Chapter 112: Protector

Chapter 112: Chapter 112: Protector

The crimson light surrounding Biyu grew brighter with every passing moment until the entire room was bathed in a brilliant red glow.

Xi Yunxui instinctively raised an arm to shield her eyes, barely managing to keep them open as the light intensified. Beside the bed, King C staggered backward with a startled bleat, while Hui hurried behind Xi Yunxui, peeking out from her side with her large, round eyes fixed on the bed.

Even Jianshan, who had been observing the situation from within Xi Yunxui’s spiritual consciousness, fell silent.

The light had become so intense that Xi Yunxui could no longer make out Biyu’s figure. All she could see was a blinding crimson radiance that seemed to pulse with a strange, ancient power, filling every corner of the room before gathering toward the centre of the bed.

"What in the world is happening?" Xi Yunxui exclaimed, squinting against the brilliance. "System, you said she was fine! Is this really a normal transformation?"

[Yes, Host. Please remain calm. Biyu is not in danger.]

"How am I supposed to remain calm when she looks as though she’s about to turn my entire room into a furnace?"

The system offered no further explanation, leaving Xi Yunxui to stare helplessly at the blinding light.

Fortunately, she did not have to wait much longer.

The crimson radiance began to contract, drawing inward as though an invisible force were gathering every last trace of energy into a single point. Its brilliance diminished little by little until the room was no longer flooded with red, and the familiar furnishings gradually returned to view.

Xi Yunxui lowered her arm.

Her gaze immediately fell upon the bed.

For several seconds, she could only stare.

Biyu was gone.

In her place lay a little girl who appeared to be around nine or ten years old.

The girl was sleeping peacefully beneath the faint remnants of the crimson glow, her small body curled comfortably on the bedding as though she had merely settled down for an afternoon nap. Her skin was fair and smooth, with a delicate pink flush across her cheeks, while her face possessed the kind of soft, adorable features that would make anyone instinctively want to pinch them.

A small, straight nose sat above her rosy lips, and her round cheeks lent her an innocent charm. Her most striking feature, however, was her hair.

It was a brilliant shade of fiery red.

The thick strands spread across the pillow in loose waves, their colour resembling fresh flames dancing beneath the sunlight. Even without moving, the hair seemed almost too vivid to be natural, and a few unruly locks had fallen across her forehead, making her appearance even more endearing.

She wore a simple, beautiful modern dress in a soft ivory colour, its short sleeves and neatly gathered skirt giving her the appearance of a little girl who had been dressed for an ordinary outing. The fabric looked entirely different from anything Xi Yunxui would have expected to emerge from a spiritual transformation, which only made the situation more bewildering.

Yet, despite the girl’s human appearance, something about her remained unmistakably unusual.

Behind each ear, delicate crimson feathers peeked through her fiery hair, soft and fine enough to be mistaken for decorative ornaments at first glance. However, their placement was too strange to be accidental, and their faint shimmer made it clear that they were part of her body rather than accessories.

Xi Yunxui’s mouth fell open.

Beside her, King C stood frozen with his mouth slightly agape, his usual appetite temporarily forgotten. Hui had emerged from behind Xi Yunxui, her large eyes widening as she stared at the unfamiliar girl on the bed.

Within Xi Yunxui’s spiritual consciousness, even Jianshan had nothing to say.

For an ancient creature who had lived through countless ages and witnessed things most cultivators could never imagine, his silence alone was remarkable.

Xi Yunxui looked from the girl to King C, then back at the girl again, as though repeating the action might somehow make the situation more understandable.

’What is going on?’

Her thoughts raced.

’Where did Biyu go? Why is there a little girl lying on my bed? And why does she have red hair?’

She pressed her lips together, attempting to make sense of what she was seeing.

’Wait a minute. Is this actually Biyu? Did her transformation turn her into a human?’

Her gaze returned to the small feathers behind the girl’s ears.

