He didn't even feel the ground at first. No pain, no smash, nothing—just his whole body going numb, then warm feeling rush through his spine.
His face was pressed into her chest, his eyes still shut tight, breath coming fast and rough.
For a second he honestly thought he was still falling. The air still rushed in his ears, his stomach still flipping.
Then came a soft thump, and the world stopped moving.
But he didn't. He just stayed there, head buried against her chest, too shaken to open his eyes, not sure if his legs would even listen if he tried to move.
"Wait… why does the ground feel… squishy?"
Slowly, he opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the sky, bright blue and spinning a little.
Then her face came into view above him—hair all messy from the fall, cheeks pink, eyes shining with that stupid proud smile of hers.
She was holding him tight, arms wrapped around like she was scared he might float away if she let go.
She breathing fast but giggling, like the jump was a thrill ride. "See? Told you. Tactical repositioning." She patted his chest, proud. "Are you okay, Master?"
He wiped leaf bits from his hair, his face a mess, and managed a shaky laugh. "I'm alive. Barely. But yes. Tactical… whatever. Never tell anyone this."
He closed his eyes for a half beat, then opened them again and nodded. Inside, his head did a small happy leap. Outside, he forced a grin and said, "Okay. Now let's limp to that village before my pants runs off and leaves me here."
Liu Yang dragged his feet along the path, his back still aching from the fall.
Every step made his shoulders stiff, like his bones were grinding together.
He was hunched over a little, one hand rubbing his lower back while his mouth kept grumbling, "Yep… perfect. Just perfect. Survive the jump, break during the damn walk to the village."
The roofs of the village were already peeking between the trees ahead. He stopped in his tracks, sucking air through his teeth. "Ah… right. Can't walk in there with horns poking out like a circus act."
His face twisted like someone told him to swallow a rock. He lifted his hand, brushing his back hair. "Fine… let's just… do this."
[Charm Morph: Male Form Activated]
As he walked, his body started to change. The horns on his head slowly sank back in, sliding into his skull until they were gone.
His pale white hair turned darker and darker until it was black.
His red eyes lost their glow, fading into plain calm black. Even his skin changed, the pale tone darkening, his jawline looking sharper, more human.
Step by step, the demoic body was gone, leaving just a man walking down the path.
He glanced down at his hands—still slim, still his. He flexed his fingers once, shaking them out.
He glanced down at his chest—flat. No two big soft things hanging in front of him anymore. He let out a shaky laugh, rubbing his hand over it just to be sure. "Hah… finally. No boobs bouncing around. Small win."
Beside him, she started to glow faint for a moment and then shifted back. The demoness look faded away, her shape turning into the same human girl she had used in town.
Her hair was neat again, her steps light like she hadn't just jumped off a cliff. She smiled, all bright and happy, like nothing at all was wrong.
Liu Yang rubbed the back of his neck, groaning. "Yeah, yeah, good for you. Easy transformation. Meanwhile my spine still feels like it got kissed by a sledgehammer…"
He pushed himself straight, cracked his back one more time, and forced his legs to keep moving. The village gates were right there waiting. And this time, he was going to walk in as a man.
"Yeah… no more boobs bouncing. Thank god."
The village looked dead. The gates were shut tight, the windows closed and barred. Not a single person outside. It was so quiet he felt like even a whisper could echo forever.
But nope. No whisper, no pin drop. Just the nonstop blah blah blah from the girl beside him, her voice spilling into the silence, scratching at his ears like nails on wood.
Liu Yang's spine prickled as they walked deeper in. It wasn't the silence that scared him—it was how obvious it was.
She tugged at his sleeve, eyes wide, voice trembling. "Master, what happened here? Why no one outside? Master, all the doors are locked. Master, do you think something bad—"
Then his eyes half-closed, and the rest stayed inside his head.
"Right now, if I could see through these walls, I bet they're all crouched together, trembling, holding hands, praying for help."
"And any second now, one brave old man will shuffle out, call himself the village chief, and dump the problem on us."
He sighed long, his shoulders dropping. "Yep. Typical script. Wolves tormenting villagers. Heroes show up. Village chief begs for help. Rinse, repeat."
His head tilted up, eyes dull. "System… seriously. Am I living in a world written by some lazy god who couldn't be bothered to come up with anything fresh?"
The screen flickered.
[Correction, Host: 87% chance you are currently inside a recycled plotline.]
[Lazy god or lazy author—difficult to determine.]
Liu Yang's jaw slackened. His lips moved slow. "…Did you just roast the whole universe?"
[Affirmative, Host.]
[Recommend: play along. Lazy gods get very upset when mortals question their writing ability.]
He dragged a palm over his face, groaning. "Great… stuck inside a trash novel with wolves as tutorial mobs. What's next? Slimes?..or.. old man walking out?"
The words had barely left his mouth when he heard it—a creak, long and squeaky, stretching through the empty street.
A wooden door pushed open, slow and noisy, like it hadn't been touched in years.
And out came exactly what he expected—an old man with a cane, beard hanging so long it almost touched the ground, his back bent like a question mark as he shuffled out.