Puppet Notes (Wearing Book) - 102

 

| PN | Cry | 102

“What do you mean?”

Old Liu's lips were pale and dry, his eyes filled with fear, clearly shaken.

However, the man in front of the cave looked even worse. He listened to the howling wind outside and seemed to suddenly realize something. Grabbing Old Liu’s arm urgently, he said, “Hurry, get out of here!”

Old Liu staggered a bit from being pulled but did not resist, closely following the man.

As soon as he stepped outside, he felt an immediate discomfort, a wave of nausea rising in his stomach, making him double over as if he might vomit.

“Move quickly.”

The man urged again.

Old Liu, looking ashen, nodded vigorously.

The eerie quiet of the forest tonight was unsettling. Besides the howling wind, there was no other sound. The monsters that had emerged during the day were nowhere to be seen. 

This ominous silence was unnerving, especially with the man’s pale, distressed face adding to Old Liu’s anxiety.

The man’s name was Zhang Li.

He never expected to end up in a book he had recently abandoned. Zhang Li was losing his mind. 

If only he had landed in a more ordinary book, but this was an *extremely high-mortality-rate, illogical mess* of a novel.

Zhang Li hadn’t finished reading this novel; he didn't like the endless escape novels and lost interest after a few chapters. If he had known he would end up here, he would have memorized the entire text from the beginning.

But it was too late to say anything now.

Regret was consuming Zhang Li as he led Old Liu deeper into the forest, desperately trying to recall the now-fuzzy plot. He realized that too much time had passed, and he could only remember some general details.

The protagonist, Lu Chen, was an honorable and noble Empire Marshal dedicated to humanity.

The novel began from Lu Chen’s perspective.

The Empires' superhumans began to disappear one after another, and the Marshal, along with his team, ventured into a mysterious place where they encountered the long-lost superhumans.

Zhang Li remembered that the superhumans in the trial grounds suffered greatly. The monsters delighted in torturing them. 

After the Red Moon event, the trial grounds became an even more terrifying existence than hell itself. Lu Chen’s team arrived in this place during the second month of the Red Moon.

Having read countless novels, Zhang Li immediately abandoned this one when he encountered the clichéd plot.

It was obvious that the Empire Marshal, Lu Chen, would eventually defeat the monsters, rescue the superhumans, and, of course, there would be plenty of infighting among the superhumans.

“What are we doing now?” Old Liu asked, feeling weak as he looked at Zhang Li’s back.

“Find a place where we can see the Red Moon clearly!” Zhang Li answered anxiously, turning around to shout.

The protagonist group hadn’t arrived yet. Zhang Li needed to survive the Red Moon under the monsters' onslaught and meet up with the protagonist group. Only then would there be a chance to escape from this hellish place.

“Where should we hide?” Old Liu gasped, feeling increasingly nauseous as they ran deeper into the forest. His body seemed to instinctively reject what lay ahead.

Zhang Li knew that the Red Moon event had already occurred at the point where he abandoned the book, which was a small consolation. He understood what would happen during the trial grounds’ Red Moon.

“Don’t ask questions now!”

In this life-or-death situation, Zhang Li had no time to answer Old Liu’s questions. He sprinted ahead with urgency, his tone impatient.

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Li quickly pushed Old Liu into a patch of grass. Beyond the grass was a lake—the only place where the sky was clearly visible.

Before Old Liu could ask anything more, he saw a man at the edge of the lake drinking the water with his hands. 

Before the man could stand up, countless deformed puppets suddenly appeared behind him. Shadows enveloped the man, blocking out all light.

Old Liu had seen that man before in the cave.

His mouth fell open in horror as he watched the man being torn apart by the deformed puppets. The sounds of the monsters’ eerie laughter and the man’s screams filled his ears.

His breathing became rapid, sweat beading on his forehead. His teeth chattered uncontrollably as he stammered, “He won’t die. This hellish place can heal from any injury.”

That wasn’t necessarily true.

Zhang Li knew that after the Red Moon event, the monsters became even more vicious. 

Although the deformed creatures had roamed at night before, they didn’t usually harm people. 

