Puppet Notes (Wearing Book) - 97

 

| PN | Chaos | 97

When Qi Chao saw the message sent by Brother Shen, he was in the middle of teaching Shuang Jian and Xuan Jian how to read. He asked Xiang Yue to continue teaching the children, then got up and walked aside.

Doctor: [I’ve been quite busy lately. If you come over, I might not be able to go out with you.]

Doctor: [How about I come to see you in a while?]

Qi Chao lowered his head, looking at the message on his light brain screen, his eyes showing some thought. His thumb brushed over the screen, but he didn’t immediately reply to Shen Yuxi’s message.

Originally, he had been worried about Shen Yuxi due to the recent string of disappearances in the Empire, and he had been planning to go see him. Now that Brother Shen also expressed a desire to meet, Qi Chao was determined to go see him no matter what.

Remembering what Xiu Mei had said about the event happening in twenty days, the tension in Qi Chao’s heart eased a bit. Twenty days would be enough time; he could meet Brother Shen and return before the deadline.

Reflecting on it further, Brother Shen had always been the one to come to the Linjing District to visit him. Qi Chao had never taken the initiative to visit Ganfen District, and the only time he did was due to that unexpected event from the past.

Although Qi Chao had once stayed at Brother Shen's villa for a while, he didn't have a deep impression of the place due to his focus on teaching the children. 

He only remembered that the villa felt quite empty, and the cooking utensils in the kitchen looked brand new, as if they had never been used.

With that thought in mind, Qi Chao sent a few more messages on his light brain: [Brother Shen, you've been so busy these past few days. Have you been eating on time?]

On the other side, it seemed Shen Yuxi hadn't expected Qi Chao to steer the conversation in that direction. 

The chat interface quickly showed a single word: [Yes.]

Qi Chao, not surprised, responded: [Are you still just drinking nutritional supplements?]

[Yes.]

Shen Yuxi paused slightly as he saw Qi Chao’s question, unsure how Qi Chao had figured out that he was relying on nutritional supplements.

[When I was in your kitchen, I saw a few boxes of food-grade nutritional supplements stored under the counter,] Qi Chao explained quickly, not keeping Shen Yuxi in suspense. 

After a brief pause, he typed: [When I come over, I’ll make you something delicious.]

After he sent that message, a few seconds passed before Shen Yuxi replied.

Doctor: [Okay.]

Doctor: [Tomorrow, I’ll have Moss pick you up. Linjing District and Ganfen District are quite far apart.]

This time, Qi Chao didn’t refuse. After chatting with Brother Shen for a while longer, he put away his light brain and went back to the room to continue teaching the children how to read.

On the other side, ever since agreeing to let Qi Chao come over, Shen Yuxi’s eyes reflected a complex expression.

He knew he should have refused.

But Shen Yuxi also understood that if he had refused, it would have definitely aroused Qi Chao’s suspicion.

Even though Shen Yuxi was somewhat disconnected from human society, he knew that when a couple in a long-distance relationship hears their partner wants to visit, it’s not normal to say no.

His eyelashes lowered slightly, and his cold, pale fingers absentmindedly scraped the pages of the book. If he had followed through with his original plan of treating Qi Chao purely as a casual partner, perhaps he wouldn’t feel so conflicted now.

Shen Yuxi had been too eager to make the other person his, and now, his thin lips pressed together tightly. He deliberately ignored the deep-rooted desire to see Qi Chao.

He closed the book in his hands. Hearing a faint noise behind him, he spoke softly, "Call Moss over."

In the jungle, a deformed puppet with a broken leg quickly left after receiving the order. Once the faint sound disappeared, Shen Yuxi lifted his gaze to the shadow perched on the mother tree’s branches, narrowing his eyes slightly.

Underneath the thick foliage, countless human-shaped shadows clung to the branches, their eyes fixated on Shen Yuxi. 

They lurked within the shade, eerie and ominous, watching him like prey, as though ready to pounce at any moment. The sight would send chills down anyone’s spine.

However, despite the terrifying scene, there was no change in Shen Yuxi’s expression—he had grown accustomed to it.

These shadows were indeed highly dangerous.

In essence, they were far more difficult to control than regular puppets. At this stage, the shadows were gradually losing their sanity. If it weren't for the fact that Shen Yuxi was the one who had brought them here, he might have already been devoured by them.

Retracting his gaze, Shen Yuxi stood up when Moss arrived. "Tomorrow go and pick up Qi Chao and the others."

Pick up Qi Chao?

Moss looked up at his father, his eyes filled with confusion. It seemed he couldn’t quite understand how, in the short time he had been away, the situation had changed to where Qi Chao was now coming over.

“Make sure they don’t come out anytime soon,” Shen Yuxi added after a brief pause. “And don’t let Qi Chao notice anything unusual.”

Moss knew that when his father said "they," he was referring to the deformed puppets guarding the villa outside. Holding a stuffed doll in his arms, he looked at his father.

Normally, all it would take was a single command from Shen Yuxi for the puppets outside the villa to obediently follow orders. 

But now, with the presence of the shadows from the trial ground, the state of the deformed puppets outside was also being affected.

Moss understood that his father’s words meant there was no room for error when it came to those puppets. He nodded firmly and, in his raspy voice, replied, “Don’t worry, Father.”

Shen Yuxi responded with a quiet “Hmm” and said nothing further.

