“hesixthlifeoftheBookofaundredives(ine-ailedeavenlyFox)hasbeenprepared.”
“nlightofthehost’scurrentcultivationrealmandthestrengthofthehost’ssoul,itwillnotbenecessarytosealthehost’smemoriesinthislife.owever,theBookofaundrediveswillblurcertainmemoriesaccordingtothelimitsofwhatthehost’ssoulcansafelyaccept.”
“Whileprotectingthehost’smentalstateandsoul,theBookofaundrediveswillpreservethehost’smemoriestothegreatestpossibleextent.hehostmayrestassured.”
“MemoriesblurredwithintheBookofaundrediveswillgraduallybecomeclearagainasthehost’scultivationrealmrises.”
“Willthehostenterthesixthlife?”
WhenthewordsoftheBookofaundredivesfinished,twooptionsappearedinXiaoMo’smind.
Yes.
o.
XiaoModidnothesitate.
echose“Yes.”
ehadbeenlookingforwardtothesixthlifeoftheBookofaundredivesforalongtime.
“Pleaseenteraname.”
“XiaoMo!”
XiaoMoonceagainenteredhisrealname.
ehadusedhisrealnamebefore,andhewouldusehisrealnamenow.
venbackwhenheplayedgamesinthepast,hehadalwaysusedhisrealname.
herewasnospecialreasonforit.Usingafakenamesimplyfeltuncomfortabletohim.Withouthisrealname,evenexperiencinganotherlifefeltlessimmersive.
hemomentXiaoMoenteredthename,hisconsciousnesswavered.
henextinstant,everythingwentdarkashelostconsciousness.
*****
“ey!umanbrat!Wakeup!”
“umanbrat!toldyoutowakeup—didn’tyouhearme?”
“Areyousleepinglikeacorpse?”
SPAS!
hroughthehazeofhalf-consciousness,XiaoMoheardsomeoneshoutingathim.
henaladleofcoldwaterwasthrownstraightontohisface.
XiaoMoshuddered«.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t»andsuddenlyopenedhiseyes.
Ashisvisionslowlycleared,hismindgraduallyfollowed.
epushedhimselfupandlookedaround.
nlythendidherealizehewasinsideanironcage,likeachickenorduckbeingkeptforslaughter.
Aroundhimweredozensofsimilarironcages.
nsidethecageswereboysandgirlsalike—everyoneofthemonlyfiveorsixyearsold.
Somechildrencrouchedintheircages,huggingthemselvestightly,theirfacesfilledwithterror.
Somestaredblankly,theireyesdim,asthoughtheyhadalreadygivenuponthefuturewithoutevenknowingwhatitwouldbe.
thersweresecretlycrying,yettooafraidtomakeasound,terrifiedsomeonemightnoticeandbeatthem.
XiaoMoloweredhisheadandlookedathimself.
Sureenough,hetoohadthebodyofachildonlyfiveorsixyearsold.
heplacewheretheywereimprisonedwasadimwarehouse.
hewarehousefeltalmostlikeaprison.nlyfaintsunlightfilteredthroughtheedgesofthewindows,castingweakbeamsintothedarkness.
hosethinraysoflightweretheonlysignoflifeinthisgloomyplace,theonlywaythechildrencouldtellwhetheritwasdayornightsothattheywouldnotcompletelylosetheirminds.
“etup!”
“Damnit,allofyou—getup!”
“fyoukeepsleeping,’lleatyouall!”
“Youwanttoendupcookedinaclaypot?”
hevoicethathadwokenXiaoMorangoutagain.
XiaoMoturnedhishead.
Apigdemonstoodthere,shoutingattheotherchildren.
hecreaturehadahumanbodyandapig’shead—itstransformationclearlyincomplete.
Wheneveritshoutedseveraltimesandachildstilldidn’twakeup,itscoopedwaterfromthebucketinitslefthandandsplasheditdirectlyontothechild’sface.
CA.
JustasXiaoMowaswonderingwherethisplacewas—
hedoorwassuddenlyshovedopen.
earingthesound,thepigdemonhurriedover.
tslargeearsflappedconstantly,andthepigtailbehinditwaggedbackandforthlikeadog’s.