After today, this restriction would be lifted, and the healing rate for humans torn apart by these creatures would slow down significantly.

The book didn’t explain it clearly, but it was evident that if the healing rate couldn’t keep up with the rate of injury, humans would undoubtedly die.

Thinking about this, Zhang Li licked his dry lips and, once the shadows had vanished, released Old Liu. He whispered urgently, “Stay here and don’t go near the lake.”

“Why?” Old Liu, still uneasy about the man by the lake, could vaguely see the man’s bloodied, torn body and the blood-soaked grass beneath him under the crimson moonlight.

“Under the Red Moon, you won’t be chased as long as you don’t approach the lake’s edge,” Zhang Li explained. He remembered this detail clearly, even though it seemed a bit far-fetched. 

Apparently, a superhuman team had tried to leave the toxic forest on this night, pursued by rampaging monsters. 

The monsters only stopped their pursuit when the team reached this area, but if the team approached the lake, they would be chased again, as if the lake was crucial to the monsters.

“So that’s how it is,” Old Liu nodded in understanding, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He then asked, “What should we do next?”

“We wait for the protagonist group to arrive.”

Zhang Li didn’t hide the truth. Since Old Liu was also a transmigrator, having someone from the same world made this unfamiliar and nightmarish place a bit more reassuring.

“The protagonist group?” 

Old Liu, middle-aged and familiar with the term, was troubled by the implication. So he not only transmigrated but ended up in a book as well? 

Given the monstrous nature of this place, he had a sinking feeling:

“What... what kind of book is this?”

Zhang Li’s face darkened. “It’s a trashy horror novel. I didn’t finish it, but according to the trope, this hellish place was definitely created by some deranged, bored villain. Damn, I hope the protagonist deals with that disgusting person soon.”

…

Meanwhile, in the villa’s garden, Agu cheerfully said, “Father is quite a leisurely person. Agu once saw Father stay up at night, sitting in the basement, counting his diamonds and jewels.”

“He would count them once, then count them again in reverse. By the time he finished, the sun would be up.”

It sounded rather amusing, especially when applied to Shen Yuxi, giving an inexplicable sense of cuteness.

But when Qi Chao heard Agu’s words, he subtly furrowed his brows. “Is Shen Yuxi suffering from insomnia?”

If he wasn’t, he could easily count those things during the day. Clearly, counting gold and jewels until dawn was a way to pass the time.

Agu was caught off guard by Qi Chao’s perceptiveness. 

He felt a jolt of concern. His father was skilled at using various means to achieve his goals and wouldn’t hesitate to play the part of the weak if necessary. 

However, his father’s past was a dark and sensitive topic that Agu would prefer to avoid. He worried that Qi Chao might connect his father’s insomnia with his troubled past.

While Agu found it amusing to see his father in an awkward light, he would never truly overstep his boundaries.

“No, Father sleeps very soundly,” Agu said with a smile, shifting the topic. “He really likes these flowers. Sometimes he asks Moss to pick a few and put them in the basement.”

Qi Chao followed Agu’s pointing finger and saw the flowers he was talking about. They resembled lilies in shape, also white but even more beautiful, with stamens that looked like scattered diamonds, glistening subtly under the moonlight.

His furrowed brow smoothed out quickly, and his lips curled into a slight smile. He sensed that Agu might be diverting the conversation and decided not to press further.

Indeed, Shen Yuxi had a liking for glittering things, even extending to flowers.

“Shall we head back now?” Qi Chao glanced at the time and, turning to the nearby children, said with a smile, “If you want to stay here a bit longer, feel free. I’ll call you when it’s time for dinner.”

Xiang Yue, who had been crouching on the ground admiring the flowers and plants, immediately stood up and moved to stand behind Qi Chao upon hearing his words.

“Xiang Yue wants to go back.”

Qi Chao glanced at Xiang Yue’s tail, which had picked up some dust from the earlier crouching. 

“Alright, when we get back, we’ll head to the bathroom first,” Qi Chao said, pausing before turning to look at the dirt-streaked Li Bai. “Li Bai, you should come to the bathroom with me too, understand?”

“Mm,” Li Bai replied, puzzled by how he had gotten so dirty. He had only been sniffing the flowers, and his white outer robe had turned quite black.

