Being the Wife of a Fluffy Creature [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 36

Chapter 36: The Second World (6)

Ever since discovering the little fox’s tail warehouse, Wu Yao had been contemplating one thing.

Why was there no reaction from the authorities despite so many people being murdered? Why did they continue to let tourists enter and leave freely, and even allow Changning Xiaoyin Village to hold a grand festival with religious undertones?

The little fox was hiding police IDs, student IDs, and press cards; news of the disappearance of these groups would not be so easily suppressed.

The mission world of “Caisheng Zhege” was different from “A Dream of Yellow Sorghum.” Unlike Paradise Island, it wasn’t isolated from the world and couldn’t be easily controlled by a single individual. There were only two possibilities for this contradictory situation.

First, the authorities knew but did not stop it, having long been controlled by the Sangan True God Immortal behind the scenes and being on the same side as the village. Second, the authorities were unaware, and the outside world knew nothing of what was happening in the village.

The first possibility could basically be ruled out. If the village truly had official backing, there would be no need for police to enter the village to investigate, nor would the village leave behind such obvious clues. Mature, professional gangs try their best to avoid direct conflict with the “fuzz” to avoid blood feuds. How did these villagers, who couldn’t even handle evidence or murder traces properly, manage to hide everything from the eyes of the authorities?

This was the part that had puzzled Wu Yao the most before.

When he saw Pandi’s skin last night, Wu Yao had a faint idea. The moment the human skin wrapped around his arm, his train of thought opened up completely. No wonder the little fox said Zhaodi and Pandi were pathetic yet hateful; no wonder they obediently allowed themselves to be enslaved by Laicai’s dad. This wasn’t one-sided violence and oppression, but a transaction. The two girls willingly endured humiliation in order to gain greater benefits.

Wu Yao gently stroked the little fox’s head. “Baiyi, you know that the photography enthusiast named Wu Yao is dead. You didn’t just find his camera in the graveyard; you found his body as well.”

Wu Boyi looked at the boy in shock, its narrow fox eyes snapping wide open.

Wu Yao nodded knowingly. “I need you to help me fill in one piece of information: was that corpse’s skin flayed off?”

Wu Boyi didn’t answer, still staring at him in a daze.

“It seems I guessed right. The villagers killed Wu Yao, flayed his skin to wear on themselves, and left the village grandly using his identity. A person once trapped in the village, facing the earth with their back to the sky, suddenly became a rising star in the photography world.”

Wu Yao’s gaze grew colder. “The benefits that villager gained went far beyond that. He might have been middle-aged or elderly, with his youth gone and his health declining. But after putting on that skin, he became Wu Yao, possessing a younger, more handsome appearance and a more illustrious identity.”

“Most importantly, this village can no longer trap him. Am I right, Baiyi?”

Wu Boyi looked like a fake fox, its four little black paws dangling in front of it, lying motionless in his arms.

The system drooled for a long time before finding its voice. “You… me… this… Painted Skin?!”

“You could interpret it that way.”

Wu Yao knew he had guessed correctly. The benefit the Sangan True God Immortal gave its believers wasn’t just immortality, but the chance to change their fate and reach the heavens in one step. A poor person struggling on the breadline only needs to wear the skin of a “rich second generation” to replace their identity and gain the wealth they couldn’t achieve in a lifetime of struggle. A wanted criminal with countless murders only needs to wear the skin of a policeman to transform into a messenger of justice. He can stroll past other policemen openly, and even the most capable person wouldn’t be able to catch him.

No need for years of hard study or diligent striving; as believers of the True God Immortal, they can freely choose their own lives. If they fancy someone’s life, they lure them into the village, flay their own skin first, then flay the target’s, slip it on, and a new chapter of life begins.

Since the villagers paid such a high price, they naturally all wanted to obtain a slightly better identity, which is why the little fox found so many IDs in the graveyard.

The system was stunned for a long while. “Then why did Pandi…”

“Last night, Laicai’s dad only brought back Pandi’s skin, not her body. Judging by Zhaodi’s envious gaze, Pandi likely found her desired target. Right now, she’s probably wearing some child’s skin and has left the village with that person’s family to travel to the next tourist attraction.”

“Pandi’s skin lost its owner, so Laicai’s dad placed it on the offering table, wanting to use the statue to control it. When the next person who wants to change their fate appears, he’ll let them wear Pandi’s skin.”

