The Fourth Brother Turns into a Loli

The two arrived at the so-called Hundred Scholars Information Exchange and promptly froze in place. This exchange office looked suspiciously like a fortune teller’s stall, incredibly crude in its construction. Beside it stood a sign bearing a line of poetry.

“Fated souls meet across a thousand miles; unfated ones remain strangers even face-to-face. Eh, what? Third Sister, why does that line sound so familiar to me?” Xie Yuyan asked, a puzzled expression on her face.

Yan Yun’s gaze, however, was fixed on a girl slumped over the counter. Dressed in ill-fitting Daoist robes, the girl appeared to be only twelve or thirteen years old, judging by her height. Yet, her figure seemed more developed than one would expect for her age, suggesting she might be a loli. This loli was sound asleep, a clear indication that the information exchange had little to no business.

Another sign nearby outlined the rules: ‘One question starts at one spirit stone. The difficulty and importance of the question determine the price, which is set by the person answering.’ With such a system, it was only natural for no one to inquire; indeed, it would be abnormal if anyone did, for if the other party intended to swindle them, they would be utterly helpless.

“Knock, knock!”

Yan Yun stepped forward and tapped on the counter. The loli, who had been sleeping with her head on the table, slowly opened her eyes, still groggy. After blinking them open, she glanced at Yan Yun standing before her.

“Ah… business! Please, have a seat, young lady. What do you wish to ask?” the loli yawned, her expression still heavy with sleep, as she gestured.

Yan Yun narrowed her eyes before promptly taking a seat. The loli rubbed her eyes, then settled herself, asking weakly, “You must have seen my rules, young lady. I suggest you decide whether you truly wish to ask a question first, lest you find yourself unable to pay, which would be breaking the rules.”

Yan Yun simply stared at the loli without speaking. From the loli’s demeanor, it was evident she was no mere child.

“Why do you keep looking at me, young lady? Is something wrong?” the loli inquired, perplexed by Yan Yun’s persistent gaze.

After a moment of thought, Yan Yun pointed to another sign nearby.

“If I may be so bold, what is the meaning of the poem written on this sign? Is there a particular intention behind it?”

Upon hearing Yan Yun’s question, the loli paused, her previously languid expression gradually turning serious.

“I don’t charge for this question. These are lyrics from a song I heard in a dream. Is there a problem with that?” the loli replied, posing a question of her own.

Yan Yun immediately exchanged a glance with Xie Yuyan. Xie Yuyan quickly leaned in and whispered, “Doesn’t that song mention a white snake and a green snake?”

Upon hearing Xie Yuyan’s question, the loli’s face turned ashen as if she had seen a ghost, and she abruptly stood up. Her first action after rising was to survey her surroundings, confirming that only the three of them were present. Only then did she lean closer to Yan Yun and Xie Yuyan.

“Indeed, that song also speaks of a boatman. How did you know this, young lady?” the loli asked, her eyes narrowed as she scrutinized Xie Yuyan.

Receiving confirmation, Xie Yuyan’s eyes lit up, and she chuckled.

“I heard it in a dream too! May I ask your name? I’m Xie Yuyan. And you? Do you know anyone named Xie or Yan?” Xie Yuyan pressed on.

The loli’s eyes widened. She first looked at Xie Yuyan, then at Yan Yun, her small head swiveling from side to side as if trying to see through them.

“Holy shit!”

“You, you two… Are you Old Xie?” the loli exclaimed, staring at Xie Yuyan.

Hearing the loli’s words, Xie Yuyan’s eyes also widened like bells.

“Then, you, you are…?”

The loli quickly introduced herself.

“My name is Bai Zhihua. Bai… as in Bai,’ she emphasized her surname meaningfully.

Xie Yuyan understood, and she tentatively asked, “Old Fourth?”

The loli immediately nodded furiously, then looked at Yan Yun.

“Then, is she… Old Third?” Bai Zhihua looked at Yan Yun, who was now smiling broadly and nodded at her.

“Ah, Old Fourth, your sign is truly excellent! ‘Fated souls meet across a thousand miles; unfated ones remain strangers even face-to-face.’ If not for this sign, we truly might never have recognized each other.”

“Oh my god, you two, come with me!” Bai Zhihua immediately placed a sign on the table that read ‘Temporarily Closed for Business,’ then stood up and motioned for them to follow her.

With excited expressions, the two followed Bai Zhihua into a simple room nearby. This was clearly her resting place. Upon entering, she immediately closed the door.

After closing the door, Bai Zhihua paused for a moment, then suddenly bounced up and threw her arms around Xie Yuyan’s neck.

“Brothers, we finally meet again! I thought I was the only one who came to this world,” Bai Zhihua’s personality had undergone a complete 180-degree turn.

Xie Yuyan instinctively hugged her back, but Bai Zhihua was so petite, perhaps only 1.4 meters tall. Xie Yuyan held her as if she were cradling a child.

“Eh? You’re too small! I say, Old Fourth, what’s going on with you? Did you turn into a little girl?” Xie Yuyan asked, both amused and exasperated.

