Withdrawing her dagger, Bai Xia stood rooted to the spot, just beginning to relish the surge of masculine fervor when, to her surprise, her head was gently rapped.
Lifting her head with a hint of displeasure coloring her gaze, she met Tian Zheng’s somewhat resigned expression before he withdrew his hand and, taking the lead, began to walk deeper into the cavern.
“Why did you suddenly drift off? Keep up.”
“Hmph, don’t you think I was quite dashing just now?” Bai Xia let out a cold snort, first fishing out several healing potions and gulping them down. Once she had caught up, she raised her arm in a rather boastful manner, striking the classic pose of flexing one’s muscles.
Yet, with her spindly arms and scrawny legs, and not even a hint of curves on her chest, performing such a pose was utterly ludicrous.
Tian Zheng offered no reply, merely watching her in silence for a moment before suddenly shaking his head with an inscrutable expression.
“What do you mean, you scoundrel… are you disdaining me?”
That disdainful look pricked Bai Xia’s scant dignity, causing her to instinctively furrow her brow. She had intended to convey the gravitas of anger, yet she had forgotten that her current chubby, childlike face was utterly devoid of menace; if anything, it only invited further teasing.
Tian Zheng, however, harbored no intention of bullying her. He simply sighed, then remarked, “Is your real-life stature also so… diminutive?”
“You just said ‘short,’ didn’t you?”
Seeing her eyes narrow, a genuine spark of anger igniting within them, Tian Zheng hastily let out a low cough. He had intended to pat her head in a gesture of comfort, but the moment his hand extended, she recoiled as if repulsed.
The resignation deepened on the man’s face, yet a hint of amusement still flickered deep within his gaze.
“Ahem, being a little short now is truly nothing to worry about. Bai Xia, you must still be in junior high, right? Rest assured, you’ll definitely grow into a stunning beauty!”
The man, under the impression he was offering comfort, peculiarly noticed that after his words, the girl beside him found her spirits inexplicably plummeted even further.
Then, he seemed to hear a voice emanating from the depths of Tartarus: “I’m so terribly sorry, but I’ve already graduated from university, heh heh… I apologize for still looking like a junior high student despite graduating from university. I apologize for not growing into the kind of woman with a more ‘respectable’ figure. I truly apologize for possibly being stuck at this height forever…”
Tian Zheng: “…”
In this world’s iteration of Huaxia, the age of majority was sixteen, and the academic curriculum was significantly streamlined compared to the country in Bai Xia’s memories. Consequently, most individuals could complete their education and graduate from university by the age of nineteen or twenty.
Thus, though the original body’s consciousness was merely twenty years old, if those hazy recollections were accurate, she had already graduated from university a year prior. This fact explained why Bai Xia could afford to be a perpetual homebody.
While inhabiting a new body and being free from the incessant grind of examinations was incredibly liberating, the reality of having graduated from university yet sporting the appearance of a middle schooler—or, even with a bit of styling, potentially being mistaken for an elementary school student—was truly…
“May I carve a few nicks into you to appease my vexation?”
Drawing out her Shadow Dagger, she traced imaginary slashes in the air towards the man beside her, her voice imbued with a potent venom of resentment.
Of course, what truly vexed her was not her current loli aesthetic; indeed, had she been transformed into a mature ‘big sister’ type (TL Note: ‘Yujie’ refers to a beautiful, capable, and mature woman, often with a dominant personality), she might have felt even more discomfited. No, she simply chafed at the undeniable reality of having been transformed into a loli.
As she had mused before, the coveted trait of being a ‘legal loli’ might be endearingly charming on others, but it was far from desirable when it happened to oneself.
Just the thought that she would likely spend the vast majority of her life craning her neck to look up at others was utterly… infuriating!
Gazing at Bai Xia’s fierce, murderously intent gaze, Tian Zheng, well aware he had stumbled onto a conversational landmine, found himself utterly at a loss for words.
After all, he hadn’t been jesting just now; he had genuinely believed the individual beside him to be a middle schooler!
When he had first encountered Bai Xia, his initial curiosity had stemmed from why anyone would choose such a childlike avatar to play the game, which had then prompted his initial interaction. After getting to know her, he’d discovered her actual age didn’t appear to be much greater.
Perhaps she really was a junior high student? That thought had flitted through his thoughts, and, intrigued by the possibility, he had decided to play alongside her.
