A False Alarm – Transformation Pill

“Wugou, give it to me, give it to me, I want it~”

“Hehe, no. Let me stroke your tail a few times first~”

“Hurry up~”

“Alright, alright, don’t step on my belly, it tickles so much! Stop squirming, it’s yours!”

Wugou placed the small bottle on the bed.

“Haha, Wugou, you’re the best!” A-wu happily licked Wugou’s cheek, then immediately pounced on the bottle.

Yet, no matter how A-wu’s two pink little paws fluttered, they couldn’t manage to open the bottle’s mouth.

After a moment, A-wu, clutching the small bottle in their mouth, jumped back onto Wugou.

Wugou lay half-reclined on the bed, hands clasped behind his head, a look of ‘just as I expected’ on his face. He deliberately let out a yawn.

“Oh dear, it’s almost dawn, I’m so sleepy~”

“Wugou, are you sleepy? Do you want me to lick your eyes for you? My aunt does that when she’s sleepy.” A-wu said, their eyes still brimming with anticipation.

Wugou smiled faintly, unable to tease them any longer. He reached out and twisted open the bottle cap.

A peculiar fragrance wafted out.

Wugou took a light sniff. The scent was potent and rich, incredibly sweet. It was indeed a ‘Transformation Pill’.

‘But why is the aroma spreading so quickly?’ he wondered. ‘Shouldn’t the pill’s scent linger around its body? Why can I smell it from nearly half a meter away? Could the Transformation Pills in this world be different from those in my original world?’

Just as he was pondering this, A-wu nudged the medicine bottle over, and a yellowish-brown pill slowly rolled out. The pill was about the size of an adult thumb.

Wugou glanced at it.

The pill body was perfectly rounded, indicating a correct refining technique. Its color was lustrous but not translucent, meaning the refining time was just right.

‘It seems the alchemist who refined this pill was quite skilled.’

Wait.

‘Where are the pill patterns?’

‘There’s a problem with the pill collection technique!’

‘Oh no!’

“A-wu, don’t eat it!”

Wugou abruptly sat bolt upright.

Alas, it was already too late.

“Gulp~” A-wu swallowed it in one swift motion.

“Wow, it tastes so good~”

A-wu licked their mouth with their tongue, their face filled with lingering delight.

In that instant, Wugou broke out in a cold sweat at the sight. He swiftly grabbed A-wu, roaring, “A-wu! You greedy fool, spit it out!”

“Wha… what’s wrong?…” A-wu was startled by Wugou’s ferocious expression. It was the first time they had seen him like this.

“Don’t ask, just spit it out! Never mind, I’ll help you!” With that, Wugou reached out to pry open A-wu’s small, pointed muzzle.

“Mmph…” A-wu was rendered speechless by Wugou’s sudden roughness. In moments, Wugou’s index finger filled their throat.

The intense stimulation in their throat made A-wu extremely uncomfortable. They clung tightly to Wugou’s hand with all four paws, their body twisting incessantly.

“A-wu, quickly, spit it out!” Wugou shouted.

‘This is a Transformation Pill! If there’s something wrong with it, who knows what A-wu will transform into!’

‘Damn that alchemist, how dare they let such a failed pill circulate in the Saint Water Palace market!’

‘No wonder such a precious pill was bought by Old Man Xing, a mere mortal.’

‘Why didn’t I think of it sooner!’

“Quick, A-wu, spit it out!” Wugou withdrew his finger.

Having had a foreign object in their throat, A-wu was now coughing violently, drool incessantly flowing. Yet, there was no sign of the pill.

Wugou now found himself trembling with fear.

A-wu had been his companion for eight years.

When Wugou was an infant, A-wu would jump onto his tiny body every cold night, warming him.

Spirit beasts possessed affection, and Wugou could certainly feel it.

‘That was the purest goodwill in the world.’

“Cough, cough…” The continuous coughing left A-wu almost exhausted. It took them a while to recover.

A-wu looked up at Wugou and was surprised to see tears welling in his eyes.

“Wugou, did I… did I do something wrong? Please, don’t cry…”

A-wu tried to jump onto Wugou’s body again, wanting to lick away his tears.

Unexpectedly, a warmth suddenly bloomed in their belly, so comfortable that they couldn’t help but let out a sound.

“Mm~”

“A-A-wu, what’s wrong?!” Seeing the strange change in A-wu’s body, Wugou immediately grew tense.

A-wu couldn’t answer. The warm current slowly flowed through their entire body. They could feel a gentle power slowly nourishing them.

“Click, click.”

“Thump, thump.”

A-wu’s body emitted a series of soft sounds, but their expression seemed to be one of enjoyment.

