Always Ending Up as an Animal Cub

From the system’s description, it seems that the world Yutong has crossed into is from a modern supernatural novel, incorporating elements such as live streaming, systems, and other popular tropes.

In the original novel, the male protagonist is an orphan taken in and raised by an old Taoist priest.
After the priest’s death, the protagonist unexpectedly gains a demon-hunting system, leading him to a life of live-streaming ghost hunting and exorcising demons.
The novel has no romance plot, and there is no female lead. Although several female characters appear around the male protagonist, they are merely friends.

This time, Yutong is tasked with transforming the villain, a monk named Chen Yanli. In the book, he is mostly referred to as Fa Chen.
He explains that his monastic name comes from one of the six dusts, with the name "Fa Chen" being a homophone for "Fa Chen" (法尘).
As the plot progresses, it is revealed that Fa Chen is actually a fake monk. He doesn’t understand Buddhism at all and only knows how to recite some scriptures.

He has no master and, to deceive people, randomly chose a monastic name.
In the original story, Fa Chen is portrayed as a sinister, cunning, cold-blooded, and inhuman villain.
The reason the protagonist clashes with the villain is that during a spiritual exploration live stream, the protagonist accidentally encounters a ghost in red clothing.

The ghost was once an ordinary high school physical education teacher who, for reasons unknown, caught the attention of Fa Chen, who kidnapped her in the middle of the night.
When she regained consciousness, she found herself imprisoned by Fa Chen in an old house.
Many other women were imprisoned with her. They were beaten and scolded daily, with only two steamed buns for food. There was no drinking water in the room, so the women had to kneel and beg the guards for a sip of water.

There were more people locked in that room, but none were ever taken out.
Eventually, the women were crammed together like sardines in a bus during rush hour, and it was a luxury for them to even sit down and rest.
One day, Fa Chen shoved another woman into the room, looked at the packed space, and said, “Perfect, 100 people. That’s enough.”

Then he locked all the doors and windows.
Among the 100 people squeezed in, some died from being crushed, while others suffocated or starved ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ to death, trapped between rotting corpses.
The female ghost, who had been physically strong in life, wasn’t crushed.

To survive, she began to eat the bodies around her raw, pressing against the door to scratch it with broken glass.
Using this method, the woman managed to survive for over ten days.
But when she made a small crack in the wooden door and saw the outside world, she was completely despairing.
Through the crack, she didn’t see the blue sky but only cold cement walls.

The room was sealed shut with cement, and no one could escape.
The hopeless woman eventually died in front of the wooden door.
Her deep resentment turned her into a vengeful spirit after death.

She wanted to find Fa Chen and take revenge, but she couldn’t defeat him. Before she was killed, she fled in a panic and later encountered the male protagonist, who was exploring spirits for his live stream.
The system, having watched this plot unfold, couldn’t help but click its tongue and comment: “This world’s villain is truly a beast. If the men and women were kept in separate rooms and children in yet another, each room would hold 100 people, so he’s killed a total of 300 people.”
Yutong said nothing.

He thought he wouldn’t feel much emotion regarding such matters, but now, he found himself somewhat irritated.
He couldn’t pinpoint when this change started.
After becoming the Sun God in the previous world, he was praised every day. For decades, he had been seen as a symbol of righteousness and brightness.

Perhaps after wearing the mask of a kind savior for so long, suddenly removing it made him somewhat uncomfortable. When he heard someone calling for help, he instinctively wanted to go and lend a hand.
The system didn’t notice Yutong’s shift. Instead, it continued flipping through the original text.
“After a series of battles of wits and courage with the villain, the protagonist uncovers that Fa Chen was performing an evil sacrificial ritual.”

“As long as he uses the cruelest methods to sacrifice 300 children, he can turn into an evil god, at which point no one will be able to defeat him.”
Yutong raised his hand, signaling for the system to wait. "I remember the original text said that Chen Yanli really likes money. His character doesn’t quite align with what he’s doing."
“It does fit because the evil god is so powerful, even cannonballs can’t kill him. No one, not even the Black and White Impermanence or the Underworld Judges, can beat him.”

“So after the villain becomes an evil god, he plans to rob banks, gold shops, rich people, and steal everything.”
Yutong: “…What a down-to-earth goal.”
“Right? This is the first time I’ve seen an ultimate villain whose goal isn’t world domination, but bank robberies.”

“What’s he going to do with all that money?”
“Spend it, of course. He told the protagonist that he doesn’t really want to buy anything, he just really likes money. He feels insecure without millions in his hands.”
“He plans to take the first money he robs and go vacation on a foreign beach. Then he’ll buy a bunch of supercars and mansions.”

“A very humble wish.”
The protagonist thought the same. He thought the villain would cause chaos in the world, but he didn’t expect him to be this unpretentious. His viewers in the live stream even said the script was terrible and asked him to change the writer.
During Fa Chen’s sacrificial process, something went wrong when one of his subordinates mistakenly captured a child who wasn’t the right kind for the sacrifice.

