Chapter 21: Frozen and Withered?

“Sister???”

Su Aoxue, who was still feeling a bit drowsy, could practically see question marks popping up over his head. “Huh? What sister?”

“Me?”

Su Muqing’s words nearly scared the life out of him. Su Aoxue hurriedly looked down to inspect his body.

Then… he successfully saw the tips of his toes.

Su Aoxue didn’t even need to take off his pants to know that in his current state, he was definitely still in his original male body!

Only after confirming he was still his original self did Su Aoxue look back at Su Muqing with confusion.

However, Su Muqing’s eyes were practically sparkling. She looked at her brother in wonder and said excitedly, “Well… because, Brother, I feel like… with your long hair right now, you look… so beautiful!”

A hint of bashfulness was hidden within her excited tone.

As for why Su Muqing was so excited, it was naturally because she had wanted an older sister since she was a child.

Due to her strange illness, Su Muqing had lacked a sense of security since childhood. When she slept, she always wanted someone to accompany her, but their mother didn’t always have the time.

When they were younger, her brother, Su Aoxue, could stay with her, but as they grew up, that was no longer an option.

The sensible Su Muqing never voiced such an unreasonable request, but in her heart, she had always fantasized about having an older sister who could sleep beside her.

“I look beautiful? You must be mistaken because of the long hair.”

But then Su Aoxue realized that he had long hair yesterday morning too, yet his sister hadn’t complimented him on being ‘beautiful’ then.

“Wait a second…”

Su Aoxue said as he hurried toward the bathroom.

One look was all it took for Su Aoxue’s jaw to nearly drop to the floor.

‘This… looks about eighty percent like my form as the Frost Calamity Witch.’

‘Even my face shape seems to have feminized. What’s going on!’

Su Aoxue slammed the door shut. The next second, he pulled down his pants and looked down.

“Holy crap, why are you so listless! Did you get frost-shriveled?!”

Su Aoxue was instantly shocked when he saw that his ‘little brother’ had shrunk significantly overnight!

Terrified, he pulled off his shirt to investigate further.

Because he exercised frequently, Su Aoxue’s body fat percentage was very low. While he did have pectoral muscles even when relaxed, his overall physique was lean and far from ‘bulky’.

‘Tsk… why does it feel like my body fat percentage has skyrocketed to a terrifying level overnight?’

Su Aoxue rubbed his head, feeling a headache coming on.

Though he didn’t want to admit it, it seemed the powerful strength of the Frost Calamity Witch was indeed affecting his original body.

‘Will I really end up completely turning into a girl later on?’

At the thought of this possibility, Su Aoxue felt an indescribable sense of melancholy.

What would he do if he really became female?

Su Aoxue fell into deep thought.

But as he pondered, he realized that even if he became a girl, his situation wouldn’t change much.

Work hard to become stronger, increase his value, earn money to treat his sister’s illness, and then… that was it.

These tasks seemed achievable even if he became female.

‘Oh right, I forgot. Mom still wants me to find a girlfriend. But with our family’s condition and my current state where I might turn into a girl at any moment, how am I supposed to find a girlfriend!’

Recalling this issue made Su Aoxue feel miserable.

If he truly turned into a girl, how could he look for a girlfriend? And how would he tell his mother?

‘Congratulations, Mom. You don’t have to worry about your son’s marriage house anymore because… your son is getting married off, too?’

“Damn it, get married off? Forget it. Like hell I’m doing that!”

He hadn’t even thought about finding a girlfriend, let alone a guy!

Since the Talent Awakening Ceremony was being held at the Academy today, Su Aoxue couldn’t afford to dally. After splashing cold water on his face, he began cutting his long hair.

Before long, Su Aoxue walked out of the bathroom with a neat, short haircut. He put on a white baseball cap in one fluid motion.

“Brother, you cut your long hair? And you’re wearing a hat inside…” Su Muqing sounded a bit disappointed as she looked at Su Aoxue’s short hair.

