Chapter 752: The Meaning of Purple (7)

—Fwoosh.

Behind her back, her wings spread wide like the tail feathers of a peacock.

The light flowing into the cave passed through them, dyeing the entire cavern crimson.

It felt like the red lanterns used during wedding ceremonies in the Central Plains had been lit.

The color alone created a strangely erotic atmosphere.

After all, weren’t red lanterns mood lights lit for the bride and groom’s first night together?

It was practically an announcement that from this moment onward, everything would be done with complete dedication.

—Gulp.

I swallowed hard.

I knew exactly what she intended, and when breasts so overwhelming they stole your breath were hanging right beneath your nose, swallowing was inevitable.

It felt like a tidal wave made of breasts was about to crash over me.

A wave formed entirely from breasts looming close enough to suffocate me?

That was a guaranteed happy death.

“So. Ryong. Ah...”

Calling my name in broken, staccato-like fragments, as if following a rhythm from music, she pressed herself against me, and her breasts slapped against my face.

Then, like rising floodwaters during monsoon season, the breasts stuck to my face slowly climbed higher.

From my chin to my mouth.

From my mouth to my nose.

As the surface of flesh gradually rose and sealed off my nostrils, a fragrant scent flooded into me.

Maybe because she was a butterfly, it smelled almost like flowers.

The sweet fragrance filled my mind completely.

She was a Blood-Blossom Dream Illusion Butterfly.

I had expected at least the scent of blood, but all I smelled was the soft fragrance of her skin.

'Damn. This is amazing.'

Just as I was becoming utterly intoxicated by it, suffocation suddenly followed.

The soft flesh was obstructing my breathing.

With ordinary skin, there would at least be tiny gaps to breathe through, but the larger breasts became, the softer they grew in proportion to their size.

Which meant my airways were completely sealed shut.

Even for me, someone who had experienced quite a variety of breasts, this level of softness was a first.

“Khk!”

“Are you alright, So-ryong?”

Her voice carried a hint of alarm.

It seemed she had been startled when I suddenly started choking.

I grinned and said,

“I’m fine, sis. E-Even if I die, I’d have no regrets.”

“S-So much that...?”

I quickly pulled my head out from between her breasts and assured her I was fine before immediately burying my face back in.

Honestly, I truly felt like dying here would not be so bad.

Wasn’t this the kind of moment a man could die happily in?

If this was how I died, I would welcome it.

To drown in waves of breasts.

No matter when it happened, that would count as a blessed death.

“So-ryong is adorable...”

Smiling happily at my words, she leaned in and kissed me.

Like some prophet parting the surface of a sea made of breasts, her face slowly approached me.

Then contact.

—Chu.

Maybe because butterfly mouths were based on proboscises, the kiss carried such intense suction that it felt like my front teeth might get ripped out.

By the time it felt as though even my soul was being sucked away, our clothes had come off, and we became one like a pair of butterflies.

***

Resting her head on my arm atop the straw spread across the cave floor, she wore a blissful expression.

It seemed becoming a pair with me had made her truly happy.

Butterflies only mate with a single male in their entire lives.

Well, depending on the species and climate, there were exceptions, but most were like that.

After mating with a female, the male created something called a mating plug and attached it to the female’s reproductive organ, preventing mating with other males.

It was essentially a chastity device that sealed the female off from all other males entirely.

Which was probably why the satisfaction she felt from her first mating partner was so extraordinary.

For a butterfly that paired with only one male for life, this was the moment she gained her lifelong mate.

“My So-ryong.”

While stroking my face, she licked my arm, and I found myself slightly puzzled.

Sometimes butterflies absorbed things other than nectar—water, salt, or water gathered in puddles after rain.

This behavior was meant to replenish minerals and salts.

In biology, it was called mud-puddling.

Butterflies that survived mainly on flower nectar received plenty of sugar and energy, but nectar alone made it difficult to replenish sodium and other minerals needed by the body.

That was why they became attracted to wet soil, puddles, human sweat, animal droppings, and even carcasses.

But she was a Blood-Blossom Dream Illusion Butterfly.

A spirit-creature that fed primarily on blood.

Any other butterfly might lack sodium or minerals, but there was no way she would.

Blood was rich in sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron.

And besides, I had replenished her through... another route yesterday.

Especially zinc. In enormous quantities.

'Is this just affection?'

As I wondered if it was merely a sign of affection, memories of last night’s exhausting first night together surfaced.

Why had a night that should have been pleasurable and blissful ended up exhausting?

Because her stamina was incredible?

Because she craved sex even more than Princess Ji-ryeon, a dual cultivation immortal, or Gun Hye-rin, a succubus?

Or because I was already worn out from my other wives?

No.

It was entirely because she was a butterfly.

I recalled what had happened the moment we became one.

“Sis, c-can I move?”

“No. Stay still, So-ryong. My instincts are telling me this is how it’s supposed to be.”

“But humans, th-that’s kind of difficult...”

“What’s difficult?”

“I mean, humans need to... move in order to...”

Mating with her nearly drove me insane.

Because butterfly mating involved simply pressing their bodies together and remaining still.

Normally, butterflies attached themselves to one another and sat motionless on a branch for quite a while while the male transferred sperm to the female.

Which was probably why, as a butterfly spirit-creature, she wanted motionless mating.

The two of us connected together without moving.

For one shijin.

Two whole hours.

But how was a human supposed to mate like that?

