I Quit Being This Female Lead (GL) - Chapter 68

“Yun-Yun…”

Little Mang Ke sat on the floor, looking up at Xun Fangyun, who was now many times bigger. She couldn’t hold back the tears in her big eyes and burst into a loud ‘waaah!’

“Waaah, waaah, waaah, waaah! Why did Yun-Yun get so big!” Mang Ke cried, rubbing her eyes with her tiny hands. “What is going on? What happened? Why am I like this…”

She tried to climb up from the floor, but her clothes tripped her, and she fell with a loud thump onto the ground.

She cried even louder.

Xun Fangyun ran over in a panic and picked up the little child who was now sobbing hysterically on the floor. The moment Mang Ke nestled into Xun Fangyun’s embrace, she burrowed inward with hiccupping sobs, calling out ‘Yun-Yun,’ appearing both endearingly cute and pitiful.

Yin Shu clasped his hands and gave an awkward smile. “Because there is everything in the inner room, Lady accidentally broke an item that makes people shrink. It has no side effects, but undoing it requires quite a bit of spiritual energy.”

“I have all the spiritual energy she needs.”

“No, no, no, Your Excellency’s spiritual energy cannot be given to her. The demonic spiritual energy would clash with the Lady’s, and she would die.”

Xun Fangyun frowned. She reached out and tapped the little girl’s head, saying angrily, “Why are your hands so restless?”

Even though she had shrunk, little Mang Ke still understood what they were saying. Hearing this, she grabbed Xun Fangyun’s fingers with both hands and started crying. “It was you who startled me, which made me drop and break it! How can you blame me for being restless now, waaah, waaah, waaah, waaah!”

With that, crystal tears began to drop continuously. Mang Ke desperately gripped Xun Fangyun’s fingers with her two tiny hands, looking extremely wronged.

Yin Shu, seeing the current situation, wasn’t in a hurry. He said to Xun Fangyun, “Your Excellency, rather than being angry, it would be better to resolve the current issue.”

He was referring to the Ghost Market outside.

Xun Fangyun: “…”

She looked at the little girl in her arms who was crying with wide eyes, then glanced at Yin Shu, and sighed softly.

It seemed they would have to stay in the Ghost Market for a few more days.

Later, with Yin Shu’s help, Xun Fangyun restored the appearance of the Ghost Market.

Although the commotion a few days ago was shocking, the monsters’ regenerative abilities were quite strong. Coupled with Xun Fangyun’s abundant spiritual power, she easily mended their broken limbs and bones with a flick of her finger. Anyone who was still breathing was basically fine. Even Mo Ying, who had been crushed to dust, was retrieved by Yin Shu and sent back to his inkstone to recuperate.

As for Mang Ke, she was dressed in new clothes.

A pale yellow dress hung around her feet, and her chestnut hair was tied loosely into two small, puffy buns. Xun Fangyun held a red string in her mouth, braiding Mang Ke’s hair while infusing spiritual energy into the string.

Since the day Mang Ke shrunk, Xun Fangyun had been in the Ghost Market for three days.

During these three days, besides occasionally using her fingers to mend buildings and heal the injured, Xun Fangyun’s remaining job was to accompany little Mang Ke.

The buns were finished. Xun Fangyun removed the red string from her mouth and wrapped it around the buns. After murmuring something, the red string gradually disappeared into Mang Ke’s hair.

Little Mang Ke patted her legs, tilted her head back, and looked up at Xun Fangyun. “Yun-Yun, are my braids done?”

Xun Fangyun: “…”

Although shrinking was a pity, Mang Ke looked even cuter this way.

Little Mang Ke wiggled her bottom and sat up from the bed board. Her body was now only three years old. While her intelligence remained the same, her thinking pattern now leaned toward that of a child.

Standing in front of Xun Fangyun, little Mang Ke stood on her tiptoes and gave her a big, sloppy kiss on the nose.

