I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 113
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- Chapter 113 - Fate is Written on the Three Lives Stone
Chapter 113: Fate is Written on the Three Lives Stone [1]
Yin Xiamo chose this beach in “Blue Sea Silver Beach,” which is a certain distance away from the densely populated area. Also, because the sand here hasn’t been treated much, it looks a bit dirty, and within a radius of several dozen meters, no one is willing to come over and set up chairs.
However, this does match our two “not wanting it to be too noisy” personalities. Although I don’t have a serious fear of social situations, it doesn’t mean I like crowded places or enjoy being in the midst of excitement. In fact, if it weren’t for Yin Xiamo’s invitation, I would have no interest in swimming and beaches at all.
The beach signifies heat, the need to take off most of your clothes to face the crowd, and the need to make a lot of preparations, such as buying swimsuits, flip-flops, water, and equipment. It’s the least friendly sport for a “homebody.”
“Splash, splash, splash—” In the area where my feet can almost reach the bottom, holding onto the yellow rubber ring, I tried to swim for a while based on memory.
Hmm… it seems that the muscle memory from my past uncle has indeed disappeared, I need to readjust.
Moreover, regardless of a girl’s body, including figure curves, weight, lung capacity, and so on, there are obvious differences from that of an older man. It seems that my previous “aquatic skills” are not quite applicable anymore.
However, I didn’t come here today for swimming in the first place, so it doesn’t really matter…
“So comfortable…” After swimming in the sea for a while, I gradually adapted to the sea temperature and felt reluctant to go ashore.
The current temperature near the beach in Shenzhen City should be around 39 degrees Celsius, with some areas exceeding 40 degrees. Especially the sand near the shore, close to the exit, where the moisture has completely evaporated – bury an egg there, and it might be cooked in about ten minutes.
In this temperature, soaking in the seawater is truly a kind of enjoyment.
“Aren’t you coming over to bite me?” Seeing me leisurely playing in the water, Yin Xiamo in front of me chuckled, “Proud little kitten?”
“I’ll owe you, I’ll bite you later when we go back.”
I tilted my head back, looking at the sun above, “It’s so comfortable here…”
The current depth of this sea area should be around one meter, right? It’s about the level where, with my swim ring, I can just touch the sandy bottom below, and a bit deeper would be over my mouth.
However, what really irked me was that at this depth, Yin Xiamo could simply stand up and walk in the water, not needing to swim at all! This made me acutely aware of the significant height difference between myself and this deathly girl.
“Splash—”
As I spoke, a big wave hit, pushing me back to the shore. For some reason, the water here seemed much clearer than I remembered. Even floating on the surface, I could see crab shells, various fish, and… octopuses?
Wait, octopuses?
Feeling like I had glimpsed something, I followed the current and looked over. Did a large octopus just swim by?
“Eh!”
In my confusion, I felt that my little foot seemed to be wrapped by something very soft. It was soft, sticky, and had suction cups.
Is it not afraid of people?
“Xiao Mo!”
After attempting to lift my foot several times but failing due to the unstable sea, I signaled to Yin Xiamo underwater, “There’s an octopus grabbing me!”
I could feel that at this moment, the little octopus was slowly wriggling from my foot towards my lower leg. It crawled from my toes to the sole, then to the ankle…
I kicked the water a few times in response to the stimulation, but it only clung tighter. The suction cups on its “tentacles” exerted a noticeable force on the delicate and sensitive skin of a girl, making me acutely aware of it.
Why is it climbing upward?!
If I recall correctly, some octopuses have teeth, and they can bite, and some are even venomous…
Because this place is away from the crowd, are there more marine creatures?
“Octopus? Hold on.”
As I spoke, the girl in front of me jogged a few steps towards me and then sank into the water with a splash. From my perspective, I could see her swimming towards me with a very standard swimming posture.
Then, I felt my foot being grabbed by a pair of hands. Subsequently, the tentacles of the soft-bodied creature entwined around it were peeled off one by one and taken away.
It’s so itchy…
With a splash, Yin Xiamo emerged from the water, holding a little octopus that was still wriggling.
“Is it this little guy?”
I was a bit worried, “It’s not poisonous, right?”
“Well…”
“If it’s from another world, usually these creatures carry some toxins.”
Yin Xiamo held the small octopus and poked its head, “Most toxins include paralyzing effects, and some strange octopus venom even induces… well, let’s say it excites girls. Paralysis combined with excitement causes confusion in the brain, and then these octopuses take advantage of the confusion.”
“Take advantage of the confusion?!” I reflexively asked, “Take advantage of what?”
“Are you an idiot?”
