Chapter 65
After bringing Shu Li home, Yu Tai sat beside the unconscious man and cleared the remaining demonic qi from his body.
She had already removed the mask from Shu Li’s face. His handsome features were now deathly pale, his lips an unhealthy color, and his brows slightly furrowed.
Yu Tai reached out and smoothed away the crease. Sensing her warmth, the man beneath her hand rubbed against her palm. Her fingertips trembled, and she instantly withdrew as though burned. The words she had heard from that girl involuntarily resurfaced in her mind.
“Someone he liked.”
Was he serious?
He liked her?
Yu Tai asked the System, [Do you think he has Stockholm syndrome?]
The System: [It isn’t impossible. But overall, you’ve actually treated the male lead quite well… probably.]
After clearing the demonic qi and feeding Shu Li several medicinal pills, Yu Tai rested her head on his abdomen and toyed with the fingers lying at his side. She murmured, “Have I treated you well? Hm?”
A noise came from outside. Yu Tai raised her head and finally remembered that she had shut Xia Mo out.
She casually took from her spatial pouch the prize she had exchanged with the terrified and flattered second-place winner, then walked outside.
At the sound of the door opening, Xia Mo stopped scratching and looked up at Yu Tai.
“Chirp! Chirp!”
*We know each other so well. What could there possibly be that this panda isn’t allowed to see?*
Yu Tai lifted the furry panda and stroked its head. “Can you smell it? Come on. When Senior Brother wakes up, we’ll give him a surprise.”
Xia Mo tilted its head. It had been so focused on scratching the door that it had failed to notice the irresistible scent close at hand, which now made it drool.
“Chirp! Chirp!” *Wonderful! This panda is going to take human form.*
The books about demon beasts taking human form that Yu Tai had borrowed from Zhang Xiaoxiao several days ago finally proved useful.
Yu Tai briefly reviewed them and ensured nothing could go wrong. Only after firmly engraving every step into her memory did she rise and approach Xia Mo, who was visibly impatient.
“It may hurt a little. Endure it.” Yu Tai stroked its head.
Xia Mo wiggled its bottom disdainfully. What kind of joke was that?
Was this panda the sort to fear pain?
Half an incense stick later-
“Chirp! Chirp!” *What the hell? This hurts a panda to death!*
Listening to the panda’s agonized cries while protecting it through the process, Yu Tai swiftly and accurately tossed the Transformation Pill in her hand into its mouth.
Almost the instant Xia Mo swallowed it, changes spread across its entire body.
Milky-white, threadlike strands emerged from within it and slowly wrapped around its body. Finally, a faintly glowing, milky-white sphere completely enveloped Xia Mo.
Yu Tai wiped the sweat from her forehead.
At last, it was finished. After it remained in this form for one day, she would return and see the heroine from the original novel.
To be honest, Yu Tai was quite looking forward to Xia Mo’s human form.
The original novel had spent a chapter and a half describing the heroine. It was said that no man who saw her could control himself.
Just how beautiful would she be?
Still, the appearance a demon beast assumed when taking human form seemed to be shaped by its subconscious imagination. She wondered whether changing the original plot might create some deviation.
Well, even if it did, the difference would probably be minor.
In a fairly good mood, Yu Tai walked outside and saw several voice-transmission talismans floating beyond the formation. She reached out and let them in.
Besides those from acquaintances, several talismans were obviously expensive. Unless something unexpected had occurred, they should have been sent by people from the Upper Realm.
She listened only to the messages from important people. Without exception, they congratulated her on taking first place. She casually discarded the rest.
Since she had already decided to enter the Upper Realm as a wandering cultivator, there was no need to deliberately build good relations with those major sects.
Because the demonic qi had injured his body, Shu Li did not wake quickly even after taking Yu Tai’s medicinal pills.
Yu Tai estimated roughly when he would regain consciousness, left tea beside the table, and kept it warm with a spell so he could drink immediately if he became thirsty.
Once she had handled those matters, Yu Tai rose and left.
She still had something to do.
After leaving a note, Yu Tai covered the room containing Xia Mo with her aura and added another layer to the formation. Only then did she return to her own room with peace of mind.
Her explosive rise in cultivation was a good thing.
But if she failed to consolidate her foundation and blindly continued rushing upward, problems would inevitably arise.
She had learned this lesson from Jiang Li’s decision to keep suppressing himself at peak Golden Core.
After meditating for an entire day, Yu Tai suddenly sensed something and opened her eyes.
The faint sound of something cracking reached her ears.
It was Xia Mo!
Yu Tai rose and ran to the room where Xia Mo was staying, then opened the door.
The enormous cocoon that had originally radiated a faint light had now gone dim. A crack had opened across its center, as if something inside were struggling continuously.
Yu Tai crouched and sent spiritual qi into it.
“Xia Mo,” she called softly, trying to awaken its consciousness.
Sure enough, the cocoon cracked even faster when it heard the name.
Before long, a pale, lotus-root-white arm emerged. Yu Tai took a lotus-pink gauze dress from her spatial pouch and held it ready.
The arm struggled free, followed by a rounded shoulder and pitch-black hair. The hair was not entirely black; the ends faded gradually into white.
Yu Tai released a sigh of relief.
Excellent. It was exactly the same as in the original novel.
But when the entire chest was exposed, Yu Tai froze.
Was this…
Perhaps… a little too flat?
The “girl” sat up from the snow-white cocoon. Long hair fell loosely to the waist, and a pale arm rubbed the figure’s cheek before the eyes slowly opened.
Yu Tai noticed that the “girl’s” lashes were snow-white, as clean as freshly fallen snow.
As the figure moved, the face the original author had praised at such length was finally revealed.
Cool, delicate features, smooth facial lines, bright eyes shimmering like autumn water, and thin, pale lips.
Yu Tai: “…”
The System cried out in shock. [Holy shit! Did you and Shu Li have a child behind my back?!]
It was indeed a face of peerless beauty, just as the original novel had described.
But could someone explain why the heroine had a face that seemed to combine Yu Tai and Shu Li?!
That nose and those eyes looked as though they had been carved from the same mold as Yu Tai’s, while the face shape and lips were simply a smaller copy of Shu Li’s!
Yu Tai’s expression turned extremely complicated.
Perhaps she should stuff Xia Mo back inside and try again?
“Yu… Tai!”
Seeing the complicated expression on Yu Tai’s face, Xia Mo blinked. Shouldn’t Yu Tai be praising it right now?
Its pronunciation was somewhat indistinct, but Yu Tai could still clearly hear Xia Mo calling her name.
None of that was important…
What mattered was-
The voice was clear and bright, but unmistakably belonged to a boy!
A boy?!
Yu Tai’s expression changed. She pulled Xia Mo out of the cocoon and looked down.
Xia Mo followed her gaze and blushed. “Isn’t this… a little… too soon?”
Yu Tai released his hand, crouched, and clutched her head.
Her sins were grave.
How had the perfectly good heroine turned into a boy?!