The bosses either hadn’t processed it yet or had some other reason—they remained silent.
Liu Mo hurriedly shared the news in the group chat.
Team Two Captain Dong Man: 【He turned out to be the consciousness of the novel world. So novel worlds can give birth to consciousness? Does that mean all the novels we’ve transmigrated into before might…】
Her words left the book transmigrators in silence.
They were all elite book transmigrators handpicked by the Book Transmigration Bureau, with plenty of experience across countless novel worlds. Some were low-level and obviously fake, while others felt as real as their own world. But regardless, they treated them all as mere novels.
Just novels.
So there was no need to overthink it. They took what they needed and wrecked things when necessary.
But what if the novel world had its own consciousness?
Team One Captain Du Feili: 【If he’s the consciousness of the novel world, did he know about us the moment we transmigrated in?】
Team Two Captain Dong Man: 【Yes, yes! I just remembered—on the first day I met him, he said something to me. I didn’t get it at the time, but now I do!】
Team Three Captain Lu Dong: 【What did he say?】
Team Two Captain Dong Man: 【Back then, he said he liked me because I held goodwill toward him. I was thrilled and said I liked him too. Then he told me, “Then you must watch me closely.”】
Team Two Captain Dong Man: 【He meant for me to really look at this novel world, right? And he mentioned my goodwill because Mad Flower Blood Moon was always treated like a forbidden book—barely anyone acknowledged it?】
Liu Mo glanced at Bai Chen and instinctively took a step back.
So, did he know Liu Mo was standing right there too?
Team Three Captain Lu Dong: 【He definitely knew. In fact, Du Feili got pulled back into the novel after his first transmigration because of him. Even Du Feili’s escape was thanks to him. He probably wanted Du Feili to bring more people in, so more “viewers” could look at the novel and help him gather energy to take form.】
Team One Captain Du Feili: 【…】
Du Feili couldn’t help but recall those countless brutal failures—fleeing only to get dragged back, leading others to escape only for them all to get recaptured…
Team One – Niu Lingyu: 【I think he knew too. He just ignored us and let us watch. Of course, he also hoped we’d fail. If we fail this time, the Book Transmigration Bureau will send even more people next time, right?】
【…】
Team One Captain Du Feili: 【He might know. The Living Dead definitely knows. He doesn’t just know—he knows our world has the Book Transmigration System and that we frequently hop into other novel worlds for resources.】
He cracked a bitter joke: 【Not bad for a well-traveled Living Dead who’s seen it all.】
They seemed doomed, yet also on the verge of salvation.
The Living Dead knew where they came from and could wipe out their world as easily as pie. Bai Chen knew they were book transmigrators and could kill them without breaking a sweat.
But these apocalypse bosses—maybe, just maybe—had lost interest in their world. Maybe they didn’t want to leave this one anymore.
Qiao Qingshuang was the first to speak, his expression no longer as icy as before. “I’ve had some awareness for a long time now. I just never imagined the full truth would be like this.”
“Brother.” Bai Chen latched onto him the moment he spoke.
He wasn’t using Xiao Li’s body this time; he was in his original form. No one seeing him like this would think he was human. Even with human-like features, they transcended anything humanly possible—exquisitely divine, not to mention the cascade of silver-white hair trailing behind him.
As Bai Chen hugged him, Qiao Qingshuang instinctively steadied him, his hands brushing against that long hair and body. It felt different from Xiao Li’s, yet exactly the same to the touch.
Any lingering awkwardness dissolved in that moment. Back on Frost Mountain, Qiao Qingshuang had once told Xiao Li that no matter what form he took, Qiao Qingshuang would protect him.
“When I was little, I read my own fortune,” Qiao Qingshuang said. “It showed I had shallow karmic ties—no family would stay with me for long in this life.”
“So when I first met you and you claimed to be my little brother, I didn’t believe you one bit.”
He hadn’t believed it at all, firmly rejecting the idea. Yet even then, he’d ordered tests to confirm.
Once he learned it was true—his own flesh-and-blood brother, the only one left in the world—he’d been thrilled. But he hadn’t dared let him stay. His grandparents, parents—they’d all died when he was young. This brother was the sole blood tie he had left. How could he risk keeping him?
Qiao Qingshuang had sat alone in his study, locking Xiao Li outside. Xiao Li sat there for ages, crying and calling for his brother, begging him not to abandon him.
Qiao Qingshuang had always been so cold; he should have ignored it, unmoved.
To steel his resolve, he’d consulted his fate again, hoping to confirm his doomed path and justify sending away his only brother.
But his fate had changed.
His fate chart still showed a single star—he was still that lone star. Yet now it drew closer to the sun, a sun immune to yang malevolence, one that could illuminate all things.
When he opened the door at dawn, he looked at the red-eyed boy and said, “From now on, you’ll be called Qiao Qingli.”
To Old Heavenly Master Qi, who had also deemed him a Heavenly Killing Lone Star, Qiao Qingshuang had said heaven was merciful—that was why he’d gained a brother.