Yin Xiamo gave me a “look at this foolish girl” expression, “Do you know how big octopuses from other worlds can get? Tentacles over ten meters long, some can grow up to fifty meters. If an ordinary person gets bitten in the sea, they’ll be paralyzed all over, with neuroexcitement and blurred consciousness. These kinds of octopuses can swallow a person in one bite, and then that person gets corroded into a pile of nutrients in a state of bliss…”
Okay… that’s really scary…
“But this is Earth, so these small octopuses…”
Under Yin Xiamo’s touch, the little octopus in her hand suddenly sprayed out a large cloud of ink.
“These small octopuses are usually used for grilling.”
Shaking the octopus’s head in the seawater on the side, Yin Xiamo handed it over to me, “Do you want it?”
Want… what does that mean?
“I don’t want it.”
I quickly stepped back a few paces, “I don’t like these sticky and slippery things, throw it far away.”
“Don’t worry, these small octopuses can’t harm you.”
Yin Xiamo casually tossed the little creature into the deep water, “Even if a nearby poisonous jellyfish comes, it’s fine.”
“There are poisonous jellyfish nearby?!”
I was somewhat startled, “Are they really poisonous?”
“Very few. Shenzhen City’s beach has been open for so long, and there have been only about ten cases of jellyfish stings, not fatal, just very painful.”
Yin Xiamo explained, “Ordinary people only experience a bit of pain, but your body has a natural immunity to poisons. It’ll probably just be a little itchy for a few minutes.”
Natural immunity? Like immunity to viruses?
“Could I always be immune to so many things?”
I was curious, “The venom of the octopus, the venom of jellyfish… I can be immune to those too?”
“Of course.”
The girl in front of me looked very proud, “Not just you, these little things pose almost no threat to any race from another world. These toxins are already obsolete in other worlds.”
Huh?
“I don’t quite understand.”
Feeling like we were entering the “complicated talk” phase, I leaned against the swimming ring with the duck design, keeping my feet afloat, and pushed the swimming ring towards Yin Xiamo, coming in front of her, “Generally speaking, two worlds… two completely different ecosystems, different bacteria, viruses, and so on. If people from both sides exchanged, wouldn’t there be major issues?”
Just like some historical pandemics, where people in a certain region were tormented by a virus for several generations, and eventually, the virus adapted to the local human population, and humans adapted to the virus, achieving “infected but asymptomatic.” Many people would be infected with the virus from a young age but show no obvious symptoms. They coexisted peacefully with the virus because their bodies’ antibodies and genes were accustomed to it. However, if such individuals were to go to a city where a similar virus had never broken out, transmitting the virus there would be a disaster for the people there.
The evolutionary history of Earth is somewhat like this. The surviving organisms today carry various information left over from billions of years. Living on Earth is fine, but if individuals like that were to go to another planet similar to Earth, the viruses or bacteria “symbiotic” in their bodies would be a disaster for that place. Conversely, Earthlings would certainly be unable to adapt to the viruses and bacteria there.
“You actually know so much about this?”
Hearing me talk about this, Yin Xiamo was somewhat surprised, “It took me two or three years to finish learning this knowledge.”
“Uh… really?”
I felt a bit awkward, “I just used to like watching some popular science videos while eating.”
“Well, since our Nuo’er is so curious about other worlds, I’ll share a bit with you.”
The girl next to me brought her face close, “Give me a little kiss.”
Without hesitation, I planted a kiss on that snowy white little face, “Alright, tell me quickly!”
“The other world that the hero lived in in his previous life is just an upgraded version of this world. You could think of this world as the base version, while the other world has a lot of additional content. It’s like the popular game ‘Minecraft’ here. The basic content is the same for everyone, with mountains, seas, gravity, and everyone needs to breathe and eat. But the other world has a lot more additional content than this one.”
With that, Yin Xiamo cupped seawater in her hands, “For example, this seawater in the basic world has only these characteristics. After adding expansion content, using seawater to cool lava, forming obsidian, and then arranging the obsidian into the shape of a door will open a portal to hell. The laws in the hell world are different from the real world, and the creatures inside are different too. Some can float, some can be immune to lava, and similarly, there’s the Twilight Forest, the End, and so on—ah, I’m just giving an example, I don’t know if you can understand.”
“Probably… I can.”
I thought for a moment, “I’ve played Minecraft, so is that other world like an upgraded expansion pack here?”
“Yes, exactly. There, they expanded magic, added many worlds, and the human race branched into elves, demons, orcs, and even octopuses have tens of thousands of varieties, with magical abilities, the ability to speak, everything you can think of. The viruses and toxins experienced and discovered here, they had encountered long ago. Resistance to these ancient viruses and toxins is something ingrained in their DNA. Nuo’er, you must be completely immune.”
