Chapter 9: Bath

First, change clothes, right?

Yiluo twirled a strand of her pale golden hair with her fingers, glancing at the faint rise and fall beneath her slightly open cloak, thinking to herself.

Just as she thought this, Yiluo suddenly paused, her gaze fixed on the slender, pale fingers playing with her hair.

0.0

Yiluo realized something was not simple and frowned slightly.

Her unconscious gestures… weren’t they a bit too feminine?

But soon the corners of her lips lifted proudly, relaxing again.

As expected of me—a top-tier agent—even a girl’s expressions are mimicked so perfectly!

Hohoho, professional.

But…

Yiluo grew a little worried again.

If she were still her original male self, disguising as a beautiful girl for a mission, it wouldn’t be a problem.

But now her body was completely that of a girl.

If she kept acting like this, would she… gradually be unable to turn back?

Thinking this, Yiluo twirled her pale golden hair again, then slowly released it, watching the soft strands uncurl back to normal.

Uh… this is pretty fun…

Smooth…

As a male, having the beautiful, lovely long hair of a girl within reach—wanting to touch it was only natural, right?

Hmm… so…

Her actions were justifiable, right?

Yes! Definitely!

She had the mind of a man while maintaining a flawless female disguise!

Nice!

As expected of me. Let’s go with that~

After indulging in some self-admiration, Yiluo looked at Coco’s dirty little face and quickly stood up to do something serious.

By logic, she should have bathed before changing clothes.

Changing clothes, then bathing, then changing again was pointless—but since she needed to go outside to boil water to clean Coco’s wounds, wearing a thick cloak the whole time would make Granny Vini suspicious.

So she decided to change first.

The outfit was an old-fashioned European-style long dress: an inner buttoned layer, then a big yellow coarse-cloth skirt, and finally a white outer coat.

It was a bit cumbersome to wear, but nothing Yiluo couldn’t handle.

She finished quickly, and luckily, it fit her perfectly.

There was no mirror in the room, so Yiluo didn’t know exactly how she looked.

Although the clothes were obviously those of a village girl and somewhat rustic, she was confident that this body would look good in anything.

“Oh, my dear Yiluo, you’re as beautiful as an angel. You must be of noble birth, right? It’s a pity I don’t have finer clothes to make you even lovelier.”

“These are herbs. Apply them to the poor child. They may not look as fancy as medicines from the city, but they work just as well.”

While boiling water, Yiluo tried to make her smile more elegant.

After chatting a bit more with Granny Vini, she carried the wooden basin of warm mixed water back to the room and placed it on a stool by the bed.

Yiluo looked at Coco on the bed and thought.

Alright—undress her first.

Coco’s maid outfit was quite tattered.

Yiluo was very careful, gently turning Coco over and untying the strings on the back of the maid dress.

She removed it bit by bit, and each time she saw a deep red bruise, her eyebrows tightened.

Killing them just like that was too merciful.

That was Yiluo’s honest thought.

Looking at the completely naked Coco on the bed, Yiluo felt absolutely no desire—only that the girl was far too thin.

She thought that once Coco woke up, she must make her eat more.

In Yiluo’s eyes, Coco was about the same age as her own daughter would have been.

She felt like an old father.

And since her current body was female too, she had no hesitation.

The warm, perfectly heated towel glided softly across Coco’s skin.

Whenever she reached a swollen area, Yiluo was especially patient, her movements even gentler.

Yet Coco would occasionally let out a faint whimper.

The clean water in the basin slowly turned murky.

Because Yiluo was being so careful, a few beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

After changing the water twice, Yiluo finally finished wiping Coco’s body and applied the herbs.

She wrapped the treated areas with the white cloth Granny Vini provided, then gently repositioned Coco on the bed, tucking her in securely.

Looking at Coco’s flushed little face, her heart filled with pride.

Honestly, this was exhausting—more tiring than fighting someone.

But… it felt nice.

Yiluo, long accustomed to being alone, thought so as she stood up, stretched, and muttered softly:

“Coco’s done. Finally, it’s my turn.”

“Phew, not having a water heater is inconvenient.”

“Scientists really deserve respect.”

She grumbled, but her hands were efficient.

She filled the small outdoor bath pit behind the house with buckets of water, then heated a big pot of water over the fire.

After several trips, the little pit that could barely fit two people was finally steaming hot.

Yiluo didn’t waste a second—she shed her clothes and got ready to soak!

“Ah—!”

The moment her white little foot touched the water, she let out a soft yelp from the heat.

But that didn’t stop her desire to bathe.

Gritting her teeth, she slid in all at once.

“Mmm… huhuhu…”

“It really does need to be hotter. So comfortable…”

“Baths really are the best.”

Yiluo leaned back against the smooth round stone, half-closed her eyes, watching the steam rise before her.

It felt like her very soul was being purified—so comfortable she didn’t want to move.

This body… was even better at taking baths than her old one!

Thinking this, Yiluo slid down a bit more, letting even her little head dip beneath the water.

Heat filled her completely; it felt like being tipsy from wine—floaty, dreamy, pleasantly dizzy.

Under the water, Yiluo suddenly opened her eyes, blinking her bright blue pupils.

“Glub glub…”

She mischievously blew a few bubbles.

Yes, a man (girl) is always a child, no matter the age.

After that, Yiluo began carefully examining her body.

Don’t get the wrong idea—she had no strange intentions.

It was just that when she first woke up, her whole body had felt painfully hot, and her arms practically skin and bone.

So she needed to check if anything was wrong.

Of course, she didn’t discover anything meaningful.

But with a man’s perspective, she could only marvel at how perfect this body was.

When she reached a certain forbidden area in her inspection, she finally couldn’t hold her breath any longer.

With a splash, she stood up, her face crimson red, wet hair clinging to her back.

“Ahhh!”

“As expected! The water is too hot! My brain isn’t working right!”

Her shame exploded, and she desperately tried to find excuses.

But at that moment, her expression suddenly calmed.

She tilted her head slightly toward the house.

A sound had come from the room—very faint, but impossible to escape Yiluo’s ears.