The Emperor-Tier Artifact and the Stylist’s Revenge

Hahahaha! They’ve fallen! Now… now I can finally rest assured and mold you into my own image!

Ji Jie was startled by the sudden, unexpected turn of events. Though she had no idea why Tou had suddenly rolled their eyes back and collapsed, she immediately recognized it as an opportune moment.

A wide, triumphant grin spread across her face, followed by hearty laughter. Should she exact revenge by slaying Tou for her beloved Xiao Yuan outfits? Or should she proceed with her original plan to transform Tou into a girl? Either path now lay open, easily within her grasp.

Merely taking Tou’s life, however, would hardly sate the deep-seated resentment in Ji Jie’s heart. Putting away her Platinum Star, a formidable pair of large scissors materialized in her hand. She vowed to transform Tou into a girl, to force them to endure this desolate world, to truly experience its myriad hardships and the chilling indifference of human nature.

Having learned her lesson from their previous encounter, Ji Jie no longer hesitated. She snatched up the scissors, swiftly advanced towards Tou, and with a decisive snip, severed the hair tie adorning their body, preparing to commence the ‘separation surgery’.

Yet, the moment she drew near Tou, before the blades of her scissors could even part, the red hair tie whipped through the air as if imbued with a will of its own, sending Ji Jie flying with a single, sharp blow!

“Ow, ow, ow… What in the world was that?! Damn it all!”

Caught completely off guard, Ji Jie scrambled to her feet, her grip tightening on the scissors as she warily confronted the red hair tie that now circled Tou.

She observed that the hair tie seemed to confine its movements strictly to Tou’s immediate vicinity. Even when she hurled the scissors towards Tou, the ribbon would perfectly deflect them just before impact.

‘This is a magical artifact that automatically protects its master,’ she mused, before her eyes widened in realization. ‘No!’ Ji Jie’s jaw dropped, her gaze turning utterly serious. ‘An artifact that can function autonomously even when its master is unconscious… it must possess its own consciousness, a spirit!’ She knew that only Emperor-tier artifacts were capable of manifesting such a spirit.

An Emperor-tier artifact! Such relics belonged to the ancient eras, treasures that even cultivators who ascended to the rank of Great Emperor struggled to acquire.

And yet, here she was, encountering one today on a mere blonde girl— ‘Pah!’ she mentally corrected herself, ‘a blonde boy!’ A complex mixture of emotions swirled in Ji Jie’s eyes, utterly stunned.

With this Emperor-tier artifact protecting Tou, even a martial artist of the Heaven-Human Realm would have to pay an immense price to approach and inflict harm. How much more so for her, a mere weakling in the Spirit Vein Realm? Indeed, she considered herself incredibly fortunate not to have been struck dead by the hair tie’s earlier blow.

“Damn it all!” she seethed. “If only my cultivation could revert to its original Golden Body Great Perfection Realm, if only I could still wield forbidden arts, a paltry Emperor-tier artifact would be nothing but a single sword stroke to me!”

Powerless to act against Tou, Ji Jie flung the scissors to the ground with a heavy clang, her eyes blazing with hatred and fierce indignation. Her gaze then fell upon the scattered garments strewn across the floor, and suddenly, as if her legs had given way, she collapsed to her knees.

Cradling the clothes in her arms, her face was etched with both tender pity and profound apology.

“Forgive me, Xiao Yuan,” she whispered, “I cannot avenge you today! But do not fret!” She wiped away her tears, her gaze hardening to an unyielding resolve. “I *will* avenge you, whether it be Tou, or the Carefree Sect (TL Note: A fictional sect name, translating to ‘Carefree’ or ‘逍遥门’)! I will ensure they pay dearly for the harm they inflicted upon you!”

Tou, appearing utterly clueless, would surely fall prey to her schemes again. Ji Jie simply needed to humble herself, just as she had earlier in the day, and an opportunity to subdue Tou would inevitably arise.

Revenge? That would be simple enough. Once she dealt with Tou, wouldn’t the Emperor-tier artifact in their possession become hers? With an Emperor-tier artifact in hand, she could then focus on advancing her cultivation to the Heaven-Human Realm.

