Chapter Forty-Nine: Lin Ye Sauce?

“However, Your Majesty… she seems to have encountered the same situation as Warrior Zhang San—her gender has changed to female!”
“And her mental state appears very poor… it looks like she’s on the verge of collapse!”
The night watchman reminded him.

“Damn!”
Mo Fangyuan couldn’t help but curse aloud.
“No way, is Heaven playing tricks on me again!”
Mo Fangyuan abandoned all arrangements for the immigrants and ran straight to Lin Ye’s house.
If Lin Ye had truly turned into a woman, how far was he himself from the same fate?
His two most trusted companions, Zhang San and Lin Ye, had both become women.
As the core of their trio, did that mean his own situation was perilously close?!
At this thought, Mo Fangyuan’s heart trembled uncontrollably—this was simply terrifying!
He had no desire to become Fangyuan-chan!

“Your Majesty! Please go see Brother Lin Ye at once! I can’t persuade her! She hasn’t eaten anything for almost a whole day!”
“If this continues, I fear Brother Lin Ye won’t hold out much longer!”

Standing outside Lin Ye’s door was Iron Nose, pacing back and forth, anxiously peering at the entrance.
Lin Ye had been his guide ever since Iron Nose joined Block Kingdom, helping him adapt to life within its walls, offering assistance whenever he faced difficulties.
To Iron Nose, who had lost his father, Lin Ye once again brought the warmth of family.
Though they had only known each other for a week, Iron Nose already regarded Lin Ye as kin, as an elder brother.
Now, seeing his beloved Brother Lin in distress, Iron Nose could not simply stand by.

“Persuade her? How? Should I set an example by turning into Fangyuan-chan first, then teach her not to be afraid?!”
Although these were his thoughts, Mo Fangyuan’s body moved on its own, stepping inside.
“Ah, she is, after all, my indispensable helper!”

“Why… why…”
From the bedroom came the sound of existential questioning—clear, melodious, like water or song—certainly not the voice of the burly Lin Ye.
“As expected!”
Mo Fangyuan confirmed Lin Ye had indeed changed gender, and a strong anxiety about his own future welled up within him.
If he turned into a woman, wouldn’t he lose his chance to build his crystal palace?
“Ah, one step at a time…”
Opening the door to Lin Ye’s bedroom, Mo Fangyuan stood stunned.

Lin Ye sat on the bed by the window in an odd posture.
Her legs were splayed to either side…
“Is this the legendary ‘loli pose’?”

Mo Fangyuan knew little of such peculiar knowledge, so he could only make a feeble guess based on his scant understanding.
Compared to Zhang Lingyun, Lin Ye’s appearance still hinted at her former self.
Her short black hair had become long and straight.
Her eyes retained their dark pupils—once sharp, now gentle…
Her exposed skin was noticeably paler.
As for her chest… perhaps a modest B cup…
“Bah! What am I thinking!”
Mo Fangyuan quickly averted his gaze and stood at the doorway, coughing lightly.

Lin Ye recognized the voice as her sovereign, and lifted her bowed head slightly.
In those gentle dark eyes flashed surprise, followed by a hint of shame.
After a moment, the despair radiating from Lin Ye only grew stronger.
It made one want to embrace this forlorn girl and protect her fiercely…

“How long are you going to stay like this? Starving yourself won’t solve anything!”
Knowing Lin Ye’s temperament well, Mo Fangyuan understood that mere comfort would be useless and would only fuel her negative emotions.
For someone like her, only a sharp rebuke would snap her out of it.

“Is this doing you any good? You starve yourself today, torment yourself tomorrow! Does that make you feel better?”
“No! Impossible! You’re overthinking! Doing this will only make you suffer more, and others will look down on you, see you as a coward!”
“What’s the point of falling apart over a single setback? That’s not what a Block Kingdom citizen should be! You might as well be a zombie—at least zombies keep chasing their prey until they die…”

Mo Fangyuan didn’t bother with the details—first he needed to rouse her.

“People learn from their mistakes; what’s past is past! You can’t change it! All you can do is learn from it and become stronger!”
“Think about it! It’s just a change of gender! Zhang San managed to endure—why can’t you? The construction sites of Block Kingdom still need you! If you’re still one of us, then get up! Get up and work!”

He ignored the fact that Lin Ye’s and Zhang Lingyun’s transformations were fundamentally different.
For Lin Ye to grow stronger, she needed to do what women do; Zhang Lingyun only had to slay monsters to gain strength.

The youth who hunts dragons will eventually become the dragon himself.

Mo Fangyuan had once launched fierce attacks on internet writers, leaving several motivational bloggers too afraid to post again.
Now he was forced to become a motivational mentor himself, delivering pep talks to others…
“In the end, I’ve become the very person I used to despise!”
He recalled his own bewilderment the first time he was subjected to motivational writing.
Lin Ye, too, could not escape; under Mo Fangyuan’s barrage, her resistance quickly crumbled.

“It… sort of makes sense… but! I’m not the same as Zhang Lingyun!”
Lin Ye was still in turmoil, though a bit of clarity returned.

“Alright, change your clothes, we—wait, clothes?!”

Only then did Mo Fangyuan notice something odd about Lin Ye’s attire.
A black-and-red butterfly hairpin, a striking black dress whose style he couldn’t identify, black thigh-high stockings…
She looked just like the mysterious older sister next door…
“How strange…”

Mo Fangyuan stared at her outfit—so out of place in this era—but said nothing.
“Everyone has their secrets; as long as they don’t threaten the kingdom, it’s no concern.”
“I really am an enlightened king—no monarch is as open-minded as I am!”
An everyday self-congratulation.

“Your Highness, how is—”
Seeing Mo Fangyuan emerge, Iron Nose rushed forward, anxious to inquire.
But when he caught sight of the girl following Mo Fangyuan, Iron Nose immediately understood: his sovereign had succeeded.
Yet… Iron Nose’s eyes fixed on the girl behind Mo Fangyuan—was this Brother Lin Ye? She was unbelievably beautiful!

“Er, um, this… you mean Brother Lin Ye?”
After a nod from His Majesty, Iron Nose mustered his courage to ask.

“I… am…”
Lin Ye’s cheeks reddened, her voice barely above a whisper, yet Iron Nose heard her clearly.

“You really are Brother Lin Ye! What happened to you!”
Iron Nose was both astonished and delighted.
Amazed that his familiar brother had become a sister; happy that Lin Ye’s spirits had improved.

“Iron Nose, please go tell Old Fu to arrange matters for the new immigrants…”
With Iron Nose present, Mo Fangyuan couldn’t say certain things to Lin Ye, so he sent him off, giving Old Fu some extra tasks.

“Understood, Your Majesty! I’ll go right away!”
Simple-minded as he was, Iron Nose still had no idea what was happening.

“Alright, let’s walk and talk!”
Mo Fangyuan wanted to know why Lin Ye had turned female—this was crucial, as it might mean he too would undergo such a change.
He couldn’t bear to lose his little brother!
He also wanted to understand why Lin Ye was so devastated after her transformation, especially since Zhang Lingyun hadn’t been nearly so distraught.
With Zhang Lingyun as an example, Lin Ye should have found it easier to adapt.

“Don’t worry, if you don’t wish to speak, you don’t have to—it’s up to your heart.”