“When we go back to the sect, we can just let Senior Sister infuse spiritual energy into me. Don’t always wear such a cold face.”

Little Mang Ke raised her hand and patted Xun Fangyun’s forehead. “You’re not pretty when you frown.”

Xun Fangyun couldn’t help but smile. She picked Mang Ke up and stood. “Once we finish these matters, we can leave. I’ll cure you then, and we can go traveling and sightseeing again.”

Mang Ke sat on Xun Fangyun’s arm and nodded. She hooked her arms around Xun Fangyun’s neck and rubbed her soft cheek against Xun Fangyun’s.

Her small body was soft. Xun Fangyun was always extra careful when holding Mang Ke, afraid that she might hurt her if she applied too much force.

“Good morning, Little Lady.”

Yin Shu stood at the door. Seeing Xun Fangyun and Mang Ke emerge, he greeted them enthusiastically. “Little Lady looks so cute today. Might I have the honor of a hug?”

Xun Fangyun’s gaze turned cold, and Yin Shu immediately shut his mouth obediently.

Mang Ke clung to Xun Fangyun’s neck and said unhappily, “I don’t want you to hug me. You smell!”

Yin Shu smiled bitterly. “The smoke smell shouldn’t be that strong, should it?”

Little Mang Ke pouted, turned her head away, and hid in Xun Fangyun’s long hair, sticking out her round little bottom towards Yin Shu.

Yin Shu gave a forced laugh.

What should I do if the Lady dislikes me? I need an answer immediately; it might affect my career.

Xun Fangyun patted Mang Ke’s back and said to Yin Shu, “Why are you here again? Didn’t I repair all the buildings?”

“The manager of East Street would like you to fix up his inn as well.”

“…I am not a construction worker.”

“Your subordinate knows, but this is a gift from the inn owner to the Little Lady.”

Mang Ke’s curiosity was piqued upon hearing that someone was sending her a gift. She turned her face and watched as Yin Shu miraculously produced a large pile of pinwheels. Her eyes widened.

“Little pinwheels!”

Mang Ke reached out with her short arms to grab one. Yin Shu handed her one and said, “The inn owner said he will give the Little Lady fifty portions of Dragon’s Beard Candy once the house is fixed.”

“Wow—”

Xun Fangyun watched as Mang Ke was completely taken in by Yin Shu’s coaxing. She couldn’t help but groan, taking the pinwheel in her hand. “He thinks fifty portions of Dragon’s Beard Candy are enough to make me work for him?”

Mang Ke grabbed her small hand and said somewhat wistfully, “Little Ke wants it…”

Xun Fangyun: “…Fine, then.”

Yin Shu: “Pffft—”

Xun Fangyun glared at Yin Shu, then turned and walked toward the East Gate.

Along the way, everyone’s eyes were on little Mang Ke. After the massive incident a few days ago, everyone now knew that this little doll, as fair as white lotus root, was the beloved darling of this unnamed demon, and she was brought everywhere.

Mang Ke held the pinwheel in one hand and clung to Xun Fangyun’s neck with the other. Her little mouth chattered to herself, “Little pinwheel, la la la—”

Perhaps because she had shrunk, many of Mang Ke’s small movements were exactly like those of a three-year-old child, although she still retained her adult memory.

Xun Fangyun didn’t know if this condition could be reversed. If even going to Mang Ke’s sect didn’t help, she wouldn’t mind waiting for Mang Ke to slowly grow up.

A gust of wind in the Ghost Market made the pinwheel in Mang Ke’s hand spin rapidly with a whoosh, emitting colorful light.

“Wow—” Little Mang Ke stared straight at the pinwheel and said happily, “Yun-Yun, look at the little pinwheel!”

Xun Fangyun glanced at it and said, “Mhm, it’s very pretty.”

“Hehe, Yun-Yun is pretty too~”

With that, Mang Ke leaned in and gave her a loud smooch.