’No, not completely human, apparently.’

Xi Yunxui was beginning to suspect that her understanding of the creatures around her had been far too limited. King C looked like a troublesome goat but clearly possessed abilities that an ordinary animal should not have, while Hui could transform into a small, ash-grey, tiger-like creature despite usually appearing as an adorable little girl.

Now Biyu had undergone a transformation that had left her looking like a human child with fiery red hair and feathers behind her ears.

At this rate, Xi Yunxui wondered whether she was the only ordinary person in the room.

’System, you’d better have a very good explanation for this.’

Before she could demand an answer, the girl on the bed stirred.

Her fingers moved first, curling slightly against the bedding before relaxing again. She shifted her head on the pillow, and one of the red locks covering her forehead slipped aside. A moment later, her eyelashes fluttered.

Everyone immediately fell silent.

The girl opened her eyes.

Her irises were a brilliant, unmistakable crimson.

Unlike the crimson glow that had filled the room moments earlier, the colour of her eyes was deeper and more vivid, resembling polished rubies with a faint, mysterious gleam hidden within them. For a brief instant, the girl stared at the ceiling without moving, as though familiarising herself with her surroundings.

She blinked once.

Then again.

Afterward, she turned her head and looked at Xi Yunxui.

Her gaze moved to King C, who was still standing stiffly beside the bed, before settling on Hui, whose curiosity had already begun to overcome her initial shock.

The girl studied each of them in turn.

Then her lips curved into a smile.

It was a small, warm smile, entirely at odds with the strange crimson light and overwhelming spiritual energy that had accompanied her transformation.

"I’m awake," she announced.

Her voice made Xi Yunxui pause.

It was undeniably a child’s voice, clear and sweet, yet there was something peculiar about its quality. A faint, almost ethereal resonance lingered beneath the warmth, as though the sound had travelled through an ancient chamber before reaching their ears. It was not unpleasant, nor was it frightening in itself, but it carried a depth that seemed strangely out of place in such a young girl.

For a moment, Xi Yunxui wondered whether she was imagining it.

The girl pushed herself upright, her fiery hair slipping over her shoulders as she sat on the bed. She glanced down at her hands, flexing her fingers as though testing the unfamiliar shape of her body, before looking around the room again with an expression of mild interest.

Xi Yunxui finally found her voice.

"Biyu?"

The name came out uncertainly.

The girl turned toward her, and her smile widened with recognition.

"Yes."

Xi Yunxui stared at her.

Then she looked at King C, silently searching for some indication that she was not the only one struggling to process the situation.

Unfortunately, the goat was just as bewildered as she was.

"Wait, wait, wait." Xi Yunxui raised a hand, trying to slow the situation down before her thoughts could become any more chaotic. "You really are Biyu?"

"Of course."

The girl’s answer came without hesitation, as though Xi Yunxui had asked an utterly unnecessary question.

Xi Yunxui’s lips twitched.

’Of course? You were a chicken a few minutes ago! How am I supposed to react to this?’

She took a deep breath before turning her attention toward the system.

’System, explain. Now.’

[Host, Biyu has completed her transformation.]

’I’ve noticed that part! I’m asking why my chicken has turned into a little girl!’

[Correction: Biyu is not an ordinary chicken.]

’Oh, really? I would never have guessed.’

The system ignored her sarcasm.

[Biyu is the protector assigned to you.]

Xi Yunxui’s expression changed.

’Protector?’

She looked at the girl sitting on her bed, then at the delicate feathers behind her ears. The word sounded important, far more important than anything the system had told her when Biyu first appeared.

’What exactly do you mean by protector? Protector of what? My room? My life? My future? And why are you only telling me this now?’

For once, Xi Yunxui’s questions were not motivated by curiosity alone. Beneath her confusion lay a growing suspicion that the system had deliberately withheld information about Biyu, and she had no intention of letting it escape with such a vague explanation.

