Chapter 1: The Retired Enchantress’ Island Life

The exquisite magic box hovered in midair, streaming pink light that painted the darkness in dreamy hues.

“So this is… the power capable of defeating the God-King?”

Wu Ye swallowed hard, eyes reverent as he gazed at the floating box.

He had succeeded.

He actually did it!

Even now, it felt unreal. 

That he had truly passed the trial.

Like seeing the light at the end of a nightmare, the suffering and peril along the way had all found their meaning!

—Three months ago, in a desperate bid to overthrow the tyrant God-King who had trampled the common people, he had risked everything to enter the Forbidden Lands.

Legend spoke of a power hidden deep within that place.

Only this power could surpass the God-King.

Now, though battered and scarred, though he’d danced on the edge of death, he had made it through.

“For a world free from oppression for peace!”

The young man, trembling with passion, opened the magic box.

…..

Thirteen Years Later

“Let us commemorate the peerless heroine who slew the God-King— Your Highness Wu Yi!”

“OHHHHHH—!!”

Cheers thundered across the plaza.

New Era, Year 10, Spring.

Ten years had passed since the God-King’s severed head was hoisted onto a streetlamp.

With his death, the crushing taxes and annual tributes that had weighed down the races vanished.

No longer did they need to war over scarce resources; peace had returned—at least, for now.

And all of this, every bit of this peace, was thanks to that stunning, miraculous enchantress.

—Your Highness Wu Yi!

…

“To hell with peace!”

On a sandy beach, Wu Ye angrily kicked a seashell into the air.

The Battle of Godslaying had been a decade ago.

Back then, he’d been a hot-blooded teen, dreaming of slaying the God-King.

And yes, he had succeeded.

He’d fought head-on with overwhelming power,

Slashed the tyrant’s head clean off.

But the price?

“So—”

Who the hell designed that legacy trial?!

After everything he went through to pass the Forbidden Lands’ trials… they turned him into an absurdly beautiful girl?!

Sure, he had to admit— Wu Yi’s form was powerful.

It was thanks to that form he had defeated the God-King.

But now that the God-King was long dead, couldn’t they just seal that power already?

Why the hell was he still randomly turning into Wu Yi every few days?!

It was frustrating.

Absolutely frustrating.

“Ugh— it’s happening again.”

A misty glow enveloped his body as dawn broke, the transformation blooming like a quiet miracle.

……

Snow-white hair cascaded like a silken spring, tinged at the tips with cherry blossom hues.

The first rays of morning brushed her bangs aside, lighting up a face of peerless beauty.

A misty veil curled around her body like moonlit silk.

Her brows were soft strokes of ink, her honeyed eyes shimmered, flushed cheeks dusted with a tender pink…

Even the greatest poets would snap their brushes and weep before trying to capture such beauty.

It wasn’t a beauty meant for this world.

It was the kind of allure that ignited an irresistible urge to protect and to possess.

“Uuu~uuu…”

Thanks to her new anatomy and female hormones, Wu Yi’s emotional state always skewed a little… dramatic.

A little sadness could suddenly feel soul-crushing and even bittersweet.

In the puddle’s reflection, she pouted, her delicate eyes glossy with tears beneath long lashes, cheeks pink and soft… even more heartbreakingly alluring.

Then she remembered— she’d been stuck on this deserted island for ten years.

That only made her chest ache even more.

If she kept thinking about it, she was really going to cry!

……

Maybe it was a blessing in disguise.

At least there was no one else on the island.

She had chosen this remote place deep in the ocean for solitude.

In the past decade, she had nearly forgotten what civilization looked like.

No one had set foot on this island in years.

There was only one living companion— a single gourd vine growing under the eaves.

It had been with her every day and night.

Oh right, the gourd vine.

Now was the season for pests. 

She needed to get back and watch over it— no way she was letting bugs ruin it.

“Huh?!”

Her brows twitched.

From a distance, she saw a green caterpillar crawl onto a leaf, ready to take a bite.

“Don’t. You. Dare.”

That same god-slaying power surged through her body.

Hair floated, and a cold blue blade shimmered into form in her hand.

With one strike,

She moved like a dragon descending from heaven, cutting through the air.

Even the wind and waves stilled, the sun and moon trembling at the sword’s might.

Shing—!

The caterpillar froze, mouth open mid-bite.

It had no idea what had just happened.

But when it finally came to,

Its mouth was gone.

Behind it, the sea split open from the sword’s energy, revealing the muddy seabed all the way to the horizon.

At the very edge, space itself shattered, thunder rumbling through the cracks.