Of course I nearly lost my mind.

Fortunately, after I taught her the pleasures of movement, she became satisfied, and we safely made it through our first night together, but even remembering it now made my body tremble.

This was supposed to be lovemaking, not torture.

If she wanted to do that again next time, we were going to have a serious problem.

Just as I was thinking that, her voice reached me again.

“So-ryong, I want to stay like this forever.”

“Me too.”

I held her close as we enjoyed that peaceful, happy moment together.

Then suddenly, Hwa-eun’s voice echoed through our private mental link.

'Husband, you should come outside.'

When I entered this place, I had told everyone not to contact me unless I reached out first.

A first night together was precious to anyone, so they had been considerate.

Which meant this message had come much sooner than expected.

Sensing something strange, I asked,

'What happened?'

Then came an answer I never could have expected.

'The dragons have gathered outside.'

'Dragons!?'

I jolted upright.

Weren’t we already being watched by dragons because of the matter involving Zihwa?

If dragons had gathered now, it naturally sounded like they had come to attack White Night City directly.

If they were merely spying, one or two would have been enough.

If several had gathered together, force was the only explanation.

It wasn’t as though they had come to hold some kind of reunion gathering.

'So they finally made their move.'

Thinking that, I sprang to my feet and shouted,

“Sis, I need to go out!”

“W-What happened?”

She quickly sat up as well, startled by my sudden movement.

At the same time, clothes wrapped themselves around her body with a rustling sound.

Not the semi-transparent clothes she had shown me before.

It seemed she was self-aware about how she dressed, because now she wore neat crimson robes.

Apparently, the outfit she had shown me last night had been her special “winning outfit.”

Back in my previous previous life, I had heard that in Japan women wore something called “battle lingerie” when trying to seduce a boyfriend or husband.

Sexy underwear meant to tempt a man.

Which meant those semi-transparent clothes she had shown me were probably that sort of thing.

Feeling strangely relieved, I explained what Hwa-eun had told me, and she immediately rolled up her sleeves.

“They say dragons have gathered outside.”

“Dragons? Ah... you said they were watching us, didn’t you? Let’s go. I can’t forgive them for interrupting my happy first night!”

“But our first night is already over?”

“We haven’t slept yet, so it’s not over.”

With her uniquely questionable logic, she hurried alongside me toward the entrance of Dokmul-hyang.

But something felt odd.

If dragons had truly gathered, it should have been an extremely urgent situation.

Yet Hwa-eun’s voice had not sounded especially urgent.

Rather than urgent, she had sounded... troubled.

'What is this? Can they handle it? Or are the ones who came weak? Don’t tell me they sent idiots like Sua to test our strength?'

That possibility crossed my mind.

Maybe they had sent dragons weak enough that Hwa-eun felt awkward dealing with them personally, just to gauge our strength.

Looking at Sua, it definitely seemed some dragons were complete idiots.

Thinking that, I exited through the entrance of Dokmul-hyang.

As my vision recovered, the office came into view.

I had expected the Nascent Soul cultivator to already be fighting in my absence, yet we were still in the office.

'No, if I’m not here, that Nascent Soul bastard should’ve already gone out and started fighting!'

Thinking the guy had been slacking lately, I immediately moved to leap through the window.

But someone grabbed my waist.

“Husband.”

Turning around, I saw Hwa-eun clutching my belt in urgency.

Hwa-eun was here too?

Then did that mean the guards standing watch were the ones fighting?

The strongest among them were only at the Core Formation Stage.

Had such weaklings really gathered outside?

Thinking that, I asked,

“You said dragons gathered outside. Don’t tell me the guards are fighting them already?”

My face clearly asked where the dragons even were at a time like this.

Hwa-eun calmed me and explained,

“Ah, I forgot to mention that. Calm down. They didn’t attack us or anything.”

“They didn’t attack?”

“No.”

They were supposedly desperate to find Zihwa, yet they had not attacked?

Then what—had they come to say hello?

Come to think of it, I could not hear any sounds of fighting either.

Completely confused, I asked,

“Then what, did they come to greet us or something?”

I had said it jokingly.

But the answer I received was:

“Yes.”

“?”

I blinked.

Then I heard shijie’s voice.

“It’s true, shidi.”

I had not realized it before, but she was inside the office as well, and she confirmed Hwa-eun’s words.

I calmed myself and sat down in one of the chairs.

If what they said was true, then I roughly understood the situation.

Those sly dragon bastards were probably trying another method of spying on us.

Right now they had no proof that Zihwa was here, so rather than attacking directly, they were obviously planning to infiltrate White Night City as guests and search every inch of the place.

Probably to investigate what state Sua was in too.

Otherwise there was no reason for them to arrive in a group like this.

Especially not at a timing this convenient.

I let out a dry laugh.

“So they’re disguising themselves as guests to spy on us?”

“Seems that way, shidi.”

“Yes, husband. That’s probably it.”

Looking out the window, I saw numerous cultivators moving from the entrance of White Night City toward the inn district with servants accompanying them.

The differently colored horns protruding from their heads gleamed in the light.

White ones, black ones, red ones, yellow ones.

Quite the variety.

The white ones were white dragons.

The black ones were black dragons.

The red ones were red dragons.

The yellow ones were yellow dragons.

It looked like some kind of dragon gift set.

'Ha. Those bastards.'

The dragons truly were unbelievably sneaky creatures.