"Get the candy from the fifth shelf," Yu Xianan said, pointing forward before letting out a yawn.
"Okay. Let me tell you what I'll be doing five months from now. How old are you this year? Still a while before nineteen?"
"Nine months," she replied absently, still drowsy. Her red eyes showed clear fatigue. The night before, she had stayed up late organizing all the goods that arrived with the caravans, not sleeping a wink.
"Get some rest. Don't push yourself too hard. Enjoy the time while you're still mortal," Yu Xuan advised, noticing the weary look on the girl's face.
Yu Xianan gave a faint smile. "Don't pretend to care about me. I know your betrayal, you little brat. You'd rather buy from the city than from your dear big sister who works so hard to make a living."
"It's your fault, Xianan, for raising the prices. I can't accept losing money, even if it's to help my big sister. It's a solid no."
"Go away. Go play hunter and let me sleep a bit," she muttered, resting her head on the table. With her eyes closed, Yu Xianan just wanted to drift off.
'That's cute,' Yu Xuan thought, watching the young woman who looked completely defenseless in her sleep. "Sleep well. So I don't disturb you, I'll close the shop. When you wake up, you can open it again."
He left those words behind and turned toward the fifth shelf. Behind him, Xianan opened her eyes for a few seconds.
Watching Yu Xuan walk away, she felt a genuine warmth. That little brother of hers really did care about her.
"Good luck on your hunt, little one," she murmured. She was curious enough to want to follow him but chose not to. She respected her younger brother's secrets just as he respected hers. Even after learning about her lineage, he had only asked her age and nothing more. They both understood the limits they shouldn't cross—and the ones they couldn't.
"My urge to capture him just grew stronger… What kind of exemplary sister am I? But well… he started it," Xianan whispered to herself before drifting off to sleep.
On the shelf, Yu Xuan grabbed a glass jar containing a transparent, colorless candy. Taking one last glance at the woman still lying on the table, his face softened.
That calmness was soothing.
Turning away again, Yu Xuan didn't look back. He needed to work hard to find the butterfly as soon as possible.
Stopping at the gate, Yu Xuan pulled the iron bar to the right while walking alongside it, locking the door from the outside. Then, he headed toward the forest.
At ten in the morning, the sunlight was mild, and the landscape glowed with a bright green hue. In an area covered with trees, dew still dripped from the leaves, a result of the humid air. This place lay twenty kilometers northwest of Yu Village.
Arriving at the grove, Yu Xuan admired the beautiful scenery and the huge canopy shadows that blocked any view of the sky. In his sight, there were only trunks and blue butterflies fluttering everywhere.
Scanning the tiny creatures with his blue eyes, Yu Xuan saw no green ones. Just as he expected—finding a green butterfly was like spotting an eagle in a pine tree.
"Time to use this candy," Yu Xuan said, opening the jar and dipping his finger inside. The next instant, he spread it on the bark of a tree, tracing a horizontal, transparent line that looked like water.
Taking two steps back, he focused on the spot where he'd left the candy. Seconds later, several butterflies and caterpillars appeared like ants. But none of them had the traits he was looking for.
Frowning, he moved on to the next trees. The result was the same.
By two in the afternoon, when his stomach began to rumble, Yu Xuan gave up for the day. He didn't want a repeat of yesterday, and this time it would be reckless to push on. After all, only one specific butterfly would do—unlike silkworms, where all could be used. Besides, he still needed to feed Xiao Jin.
With a dejected sigh, Yu Xuan returned to the village.
Under the last rays of the sun, he reached his home, quickly grabbed the silkworm, and went back to the entrance. Sitting down, he watched the sun disappear beyond the horizon as the orange tones faded away.
Though still in a foul mood, Yu Xuan gradually felt his emotions calm.
The sun vanished completely, and the stars began to light up the vast world with their flickering glow.
As night arrived, Yu Xuan picked up the silkworm and went back inside.
When all the lights in Yu Village were out, the stars disappeared, and dark clouds filled the sky, flashing with lightning.
A heavy rain poured down, soaking the rooftops and creating the rhythmic sound of dripping water. In one house, the rain passed straight through a hole in the roof, dripping endlessly into a shallow crater on the floor.
Two hours after the storm began, the water had risen enough to soak every corner of the house.
Awakened by the cold, Yu Xuan opened his eyes irritably. "Seriously? It rains two days after my roof breaks?"
He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He had procrastinated for days, never expecting a storm to strike out of nowhere.
Putting on a black cloak he kept in the closet, Yu Xuan stepped outside. As he walked on the wet ground, thousands of droplets splashed against the fabric, streaming down the smooth skin of his face.
"This is punishment for procrastination," he muttered bitterly. Under the night rain, he began working with the tools on the porch. He grabbed an axe and started chopping several nearby trees. Once he had enough wood, he returned home, climbed a ladder, and nailed the boards in place, roughly sealing the hole.
When he came down, Yu Xuan's face was weary. He went back to bed and quickly fell asleep.
Even after the makeshift repair, the rain continued for another twenty minutes before stopping completely.
The next morning, a scarecrow shaped like a rooster began to crow, waking Yu Xuan, who now had dark circles under his eyes. Yawning sleepily, he got up and went to the door. Seeing the first rays of sunlight cross the horizon, his face turned deadpan.
"Haa… I worked so hard just for the rain to stop," Yu Xuan muttered with a complicated expression. Shaking his head in disgust, he picked up Xiao Jin and let him bathe until six o'clock.
Leaving early for the forest, Yu Xuan once again tried to find the green butterfly.
The trees were still covered in dew, and from time to time, droplets fell to the ground.
That day, Yu Xuan found it even harder to locate the butterfly. Another fruitless day.
By the seventh day, Yu Xuan looked like a walking corpse. The crystalline blue of his eyes had turned reddish. Those days had been utterly exhausting for him.
"Let's search again," he said, still clinging to his persistence.