“Brother, why are you back so early today?”
Upon hearing the sound of the door opening, Su Muqing tossed aside her textbook and excitedly pushed her wheelchair toward the entrance.
However, the moment she saw Su Aoxue, she froze. Her pupils constricted slightly as she gasped, “Brother, what… what happened to your hand?!”
Su Muqing quickly rolled her wheelchair over to him and grabbed his hand.
Su Aoxue scratched his head, offering the excuse he had prepared earlier.
“Ahem, it’s a minor thing. It’ll recover in two days. Yeah, just two days.”
Faced with his explanation, Su Muqing didn’t believe him for a second. Her eyes filled with heartache.
“Brother, did you go back to that Underground Black Boxing ring again?”
“You can’t do this!”
Tears began to well up in Su Muqing’s eyes.
She had always felt like she was a burden to the family.
Because of that, she couldn’t stand the thought of her brother risking his life just to scrape together enough money for her medical expenses.
It was completely wrong!
“Don’t… don’t cry! And don’t do anything rash! I really didn’t go boxing! It’s not a serious injury, I promise!”
“It’s just a small side effect of my Awakened Talent!”
‘Technically, it was way more dangerous than black boxing. I almost died out there,’ he thought. Of course, Su Aoxue could never tell her that.
In the Black Market of the Base City, there were pure hand-to-hand combat matches where using an Awakened Talent was strictly forbidden.
Su Aoxue had gone there a few times in the past for money, but he had stopped after his family discovered his severe injuries from his last match.
“It’ll heal on its own in a few days!”
Having taken the medicine, the Ice Scars on Su Aoxue’s arm were no longer as prominent as before.
He estimated they would return to normal within a few days, which was why he had chosen to come home.
He hadn’t expected to upset his sister like this.
Recalling the time his sister had attempted suicide because she hated being a burden, Su Aoxue felt a massive headache coming on.
“Trust me, okay?”
“If you don’t believe me, I’m going to get angry. After all, I can’t admit to something I didn’t do.”
Su Aoxue’s tone became somewhat serious.
Seeing that her brother seemed genuinely upset, Su Muqing lowered her head. “I’m sorry, Brother. I just… I just don’t want you to take risks or get hurt for my sake.”
“I…”
Su Aoxue sighed helplessly and reached out to pat Su Muqing’s head.
“Silly girl. Everyone gets hurt once in a while. Besides, your brother is actually quite strong now. It isn’t that easy for me to get injured anymore.”
“After all, I’m in the top three for both theory and combat in the entire city!”
“And you’re my sister. If I don’t work hard for you, am I supposed to risk my life for someone else?”
……
After finally managing to calm his sister’s emotions, Su Aoxue headed to the kitchen and let out a heavy sigh.
However, when he turned around, he found that his sister had followed him.
“I’m really fine. You don’t need to worry so much.”
“I’ll… I’ll just sit here and watch, Brother.”
Looking at Su Muqing’s teary eyes, Su Aoxue said helplessly, “Fine.”
One hour after a simple and warm dinner, Su Muqing poked her head out of her room. “Brother… I want to take a bath. Can you help me…?”
Even though this had happened many times, a look of embarrassment still crossed Su Muqing’s face.
“Okay.”
Su Aoxue nodded. Before entering the bathroom, he pulled out a Black Blindfold and covered his eyes.
After helping his sister undress in the dark, Su Aoxue sat on the sofa to rest.
He soon heard the sound of the shower running, along with some… thumping and bumping noises.
Worried about his sister, Su Aoxue hurriedly called out, “Be careful! You didn’t fall, did you?”
“I’m okay, Brother! I just accidentally knocked over the shampoo. I didn’t fall.”
“Alright then…”
Su Aoxue relaxed.
Su Muqing didn’t just have limited mobility in her legs; even her upper body lacked strength.
If she fell from her wheelchair, it would take her half a day to crawl back into it.
The bed in her room was level with the wheelchair cushion to make it easier for her to transfer herself.
Her condition made daily life extremely difficult.
Even bathing was an issue. Su Aoxue had to carry Su Muqing onto a small stool in the bathroom and then carry her back to her wheelchair once she was finished.
He also had to help her dress, which was why he had bought the blindfold.
