As the children and teenagers gathered at the edge of the garden, a man with a white mustache, white hair, and wrinkled skin stood opposite them. Liu Xing positioned himself to their side, which allowed him to see both the young people dressed in pure white clothes and the man, who looked to be a member of the Nether Lotus Sect.

  The old man smiled softly, his expression serene, like a kind grandfather seeing his grandchildren happy and smiling. The children opposite him had nervous expressions on their faces, but hope shone in their eyes. Some of them gripped their pure white clothes as if they were eager to hear who among them would get the most precious treasure in the world.

  "Gather around, gather around," the man said, spreading his hands and gesturing to the people in front of him. They began to get closer, creating a half-circle. Then the man gestured downward as he sat cross-legged on the grass, and the children and teens followed suit.

  Only Liu Xing remained standing, his heart hammering against his ribs. A bad premonition settled in his chest. By all accounts, the view before him was nothing but pleasant; however, he knew it was not. He had to remember that this was a farm. The teens and children were the livestock, while the old man—whose cultivation was at the early stage of the Core Splitting realm—was probably the farmer.

  The old man sat silently for a while. The teens and children waited eagerly, their expressions suspenseful, until one of them—a boy with brown hair and blue eyes—said, "What are you waiting for, old man? We're already here. We've gathered around! Talk, please. I'm eager to know who will be chosen today!"

  "A young soul," the old man chuckled, "always in such a hurry, always so impatient. Don't you understand that if you're always in a hurry, your meat will taste sour?"

  At that, the boy’s eyes widened. "Really?! It's the first time I've heard that! Why did nobody tell me?!"

  The old man chuckled. "I've never said it exactly like that, but I've said plenty of times that the tastiness of your meat depends on your character. If you're a good child, your meat will taste better. If you're not, then your meat will be bitter and chewy and sour."

  Some of the children nodded thoughtfully upon hearing that, as if they had just been imparted wisdom never before shared, while some of the teenagers nodded and chuckled, as if it were a funny joke.

  "I am sorry," the boy said, his expression saddened, but then it brightened, and with conviction, he said, "I'll be a good boy! Believe it!"

  The old man chuckled lightheartedly. "I believe you. In fact, I believe in all of you. You are the most precious things in the world. I am honored to be your guardian and your teacher."

  "No," a teenage boy shook his head. "It is we who are honored for you to be our guardian. It's a difficult task, surely. You sacrifice yourself to live a long life to the point that your meat becomes inedible. We're thankful for your sacrifice and guidance."

  The old man chuckled again, said that he was grateful for their respect, and looked toward the boy again. "You know, while impatience can give your meat a sour taste, there's actually a point where the sourness will give your meat a richer taste. It's said to be rare, and only selected people have ever had meat that is sour and tasty at the same time. Perhaps you can become one of the rare ones with this specific taste."

  At that, the boy beamed and nodded so hard that Liu Xing worried about his neck. In fact, his heart was filled with worry. This conversation was insane. How could anyone talk about being eaten as if it were a normal thing? His brain supplied a few explanations, including illusion techniques or straight-up brainwashing. None of them gave him any comfort.

  "Anyway," the man continued, "today is indeed the promised day. As you know, every month, people are chosen to be eaten. Sometimes multiple individuals are chosen, and sometimes only one person is chosen. Can you guess who it is today?"

  "Multiple individuals?" a little girl said slowly. She was perhaps only three years old, her blonde hair still short. She was one of the youngest people gathered in front of the man.

  "Unfortunately, it's not," the old man said, which made the little girl look down disappointedly. "Today, there is only one who will be chosen. However, none of you need to worry. Sooner or later, you will be chosen. You will be eaten. But for today, the one who is chosen is someone special."

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  At that, the teens and children leaned their faces forward.

  The man paused dramatically, the sun shining directly above him, then he said, "She is not only smart but also energetic and full of life. She is ranked number two in every athletic activity we held and ranked three academically. Not only that, she is also one of the most beautiful girls that has ever graced our sanctuary."

  At his words, the blonde teenager, the one who had been anxious she would not be chosen, covered her mouth in a gesture of disbelief. The old man looked at her, smiled, and nodded. "It is you, Thirty-Three. You are the chosen one."

