Chapter 46: The Return of the Man, and the Landlady’s Surprise

Standing there, Xia Xingyan felt a bone-chilling cold sweep through her entire being.

She had believed that awakening her powers would grant her the right to resist.

She had imagined that joining Tian Lanxing’s team would allow her to grasp her own sliver of hope.

Yet, reality had dealt her a devastating blow.

She remained a canary trapped within a gilded cage, her entire existence held firmly in the hands of these two so-called relatives standing before her.

Xia Xingyan’s hands clenched imperceptibly, her nails digging deeply into her palms, a sharp pang of pain radiating through them.

Still, this physical ache was but a minuscule fraction of the torment in her heart.

After a long silence.

Slowly, she lifted her head, her serene face betraying not a single emotion.

“I understand.”

****

Several days passed.

In Linhai City, the afternoon sun streamed into Gu Qing’s convenience store.

Hua Mu’ai lay sprawled across the cash register, one hand propping up her chin while the other listlessly poked at her phone screen.

A kitschy (TL Note: ‘Tuwei’ refers to a style of internet content that is considered unsophisticated, rustic, or even cringeworthy, often intentionally so for comedic effect.) short video played, featuring a man hoarsely yelling, “I only feel bad for my ‘giegie’!”

“Ugh…”

‘Life is truly becoming unbearable,’ she thought with a sigh.

She lifted her head, her gaze sweeping around the small shop.

The shelves gleamed, meticulously polished, and the goods were stacked with impeccable neatness.

Yet, there wasn’t a single customer in sight.

Then again, with its ‘three days fishing, two days drying nets’ (TL Note: A Chinese idiom describing inconsistent effort or sporadic work.) approach, who would bother coming anymore?

“Close it down! We must close it down immediately!”

Hua Mu’ai abruptly sat upright, slamming a small fist onto the counter.

She had already informed the landlady that she would formally terminate the lease next week; she was done with this wretched shop!

After all, she certainly wasn’t short on money these days.

Spending her days lounging at home like a happy ‘salted fish’ (TL Note: A Chinese internet slang term for someone who has no ambition and prefers to do nothing.) sounded absolutely wonderful.

At this thought, Hua Mu’ai’s mood brightened considerably.

She spread her palm, and the dice-shaped Heart Stone materialized.

“Yuena? You useless lump, are you awake yet? If you don’t wake up soon, I’m going to flush you down the toilet!”

Once again, she muttered the fairy princess’s name in her mind.

Ever since she had transformed back into Tian Lanxing and hadn’t been ‘cool’ for long, she tried to rouse Yuena every single day.

She had expected the same lack of response today, yet just as she was about to give up, an ethereal voice finally resonated within her mind.

[You’re too loud. I’m replenishing my energy.]

“You’re finally awake!” Hua Mu’ai exclaimed, her surprise quickly turning to delight. “Tell me, why can’t I change back again?”

Yuena’s voice was laced with exhaustion.

[On that day, my physical condition absolutely forbade you from unleashing your Lunar Form. I forcibly overexerted my energy just to allow you to temporarily revert.]

[The consequence is that my recovery period will need to be extended for a very, very long time.]

‘It’s over!’

This news struck Hua Mu’ai like a bolt from the blue.

“Are you saying I’ll have to endure this wretched appearance for much longer?!”

Hua Mu’ai let out a cry of utter despair.

She frantically tore at her hair, feeling as though the heavens themselves were collapsing around her.

She was truly fed up!

Every morning, upon waking, the sight of her reflection — a pink-haired loli, barely 1.6 meters tall, with an innocent, doll-like face — filled her with intense displeasure!

When she went out to buy groceries, she was mistaken for a runaway elementary school student.

At the bank, withdrawing money meant enduring a lengthy interrogation from the teller.

‘This life is simply unlivable!’

[It’s not as if there’s no solution at all.]

Just as Hua Mu’ai teetered on the brink of despair, Yuena’s voice chimed in once more.

“What solution?!” Hua Mu’ai seized upon the words like a drowning person grasping a lifeline.