“Muqing, do you seem a bit disappointed?”

“Yeah. I thought you looked… handsome with long hair!”

“Give me a break. I’m going to make breakfast. What do you want to eat?”

Su Aoxue said, yawning as he walked toward the kitchen.

Even after splashing cold water on his face, he still felt exhausted.

“Mhm… anything is fine!”

……

As he neared the Academy, the drowsy Su Aoxue happened to see Shen Yan walking toward him.

“Huh? Are you waiting for me?” Su Aoxue asked with a yawn.

“Yeah, waiting for you. I have something good to show you after school this afternoon,” Shen Yan said with a mysterious smile.

He didn’t seem to notice the changes in Su Aoxue’s face at all.

“Something good? Why so mysterious…” Su Aoxue yawned again, his tone filled with confusion.

Shen Yan raised an eyebrow at him. “Haven’t been sleeping well lately?”

After all, as a Martial Artist, even missing a full day of sleep wouldn’t make someone as drowsy as Su Aoxue.

“Maybe. I’m dying of sleepiness. Luckily, there are three theory classes this morning where I can catch up on sleep. We’re only going to the Awakening Center in the afternoon.”

“But what’s this ‘good thing’ you mentioned? You even waited for me at the school gate.”

“Something very rare, but I won’t tell you yet. When the time comes… prepare to call me ‘Godfather’.” Shen Yan smiled, looking completely mysterious.

Although Shen Yan’s mental age was in his thirties—almost reaching forty—his mindset had become increasingly youthful after returning to this vibrant body.

“Call you Godfather? Give me a break.”

Su Aoxue naturally didn’t believe him. But then he thought that the most valuable thing Shen Yan had was probably the Silver Gray Grass he obtained yesterday—provided he actually got a share from that squad of B-rank Martial Artists.

As they spoke, a beautiful figure suddenly noticed them and waved. “Xue-bao, Yan-bao, you two are here!”

Before Shen Yan and Su Aoxue could look over, a sweet-looking girl with her hair in a bun jogged toward them.

Shen Yan stared at her for a moment before remembering who she was. “Oh… it’s Ye Yao.”

With Ye Yao’s appearance, a buried memory surfaced in Shen Yan’s mind. ‘I seem to remember that this girl, Ye Yao, liked Little Xue? But it didn’t seem like they ended up together later. Was she rejected?’

‘Makes sense. In my past life, Su Aoxue’s emotions gradually became indifferent, and even I, his best friend, wasn’t that close to him anymore…’

“Morning, Yao Yao,” Su Aoxue greeted her naturally.

The three of them walked into the Academy together.

They were very close, having taken the top three spots in the city’s theory exams.

Ye Yao was first, Su Aoxue was second, and Shen Yan was third.

Additionally, Ye Yao was from a wealthy family and was the School Beauty, making her situation much better than Su Aoxue’s or Shen Yan’s.

Ye Yao took a few extra looks at Su Aoxue before suddenly saying, “Xue-bao, why do I feel like you… got handsomer today? No, prettier? That’s not right either, but anyway, you’ve changed a lot!”

“Your skin has gotten so pale and supple. I’m so jealous!”

Su Aoxue felt a bit flustered by Ye Yao’s gaze. “Have I? I don’t feel it,” he said awkwardly.

As he scratched his head, Ye Yao cried out in surprise again. “Xue-bao, did you even dye your hair white?”

Su Aoxue replied awkwardly, “Ahem… looks good, right? Haha…”

Beside them, Shen Yan stared at Su Aoxue without saying a word.

For Ye Yao, it might have only been a few days since she last saw Su Aoxue, but for Shen Yan, it had been over a decade since he had seen the eighteen-year-old version of Su Aoxue.

He hadn’t noticed any changes immediately.

But after Ye Yao’s reminder, he realized that Su Aoxue really did seem to have changed significantly compared to a few days ago.