I see…
So, despite my current height of less than 1.4 meters, my sensitivity to catnip, and my limited strength, my body’s structure and antibodies are actually ahead of Earth’s organisms by tens of thousands of versions?
No wonder Yin Xiamo was so at ease throwing me into the water.
Strictly speaking, my menstrual cycle was in the last two days. During those days, there should have been bleeding and stomach pain. Most of the symptoms had disappeared this morning, so technically, I was in the “late menstrual phase.” Going into the water at this point was a bit challenging.
For girls, going into the water during their period is not recommended due to weakened physical conditions and the different circumstances down there. It can easily lead to viruses taking advantage of vulnerabilities, resulting in conditions like colds and pelvic inflammation. In severe cases, it can lead to infections. That’s why textbooks explicitly state that girls should avoid going into the water for about a week before and after their period.
However, with my body’s “magical” situation, I don’t need to worry. After all, being ahead in versions means immunity to viruses and bacteria.
On the sea surface, I cautiously glanced at Yin Xiamo beside me.
“What’s wrong?”
Someone who sensed my gaze blurted out, “Does the little kitty want to bite me again?”
“Hmph.”
I grabbed the swimming ring and turned, swimming towards the deep water area.
It seems that the relatively normal routine of the past few days has made me relax my guard a bit against this Miss Grim Reaper.
Because I didn’t have a concrete concept, I couldn’t imagine what kind of story she, as someone who “crossed over” from another world, had gone through or what the specific model of that world looked like. It’s like how I, living in a three-dimensional world, can’t imagine a four-dimensional universe. I simply can’t imagine what it feels like to use “magic” or what life is like in another world.
In other words, Yin Xiamo has been exposed to a much broader range of concepts and worlds than I have. However, she has always been “adapting to the local customs.”
To cooperate with me, she has always behaved like an ordinary little girl.
Looking at it this way, it seems that the difficulty of my “resistance” has increased. I must come up with some ideas.
As an uncle, a macho guy, I can’t let myself be assimilated by a little girl’s body, and I definitely shouldn’t be dominated by a little demon who should be under my command…
“Is the little kitty thinking of something inappropriate again?”
Seeing me turning away on the sea surface, Yin Xiamo quickly swam over, “Your inner thoughts are written all over your face.”
“I wasn’t thinking about anything!”
I avoided this person’s gaze, “I’m just learning to swim.”
“Hmm? Is that so?”
With a splash, I saw Yin Xiamo sinking directly into the water. In the next moment, I felt my legs being forcefully pulled—
“Oops!”
In the confusion, this unscrupulous person pulled me to the bottom of the water.
“Ugh…”
The scenery above rapidly retreated as bubbles began to rise with a gurgling sound. Because I wasn’t prepared, I couldn’t help but cough as soon as my head entered the water, expelling the air from my lungs—
“Gurgling…”
Then, I felt myself being embraced by a warm chest.
Opening my eyes, I saw Yin Xiamo, who had already let down her hair, gently supporting my back in the seawater as if cradling a precious treasure. Our gazes met in the water.
The warm sunlight slanted down from above, accompanied by the gurgling sound at my ears and a slight distortion of the water surface.
Dimly, I could see my own long hair floating gently with the seawater behind me, and above, Yin Xiamo’s hair, like petals, completely soaked.
So beautiful…
At this moment, I forgot that I couldn’t swim, and I forgot that I hadn’t taken in much oxygen in advance. I just stared blankly at the girl holding me, gently swaying above me.
Yin Xiamo’s face belonged to the mixed-race type with a blend of Eastern and Western features. If I had to describe it, it perfectly captured the charm of a “goddess” from a fairy tale. However, compared to those righteous goddesses, Yin Xiamo had more of the flavor of a “mischievous goddess.”
Her appearance was truly impeccable. I suspected that the reason the owner of the grocery store was willing to pay the fine might be because of this. With Yin Xiamo looking so beautiful in her daily clothes, over the years, she must have accumulated a lot of popularity for that store, earning them a considerable amount of money.
This beautiful girl was now floating quietly in front of my eyes, and her gaze was full of tenderness as she looked at me.
A breathtakingly beautiful face, a delicate and petite figure, and fair, tender skin…
The seawater, the sunlight, the swaying sky…
Because the entire scene was so beautiful, reminiscent of those “deep-sea girls” in wallpaper apps, I found it hard to bring myself to push Yin Xiamo away.
