Being the Wife of a Fluffy Creature [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 37

Chapter 37: The Second World (7)

Wu Yao vaguely felt that the little fox’s attitude had changed.

He opened the back-end and took a look; the wish mission previously issued by the mission system had ended, and it showed that the fox no longer wanted to kill the boy.

The data had also changed.

“Mission Target: Red Fox”

“Name: Wu Boyi (The fox likes this name)”

“Health: 0.5 (The fox is still alive)”

“Sanity: -8 (The fox has a friend)”

“Total Score: -7.5 (The data still makes one’s eyes go dark, right, worker bee?)”

Wu Yao: …

How was there even a 0.5?

The stupid fox, much like a silly dog, loved lying on his lap. Wu Yao rubbed his legs while telling it his plan.

Looking at the serious Wu Boyi, the figure of Wu Shiyi inexplicably surfaced in Wu Yao’s mind. Longing surged in his heart again; he somewhat regretted staying in the previous world for ten years. Since he knew he had to leave Wu Shiyi sooner or later, why stay there, wasting time and emotions?

At 3 PM, fruit was distributed at the kindergarten. The teachers looked at the extra portion of cut fruit and finally realized a child was missing.

Wu Yao, who was hiding behind the sandpile playing with the fox, was plucked out by a teacher and carried back to the classroom.

The other children in the class had already finished their fruit and were changing clothes with the teachers’ help; they said they were going to play “immersive house” in a bit.

Wu Yao was placed on a low table. Two male teachers walked over and squatted down; one pinned down his legs and gripped his arms, while the other began unbuttoning his clothes.

The system joked with him, “That’s what you get for running around. In the teachers’ eyes, you’ve become a problem student who needs two people to hold him down.”

Wu Yao glanced around and indeed felt the “special treatment.” The other children were lined up to have female teachers undress them, but for him, it was replaced by two strong male teachers.

Just as Wu Yao retracted his gaze, he saw a furry head leaning against the window looking in. Seeing the situation inside, the fox’s eyes widened in shock. The room’s soundproofing was decent, and the fox had peeked too late to hear the context. It misunderstood, scratching the glass in a panic.

Only after Wu Yao signaled it with his eyes did it barely calm down.

A male teacher heard the noise and turned to check. Wu Yao immediately spoke up, “Teacher, I want Sister Tiantian to undress me too.”

The man pulled a pale, ugly fake smile. “It’s the same if Brother Qiangqiang does it.”

“Why does everyone else get a sister, but I get a brother?”

The man didn’t answer, and fine beads of sweat gradually broke out on his forehead. The moment Laicai’s underwear was pulled down, Wu Yao saw the two men let out a sigh of relief as if they’d been liberated.

Wu Yao and Wu Boyi had agreed to go to the graveyard after school to dig up corpses. The little fox didn’t leave; it hid in a more secluded spot to continue peeping.

Thirty children stood naked in the classroom, waiting for the teachers to lead them in a game.

The lead female teacher was holding a box, preparing to hand out clothes, when a male teacher suddenly called her over and whispered a few words. Then, the principal walked in and chased all the female teachers out, leaving only the two male teachers and a few people she had brought along.

They had the children line up by height and pointed a phone at the little girl at the front of the line. “Come, introduce yourself. Name, age, and what your mom and dad do.”

The girl was both scared and confused. “My name is Tang Jiaojiao. Grandma likes to call me ‘Little Dumpling.’ I’m five years old. Papa is a fitness coach, and Mama cuts hair for people.”

“Good girl. Why did Little Dumpling come to school here?”

“Because… because Grandma said Dumpling is always getting sick, which is bad luck. I have to come here to get some ‘immortal air.’ When my luck gets better, Dumpling won’t have to take bitter medicine anymore.”

“Good child. Do your Papa and Mama love you? Do they treat you well?”

“No… wait, very well! Although Papa doesn’t like coming home and likes hitting Grandma and Mama, Papa says he loves us.”

The girl seemed very afraid of her father, starting to tremble just by mentioning him. The principal sat to the side taking notes in a small booklet.

She waved her hand toward those behind her, and two male teachers came over, picked up Dumpling, and took her into the toy room behind the classroom.

