Chapter 30: Transformation

The sound of the door creaking signaled that someone had entered.

Li Po paid no mind, his head tilted back against the rim of the tub, drifting in a state between sleep and wakefulness.

"Big Brother, shall I scrub your back?"

"No need..."

Li Po answered lazily, feeling somewhat dissatisfied. The kid had been nowhere to be found all evening, only to show up now to curry favor when the water had already gone cold.

This bath was akin to a snake shedding its skin. He had spent an immense amount of effort scrubbing away layer upon layer of filth—it felt almost like having fought an evenly matched opponent. His entire body felt light and drained of strength, and now, he looked like a boiled shrimp.

"Big Brother, why did you go to such trouble to get all that grime? It doesn't even smell good..."

"That’s good stuff, you know."

Li Po opened his eyes slightly, reluctantly pulling himself upright. He reached for the cloth on the edge of the tub, intending to wipe himself dry and get a good night's sleep.

The large house was well-stocked; almost all daily necessities were present. This was, of course, because the crime committed here had been so heinous and the scene so bloody that no one dared to come in and loot it. Consequently, everything fell into the hands of Li Po’s group of refugees.

Standing up, he felt a difference. Though he was still weak and his legs felt a bit unsteady, his body felt significantly lighter, and he couldn't help but stretch comfortably.

"I’ll scrub you."

Li Po grunted in assent. He really didn't want to move anymore; he just wanted to sleep. He gave his hair a vigorous rub before handing the cloth to the figure standing by the tub.

It was deep into the night, and there were no lamps lit. The room was dim, but its design allowed for good natural light, as it was the largest and finest room in the house. Moonlight crept in through the lattice windows, casting a hazy, ethereal glow over the room.

Li Po glanced over casually, and then... he shuddered, nearly dropping the cloth.

His pores tightened, and a layer of fine, icy sweat broke out across his back.

It was rare for something to elicit such a reaction from a man like Li Po. All his sleepiness vanished instantly. He couldn't help but rub his eyes, wanting to take a closer look.

The person by the tub took the cloth naturally and moved behind him, beginning to scrub his back with vigor.

Li Po turned his head to look, but the other person complained, "Big Brother, don't move. It's cold in here; if I don't dry you off properly, you'll catch a chill."

Li Po breathed a sigh of relief. The voice was unmistakable—not some ghost or demon. Yet, he was stunned: how could this kid look... so delicate and pretty?

The brief glimpse he’d caught earlier had revealed a fair, clean face with fine brows and eyes. Though the child was extremely thin, it was clear that beneath the immaturity lay a certain grace. With damp hair clinging to their face, they looked even more pitifully beautiful. It was no wonder he had been startled, momentarily fearing that he had killed so many people that ghosts had come to haunt him.

But... he still felt something was off.

Reflecting on it, from the moment he met this child in the mountains until now, he had never actually seen what the kid looked like when truly clean...

Some things are best left unexamined. They had addressed each other as brothers and had been together for quite some time; Li Po had never suspected anything. But now, looking back, the doubts multiplied.

When they first met in the mountains, the child was indeed disheveled, but there was nothing unusual about their body—only the face had been excessively dirty, as if coated in a layer of grime. He hadn't thought much of it then, assuming it was just the mountain wind and dust. Now, however, it dawned on him: the kid had likely smeared the dirt on their face on purpose.

Damn it...

Li Po cursed inwardly. He didn't care about the formalities anymore; he spun around, grabbed Li Chun by the collar, and began to inspect them closely.

Li Chun was terrified, but upon meeting Li Po’s hawk-like gaze, the child immediately quieted down, though when they spoke, their voice was laced with tears.

"I told you we shouldn't have stayed here! Look, look, Big Brother, wake up! Don't let the ghosts bewitch you. It's me, Li Chun..."

*I...*

Li Po was so frustrated he nearly choked. But even if he were given a few more pairs of eyes, he wouldn't be able to tell. A child of this age, especially one so thin, was impossible to distinguish as male or female without stripping off their clothes.

Li Po felt incredibly conflicted. It wasn't about anything else; his pride simply couldn't take it. If the child he had rescued and lived with through thick and thin was actually a girl and he hadn't noticed until now, he might as well gouge his own eyes out—what use were they anyway?

He felt a strong urge to reach into Li Chun’s pants to check, but he suppressed the impulse.

He forced a smile and rubbed Li Chun’s head. "Alright, stop crying. Seeing you all cleaned up, I just thought some ghost had taken your place."

Li Chun, still shaken, touched their own cheek and grinned, revealing a row of small, white teeth. It seemed they were quite proud of their appearance.

Seeing Li Po turn back around to have his back scrubbed, Li Chun stuck out their tongue while his back was turned, eyes darting with a hint of craftiness. Clearly, having a place to stay had put both Li Po and Li Chun at ease.

However, Li Po was not so easily fooled this time.

Li Chun had only been happy for a moment when Li Po said, "Chun'er, tell Big Brother the truth. At that wealthy household in the village, you weren't a servant boy, were you? You were a maid, right?"

"Don't lie to me. The way men and women live their lives is different; sooner or later, it will come out... How sad would Big Brother be then?"

Li Po was no saint either; since he couldn't tell by looking, he resorted to emotional manipulation. If that didn't work, he figured he’d have to strip the pants off to verify the truth.

*My pride...*

There was silence from behind him. Li Po didn't turn around, nor did he speak. In that moment of hesitation, he was certain: the child he had rescued was indeed a girl.

His heart was in a tumult. *Damn it, if I can't even tell the difference between a man and a woman, I might as well have died from sheer stupidity.*

But then, a second thought crossed his mind: this wasn't exactly a life-or-death matter.

He recalled the difficult days they had shared—the campfire in the mountains, the heavy snow, the ruins of the village, their trek through the blizzard, and that straw hut in the refugee camp. Scenes flashed through Li Po’s mind one after another.

The corners of Li Po’s mouth twitched. He would never admit to being soft-hearted, but he thought, *Well, a girl is fine too. Like a little padded jacket.*

Behind him, the child began to sob, muttering between cries, "Big Brother... Little Chun didn't mean to lie to you. Please don't cast me aside. Everyone said girls are useless, otherwise, Mother wouldn't have abandoned me... Wuu wuu..."

Li Po’s mouth hung open, a bitter taste lingering in his throat. Since he had rescued this child, he had never seen her cry. Hearing the sound now, she sounded truly heartbroken.

Could it be that once the "boy" turned into a "girl," her temperament had changed so drastically?

Li Po couldn't listen to it anymore. He turned around and gave Li Chun a light swat on the head. "Enough with the theatrics! Get out of here, and don't come back in until I tell you to."