Hmph! The Carefree Sect, is it? Merely the third-ranked sect in the world. By then, she would flatten its mountain gate and scatter its ancestral lands to the winds!

A sweet, contented smile graced Ji Jie’s lips at the thought, and her gaze softened considerably. She looked upon the clothes cradled in her arms with the same tender affection one might bestow upon a cherished lover.

“Xiao Yuan~, let us merge! Only when I am with you can I truly rest in peace…”

As she spoke, she began to shed her own clothes, intending to don one of the outfits from the floor. However, Ji Jie possessed a remarkably voluptuous figure, her curves pronounced and alluring.

These petite garments, when worn, proved impossible to button or cinch tightly. Had Tou been awake to witness Ji Jie’s revealing appearance, they would undoubtedly have branded her a pervert or an exhibitionist without a second thought!

Ji Jie was well aware of this, which was why she typically opted for highly elastic or open-fronted garments. She had no desire to tear the clothes, for ultimately, the true anguish would be her own.

Yet, just as she was about to embrace the clothes and settle onto the bed for a blissful sleep, she noticed something peculiar. Not far off, the red hair tie beside Tou had picked up one of the garments from the floor, seemingly examining it with great interest.

The two ends of the hair tie, resembling inquisitive snake heads, continuously darted their gaze between Ji Jie and Tou, who remained suspended in mid-air by the very same ribbon.

The hair tie, seemingly mimicking Ji Jie’s earlier actions, carefully draped a light red strapless slip dress onto Tou’s form. It then proceeded to hold a loose, wide-sleeved, open-front cardigan, crafted from transparent gauze, up against Tou’s side, as if deliberating.

With a graceful movement, the hair tie coiled around Tou’s arm, gently bending it to guide the cardigan onto their body.

“Xiao… Xiao Yuan…” Ji Jie’s eyes widened, shining with an almost childlike wonder. She stood frozen for a full second, the clothes she held slipping unheeded from her grasp to the floor.

“So… so incredibly adorable!” Ji Jie gasped, wiping away tears of profound emotion. “Truly worthy of Xiao Yuan. This is wonderful, Xiao Yuan…” Since Xiao Yuan’s departure, this marked the first time she had encountered anyone who could so perfectly embody the essence of Xiao Yuan’s cherished garments.

Only this individual possessed the right to remain by her side, to be her constant companion!

“No, wait! Something is still missing!”

Ji Jie quickly identified the missing element. She then began rummaging through the pile of broken wood fragments that Tou had previously scattered.

Before long, her search yielded a pair of white stockings and a versatile pair of pristine white shoes.

With utmost care, she nudged the stockings and shoes into the area within the hair tie’s reach, then watched its movements with a mixture of nervousness and eager anticipation.

Moments later, the hair tie noticed the items on the ground. One end, which she mentally dubbed ‘Head One’, coiled around a stocking, while the other end, ‘Head Two’, entangled itself with a shoe. Then, like playful children, they began to circle Tou.

Eventually, Head One seemed to grasp an idea, lifting a stocking and attempting to place it over Tou’s head. Not to be outdone, Head Two, refusing to show any weakness, slipped a shoe onto Tou’s hand.

Next, both heads of the hair tie picked up the remaining stocking and shoe. Head Two, holding the shoe, effortlessly slipped it onto Tou’s other hand, then proudly bounced up and down in a celebratory display.

Head One, however, holding the stocking aloft, found itself at a loss, unable to locate a suitable ‘head’ to adorn. It began to spin frantically around Tou, resembling an ant on a hot griddle, clearly agitated.

Finally, it ceased its frantic movements. The hair tie extended to Tou’s ankle, then rapidly spun, wrapping Tou’s foot entirely, making it resemble a plump, round head.

As if a solution had suddenly dawned upon it, Head One began to bob back and forth grotesquely, much like a duck’s head. Only after its triumphant display did it lift the stocking, preparing to pull it over Tou’s already bound leg!

