17. Unchangeable

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Yet these two auras appeared for only a few seconds before quickly subsiding, turning into faint ripples of magical energy, much like the restrained presence of a cultivator.
“Two at the early stage of Condensed Essence… could it be…” Li Miao’s thoughts stirred.
Just then, the madam of Emerald Embrace Pavilion approached, her voice coy and sweet, “Oh~ my lord, why are you arriving so late? The girls are all about to rest, you know.”
Li Miao replied coldly, “I am looking for Liu Xuanfeng and Lady Qi. Tell them to come out and see me.”
“Uh, well…”
The madam’s face immediately showed distress. “Master Liu just left for Dragon Tomb today, he’s not here. Lady Qi… she’s entertaining a guest right now. Perhaps… would you care for Yun’er or Caiyi instead?”
Li Miao frowned, clearly displeased.
“I’m not here for pleasure. Get Lady Qi out here at once, or I’ll tear this Emerald Embrace Pavilion apart!”
The matter of the Jade Butterfly was grave, and he had no patience for wasted words. He adopted a hard stance, his voice carrying the unique aura of a primal energy warrior, thunderous enough to send the madam stumbling backward.
No sooner had he spoken than a portly middle-aged man, bare-chested, emerged from the second floor, arms wrapped around two disheveled songstresses. He swaggered to the stairhead and drawled, “What’s all the noise? Everyone’s here for their own fun. Even if you’re not satisfied, don’t disturb others, alright?”
Li Miao said nothing, merely glared at him.
That single glance, laden with the killing intent honed by countless battles as an extraordinary warrior, terrified the portly man, making his legs buckle and silencing him instantly.
The two songstresses, sensing Li Miao was not to be trifled with, hurriedly helped the man back to his room.
At that moment, another door opened and a young man stepped out. Seeing the portly man’s state, he teased, “Hey, Second Uncle, what’s happened? Worn yourself out, have you?”
His appearance seemed to restore the portly man’s composure. He straightened, pointed at Li Miao below, and complained, “Ah Hong, just in time—this brat tried to intimidate me. Teach him a lesson, quick!”
Sun Hong nodded, glancing at Li Miao as he threw on his jacket, laughing lightly, “Nowadays, someone still dares provoke a Sun family member—ignorance truly is bliss.”
He hopped down from the second floor and strode up to Li Miao, planting a foot on a stool, sneering, “I’ll give you a chance: kneel and apologize to my second uncle, and I’ll let you leave.”
Li Miao’s gaze turned icy.
The madam sensed trouble.
The next moment—
Bang!
Sun Hong’s body became a blur, sent flying backwards, smashing several tables and crashing through a wall into the wine cellar below.
A cacophony of crashes followed, bottles of flower wine shattered, and a rich fragrance filled the Pavilion.
“Even a fool can cultivate? First layer of Qi Refining and already so arrogant.” Li Miao withdrew his right hand, disdainful.
The commotion alarmed the entire Pavilion.
Doors on the second and third floors swung open in succession—clients and songstresses spilled out, anxious and confused. The once licentious den was now a scene of uproar.
The madam was ashen, too afraid to check on Sun Hong in the cellar, trembling as she said, “My lord, please calm down, I-I-I’ll fetch Lady Qi for you right away!”
“No need. I am here.”
A gentle voice came from another part of the ground floor.
Lady Qi, clad in crimson, glided forth.
Behind her was He Tianxiang, dressed in rough linen.
Li Miao glanced sideways—both their auras were at the early stage of Condensed Essence, though still unstable, likely just having broken through.
The two auras he sensed earlier upon entering must have belonged to them.
Lady Qi approached, smiling, “Young Master Li, you seem quite irate. Did someone offend you?”
With so many people around, Li Miao didn’t want to reveal too much. “Let’s speak in private.”
Lady Qi seemed to guess his purpose and nodded, giving the madam a look to tidy up, then turned to Li Miao, “This way, please.”
She stepped aside.