“Darling…”
As the world continued to sink, the girl on top of me formed words with her lips, then hugged me again and swiftly glided through the seawater, lifting me out of the ocean.
“Hoo—”
As soon as I emerged, I eagerly took a deep breath, grabbed the nearby swim ring, and coughed a few times. “What are you doing!”
By now, we had reached the deep-water area along the seawater, with no pedestrians in sight.
“Ah… Nuo’er is really too cute!”
The girl beside me pulled me over again, cradling me in her arms, and continuously rubbed her head against my meager chest. “I knew it! Girls’ bodies are indeed more suitable for you…”
It’s a bit late now to talk about which body is suitable, isn’t it? I can’t go back anymore, do I still have a choice?
“I’ll take you to a place.”
After rubbing against my chest and face for a while, Yin Xiamo finally let go, grabbed the swim ring, and said, “This way.”
Then, she started paddling with the swim ring in one hand and swam towards a large rock in front, making splashing sounds.
“Where are we going?” I asked, looking somewhat worried at the passengers and lifeguards still playing in the distance and then at the sea full of various reefs and rocks ahead. “I… I don’t know how to swim yet.”
“It’s okay, just hold onto the swim ring, and we’ll get there soon,” reassured Yin Xiamo.
With Yin Xiamo dragging me along, we drifted towards the rocky area ahead. Compared to the artificial beach behind us, the water flow in this area was faster. However, Yin Xiamo seemed to be completely familiar with the route, expertly avoiding all the hidden currents and whirlpools as we swam towards the large rock in the open sea.
Seven or eight minutes later, Yin Xiamo brought me onto a rock that was roughly the size of a small apartment.
“Here we are.”
Jogging a few steps on the massive rock, we reached a slope on the side facing west. The first thing that caught my eye was a cave big enough for two people to enter.
The cave entrance seemed to have been violently smashed open, showing clear signs of scorching black marks. However, the interior of the cave was well-kept, with smooth walls, a slope to prevent seawater from flooding, and a small platform.
“We’re here,” Yin Xiamo said as she sat down on the small platform inside the rock.
I followed her curiosity and climbed up the slope behind her.
“When I first arrived in this world, I felt like there was no place for me anywhere,” Yin Xiamo began. Seeing me sitting obediently, she approached and started tying up my loose hair, taking a satin ribbon from her own arm.
“But because there’s the sea, I could find something to eat no matter what, and I wouldn’t starve.”
I felt my hair being tied into a ponytail.
“As I gradually got to know this world, I realized its charm. There’s no magic, no magical creatures, no dragons, no elves, no succubi… everything is so simple, yet beautiful.”
Yin Xiamo came to my other side and took another ribbon from her arm, apparently prepared. “I know this might be a bit… well, inexplicable for you. You don’t have his memories, so I suppose I’m no different from a stranger to you. And I’ve turned you from a man into a little girl…”
“Not really,” I replied.
Seeing Yin Xiamo unusually serious, I felt a bit embarrassed. “Actually, after getting used to it, being a little girl isn’t that bad.”
What are the differences between girls and boys? Girls have their monthly periods, they sit on the toilet, they need to think about skincare, they are physically weaker, more sensitive…
But in today’s society, these things aren’t that big of a deal. And, after becoming a girl, it seems my luck has improved quite a bit. It’s hard to say whether it’s solely because of this body’s appearance. People are generally like pretty and cute girls, it’s an advantage in terms of looks. Similarly, handsome and tall guys are liked by girls, that’s also an advantage.
The issue is, I wasn’t that kind of overwhelmingly attractive guy before. So, becoming a cute girl, after the initial thought of ‘Why did I, a guy, turn into a girl?’ settled down, upon rational analysis, it seems like I’ve ‘gained’ something?
Just like machines, the human body is prone to various minor issues when used for a long time. The old me, nearing thirty as a middle-aged man, had stomach problems, some issues with the cervical spine due to prolonged sitting, frequent backaches, and though not nearsighted, my eyesight wasn’t as good as it was in my childhood, looking at things far away became blurry. All of these fell under the category of “wear and tear” on the body.
Then this Grim Reaper helped me change bodies, making me younger. All the previous minor issues disappeared, and no matter how you look at it, it falls into the category of “optimization.”
“Really?” I had just finished speaking when Yin Xiamo raised her head, looking very pleased. “So, does that mean you’ve accepted the identity of being a girl, Nuo’er?”
“I have no choice but to accept it now, right?” I said.
“You donated my original body… heart, retina, and kidneys, whether legally or biologically, the old me… is dead and gone. I can’t go back.”