  The blonde teen instantly burst into tears, and the children began clapping and smiling energetically. Her friends began hugging her as if she were the most fortunate person in the world.

  "Congratulations! I knew that you would be chosen next!"

  "Your worry was futile, sister. You've been chosen!"

  "I'm jealous," a little kid said.

  "I wonder what kind of people will eat her," another kid said innocently, as if what she asked was merely about the weather.

  As the teens and children celebrated and the old man smiled like a serene monk, Liu Xing gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. What he witnessed was so vile his stomach twisted. What kind of conditioning made these little kids think being eaten was something joyful and worth celebrating? Not only that, he wondered who the bastard was who had devised this terrifying human farm. How could someone be cruel enough to create something so vile?

  After the announcement was made, the old man said that the girl—Thirty-Three—needed to prepare herself. They would go in thirty minutes. The girl ran into her room, followed by the other teens, mostly girls. She took a shower and dressed herself in a new, clean, pure white dress. Then, she and her friends began to put makeup on her face, neck, arms, and legs, saying that the makeup would not only make her prettier but also make her skin taste sweeter. One boy commented that makeup was not necessary since she would be washed and processed. However, the girl said that what mattered was presentation. Another girl joked that some people would lick her clean before washing, processing, and eating her. People laughed at the joke, not knowing that inside the room, a man was filled with a fury in his stomach akin to a volcano about to erupt.

  Soon—too soon—thirty minutes were over, and the blonde teenager came out of her room in a pure white dress and light makeup on her face. When she stepped out into the garden, where the man already waited, the sunlight bounced off her. She looked pretty and gorgeous, with her pink lips glowing under the sun, her skin absolutely shining, and the subtle embroidery on her dress made her seem to glow even further. Liu Xing saw that this teenager, who did not even have a proper name and was instead only given a number, was glowing with happiness. She looked a bit too young, but she looked like a bride about to marry the love of her life.

  "Let's go," the man said, the smile persisting on his face.

  The girl nodded and came to the man's side. Then, both of them walked together. The teens and children cheered behind them, and the blonde girl looked back and smiled for the last time before she hurriedly followed the man.

  They did not use the gate where Liu Xing had entered. Instead, they went out another, smaller gate, painted pure white, with green vines framing it and red flowers blooming from the vines.

  Liu Xing followed them. He walked on a cobblestone path that crossed through a sea of red flowers. When he had walked dozens of steps, the gate behind him closed. Before it did, he could see the happiness and the waves of the teens and children inside that farm.

  Liu Xing clenched his fists again before looking forward and hurriedly walking toward the girl and the old man. In the distance, he saw another place. It was a square building painted entirely white, and from it, a strong, rotten smell spread into the air.

  As Liu Xing walked several steps behind them, his mind raced, trying to decide what to do next. That teen would soon be killed and, later, eaten. Obviously, Liu Xing wanted to save her. No one in this world deserved to be killed to be eaten. He needed to do something about the situation. But by doing that, Liu Xing would be doing what he was not supposed to. After all, he had already decided that he would only try to take back his belongings and gather information. He knew that stirring up a commotion was not an option.

  However, as he looked at the back of that teen, Liu Xing second-guessed himself. He could not just let this girl be killed like that. He had to do something.

  "But what?" he wondered.

  Along the way, Liu Xing overheard the man's conversation with the girl, which fanned the flames of anger in his heart. The old man was asking the girl a question that should never be asked of a teenage girl; otherwise, in modern times, he would be beaten to death. Yet, in this place, he openly asked her if she wanted to make her meat tastier by doing something an old man and a teenager shouldn't do. Fortunately, the girl refused it, stating that she wanted to remain pure. The man tried to convince her, saying that some people like meat with a little impurity. But when the girl insisted that she didn't want any impurities in her meat, the man finally accepted her decision with a smile. But, in a whisper so quiet that only Liu Xing could hear it, the man said something along these lines: "I can wait until you die," he said, licking his lips.

  Liu Xing decided then and there that while he still did not want to create a commotion, he vowed, with his heart burning with fury, that he would kill the man. He would make sure that this day would end with one less scum walking on the earth.

  Soon, they arrived at the square, white building. The man opened the door, and the three of them entered.

  joining us!