Beneath Emerald Embrace Pavilion were several secret rooms where she and Liu Xuanfeng practiced cultivation, ideal for conversation.
Li Miao followed her lead into the passageway.
He Tianxiang came along.
Li Miao frowned.
The more people knew, the greater the risk. He had no desire for this to spread.

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Lady Qi, seasoned in reading people, saw his frown and understood. She said, “Brother He is not an outsider. Young Master Li need not worry.”
Li Miao shook his head.
Worry or not, to him, everyone in this world was an outsider—save for Guo’er.
He spoke bluntly, “He Tianxiang. Your sect master Xu and steward Huo were gravely injured today. You, as a disciple of Hundred Herbs Sect, are here indulging in pleasure?”
He Tianxiang was stunned, “What did you say?”
“I just came from Hundred Herbs Sect. Believe it or not.”
“This… I…”
He Tianxiang wavered, glancing at Lady Qi.
She said, “Since the sect is in turmoil, Brother He should return quickly. Young Master Li is upright and would never harm a weak woman like me.”
“This…”
He Tianxiang hesitated, then nodded and left.
“Please, Young Master Li,” Lady Qi said.
Together, they ventured down the secret passage.
Soon, they arrived at a small, round chamber, just a yard across.
It was sparse—only two meditation cushions on the floor.
An exotic fragrance lingered in the air, mingled with chaotic spiritual energy, likely leftover from Lady Qi and He Tianxiang’s recent dual cultivation breakthrough.
Lady Qi closed the chamber door and asked, “You’ve come for the Spirit Butterfly?”
Li Miao nodded, his voice grave, “What is its origin? Why did you give it to me—and what are your intentions?”
His tone was harsh.
This concerned a peak-level Mystical Realm expert; if mishandled, he’d be in grave danger.
If Lady Qi had no prior knowledge, that was one thing. But if she knew and deliberately handed him the item, it was tantamount to murder.
Sensing his anger, Lady Qi was puzzled, “Why do you seem so angry? Has something happened?”
“Answer me first!” Li Miao glared.
Lady Qi had witnessed his power before, and seeing him angry now, she was intimidated, hastily replying, “The Spirit Butterfly was entrusted to me by my master. It’s said to be tied to an ancient secret. If one is capable enough to unravel its mysteries, one can inherit a legacy from ten thousand years ago.”
“Ancient secret? Mysterious legacy?”
“Yes. Though I don’t know the specifics, I vaguely recall my master mentioning it was a treasure of astounding worth. But… the treasure is far too significant. Our Lesser Yin Sect has no hope of claiming it.”
“So you gave it to me?”
“Well… originally, my uncle and I intended to find a highly talented rogue cultivator through dual cultivation contests, forge an alliance, and explore the ancient secret together. But in three years, everyone we met was ordinary, lacking the required potential. Only you—extraordinary and unfathomable, a rogue cultivator—fit the criteria. Yet you… found us beneath you.”
Lady Qi sighed, self-deprecating.
She continued, “So I made the decision myself, abandoning the old plan and gifting you the Spirit Butterfly. I thought, maybe one day, should you acquire the treasure, you’d remember there was once a despised person in this obscure town… who handed you the key.”
“My uncle said I was reckless, but I feel I simply traded one uncertainty for another. And I have a hunch—you will become someone remarkable. Betting on you is more hopeful than betting on myself.”
Lady Qi finished, gazing at him sincerely.
She seemed truthful.
Yet Li Miao’s headache worsened.
“So you have no idea what this Jade Butterfly represents?” he pressed.
Lady Qi nodded, “I only know it’s a key. Nothing more specific.”
“Oh, right.”
She seemed to recall something. “My master said activating the Spirit Butterfly’s power requires at least the Return Origin realm. To control it and sense its guidance likely needs Mystical Realm strength.”
“Activate its power? Guidance? What does that mean?” Li Miao grew increasingly confused and irritated.
Lady Qi explained, “Activating its power is letting the Spirit Butterfly recognize its owner, like a blood-bound artifact—unless you’re killed, you needn’t fear it being taken. Guidance… probably means indicating the location of the ancient secret.”