Lan Luo, Shuang Jian, and Xuan Jian were all clean, but they also wanted to leave with Qi Chao.

Meanwhile, Agu, who had been chatting with Qi Chao, smiled with his green eyes curving up. “Agu won’t head back just yet. Agu wants to enjoy the moon a bit longer.”

He gestured towards the enormous Red Moon in the sky.

Qi Chao nodded in understanding. He glanced at the Red Moon and smiled. “Alright, enjoy the view a bit more, but don’t wander off. Dinner will be ready soon.”

After bringing the children to the garden in the morning to water the flowers, Qi Chao had returned to the living room and heard on the projection screen that tonight was a once-in-a-thousand-years Red Moon. 

So, he had taken the children out again in the evening to watch the moon.

However, moon-gazing wasn't particularly entertaining; it was more about the novelty of the event. 

Qi Chao glanced at Agu, who seemed genuinely enthusiastic, and felt a bit surprised.

After returning to the living room with the children, Qi Chao headed to the kitchen, and it wasn’t long before Shen Yuxi joined him.

He didn’t bring up what Agu had mentioned earlier, but the suspicion about Shen Yuxi’s insomnia lingered in his mind, unresolved. 

He also hadn’t forgotten the past revelations Shen Yuxi had shared last night in the dimly lit basement. 

From that gloomy place, it was clear that despite having a responsible teacher, Shen Yuxi’s past life hadn’t been easy.

“Shen Yuxi, after the kids are asleep, how about we go out and enjoy the moon?” Qi Chao suggested.

“Enjoy the moon?” Shen Yuxi inquired.

Qi Chao nodded. The moon-gazing wasn’t the main goal; he wanted to discuss Shen Yuxi’s insomnia. “Tonight is a Red Moon.”

Seeing the smile in Qi Chao’s eyes, Shen Yuxi’s peach blossom eyes showed a hint of contemplation. 

After considering it, he confirmed that nothing had been exposed and responded softly, “Alright.”

That evening, after all the children, including the most mischievous Agu, had gone upstairs, Qi Chao and Shen Yuxi made their way to the garden.

The Red Moon shone through the clouds, casting its bright light onto the ground. Qi Chao sat down in a chair and handed a bottle of wine to Shen Yuxi.

Shen Yuxi took the bottle and noticed its warmth. He paused and looked at Qi Chao with his peach blossom eyes. “Is it warmed up?”

“Yes,” Qi Chao confirmed.

Since Shen Yuxi was sensitive to the cold, Qi Chao had taken the wine out of the freezer to ensure it was at a more comfortable temperature for him.

Shen Yuxi’s slender, pale fingers tightened slightly around the bottle, and a faint smile curved at the corners of his mouth.

Meanwhile, Agu, the night owl, stood on the balcony with his green eyes narrowed. He had originally wanted to gaze at the Red Moon some more, feeling a twinge of regret for not being able to personally participate in the trial grounds. 

However, what he saw next was a delightful surprise.

Wow, is this some sort of secret affair?

Though Agu knew “secret affair” wasn’t quite the right term, he didn’t care. 

He was intrigued by the amusing scene and instinctively moved to quietly climb the tree next to the balcony, intending to sneak into the garden and eavesdrop on Qi Chao and Shen Yuxi’s conversation.

Before Agu could leap into the tree, he was abruptly kicked back onto the balcony.

As Agu lay on the ground, his smile froze on his face.

Xiang Yue stood over him, his foot planted firmly on Agu’s chest. He tilted his head slightly, and his wings were spread behind him, blocking the light from the windows of the balcony. 

Only a few scattered beams of moonlight filtered through the gaps.

“You can’t eavesdrop on Dad’s conversation,” Xiang Yue said calmly, his expression betraying that he had been waiting outside for some time.

Agu, feeling wronged and frustrated, bit his lip. This was an unprecedented humiliation for him. 

Agu didn’t do anything.

Why don't you hear him out and step on Agu?

Xiang Yue noticed the tears welling up in Agu’s eyes. The dog ears on his head suddenly stiffened.

Can this puppet actually cry?

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