107: Chapter 107 The Painted Skin Butterfly

Outside Qunfang Pavilion, the atmosphere on the long street was bizarre to the extreme.

Everyone watched that scene in the distance silently, not daring to make a sound.

They saw that handsome young man continuously stabbing downward with a long blade.

Squelch!

At the bottom of the pit, that huge, incredibly ugly insect, half the height of a human, was still twisting and struggling frantically.

Viscous green bodily fluids poured continuously from its wounds, emitting a sickening, fishy stench.

The silk-clad Young Master, who had just been acting so righteous and wanting to play the hero saving the damsel, was now leaning against the base of a wall, vomiting violently.

"Ugh—"

He was vomiting up almost everything, even his bile.

The thought that he had actually lusted after such a disgusting insect just moments ago, and even wanted to raise a hand against the Demon Suppression Division for its sake, made him want to smash his head against a block of tofu right then and there.

"Young Master, Young Master, are you alright!"

Several guards scrambled over, patting his back in a panic.

"Get lost, all of you, get lost!"

The silk-clad Young Master shoved the guards away, his face as pale as paper.

He pointed at the Painted Skin Butterfly on the ground, his voice trembling: "What... what on earth is this monster!"

The surrounding commoners were even more terrified, retreating repeatedly, fearing they might get contaminated by that green slime.

"A demon, it really is a demon!"

"It's too terrifying. Just a moment ago it still had such a delicate and charming appearance, how did it turn into this ghostly mess in the blink of an eye!"

Bursts of terrified shouts erupted from the crowd.

"Everyone move aside!"

Li Changfeng let out a thunderous shout and strode forward with several brothers from the Demon Suppression Division.

He drew the fine steel chain from his waist and unceremoniously bound the Painted Skin Butterfly, which was still twisting and struggling on the ground, tightly.

"Behave yourself!"

Li Changfeng kicked the back of the Painted Skin Butterfly, pinning it firmly to the ground.

The Painted Skin Butterfly emitted a shrill hiss.

The intricate facial pattern on its back, which belonged to "Ruyan," now looked incredibly hideous.

Looking at this disgusting creature, Li Changfeng also felt his scalp tingle.

He turned his head to look at Chen Ran, his eyes full of disbelief.

Chen Ran's luck was truly something else.

He could even run into a demon while visiting a brothel.

And it was this kind of extremely rare Painted Skin Butterfly, no less.

"Brother Chen, are you alright?" Li Changfeng walked up and looked Chen Ran over.

Chen Ran shook his head and sheathed his long blade.

"I'm fine, just a little trouble."

Li Changfeng's mouth twitched.

A little trouble?

This was a demonic creature that could take on human form and feed on vital Qi!

If it were an ordinary person, they probably wouldn't even know how they died.

"My Lady Ruyan!"

A shrill cry broke the deathly silence of the long street.

The madam of Qunfang Pavilion came stumbling out.

Seeing the mess everywhere, and then looking at the huge insect bound by chains, she rolled her eyes back and almost fainted on the spot.

"What... what on earth is going on here?" The madam was trembling all over, her voice laced with tears, "Where is my top courtesan? Where did Lady Ruyan go?"

Chen Ran stood to the side, his expression calm.

If he let this madam continue making a scene, the matter would only blow up further.

In the capital, a place of great importance, the appearance of such a demon capable of perfect disguise would surely cause panic once word spread.

More importantly, he didn't want to attract too much unnecessary trouble.

"Lady Ruyan?"

"The real Lady Ruyan was eaten by this beast long ago."

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole crowd was in an uproar.

The madam was struck as if by lightning, collapsing onto the ground.

"You... what did you say?" The madam looked at Chen Ran in disbelief.

Chen Ran pointed at the Painted Skin Butterfly on the ground: "This demonic creature wore Ruyan's skin, attempting to feed on my vital Qi. After I saw through its disguise, it tried to resist, so I beat it back into its original form."

Upon hearing this, the crowd gasped.

The rumors of the Painted Skin Butterfly feeding on human vital Qi had long been circulating in the streets of the capital.

Thinking of the tragic state of the top courtesan, and looking at Chen Ran's decisive and ruthless appearance, the crowd couldn't help but imagine a thrilling life-and-death battle.

