Chapter 3: The Amnesiac Butterfly

Afterward, Chen Mo unlocked the iron shackles on Die's hands and freed the other snake people who had been captured alongside her.

During this process, Chen Mo gained three Favorability Coins from Die Ba.

"Thank you for saving me!" Die Ba formally expressed her gratitude to Chen Mo.

She wore a red strapless top and a short skirt. Her skin was as fair as jade, smooth and delicate, revealing her bare shoulders and collarbone. Around her neck hung a dark-gold pendant.

Seeing Chen Mo staring at her intently, Die's cheeks flushed. Just as she was about to ask why he had saved her, Chen Mo suddenly frowned, his sword-like brows knitting together as a hint of pain surfaced in his expression.

Noticing this, Die Ba suddenly remembered that Chen Mo had been injured earlier. Concerned, she asked, "Your wound..."

"This is not a safe place to stay. We should leave here first," Chen Mo interrupted her.

Based on the anime's plot, many people were after Die Ba. Following the expected course of events, Queen Medusa and Hai Bodong would likely arrive soon.

Not long after the two of them left…

A massive figure emerged from the yellow sands.

One of the mercenaries who had been knocked unconscious by Chen Mo was the first to see the enormous creature as he struggled to his feet. He immediately let out a startled cry, "Boss!"

The mercenary leader, who was tending to his wounds, turned his gaze toward the distance. In the vast desert, a colossal beast was slowly approaching.

It was a magical beast resembling a giant turtle, standing about three meters tall.

On its back, it carried a water cart.

Seated atop the beast was a figure clad in a coarse robe.

"Brothers, it's water!" The leader stopped treating his wounds and stepped forward. With a single slash, he struck the water cart, causing a torrent of water to spill out. He greedily took a large gulp and then declared, "Water vendor, we're taking your cart of water."

The robed figure remained silent. Instead, he dismounted from the turtle-like beast, sweeping his gaze over the wounded mercenaries. Upon seeing that they were all injured, his expression became grim.

When the robed figure didn't respond, the mercenary leader grew furious. Already seething with anger, he finally found a target to vent his frustration. Charging forward, he bellowed, "Water vendor! I'm talking to you! Do you hear me?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he reached out and placed his hand on the robed figure's shoulder.

In an instant, the world fell silent.

It was as if time had stopped.

Then, with a gust of wind…

"Boom!"

An invisible shockwave erupted from the robed figure. The mercenary leader was sent flying backward.

The moment he hit the ground, his entire body instantly turned into a block of ice—his life force completely extinguished.

"I despise being touched by others," the robed man said coldly.

As his robe fell away, it revealed an elegant blue silk robe beneath. His voice was as frigid as his power.

He appeared to be a man in his thirties, his face showing traces of hardship. His hair was slightly disheveled, adding to his rugged appearance.

"Boss...!" The remaining mercenaries were thrown into a panic upon witnessing their leader's sudden death.

The man's gaze shifted to one of the mercenaries. In an indifferent tone, he asked, "Tell me, where are the snake-women you were transporting?"

The mercenary's voice trembled as he stammered, "T-they… were rescued."

"Which direction did they go?"

"S-South…"

---

To the North

The scorching sun blazed in the sky, roasting the ground below and causing waves of heat to rise.

*Crunch… Crunch…*

Footsteps echoed through the desert.

"Why are we going back? And how much farther do we have to walk? I can't take it anymore…"

The relentless journey had left Die Ba exhausted, her throat dry and parched.

"The mercenaries saw the direction we escaped in. To avoid exposing our trail, we need to head in the opposite direction," Chen Mo explained.

He was also nearing his limit. Shielding his eyes with his hand, he scanned the horizon and spotted a shaded area in the distance. "There's some shade over there. Let's rest for a while."

With that, he turned to Die and offered his hand. "If you can't walk anymore, I'll help you."

Chen Mo never missed a chance to earn Favorability Points.

[Ding! Favorability +1. Earned one Favorability Coin.]

Die hesitated. However, upon seeing the gruesome wound on Chen Mo's back, she shook her head and said, "I can still walk. Let's go."

To prove her determination, she took the lead, walking ahead of him.

Chen Mo followed behind her.

Before long, they reached the shaded area—a space between two massive boulders where the sun couldn't reach, creating a cool and sheltered spot.

The moment they arrived, both of them collapsed onto the ground.

Immediately, Die focused on Chen Mo's wound. "Let me help you treat that."

Chen Mo didn't refuse. He retrieved a Healing Pill from his system inventory and handed it to Die Ba. "Crush this and apply it to my wound."

The Healing Pill had excellent restorative properties.

Die Ba nodded and took the pill. Then, she carefully pulled up Chen Mo's shirt.

The wound stretched nearly twenty centimeters long. To properly treat it, she had no choice but to remove his shirt entirely.

Chen Mo let her do as she pleased.

"Hiss…" He sucked in a breath as pain shot through him. His shirt had already stuck to the wound due to the dried blood, and removing it inevitably caused discomfort.

"Sorry, did that hurt? I'll be gentler," Die apologized.

Chen Mo was momentarily stunned. *Oh wow, such a cliché line…*

"It's fine. I can handle it," he replied.

Die Ba continued removing his shirt, this time with extra care. Soon, the bloodstained white shirt was completely off.

"Ah… this wound…" Die Ba gasped in shock before hurriedly covering her mouth with her hand.

Though not deep, the wound was gruesome, exposing raw flesh. The sight of it made Die's heart tighten with guilt.

*He got hurt this badly… all because of me.*

[Ding! Favorability +1. Earned one Favorability Coin.]

"What's wrong?" Chen Mo was surprised that his injury alone was enough to earn more Favorability. Guess getting hurt was worth it…

"It's nothing," Die Ba murmured. She then carefully crushed the pill into powder and sprinkled it onto his wound, bit by bit.

The searing pain made Chen Mo clench his jaw.

Seeing him endure the agony, Die's guilt deepened. She couldn't help but ask, "What's your name?"

"Huh?" Chen Mo was momentarily taken aback before quickly replying, "Chen Mo. 'Mo' as in 'ink.' And you?"

Though his system had already told him her name, he asked anyway.

She paused momentarily, then continued bandaging his wound. Lowering her head, she muttered, "I don't know… Ever since I woke up that day, I can't remember anything."

"You have amnesia?" Chen Mo feigned surprise.

In the anime, she had Dou Huang-level strength, just like Queen Medusa. But after using a spatial ability to escape, she lost her memory and ended up captured by a group of lowly mercenaries.

Die Ba tied the bandage with a delicate butterfly knot on his back and smiled. "All done!"

"Thanks," Chen Mo said.

"No, I should be thanking you instead."

Chen Mo remained silent.

Die Ba continued, "By the way, I still don't know why you saved me."

Though she had no memories, something inside her warned that humans didn't treat snake people kindly.

"If I said it was fate, would you believe me?" Chen Mo certainly wasn't going to tell her he was just after Favorability Coins, so he made up an excuse.

"I believe you," Die Ba answered without hesitation.

"In that case, since you can't remember your name, why don't I give you one for now?"

"Alright!"

"From now on, I'll call you Die Ba. As in 'butterfly,' free and unbound."

****

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