"Use a Martial Soul... to wash my face?"
Tang San watched Luo Li squeeze a white paste out of the Catgirl Facial Cleanser, his attention instantly drawn to it.
He was brimming with curiosity about Martial Souls now and instantly tossed the matter of Tang Hao to the back of his mind.
He couldn't help releasing his Blue Silver Grass.
"Your Catgirl Facial Cleanser can wash faces. What can my Blue Silver Grass... do?"
Tang San looked puzzled.
Luo Li smiled, patted his shoulder, and said:
"Isn't it obvious? You can eat it, of course!"
"When people get hungry enough, they'll even gnaw on bark, let alone grass."
"Holy crap, Little Tang San, think about it. Once your Martial Soul, Blue Silver Grass, becomes edible, at the very least, you'll never go hungry again."
"What on earth is that useless dad of yours thinking?"
"Holy crap, he didn't really pick you up somewhere, did he?"
Tang San gently shook his head.
When he arrived in this world, he had still been swaddled in blankets, yet he could already remember what happened around him.
He was certain Tang Hao was his father.
And... that made Tang San's heart ache even more.
Why did his dad do this?
If he wasn't going to raise him properly, why have him?
Seeing Tang San lost in wild thoughts again, Luo Li took two steps back.
He looked at Tang San's butt.
A crafty smile curled his lips.
Then he kicked Tang San straight into the flowing stream.
"Hahaha, down you go, Little Tang San!"
"Wash your body while you're at it."
"You're going to be a great Lord Soul Master. What kind of disgrace would it be to stink all day?"
Tang San fell into the little river with a splash.
But he didn't flounder in the water. He could swim.
Then his head burst up out of the river.
The icy river water cleared his mind considerably.
He shook his head, scattering the droplets from his hair.
Looking up at Luo Li laughing on the bank, he wore a helpless expression.
In Tang San's eyes, Luo Li was just a little brat, a mischievous little brat.
He had also thought things through now.
No matter how his dad treated him, Tang Hao wasn't in the wrong.
And Tang San really did need to become a Soul Master.
Just as Luo Li had said, becoming a Soul Master meant getting a well-paid job.
Only then could he earn more money to support that useless dad of his.
He didn't want his father drinking cheap liquor or sleeping on hard bed boards, much less eating chaff and dregs like pig feed every day.
After kicking Tang San into the water, Luo Li stripped off his clothes too and jumped into the little river.
The river water was wonderfully clear and chilly.
Bathing in it felt more comfortable than words could describe.
Tang San helplessly took off his ragged clothes and gently scrubbed his body with his hands.
Luo Li swam over beside Tang San, squeezed out a handful of Catgirl Facial Cleanser, and smeared it over his face, saying expectantly:
"Little Tang San, use this to get clean!"
Tang San looked helpless.
This little brat really had no manners at all.
Still, this Catgirl Facial Cleanser smelled lovely.
It worked up plenty of foam on his face with little squeaks and crackles, and he thoroughly enjoyed it.
He felt as though all the grime inside his body was being drawn out.
His entire body felt utterly relaxed and refreshed.
It was as though a mountain he had been carrying on his back had been lifted away.
Tang San loved the sensation. As he kept rubbing, he felt his little face grow moist, soft, and slippery.
It was as though his face was no longer a face, but a slippery balloon filled with water.
One little rub would burst it, sending a great gush of water pouring out.
Not far away, Luo Li caught a pufferfish and made it puff up into a round ball.
He used the pufferfish as a bath towel to scrub his shoulders while curiously watching Tang San wash his face with the Catgirl Facial Cleanser.
What kind of catgirl would Tang San turn into?
Luo Li was intensely curious.
Tang San was thoroughly enjoying the refreshing comfort of the Catgirl Facial Cleanser.
He scrubbed and rubbed away for ages.
Finally, he plunged underwater and rinsed the foam off his face.
When Tang San surfaced again, Luo Li, who had been watching him all along, suddenly widened his eyes.
His eyes filled with delight.
After using the Catgirl Facial Cleanser, Tang San's little face was fair and tender.
One look was enough to tell how very, very dewy it was.
What sent Luo Li into even greater ecstasy was this.
A pair of blue Bugles had sprouted on Tang San's head.
They were fluffy little cat ears,
And on the water behind her, a short stretch of fluffy blue tail appeared too!
Just as Luo Li had expected!
Tang San really had turned into a little catgirl,
The Catgirl Facial Cleanser really packed a punch, turning Tang San into a sweet-smelling, soft little catgirl in one go!
Heehee.
"Why are you looking at me like that... huh? What was that sound, meow?"
"Was that... was that my voice, meow?"
After washing her face, Tang San kneaded her soft little cheeks, marveling at how well the Catgirl Facial Cleanser worked and wondering how to get some from Luo Li to take home for her dad.
But Luo Li's stare made her uncomfortable all over. There was something very wrong with that look, as though she had become his prey.
Yet the moment she spoke, she discovered that her voice had somehow changed.
It was a little melting, a little soft, sending a shiver through her entire body and making the cat ears on her head stand straight up!
Her voice... was simply... soft and seductive to the bone.
She even wanted to curse herself for being a slut.
She covered her mouth, unable to believe that voice had come from her own throat.
And why did she have to tack a verbal tic like "meow" onto the end of her words?
Had she turned into a cat?