He’d known all along this foolish brother of his—the one represented by the sun—was connected to the heavens. He’d just never expected it to be like this.
“You did nothing wrong. You needed love.” Qiao Qingshuang stroked his head, quickly finding that familiar sensation, and ruffled his hair again. “Just keep your eyes open. Some evil anomalies—”
“There shouldn’t be any other evil anomalies here, right?” Yin Bujie snorted with a laugh. “Is Celestial Master Qiao talking about me? What did I do?”
“I never planned to seek him out anyway,” Bai Chen quickly told Qiao Qingshuang. “I went to the Underground World to find him so I could teach evil anomalies a lesson for Brother, fetch food for Master, and grab a snack for myself.”
Yin Bujie: “?”
A blatant smile tugged at Qiao Qingshuang’s lips.
Jiang Yuanmu, who had been keeping his head down, finally looked up. Bai Chen drifted back to his side—they were about the same height. Bai Chen leaned in, rubbing his face against Jiang Yuanmu’s cheek. That mane of hair was just like A Nuan’s fur: soft as sunlit fluff, smooth as silk.
Jiang Yuanmu froze for a moment. The earlier distance was gone—this was A Nuan, his A Nuan who loved to rub against him.
“Sorry,” Bai Chen said.
His apology went beyond just the deception.
The first time he’d seen Jiang Yuanmu, Bai Chen had nearly burst into tears. Jiang Yuanmu had shouldered far too much for him. Qiao Qingshuang had fame and adoration; Yin Bujie only faced superficial scorn. But all the real malice had converged on Jiang Yuanmu.
“No need to apologize. I don’t care what you are—as long as you’re my little cat alone,” Jiang Yuanmu said. What concerned him more was: “What do you mean by fetching food for your master?”
“You’re no ordinary person.” Bai Chen could finally tell him. “You’re incredibly powerful. People want to stay away from you not because they hate you, but because you’re so strong they fear you.”
Right now, Jiang Yuanmu might even surpass Qiao Qingshuang.
Because for him—for this novel—the hatred and rejection outnumbered the love. With more malice than affection, Jiang Yuanmu outpowered Qiao Qingshuang.
“You need to replenish energy. You often sleepwalk at night hunting for food. I’ll help you find evil anomalies.”
At first, he’d hunted them on the surface world. But because of Qiao Qingshuang, surface anomalies were scarce. So he’d turned to the Underground World, bringing unruly ones for Jiang Yuanmu to devour. Soon, the underground anomalies grew obedient around him—no more fights or brawls, all politeness. So he’d selected the worst, most powerful ones for Jiang Yuanmu.
Under that feeding, Jiang Yuanmu’s power had skyrocketed.
That was why no evil anomaly dared approach Everbright Street anymore—not even the ones who lived normal lives had stuck around.
Jiang Yuanmu’s heart skipped a beat. Truth be told, he didn’t mind Bai Chen’s identity. A brother or a father? Fine for a cat lover like him.
As long as A Nuan was his cat alone.
Listening, he just felt a twinge of inferiority.
Inferior that he’d tried so hard to find food for A Nuan, when A Nuan barely needed it.
Inferior that he was so ordinary, so lowly compared to these three.
Turns out, while he’d scrounged food for A Nuan by day, A Nuan had been doing the same for him by night—even taking a “father” partly because of him.
Turns out, he wasn’t lowly at all. He wielded immense power too; he just hadn’t known.
“Thanks.” A smile lit the boy’s face, shining with the pure light of youth.
With both accepting and smiling, Bai Chen settled back down.
“What about me? Should I leave?” Yin Bujie asked.
Qiao Qingshuang polished his sword. “Yes, please do.”
Yin Bujie stood to go, but Bai Chen said wistfully, “Go ahead. It’s not like it’s your first time abandoning ship. You can always find another world.”
Yin Bujie: “…”
Liu Mo: “…”
The invisible Liu Mo nearly spoke up for the first time, shouting for him to stay.
“No, when have I ever ditched my family like that?” Yin Bujie sat back down as he protested.
“You have,” Bai Chen said. “You did it before. I restarted time for that world you nearly destroyed, all by myself. In the old timeline, you did exactly that. Don’t believe me? Ask him.”
Liu Mo: “…”
He quickly shared that line in the group chat.
Yin Bujie hadn’t realized he’d shifted from accuser to defender. “That me from back then isn’t me now! I didn’t even know the world was like my son!”
As he spoke, his lips twitched suspiciously upward.
“You can’t judge me now based on my past ignorance! Giving me the cold shoulder every day.”
“Besides.” The lord of evil anomalies deflected, pointing at Chu Xuzhou. “He’s been to other worlds too. How can a fickle corpse like that be your boyfriend?”
Qiao Qingshuang kept polishing his sword, enunciating each word: “Mm. Boyfriend.”
Jiang Yuanmu looked up too, eyeing him with clear displeasure.
A cat could have a dad or a brother—no issue. But a boyfriend? That was different.
Chu Xuzhou: “…”