Speaking of which, I haven’t found information on those girls who received the donations from the hospital. How is the investigation going for Lu Xinjian?
“Oh, right, I applied a bit of… magic to those organs.”
After helping me tie up the hair on the other side, Yin Xiamo used a satin ribbon headband to secure it, and suddenly, a pair of double ponytails appeared.
“Did you live here during the first few days you came to Earth?” I touched the double ponytails on my head and surveyed the small cave. “Was it also opened with magic?”
“Yes, in the first year I came to Earth, I lived here for 11 months.” Yin Xiaomo sat down next to me again, resting her head on my shoulder. “But now it’s all in the past, and all the efforts are worth it!”
Is it really like that? I glanced at the girl on my shoulder. Why do I still feel like you probably have a lot more to say to me?
“The sun will set in a while, let’s go home after watching the sunset.”
In a daze, the girl beside me pointed to the sun that had already reached the horizon outside the cave. “When we buy a house later, let’s get one where we can sit on the balcony and watch the sunset, okay?”
I thought for a moment. “Is there a real estate boom in the other world?”
“No, didn’t you want to buy a house, Nuo’er?”
Yin Xiamo whispered, “If you like it, then let’s work hard together to earn money to buy one.”
“To be so kind to me…”
Not knowing where to place my hand, I simply grabbed the little hand of the girl beside me. “I feel a bit embarrassed.”
“It’s okay.” Yin Xiamo appeared quite relaxed. “The brave man treats me just like this as well.”
“Then wouldn’t I have become his stand-in?”
I joked, “Does this count as cheating on myself?”
The girl shook her head. “It doesn’t count.”
“……”
Maintaining this posture, we watched the sunset for a while. I spoke softly, “In the other world, there is no concept of houses. Xiao Mo, how do you view the concept of home?”
“Home?” The girl looked a bit trance-like.
After a moment of silence, she finally spoke in a voice that sounded somewhat blurry to me, “That’s… wherever you are, that’s home.”
“……”
……
After watching the sunset, around 7 o’clock, Yin Xiamo and I put away the parasol and chairs, changed out of our swimsuits, and returned to Ai Luodi’s house.
“Green bean porridge, green bean porridge…” Upon entering, I placed my bag on the living room table and headed straight for the kitchen, opening the lid of the rice cooker.
Instantly, a steam filled with the scent of seaweed, green beans, and brown sugar wafted out. Hmm… it’s been preserved for so long, I reckon the green beans and seaweed might be a bit overripe, but it should be fine. I’ll just put it in the fridge to chill later.
Taking a large bowl from the side, and donning gloves, I poured out the green bean seaweed mixture from the rice cooker. Green bean seaweed is a popular dessert in southern cities, priced similarly to tofu pudding, liangfen (cold jelly noodles), and osmanthus powder. I once spent several months studying how to make the best-tasting green bean seaweed, experiencing numerous failures before finally confirming the ingredients: green beans, seaweed, tangerine peel, and brown sugar.
Among them, brown sugar is crucial. Regular brown sugar won’t do, you have to choose the aged kind. As for tangerine peel, you don’t need too much—just one slice for flavor. It shouldn’t be the very old and dirty kind, select the middle, stemless variety. The seaweed can’t be salty, it has to be fresh. Don’t cut it too small or leave it too long. As for the green beans, if you have the means, soak them in water for three hours. If not, it’s okay, the difference is not significant.
“Is this delicious?”
Seeing me putting the green bean seaweed into the refrigerator, the curious-looking Yin Xiamo approached, “I often see small carts selling it nearby, but I’ve never bought it.”
“It’s a dessert.” I scooped up a small bowl of green bean seaweed and handed it to the girl, “Here, I’ll go downstairs to buy groceries later.”
At this moment, with a “click,” the living room door opened.
“Shoes, just put on any pair. Give me the suitcase.”
Peeking out from the kitchen, I saw Ai Luodi entering with a suitcase in hand. It seemed there was someone else outside the door.
Yin Xiamo walked out, “Who’s coming?”
“My love, Lan Jiajia. Nuo’er should know her, she’s an editor.”
Dragging the suitcase inside, Ai Luodi gestured for the girl outside to come in.
“I just helped her terminate her lease today. She’ll be staying with us from now on.”
“……”
……
TL Notes:
Fate is Written on the Three Lives Stone (?????????).
It is a Chinese idiom that expresses the belief that our relationships are predetermined by destiny. The phrase is often used in romantic contexts, to suggest that two people are destined to be together.
The phrase “?????????” is a poetic way of expressing the belief that our relationships are beyond our control. It suggests that we are not responsible for who we fall in love with or who we are meant to be with.