“Bullshit, I didn’t! I don’t know what happened, I just stopped growing. It’s like my growth completely halted,” Bai Zhihua grumbled.

She then looked at Yan Yun.

“Old Third, you’re Yan Yun from the Yunhua Sect, aren’t you? I remember you used to be a man. Did you change gender by cultivating poison techniques?” Bai Zhihua asked.

Yan Yun rolled her eyes.

“You’re one to talk! What happened to you? Were you born with a different gender, or did you change later?” Yan Yun asked, arms crossed, a look of keen interest on her face.

At this, Bai Zhihua immediately jumped out of Xie Yuyan’s embrace.

“Sigh! It was congenital, and I was an orphan picked up by my master. But let’s not talk about that for now. Old Third, brothers reunited, aren’t you going to give me a long-overdue hug?” Bai Zhihua complained.

Yan Yun, seeing Bai Zhihua’s unhappy expression, couldn’t help but smile wryly, then opened her arms.

“Come here.”

Bai Zhihua immediately bounced up and gave Yan Yun a hug.

“Alright, reunion gift done.”

“Next.”

“Hahahaha, no, I have to laugh first! Old Second, you actually turned into a woman! Hmm, this style, it’s as flamboyant as you were in your previous life,” Bai Zhihua burst into laughter.

Xie Yuyan’s face immediately darkened.

But Bai Zhihua then looked at Yan Yun, still laughing uncontrollably.

“As for you, Old Third, oh dear, what terrible luck did you have? You reincarnated as a man only to suddenly become a woman again. How unlucky must you be? Oh, I can’t even stand thinking about your previous appearances, let me laugh a little longer, hahahaha…” Bai Zhihua literally rolled on the floor with laughter.

Yan Yun’s mouth twitched.

“You, who aren’t even 1.5 meters tall, have the nerve to laugh at us two. Where do you get such confidence and courage, you shorty?” Yan Yun retorted.

“Indeed, like a child. Bai Zhiqiu, don’t you know you’ve become a loli? Hmm, how tragic. I remember you were the tallest in our dorm, over 1.8 meters. It’s hard to believe someone over 1.8 meters has turned into a 1.4-meter loli. Tsk tsk.” Xie Yuyan also jabbed.

Bai Zhihua could no longer laugh. She immediately scrambled up from the floor.

Bai Zhiqiu was Bai Zhihua’s name in her previous life.

“Damn it, don’t talk about my height! You can say anything else, but don’t mention my height! And I’m not a loli! I may be short, but I’m well-endowed! Look, do lolis have breasts this big?” Bai Zhihua declared, puffing out her chest in protest.

Yan Yun and Xie Yuyan merely chuckled.

“So, a big-breasted cute girl. Old Third, how about we call her ‘Big-Breasted Cute Girl’ from now on? What do you think?”

“Hmm, good point. It certainly fits the image of a big-breasted cute girl,” Yan Yun nodded.

The two of them, in perfect sync, made Bai Zhihua stomp her feet in frustration.

“Ah… that’s too much! You two are ganging up on me!”

“Hmph! Serves you right! Who told you to mock us first? Of course, we’d form a united front,” Xie Yuyan said with a mischievous grin.

After a period of playful banter, the three ‘brothers’—or rather, now ‘sisters’—finally began to discuss serious matters.

****

Moments later…

Bai Zhihua produced a pot of spirit tea, and the three of them chatted as they drank.

“Old Third, so among the three of us, you’re the first one to have a wife again? I remember your wife was the proud daughter of the Yunhua Sect, named Jiang Yao, right?” Bai Zhihua asked.

“Mm, that’s right. But you might not know, she’s actually Jiang Xue,” Yan Yun responded casually after taking a sip of tea.

However, the moment these words left her lips, the tea Bai Zhihua had just sipped, fortunately, sprayed onto Xie Yuyan’s face.

“Hey, hey, hey! Why such a strong reaction? You sprayed me all over! How am I supposed to continue now?” Xie Yuyan complained.

Bai Zhihua quickly wiped her mouth.

“Which Jiang Yao is our sister-in-law’s reincarnation?” Bai Zhihua urgently asked.

Yan Yun nodded again.

Bai Zhihua immediately looked at Xie Yuyan, who, after wiping the tea from her face, gave a helpless nod.

Upon receiving confirmation, Bai Zhihua immediately rolled around on the soft seat.

“Ah… this isn’t fair! This is too unfair! I thought Old Third was the unluckiest, but now it seems I’m the biggest clown!” Bai Zhihua threw a tantrum.

Although all three of them possessed memories of their past lives, their personalities had changed somewhat due to their different genders and lifestyles. The four people in Yan Yun’s dorm had quite distinct personalities.

Yan Yun was gentle and warm, but not particularly good at communicating with others; his personality was actually quite introverted.

Xie Yuyan, on the other hand, was quite outgoing and flamboyant, loved to play and joke around, and was a total goofball.

Bai Zhihua, how to put it, loved sports, especially basketball, and was the coolest man in their dorm.

As for their First Brother, he was a serious, unsmiling, and unsociable person—to put it bluntly, a huge block of ice. Even Yan Yun and the others rarely saw him smile.