Because of the boundary between men and women, Su Aoxue could help her wash when they were children, but now that was out of the question.
As for their mother, her job was of such a nature that she never had holidays and rarely returned home.
Sometimes, Su Aoxue wondered if it would be better if he were Su Muqing’s sister instead.
As that thought occurred to him, Su Aoxue gave an awkward smile. ‘A sister… I actually can become Little Muqing’s sister now.’
‘Is this a childhood fantasy coming true?’
However, even if he could turn into a girl and become her sister, he wouldn’t actually help her wash. After all, a brother shouldn’t take advantage of his sister and see her naked! He was her brother; even if he could turn into a woman, he was still her brother!
Meanwhile, inside the bathroom, Su Muqing sat on the small stool. After picking up the shampoo bottle, she gently massaged her hair, her mood sinking.
“If only I weren’t a burden to the family… if only I were a normal person…”
Su Muqing repeated those words over and over, her voice a low, dejected whisper.
But then, something strange happened. A faint, pinkish-purple glow suddenly flashed through Su Muqing’s dark eyes.
However, she didn’t seem to notice the abnormality occurring within her body.
……
The scene shifted back to the bedroom. Su Aoxue didn’t dare to waste a single moment; he had to become stronger and more valuable.
Based on the Inherited Memories, Su Aoxue judged that those Frost Calamity Witches were old hags who had lived for at least 100 years.
Therefore, if he could prove himself useful, he could surely live a long life as well. That way, he could take care of his sister and mother.
Thinking about the existence of Witches, Su Aoxue shook his head.
‘This power is truly strange. It can even force a man like me to turn into a woman. I wonder if my functions are fully developed in that female form?’
After mocking himself, Su Aoxue closed his eyes.
He began to operate the Visualization Method.
However, during this process, whether it was the medicine taking effect or some other reason, Su Aoxue slumped from his cross-legged position and fell onto the bed.
His physique began to change, reverting once again to the female form.
He seemed to lose consciousness entirely, and his breathing became very faint.
However, the visible Ice Scars on his body began to fade at a speed noticeable to the naked eye.
Once they reached a certain point, the recovery slowed down.
During this process, Su Aoxue unconsciously released a massive amount of the Power of Extreme Cold.
It was so intense that his entire bedroom froze over, looking like a walk-in freezer.
……
The next morning, Su Aoxue was once again awakened by the sound of Su Muqing knocking on the door.
He scratched his head in confusion and sat up.
Then, he heard that familiar, questioning, and cautious voice: “Brother, you froze your room again. Are you… are you okay?”
Su Aoxue stared blankly at the bedroom he had frozen over. ‘Why did I release the Power of Extreme Cold in my sleep again?’
As he spoke, Su Aoxue quickly covered his mouth. ‘Tsk, what a pain.’
In the next instant, Su Aoxue reverted to his original body.
“I’m fine! I just went a bit overboard with my training. Don’t worry.”
“Even if the room is frozen, I’m okay. I awakened an Ice-type Talent, so no amount of cold can hurt me. Don’t look at me through the lens of a normal person, Little Muqing!”
Hearing his voice full of energy, Su Muqing finally relaxed a little.
“O… Okay, Brother.”
Shortly after Su Aoxue manually suppressed the power of the Cold Disaster, he discovered a problem that was neither big nor small.
A portion of the power from the Cold Disaster seemed to have completely integrated into his entire body.
The power, which had previously been stored only in his heart, was now appearing in various other parts of his physique.
The power he possessed from the Witch was originally concentrated in his heart.
It was only when he used that power to transform into the female form that it would flow through his entire body, turning him into the Frost Calamity Witch.
It was precisely because his heart had been protected by that power that he had survived the disaster two days ago.
After all, at that time, his chest had been pierced through.
‘Why has so much of the Power of Extreme Cold appeared in the other meridians of my original body?!’
Su Aoxue suddenly thought of a terrifying possibility.
‘Tsk, whatever. It’s getting late. I need to hurry up and cut this hair that grew back…’
……
“Brother… huh?”
Su Muqing, who was waiting for her brother to come out, was about to say good morning. However, the moment she saw him, she froze.
She subconsciously blurted out, “Sister?”