Chapter Forty-Five: I Have a Name

“What should I do? These restrictions simply can’t be broken—am I just supposed to sit here and wait for death?”

Whether it was the wooden box’s peculiar effect or the fact that his captor had placed him in something far more than an ordinary storage pouch, Xiao Wen was not suffocating at all in the darkness, despite his cultivation being sealed. He tried to use his spiritual power to break free from the bindings, but the Blood Spirit Technique wouldn’t activate; no matter how anxious he grew, there was nothing he could do.

The few unlocked system exchange pages were unaffected, and he could browse them at will. Unfortunately, apart from the regular system coins, he had pitifully few coins from levels one through four, leaving him unable to redeem any useful elixirs or treasures.

A drop of Demon Spirit Dew was successfully exchanged, but since Xiao Wen’s body was immobilized, he could only watch helplessly as the dew fell into the box and gradually dissolved.

In the end, he resigned himself to fate, waiting for the baby-faced girl to perform the so-called master recognition ritual. He only hoped that with the system in place, her spell would not have its intended effect.

As they say, if it’s fortune, not disaster, and with such a safe and comfortable place to rest, Xiao Wen decided to relax and fall into a deep sleep.

In the darkness, Xiao Wen slept without knowing how much time had passed—he’d already woken and drifted off again.

Suddenly, it felt as if the box was picked up, and with a soft click, the lid opened. What greeted his eyes was a pair of flawless, jade-like hands, and the face of their owner—a beautiful yet slightly naïve girl with a doll-like face.

She was holding a spirit talisman in her left hand, forming incantations with her right, her expression focused as she cast her spell.

As the girl moved, the talisman turned into a curtain of runic light, enveloping Xiao Wen.

Once shrouded by the runic veil, his body floated automatically out of the box.

He felt a mysterious force enter him, trying to delve deep into his sea of consciousness and soul, to imprint an indelible spiritual mark.

“Damn it, the system isn’t stopping this at all—what do I do now?”

Things had reached this point, and the system he’d counted on suddenly faded away, offering no resistance to the invading force.

Xiao Wen was truly panicked, but with his cultivation still sealed, he could only watch as the girl sliced her jade hand open. A drop of blood flew out, quickly merging with the runic veil.

Buzz~

Once the blood fused into the runic light, the color took on a hint of crimson. After a brief rotation, the entire veil entered Xiao Wen’s body, dizzying him.

When clarity returned, Xiao Wen found the binding on his cultivation had vanished. Aside from a newfound sense of intimacy toward the baby-faced girl before him, he felt no other abnormalities.

“Little one, from now on you’re my spirit pet, Xiao Xin’er. Don’t worry—whether you’re a rare ancient species or not, I’ll provide you with all the resources you need to grow, so please don’t disappoint your master!”

After performing the master recognition ritual, the girl also established a connection with Xiao Wen. Her cultivation wasn’t high, and the little mosquito before her was her first spirit pet. She blinked her large eyes, full of anticipation.

So, he was now a spirit pet. Xiao Wen felt helpless. At least the girl couldn’t use the master’s mark to look into his memories, nor discover the system’s secret. There was nothing for him to worry about.

“Hm~ Right, I can’t keep calling you ‘little one.’ As your master, I should give you a pleasant name. What should it be—Wenwen, Sweetie, or Yaya...”

Just then, the girl seemed to remember something. She rested her chin on her hand, murmuring to herself as she looked at Xiao Wen.

Seriously? Wenwen? Sweetie? Yaya? What a joke—they’re all feminine names. Women’s tastes really are different from men’s.

“M-m-master, I... I already have a name. You... you can call me Xiao Wen.”

He was a perfectly straight and handsome guy, lucky enough to transmigrate once, and planning to shed his demon form to become a graceful young man in the future—how could he accept a feminine name? Absolutely not.

Before the girl could continue, Xiao Wen hurriedly reached out to her with his soul, deliberately feigning awkward speech to avoid arousing suspicion.

“Wow~ Xiao Wen, you can communicate with me! That’s wonderful—you really are intelligent. I’ve truly found a treasure this time...”

The baby-faced girl, Xiao Xin’er, not only had impressive cultivation talent, but also a secret—her right eye was born with spiritual vision, allowing her to see things others of her level could not.

She had seen the pure demon spirit energy within Xiao Wen, as well as the extraordinary flow of demon techniques, which led her to waste no time in asking her senior sister for help in capturing him as her spirit pet.

Otherwise, if he were just an ordinary demon mosquito, she wouldn’t have bothered.

Now, suddenly receiving Xiao Wen’s soul communication—even if it sounded awkward—having a demon mosquito with intelligence at such a low realm surely meant he was a rare ancient species. She truly had found a treasure.

Ah~

Watching the jubilant girl, Xiao Wen couldn’t help but recall the neighbor girl from his past life. After receiving his gift for the first time beneath the campus trees, she’d been just as delighted.

Those days were gone. Looking at the girl whose temperament so closely resembled hers, Xiao Wen sighed deeply.

“Xiao Wen, since you don’t like the other names, Xin’er will call you Xiao Wen from now on...

Oh, by the way, Xiao Wen, tell your master—are you a rare ancient species? And your current realm is so low; what resources or treasures do you need to advance?”

Xiao Xin’er had no idea what was going through Xiao Wen’s mind. She asked her questions one after another, her big eyes blinking, making her look both innocent and adorable.

“Ancient species? That... that I don’t really know. Xiao Wen’s memories are limited and don’t reveal his origins. As for advancing in realm, Master, Xiao Wen needs blood... cultivator’s fresh blood...”

Xiao Wen had been worrying about how to encounter a lone third-level cultivator. Hearing the girl’s question, he immediately replied, his speech much smoother than before.

Pretending to stammer wasn’t his forte, and since he’d need to communicate with Xiao Xin’er often, it was best she quickly accept his ability to converse fluently through soul sense to avoid trouble.

“What? You need to drink blood? How much? If it’s not much, you can just drink mine. But if you need a lot, that might be...”

Mosquitoes drinking blood was only natural. Xiao Xin’er wasn’t surprised; in the world of cultivation, there were even evil cultivators who willingly fed their flesh and blood to raise powerful demon insects or ghost servants.

As she spoke, she rolled up her pale, slender wrist and placed it before Xiao Wen, looking utterly fearless—ready to offer herself if it would help him grow stronger.