The system understood but was even more confused. “That’s not right. Last night, when the Pandi-skin tried to wear that infant prop you stole from me, it found it didn’t fit and spat the infant back out. Changing skins should require the target’s ‘casing’ to be similar in size and build to one’s own body—at least it can’t be too different.”

“Pandi is only eight or nine. How could such a young child think of killing someone to change skins?”

“The child might not think of it, but won’t the adults teach them?”

Wu Yao gave a cold sneer. “Furthermore, who said looking small means they’re really a child? Isn’t that right, Baiyi?”

He said this last sentence out loud.

The fox’s eyes had narrowed into slits, and it was watching him scrutinizingly. Wu Yao saw the interrogation in those amber pupils. He tapped the white fur on the fox’s brow. “Want to know why I know so much? Suspect that I am also a believer of the True God Immortal?”

Wu Boyi pondered for a long time, then tilted its head and let out two whines.

Wu Yao didn’t understand; he was thinking about something else now.

“Whitey’s” report didn’t mention being attacked in the village. The body he prepared for Wu Yao was likely killed by villagers during the “shift change” gap, right when Wu Yao had just crossed over. His skin was taken, and his corpse was lying in the graveyard. Laicai was very young, only five years old; logically, he should only be able to change skins with a child of similar age—the two of them didn’t match.

In that case, why did his soul appear in Laicai’s body?

The scumbag dad’s attitude toward the boy was very strange. He clearly didn’t truly love him, yet he didn’t really punish him either, only offering a few verbal threats. Could there be some other secret hidden within Laicai?

Wu Boyi stared fixedly at the boy, wanting him to give a reasonable explanation.

Wu Yao opened his mouth, suddenly feeling a bit tired. Why couldn’t Wu Boyi be like Wu Shiyi—never asking him anything and trusting him unconditionally? Reason told Wu Yao that the two targets had different life experiences, and his attitude toward them was also different. Without enough emotion as a foundation, why should the little fox trust him?

Before the new cycle began, Noah hadn’t specifically targeted him, so he could focus all his energy on “conquering” Wu Shiyi. Now, Wu Yao was living in Laicai’s house; on the first night, vengeful spirits were strolling, and on the second night, Pandi’s human skin was “disco-dancing” on the floor. Laicai’s dad could harass him at any time, and the little fox didn’t live with him. Wu Yao had neither the energy nor the opportunity to cultivate feelings with Wu Boyi.

Wu Yao was simply too busy and too tired. The ten years spent with Wu Shiyi were too easy; now that the work intensity had ramped up slightly, he was finding it a bit hard to handle. No wonder the company didn’t recommend employees stay in small worlds for long periods.

Wu Yao rubbed his brow hard twice, regaining his composure. He curled his lips into a gentle, faint smile, took a deep breath, and prepared to explain things clearly to the little fox. Wu Boyi, who had been observing him, suddenly raised a paw and gave him a fluffy hug.

“Wuwu-wa.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Wa-ao, wuwu-wa.”

The fox’s front paw rubbed his hair repeatedly. Wu Yao suddenly understood its meaning. “Don’t rush, take it slow. It won’t be too late to explain in detail after you’ve rested.”

A target from a legitimate company is indeed better than the villains the black-hearted system shoved onto him. If he spoke even a second too slow, those bastards would chop him into stuffing.

Wu Yao buried his face in the fur, his tender child’s voice a bit muffled. “Interrogation should be about pressing step by step without giving the opponent time to think. Have you learned that, stupid fox? You can’t just be soft-hearted randomly in the future.”

A whimpering sound came from beside his ear; it was the little fox laughing at him. Wu Yao didn’t see what was so funny about his words. He closed his eyes comfortably, his long-tensed body finally relaxing.

Zhaodi searched every corner of Laicai’s house but couldn’t find Pandi’s skin. When she returned from the backyard after feeding the chickens, Laicai’s dad was fuming over the matter, and the Uncle was patting his back to soothe him. The man opened his mouth to curse but forced himself to hold back.

Leading the Uncle out of the yard and hiding in a narrow alley behind the house, he finally began to grumble and complain. “Damn it, losing one human skin means losing who knows how much money! That little brat Laicai only knows how to ruin things. He ran out at midnight the day before yesterday and provoked so many ghosts. If you ask me, those ghosts being able to run into the house yesterday was definitely his doing!”