After all, Tian Zheng had played countless games but had never once teamed up with a girl from this particular age bracket, making it a naturally novel experience.
To think she was a ‘legal loli’ all along! It was an utterly unforeseeable twist!
As Tian Zheng grappled with how best to salvage the precarious situation, he suddenly heard Bai Xia murmur softly, “Hey, what about you, Great God?”
“Me… me what?”
“A mutual exchange of information, of course! See, I’ve even confided that I’m a ‘legal loli.’ Shouldn’t you, as compensation, share some intriguing tidbits about yourself? For instance… that you’re actually a gay man, perhaps.”
Tian Zheng was profoundly grateful that he was still within the game; otherwise, he felt certain he would have suffocated by the sheer audacity of the girl beside him.
Gazing at Bai Xia’s narrowed eyes, his carefully cultivated composure threatened to unravel, and his handsome features visibly darkened. “I assure you, my sexual orientation is perfectly conventional.”
“Is that so? But to play a game and craft yourself such a dashing appearance, don’t you find it a tad ‘gay-coded’?”
As she spoke, Bai Xia’s eyes grew even brighter, yet this only rendered Tian Zheng even more utterly dumbfounded. “…Are you implying that all handsome individuals are destined to be gay?”
“I imagine the majority of fujoshi (TL Note: A Japanese term, ‘fujoshi,’ referring to female fans of male homosexual relationships in fiction) would certainly think so.”
Tian Zheng was rendered utterly speechless. It was only then that it dawned on him with startling clarity that while the person beside him possessed the outward appearance of an angel, the very essence of a devil lurked beneath her angelic guise!
He pressed a hand to his forehead, a nascent headache throbbing behind his temples. Never in his life had he encountered an individual who left him utterly at a loss.
Perhaps fearing that Bai Xia might utter another shocking remark, he preempted her before she could even open her mouth, stating, “There’s no need to search; there are truly no intriguing anecdotes to be found about me.”
“Is that so… Then what exactly do you do in real life, Great God? Considering your proficient combat prowess earlier, you couldn’t possibly be some couch-potato NEET (TL Note: ‘NEET’ stands for ‘Not in Education, Employment, or Training,’ a term often used for shut-ins or unproductive individuals) who just plays games all day, could you!?”
Naturally, that last remark was nothing more than Bai Xia’s retaliatory jab for the man’s earlier comment about her height.
As for her malicious curiosity, the man endured a moment of silence before finally capitulating under her sparkling, unrelenting gaze. He spoke with a wry, exasperated smile, “If you wish to consider me a ‘fat otaku,’ then so be it. As for what I do in reality… I suppose you could call me a ‘nouveau riche’ (TL Note: A French term, ‘nouveau riche,’ referring to a person who has recently become wealthy, often implying a lack of refinement or taste).
“So, even without working, I have ample time to indulge in gaming, and my skills naturally ascended.”
“N-nouveau riche?”
This answer was somewhat unexpected for Bai Xia; after all, the term ‘nouveau riche’ often carried a subtle undertone of sarcasm, though more often than not, it stemmed from jealousy. Nevertheless, her eyes immediately lit up again.
“So, you must be incredibly wealthy, Great God?”
The intensity of her gaze sent a shiver down Tian Zheng’s spine, and he instinctively leaned away. Realizing how undignified his reaction was, he quickly composed himself and, feigning nonchalance, replied, “I suppose… I have a bit of spare cash.”
“Then, you big shot, do you need a hanger-on for your leg?”
In an instant, ‘Great God’ had transformed into ‘big shot.’ Bai Xia made no attempt to conceal her intention of latching onto the wealthy man’s leg.
Tian Zheng let out a bitter laugh, yet a mischievous thought sparked within him. After a soft cough, he lowered his voice dramatically and said, “I don’t need a hanger-on; I need a wife.”
“Ew—!”
To his surprise, Bai Xia, whose eyes had just been burning with eagerness, suddenly yanked herself away the moment he finished speaking. A rare expression of utter disgust, akin to spotting a cockroach, contorted her otherwise impassive little face.
“I can’t believe someone as outwardly respectable as you would be such a person, you perverted loli-con! Aren’t you afraid of being kicked to death by a horse!?”
The girl’s face, contorted with revulsion, caused the man’s cheek to twitch severely. He looked up at the blue crystal formations on the cavern ceiling, falling into a prolonged silence.