"So that's how it is..."

"Thanks to this officer from the Demon Suppression Division, otherwise who knows how many people would have suffered!"

"Yes, this demon is too terrifying!"

The commoners who were just pointing fingers at Chen Ran earlier now showed expressions of awe and gratitude.

"Alright, disperse!" Li Changfeng waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to take the Painted Skin Butterfly away, "The Demon Suppression Division is handling a case, all bystanders are to retreat immediately!"

Although the commoners were curious, they didn't dare stay long and dispersed one after another.

The madam sat on the ground, wailing to the heavens, but there was nothing she could do.

Half an hour later. Deep within the Celestial Prison.

In the dark and damp corridor, a sickening stench of blood and rot permeated the air.

The Painted Skin Butterfly was locked in a high-security cell.

Thick, fine steel chains pinned it tightly to the wall, surrounded by Talismans meant to suppress Demonic Qi.

This type of demon, by absorbing the memories and vital Qi of its victims, could reach a point of being indistinguishable from the real person.

It had extremely high intelligence and powerful camouflage abilities.

As long as it was given enough time, it could even perfectly imitate a person's speech and mannerisms, to the point where even their closest loved ones couldn't detect anything.

But the Heavenly Dao is fair; the price for such a Heaven-Defying ability was that their physical combat strength was generally not high.

Its strength was only slightly better than a sturdy adult; usually, it only dared to absorb vital Qi and didn't dare to actually kill and eat people.

This was also one of the reasons why Chen Ran was able to defeat it so easily.

If it had been any other demon with similar talents, it would probably have taken much more effort to subdue it.

Outside the Celestial Prison, torches were burning brightly.

Centurion Zhao Wuji of the Demon Suppression Division stood with his hands behind his back in front of the cell, looking at the Painted Skin Butterfly inside with deep, thoughtful eyes.

The appearance of such a demon within the capital was by no means a small matter.

It meant that the reach of demons had already extended to the feet of the Son of Heaven.

There might even be other demons currently hiding within the capital.

"Well done."

Zhao Wuji turned around, looking at Chen Ran who was standing to the side, his eyes full of appreciation.

"To be able to keenly detect the demon's disguise in a place like Qunfang Pavilion and decisively act to take it down."

Zhao Wuji's voice echoed in the empty corridor.

"Chen Ran, you have performed a great service this time, ridding the capital of a major menace."

The surrounding jailers and Demon Suppression Guards cast envious glances at Chen Ran.

Chen Ran bowed his head slightly, his expression neither humble nor arrogant: "You overpraise me, my lord; I was merely doing my duty."

Zhao Wuji nodded, a flash of sharp light crossing his eyes.

"Come with me."

Zhao Wuji turned and walked toward a room deep within the Celestial Prison.

Chen Ran followed.

The room door slowly closed, cutting off the sight and sounds from outside.

Zhao Wuji turned around, his gaze as sharp as a knife as he looked at Chen Ran.

"There are no outsiders here now."

Zhao Wuji's voice lowered: "Tell me, what exactly happened tonight?"

Chen Ran's expression remained unchanged as he met Zhao Wuji's gaze.

"Reporting to you, my lord, I was enjoying myself at Qunfang Pavilion when this demon tried to absorb my vital Qi, and I discovered its flaw."

"I took it down while I was at it and threw it into the prison."

Zhao Wuji assessed him for a moment, and after confirming that the person before him was not lying, he suddenly laughed.

"Good, very good."

Zhao Wuji patted Chen Ran on the shoulder, his tone softening.

"You are reliable in your work; you don't say what shouldn't be said, and you don't ask what shouldn't be asked."

"Being able to catch this Painted Skin Butterfly, you certainly have skill."

Zhao Wuji walked to the table in the secret room and poured two cups of tea.

"Once this case is completely closed, the vacant position of Minister of the Internal Affairs Department will likely be handed to you."

"Thank you, my lord."

Chen Ran took a sip of tea, and seeing there was nothing else, turned and walked out of the secret room.

Zhao Wuji watched Chen Ran's departing back, the smile on his face gradually fading.

He picked up the teacup on the table and took a gentle sip.

"Painted Skin Butterfly..."

Zhao Wuji muttered to himself.