Chapter Forty-Five: Awkwardly Returning to Human Form

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I was feeling both wronged and terrified as he dragged me by the ear for what felt like an eternity, only to finally toss me onto his bed.

Yes, it was that same springy bed again. But this time, I was tangled up with the black dragon and couldn't steady myself. The moment he threw me, I rolled from one end to the other.

The momentum of my fall must have startled the little black dragon, who darted away in a flash, probably afraid of being squashed!

With a thud, I crashed under the bed!

It was a solid fall—my bones nearly shattered!

Whimpering, I pouted and scrambled up from beneath the bed, but then, remembering my predicament, I darted back under the bed in a flash.

The dark, shadowy space under the bed suited my mood far better.

After seeing me fall, Wangchuan made no move and said nothing—neither anxious nor excited. He simply sat quietly atop the bed.

"Are you coming out or not?"

I stayed silent.

"This is your last chance. Are you coming out?"

Still, I said nothing.

Wangchuan fell silent as well. And so I lay beneath the bed, while the minutes ticked by. He remained as silent as a stone.

I wanted to stick my head out to see if he had left, but the scent—so wild and masculine, beastly—still lingered heavily in the air.

With such a strong scent, he must still be here.

But then again, this was his den, so it was only natural that his scent would be strong.

As I pondered this, curiosity started to get the better of me. What exactly was Wangchuan? What kind of animal did he transform from?

Last time, someone said he was a big cat—with horns, no less. But when he was angry or just at certain moments, I’d seen dark, radiant wings flare behind him. What did that mean?

Was his original form winged?

A big cat with wings?

Wait—why did that image feel so familiar?

Just as I was about to think more about it, I suddenly realized—my stomach felt bloated!

"Hic!"

I couldn't help it—a massive hiccup burst from my lips, and I quickly clapped a paw over my mouth!

"Hic—! Hic!"

Like an unending river, once the hiccups came, there was no stopping them. Soon I noticed my belly was swelling up!

"Hic—! Hic—! Hic!"

The hiccups were coming faster now! I raised my paw in alarm—only to find, to my horror, that it was no longer a paw, but a human hand! Clean and hairless!

Panic overtook me, yet the hiccups kept coming.

Wangchuan lounged above. "If you don’t come out soon, you might just burst under the bed."

My heart skipped a beat. I stared at my hands—now unmistakably human—and made up my mind. I scrambled out from under the bed!

How terrifying! My hands were still the size of paws! Like a baby’s! But they were changing, right in front of me!

I was terrified—truly terrified!

The thought of a grown woman’s hands on a cat’s body—just the idea was enough to make the world seem nightmarish!

I wanted to scream, but the hiccups wouldn’t stop!

Wangchuan nudged me with his foot—not hard, but enough to ease the pressure in my belly.

Almost instinctively, I lay on my back, my hands—now human—curled up, flat on the carpet, letting him rub my belly with his foot.

"Hic!" The hiccups persisted, but now I was just anxious.

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Would this end like last time, when swallowing Han Mingxuan’s essence had left me emitting those mortifying farts?

No time to worry about that. As I hiccupped in every pitch and rhythm, I couldn’t help but enjoy the feeling of Wangchuan’s foot massaging the fur on my belly.

"Grrr-rrr-rrr—" That sound again, rumbling up from my throat.

I stretched my belly out a bit, arched my back closer to him, squinted my eyes, and hugged his leg, nuzzling.

If I hadn’t had a sliver of sense left, knowing that was his foot, I might have started licking in gratitude.

Cursing inwardly: Bai Qianqian, are you a dog or what?!

But so what if I am? At least the hiccups and the bloating had stopped, and I felt wonderfully comfortable!

"Mee-ow—" The strange sound that came from my throat told me something had changed.

The sensation wasn’t smooth like being stroked anymore; my belly felt rough!

I opened my eyes—and saw that I’d completely reverted to my original form! Though a bit smaller, barely over a meter tall, I was truly myself again!

A human! I was human again!

I sat up in shock, staring at Wangchuan!

But as I did, I realized my tail hadn’t fully changed back! The base of it jabbed painfully against my backside!

So I could only half-kneel, clutching my chest, eyes darting everywhere, a mess of curses running through my mind.

Oh, heavens, where was my fur?!

Where was it?! Where was it?!

No fur, and not even a stitch of clothing! My skin had turned all pink, and I frantically covered my bare flesh, utterly at a loss!

