Chapter 261

Chapter 261: Using the Seven-colored Butterfly to Restore Her Feelings?

Feng He Yun shook his head and spoke quickly: “No, we truly want to give you the Heavenly Flame to make up for what we did.” He sighed. “But we had no choice. If we did not do this, you would never talk to us properly.”

He began, almost whining: “You do not know how much we went through to find this Heavenly Flame—”

She cut him off, impatient: “I did not stay to hear you talk nonsense.”

Fire red spiritual power flickered at her fingertips. Feng He Yun quickly swept his palm over the Heavenly Flame. Several chains appeared on it out of thin air. It was a kind of spellcraft used for trades. Only when the buyer met the caster’s terms would the chains release. He had set the spellcraft in advance to stop her from simply grabbing the Heavenly Flame.

Shen Sang Ruo pulled back her spiritual power, openly disappointed. It seemed she would have to waste time dealing with them today. She said, crisp and direct: “Say it. What are the terms?”

Relieved, Feng He Yun answered: “Because of what happened before, there is a deep rift between us. We have not sat down and talked in a long time.” His eyes softened with longing. “We only want to be with you for a little while like before.”

He looked around at the mulberries and said with a sigh: “Do you remember our promise here, to brew a jar of mulberry wine and taste it together?” His voice lowered with regret. “I was foolish and let Bai Mu Mu mislead me. I even dug up that jar of mulberry wine.” He shook his head. “When I found it, there was no wine left inside.”

He pictured her locked in the brewing house, the jar as her only company through many nights, and his heart ached. Shen Sang Ruo listened without much expression. She searched her memory, found the event in a dusty corner, and felt no ripple at all. [Your awakening came too late. I no longer need it.]

Feng He Yun noticed her chill but did not give up: “Let us pick mulberries again and brew a new jar of mulberry wine, alright?” In his mind, as long as they made a new jar and tasted it together, her feelings for him would return.

She frowned. They had worked so hard to find a Heavenly Flame only to ask her to pick mulberries with them? It could not be that simple. There had to be another goal. Meeting her gaze, Feng He Yun clenched his fists, scared she would notice the truth. With her attitude now, if she knew what he wanted to do, she would never cooperate.

He appealed softly: “We promised to make up for our mistakes. Let us start with this jar of mulberry wine. Give me a chance, Sang Ruo.”

Shen Sang Ruo thought for a while, then walked to a mulberry tree and began to pick. Seeing this, Feng He Yun was overjoyed and hurried to her side to pick with her. She harvested about twenty berries and sent them to his hands with a lift of spiritual power. He looked down at the tiny handful and felt awkward. It seemed too few, and he almost asked her to pick more.

He started to speak, but she cut him off, flat and final: “Just these.”

There was no room to bargain. He had no choice but to put that small handful carefully into the prepared jar. At worst he would pick more himself. He sighed in silence. In the past, Shen Sang Ruo would coax him to come pick mulberries. When had he ever been this humble?

She turned to Lu Shi Qing and asked evenly: “And your terms?”

Sweat dampened Lu Shi Qing’s palms. He tried to step forward, but for some reason his arms and legs moved out of sync, and he nearly stumbled. [What is wrong with him now?] He held out his hand. Resting on his palm was a brilliant Seven-colored Butterfly. If one looked closely, the repair marks were clear.

He said, voice low: “I repaired the first Seven-colored Butterfly I gave you.”

Shen Sang Ruo’s eyes showed a hint of surprise. She had tried to repair that butterfly he had once crushed underfoot, but no method worked. That he had the patience to fix it now made a certain sense. He had made the mess. He should be the one to pay it back. She did not know that while repairing it, Lu Shi Qing had lost patience many times. Each time, he stamped the same leg that had crushed the butterfly, vented his anger, then returned to the work. Because of this repeat punishment, his leg still had a slight limp.

He swallowed and said, “My term is simple: just accept the Seven-colored Butterfly.”

If she accepted it, she would remember her feelings for him, even the love she had once held, right? He was sure she liked him. When she had called him disgusting, that was only because her emotions had been taken from her. It was not what she truly thought.

Feng He Yun watched Lu Shi Qing with envy. Lu Shi Qing would soon recover Shen Sang Ruo’s feelings, while he still had to brew mulberry wine.

Shen Sang Ruo took the Seven-colored Butterfly from Lu Shi Qing. From their reactions, she guessed a little of their plan, though she could not be sure. After she took it, the grove fell into a strange silence. Neither man spoke. Both stared at her, as if trying to drill a hole through her with their eyes. Lu Shi Qing’s heart pounded like a drum, nearly jumping out of his chest. In his mind, the moment she recovered her feelings, her bright eyes would again be full of love for him. The wish he had day and night was about to come true. He took several deep breaths to hold back the urge to pull her into his arms.

Holding the Seven-colored Butterfly, Shen Sang Ruo only felt they were being ridiculous. Nothing stirred in her. She had thought this was their method to restore her feelings, but she felt no return at all. Maybe she had guessed wrong. In any case, their problem had nothing to do with her. What she needed to do was take the Heavenly Flame and go.

She stepped forward toward Lu Shi Qing. He could not hide his joy and opened his arms, calling softly: “Sang Ruo…”

But she walked right past him and went straight to the Heavenly Flame.