Wu Yao pricked up his ears to eavesdrop. Only after confirming he heard no crying did he retract his attention.

The system asked blankly, “What are they doing?”

“Selecting skin for buyers. There are so many believers of the Sangan True God Immortal; besides the villagers, there are definitely others who know about flaying and swapping skins. Some people aren’t satisfied with their current identities, so they come to the village to buy skin.”

“But these are all children; they can only match with other children. Are there really that many ‘natural-born villains’ in the world?”

Wu Yao sighed softly. “System, you still don’t truly understand skin-swapping. A person’s characteristics aren’t just appearance; they also include voice, family background, educational level, health status, and so on. If it only changed someone’s looks, there would be too many flaws. High risk and low reward—the True God Immortal couldn’t win over so many followers with just that.”

What these people were swapping wasn’t just skin, but fate.

Some people, at their wit’s end, tried to rely on skin-swapping to give their children a healthy body. Others treated their children like an investment product, fantasizing that the child would leap into becoming a rich young master or lady, allowing them to stay at home and wait for the child to send money…

Five or six-year-old children have no say in the family; they are like marionettes, entirely at the mercy of their parents.

For every child in the classroom whose skin had been reserved today, there was a child outside being personally sent to the village by their family to be flayed, waiting to change their fate by swapping skin.

Every child is a victim.

The line moved forward slowly; it took half an hour to reach Wu Yao.

He wore an innocent smile. “Principal Auntie, does Laicai have to answer those questions too?”

The principal’s expression changed. “Why do you have so much to say?”

“I’m a child from the village. You definitely know my Papa. Why should I answer questions you already know the answer to?”

The principal’s body relaxed. “True. Take him directly for the inspection.”

Wu Yao held the teacher’s hand and walked toward the small room. That room was enclosed. Before the door closed, he heard the little fox starting to scratch at the window again.

Wu Yao looked over and gave it a reassuring smile. The fox’s paws pressed against the glass, its ears pinned back in worry.

The small room was crowded with naked children who had entered earlier. A male teacher was telling them a story; the atmosphere was eerie yet warm.

The moment Wu Yao entered, the male teacher fell silent, only coming to his senses after being pushed by a colleague.

A statue of the Sangan True God Immortal was placed against the wall. The man signaled Wu Yao to kneel and kowtow, then handed a bowl of water with a drop of blood in it to Wu Yao.

Wu Yao tilted his head at him. “What is this? Why should I drink it?”

“It’s… it’s strawberry juice. Yes, strawberry juice!”

“Is teacher afraid of me?”

The male teacher’s hand shook, nearly spilling the water in the bowl.

Looking at his calloused hands, Wu Yao curled a cold sneer. The principal and the male teacher were villagers; for them to be so wary of Laicai, the boy’s identity was clearly not simple.

Dumpling and Pangya came over to keep Wu Yao company, telling him not to be afraid of taking medicine and to be a brave child. Wu Yao asked if they had all taken it and how it felt afterward.

“It feels…” Pangya shook her head. “Nothing. Just like drinking water.”

Little Dumpling was a bit dejected. “I don’t know. Teacher said I wasn’t a good girl and didn’t let me drink it. But I saw that Pangya Sister’s bowl wasn’t red at all. Teacher not only gave you water but added strawberry juice; you must be the best child.”

Wu Yao was stunned and turned to look at the teacher. The man was holding the bowl, glaring coldly and gloomily at Dumpling, seemingly resentful of her big mouth.

For a family that wasn’t exactly wealthy and had a domestic-abusing father, Dumpling’s conditions were simply too poor to offer. She wasn’t qualified to swap skins for anyone.

Pangya was the daughter of a factory director; her parents loved each other, and the factory was thriving. She would have had a happy and successful life; her skin had already been reserved.

Looking at the merciful-faced statue, Wu Yao made a heavy note against the Sangan True God Immortal in his heart.

What’s wrong with a five-year-old being a bit willful?

Today, he, Laicai, simply didn’t want to drink that bowl of water. If they had the guts, let them force-feed it to him.

Under the system’s stunned gaze, Wu Yao shouted, screamed, and rolled on the floor, smashing three bowls in a row.

Those people were terrified of Laicai; in the end, they put his clothes back on and sent him out.

