Ch 25: Transmigrated to become a Koi Husband

The room remained silent for quite a while.

No one doubted the explanation given.

The fact that this young boy was in Qin Zhao’s house, lying on his bed with most of his body covered only by a blanket, left little to the imagination about what might be under that blanket.

If someone were to say that these two had nothing going on, it would be hard to believe.

But… no one expected Qin Zhao’s husband to be so beautiful, which stirred envy among many of the robust farmers present.

Among the crowd, it was the village chief who reacted first, shouting, “All of you, get out! It’s improper to be crowding in here like this!”

A husband, or “fulang,” referred to a male partner who, though male in gender, had a fundamentally different role from that of an ordinary man.

Being surrounded by a group of men like this, it was no wonder the boy was on the verge of tears.

The villagers were chased out of the house by the village chief’s stern command. Before leaving, the chief even gave Jing Li a polite bow, saying, “My apologies for the offense.”

With that, he too exited the room.

Now, only Qin Zhao and Jing Li were left inside.

Qin Zhao was still holding Jing Li’s hand, not with much force, but enough that it couldn’t be easily shaken off. Jing Li kept his head down, too afraid to meet Qin Zhao’s gaze, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of his chest.

He had been found out.

When Jing Li had heard the people outside talking about finding a “fish,” the idea had suddenly come to him. As long as he wasn’t a fish anymore, they wouldn’t be able to catch him, and Qin Zhao wouldn’t be accused of lying.

The only problem was that Qin Zhao would immediately realize that there was suddenly a person in the house.

Qin Zhao was so smart; he would definitely figure out the truth right away.

But Jing Li had no other choice.

Would Qin Zhao see him as a monster?

Would Qin Zhao think he had been deceiving him all this time and get angry enough to throw him out?

Was it too late to explain now? Would Qin Zhao still believe him?

All these anxious thoughts wrapped around Jing Li like a cocoon, making his fingertips numb and causing him to start trembling. He was so overwhelmed with tension that he even forgot to ask the most crucial question.

—What does “fulang” mean?

Qin Zhao could clearly feel the boy beside him was very nervous. The hand in his palm was cold and soft, reminding him of the soft fins of the little creature when it was still a fish.

He knew he should say something, but he didn’t know how to start.

Though he had long known the little fish could turn into a human and had even seen this face in his dreams, that was just a dream.

Now, seeing the boy from his dreams in reality made Qin Zhao feel a bit flustered.

So flustered that he didn’t dare to look at him.

“Why… why aren’t you wearing clothes?” Qin Zhao managed to ask awkwardly, his first words turning out to be this.

Jing Li blinked, startled.

After that initial question, it became easier for Qin Zhao to speak. “They were outside for such a long time. Why didn’t you think to get up and grab some clothes from the wardrobe?”

“I…” Jing Li blinked again, replying softly, “I forgot.”

He had been so scared at the time that he didn’t dare move. He hadn’t even thought about it.

Hearing this, Qin Zhao couldn’t help but laugh.

Good, his little fish was still as silly as ever, unchanged.

He turned, opened the wardrobe, and took out a piece of clothing, handing it to the boy on the bed. “Get up and put this on.”

Jing Li didn’t move; instead, he clutched the blanket even tighter. “I… I’ll put it on in a bit…”

Qin Zhao seemed to realize something, his gaze falling on the blanket. “You…”

Jing Li didn’t dare to lie. Under Qin Zhao’s watchful eyes, he obediently pulled back the corner of the blanket.

Below his chest was a slender waist, with patches of scales still attached to his skin. Below his waist, instead of legs, there was a bright red fish tail.

The tip of the tail nervously thumped against the bed, and Jing Li’s voice was filled with guilt. “I can’t change back…”

Worried that Qin Zhao might misunderstand, he quickly added, “I’m not always like this; it’s just that today I got too scared, and I’m really hungry. I could fully turn into a human before!”

But Qin Zhao could hardly focus on what Jing Li was saying.

The little demon’s skin was very pale, and the remaining scales on his body made the exposed skin appear almost translucently white.