Pretending not to know anything, Luo Li curiously reached out and pinched one of Tang San's fluffy ears.
"Holy crap, Little Tang San, why have you grown a pair of cat ears? They feel so soft. Sho much fun."
"Mmph, meow~ let go! Wuu... let go, meow!"
With her ear pinched, Little Tang San
Felt her whole body turn strange.
It was as though all her strength had been drained away. Instinctively, she wanted to escape, but she had already slumped limply into Luo Li's arms.
Like a little animal, she pressed her gently trembling ears against Luo Li's chest and sobbed quietly.
Little Tang San was in a sorry state at that moment, yet she was so cute that she made one's heart soften and melt...
Luo Li couldn't help licking his lips. The little catgirl in his arms
Was like a piece of candy that had been rinsed in water.
Sweet and so tempting that he didn't dare use any force.
He was afraid the slightest carelessness would hurt her.
But the good times didn't last.
Tang San quickly came to her senses. Her cheek was still pressed against Luo Li's chest, making her so uncomfortable that her face burned, and she felt very strange.
She hurriedly shoved Luo Li away and said in a flustered voice:
"You... don't touch me like that, meow! These ears on my head..."
Her face filled with suspicion again. Looking down at the reflection of the cat ears on her head, Tang San wondered when those things had appeared there.
They looked familiar. Weren't they... the exact same cat ears as the little stick-figure catgirl on Luo Li's Catgirl Facial Cleanser?
And to Luo Li, Tang San's bashful appearance was likewise so adorable that he couldn't bear to keep his hands off her.
So he tossed away the pufferfish and used both hands, pinching one ear in each to play with them as he laughed:
"Little Tang San, holy crap, what's that on your head? How did you grow cat ears?"
"Didn't I tell you that useless Tang Hao picked you up somewhere? You're not his child at all. You're a kitty's child."
Tang San's cat ears were suddenly pinched again. This time, she fought off the weakness in her legs and kept herself from collapsing into Luo Li's arms again.
Instead, rage and shame blasted through the crown of her head, and she instantly hissed!
"Meow!! What are you doing, meow? Let go of me!"
Tang San was angry. Gritting her teeth, she raised a hand and clawed at Luo Li's chest.
"Hiss~"
Luo Li winced in pain.
After Little Tang San turned into a catgirl, her nails had become incredibly sharp too.
In an instant, she scratched several marks across his chest.
Then Luo Li pinched harder in retaliation.
The more painfully Tang San scratched, the harder Luo Li pinched.
This was Tang San's first time becoming a catgirl.
Having her ears pinched was like having her lifeline seized, leaving her with little strength.
Scratching Luo Li just now had only been a momentary burst.
After that, her scratching grew weaker and weaker, and tears welled in her eyes from the pain.
She desperately tried to pull her ears free, even reaching up to grab Luo Li's wrists in an attempt to make him let go, while she cried plaintively:
"Meow~ it hurts, it hurts, it hurts~ Luo Li, let go of me, meow."
Luo Li was having the time of his life. How could he let Little Tang San go so easily?
His lips curled as he teased with a smile:
"Holy crap, little kitty. Look at all these wounds you've scratched into me. You're hurting your big brother to death."
"You tell me to let go, and I'm supposed to let go?"
"Wuu, meow~."
"Wasn't that because you... you grabbed my ears first..."
The little catgirl Tang San spoke with an innocent expression.
Could she be blamed for that?
It really hurt too much.
And Tang San had yet to realize that becoming a catgirl had changed the logic behind her behavior.
In the past, she would never have scratched with her claws.
She would have struck with a palm of Mysterious Jade Hand long ago.
"So you admit these are your ears?"
"Holy crap, I told you that you're not that useless Tang Hao's child."
"How could trash like Tang Hao have such an outstanding descendant as you?"
"He must have picked you up somewhere!"
"If Tang Hao can adopt a little kitty like you, why can't I?"
Luo Li smiled with curled lips, released one hand, and lifted Tang San's soft little chin,
"Come on, little kitty. Call me Master."
"Stick with your big brother from now on, and I'll take you to feast on the finest food and drink."
"I guarantee I'll raise you nice and fair and plump."
As he spoke, Luo Li couldn't help looking toward Tang San's chest.
It was very flat now, but he had ten thousand ways to raise tall buildings from level ground.
"You're a little kitty! Your whole family's little kitties!"
"You want to adopt me? I think you've found your path to death, meow!"
"Meow... it hurts, it hurts, it hurts... meow, meow... let go of me... meow..."
With her sore spot struck, Tang San instantly burst into curses.
Yet Luo Li tightened his grip again.
She even felt herself being hauled a few centimeters above the water by her ear.
It hurt so much that tears welled in her eyes, and she hurriedly begged for mercy:
"Mew meow meow... please... let me go... meow mew meow meow..."
"Holy shit, Little Tang San, you have no idea how cute you look right now. How amusing, how much you make people want to bully you."
Watching the little catgirl Tang San with her tear-filled eyes and reddened nose, Luo Li only grew more excited.
He even had an illusion.
If I treated this little thing to a punch...
She would cry for a very, very long time, wouldn't she...
Tang San might have lived two lives and been mature and steady.
Yet after becoming a little catgirl, her personality had also changed somewhat without her noticing.
Especially when she was bullied, pain and anger robbed her of most of her reason.
When she later looked back on the things she did, even she would find it hard to imagine that it had actually been her.