The Uncle lit a cigarette for him. “Just hang in there. Once the grand festival ends and Laicai is sacrificed, this sh*tty village will never be able to trap us again. We’ve saved up so much money and skin; aren’t we just hoping for a meteoric rise in the future?”

“But I don’t feel settled. I always feel like something’s going to happen.”

“What else could happen?”

The man shook his head; he couldn’t put it into words either.

A small figure walked over, rubbing the back of her neck and complaining in a low voice, “Ah, my neck is so sore.”

The Uncle grabbed Zhaodi. “Just in time, come and persuade him. Don’t let him look for trouble with Laicai.”

The girl completely shed her usual timidity and numbness. Leaning against the wall, she unbuttoned her pants with one hand and threw a flirtatious wink at the two men.

“As if I don’t know what you want? Finally out of that sh*tty house—I’ve been sick to death of acting in those ‘tragic dramas’ every day. While Laicai isn’t here, let’s have some fun. Do you two want to go one by one, or come at me together?”

The Uncle licked his lower lip and stepped forward. “You really are a sl*t. After the village is gone, you won’t starve to death relying on selling yourself outside.”

“Who’s going to do this after leaving the village? It’s illegal. By the way, what kind of new skin did you find for Pandi?”

“A child model whose parents treat her as a money-making tool. Her grandparents believe in the Immortal and brought her here to pray for blessings, wanting her to be happy. Old Liu drugged the adults’ food and brought the child out to be flayed.”

Zhaodi turned her head. “A model? That good?”

Laicai’s dad smoked with a cold face. “Don’t worry, the skin we found for you is even better than hers. She’s the daughter of a big boss. When she grows up, she’ll be a rich young lady with whatever she wants.”

Zhaodi began to giggle. “Grow up? I can finally grow up?”

“What’s so good about becoming an adult? A child’s body is better for deceiving people. If it weren’t for you guys, how could we have made so much money? How could we have invited out that ‘Great Buddha’ Laicai?”

“Hahahahaha, grow up? I can grow up too!”

Zhaodi started laughing again. The man found her laughter unpleasant and covered her mouth. Only the thumping sounds of impact remained in the alleyway.

Except for the principal, all the teachers at the kindergarten were recruited from outside the village. There were also many fair-skinned children in the school who specifically came from the city to attend. Their families were mostly believers of the True God Immortal, feeling that the kindergarten’s proximity to the temple meant the Immortal’s protection could help their children grow healthily and win at the starting line.

It only took Wu Yao a few minutes to see that this batch of nursery teachers wasn’t professional and didn’t know how to manage so many children. He slipped out during rest time and never went back, hiding behind the sandpile to “exchange feelings” with the little fox.

Wu Yao curled up in the shade and slept for over half an hour. When he woke up, he saw the little fox sitting upright nearby on lookout, looking incredibly serious and earnest, much like a guard dog.

After catching some sleep, Wu Yao’s spirits were much better. Sitting on the soft sand, he told Wu Boyi everything that happened last night and his own deductions. The little fox human-likeley knitted its brows. It searched in its tail for a while, fished out a small whistle, and gave it to Wu Yao.

It was made of ceramic, shaped like a red cartoon fox. Wu Yao tried blowing it, but the whistle didn’t make any sound. He guessed only a fox could hear it; it was a one-to-one dedicated whistle. Wu Boyi was smiling broadly, as if praising his perceptiveness.

Wu Yao hung the whistle around his neck and hid it under his clothes. “From now on, if I encounter danger, I’ll blow the whistle, and no matter where you are, you’ll immediately run to help me?”

The fox nodded and then shook its head.

You can blow it normally, too.

It was agreed that it would provide the paws and the boy would provide the brain; a fair partnership naturally shouldn’t let him lose out.

The boy saw through its thoughts and started laughing at its stupidity again.

Wu Boyi watched him quietly. Today’s conversation made it realize one thing: the boy was smarter than any human it had ever seen. Since it lacked the ability to see through the boy’s lies, it might as well take a leap of faith.

From now on, it would trust the other party unconditionally, betting its own life that the boy wouldn’t deceive it like other humans.

And if it was deceived again…

Wu Boyi leaned in and nuzzled the boy’s cheek. Its life was on a countdown; he was the last choice it had made.