“I… I shouldn’t have disobeyed Mother’s orders and snuck away to the Profane Realm with those people…”
“Correct. What else?”
“The mistake… the mistake was… I shouldn’t have eaten things blindly!”
“…Sigh—that’s not the point. Let me tell you: your mistake was being schemed against by the enemy without even realizing it! If this vast Demon Realm is handed over to you in the future… Hah, I can’t even imagine what would become of it!”
Yun Ming’s words were merciless, stabbing deep into Yun Fei’s heart.
“I… I was schemed against?”
Seeing that Yun Fei still looked clueless, Yun Ming gave a slight sigh.
“Forget it. You’re still young, so it’s normal that you didn’t notice. Now, take off your top!”
“Huh?” Yun Fei blinked in confusion.
“Don’t talk back! Do you want your mother to strip you herself?”
“Yes! I’ll take it off right away!”
Having said that, Yun Fei didn’t hesitate.
She quickly shed her upper garment, revealing a body as smooth as mutton-fat jade.
“Heh… Just as I thought… Now, use your Spiritual Power to take a good look at your back.”
Though confused, Yun Fei did as she was told.
Her Spiritual Power began to gather toward her back.
From the perspective of her Spiritual Power, a string of unknown icy-blue runes had appeared on her back, radiating a faint chill.
“T-This… What is this?”
Yun Fei’s voice trembled slightly, a sudden sense of panic rising within her for no reason.
“The Corroding Ice Curse… They actually found a way to use this ancient relic… Hah…”
“M-Mother?”
“I’ll be blunt with you. This is an ancient talisman left over from long ago. It’s of the ice element and is the natural enemy of those with a Fire Affinity. Once it’s implanted, it continuously corrodes your Fire Affinity and converts it into an Ice Affinity. It’s a rare item that can change a person’s elemental affinity after birth.”
“In other words… if I don’t remove this thing… I’ll…”
“Undoubtedly, those old geezers in the Profane Realm want to sever our lineage’s control over the Nether Realm Purple Fire. Unfortunately for them… they miscalculated. Hehe, no matter how hard they try, they could never imagine that you control the very core wisp of the Nether Realm Purple Fire. How could something like this possibly change that?”
Yun Ming gave a calm smile.
Seeing her confident expression, the weight on Yun Fei’s heart finally lifted.
But then Yun Ming suddenly changed her tone, looking at Yun Fei with a half-smile that made her feel a sense of impending danger.
“However… the purple fire in your body is currently sealed by me, so it’s not enough to fully dissipate this curse. But if the seal is released, you’ll be burned to ashes by it!”
*Gulp…*
Yun Fei swallowed hard in despair, looking at Yun Ming with anticipation.
“Mother! I’m your only son—daughter! You won’t just leave me like this, right?”
Yun Fei didn’t care about anything else at this point.
For the sake of her future happiness, what did it matter if she humbled herself this once!
So, she squatted down, tightly hugging Yun Ming’s thigh, and began to plead tearfully.
“Pfft—”
Just then, Yun Ming burst out laughing, leaving Yun Fei completely bewildered about what was happening.
“M-Mother, what are you laughing at?”
“Hahaha~ I didn’t expect Fei’er to be so cute as a girl~ I only teased you a bit, and here you are, clinging to your mother’s leg and wailing like a baby~”
Upon hearing her mother’s words, Yun Fei was instantly petrified.
“Mother!”
“Even when you’re flustered, you’re so adorable~ As I thought, a dainty girl is much better than a disobedient boy~”
Yun Fei quickly scrambled up from her mother’s thigh and wiped her tears.
She had learned her lesson this time; she wouldn’t say another word.
“There, there~ But don’t breathe a sigh of relief too soon. Some of what I said was true~ Only the part about the seal burning you to ashes was a lie. In fact, there’s no seal in your body at all~”
Hearing this, Yun Fei felt somewhat relieved, but after all that commotion, she was now desperate to know how to remove the curse.
“Mother! Then this curse…”
“Don’t worry. Your purple fire has reached a balance with this thing. Now, not only will it not corrode your Fire Affinity, but it even provides you with an additional Ice Affinity. Thanks to this curse, your Ice Affinity is quite high.”
“Really? That’s great!”
Yun Fei’s eyes lit up.
This way, she had one more trump card. Defeating that woman, Mu Lingxi, was just a matter of time!
At that moment, Yun Fei could already imagine the scene of her stepping on Mu Lingxi.
It was truly enough to make her want to shout, “How satisfying!”
But the dream quickly shattered as she had to face reality.
Since the information was wrong, what realm was Mu Lingxi actually in now?
If she was far above her, there wouldn’t be much of a chance for victory.
How worrisome! Truly worrisome!
“Oh, and Fei’er, since you’ve become a girl, it’s time to change your name. Let Mother think… Hmm… I’ve got it! From now on, you’ll be called Yun Fei, how about that?”
Yun Ming doted on her, rubbing Yun Fei’s hair with eyes full of motherly love.
Oh! Father above! In all her years, Yun Fei had never seen such a doting look from her mother!
Although she had lost what was between her legs, she had gained motherly love!
What a steal!
She hadn’t lost out at all!
Mu Lingxi was the MVP!
Yun Fei was the ultimate winner!
She was very satisfied with this outcome!
***
Yun Fei returned to her bedroom in satisfaction.
As she opened the door, a faint fragrance wafted out, and her eyes were met with a room filled with cherry-blossom pink.
Yun Fei rubbed her eyes in disbelief, closed the door, and opened it again.
Good! No change! It’s all real!
This must be her mother’s doing, right?
But… so much pink? Is this right?
With a resolve like someone facing certain death, Yun Fei mustered her courage and stepped into the fragrant room.
To be honest, the floral scent was quite pleasant, though she didn’t know what kind of flower it was.
“Wahoo~ My fragrant and soft bed~ Here I come~”
Yun Fei jumped onto the bed excitedly, her light body bouncing a few times before coming to a stop.
Rolling over slightly, Yun Fei lay on her back, her gaze gradually becoming vacant and bewildered.
“I’ve become a girl… and I can’t change back…”
At this thought, Mu Lingxi’s triumphant smiling face seemed to appear before her.
Her grip tightened!
Her fists were clenched!
With that, Yun Fei resolved to make her pay, to avenge the loss of her “roots”!
*Knock knock knock—!*
Just then, there was a gentle knock at the door.
“Who is it?”
Yun Fei was extremely annoyed right now.
Logically, her mother wouldn’t knock, so who could it be?
It was already getting late.
“Come in!”
*Click!*
The door opened, and a group of girls in palace attire filed into her slightly cramped room.
The flurry of colors made Yun Fei’s head spin.
When had she, formerly a grown man, ever seen such a sight?
However, she actually recognized the person leading them.
It was her mother’s head maid, Youyou.
“Aunt… Aunt Youyou? Why are you here? And why did you bring so many people?”
As she spoke, Yun Fei pulled up the nearby blanket to cover her currently disheveled clothing.
“Young Highness! Her Sovereign ordered me to select a few personal maids for you. I’ve brought along everyone currently on duty who is around your age. Do any of them catch your eye?”