“hmy,Bossou!You’refinallyhere!hisoldpighasbeenwaitingforyouforages!”
hepigdemonfawnedoveradogdemonwithahumanbodyandadog’shead.
XiaoMonoticedthatmostofthesedemonssharedthesameappearance—humanbodieswithanimalheads.
Perhapstheircultivationrealmsweretoolowtocompletetheirtransformations.
rperhapstheyintentionallyretainedsomefeaturesofthedemonrace.
“owisthatbatchofgoodsaskedfor?”thedog-headeddemonaskedcoollyasitglancedatthepigdemon.
“’mtellingyou—thisdeliveryisgoingtoaveryimportanthousehold.Youknowtheresidenceofthatgreatperson.heirstandardsareextremelyhigh.”
“Don’tworry,Bossou.”
hepigdemonrubbeditshoovestogether,grinning.
“knowexactlywhatyoumean.”
“ookatthislittlegirlhere—threegenerationsofservitude,cleanbackground,smoothskin,decentlooks.”
“Andlookatthislittleboy.Don’tmindhowskinnyheis.isbonesareunusual—perfectmaterialtotrainasaguarddog.Kidslikethisareeasytoraisetoo.”
“Andthisonehere—thislittleboyisalsoquitegood.andsomefeatures.Withabitofcarehe’llbecomefairer.Whenhegrowsup,whetheryousellhimtoabrothelasamalecompanionforagoodprice,orkeephimforyourownhousehold,he’llbequiteuseful.”
Asthepigdemonspoke,itledthedogdemonthroughthewarehouse,introducingthechildrenonebyone.
hedemonsexaminedthemlikemerchandise,stoppinginfrontofeachcage.
Wherevertheirgazeslanded,thehumanchildrentrembledviolently,theirfacespalewithfear.
Afterashortwhile,thepigdemonbroughtthedogdemontothecageholdingXiaoMo.
hedogdemonlookedXiaoMoupanddown.
XiaoMo’sclotheswereragged,andhisbodythinandweak.
Atthesametime,XiaoMocalmlyobservedthedogdemonaswell.
hedogdemongrinnedandbentdown,droolhangingfromitsmouth.
“ittlething...aren’tyouafraidofme?”
XiaoMoquicklyshookhishead—thenhurriedlynoddedagain,forcingafrightenedexpressionontohisface.
fthiswerereality,hewouldindeedfeelafraid.
ButinsidetheBookofaundredives,aftereverythinghehadexperienced,XiaoMofeltfarlessfear.
nstead,hewasalreadyobservingandgatheringinformationaboutthislife.
SeeingXiaoMo’sreaction,thedogdemonassumedthechildhadsimplybeenscaredstupid.
Satisfied,itstraightenedupandpointedatseveralcages.
“hisone.hatone.Andthatone.”
“Andthosetwohumangirls.”
“’lltakeallfive.”
“Yes,yes,ofcourse!”
hepigdemonnoddedrepeatedly.
henitshoutedattheworkersnearby.
“Whatareyoustandingaroundfor?urryupandpullthosehumanbratsout!”
“Washthemcleanandchangetheirclothes,”thedogdemonadded.
“Don’tletthemdirtythelady’scourtyard.”
“Understood,understood!Forthesehumanstoenterthatgreatlord’sresidence—it’stheblessingofthreelifetimes!”
Aftersayingthat,thepigdemonslappedoneofitssubordinateswithitshoof.
“Whatareyouwaitingfor?!akethemtobathe!Putthemincleanclothes!fyouembarrassus,’llroastyouallintosucklingpigs!”
“Yes,master!We’regoing!”
Severalpigdemonshurriedforward,openedthecages,anddraggedXiaoMoandtheothersaway.
*****
alfanhourlater,thefivechildren—includingXiaoMo—hadbeenbathedanddressedincleanclothing.
heywerepushedintoacarriage.
woquarterhourslater,thecarriagestopped.
hechildrenweredrivendown.
XiaoMolookedup.
nthetallplaqueabovethegate,twocharacterswerewritten.
ushan.