[While I cannot revert you to your Tian Lanxing form, I can still help you unlock the ability to switch to other forms.]

Yuena then added, almost as an afterthought.

[Including your original male body.]

The expression on Hua Mu’ai’s face shifted rapidly, transitioning from despair to stunned blankness, then to unbridled ecstasy, all in less than three seconds.

“You—you’re serious?!” Her voice trembled with disbelief. “I can truly become a man again?”

[Indeed.] Yuena confirmed.

“Woohoo!”

Hua Mu’ai leaped from her chair, bubbling with excitement.

She felt as though a soul, suppressed for centuries, had finally glimpsed the dawn of liberation.

She could finally enter the men’s restroom with dignity.

And even pee standing up!

“Hurry! Change me back right now!” she exclaimed, practically vibrating with eagerness.

[It’s already done.]

Yuena’s voice held a hint of resignation.

“Huh?”

Hua Mu’ai paused, bewildered for a moment, before the realization dawned on her.

She closed her eyes, concentrating intensely, and in her mind, she let out a long-suppressed roar.

‘Change me back, now!’

The very next second, a burst of light erupted, and a long-forgotten sensation surged through his entire body!

His body rapidly shot upwards, and the entire layout of the convenience store seemed to shift and expand before his eyes.

In mere seconds, the petite, adorable pink-haired loli transformed into a handsome man, over 1.8 meters tall, with a commanding, well-built physique.

“Hah—!”

Gu Qing opened his eyes, feeling the familiar surge of power within his body, and couldn’t help but let out a long, deeply satisfying sigh.

It had all returned!

He lowered his gaze to his broad, powerful hands, then ran a hand over the rough stubble on his chin.

This was him; this was the true Gu Qing!

Yet, this profound joy vanished in an instant.

*Riiiiip.*

A distinct tearing sound of fabric echoed through the quiet store.

Gu Qing froze, then glanced down.

The once-loose hoodie he was wearing now strained tightly across his chest and shoulders.

The crisp sound had come from the overstressed seam at the armpit of the hoodie, which had now ripped open into a gaping hole.

*Riiiiip*, another tear.

The adorable pleated skirt he wore on his lower half had been stretched to its absolute limit during his transformation.

Its pleats had completely vanished, leaving the fabric stretched tautly across his thighs.

Now, with his slightest movement, the side of the skirt tore open as well, revealing the ‘safety shorts’ beneath.

‘No, they should be called boxer briefs now,’ he corrected internally.

Gu Qing’s expression solidified into a mask of mortification.

He gazed down, taking in his current, utterly ludicrous appearance.

His hoodie had shrunk into a tight crop top, and the pleated skirt, now resembling a mere strip of cloth around his waist, barely concealed his vital areas.

His sneakers were severely misshapen, their toes having been completely pushed through by his feet.

He looked utterly comical and absurd.

And the accompanying shame was utterly indescribable!

“What the hell!!!”

A roar of profound indignation and despair echoed through the deserted convenience store.

Gu Qing felt an overwhelming urge to simply cease existing.

He had been so consumed by joy that he had completely forgotten he was still wearing Hua Mu’ai’s clothes!

In his current state, he looked nothing short of a pervert!

Fortunately, there was no one else in the convenience store at the moment.

He frantically fumbled around, desperate to find something—anything—to cover himself.

*Ding-a-ling—*

The wind chime above the convenience store door tinkled crisply.

The glass door of the convenience store was pushed open from the outside.

An elderly woman, her hair streaked with white, entered, a vegetable basket swinging from her arm.

It was the landlady.

“My dear, I just bought some fresh vegetables, thought I’d share some with your store mana—”

The landlady’s words caught in her throat, abruptly cut short.

She stood rooted to the spot in the doorway, still clutching a bundle of vibrant green vegetables.

The air grew thick with a deathly silence.

One second stretched into two.

The old woman’s mouth opened, then closed, her expression morphing from bewilderment to shock, and finally to a look of… profound understanding.

“Xiao Gu, what exactly are you doing?”