Once he left the small room, Wu Yao stopped crying.

The system applauded him. “When told to be naked, you were naked; when told to throw a tantrum, you threw a tantrum. For the mission, you really don’t care about your dignity at all.”

Wu Yao snorted coldly. The “tantrum privilege” that comes with being a child—might as well use it. Besides, this wasn’t his body; the one losing face was Laicai, not Wu Yao.

His crying was very loud, and everyone outside the room heard it.

Wu Boyi thought he was in danger and pried a crack in the window, preparing to squeeze in to save him. Seeing that he was safe, it pulled its head back.

When school finished, the principal poured the “strawberry juice” into a thermos and handed it to Laicai’s dad, who came to pick him up.

The principal sighed. “Laicai refuses to drink it. Go home and find a way to feed it to him yourselves.”

The man flicked his cigarette ash, his face exceptionally grim. “Won’t drink? How… how was his performance at school?”

“About the same as the other children.”

“That’s good then. That’s good.”

Wu Yao looked up at the man. Why this reaction? Was Laicai going to undergo a sudden mutation?

On the way home, the man was preoccupied. Wu Yao took the opportunity to suggest going out to play; the man rarely didn’t refuse immediately.

“Where to?”

“To find Brother Doudou and Sister Pangya. They are new friends I met.”

“Never heard of them.”

“They’re from the city, staying at Granny Li’s house.”

The man thought for a moment, turned around, and took Wu Yao to the east end of the village.

There was a row of well-decorated brick houses there specifically for hosting guests from outside. Old Li’s family owned the houses.

Old Lady Li was communicating with several guests. “According to the rules, during the grand festival, the God enters the village, and when the festival ends, the God leaves. Your coming and going between the village will block the God’s path, so you cannot enter or leave.”

The tourists were confused. “We have other plans. Is staying for only four days not okay?”

“It won’t work, child. The festival starts tomorrow. Inviting the God takes seven days, and sending the God takes seven days. You either leave today or stay for fourteen days straight. On the fifteenth day, you can’t wander around either; a designated person must escort you out so as not to offend the Immortal.”

The five men and women looked honest and clear-eyed. Among them were two couples holding hands and one “single dog” pulling luggage; they looked more like a group of university students on a tour than believers. They were discussing whether to stay at one scenic spot for 15 days.

A curly-haired girl leaned on her boyfriend’s shoulder, excitedly holding up her phone. “The internet says the grand festival is great fun—very religious and mysterious, with sacrificial blessing dances and bonfire parties. The environment here is well-protected, with a primeval forest feel. We can follow the villagers up the mountain; it’ll definitely make for great photos. Most importantly, all activities are free!”

“A bed room is 80 a night, a ‘kang’ (heated brick bed) room is 100, and it includes three meals. Three boys sleep on one ‘kang,’ we two sleep in one bed. For five people to travel for half a month, it only costs a bit over two thousand!”

The price was simply too a bargain. Several university students were very tempted, huddling together to study the guide.

“Low-end version of a primeval forest, God-inviting and sending ceremonies, a visit to a century-old temple, agritainment… My god, there’s even cave exploration?”

“It’s an N-in-1 super value experience pack. Everything is mediocre, but it has everything. Calculating it, there are one or two places to go every day. So worth it.”

“Since we’re already here, why don’t we change the plan and stay here… Holy sh*t! What was that!”

the male student clutched his head and turned around. A grim-faced male villager was standing not far away, and beside him, a clean-looking little boy was throwing stones at them.

The girl patted her boyfriend. “I heard online that some villagers here are very xenophobic. Our luck is really bad to run into one on the first day.”

This group of students was young and healthy, and they were mostly wearing branded clothes; their family situations couldn’t be too bad. Old Lady Li and Laicai’s dad stared at them like hungry wolves, their eyes starting to glow with green light.

Wu Yao threw stones as hard as he could, wanting to disgust them into running away.

A monkey that robs won’t stop tourists from climbing a mountain, and a brat who hits won’t drive away students on a budget trip.

Laicai’s dad picked Wu Yao up and shoved him into Old Lady Li’s arms, telling her to take him to find Pangya and Doudou from the city. He squeezed out a simple and honest smile to apologize to the tourists.