My hands were so small—covering one thing left another exposed!

Luckily, I was clever. I curled my tail around to shield my vital parts, draped my hair over my chest, and covered myself with my hands as well.

Whew—finally, I could breathe a little easier…

But Wangchuan just watched me—serene, unhurried—observing my panic and despair, never offering a word of help!

And what had I just been doing? Enjoying myself at his feet!

Not as a cat—but as a human!

No, as a person!

If I were still a cat, rubbing against my master’s foot wouldn’t bother me. But who knew how long I’d been in human form—lying there, letting him rub my belly with his foot!

A cat can forgive, but a person cannot!!

The ears atop my head twitched nervously.

Wait—ears?

I reached up and touched them—sure enough, my ears hadn’t changed back either!

Where human ears should have been, there was nothing—just bare skin!

I—I—what even was I now?

I stared at the tip of my tail, flicking back and forth. That wasn’t a human nerve at all. My whole sense of self was in shambles!

Either I was a person, or I was a cat—what was this half-state?!

Perhaps seeing my fury, Wangchuan chuckled at me, then reached out with his foot to nudge me again, bending slightly to look down at me.

"I told you to find your fetal soul, and you took shortcuts. I told you to find your spirit, and you didn’t try hard enough. Now you’re stuck halfway—what do you propose we do?"

He was so close, his hair nearly brushing my cheek. My face flushed crimson in an instant.

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I shuffled back on my knees. "Don’t—don’t do that!"

"Hmm?" Wangchuan smiled.

I ignored him—or rather, my heart was pounding so fast it must have been over one-eighty, my ears roaring with blood, leaving no room for words.

Seeing my silence, Wangchuan seemed to grow annoyed. He reached out!

The red collar around my neck was still there, and still compelled me to obey—one tug, and I was yanked right into his grasp!

"Ouch!" As a human, my skin was far more sensitive than as a cat. The collar bit into my neck, and it felt nothing like before!

"Does it hurt?" He pulled the ring on the collar, drawing me close, his breath soft against my face.

"I…" I shrank back, unable to speak.

"What’s this? Don’t want to be close now that you’re human?" There was nothing but seduction in his expression.

"I—I—I… no… you—you—you… back up…" I did my best to shrink away.

Wangchuan just smiled, baring his sharp fangs. "Oh, now that you’re human, you won’t acknowledge your master?"

"No, no, no!" My mindset had changed, and so had I—completely!

I knew he was twisting my words on purpose, but in this state, I felt like my whole body was burning—my face hot, my chest tight, even my breathing ragged!

Last time, Rebecca had called him Master in her human form and I hadn’t thought anything of it.

But now, having changed back, I suddenly felt all the shame and dignity that should come with being human, and there was no shaking them off!

The smile faded from Wangchuan’s face. He tossed me to the ground, and I hastily covered myself again, my heart racing.

"Kneel here and think it over."

With just that, Wangchuan strode out, long-legged and unhurried, leaving me sprawled on the floor, scared half out of my wits. But as I slumped down, I landed right on my tailbone!

Though my tail could bend, it still had a curve to it. The human tailbone is the end of the spine—and with a cat’s tail attached, it sat too low.

As Wangchuan had said, never mind kneeling to reflect—even sitting was impossible.

Kneeling there, I felt utterly humiliated.

Now that I’d calmed down, I truly realized how thoroughly I’d been bullied!

Quietly, while Wangchuan was gone, I stole a few glances around, then shuffled forward a bit, then a bit more.

He didn’t see that, did he?

I couldn’t sit, nor did I dare climb onto my master’s bed to curl up, so I tugged the blanket a little closer and wrapped myself up.

Only then did I feel somewhat safe.

It was almost like having my fur back.

"Whew—" I let myself breathe again, half-kneeling, half-leaning by the bed, wrapped in that black blanket, waiting for Wangchuan to return.

At that moment, my heart was more tangled than ever in my life.

I wanted him to come back quickly, yet also desperately wished he’d never return—ever!

In that endless struggle, the seconds ticked by. When at last the door sounded again, every nerve in my body went taut!

The sound of the door opening, closing, footsteps approaching.

I swallowed hard in fear, retreating a few steps, every muscle tensed in anticipation of the one about to appear.

But the moment I caught sight of Wangchuan before me, I was so shocked and flustered that I tumbled face-first into the bedding with a loud thump!