Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San

Chapter 1: Is It The End? Am I Going To Be Eaten?

"Waaaaah, waaaaaah, waaaaah!" Weak cries echoed in the narrow, drafty room.

A woman was clutching her baby tightly in her embrace. Using a torn cotton blanket, she did her best to protect the baby from the cold wind seeping through the cracks of the door and the windows.

The flickering oil lamp barely illuminated the gloomy room as if it could be extinguished at any moment.

"Waaaaah, waaaaah, waaaah!" cried Tang San, doing his best to speak. All he accomplished was to let out the most basic sound, a baby's wail.

He has been in this world for a few days.

A few days, indeed.

Even though he had only been born three days earlier, he already felt an impending premonition of misfortune

As a former God King, he had given up everything he had on the quest to find his reincarnated wife. Just before his divine consciousness fizzled out, he sensed the slightest tug guiding him. And there he was, entering into this world.

No matter how strong he used to be, right now, his reincarnated form was a newborn baby. The memory of his past life held the greatest value for him. No matter how powerful he recalled being in his past life, it couldn't change the reality of him being in the body of a weak and vulnerable baby.

Having been born for just three days, he survived solely on the meager breast milk of his birth mother in this world. Even the languages of this new world eluded him, and he knew he would need more time to adapt. He could sense that his reincarnation into this new world would be fraught with more difficulties than he could comprehend.

At the very least, in his past life, he was born into the family of a blacksmith. His father was a blacksmith who had secret powers. Tang San had also possessed the innate talent that made him one of the strongest in his world. By contrast, his biggest worry right now was to survive.

Following his extensive journey through the universe, his divine consciousness struggled to maintain the sheer weight of his memories. There was little besides the fragments he clung to from his former life. From his present infant form, he sensed his weakness and vulnerability, feeling utterly feeble and pathetic.

In this new world, his birth mother suffered from malnutrition, which unfortunately led to Tang San's reincarnation being undernourished as well. Even his cries came out weak.

In his previous life, he was a father, and he could tell the difference between the cries of a healthy baby and an unhealthy one. The baby Tang San was running the risk of not being able to draw his next breath, much less let out the hearty cries of a healthy newborn.

While he hadn't held high hopes of being reincarnated into a wealthy family, he also hadn't been prepared for the desperate situation he was born into. The great God King was reincarnated and yet so close to death.

Is this the end? he wondered. Is this a story that will end even before the first chapter is finished?

He had come to understand his surroundings in the three short days he had spent in this new world. His dread could be directly linked to his knowledge of his predicament.

While Tang San was reincarnated as a human, just as he had in the world he had left behind, he realized that humans belonged to a different caste in the new world. Simply put, humans were enslaved in this land. Yes, indeed, the ugly truth was that humans were relegated as slaves to the higher beings of this world. This was why the humans here lived such a miserable existence.

Three days. It had been three days, and Tang San had not even met his father in this new world. All he knew was that his birth mother was his sole companion. The poor mother and son mainly relied on the food offerings from other human beings who visited. These kind souls who were the source of their sustenance were also dressed shabbily.

Judging from the numb expressions of these passers-by, they seemed accustomed to being treated poorly—day in, day out.

While Tang San retained his memories from his past life and possessed a stronger divine soul due to his divine consciousness, he still faced challenges in this new world. He had yet to learn the language of this world. The primary reason was that humans in this world did not communicate often. And when they did, they only spoke in monosyllabic words.

Is my short existence finally coming to an end? Tang San thought, smiling wryly. Unable to control himself, he let out two soft sobs.

Xiao Wu, if you can hear me in this world, please bless me, your husband. Please bless me with the ability to stay alive. If not, it will be impossible for us to reunite as a family.

The weakness in his body caused him to drift off into a deep sleep. While in this muddled and confused state, a whole month passed by.

While he stayed alive, barely, with the meager portion of milk from his mother, he could tell that he wasn't doing well. He was aware of his own physical status and he could sense his weak heart doing its best to keep him alive. It had been almost a month, yet he barely weighed five pounds. Compared to his past life, he was nowhere close to the growth a one-month-old baby should have reached.

Bang! The fragile door squeaked on its hinges as it opened with force. The door slamming was the loudest sound that Tang San had heard since the start of his time in this new world. Trying his best to open his eyes, he looked over towards the source of the commotion.

The individual that had just entered the room was substantial in physique. Tang San stared, his thoughts drifting away.

Well, whatever this creature was, it was not human. While Tang San had seen plenty of strange beasts in his past life, the one standing before him was unfamiliar. The creature was more than two meters tall and had the body of a human male but with the head of a wolf. It had protruding fangs and emitted a strange odor. Its ripped physique had almost torn the doorframe upon entering the room.

"It's been a month. Hand it over," the wolf demon snarled at Tang San's mother. Hearing this, she cradled Tang San tightly in her embrace, tears falling from her fearful eyes.

A month? Tang San could finally grasp some simple words of the language spoken in this world. Emotions he couldn't yet comprehend washed over him. This wolf demon seemed to want to take him away, but why? As fresh meat for consumption?