Wu Yao shouted at them, “The village is haunted and there are wolves on the mountain! You’re just waiting to die!”

Old Lady Li quickly covered his mouth. Laicai’s dad claimed to be Old Lady Li’s friend and, as compensation, offered to let them stay for one night for free.

The students did the math and immediately carried their bags into the farmhouse yard.

Wu Yao was just giving it a try. He was too small; no matter what he said, these people wouldn’t believe him. If Old Lady Li wasn’t lying, after tonight, Changning Xiaoyin Village would enter “Blizzard Manor Mode.”

The village would be sealed, isolated from the outside world. The villagers would hunt frantically for fifteen days until everyone had swapped into the skin they liked.

When Wu Yao entered the house, Doudou’s parents were kowtowing to the statue, praying for the True God Immortal to protect their weak and sickly child.

The boy was lying on the bed with a flushed face; he had just caught a bit of a cold at the kindergarten, but now he had a persistent high fever.

Another couple was helping look after Doudou. Pangya was imitating the adults by lighting incense for the statue, her chubby little face full of seriousness.

“Please, Immortal, make Doudou’s illness better. I am willing to sacrifice all my favorite chocolate beans to you.”

Everyone was busy, only finding time to greet Laicai. Wu Yao pretended to play for a while, and after establishing enough of a presence, he made an excuse and slipped out.

The scumbag dad had already left. A pair of university student lovers were chatting with Old Lady Li in the yard. The old woman was a seasoned expert; in just a few sentences, she had completely extracted their family background.

Hearing that the boy’s parents were police and the girl’s mother was a town mayor, Old Lady Li immediately smiled so much her mouth wouldn’t close.

She stroked the girl’s smooth, fair hand repeatedly. “It’s so good to be young. It would be great if I were this young too. Your boyfriend is so handsome; you two really are a match made in heaven.”

The girl smiled shyly at her, but Wu Yao felt a chill run through his body. Old Lady Li had set her sights on the girl’s life, wanting to steal her mayor mother and her refined, gentle boyfriend. He just didn’t know if she planned to act tonight or wait until Changning Xiaoyin Village entered “Isolated Island Mode.”

In just a few minutes, another three to five villagers came in from outside, all elderly people with stooped backs. They brought their own fruits and vegetables to treat the young students, their faces overflowing with smiles as joyful as a bountiful harvest.

Slipping out of the tourist-scamming area, Wu Yao found the little fox that had been wandering nearby and told it what had just happened.

Wu Boyi frowned, a flash of murderous intent in its eyes. It didn’t stay fierce for long before becoming despondent.

A fox’s tail cannot hide its thoughts; Wu Yao could guess its mind at a glance. The little fox hated humans, but it knew its own experiences had nothing to do with ordinary tourists and didn’t want those innocent people to be harmed by the villagers.

In the target introduction, the little fox’s original dream was to become a fox immortal; it went around saving people, wanting to protect a region. While losing its power, the fox’s dream had also shattered.

For a moment, Wu Yao saw the shadow of the “silly dog” in the fox again. Equally unable to protect itself, yet equally concerned with saving others.

Wu Yao was different. If tourists died, they died; he would never carry someone else’s coffin to his own house to cry.

After following Wu Boyi for a while, Wu Yao realized this seemed to be the way to his own home. He grabbed the fox’s tail. “Where are you taking me?”

The fox dug in the dirt. “D-A-B-A-I.” (Great-Uncle)

“Why go to Great-Uncle’s house?”

“D.”

Wu Yao nodded. “Fine. It’s still early; let’s go check on Zhaodi first.”

The Great-Uncle’s house and Laicai’s house were very close, a two or three-minute walk. The dog in the yard was barking frantically; there should be outsiders at the Great-Uncle’s house.

The fox fished a phone out of its tail and gestured back and forth at Wu Yao. Wu Yao tried it; it could still turn on.

“Last time we met, didn’t you only have a broken phone? Where did this one come from?”

The fox was in a hurry, frantically digging at the ground. Wu Yao couldn’t understand a single word.

He set the phone to recording mode and let the fox carry it in its mouth. Wu Boyi nimbly leaped onto the top of the wall without making a sound.

Wu Yao waited in the corner for over ten minutes before the fox ran back with the phone.

