Chapter 270: Reversal

For the entire day, Ling kept a close, nervous eye on Liuli, worried she might do something irreparable. Yet, deep down, she couldn’t deny a tiny flicker of anticipation.

If Liuli really could… then…

But Liuli spent the day just sticking by Wu Qingsong, either clumsily helping or causing trouble, making him chase after her, scolding her, or chuckling as he ruffled her hair.

If only the three of them could stay like this forever.

The thought crossed Ling’s mind unbidden.

She knew, however, that it was a foolish dream. Even if it was just to defeat the elves, more and more people were bound to gather around Wu Qingsong—and among them, there would surely be more beastwomen.

In the afternoon, Liuli disappeared for a while, only to return at dinner. Wu Qingsong scolded her briefly, but Ling noticed the mischievous grin lingering on Liuli’s face, as if she was plotting something.

When night fell, Ling and Liuli said their usual goodnights to Wu Qingsong and returned to their room. After a while, as Ling slept, Liuli quietly crept out of bed. She leaned in close to Ling, carefully watching to see if she was truly asleep, then slipped out of the room without a sound.

Wu Qingsong, exhausted from the day, quickly fell into a deep sleep after going to bed. He didn’t know how much time had passed when a warm, furry body suddenly snuggled up next to him.

“Liuli, cut it out,” he muttered instinctively.

This wasn’t unusual. He often went to bed alone, only to wake up and find Liuli curled up on his pillow or nestled in his arms. Over time, everyone had simply grown used to it.

This time, however, Wu Qingsong felt her grab his hand and place it on something soft.

“Sorry, Wu, but I—”

“Wait a second!” The gust of wind caused by the catgirl’s transformation jolted Wu Qingsong awake. “Liuli, what are you—”

The now-enormous cat-girl scooped him up and darted out of the room.

“Hold on! Liuli, what are you trying to do?” Wu Qingsong was dizzy from her rapid movements, unable to see anything in the darkness. He could only feel Liuli clutching him tightly as she sped away from the house and airstrip, heading north into the forest.

“If you keep acting crazy, I’m going to get mad,” he shouted.

Truthfully, Wu Qingsong had plenty of ways to deal with the untransformed Liuli, but with her in this state, he was helpless.

He wasn’t sure if soul fragments would work on a transformed Liuli and he wasn’t about to risk trying something that might harm her.

Liuli was already clumsy enough. What if she ended up permanently brainless?

“No fish for you tomorrow!”

“I’m warning you—keep this up, and you can forget about flying again!”

“Liuli, let me go! Just tell me where you’re trying to take me. Do you really think I’d refuse if you just asked?”

Finally, she stopped and set Wu Qingsong down on a thick, soft bed of dry moss.

“No matter what I’ve done wrong, you’ll forgive me, right?” she asked in the dark, her eyes glowing faintly as they shimmered.

“Of course,” Wu Qingsong replied, still confused. “But what did you do this time? Why couldn’t you just say it back there?”

“I haven’t done anything yet, but I’m about to,” the catwoman said, slipping off her specially made dress. “If we were back there, Ling wouldn’t be happy about it.”

Wu Qingsong froze, a terrible thought forming in his mind.

“You’re not thinking of…” he stammered, alarmed.

“Meow~” The catwoman grinned mischievously and clumsily puffed out her chest. “You always say Liuli is just a kid, but what about me? I’m not a kid anymore, am I? I checked secretly, and when it comes to this part, there’s no one in all of Orgrimmar bigger than me.”

“Wait! Hold on a second!” Wu Qingsong hurriedly exclaimed. “Are you out of your mind? You can’t just… Have you thought about how Liuli will feel when she wakes up?”

“If Liuli didn’t agree to this, do you think I’d be here right now?” the catwoman asked smugly. “She’s not a kid anymore, either. The only one who keeps treating her like a child is you. Now quit stalling and get over here!”

Her words left Wu Qingsong momentarily stunned as she moved closer. Panicking, he blurted out, “I get it! But this isn’t the way to solve anything. I’ll talk to Liuli, I’ll settle this properly. Hey, stop! Why don’t you ever listen? Let go! Let go!”

He struggled frantically, kicking at her paws, but she grabbed hold of his pants with one swift motion.

“This won’t work. You and Liuli will both regret this,” he said, sounding both desperate and helpless. “Have you thought about how we’re supposed to get along after this? You’re forcing—”

“No, we won’t,” the catwomen interrupted, her voice unusually gentle for her current form, as she roughly pressed him down onto the bed of moss. “We’ll become closer, closer than anyone else.”

She clumsily began to kiss Wu Qingsong. Wu Qingsong had already summoned a fragment of his soul, but after hesitating for a moment, he ultimately chose not to use it against her.

---

“Wu! Liuli!” Ling called out, fumbling through the darkness.

Ling had actually woken up the moment Liuli left. She was a light sleeper, always easily stirred.

At first, she thought Liuli was just going to find Wu Qingsong, as usual. But moments later, she heard Wu Qingsong’s startled voice from a distance. She immediately climbed out of bed, only to catch a glimpse of the catwoman darting off, carrying Wu Qingsong in her arms.

What on earth…

Ling’s heart raced. She didn’t believe Liuli would do anything to harm Wu Qingsong, but still.

What was that girl trying to do?

Beck and a few others were awakened by the commotion, and even a nearby sentry had come running. But the catwoman had moved so quickly that no one except Ling had seen what had happened.

She quickly shut the door.

“It’s nothing! Go back to sleep,” she assured them.

After everyone had dispersed, Ling grew increasingly uneasy. Finally, she returned to her room, grabbed her crossbow and shortsword, threw on a cloak, and quietly headed in the direction where the catwoman had disappeared.

“Wu! Liuli!” she called out loudly again.

This time, she faintly heard a strange, childlike wailing in the distance. It sounded a lot like Liuli.

“Liuli!”

She quickened her pace toward the source of the sound, but the cry grew increasingly bizarre and stretched unnaturally long.

“Liuli!”

By now, she was sure it was Liuli’s voice. But what on earth was happening?

As she neared the source, the sound suddenly rose into a high-pitched, piercing shriek before stopping completely.

“Liuli?!” Ling pushed through the trees and finally spotted Liuli, back in her normal form, sound asleep in a bed of moss with her dress draped over her.

Wu Qingsong, however, was awkwardly curled up nearby—completely naked.

“Wu, you… you two…” Ling could hardly believe what she was seeing.

“Ling, I… can we talk about this later?” Wu Qingsong said, his tone a mix of embarrassment and defeat. He had ultimately failed to hold his ground, and now, facing Ling, he felt nothing but overwhelming shame, wishing he could disappear on the spot.

Ling said nothing, simply nodding in silence.

“Um… Ling, could I borrow your cloak for a moment?” Wu Qingsong asked helplessly. “My clothes are…”

Ling took a deep breath, then removed her cloak and handed it to him.