’System, answer me.’

The system fell silent.

Xi Yunxui’s expression darkened.

’You can’t just call someone my protector without explaining what I’m being protected from!’

Still, no response came.

She nearly laughed out of sheer disbelief.

’Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. First, I transmigrate into the body of a maid, receive a mysterious system, acquire a mountain filled with spiritual energy, and discover an ancient creature living in my consciousness. Now my chicken has turned into a little girl who apparently serves as my protector, and the system refuses to tell me what that means.’

She pressed her fingers against her forehead.

’At this rate, I should probably stop being surprised by anything.’

While Xi Yunxui was arguing with the system in her mind, Hui had already moved closer to the bed.

The little girl stood beside Biyu, her attention fixed on the fiery red hair spilling over the other girl’s shoulders. Her earlier astonishment had given way to open admiration, and she leaned forward slightly, looking at Biyu with undisguised fascination.

"Sister Biyu, you’re so pretty!"

Biyu turned toward her.

For a brief moment, she appeared to consider the compliment before smiling at Hui.

"Thank you."

Her response was gentle and composed, delivered with a natural ease that made it difficult to believe she had only just awakened in a completely different body.

Hui’s eyes brightened.

She reached toward one of Biyu’s red locks, hesitated as though remembering her manners, and instead clasped her hands in front of herself while continuing to admire the girl.

Xi Yunxui watched the interaction, and gradually, another thought began to take shape.

Biyu might look like a child, but the way she spoke was not quite that of a nine- or ten-year-old.

There was no childish uncertainty in her voice, nor did she display the sort of confusion one might expect from someone who had just undergone such an extraordinary transformation. She had awakened, examined her surroundings, recognised everyone present, and answered Xi Yunxui’s questions with an almost effortless composure.

Even the way she accepted Hui’s compliment seemed strangely mature.

Xi Yunxui folded her arms, studying Biyu with renewed interest.

’Her appearance may have changed, but her personality doesn’t seem to have changed at all.’

The thought made her recall the countless times Biyu had flapped her wings indignantly at King C, pecked at things she disliked, or chirped in a manner that somehow conveyed more attitude than words ever could. Although Biyu had never been able to speak before, Xi Yunxui had always sensed that there was far more intelligence behind those bright little eyes than an ordinary bird should possess.

Now that she could finally speak, that impression had only grown stronger.

"Biyu," Xi Yunxui called again.

The red-haired girl turned toward her, her crimson eyes reflecting the light from the window.

"Yes, Master?"

Xi Yunxui nearly choked.

Master?

She stared at Biyu for a moment before pointing at herself.

"You’re calling me that?"

Biyu tilted her head slightly, looking genuinely puzzled by the question.

"Is that not what I should call you?"

Her tone remained polite, but there was a quiet certainty in her words, as though the answer ought to have been obvious.

Xi Yunxui opened her mouth, only to close it again.

’Oh, this is getting more complicated by the minute.’

She had thought that Biyu’s transformation would bring a few answers, but it seemed to have created even more questions. The system had called Biyu her protector, Jianshan had already sensed something unusual about King C and Hui, and now Biyu was addressing her with a level of familiarity and composure that suggested their relationship was far more significant than Xi Yunxui had ever realised.

Inside her spiritual consciousness, Jianshan remained silent, his attention fixed on the strange aura surrounding the newly transformed girl.

There was something ancient hidden beneath Biyu’s small, adorable appearance, something that did not belong to an ordinary spiritual creature. The feathers behind her ears were only a visible remnant of what she truly was, and the crimson radiance that had filled the room earlier was merely a glimpse of the power she had awakened.

Jianshan narrowed his eyes.

It seemed that Xi Yunxui had gathered more unusual companions than even he had initially suspected.

And if Biyu had been assigned to protect his master, the question was no longer simply what she was.

It was what, exactly, she had been sent to protect Xi Yunxui from.