The sacrifice failed, and Fa Chen hadn’t yet completed his transformation into the evil god.
The protagonist protected the child chosen for the sacrifice and, with his friends, killed Fa Chen.
At this point in the story, Fa Chen is already in his thirties.

The current mission target is just 20 years old, and the story won’t begin for another decade or so.
Right now, the protagonist is still learning ghost hunting spells from the old Taoist priest, and the demon-catching system has not yet been bound to him.
From the previous world’s experience, there should be more clues hidden in the original text.

But the novel is very long, with over a thousand chapters, and Yutong doesn’t have time to read it all for now.
The system sighed and looked at the back-end data.
“The deviation value is determined by whether the villain’s actions violate the laws and regulations of the world in the novel, and the common morals of society.”

“The villain’s deviation value starts at -20, which suggests the protagonist probably killed someone before we arrived, and it’s not just one.”
Yutong furrowed his brow. “So, is Chen Yanli’s muteness a punishment from the main system for killing people?”
“Yes, punishments appear in reasonable ways. For example, he might slip and break his leg on a rainy day, or accidentally go blind.”

“I’m not asking about that. I’m wondering, if Chen Yanli kills other bad people who break the same laws, will he be punished too?”
The system paused for a moment. “Yes… you asked me this question in the first world, and the answer is yes.”
“We can’t use violence to stop violence. In the previous world, it was a special situation because Chen Xiyan was too young and couldn’t meet the empire’s legal standards. But once he turns 18, he’ll become a king.”

“This world’s villain is an adult, and we’re in a society governed by law, so we need to rely on the law to solve problems.”
Yutong didn’t speak. He felt this approach was too rigid.
Before he was bound by the system, his country had laws too.

But there were too many places where the law couldn’t reach.
 
Under the large tree at the back of the temple, several monks dressed in grey robes sat.

It was the hottest part of the day, and the monks had taken off their robes, wiping away their sweat as they chatted casually.
Among them was a particularly quiet young monk, strikingly handsome, who sat on the outskirts of the group, calmly eating a chilled watermelon.
The chubby monk sitting nearby turned his head. "Fa Chen, have you found that boy you lost last time?"

The handsome monk seemed not to hear his question, continuing to eat the watermelon without a word.
The chubby monk thought for a moment, casually wiping his hands on his pants before pulling out his phone to type a message.
[Did you find any clue about the boy you lost?]

Fa Chen glanced at the screen, pulled out his own phone, and replied, [No, I told you, he was taken by a monster.]
[The strange monsters nearby, haven’t we cleared them all out? What kind of monster took the child? Did you see what kind of monster it was?]
[No, it was too fast.]

The chubby monk thought for a while, [Fast? Then it was probably a rabbit, eagle, or cat-type monster. That’s hard to track down.]
After waiting a moment, seeing Fa Chen didn’t plan to respond, the chubby monk continued typing on his phone.
[You’re too honest, easily tricked by women. Have you forgotten what Master said? The women down the mountain are like tigers, you can’t trust a word they say.]

[Among us, Master likes you the most. If you hadn’t been tricked by that damn woman, letting her child go so foolishly, would Master have gotten so angry?]
Seeing that Fa Chen remained silent, staring down, the chubby monk laughed and turned back to chat with the other monks.
Once everyone’s attention was off him, Fa Chen began adjusting the angle of his phone repeatedly.

On the dark phone screen, the large tree behind him was reflected. Through the dense branches, he faintly saw something white and fluffy hidden among the leaves.
Fa Chen quickly raised his head and looked directly at the spot.
Through the layers of branches, he saw a small white rabbit, curiously peering down from the tree branch.

The human and rabbit locked eyes. The small rabbit, no bigger than a palm, seemed startled and, with its fur bristling, slid off the branch and fell straight down.
Fa Chen had a half-eaten watermelon resting on his lap, making it difficult to move.
He didn’t have time to dodge, and the rabbit landed directly in his arms.

The noise attracted the attention of the other monks.
The chubby monk turned around. Upon seeing the rabbit, a big smile appeared on his round face.
"Fa Chen, where did you get this little rabbit? It’s so cute. Let me hold it!"

Fa Chen didn’t react, continuing to gently pet the startled rabbit.
Another monk took out his phone and began typing.
Fa Chen looked at his screen and replied with his own phone: [It fell down from the tree by itself.]

Several of the monks crowded around to inspect the rabbit’s body.
The chubby monk carefully picked up the rabbit, his eyes almost overflowing with tenderness.
"This little rabbit must have just been born. It’s still a baby. What a coincidence, we should take it back and take care of it. There are plenty of vegetables here to feed it."

Several other monks agreed.
A younger monk asked Fa Chen on his phone if he wanted to keep the rabbit in his room.
Fa Chen coldly waved his hand, not looking up, and continued to scoop the watermelon.

