Volume 1, Chapter 22 – The Feminization Always Beats Me (Part 3)

Huang Qi clung to a sliver of hope—maybe it wasn’t as he imagined. Maybe he wouldn’t turn into a woman every time he dreamed? Refusing to accept his fate, the moment he woke up, he reached out to check!

But the moment he touched himself, horror seized him—there were four bulges on his chest!

“Four?!”

His vision darkened, his soul trembling. Was this mask not trying to turn him into a woman, but into a monster?!

At this thought, his hands shook so badly he didn’t dare touch himself again.

“I’m finished, I’m finished! How am I supposed to face anyone with four breasts?! Do I have to cut two off?!”

It felt as if the sky had collapsed. Only now did he realize that compared to becoming a monster, turning into a woman might not be so bad after all.

“Wait, no! I’m panicking—two of them are the yarn balls! I forgot to take them off when I passed out!”

After a moment of mental paralysis, it finally dawned on him. “Thank goodness! At least I didn’t turn into a freak!”

He let out a long sigh of relief, then tentatively touched his chest again. The two small mounds on top were indeed the yarn balls, but as for the ones below… he wasn’t sure what they were, but they felt soft and plump.

“This is NOT good!”

Shivering, he scrambled out of bed. An unprecedented sense of weight and swaying pulled at his chest. Deep down, he already knew the truth, but he refused to accept it—he fumbled around in the pitch-black room for the flint stone.

His mind was in chaos, and the darkness made it even harder. After what felt like an eternity, he finally lit the oil lamp with trembling hands.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself, but his heart pounded violently regardless. Slowly, he pulled open his collar and peered down under the dim lamplight.

First, he saw the two familiar yarn balls.

And below them—

Two snowy-white peaks, round and full like freshly steamed buns, so plump they practically begged to be bitten.

Blood rushed to his head. His vision blurred.

And then—

He fainted.

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When Huang Qi woke again, daylight streamed through the window. With no sun visible, he couldn’t tell what time it was.

He struggled to open his eyes. The shock from last night had left him physically drained, but at least his mind was somewhat calmer now.

“Was it all just a dream?”

He didn’t dare believe it. Looking down, his vision was blocked by two towering peaks—so large he couldn’t even see his own feet.

Despair washed over him.

“Sigh… I guess this is my punishment for deceiving my elders.”

He laughed bitterly at himself. Had he known this would happen, he would never have dared to scheme like this.

“A grown man with a pair of breasts like this… what a disgrace.”

The more he thought about it, the more hopeless he felt. He truly wanted to bash his head against a wall.

From the fact that he had cross-dressed in the first place, it was clear he cared deeply about face and reputation. Now, stuck in this neither-man-nor-woman state, the psychological blow was unimaginable.

“Daughter-in-law? Daughter-in-law! Are you awake? Breakfast is ready. Your father-in-law is heading to town later to buy rice and flour.”

His mother’s voice came from outside, followed by a knock on the door.

“Father’s going to town?”

Huang Qi snapped back to reality. The journey from the village to the county was long and treacherous, and without protection, it would be extremely dangerous. But food was a necessity—they couldn’t go without rice and flour.

He quickly got up, intending to lend his protective talisman to his father. But the moment he moved, the weight on his chest reminded him of his current state.

Glancing down, he saw that his disheveled clothes left the two new “buns” bouncing freely—there was no way he could go out like this.

Burning with shame, he tried to think of a way to restrain them, but after looking around, he found nothing suitable.

“No good. If I cover them haphazardly and they slip out, it’ll be even more humiliating.”

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After some thought, he realized the only solution was to wear a dudou ¹ 肚兜, dùdōu (traditional Chinese bra) .

The idea of putting on women’s underclothes disgusted him, but with his father about to embark on a dangerous trip, he couldn’t just stand by. His mind waged a fierce internal battle.

“Daughter-in-law? Daughter-in-law? Are you up? If you’re still tired, don’t force yourself. Sleep a little longer. You can heat up the food later when you’re hungry.”

Li Fen’s considerate voice came through the door again.

“Mother, wait! I need to talk to you!”

Seeing that she was about to leave, Huang Qi hurriedly called out. He quickly hid the yarn balls, put on his veil, and opened the door.

Li Fen gave her “daughter-in-law” a puzzled look but stepped inside without question.

“Goodness, why is it so fragrant in here? What kind of rouge or powder are you using? It smells wonderful!”

