Zhao Mingyao woke up on her own without Xiulan's help this time. The night had been long for her, filled with yet another weird dream.
She was back in that bleak world. This time, there was no lake or house—just an endless expanse of white as far as the eye could see. The body she inhabited in the dream was not that of Zhao Mingyu but of Zhao Mingyao. She walked aimlessly, her feet crunching through the snowy landscape. She was barely clothed for the weather, but the cold did not seem to affect her. She continued walking without direction when, suddenly, Zhao Mingyu appeared before her.
The air around him was hot, melting the snow wherever he stepped. Zhao Mingyao was baffled by what she saw. Why was her own body standing before her while she inhabited this new female one? But before she could process any of it, a sudden attack shattered all her thoughts.
The Zhao Mingyu before her had thrown a palm strike that was hot and blazing, and reflexively, she met his with her own, which was cold and frosty. The clash released a wave of steam that exploded, sending the two skidding backward.
Mingyu quickly recovered from the slide, coming at her faster. He pushed with more chopping motions, but Zhao Mingyao could read him like a book. These were her moves, after all, so she could easily counter. But as she prepared to meet him with a low kick, he replicated it—his being blazing hot while hers left a trail of frost behind. The way she could read him was the same way he could read her.
Mingyao saw how identical her fighting style was to this new Mingyu. It was as if she was fighting a shadow from her past—no, more like reminding herself of her past abilities. Was this clone of her male body trying to teach her new body his previous techniques?
Mingyao's thoughts were interrupted yet again by another attack. Mingyu's fists came in hot, but Mingyao countered with her icy palms, quelling the flaming fists. They continued to trade blows between fire and ice, with a punch from him melting the snow while a strike from her froze it solid. Steam rose as a result of the clash. No one was winning or losing—they were evenly matched.
Zhao Mingyao saw that this fight would be never-ending, so she decided to break the tie by unleashing a powerful attack. Zhao Mingyu—well, the clone of him—seemed to have the same line of thought. With a final powerful clash, the two fighters were sent flying backward. Zhao Mingyao landed hard, rolling to her feet, but Mingyu stood on the opposite side, his flames flickering. His static expression finally broke, with a smile forming on his face. He raised his fist with a thumb sticking out before slowly dissipating into sparks and embers. Then, he was gone as suddenly as he had appeared.
Mingyao was still lying on the ground, unsure of what had just happened. Was that his sign of approval that I did well? Mingyao looked around the battlefield. The aftermath of the clash of fire and ice was still very much evident, but soon, the expanse of whiteness shattered, revealing a bowl of steaming hot food in front of her face.
Her mouth felt sticky, and her hands did too. She looked around to analyze where she was. It was dark, but the flames from the simmering pot revealed foodstuffs, utensils, and the tantalizing, mouth-watering aroma of the simmering pot. It was pretty clear that she was no longer in bed but in the Su Residence kitchen.
"Come on, I was enjoying my first taste of human food." Her own feminine voice reverberated inside her head.
"So, you have finally decided to show your presence, ghost sister."
"Call me Zhao Mingyao. You named my body that, so let's go with that, Zhao Mingyu."
"What do you want?"
"To be human, that's all I ask for."
"Is that why you stole my male parts?"
"You stole my parts first, but I am not complaining. So, what about a deal?"
"A deal? What type of deal?"
"Let's just say we share this physical existence."
"Share? What do you mean, share?"
"You know... Let me experience what it's like to be human. I want to eat food, see places, hear music, dance, and even fall in love."
"And why should I care? You always say I stole your body from you, but how am I supposed to know if that is the truth?"
"Because it is!... Look, stop being so selfish with our body and just give me a percentage of your day. It's not like I am going to take full control of the body. I know all too well that I need your intellect and abilities to keep this body alive. But I need to be human, and for that, this body is the only way..."
"Hmm, let me think about it."
"What if I say your male parts may even return if you make this deal?"
"That does sound enticing, but let me think about it."
"Do you not like being a man?"
"Of course, I want to turn back into a man, but I am not that desperate. This female body isn't that bad. In fact, it might even benefit me more."
"Since negotiating with you is getting me nowhere, what about a threat?"
"You threaten me? With what?"
"Oh, you wait and see. I will make your life in this body miserable."
Zhao Mingyu's ghost sister's voice soon vanished, and she was back to silence.
She went back to her room to sleep until the sun came up, but unfortunately, she couldn't sleep. So, Zhao Mingyu decided to do some martial drills, and to her surprise, her body was already about to break through to inner strength. Was this the result of the duel she had in her dreams? The cultivation of outer strength from her male body was somehow being inherited by this new body. With a little push, she would be able to move from the upper stages of steel.
Xiulan woke up to her prince missing. She knew that Zhao Mingyu—now Zhao Mingyao—did not wake up even if the sun burned her skin. She would struggle just to remove him from bed, but today, he was nowhere to be seen. Xiulan moved up and down, searching for the prince, but he was nowhere to be found. Had he truly disappeared, or had she been betrayed and imprisoned? No. She calmed herself. She had to be calm and collected to properly search for her.
As Xiulan walked through the paths of the Su Residence, she heard Mingyao's voice. It was coming from the direction of the bathing pool.
Xiulan quickly headed in that direction. Then, she heard more female voices, and her emotions turned from fear and anxiety to those of anger. Mingyao, or rather Mingyu, had just gotten up to enjoy bathing with beautiful women. He was taking full advantage of his female form. After a few brisk steps, Xiulan was at the pool, looking at Zhao Mingyao with daggers in her eyes.
"You are not really Zhao Mingyu's cousin, are you?" Su Mei asked Zhao Mingyao.
Xiulan stopped in her tracks when she heard this. Were they found out?