Chapter 9: A Ray of Hope on the Dao Path and Self-Doubt

“Ah???”

Lu Ke, who was clearing the table, was caught completely off guard by this thunderous statement; she nearly failed to hold onto the bowls and chopsticks in her arms, almost shattering the very tools of her livelihood.

Big sister, what is the situation here?

Day in and day out, you just act on whatever whim strikes you, don’t you!

Feeling quite helpless, she packed up the bowls and chopsticks one by one, straightened the table, chairs, and stools one by one, and only then sat directly opposite Bai Xiaoyu to deliver a decent rejection that wouldn’t hurt any feelings:

“But, I am a woman now.”

“Oh—”

Bai Xiaoyu dragged out a long tone, appearing not the least bit surprised by her excuse for rejection.

The next moment, her bright red, beautiful eyes flashed, the corners of her lips curled, and she suddenly squeezed out a mischievous smile:

“Who says girls can’t marry each other?”

“The Hundred Flowers Sect has long been accustomed to the feminine flourishing while the masculine wanes; among the sisters in this sect, whether out in the open or in secret, those who have formed couples are hardly a small number~”

“Hee-hee~”

She revealed a smile of a successful scheme, patted her chest, and her small body instantly surged with grand enthusiasm:

“As it happens, my home is quite large, and I have considerable family wealth; it just so happens to lack a lady of the house, so you should come—all my personal fortune of spiritual stones will be handed over to you for safekeeping!”

Showing no hesitation, she directly produced a storage ring that looked exceedingly high-class, dropped to one knee, and assumed a proposal pose, her ruby-like beautiful eyes twinkling as if filled with starlight:

“Marry me, Ke’er~”

“…”

The young girl’s solemn and resolute expression, paired with that delicate, tiny, and cute body, appeared somewhat out of place, yet it left no room to doubt her sincerity.

However, Lu Ke felt not a shred of joy, merely pulling her up silently.

To be confessed to and liked by a beautiful girl descended from heaven, marrying into wealth and beauty, and ascending to the peak of life from then on—

Had it been back when she was still a man, perhaps he would have been overjoyed, pretending to hesitate a bit before agreeing, but now…

She had turned into a woman, and a useless person whose cultivation had regressed and whose future was completely severed; could a person like her deserve to be liked by a beautiful girl?

No, she didn’t deserve it.

At least… she didn’t deserve it right now.

Facing her beautiful girl benefactor, Lu Ke held nothing back, telling the other party her misgivings as they truly were.

Unexpectedly, after hearing it, Bai Xiaoyu wore an expression of complete indifference:

“Is that all?”

“Little darling, is it true that as long as I help you restore your cultivation and continue your immortal path, you’ll be willing to marry me?”

“Then that’s simple! I will take action~”

The loli fairy chuckled softly, patting her chest until it thudded, the curled corners of her lips harder to suppress than an AK, “Don’t you go asking around outside—I am Bai Xiaoyu!~”

Soon, Lu Ke learned from the mouth of God Bai about a miraculous story she had discovered after checking the sect’s records.

It turned out that a bizarre encounter like hers, turning from man to woman, was actually not an isolated case in history!

A thousand years ago, a supreme genius had emerged out of nowhere; after encountering a crisis of life and death during an experiential trial, he had strangely turned from man to woman, becoming an incomparably gorgeous female immortal capable of ruining nations.

Yet she did not abandon herself to despair; instead, based on her own characteristic of imbalanced Yin and Yang alongside abundant Yin force, she developed a targeted cultivation method and practiced painstakingly. In the end, not only did she successfully achieve Deity Transformation, but she also elegantly ascended away, becoming the last immortal to ascend from the Nine Provinces Continent, leaving behind an invincible legend in the mortal world.

And that remarkable woman who had emerged out of nowhere a thousand years ago was unexpectedly the very founding matriarch of the Hundred Flowers Sect!

“Wow~ what a coincidence!~”

The inspiring story of a legendary figure was vivid in her mind, and a glittering highway to heaven lay right before her eyes, yet Lu Ke could not bring herself to be happy in the slightest.

“Deity Transformation? Me?”

She pointed at herself, her eyes wide open, revealing a helpless gaze reserved for looking at an idiot:

“What kind of fantasy tale are you talking about!”

