Chapter 157 Chapter 158 After Transformation
Xia felt like she was dreaming. She opened her eyes and saw the staff near the pottery jar surrounded by onlookers, the sound of shards falling into the jar rang out, clear and crisp.
She looked down at her chest, rubbed it, feeling a mix of familiarity and strangeness.
She should be very surprised, but it shouldn’t be that strange. Isn’t it normal for women to have larger breasts?
Xia pulled her clothes back, bowing to the audience.
The atmosphere in Marlin City wasn’t very conservative; there had once been a fashion in high society that featured one side of the breast being exposed.
The situation had turned around.
Many people felt very guilty and were also very angry about being “deceived.” The audience shouted:
“Shameless, underhanded methods! People nowadays are becoming more and more cruel, turning a perfectly good beautiful girl into a man, making others resort to pulling at their clothes to prove their innocence.”
At this time, everyone intentionally or unintentionally ignored the fact that Xia’s father had referred to her as his son on stage.
The judges were overjoyed and collectively displayed five points out of a full score. Jar after jar stacked up on stage, from left to right; even the sensational Jenna from last year had never won so many jars.
The host appeared and said, “Let us congratulate Miss Xia for becoming the new flower of Marlin City.”
Xia said nothing and turned to look backstage. The red-haired noble girl was staring at her wide-eyed. Xia strode toward her, and when she got close, the red-haired noble girl asked:
“Were you… always a girl?”
In Xia’s memory, the once proud face of the red-haired noble girl was now filled with failure, her jaw slack. There was no jealousy in her eyes, only sorrow at being outshone.
Xia did not answer.
“You’ve been lying to me,” the red-haired noble girl said, “was it… that you thought I couldn’t accept a woman?”
Xia remained silent, observing the once-idolized figure before her. The high chin that was once so proud was now lowered, and looking at her face, she no longer seemed as beautiful as Xia had once thought. Previously, Xia had even considered her the most beautiful woman in Marlin City, even the petite Qiao could only bow to her.
How absurd.
Suddenly, Xia hugged the red-haired noble girl, pushed her against the wall, and kissed her lips. The red-haired noble girl did not resist; she closed her eyes, touched by the idea of “Xia disguising as a man to pursue her.”
Yet, Xia felt that the red-haired noble girl’s lips were just very soft. She had fantasized about the sensation of kissing those lips, thinking it would be wonderful, and until now, she had only ever brushed against her hand.
But it was just that.
Xia didn’t even stick out her tongue; she released her grip, her hand moving from under the girl’s skirt, leaving the red-haired noble girl blushing, and turned to leave.
The red-haired noble girl stared at her slender back in a daze. Her maid reminded her, “Miss, it seems she’s holding a… pair of panties.”
Only then did she feel a chill below; her strapless panties had been stealthily taken away.
In Marlin City, a fashion trend emerged where dashing young men liked to collect personal items from different women as a display of their charm. Young Master Yi was more refined; he only collected dresses, having a room dedicated to them.
Onlookers nearby caused her face to redden even more.
Backstage, Xia encountered a chubby gentleman who was all smiles, far from his previous aggressive demeanor.
“Miss Xia, you truly are your father’s daughter, with such business acumen. This event relies entirely on you…”
Xia continued walking without stopping.
“Aren’t you attending the award ceremony?”
“I’m feeling unwell and need to go home to rest. Please give the prize to Miss Qiao,” Xia pointed at Ji Ma, who was leaning against the wall, “forgive me for not being able to attend the ceremony.”
“Have you considered endorsing our business… Miss Xia, please wait.”
Ji Ma stepped in front of the chubby gentleman, extending her hand, her shiny black eyes sparkling as she said, “One thousand gold coins, please.”
After a series of negotiations and seductions, the organizers of the beauty contest finally agreed to give Ji Ma a voucher worth a thousand gold coins on the condition that no award ceremony would be held.
She happily folded the voucher and, like a squirrel hiding pine nuts, ran to a secluded spot. Using the “Quiet and Secret” spell, she looked around to confirm no one was watching before hiding the voucher in the safest place on her person.
At the exit of the backstage, the braided maid waited with Xia for Ji Ma. When Ji Ma approached, Xia waved for the braided maid to leave and found a corner to speak with Ji Ma:
“Is this a side effect?”
“Yes,” Ji Ma said, “and of course, there’s the role of rumors.”
“Rumors?”
“Many people are unwilling to believe you are a man and hope you are a woman.” Ji Ma fabricated, “Someone lied that you are a woman, resonating with the public’s sentiment, exacerbating the side effects, leading to your transformation. This aligns with mysticism.”
“Mysticism? I was originally the second son in my family; my older brother was obsessed with mysticism, trying to inherit the family legacy, but… in the end, I became the first son.” Xia asked, “Will I change back?”
“Do you want to change back?”
Xia remained silent for a moment and said, “I’ve never felt as proud and victorious as I do today. The feeling of being a winner is quite like ‘walking on clouds.’ It’s time to say goodbye to the formerly inferior me.”
“As long as you are steadfast in your self-perception, you won’t change back,” Ji Ma said. “This is mysticism.”
“Thank you.” Xia tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “But I’m not ready to see my father yet; I need time to prepare.”
“Alright, let’s get on Young Master Yi’s carriage.”
Ji Ma recalled the lamb that had suffered a tragic fate and handed Xia a dagger, saying, “Here, for you. A girl should learn to protect herself.”
This dagger came from an old woman in Shalin City.
The two of them went together, while the braided maid went to notify Xia’s father that she needed some time alone.
