A Fateful Choice

“Senior Yinglong has already… passed away.”

Chi Qiu slowly pushed herself up, a lingering blush still dusting her cheeks and the tips of her ears. The sight was quite alluring.

“He passed away while we were both asleep. He left a final instruction, asking us not to forget to bury his remains in the Celestial Realm.”

Su Hanxing nodded, his voice heavy with sorrow.

“Once I gain the ability to ascend to the Celestial Realm, I will certainly fulfill Senior Yinglong’s last wishes.”

A heavy feeling settled in Chi Qiu’s heart upon hearing of Yinglong’s passing. Suddenly, she looked up, meeting Su Hanxing’s gaze.

Su Hanxing lowered his head, his eyes locking with hers.

Chi Qiu blinked her brilliant golden eyes. After a brief hesitation, she spoke, “Thank you. If it weren’t for you, I fear I would have long since turned into a pile of dry bones.”

Having glimpsed a fragment of Su Hanxing’s memories, she understood the immense efforts he had made to preserve her life.

“Why are you suddenly thanking me?” Su Hanxing asked, a puzzled expression on his face as he gazed into Chi Qiu’s brilliant golden eyes. He simply didn’t understand the reason for her sudden gratitude.

“During the fusion and repair of the Dragon Orb, I entered your memories and saw everything you did for me.”

The faint blush that had just receded from Chi Qiu’s face now returned, spreading warmth across her cheeks. The height difference between them, however, made it impossible for her to hide her embarrassment by lowering her head, so she simply forced herself to appear composed.

“So, Little Chi saw that. There’s no need for thanks; didn’t you save my life once before?” Su Hanxing smiled, starting to reach out, then hesitating and letting his hand fall. He continued, “It’s enough that you don’t blame me for changing you into a female body.”

Hearing Su Hanxing bring up the matter, Chi Qiu shook her head and turned her face away. “Initially, it was unsettling,” she admitted. “However, as a cultivator, being overly concerned with such trivialities would only hinder my Dao heart.”

Pausing, Chi Qiu gathered true qi in her palm, displaying it to Su Hanxing.

“Moreover,” she continued, “the innate talent of this body far surpasses my original one. If I had continued cultivating with my previous body, I would have been a hundred times slower, and I fear I would never reach the God Concealing stage in my entire life.”

With that, Chi Qiu dispelled the true qi from her hand and raised her gaze to meet Su Hanxing’s once more. “By that logic,” she said, “I should be thanking you.”

“Really?” Su Hanxing exclaimed in surprise. Then, recalling something important, he hastily questioned Chi Qiu.

“Senior Yinglong mentioned that your divine soul and physical body are not perfectly integrated. In the future, you will inevitably have to reshape your physical body, and when that time comes, you can choose to be either male or female. Little Chi, how will you choose then?”

A mix of nervousness and anticipation flickered across his face as he awaited Chi Qiu’s answer.

“This… allow me a moment to think.” Chi Qiu vaguely grasped why Su Hanxing was asking such a question. Her thoughts were a tangled mess, her mind a chaotic jumble of conflicting ideas.

If their innate talents were truly equal, would she choose a male body or a female one? Had this question been posed half a year ago, Chi Qiu would likely have chosen a male body without a moment’s hesitation. But what about now?

Unable to disentangle the chaotic jumble of her thoughts, Chi Qiu paced for a few moments before suddenly looking up at Su Hanxing. She decided to toss the question back to him.

“What if you chose for me?”

“Ah?”

Su Hanxing was momentarily stunned. He wondered if his ears were playing tricks on him; was he truly to be the one to decide Chi Qiu’s future gender?

“I mean, if you were to choose for me, would you select a male or a female body?” Chi Qiu knew that such a question would likely spark endless speculation in Su Hanxing, yet she asked it nonetheless.

“Of course… Little Chi, it’s better to decide such an important matter yourself.” Su Hanxing nearly blurted out “female body” but abruptly cut himself off. More than making the decision for her, he hoped Chi Qiu would make her own choice, uninfluenced.

“I will make my own decision,” Chi Qiu insisted. “I merely wanted your suggestion.”

Chi Qiu continued to press him. Since she had already voiced the question, she was determined to get an answer.

“Me…?” Su Hanxing hesitated. He appeared to be deliberating whether to choose a male or a female body, but in reality, he was trying to come up with a convincing justification to persuade Chi Qiu to choose a female one.

“I think a female body would be better,” Su Hanxing said slowly.

“Oh? Why?” A sudden realization dawned on Chi Qiu. She narrowed her eyes, drawing closer to Su Hanxing, scrutinizing his every subtle movement.

“When you broke through to the God Concealing stage earlier, your divine soul had already taken on a female form. If you were to reshape a male body, I fear it might not be compatible. That’s why I believe a female body would be better.”

His mind raced, and he finally managed to concoct a plausible explanation.

“Oh—” Chi Qiu drew out her ‘Oh’ in a teasing, playful tone. Then she probed, “You wouldn’t, by any chance, be harboring some personal agenda, would you?”

“I…” Su Hanxing was momentarily speechless. A sense of dread washed over him. Did Chi Qiu see that I have feelings for her? he wondered inwardly.