The caterpillar, not exactly the brightest bulb, was left utterly dumbfounded.

What… was I doing again?

Oh, right.

I just wanted a leaf snack.

ZZZHHMMM—!

The air trembled again.

An arcane formation bloomed behind the girl, covered in dense runes that stretched across the entire sky.

Stars funneled into the magic circle of their own accord, feeding the power of a spell far beyond forbidden magic.

At the center of the array, the girl spoke, word by word:

“NO. ONE. TOUCHES. MY. GOURD.”

The caterpillar floated helplessly into the air, bound by the spell, then disintegrated into dust.

It died in tears.

—Do I even deserve this??

In its final moment, its tiny insect mind was filled with question marks.

“Ehehe~”

Wu Yi, satisfied, skipped barefoot along the beach back toward her home.

Waves lapped over her pale feet, washing away the trail of delicate footprints.

As if nothing had ever happened.

She reached the gourd vine and stood on tiptoes.

“Oh~ It’s blooming?”

A rare bit of good news on the island.

Odd, though. 

She had cared for this gourd vine for ten years and never once seen it bloom.

She had planned to harvest the gourds and make dumplings.

But now… she couldn’t bear the thought.

Anything you raise for ten years, you grow attached to—

Except maybe hemorrhoids.

Besides, she and the gourd had relied on each other all this time.

She watered it, protected it, cared for it. 

It was practically her daughter now.

That night, Wu Yi lay in bed and whispered to it:

“Goodnight.”

……

At Night

The blossoms on the vine began to tremble.

Ten years of buildup— bursting forth in one night!

Moonlight was silently drawn into the flowers, nourishing them.

Seven blossoms quickly swelled into little fox gourds.

Each round and chubby gourd had a pair of fluffy ears and a wiggling tail.

They swayed and bobbed playfully.

Then, from a yellow fox gourd, a snowy, elegant voice echoed:

“Do you all have a plan yet?”

After a pause, a cool, intelligent voice came from a blue gourd:

“She won’t trust us. She’ll think we’re perverts.”

“So what do we do?”

“Just tie her up and use force.”

“She’s way too strong. We can’t bind her.”

“Let Xiao Liu (Sixth Sister) go. She has a paralytic poison touch.”

“Sixth alone might not cut it.”

“Then Fifth goes in for charm. She’s a pureblood.”

“Charm probably won’t work either.”

“Fourth can hypnotize she’s half vampire.”

“We all go. Third can use elf vines to bind her. Then we shove a hallucinogenic flower in her mouth.”

“That should do it.”

“Now we just need to find Wu Yi.”

“Let Xiao Qi go first. She’s the youngest. No one would suspect her. Plus she costs the least to give birth.”

“Uuu~?”

The smallest, purple fox gourd blinked blankly.

“Go, Xiao Qi. Go find Wu Yi!”

……

Waking up naturally used to be Wu Ye’s idea of happiness.

But after ten straight years of that, it had long lost its appeal.

Ten years.

Ten years of surviving on a deserted island.

Sometimes he dreamed of returning to civilization—

To spicy snacks, grilled skewers, beer-braised pork, orange soda, peanuts…

Even just the sound of festival fireworks. 

Or a bard’s flute.

But then he’d remember:

If he transformed into Wu Yi in public, even once, it’d be over.

He couldn’t risk anyone linking Wu Ye and Wu Yi.

And it wasn’t just a matter of gender or pride.

There were many reasons.

……

Ahhh, why dwell on the depressing stuff?

He’d made it ten years already— what was another ten?

“Day 3654 of island survival. Clear skies. Morning.”

Still half-asleep, Wu Ye murmured his greeting to the gourd vine.

It was stupid, and he knew it.

But after so long alone, everything around him felt alive—

A stone, a blanket, a teacup— even a gourd vine became a companion.

They were his listeners.

They had souls now.

“Alright, time to get up!”

First order of business:

Check on his baby gourd vine~

Leaf one— healthy.

Leaf two— check.

Leaf three, four… Leaf 156— still intact.

Wait.

What’s this?!

A round, glistening body swayed in the wind, soft and luminous.

It was a gourd.

Whoo-hoo! It bore fruit at last!

Logically speaking, raising a gourd for ten years only for it to bear fruit overnight should’ve been a cause for celebration.

“……”

But wait.

Why the hell does my gourd have animal ears and a tail?!

“PAPA!”

What was that sound?

Wu Ye jolted in alarm.

Something was clinging to his leg.

He looked down—

Oh. It’s a little girl.

…… A girl.

Alive one???

Wu Ye froze stiff, nearly transforming into Wu Yi on the spot from sheer panic.