Ji Ma and Xia got into Young Master Yi’s carriage. Young Master Yi looked at Xia appreciatively and then turned to Ji Ma, saying:
“You deceived us so well, Miss Qiao.”
Ji Ma nonchalantly replied, “As the saying goes, the more beautiful the woman, the better she can deceive.”
Young Master Yi looked at Jenna and said, “The person who said that must have never seen Jenna.”
Take your gaze off my woman’s chest, you lewd thing.
“Hmph.”
Ji Ma pressed closer to Jenna, subtly pushing down with her arm against Jenna’s chest while keeping an eye on Young Master Yi, eliciting an exasperated smile from him.
The carriage first arrived at Xia’s residence. Just before getting out, Xia suddenly asked Young Master Yi:
“Mr. Yi, I mean no offense, but how does your father feel about your room full of dresses?”
Young Master Yi laughed:
“That’s not a good question. Bringing this up in front of three beauties will only make me feel ashamed, but I cannot refuse Miss Xia’s inquiry. My father is only proud of me.”
“Thank you.”
After Xia expressed her gratitude and got out of the carriage, the iron gate of her home thankfully was not tightly closed against her.
The braided maid was already waiting, holding an umbrella to shield her from the sun. When they reached the front of the building, the maid stopped and said, “My lord hopes to talk to you privately.”
Ten minutes later, in her father’s study, Xia saw her biological father.
He had a stern expression, sitting behind the desk, looking at his daughter.
For a moment, Xia felt that her father, who had stood up for her in front of the others, was just a beautiful dream.
Or perhaps, he simply didn’t want his son to be beaten up by outsiders.
“What’s going on?” Xia’s father asked. “My son, why do you have such big things growing on your chest? What medicine did you take?”
Xia replied, “I’ve checked. I have completely turned into a woman.”
“A woman?”
Xia stared directly into her father’s eyes and said:
“A completely real woman, even the gods cannot reverse this, father.”
“Your mother wanted a daughter, but she had two sons.”
“Aren’t you angry?”
“Hah.” Xia’s father chuckled. “What’s there to be angry about? It’s better than people knowing my son can’t woo daughters from other families, losing his manly dignity, and dressing as a woman to win a laugh. What’s she even worth? I’ve always looked down upon her mother.”
Having said that, Xia’s father’s expression grew serious again. “You and her?”
Xia relaxed and smiled, pulling out the strapless panties, saying, “They are hers.”
“Hahahaha, just like my son.”
“It’s daughter.”
“Same difference.” Xia’s father stood up, turned towards the bookshelf, and said, “Don’t tell your mother.”
With that, he took out a wooden box from the hidden compartment, placed it on the table, and opened the three locks on top with a key he always carried.
Inside the box were neatly arranged over a hundred various women’s underwear.
“You still have a long way to go, Enlak.”
“It’s Xia.”
Xia laughed.
After their chat, Xia’s father left the study, heading straight to find his second wife, eagerly pulling her into the bedroom, unbuckling his belt, and closing the door.
Xia’s father mumbled to himself, “I need to teach that girl to protect herself properly.”
…
…
In the afternoon, in Young Master Yi’s garden.
Ji Ma, having been a third wheel nearly the whole day, sat alone in a corner, away from the chatting couples in the gazebo.
This way, no one would notice her, and she could smile foolishly at the clouds drifting above, making a rational judgment about Ji Ma’s mental state.
Ji Ma was looking at system messages that only she could see:
“Congratulations! You have made significant progress in mastering witch powers and are nearly capable of fully controlling the powers of a witch.”
Each character in that sentence seemed so delightful, bringing joy to her heart.
Once she completely masters witch powers, what extraordinary abilities would she acquire? Better potion-making skills or more vicious curses?
Perhaps after leveling up, she could refine the extraordinary material of the green dragon in a short period, separate it, and create potions, hoping the ascension ceremony would be simpler this time.
Not to mention, once she fully masters witch powers, she could teach previously divining enemies a lesson.
Now, her total assets had skyrocketed from a little over six hundred gold coins to one thousand nine hundred eighty coins, of course, this included deducting the costs of potion materials, which were still quite expensive.
However, she hadn’t collected the payment for the medicine Xia drank today.
She could buy many useful things to invest in her revenge project.
At that moment, she heard footsteps on the grass.
Ji Ma turned off her personal system, lowered her head to avoid being thought to be insane, and looked toward the source of the sound, which was Young Master Yi, wearing a gold mask that covered half his face.
He held a cup filled halfway with golden liquid and asked, “Miss Qiao, don’t you like wine?”
“I have always hated alcoholic beverages.” Ji Ma said while drinking juice, then asked, “What’s the matter? Here to reclaim your investment?”
“No, no, no. I just want to confirm something with you.” Young Master Yi said, “During the uproar at the clothing store, you intentionally didn’t save Miss Xia right away, allowing her skirt to be cut, didn’t you? I noticed when you raise your hand, people seem to lose focus.”
Ji Ma neither affirmed nor denied it and said, “So, Young Master Yi wants to know the color of my panties?”
“May I know what this is a metaphor for?”
“For extraordinary abilities in extraordinary beings, isn’t it the color of panties?” Ji Ma said, “Let’s go, Young Master Yi; I don’t want to talk to you anymore. I’m serious; if this banquet turns into a magical duel, you can try.”
“Miss Qiao, you have a deep prejudice against me.”
“I don’t want to repeat myself a second time.”
————
Additional progress 4/10
I feel very ashamed, having broken my promise, I can only continue next month.
