Chapter 11: Time For A Bath~!

Even from dozens of meters away, the spectators could feel the scorching waves of heat radiating from the stage.

The audience fell into complete silence.

What the heck was that just now?

A never-before-seen Spirit Art?

Just one move?

One move to instantly defeat the infamous Tyrant King?

By the time they snapped out of it, the referee had already declared the “Flamewing Queen” the victor.

“Main event. Bets on the Flamewing Queen to win paid 10-to-1. After fees and repaying your loan, here’s 4.95 million. It’s all on this card. The password’s six sixes.”

I took the bank card handed to me.

Boss Tao stared blankly.

Even though he was the house and should’ve profited no matter the outcome, he had secretly bet on the Tyrant King to win.

And bet big.

He lost it all.

“Wait! You can’t just leave!” 

Boss Tao stepped in front of us, unwilling to accept defeat.

“Trying to back out, Boss Tao? Or are you itching for a taste of the Big Dipper Heaven-Burning Art?”

Xinyue arrived just in time, backing me and Cluru up.

“……”

Though Xinyue looked completely exhausted and didn’t seem capable of fighting…

This was the same Xinyue who, just earlier, had looked equally worn out, drove the odds sky-high with a bluff, then turned around and obliterated her opponent.

Boss Tao clearly had a bit of PTSD.

He didn’t dare test whether she was bluffing again.

He glanced at the half-dead Tyrant King still lying on the stage, then forced a smile.

“Flamewing Queen, I formally invite you to join our Tiger Head Gang.”

“Sorry, not interested.”

“Don’t turn me down so fast! With your strength and that signature Spirit Art of yours, you could be the most valuable Master in arena history!”

“No thanks. We’re square, just like we agreed.”

Xinyue shut him down mercilessly.

Meanwhile, I hid behind her and made a face at Boss Tao.

Trying to trap me with loan sharks? Nice try, sucker~!

……

After leaving the underground arena, we finally couldn’t hold in our excitement any longer.

4.95 million! Nearly five million in one night without spending a dime—faster than robbing a bank!

“Even though we made a killing, I still don’t know how you pulled that off but you better not get hooked on this.” 

Xinyue tapped my nose sternly. 

“Gambling always ends in ruin. Once you’re addicted, going bankrupt is just a matter of time.”

“I know.”

If I hadn’t had the talisman and the Big Dipper Heaven-Burning Art in my back pocket, I wouldn’t have dared to bet at all.

Just this once—as seed money. Never again.

“We’re lucky we made it out of the arena alive. Phew—” 

Xinyue sank into a bench by the street, visibly drained. 

“That Tao guy is shady as hell. If he hadn’t been afraid of your move, he’d never have let us walk away with the money.”

“Cough—”

Right as she said that, I suddenly felt a tightness in my chest and coughed up blood.

“Are you okay?!”

“Just a scratch.” 

I waved it off with flair.

But with my pale face, I wasn’t exactly convincing.

Still, it was true.

I had just pushed my limits to unleash that ultimate move, which caused some internal damage. 

But now that I had money for medicine, I’d be fine in no time.

I wasn’t one of those dumb players who traded health for power and couldn’t even afford to recover afterward!

“Cluru… what are you doing?!”

While I was lost in thought, my body suddenly grew heavy again.

Strong tentacles took advantage of my weakened state, wrapping around me without warning.

The cardboard box lifted—and with a soft fwump, I was swallowed up.

Inside the cramped box, there was barely any room.

I ended up pressed tightly against Cluru, the two of us squeezed in together.

A rich, sweet girlish scent filled the air, making me dizzy and weak in the knees.

Just as I was about to struggle—

I heard a soft, concerned voice by my ear.

“You’re hurt… don’t move…”

The whisper was accompanied by a soothing energy.

This strange power quickly eased the internal injuries I had sustained.

“Wait, you can heal too?”

That’s amazing.

“No, it’s the power of transformation.”

“Didn’t you say you used it all up?”

“It just came back a little. I figured I might as well use it.”

“Don’t waste it!!”

This was the same miraculous energy that could turn a grown man into a cute girl!

I was counting on Cluru to recover enough to transform me into a cool, intimidating version of myself!

Even if I couldn’t go back to being who I was, I’d settle for a black-stockinged ice queen!

“Okay okay, I’m fine.”

I wriggled free from the slick, cramped box-world.

Xinyue looked at my disheveled clothes and flushed cheeks and gave me a knowing look.

“So cardboard boxes have that kind of function too…”

Class Rep! Your imagination is outrageous!