Witnessing this, Ji Jie found the two little entities quite amusing. The sight of them attempting to put a stocking on Tou’s head had genuinely made her laugh. However, as she watched the stocking about to be stretched over Tou’s two legs, she feared it would be ruined and instinctively moved forward to intervene!

“Stop that! That’s not how you wear them!”

In her haste, she momentarily forgot that approaching Tou too closely would provoke an attack from the hair tie. Predictably, she was once again sent sprawling.

“That stings! Is this truly the power of an Emperor-tier artifact?”

Instead of anger, a surge of surprise and delight washed over Ji Jie. In her mind, this Emperor-tier artifact was already her rightful possession, and the more formidable the item, the greater her joy.

Furthermore, she observed that the artifact appeared to house two spirits, indicating its exceptional quality. These spirits, she noted, seemed as utterly naive as their master, behaving as if they had just been born! Surely, they would be easy to deceive!

A mischievous chuckle bubbled in Ji Jie’s heart. Gathering her items, she cautiously approached Tou, settling onto the ground just beyond the hair tie’s vigilant perimeter.

Another pair of stockings was already clutched in her hand. She had previously observed that the hair tie spirits had only begun dressing Tou after witnessing her change her own clothes.

Her plan was to instruct these two spirits on how to properly dress Tou in stockings and shoes. It seemed straightforward enough; she merely needed to demonstrate the process once before them.

Thus, Ji Jie settled onto the ground and, with practiced ease, demonstrated how to put on the stockings herself, all while the two small hair tie spirits watched intently.

The two diminutive hair ties remained fixed on Ji Jie, their vigilance unwavering due to her proximity. Driven by their innate desire to protect their master, they watched her every move with caution.

However, the moment they witnessed Ji Jie pulling the stockings onto her own legs, Head One—the very one that had earlier attempted to place a stocking on Tou’s head—couldn’t help but swivel its ‘head’ rapidly back and forth, first at Ji Jie, then at Tou! Then back to Ji Jie, and back to Tou again!

It wore an expression of utter disbelief, as if realizing, ‘The clown, it seems, was me all along!’

Meanwhile, Head Two, observing Head One’s embarrassing realization, split open in the middle, resembling a duck quacking with boisterous laughter.

Being new to the world, the hair ties were quick to acknowledge their mistake and rectify it. Head One swiftly removed the stocking from Tou’s head, then, mimicking Ji Jie, carefully helped Tou put it on their leg. Once Tou was properly dressed, it bounced gleefully around them like a delighted child.

“Hmm! Not bad at all!” Ji Jie murmured, stroking her chin as she nodded in approval. The combination of over-the-knee white stockings and a slip dress that fell to mid-thigh was nothing short of exquisite!

The ‘absolute territory’ of bare skin between the hem of the dress and the top of the stockings, coupled with the alluring curve created by the taut fabric, utterly captivated her gaze. She simply could not look away!

After a prolonged period of staring intently at Tou, Ji Jie finally wiped a trace of drool from the corner of her mouth, shaking her head dazedly to regain her composure. She then picked up the shoes from the floor and clapped her hands, drawing the attention of the hair tie spirits.

With a smile, Ji Jie slipped on the shoes, and the hair ties, demonstrating surprising intelligence, promptly moved the shoes from Tou’s hands to their feet.

Finally, she yearned to properly style Tou. Given that the hair ties were so eager to emulate her actions, she could effectively treat them as an extension of her own hands, allowing her to playfully adorn Tou.

“Now, now! Your hair is quite a mess. What kind of hairstyle would suit you best? No rush, no rush; the night is still young, we can take our time! Hahahahaha! You shall become my perfect creation!”

Tou’s golden hair, having been subjected to the stocking being put on and then taken off, was now a tangled bird’s nest. This disheveled look clashed entirely with their current adorable aura, so Ji Jie naturally intended to style Tou with an endearing haircut.

Thus, she moved the dressing table closer, pushed a comb into the hair tie’s active zone, and then demurely began to comb her own hair in the mirror…