Wugou knew the pill had begun to take effect. At this moment, he naturally dared not disturb A-wu.

“Mm~”

With a soft hum, A-wu’s body began to glow with a golden light. The radiance was intense yet gentle, illuminating the entire dormitory.

Not long after…

“This… what is this?”

Wugou was stunned. He had never imagined a Transformation Pill could produce such an effect.

‘It seems the transformation failed?’

A-wu hadn’t truly transformed into a human.

However, A-wu’s serene expression suggested that everything was fine.

It was the body of a human girl, yet atop her head sat a pair of long ears. Her smooth buttocks, however, sported a large, fluffy yellow tail.

‘What should this even be called?’

‘Half-human, half-beast?’

“Mm~ Wugou, did I succeed?”

A clear, crisp female voice rang out.

“My voice?”

The girl excitedly raised her hands, continuously stroking her face.

“This nose, and my mouth…”

The girl then looked at her ‘hands.’ What should have been a pair of small front paws now had five fingers each.

She glanced at her body again, noticing a small pair of mounds on her chest.

The girl remembered what those were; she had seen them countless times on her aunt.

“Haha, Wugou, I succeeded!”

The girl was overjoyed, wanting to jump onto Wugou’s head as she always did.

Wugou, who had still been dumbfounded by A-wu’s strange transformation, now saw her outstretched hands and instantly knew what she intended. His expression immediately shifted back to shock, his eyes widening dramatically.

“Don’t!” Wugou tried to reach out and stop her.

“Thump!”

“Ouch!”

“Ow~”

“A-wu, you clumsy fool, can’t you see what size you are now?!” Wugou clutched his head, having been quite bruised by A-wu’s shoulder just now.

“Haha, I’ve become human too! This is great~” A-wu bounced excitedly on the bed, completely unbothered by the collision. After all, as a beast, she was much stronger than the pampered Wugou, even in human form.

“Huh? Wugou, why is my tail still here?” A-wu bounced a couple more times before finally noticing the anomaly.

“And on top of my head, these, sniffle, sniffle, why are my ears still so long?!” A-wu held one ear in each hand, tugging them downwards.

‘Sweat…’ Wugou didn’t know how to answer her. He simply observed that A-wu was still full of energy, and her current appearance wasn’t ugly at all. A-wu’s eyes were already quite large, but now they looked even more sparkling and moist. Her small face was rosy and plump; she would likely be beautiful when she grew into an adult.

Wugou examined her for a while, finding that the human body, paired with fox tail and fox ears, was unexpectedly harmonious, even possessing an indescribable, wondrous charm.

‘Could it be that the alchemist who refined this Transformation Pill deliberately made it this way?’

The more Wugou thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

“Wugou, what should I do?” A-wu tugged at her ears one moment, then her tail the next.

Wugou had truly been scared senseless earlier, but after so much time, and with A-wu reporting no discomfort, he presumed there were no serious issues.

As for the ears and tail, Wugou glanced at them and said, “A-wu, Transformation Pills have a time limit.”

“Sniffle, sniffle, what does that mean?” A-wu leaned closer to Wugou, staring intently at him with wide eyes.

A-wu had always longed to become human. Both her mother and aunt were great beasts capable of transforming into human form through their own power. Since childhood, she had always found the human form more beautiful.

However, she had now transformed into ‘this’ appearance, and she worried if Wugou would dislike her and refuse to play with her anymore. This was her greatest fear.

Wugou, at this moment, gazed at A-wu’s face. The more he looked, the more captivating he found her, though he couldn’t find the right words to describe the feeling.

It was certainly pleasant, like his heart had been gently tugged, a truly wondrous sensation.

Wugou sensed A-wu’s unease. He reached out and stroked her head, his fingers brushing against her long ears, which felt just as soft as before.

“A-wu,” Wugou began.

“Hm?” A-wu listened intently.

“A so-called Transformation Pill has a time limit. If this particular pill truly has no ill effects…”

“Hm?”

A-wu tilted her head, looking at Wugou with a curious, slightly innocent gaze.

That single look made Wugou feel his heart tugged once more.

“It should be almost over now…” Wugou added.

As if to confirm Wugou’s words.

“Pop!”

A soft sound, a wisp of smoke…

The girl vanished.

A small, yellow, long-eared fox suddenly appeared from mid-air, then descended.

Fortunately, Wugou seemed prepared, extending his hand and easily catching her.

A-wu lay sleeping peacefully in Wugou’s hand.

“This Transformation Pill only lasts for half an hour…” Wugou sighed softly, yet his face was filled with a smile. He gently stroked A-wu’s back with his right hand; he still preferred A-wu in her fluffy form.