……

“So now that you’ve made all this money, how are you gonna spend it?”

On the way back, Xinyue asked.

“This wouldn’t have been possible without Class Rep’s contributions.”

I tapped my lips with one hand, spinning the bank card in the other, tilting my little head in thought.

Her eyes lit up like stars. 

“I knew you were a thoughtful little girl…”

“So here’s your share fifty bucks.”

“……”

Xinyue wordlessly took the 50-yuan note.

“I mean… I risked my life out there. If not for merit, at least for effort, right? You win five million and give me fifty? How is that fair?!”

I raised my tail proudly: “Do sports bettors split winnings with the athletes?”

“……”

Something about that felt off—but the logic was airtight.

She couldn’t argue back.

Thankfully, she’d saved up a fair bit from her year of fighting in the underground arena. 

She didn’t really need the money—she was just joking. So she didn’t push it further.

But she did reach out in mock revenge to ruffle my hair.

“So seriously, what are you gonna spend it on?”

“Medicine.”

Both Cluru and I were physically frail. 

We needed to strengthen our foundations.

The qilin and little octopus needed nurturing too.

I wondered… could the qilin and little octopus cultivate as well?

If they could, things would get really interesting.

—Go, Pikachu! Use Divine Thunderblade Slash!

“Puhuhu~”

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the thought of that scene.

……

Kangcheng was a small city, with little to offer in terms of nightlife. 

The streets at night were quiet and nearly deserted.

Thankfully, the shops selling spirit beast medicine and berries stayed open all night.

“I’ll take this… and this…”

Because the names of medicinal ingredients in this world differed from those on Earth, I had no choice but to go in and pick everything out myself.

By the time I’d finished selecting all the ingredients, it was already past midnight.

“That’ll be 4.948 million. Thank you for your business.”

“……”

Boss, did you just price this based on my card balance?!

I stubbornly checked the price list again.

Damn it… it really is this expensive…

The quality of these herbs was clearly pretty average—how could they be this pricey?

“Mm, all basic-grade herbs, but decent quality. This store’s known for fair prices and good value.” Xinyue nodded from the side.

Class Rep, are you secretly a plant for this store?

Of course, I knew that wasn’t the case.

Thinking back to the spirit plants and berries we grew at school—they weren’t much better either.

So, it wasn’t a problem with the store.

After all, the Spirit Awakening only began seventeen years ago, so at best, these herbs had only seventeen years of potency…

“Fine, I’ll take them.”

The quality may have been mid, but it was good enough for a first-time body-tempering bath.

“Whew, finally back at school. I’m dead tired. See you in class tomorrow.”

Xinyue was utterly drained. 

She looked like she would teleport straight to her bed and hibernate for a week if she could.

After a quick goodbye, I didn’t head to bed right away.

I returned to Miss Xiao Yuan’s residence.

The door wasn’t locked.

A note sat on the table: [I’m out for the night. Won’t be coming back.]

Perfect. Otherwise, I’d have a hard time explaining this.

I quickly began processing the ingredients into a body-tempering formula, following the proportions.

Using Qilin thunderfire, I extracted the essence.

I saved half a bowl of the essence mixture and poured the other half into the hot water in the bathtub.

“Cluru, I’m gonna take a bath!”

I called out toward the bathroom door—no idea if Cluru heard me or not.

No reply.

Who knew where that little thing was hiding now.

It was late, and we’d been running around all day. 

She was probably exhausted. Maybe I’m already asleep.

Not thinking too much about it, I started undressing.

First came the white, feminine blouse.

Unbuttoning it, a cool breeze brushed against my skin.

Next came the skirt—and then, the pristine white… over-the-knee socks.

And then… the white, faintly scented… ugh! P-pant—

Ah… as someone devoted to cultivation and free from worldly desires, I had never once gotten involved with women in this new world.

Women only slow down my sword-drawing speed. I had always believed in that truth.

Which was why… Now, finding myself as a girl, in direct contact with all these delicate and suggestive girly things—it caught me completely off guard and made me flush with embarrassment.

These stockings… they’re so smooth… so comfy…

And my body feels soft and small… kind of cute…

Maybe… maybe being a girl isn’t so bad…

—What the heck am I thinking?!

The shameful thought made me dive straight into the water, face-first.

I buried my head under the pale-pink surface, as if that could somehow let me escape from reality.

“ ? ! ”

Wait a minute… What’s that in the water?

I didn’t know what it was, but it was incredibly soft. 

The texture was slick and smooth, yet it wrapped around me with inescapable strength…

Whatever it was, it silently coiled around my ankle—

And began slithering upward.