As soon as he opened the recording, Wu Yao heard chaotic thumping sounds. Zhaodi was lying among a group of men, her eyes closed in enjoyment.

Laicai’s dad and the Great-Uncle were introducing her to several guests. “There aren’t many children with kidnapping experience left in our village; this is the only one left. If you buy her and take her back, whether you sell her or use her as bait, you definitely won’t lose money.”

Zhaodi giggled. “We believe in the Sangan True God Immortal. No matter how many years pass, our build and appearance won’t change. Don’t look at how small I am; I’ve actually lived for over thirty years. You don’t know how useful a child’s body is; I lured in many of the ‘goods’ in this village…”

In earlier years, villagers could still freely enter and leave the village. Laicai’s dad, the Great-Uncle, and the Zhaodi-Pandi team would go around the city tricking people. Zhaodi specifically went near schools, pretending to be a lost child crying on the side of the road to attract nearby students. As long as those students held her hand and accompanied her to find her mother, she would lead them to a place with fewer people.

Laicai’s dad would drive a van past and stop, and the target would be kidnapped into the vehicle. They only picked good schools; the skins were easy to sell, and customers fought over them. If a student went missing for a day or two and then returned home “unharmed,” it wouldn’t cause much suspicion.

A child’s appearance was too deceptive; they kidnapped as they went and never failed. Every person who went missing would reappear themselves after a few days; even if the police found something abnormal, they couldn’t do anything about them.

Later, something went wrong with the village, and the people inside couldn’t leave. Not only did outside customers need skins, but villagers also began swapping skins for themselves to leave the village.

There were always more solutions than problems; even if they couldn’t leave the village, they could still make money.

Zhaodi created a persona for herself online—a domestic-abusing father, a kidnapped mother, a numb sister, and pitiful her. Even the name “Zhaodi” was a “stage name” she specifically changed to. Many netizens lacked the ability to distinguish between real and fake, and out of pity for her plight, they donated a lot of money to her.

When the time was right, Zhaodi tricked the people who had helped her into the village one by one, letting the villagers kill and flay them.

The Great-Uncle fished a glass jar out of a cabinet, filled with scraps of cloth. “Every scrap was taken from the clothes of those ‘goods.’ One scrap represents one person.”

He showed off their years of achievements, and the customers nodded in satisfaction, deciding right then to buy Zhaodi, this kidnapping tool.

Zhaodi’s eyes were sparkling, her tone filled with laughter. “It’s a deal then. You have to kidnap the target back for us first. I’ve waited my whole life, thirty years, just for this day.”

“I can finally grow up too. I’ll become the daughter of a wealthy family and completely bid farewell to the past! I can also become… become like a normal person…”

“Is the skin you prepared for me very beautiful? What do you think I’ll look like when I grow up? Grow up… grow up, hahahahaha!”

Listening to the voice in the video, Wu Yao remained silent for a long while, only feeling it was absurd.

Zhaodi had long since gone insane. She had lived for thirty or forty years, but her body was forever stuck at eight years old due to the village’s influence. The more she craved adulthood, the more extreme and manic she became.

There were quite a few children in the village; who knows how many people were like Zhaodi, possessing an adult soul but trapped in a child’s body.

Wu Boyi specifically showed him this to tell him that Zhaodi was no longer worthy of sympathy. She did have a pathetic childhood, but now she had already killed too many innocent people.

Everyone in this village was a lunatic. Zhaodi was, Laicai’s dad was, and Old Lady Li was too.

Wu Yao sighed and prepared to put the phone down. Wu Boyi bit his finger, signaling him to continue watching.

After finishing the business regarding Zhaodi, the Great-Uncle pulled out another box. “I have a high-quality item here. Someone rejected it because they didn’t like the background, but the appearance is truly exceptional—it meets your requirements. It’s an orphan with no relatives or friends; you can mold whatever identity you want for him.”

Wu Yao found this product introduction increasingly familiar. The Great-Uncle opened the box, and a human skin appeared on the screen.

System: “Holy sh!t!”

Wu Yao’s mood was also very complicated. Even if the angle of the little fox’s secret filming was poor, he could recognize that it was his own skin.

How interesting; he had been returned.