Fantasizing—especially about girls’ bodies—hey, no shame here. I did that too back when my male traits were developing and I first got crushes.

But that doesn’t mean I can fantasize about my own body shifting bones and all. Forget calling myself “this humble consort”—even “this grieving empress” wouldn’t cut it.

After several minutes of failed attempts, the conversation above happened.

Qingli pondered seriously for a while, then suddenly brightened. “Ah! Try becoming a girl first, then attempt demon transformation.”

Worth a shot. I followed her advice. Shifting into a girl was way easier than demon form—just a thought did it. But too easy was bad; I had to stay tense, reining in stray thoughts to avoid accidental changes.

A familiar weird sensation spread through me. My perspective slowly lowered as I shrank. My clothes turned loose and heavy. I knew the shift was done. Looking up, I saw Qingli staring at me, shocked.

“You… you forgot to fasten your belt today?”

I froze in panic. Before I could look down, a cool breeze hit my lower half.

Heaven help me. As a healthy sixteen-year-old guy, I’d been tall-ish (not really), with legs neither thick nor thin, and a sturdy waist nowhere near “tiny.” So after turning into this little fox spirit—somewhere between child and loli, with a slim waist, thinner legs, and no curves—my pants and boxers dropping down was… totally normal, right?

Luckily, Elder Mink and the burly guy were out. The noodle shop was closed. My scream—like I’d been assaulted—went unheard by anyone else. Miserable-faced, I followed Qingli inside. She helped me change clothes. My expression looked violated. Seriously, every time I became a girl, something went wrong. Was I just born incompatible with this gender?

“Alright, try again like before.”

I calmed down, truly focused this time. Maybe using a girl’s body helped—no resistance while fantasizing. The outline of this form appeared clearly in my mind. My consciousness split from my belly: one stream surged to my head, the other to my tailbone. Amid strange sensations, the outline shattered into chaos.

Opening my eyes, nine snow-white tails swayed before me. I gently touched the fluffy things on my head. Yep, soft.

“Success!”

Excited, I pressed against Qingli. My nine tails mischievously surrounded her completely. I beamed at her, seeking praise like a kid showing a perfect test score to Mom for candy.

“Enough fooling around,” Qingli gently pushed me away. “Let’s practice magic.”

“Mhm! Mhm! Mhm!” At “magic,” I nodded like a chick pecking rice, then released my tails and stepped back. Succeeding at demon form on the first try proved my talent. Magic would be easy—I already pictured myself wielding water and fire in one hand, wind and thunder in the other, crushing all opposition.

Maybe this was more fantasy than the demon attempt?

But as the saying goes: misfortunes never come alone, and good things rarely pair up. After dozens of minutes—listening to Qingli’s theory, watching demos, and practicing—I realized fantasy was just that.

Qingli knew many spells, but most were her race’s exclusive techniques. Few worked for a Nine-Tailed Fox. She only showed me controlling a tiny water stream floating in air… yet I couldn’t master even that.

“No worries. Probably because you’re not fully awakened… not fully a girl yet. It’ll work after next week.”

I figured she was right, but felt deeply disappointed. For now, I gave up on magic.

“By the way, Qingli, where did Elder Mink and the others go today?”

Bored, I struck up conversation. This Royalist faction base had everyone gone, leaving only Qingli guarding it. After Yejia Yin’s sudden appearance, I felt danger everywhere. Wasn’t this reckless?

“He said he’s meeting an old friend to discuss matters.”

“Oh, a friend?” I propped my chin on my hand, asking naively, “Why not live together? There are empty rooms here, and plenty of space.”

Qingli sighed silently, then said helplessly, “Because of differing views…”

I froze, slow to catch on. “Differing views” meant political stances—likely, that friend wouldn’t join my side. So a Royalist ally in the Liberal faction? No wonder Elder Mink’s stance seemed shaky. Rubbing my temples, I sighed softly.

Rough road ahead, Xiao Yao.

Qingli sensed my worry. She leaned closer to comfort me—then her face paled.

“Watch out!”

Qingli tackled me down, shielding me from an energy blast from nowhere. Behind us, the wooden door exploded with a bang. Qingli stood up. Cat ears and tail had appeared. Her golden pupils blazed like burning flames.

……

On the city outskirts, near a familiar chair, a crowd surrounded Elder Mink. He stood calm amid burly thugs, small but unapproachable.

“Rat, I’ll say it again: we had no conflict with Old Wolf. He left after talking to us. We don’t know what happened next.”

“You think we’re fools? Boss went to negotiate peace with you and died halfway back. Explain that! Did you find that fox bitch? Did she order it?”

The old man in the center took a deep breath, speaking solemnly. “No. Trust me, Rat—you and Old Wolf grew up under my watch. I’d never harm you or kill kin. We found the Nine-Tailed Fox, but she’s not awakened. Just a clueless human now. Something’s fishy—likely human factions did this.”

The leader’s eyes flickered, wavering, but he clenched his teeth. “Too late now. Pan’s already gone… You know, his parents brought him across the ocean, then abandoned him. Boss Grey raised him. Pan saw him as a father.”

Unshaken even when surrounded, Elder Mink now turned pale. “Damn it. It’s exactly the one Qingli handles worst.”