The moment she entered, a delicate fragrance filled the air, prompting her to ask curiously.

“Fragrant? I’m not using any cosmetics!”

Huang Qi sniffed the air and realized there was an indescribable sweetness lingering about. But he had never used such feminine products—what man would?

“How strange!”

Though Li Fen said this, her knowing smile suggested she believed it to be natural body fragrance.

“Mother, I… need your help with something.”

Uncomfortable under her gaze, Huang Qi quickly steered the conversation to the main issue.

“Go ahead. If it’s within my power, I’ll help.”

Li Fen straightened up, adopting a serious tone.

“Well… it’s just…”

Huang Qi stammered, his face burning as if on fire.

“You’ve already called me ‘Mother’, so why be shy? There’s nothing a mother and daughter can’t discuss.”

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Li Fen couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘Right. No matter what I look like now, she’s still my mother.’

Steeling himself, Huang Qi forced out the words:

“Mother… I didn’t bring many spare clothes, and last night, I… accidentally ruined my… my dudou. Could you find me a new one?”

The moment the words left his mouth, he felt as if he’d been stripped naked and paraded through the streets. His masculine dignity had suffered a critical blow.

“Oh! Is that all? You silly girl, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about!”

Li Fen shook her head in amusement. “Wait here. I’ll ask the aunties if they have any new ones.”

Huang Qi almost blurted out that used ones would do, but he swallowed the words. He couldn’t very well wear his mother’s undergarments, could he?

Before long, Li Fen returned with a pink-and-white embroidered dudou in hand.

“We’re in luck! The Yang family’s daughter recently married, so they still had an unused one.”

Huang Qi’s “dainty hands” trembled as he took it. He had never handled such an item before. The embarrassment was one thing—but more importantly, he had no idea how to put it on!

“Why are your hands shaking so much? Are you cold?”

Li Fen frowned in concern.

Startled, Huang Qi blurted out the first excuse that came to mind:

“Mother, I slept on my arm wrong last night. It’s numb now. Could you… help me put it on?”

“Of course!”

Li Fen was more than happy to oblige.

Huang Qi sighed inwardly. His plan was simple—by having his mother assist him, he could learn how to wear it himself for the future. Otherwise, how would a “woman” not know how to don a dudou? That would be ridiculous!

“Should you take off your outer robe, or shall I help?”

Li Fen asked tentatively.

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“I… I’ll do it.”

Though he dreaded letting his mother see his current body, he had no choice. Slowly, he untied his belt, letting his robe slide off his shoulders and pool at his waist.

Why only reveal above the waist? Simple—because the feminization only reached his ribs. Below that, his skin remained male: hairy and rough. If his mother saw, it would raise too many questions.

The moment Li Fen saw, her eyes widened in amazement.

“My, my! You don’t look it with clothes on, but you’re quite blessed, aren’t you? No wonder you’re from a wealthy family—your development puts our village girls to shame!”

Huang Qi wanted to vanish on the spot, but for his father’s sake, he endured the humiliation, watching closely as his mother dressed him.

Those fifteen minutes felt like an eternity.

Finally, once properly secured, Huang Qi exhaled in relief. He followed his mother out, though the new weight on his chest made him hunch slightly.

To appear normal, he forced himself to straighten his back and lift his chin.

At the breakfast table, he handed his protective talisman to his father and volunteered to accompany him—only to be vehemently rejected by the whole family. In their eyes, a “delicate girl” like him would only be a burden.

Unable to argue, Huang Qi gave up. In his current state, avoiding recognition was more important. The less he ventured into town, the better.

After breakfast, Huang Kairong set off with his hand-pushed cart, since carrying multiple sacks of rice on his back would be too strenuous.

Watching his father’s resolute yet lonely figure disappear into the distance, Huang Qi cursed his own helplessness. But then, a new determination sparked within him.

“No. If I kill myself now, what will happen to my parents?”

“Hah! So what if my chest is a little—no, a LOT—bigger? I’ll just think of myself as a muscle-bound warrior! As long as I’m not completely a woman yet, there’s still hope!”

With this self-pep-talk, he returned to his room to complete the final step he hadn’t finished last night.

Only by reaching Spirit Gathering Realm (First Layer) would he buy himself more time to deal with the Human Skin Mask’s feminization curse.

Sitting cross-legged, he focused his water-attribute spiritual energy and directed it toward his Guanyuan acupoint.

If he succeeded, he would finally become a true cultivator—something he had failed to achieve in nearly twenty years of effort.