“I do have ulterior motives, Little Chi, I…”

He braced himself, ready to lay bare his innermost thoughts.

“Alright, I understand. There’s no need to explain.” Chi Qiu hastily cut Su Hanxing off. At this moment, she finally confirmed her suspicion: Su Hanxing had indeed fallen for her. Though she didn’t understand why he would, Chi Qiu wasn’t ready to hear it just yet.

She needed time to think, and time to make a decision.

“Then, Little Chi, have you made up your mind about reshaping into a male or female body?” In Su Hanxing’s view, reshaping one’s body was such a momentous affair that Chi Qiu would surely begin preparations as soon as they left the Yinglong Tomb. Thus, discerning Chi Qiu’s thoughts on the matter was extremely important.

After hearing Su Hanxing’s further inquiry, Chi Qiu once again paced thoughtfully.

“Then I shall reshape into a female body. Since I have already obtained the True Dragon’s Aura, I will one day be able to break through to the Dharma Manifestation Realm. By then, I won’t have to worry about being abducted.” Chi Qiu met Su Hanxing’s intensely hopeful gaze, her voice soft yet resolute.

Perhaps Chi Qiu had grown accustomed to her female body, or perhaps she worried that her female divine soul wouldn’t integrate with a male physical body, or perhaps it was simply to fulfill Su Hanxing’s unspoken expectations. In any case, after dismissing all extraneous thoughts from her mind, she realized that she genuinely no longer wished to revert to a male form.

Once the decision was made, Chi Qiu ceased to ponder why she felt this way; such contemplation was meaningless.

“Is that truly so?” A smile bloomed uncontrollably on Su Hanxing’s lips, his expression rapidly morphing from eager anticipation to a wide smile, and finally, to unbridled joy. He leaned closer to Chi Qiu, seeking disbelief-filled confirmation.

“How could this be false? I’m reshaping my body; why are you so happy about it?” Chi Qiu glared at Su Hanxing’s ecstatic demeanor, a flash of irritation sparking her tone as she retorted.

“Actually, I…” Despite Chi Qiu’s less-than-pleasant tone, Su Hanxing remained overjoyed. He then composed his face, appearing solemn, as if about to declare something of great importance.

“Stop right there. Whatever it is, let’s discuss it after I’ve reshaped my body.” Chi Qiu, fearing some dreadful words might escape Su Hanxing’s lips, immediately cut him off.

“Very well. Little Chi, if you require any rare treasures or materials for reshaping your body, just tell me. I will spare no effort to find them.” Su Hanxing was interrupted, but he wasn’t annoyed. Instead, he patted his chest, making a heartfelt promise.

“Alright. Oh, and there’s one more thing I need to ask of you.”

Chi Qiu nodded, not refusing his offer.

“What is it?” Su Hanxing sobered, his expression becoming serious.

“Could you conceal the fact that I possess the True Dragon’s Aura?” Chi Qiu asked.

“This matter cannot be concealed. The only way is to announce to the world that the True Dragon’s Aura has fallen into my hands. There is no other method.”

Su Hanxing shook his head. Dao Sect’s Lin Chen and Spirit Mountain’s Kong Hua would certainly know that the True Dragon’s Aura must have fallen into the hands of Chi Qiu and him, making concealment impossible.

“Then never mind,” Chi Qiu said, unwilling to drag Su Hanxing into trouble, and thus rejecting his suggestion.

“It’s fine. As the Tianyan Sect’s chief disciple, even if I obtained the True Dragon’s Aura, no one would dare covet it. Moreover, I possess the Dragon Orb, which contains dragon blood, allowing me to perfectly feign the aura of Yinglong. No one but you would be able to detect it,” Su Hanxing declared with confidence.

“I already owe you too many favors. I cannot accept this.” Ever since she glimpsed a fragment of Su Hanxing’s memories, Chi Qiu had felt both gratitude and a touch of guilt towards him. She had misunderstood him for so long, yet he had continued to help her.

If she were to let Su Hanxing shield her from the covetous gazes of cultivators across the world this time, how could she ever repay such accumulated kindness?

In Chi Qiu’s eyes, such profound benevolence would be impossible to repay, even if she served him as a beast of burden for the rest of her life.

“Why must we speak of such things between us?” Su Hanxing frowned slightly, feigning displeasure upon hearing Chi Qiu say she didn’t wish to owe more favors.

“But… very well, then I will trouble you. If there is anything I can help you with in the future, do not hesitate to ask.” Chi Qiu knew that if the news of her possessing the True Dragon’s Aura spread throughout the world, she might not live long enough to reach the Dharma Manifestation Realm.

Chi Qiu cherished her life deeply, and to survive, she was willing to do many things. Her reluctance this time stemmed more from not wanting Su Hanxing to put himself in danger, but with no other solution apparent, it seemed this was her only option.

Hearing Chi Qiu’s words, Su Hanxing’s brow immediately smoothed. He nodded and then said, “I know you dislike the Tianyan Sect’s ways, so I will conceal this from my master as well. Tianyan cannot deduce anything related to Yinglong’s divine artifacts, Little Chi, so rest assured.”

“Thank you,” Chi Qiu said, deeply grateful.