Qin Zhao found that slender waist too dazzling to look at and awkwardly averted his gaze.

For the first time, he thought that the tales of demons enchanting humans weren’t entirely baseless.

Luckily, at that moment, noise erupted from outside the house.

“I really saw it yesterday! How could I use such an easily exposed trick to frame him? He’s definitely hiding that fish!”

Qin Zhao’s rationality slowly returned. He bent down to cover Jing Li with the blanket and draped clothes over him. “Wait here for me; I’ll be back soon.”

Jing Li nodded obediently.

The crowd had retreated outside, but Qin Zhao stepped out to see Chen Lao Si still loudly arguing with the men from the town. “You have to believe me; he’s lying! The fish you’re looking for is in his house. If you leave today, you’ll never find it again!”

The men from the town remained silent. Qin Zhao sneered inwardly and was about to step forward when a voice called out from the back of the crowd, “What’s all the commotion about?”

The crowd parted, and a young man dressed in fine clothes stepped forward.

The youth appeared to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing a light purple brocade robe with a jade pendant hanging from his waist, exuding an air of wealth.

The men immediately bowed, “Young Master.”

The young man approached them, raising a folding fan in his hand and giving each of them a sharp tap on the head. “What did I tell you? You’re here to find a fish, not to disturb people. And now you’ve gone and bothered my benefactor?!”

The men exchanged looks, then received another sharp tap from the young man. “What are you standing around for? Go apologize to Mr. Qin!”

The men, though annoyed, did not dare show it. They walked over to Qin Zhao, “We apologize for the offense today, and we hope Mr. Qin can forgive us.”

The young man also stepped forward. “Did my benefactor get hurt?”

Qin Zhao asked, “Do I know you?”

The young man was irritated. “I’m Fang Tianying!”

Qin Zhao: “…”

He scrutinized the fair face before him but found it hard to connect it with the disheveled, tear-streaked boy from a few days ago.

Fang Tianying cleared his throat and explained, “To be honest, that fool… I mean, Mr. Lu, the one offering the reward for the carp, is an old friend of my father’s. My family arranged for those notices to be posted around He Yang Town. These fools are only after the reward and rush to wherever they hear about a fish. I’ve scolded them so many times.”

“I see,” Qin Zhao nodded.

Fang Tianying continued, “I left in a hurry today. I’ll take these people back, but I’ll come back personally another day to make amends to my benefactor.”

Qin Zhao nodded in agreement.

Fang Tianying gave him a respectful bow before leaving with his men.

The young master of the Fang family came and went in such a rush that the villagers were left somewhat bewildered.

In the entire Linxi Village, as well as in the neighboring villages, there wasn’t a single person who didn’t know of the Fang family. The Fang family was the wealthiest household in Heyang Town, people from a completely different world compared to them.

How could Qin Zhao possibly know such important figures?

However, Fang Tianying’s timely arrival indeed left Chen Laosi isolated once those men departed.

Now that he was completely abandoned, Chen Laosi desperately grabbed Qin Zhao by the collar, yelling, “Tell me, where did you hide the fish? Huh? I clearly saw you feeding it last night. You know who’s lying!”

He used so much force that Qin Zhao stumbled and crashed against the doorframe.

Qin Zhao remained as calm as ever, quietly whispering so that only Chen Laosi could hear, “And what if I am?”

Chen Laosi was stunned.

“…Do you have any evidence to make them believe you?”

Chen Laosi looked up, only to see the usually kind, even somewhat meek, sickly man looking down at him with a mocking smile in his eyes.

A cold sweat instantly broke out on Chen Laosi’s back.

In his daze, a few villagers had already stepped forward and pulled him away.

Li Dali asked with concern, “Qin Zhao, are you alright?”

Qin Zhao lowered his gaze and shook his head. “I’m fine.”

He then approached the village chief with proper manners and said, “I hope the village chief will see justice served in this matter.”

The village chief of Linxi Village, known for his fairness, sighed heavily and said, “Chen Laosi, as per your own words, go home and pack your things.”

“Wha…” Chen Laosi’s face turned deathly pale. “No, please don’t drive me out. I’ve lived here since I was born—where would I go? Village chief, for the sake of my mother, please spare me this time. Don’t make me leave!”

