A Gender’s Grip and a King’s Embrace

Bai Qiao, her face ashen, stared at Qing, who appeared as if nothing untoward had occurred. Her mind struggled to comprehend what had just transpired. Had she truly… reverted simply because he had declared she would? To call it a coincidence would be a gross understatement. How could her very gender be held in this man’s hands?

He was someone she had only met long after arriving in this land, a man who appeared as tranquil as a passing cloud, yet harbored a cunning, unfathomable mind. Having arrived here, adrift and ignorant, was it not enough that she possessed no knowledge or support? Must she also be stripped of control over her own very gender?

A wave of indignation surged within Bai Qiao. Disregarding all else, she surged forward, seizing Qing’s collar. Qing towered over her, forcing Bai Qiao to strain on her tiptoes, her head craned back as she glared intensely at him. Her posture was awkward and strained, but Bai Qiao paid it no mind. Through gritted teeth, she forced out the words:

“You… how can you manipulate my… gender?”

“Ha… I can do more than just manipulate your gender…”

With that maddeningly ambiguous remark, Qing turned and vanished in an instant, leaving Bai Qiao on the verge of a breakdown.

“Hey! At least change me back to a man!”

Bai Qiao seemed to realize something, shouting desperately. She had only just managed to revert to her male form; was she truly stuck like this after merely a day?

“However, regarding your gender… it seems there was a slight mishap during the process, so it’s probably best to remain this way for now…”

“Hey!”

Hearing the faint, ethereal voice drifting from afar, Bai Qiao grew frantic, completely missing the ambiguous words nestled in the middle of his sentence.

It was futile, however. Qing had already departed, and lacking internal energy, she couldn’t possibly project her voice such a distance. She stood there in a daze for a moment before silently rising. Dragging the voluminous robes that hindered her every step, she finally, with considerable difficulty, made her way back to her room.

“The door creaked open.”

As she pushed the door open, her arm was suddenly seized. A powerful hand slammed her against the wall, and the gleaming blade of a knife pressed against her neck, its touch chilling her skin. Completely bewildered by the sudden assault, Bai Qiao could only stare blankly as surprise flickered in Bai Chen’s eyes, giving way to a stunned silence, and finally transforming into unbridled delight. Without a word, he scooped up the still-stupefied Bai Qiao, carrying her to the bed in the inner chamber.

After a while, Bai Qiao finally registered the reality of her situation. With a burst of anger, she shoved Bai Chen away. Bai Chen paused, momentarily startled, before a faint smile graced his lips. His fingers slowly caressed Bai Qiao’s cheek as he spoke in a tender voice.

“My Qiao,” he murmured, “you truly are more captivating like this.”

A sharp crack echoed through the room.

Bai Chen froze, his hand instinctively rising to touch the stinging warmth on his cheek. He felt an anger from her unlike any he had witnessed before, a sensation that left a strange taste in his heart. Yet, he merely offered a sheepish laugh.

“Qiao, what’s wrong?”

“Don’t call me ‘Qiao’!” she spat, disgust lacing her voice. “It’s revolting! I’m a man! How dare you say that? You know perfectly well, so why am I a girl in this timeline?”

An inexplicable sense of grievance welled up within her. Unbidden tears streamed from her eyes, warm rivulets tracing paths down her cheeks. Yet, as they fell, Bai Qiao felt a curious sense of relief. She slowly ran a hand over the damp streaks on her face, muttering incoherently.

“What… what is this? Am I crying? How can this be?”

A sudden pang of compassion struck Bai Chen. He realized this latest gender shift had indeed undone all the emotional progress Bai Qiao had made, reverting her to the wary, guarded state she had been in at the very beginning.

Reaching out, he drew Bai Qiao close, enveloping her in his embrace and burying her head deep within his chest. Ignoring her struggles, he held her tightly, murmuring softly.

“I won’t let anyone hurt you. I’ll face everything for you. Since we are one and the same, perhaps I can truly take your place…”

****

Early the next morning, Bai Chen awoke well before dawn. Possessing formidable strength, he had already recovered most of his energy from the previous day. He glanced at Bai Qiao, still curled beneath the covers, her eyes slightly swollen from yesterday’s tears. Yet, even in her vulnerable state, nestled sweetly in the warmth of the bedding, she evoked a powerful urge to protect her.

He quietly stepped out of the room. With a wave of his right hand, he conjured an invisible barrier behind him. This would allow him to monitor any activity within. Feeling a significant ease in his heart, he cast one last look at the room before striding purposefully towards the grand hall.

“King Bai?”

Bai Chen paused, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. In recent days, his encounters with King Qing had become disturbingly frequent. It was far from normal, no matter how he looked at it.

He turned, offering a strained smile and a quick greeting before making an excuse to leave. Qing watched Bai Chen’s retreating figure with a knowing gaze. He mused, ‘You are a formidable asset in my plan to overthrow the continent’s existing monarchy and establish a new one…’

He snapped his fingers.

With a whoosh, a figure clad entirely in black materialized from thin air behind Qing. A deep, resonant voice spoke.

“My King,” the figure said, “are you preparing to invoke the thirteenth summoning decree? To activate the thirteenth summoned entity?”