The monks didn’t seem to mind his attitude and gathered together, playing with the rabbit.
Yutong lay in the chubby monk’s palm, tilting his head to observe the surroundings.
He had just squatted on the tree, watching the villain Fa Chen and the chubby monk chat. Combined with Fa Chen’s reaction, he found it increasingly odd.

‘System, are you sure Fa Chen is just mute?’
[Yes, that’s what the main system says.]
‘His performance right now clearly shows he’s both mute and deaf. Are you sure the data says mute and not deaf-mute?’

The system fell silent for a moment before it realized, [Damn, you’re right. He doesn’t respond when others speak. He can’t hear!]
The little glowing orb thought there might be a malfunction on the main system’s end. It seemed like Fa Chen was given more punishment than intended during his penalty.
As the system reported the error, it also chatted with its host.

[Little fish, I think you have potential to be a nurse. Before coming to this world, you said you hoped Fa Chen would have a better life, and now that’s coming true.]
‘Where did you see that?’
[Even though the villain is mute and deaf and doesn’t engage with others, his fellow monks are all nice. They care for little animals and treat him well.]

‘Is that so? But I remember the chubby monk just called a woman a “dead bitch” on his phone. I don’t think that’s normal behavior.’
‘Also, in the original text, the villain clearly said he was a fake monk with no master. How can a monk without a master have fellow monks?’
The system blinked, suddenly confused.

[Ah, so these monks’ kindness might be fake? How insidious! They’re acting so naturally, they’ve tricked me too.]
The chubby monk scratched the little rabbit’s chin. Yutong cooperatively raised his head.
The chubby monk smiled excitedly. "Look, this rabbit is so well-behaved! Fa Chen, you really found a treasure."

Compared to the other monks, Fa Chen seemed even more withdrawn, likely because he couldn’t hear anyone else’s words.
Yutong observed for a while, frowning thoughtfully. ‘These monks are acting so naturally, I can’t see any signs of them acting. This doesn’t make sense unless they’re better at acting than Fa Chen himself.’
‘Most importantly, they’re all familiar faces here. The rabbit doesn’t understand human speech, so there’s no need for them to be acting. I suspect they really do like little animals and care for their deaf and mute fellow monk.’

The system was still puzzled.
[Didn’t you say they’re bad guys?]
‘I didn’t say that, I just said they aren’t as kind-hearted as they appear.’

The monks spent some time playing with the rabbit, before gathering together to eat watermelon and chat.
The chubby monk pulled some fresh tender grass from the ground, wiped off the dew, and fed it to the rabbit.
The taste of the grass was strange. Yutong reluctantly ate a few bites, then turned his gaze back to Fa Chen.

Compared to his fellow monks, Fa Chen’s appearance was strikingly handsome.
His skin was fair, his features delicate, and even the shiny baldness didn’t detract from his appearance.
Plus, his posture was impeccable. Even in his plain grey monk robes, he somehow made it look like a high-end tailored suit.

The system returned after reporting the error to the headquarters, looking completely baffled.
[Little fish, the higher-ups say there’s nothing wrong with the data. This world’s villain is really just mute. He doesn’t have any problems with his ears.]
Yutong raised an eyebrow slightly. ‘Since the information isn’t wrong, that means Fa Chen is pretending to be deaf.’

[Why? Oh, I get it. He’s pretending because he’s afraid of hearing things he shouldn’t and getting silenced by someone else!]
Yutong also thought this made sense, but the clues were too sparse for him to confirm yet.
For now, Fa Chen seemed to be only eating watermelon, so Yutong refocused his attention on the monks chatting.

The chubby monk continued to stroke the rabbit, smiling warmly. "Brother, do you remember the woman from last Mid-Autumn Festival who came to see us, the one with the last name Wang?"
The middle-aged monk nodded. "Yes, I remember. I even added her on WeChat. She said if she had any more problems, she could directly message me."
"That’s very thoughtful of you. I think her son had... what was it... some kind of depression?"

"Depression."
"These new diseases are something. When I first joined the temple, I only saw people who were born dull and mentally slow. Depression? This is the first time I’ve heard of it."
As soon as depression was mentioned, the younger monk became interested.

He flipped through his phone’s album, showing a picture of a high school boy to the others.
Yutong subtly lifted his head and glanced at the screen.
The boy in the photo appeared to be about sixteen or seventeen, with bandages on his hands and an unusually pale face.

The younger monk sighed deeply. "You weren’t there, but you don’t know how severe his condition was. He would lie in bed every day but couldn’t sleep because of insomnia. He didn’t eat much either, only a few small bites each time."
"His mother said he tried to commit suicide several times. He jumped off a building, jumped into a river, and hanged himself, but every time someone saved him."
The monks recited together, "Amitabha Buddha."

The chubby monk pointed to the photo, asking, "Did he cut his wrists?"
"Yes, he cut his wrists, and his parents found out. If he hadn’t been sent to the hospital in time... sigh. His mother thought this wasn’t a solution, so she brought him here to ask the gods for blessings."