Xun Fangyun couldn’t help but smile. “You may have gotten smaller, but your flirtatiousness hasn’t changed one bit.”

Mang Ke pretended not to understand, continuing to manipulate the pinwheel with her small, fair hands. She was a child now; she didn’t understand anything.

The East Street manager was already waiting for them. Although Xun Fangyun didn’t like doing manual labor, since Mang Ke wanted the Dragon’s Beard Candy, she reluctantly began using her spiritual energy to repair the buildings, making them brand new, gleaming, and infused with spiritual aura.

Mang Ke, sitting on the stone steps nearby, ate the Dragon’s Beard Candy while watching Xun Fangyun work. Her gaze unconsciously swept past something colorful.

Turning her head, she found it was a magnificent—rooster!

Mang Ke watched the colorful feathers flapping in front of her. The Dragon’s Beard Candy in her mouth instantly lost its flavor. She quietly moved closer and reached out her hand…

[Aooow! Aooow!]

The rooster turned its head and immediately became furious upon seeing the little girl grabbing its beautiful tail feathers. It squawked loudly, [Whose wild brat are you? Are my tail feathers something you can just grab!]

Mang Ke: “…”

She stared blankly at the rooster, held back for a long time, then her eyes suddenly turned red.

“Ooh…” Mang Ke cried with red eyes. “A chicken can talk, waaah, waaah, waaah…”

Rooster: [……]

My talking is interfering with you somehow?

Rooster: [No, you grabbed my tail feathers, why are you crying?]

Mang Ke: “Waaah, waaah, waaah, waaah…”

The rooster was flustered. [Don’t cry! Just tell me what’s wrong! What good is crying? Are you trying to stage a bump-and-extortion scheme? Let me tell you, in this part of East Street, if I say I’m number one, no one dares say number two!]

Just as the chicken and the little child were arguing, the rooster felt the ground shake. It was instantly lifted and flung out, and the bunch of tail feathers in its tail were plucked out with it.

Mang Ke stared blankly at the handful of feathers remaining in her hand. She let go, and cried even harder.

“The talking chicken disappeared, waaah, ah, ah, ah—”

Xun Fangyun walked over, picked Mang Ke up, and looked at the rooster with a cold face. “Why did you bully her?”

The rooster climbed up from the ground, furious. [She grabbed my tail feathers first! Why don’t you ask her first?]

Xun Fangyun glanced at Mang Ke, who was clutching her long hair and crying, then looked at the rooster. “She is so small. What bad intentions could she have? Can’t a big chicken like you let her have her way?”

Rooster: [??????]

That logic is flawless!

[You plucked my feathers! This matter is not over!]

“What? Do you want to be stewed into soup?”

[… You irresponsible parent will spoil your child sooner or later!]

Xun Fangyun patted Mang Ke’s back and couldn’t help but smile. “I’ll raise my child however I please. If you disagree, come and find me.”

With that, she carried Mang Ke and left, leaving behind the infuriated rooster.

[Brat! Irresponsible parent!]

[You will both face legal sanctions!]

[Cluck, cluck, cluck, I’m so angry!]

Walking along the street in the Ghost Market, Mang Ke finally stopped crying. She looked up at Xun Fangyun and said tearfully, “You, you shouldn’t blame it. I was the one who started it… ooh…”

Xun Fangyun, however, said, “Whether you started it or not, I would have taught it a lesson.”

Mang Ke was stunned for a moment. She buried her head in Xun Fangyun’s neck and said, “You really are like a bad parent.”

“I don’t care, as long as no one bullies you.”

“Mhm…”

Mang Ke held Xun Fangyun’s long hair, nestled in her arms, feeling sleepy. She thought she should ask Yin Shu to apologize tomorrow, and the Dragon’s Beard Candy…

“Dragon’s Beard Candy…” Mang Ke murmured semi-consciously. “Yun-Yun should eat some too…”

Xun Fangyun, walking back to the pawnshop, couldn’t help but reply, “Alright.”