Chapter 14: Getting Started

I struggled for a while before finally peeling off the stockings.
After tossing all my clothes into the basket, I turned around and asked, “All right? What now?”

I’d forgotten that Xiao Qing was completely naked.
When I looked back, she was covering her chest and crotch with her hands, her face tinged red.
“What do you think? Hurry into the bathroom.
You won’t really make a girl stand out here in the draft, will you?”

I gave an awkward laugh.
So she wasn’t as indifferent as she made herself sound—after all, she was still a girl, and still shy.

And come to think of it, I saw her every day, so I had grown used to her presence and never thought much of it.
But now, seeing her like this, I realized the little girl had developed far more than I’d noticed.

A primitive urge welled up in me, surging downward as a burning heat—only to jam at my lower abdomen, unable to release.

Flustered, I touched my lower belly.
Smooth skin.
Nothing.
Unwilling to believe it, I pressed against the soft depression of my body—still nothing.

“What are you touching yourself for? Why aren’t you coming in yet?”
Ou Zhiqin turned impatiently from inside the bathroom.

“T-The thing… it’s gone.
I can’t find it.
That’s impossible… I only wore Xia Yubing’s skin, didn’t I?”
I stammered.

“Hah?”
Xiao Qing blinked, not understanding.
After I explained in a flustered mess, she finally grasped my nonsense.

Panic truly set in for me then.
Before, I hadn’t dared to think seriously about my gender situation—caught in that eerie school, attacked and terrified, I had no time to care.

In my heart, I had always believed I was simply wearing Xia Yubing’s skin.
If I could just peel it off, I would be Luo Xiao again.
I didn’t know how, but I clung to that idea.

Now, here in Xiao Qing’s home with a moment to breathe, I realized the problem wasn’t only skin-deep.
Even my physiology had changed.

After understanding, Xiao Qing was dumbfounded.
Blushing with frustration, she snapped, “How should I know why? I’ve only been studying occult books for two years—I’m still an amateur.
The texts never mention anyone stealing a Painted Skin Ghost’s shell, let alone what would happen afterward.”

“Then what do I do?
If I can’t shed this skin, I won’t even have my old identity anymore… and I’ve changed s*x on top of that.”
I asked in despair.

“What can you do? Nothing.
Survive the Painted Skin Ghost first.
If you die tonight, what good are identity or gender?” Ou Zhiqin said bluntly.

She wasn’t wrong.
I wasn’t even safe yet.
If I died tonight, there would be no future to worry about.
For now, such concerns were meaningless.

I forced myself to shove those fears aside and stepped into the bathroom.
The tub was filled to the brim with steaming water, with a plastic chair and showerhead nearby.

“Brother Xiao, sit on that chair.
I’ll cleanse you first.”
Ou Zhiqin pointed.

I knew nothing, so I obeyed and sat down, closing my eyes to avoid being stirred up again by her body.

“Don’t close your eyes.
Watch how I cleanse you.
You’ll need to learn it.”
She insisted.

“Will I really need this technique?”
I asked, though I opened my eyes anyway.
She was sitting behind me, so long as I didn’t turn, I couldn’t see her.

“Of course.
Cleansing is one of the basics of Daoist cultivation.
Anyone who enters haunted places often will be tainted by foul qi.
If you don’t wash it away, you’ll fall sick—or even be possessed.”
She picked up a willow branch as she spoke.

“Besides, you were attacked by the Painted Skin Ghost.
Maybe your Yin-Yang Eyes are open now.
Either way, you’ll keep encountering spirits and their filth.
Learning to cleanse is definitely worthwhile.”

As she spoke, she dipped the willow branch into the tub and sprinkled droplets onto my skin.
At first I wondered how long she’d keep flicking drops like that, but then wisps of black vapor rose from where the water touched.

Only then did I realize—the willow water revealed the hidden filth.
Without it, even I couldn’t have seen the heavy foul qi clinging to me.

The method reminded me of Guanyin Bodhisattva’s willow branch.
Perhaps it was related.

Patiently, Xiao Qing sprinkled me all over, letting the water touch every part of my body.
I asked, “Then what about ordinary people? They can’t see filth, and they don’t know this ritual.
How can they cleanse themselves?”

“Not exactly hopeless.
The cleansing ritual was derived from bathing in the first place.
Daily showers wash away quite a bit of filth, and staying in a clean environment helps too.
At the very least, it won’t accumulate to sickness.”
Ou Zhiqin answered.

Her words made me think of my broken family.
Not only was there no healthy aura at home, but it felt like black miasma seeped out of it.
No wonder, once my father fell into ruin, illness plagued him constantly.
And me—weak since childhood, perhaps because of years of accumulated filth.

By now, Xiao Qing had sprinkled enough.
She set aside the willow branch, used the shower to wet me thoroughly, then pressed both hands to my skin and scrubbed hard.

“Ahh—Xiao Qing, softer!”
I gasped sharply.
So cleansing was basically just… scrubbing.
And Xia Yubing’s skin was incredibly sensitive—so sensitive it felt like my own.

“If I don’t scrub hard, how can I remove the filth?
Bear with it.
I can feel how thick the miasma is—you need a thorough cleanse.”
She wrapped her arms under my ribs and rubbed firmly.

“Mmmph!”
I bit my lip, enduring the overstimulating sensation.
But it worked.
Where her hands passed, the black vapor dispersed, and I felt as though a weight was being lifted off me.

“Tsk, tsk.
I always thought so, but Xia Yubing’s figure really is amazing.
White skin, graceful curves… truly worthy of being the school beauty.”
Suddenly, Xiao Qing’s hands slid to my chest—and squeezed hard.

“Ahh! Xiao Qing, what are you doing?!”
I cried out involuntarily.