Volume 1, Chapter 59 – In One Breath, Become a Woman (Part 3)

Huang Qi’s trembling hand reached for that familiar place—only to grasp at empty air. Desperate, she lifted her skirt and looked down. What greeted her was an utterly flat expanse, the once-proud symbol of masculinity now vanished without a trace.

“Heh…”

A bitter laugh escaped her lips. Her heart felt as hollow as the space between her legs. The loss of that most essential male attribute meant the collapse of everything she—no, he—had clung to as proof of his identity. The theoretical foundation of his dignity as a man was gone.

A storm of emotions raged within her as she sat there dumbly, grappling with an existential question: How should I face life from now on? As a man? Or a woman?

“No—wait. My identity’s probably already exposed. Why worry about the future? Right now, I just need to remember I’m Qi Huang, wife of the Huang family. All I have to do is register with my identity token!”

Huang Qi—no, Qi Huang—snapped back to reality, pushing aside her turmoil. She glanced downward again. The feminization had only reached her upper thighs; her feet remained unchanged, grotesquely mismatched with the rest of her now-delicate limbs.

“Thank goodness I kept some of the sedative in reserve. If I’d taken it all at once and ended up like this—a woman but still unable to save Father—I’d have died of rage.”

Her gaze fell on the remaining sedative, and a shiver of fear ran through her.

Qi Huang couldn’t afford to delay. She needed to take more of the drug—after all, her goal of feminizing her feet wasn’t complete yet.

“Wait—how much time has passed?”

The realization struck her suddenly. She rose from the bed and stepped out of the room. Without that thing in the way, walking felt strangely light, as though a draft might sneak up at any moment.

“Is this what being a woman feels like? No wonder they’re always so careful. There’s literally no sense of security down there.”

Unconsciously, she pressed her thighs closer together, her gait instantly becoming more “ladylike”.

“So this is how girls learn to walk like that.”

An epiphany struck her. She wasn’t sure if her theory was correct, but it made perfect sense.

Downstairs, she asked the innkeeper—only to learn barely an hour had passed. Relief washed over her.

Back in her room, she extended her spiritual sense and detected the fairies still guarding outside.

“How persistent. You’ve literally forced me into becoming a woman. Just wait till my legs transform—I’ll make you pay.”

“Since I can’t be a man anymore… might as well go all the way.”

With a resigned sigh, she swallowed another fifth of the sedative. Soon, darkness claimed her again.

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This time, luck wasn’t on her side—no dream came, wasting two full hours.

Undeterred, she took another dose.

Finally, the dream returned.

Her vision cleared. She was lying on a bed—but this one was luxuriously soft, a far cry from the inn’s crude cot. The air carried a delicate, soothing fragrance.

She tried to turn her head, but her body refused to obey. Still, her peripheral vision caught glimpses of the room: Fairy Hongling’s private quarters in the Honghua Sect.

Just then, her body—strictly speaking, Cheng Hongling’s body—slowly sat up. The thin blanket slid away, revealing her upper half clad only in a pale pink dudou. Vast expanses of snow-white skin gleamed under the light, and the full curves of her chest blocked her view entirely.

Qi Huang’s (metaphorical) heart raced. Though the sight held undeniable allure for her female-body-male-mind situation, she wasn’t one to lose herself to lust. She tried very gentlemanly to look away—but with no control over her host’s eyes, she remained trapped, forced to admire the view.

‘It’s not my fault! You’re the one not looking away!’

She defended herself internally.

Fairy Hongling seemed still half-asleep. After a moment, she braced a hand against the bed to rise—only for her delicate fingers to sink into something soft, round, and utterly unfamiliar. The texture was smoother than the finest silk, yet impossibly supple.

Qi Huang, sharing the sensation, felt as though lightning had struck her soul.

“Mmm…”

A drowsy, feminine moan sounded beside her.

Hongling recoiled instantly, whipping her head around to see a scantily clad figure lying beside her—Senior Sister Ruan Lingyu.

Though Lingyu’s eyes were closed, her long lashes fluttered faintly, cheeks tinged pink. She was clearly pretending to sleep.

“Stop faking. When did you sneak in?”

Cheng Hongling’s voice was ice.

“Sneak in? Into where? Wh-where even is this?”

Lingyu fluttered her eyes open, putting on an act of bewildered innocence.

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“This isn’t your first time. Drop the terrible performance.”

Hongling scoffed.

“Oh, come on! We’re both girls—what’s the harm in sharing a bed? Don’t be mad!”

Lingyu pouted playfully.

“Then why not pester the other sisters?”

“I’ve told you before! You smell like Golden Fate Blossoms. If I sleep with you long enough, the scent sticks to me too—saves me money on perfumes!”

Lingyu grinned shamelessly.

“So I’m just a human sachet to you?”

Hongling arched a brow.

“Uh…”

Lingyu’s smile froze.

BANG!

The door burst open.

Through Hongling’s eyes, Qi Huang saw Su Qingying stride in, her usual cold demeanor replaced by something far more volatile.

“You vixen! Sneaking into Little Sister’s bed again?”

Hands on hips, Qingying looked every bit the scorned lover catching an affair.

“Vixen? Must you always be so venomous? What’s wrong with sisters bonding?”

Lingyu sat up defiantly, making no effort to cover the generous amounts of skin now exposed.

“Bonding? What kind of ‘bonding’ requires a bed? Adultery, more like!”

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Qingying sneered.

“Oh please. As if you haven’t slept with her too. You’re just jealous.”

Lingyu rolled her eyes.

“Jealous?! Why would I—”

Qingying’s retort faltered, her pale cheeks flushing.

“Then why stammer? Guilty conscience?”

Lingyu pounced on the weakness.

“I—I am not!”

The cracks in Qingying’s icy facade widened.

“Not guilty? Then you’ve developed a stutter! Should I call you ‘Stammering Su’ from now on?”

Lingyu’s smirk was downright predatory.

“You—!”

Qingying’s breath hitched, her fists clenching. The threat of violence hung thick in the air.

“Enough.”

Cheng Hongling sighed. “Qingying, why are you here?”

“Get up. You’ve got trouble.”

Qingying took a deep breath, forcibly calming herself.

Without another word, Hongling rose and began washing up with practiced efficiency.

“Tch. Thought you could outwit me, ‘Ice Queen’? Who’s the head disciple here?”

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Lingyu muttered triumphantly.

Qingying’s eye twitched, but for Hongling’s sake, she held her tongue.

Once ready, Hongling stepped outside—only to find her master, Xu Mei, and several senior sisters waiting.

“Master, what’s happened?”

“Rumors are spreading that you’ve monopolized seventy to eighty percent of the sect’s resources. Some male disciples are protesting outside the Orchid Courtyard, demanding fairness.”

Xu Mei’s voice was calm.

“…I have used more resources than most.”

Hongling hesitated, guilt flickering across her face.

“But nowhere near what’s being claimed. More importantly—do you know why we’ve funneled so much into you?”

Hongling fell silent, unable to justify the privilege.

“Because the Honghua Sect’s resources are limited. Concentrating them on you is our only hope. If we spread them thin, this sect will never rise above mediocrity.”

Xu Mei’s words were blunt, even harsh—but none of the disciples present objected. All knew Cheng Hongling’s talent was the real deal.

“I understand.”

The doubt in Hongling’s eyes vanished, replaced by unwavering certainty. Her entire demeanor sharpened, like an unsheathed blade.

“Good. Then go show them exactly why you deserve those resources.”

Xu Mei smiled.

“Yes!”

With that, Hongling’s slender figure blurred—and vanished.