote a memorial and sent it to the palace, stating that she was ill, so she let the Lord take leave to attend to her sickness."

"These past two days, because of the matter of the Duke of Pei's household, the court has been somewhat chaotic, so perhaps no one cares how the Lord is doing."

"As for Jiangjun Fu, they know it was the Old Lady who took people away before, but they don't know where we are now, so they haven't come to our door yet."

"Also miss, Jiangjun Fu this time because of Li Kechuan, it's turned into a huge chaos!"

Li Qingluo naturally hadn't forgotten Li Kechuan.

"How has he been these two days? Did you inquire?"

Que'er raised a smile, "Of course, I inquired early and had the people staying in Jiangjun Fu relay all the news of these two days back to us."

It turned out that on that day in the ruined temple, Li Kechuan was still fully immersed in the scene of the love‑inducing incense when the servants and pageboys of Jiangjun Fu found him.

But the love‑inducing incense hadn't burned out yet, so the servants were instantly a bit dazed.

When the Qu family's servants arrived at the ruined temple, they were completely stunned by the scene before them.

After much effort they dug their own young master out of the bright white expanse, and seeing his face still in a trance, they instantly understood.

Fortunately, the scent of the love‑inducing incense had dissipated.

Thus the Qu family's servants could clear their heads, fetch water, and pour bucket after bucket over the group.

In broad daylight, Your Highness Guanyin.

Such a lewd and absurd scene truly shocked the world and can be called the greatest scandal of the age.

If this spreads, how will these two families ever have the face to stay in Jinling City?

Fortunately, after being doused with cold water, the men immediately fainted.

The Qu family hurriedly took their young master away, and also pulled Li Kechuan out of the crowd, dressed him, shoved him into a carriage, and sent him back to Jiangjun Fu.

When Li Kechuan came to his senses, recalling everything that had happened, he naturally felt the heavens had collapsed…