She had failed even Core Formation several times, even sacrificing her little d*ck without achieving her wish; now you want her to break through to Deity Transformation?

Then let’s forget it; that really sounds sickening enough.

Otherwise, maybe this brother should just honestly remain a vase for the rest of her life—that’s pretty good too.

“Aiya~ have a little confidence!”

Bai Xiaoyu disliked her lifeless appearance the most.

Clearly such a breathtaking beauty, who looked so lovely when smiling, yet keeping a stern face all day with no expression—how unflattering!

She patted Lu Ke’s shoulder, wanting to cheer her up, “One must always have dreams—what if it comes true?”

“Besides, if a person has no dreams, how are they any different from a salted fish?”

“You are the senior brother of the Bamboo Lineage—come on, don’t lose face, show the responsibility and backbone of a man!”

Oh, at a time like this she wanted him to bear the responsibility and backbone of a man again, but she was already a woman…

She was not an peerless genius like Ning Qingzhu; she couldn’t accomplish anything at all.

Faced with Bai Xiaoyu’s outpouring of chicken soup for the soul, Lu Ke didn’t take the bait at all, walking over to the only small bed in the room on her own and lying straight down, motionless and devoid of expression, “Right now, I am already a salted fish.”

“Sigh! You, oh you, what am I supposed to say about you!”

As the saying goes, grieving her misfortune and angry at her lack of ambition.

Bai Xiaoyu did not give up because of Lu Ke’s slacking attitude; under the temptation of becoming the beauty’s Dao companion, her competitive spirit was instead aroused, and her desire to help Lu Ke regain her confidence grew ever stronger.

“I don’t believe I can’t subdue a little vixen like you!”

“Wait for me obediently; I’ll go ask someone to see if I can get the cultivation technique left behind by the founding matriarch!”

She had always possessed strong capability for action, doing whatever she said; leaving behind a few words, she hurriedly departed the place.

On the bed, Lu Ke made no reaction to her departure, merely remaining motionless, silently staring at the simple and dilapidated ceiling.

“Becoming a Deity Transformation cultivator… can I really do it?”

She silently stared at her delicate, white, and tender jade hands for a moment, then sat up abruptly, found a mirror, unfastened her thick, form-fitting long robe, and took a serious look at her changed body for the very first time.

Her waistline seemed to have narrowed, wide at both ends and slim in the middle.

Down from her slender and delicate swan neck were two exquisite collarbones, their curvature slightly recessed, emitting a dizzily intoxicating charm, as if one could raise fish inside them to one’s heart’s content.

Her fingers inadvertently brushed across her skin; the touch was smooth and tender, warm and moist like mutton-fat jade, making one unable to part with it.

Following the broad plain all the way down, looking down revealed two white and smooth long legs, standing straight like jade pillars, beneath which two healthy, pink, white-and-red bare feet rested lightly on the ground; the foot shape was long and delicate, the arches slightly raised like elegant arched bridges, and the ten plump toes clung tightly together like little glutinous rice balls, their nails crystal clear and glowing with a charming luster under the sunlight.

It seems… it really is quite beautiful? …

Not to claim it as the number one beauty in the world, but at least, no matter from which direction one looked, this figure deserved to be called “top of the top.”

A blushing beauty has been pursued by people since ancient times, loved by everyone.

In this world, a peerless beauty of extraordinary appearance, capable of ruining cities and nations, could easily break through class barriers to obtain a lavish life unimaginable to ordinary mortals.

Lu Ke had reason to believe that with her present country-ruining appearance and top-tier figure, perhaps no matter where she went, there would be no shortage of young talents pursuing her; as long as she was willing, she could easily find a ideal husband, become a spoiled little princess, and never suffer the bitterness of life again.

Yet inconveniently, she wouldn’t, and couldn’t, do such a thing.

Her inner core was a man.

She wanted to fulfill the responsibility and backbone of being a man, holding back the wind and clouds with her own body to give the woman she loved a warm home and a happy life.

Yet inconveniently, present as she was, not only had she lost her male body, but she couldn’t even manage to cultivate anymore.

Feeling the empty dantian inside her body and the shattered sea of qi, Lu Ke could not help a trace of bitterness from surfacing.

“Could it be that what I have been painstakingly pursuing all along was truly wrong?”