Li Miao felt overwhelmed.
Such a small Jade Butterfly, yet so complex. The ancient person who crafted it must have been unimaginably powerful.
And now, this object had fallen into his hands.

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The red-haired elder who appeared today was searching for the Spirit Butterfly, and he must have some method for tracking it—otherwise, he would not have appeared so precisely at Hundred Herbs Sect.
Given this, unless Li Miao wished to die, the Spirit Butterfly could only remain quietly in his Cosmic Ring, until the day he reached the Star Sea level and could safely retrieve it.
“Sigh…”
Li Miao let out a long breath.
Caught up in such a mess, he could only swallow his grievances.
Lady Qi asked, “Young Master Li, what happened, really?”
He considered, then decided to answer, “Today, a Mystical Realm expert appeared suddenly at Hundred Herbs Sect, specifically seeking the Spirit Butterfly. I happened to be on Qihuang Peak at the time. Luckily, I hid the Spirit Butterfly in a Sumeru space—otherwise, I’d likely be a corpse now.”
“What? This…”
Lady Qi was shocked.
She hadn’t expected that something she’d kept hidden for twenty years would cause so much trouble within a day of passing to Li Miao.
“What will you do?” she asked.
Li Miao said helplessly, “What else? Keep hiding it.”
No matter his reluctance, the situation was already set—nothing could be changed.
He sighed again, then said solemnly, “Lady Qi. Only you and your uncle Liu Xuanfeng know about this. You’d best not tell anyone else, or don’t blame me for being ruthless!”
“I understand,” Lady Qi replied, equally serious.
Li Miao nodded and turned toward the chamber door.
He’d been tempted, more than once, to kill Lady Qi.
But he resisted.
If he were to kill, Lady Qi alone would not suffice—Liu Xuanfeng would need to die as well. Even those who watched on the street yesterday would have to die, for they saw the Jade Butterfly being handed to him.
But he couldn’t even recognize their faces, and even if he could, he couldn’t bring himself to kill them.
He was a warrior—not a butcher.
So, though he knew the risks, he was willing to bear them.
Fortunately, few knew him. Master Yang Yan might not ask ordinary townsfolk about such a precious item as the Spirit Butterfly.
Besides, having such a hidden danger would only spur him to grow stronger.
At the chamber door, Li Miao paused. “If I ever acquire the treasure you spoke of, I’ll repay you as you wish.”
He pushed the door open and stepped into the passage.
“Thank you.”
Lady Qi sighed softly, watching him disappear, murmuring, “Actually… I’m not as filthy as you think. Not even He Tianxiang has ever…”
The footsteps faded away.
Li Miao returned to the Pavilion’s main hall, where the rich aroma of wine lingered and clients and songstresses were still chattering noisily.
Now, a group of men had appeared, dressed uniformly in blue-black robes, radiating the aura of Qi Refining cultivators.
Sun Hong had been carried out of the wine cellar, reeking of alcohol, surrounded by the black-robed cultivators.
His injuries were moderate—Li Miao had merely broken a few ribs, not life-threatening.
Spotting Li Miao, Sun Hong perked up, pointing at him, “That’s the guy—seize him!”
But not one among the black-robed cultivators dared move.
Li Miao’s aura was enough to drain their will to fight.
Sun Hong, too weak to sense the presence equal to a Condensed Essence cultivator, kept shouting, “Why are you all standing around? Get him! The ancestor didn’t raise you to be spectators!”
The portly middle-aged man—Sun Hong’s second uncle, Sun Dahai—sensed trouble and whispered, “Ah Hong, let it go. This fellow’s not someone we should provoke. Better avoid unnecessary trouble.”
“Let it go?!”
Sun Hong exploded, slapping Sun Dahai’s face and roaring, “Just because I call you second uncle you think you’re someone? Fat fool, get out of my sight! And you worthless dogs, get him now! If any of you keep standing around, I’ll have the ancestor flay you when we get home!”