“You should have thought of this before,” the village chief shook his head. “Everyone, disperse now. Qin Zhao, I apologize on behalf of the villagers for any offense caused to your husband today.”

Qin Zhao replied, “Thank you, village chief.”

Qin Zhao glanced at Chen Laosi one last time, then stepped past him and returned to the house.

Ever since he lost his memory, Qin Zhao had lived under others’ roofs and rarely made enemies. But today, this person not only caused trouble for him but also targeted his little fish.

Qin Zhao had clearly seen the frightened and aggrieved look on his little fish’s face when those men barged in.

Because of that alone, he wouldn’t just let this go.

The villagers in front of the house gradually dispersed, and the sounds of Chen Laosi’s shouting and crying grew more distant.

Qin Zhao walked into the bedroom. The little demon, now wearing Qin Zhao’s clothes, was sitting on the bed.

The clothes were too large for him, almost covering him from head to toe. His fish tail had turned back into legs, and a pair of white feet peeked out from the hem of the clothes, gently swinging at the edge of the bed.

There were still a few fish scales on the pale tops of his feet.

Qin Zhao found it a bit hard to breathe again.

After Qin Zhao had stepped out for that brief moment, Jing Li finally began to calm down.

No matter how smart or adaptable Qin Zhao was, he couldn’t possibly have remained that calm after discovering that the fish he’d been raising had turned into a human.

Gently tapping his toes on the ground, Jing Li asked softly, “Did you… did you already know…?”

“What do you mean by ‘know’?” Qin Zhao found him especially adorable in this moment, smiling as he replied, “Know that a little demon turned into a fish and has been freeloading at my place?”

“I’m not a demon!”

Seeing that Qin Zhao wasn’t angry with him, Jing Li grew bolder. “I only suddenly gained the ability to turn into a human after staying here for a while. I’m really not a demon.”

This genuinely surprised Qin Zhao.

Qin Zhao asked, “When was the first time you fully turned into a human?”

“The first time I completely turned into a human… was when you fainted in the mountains. I was the one who saved you!” he said, sounding quite proud.

Qin Zhao looked at him silently for a moment.

So, the first time he turned into a human, Qin Zhao caught him and discovered his true identity.

This little silly fish truly lived up to its name.

Qin Zhao then asked, “So why did you stay here and not want to go back home?”

“Home? Isn’t my home here?” Jing Li blinked, then realized what Qin Zhao meant. “Are you talking about that Lu Yuanwai? I don’t even know who he is, so of course I don’t want to go there.”

He said, his home was here.

Qin Zhao felt as if this sentence struck him deeply, causing a soft, trembling sensation in his heart.

Jing Li didn’t seem to notice this. With everything resolved, he felt a weight lift off his shoulders and reached out to tug at Qin Zhao’s sleeve. “Qin Zhao, I’m so hungry.”

…He didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong with freeloading in human form.

Qin Zhao felt a mix of exasperation and amusement. He said, “You think this matter is just over like that?”

Jing Li blinked in confusion. “Huh?”

Qin Zhao’s tone remained calm, “We can set aside the fact that you deceived me, but you’ve caused me so much trouble today. Whether I’ll let you stay or not, I still need to think about it.”

Jing Li’s expression froze.

Why does he still need to think about it!

The little koi instantly became cautious and asked carefully, “Then… then what would make you willing?”

Qin Zhao replied calmly, “As I said before, prove to me your value in staying.”

“My value…” Jing Li hesitated.

Seeing his uncertain expression, Qin Zhao deliberately teased, “Is it that difficult? Could it be that this was also a lie, and you’re not really a koi fish?”

“I am! Of course I am!” Jing Li exclaimed urgently. “Please don’t make me leave. I can grant your wishes!”

Qin Zhao: “Anything?”

Jing Li bit his lip. “Yes!”

Qin Zhao looked down at that clear, pretty face and smiled faintly, “Then… if I want a husband, can you do that too?”

xxx

Thandar: ahhhh wolf in clothing …….. but I like hehehe