That evening during dinner, Qi Chao informed the puppets that they would be going to see Brother Shen the next day.

The children in the house reacted differently to the news.

Xiang Yue was indifferent about where they were going, as long as he was with his father. Shuang Jian and Xuan Jian felt the same way. 

However, Li Bai, upon hearing that they were going to visit his godfather, couldn’t stop smiling. His two little tiger teeth were particularly noticeable, as if he equated seeing his godfather with going on an adventure.

Lan Luo, who had been looking down at his favorite rainbow bear—a carved energy stone that Qi Chao had made for them—lifted his head at the news. Each puppet had a unique energy stone in their dish, but Lan Luo thought his rainbow bear was the most beautiful of them all.

When he heard Qi Chao’s announcement, Lan Luo tilted his head, his blue eyes filled with confusion. Unable to hold back, he asked, “Are we all going to see him together?”

Even now, Lan Luo’s emotions toward Shen Yuxi were still tied to awe and reverence. If he had to speak with Shen Yuxi face-to-face, he probably wouldn’t be able to say a single word. 

But with Qi Chao by his side, Lan Luo could relax a lot more.

Lan Luo liked seeing Qi Chao and Shen Yuxi together.

“Mm.” Qi Chao nodded and smiled. “Moss will come to pick us up tomorrow. If there’s anything you need to bring, make sure to pack it up tonight.”

Hearing Qi Chao’s confirmation, the smile on Lan Luo’s face brightened instantly, and he nodded vigorously, even speeding up the pace at which he ate his energy stone. Li Bai, noticing this, also started eating faster.

Shuang Jian and Xuan Jian, not quite understanding why the others were so excited, remained calm. 

However, Xiang Yue, sitting next to Qi Chao, seemed to think of something as his red eyes narrowed slightly.

After dinner, Qi Chao sat with the puppets on the sofa to watch some cartoons. As the night grew late, he urged the children to head to bed.

Watching Lan Luo and Li Bai walking ahead of him, Xiang Yue's tail swayed behind him before he suddenly spoke up: “The puppet that hurt Dad... it’s probably at godfather’s villa too, isn’t it?”

The puppets were now standing in the hallway while Qi Chao remained seated on the sofa in the living room. 

Xiang Yue’s voice was steady, not too loud but clear enough for all the puppets present to hear, including Shuang Jian and Xuan Jian behind him.

Xiang Yue remembered that his brother Li Bai had once told him about a puppet who had harmed their father. 

Xiang Yue had never forgotten this. He looked at Li Bai and Lan Luo and asked, “He should be there, right?”

Xiang Yue had a sharp memory, and he held grudges, especially when it came to anything involving his father.

Li Bai, hearing this, felt the long-buried memory resurface. His golden eyes glimmered beneath his mask as he bared his small tiger teeth and grinned at Xiang Yue, “He should be. When we get there, we’ll teach him a lesson together!”

Lan Luo would be happy to see Agu and Xiang Yue fight each other, beamed brightly and nodded along with Li Bai.

Standing in the back, Shuang Jian and Xuan Jian pieced together the situation from the fragments of conversation.

So, the father they cherished had once been harmed by a puppet? Their usually emotionless faces now reflected a chilling intent.

Xiang Yue glanced back as if sensing something, then said, "Come over here, let's plan together how we're going to deal with that puppet called Agu."

Shuang Jian, with his white hair and eyes, and Xuan Jian, with his black hair and eyes, hesitated briefly when they heard the invitation. 

But soon, they moved closer to join the others, listening intently as the puppets explained the story behind it all.

Meanwhile, Qi Chao, sitting on the sofa, was completely unaware that something he had long forgotten had been revived by the puppets in his home. 

He looked down at the message Moss had just sent him, a slight smile tugging at his lips.

Moss had recently purchased a light brain, and after adding each other as friends, Moss had started sending a photo of his doll every morning. He never added any text—just quietly shared a new hairstyle he had created for the doll, as if simply wanting to let Qi Chao know about his small, creative updates.

This latest message was to inform Qi Chao about the exact time Moss would be arriving at the house tomorrow.

How obedient and punctual.

Qi Chao smiled.

The next morning, Moss, having completed everything as instructed by his father, arrived at Qi Chao's villa right on time. Standing not far off were two unfamiliar puppets. 

Moss took a quick glance at them before looking away, guessing that they must be the new puppets Qi Chao had made.

“Moss, you’re right on time,” Qi Chao said with a smile. He looked down and noticed Moss still holding the doll close, and he patted Moss’s shoulder affectionately.

“Moss is never late,” Moss replied, his lips moving beneath the bandages that covered his face. His expression was unusually serious as he spoke.

He nodded to the puppets behind him and then turned back to reopen the spatial vortex.

The spatial vortex connected to Shen Yuxi's villa. Qi Chao glanced around at the somewhat cold and sparse decor but said nothing. 

Instead, he turned to Moss and asked, "Where's Brother Shen?"

"Father is in the basement," Moss replied honestly.

Qi Chao nodded and turned to the children. "Li Bai and Lan Luo should be familiar with this place. You two take your younger brother’s and have a good time. I’m going to check on your godfather in the basement."

"Okay!" Li Bai responded eagerly.

Lan Luo, standing nearby, also displayed a sweet and angelic smile.

Seeing this, Moss was about to lead Qi Chao, but Qi Chao stopped him. "I know where the basement is. Moss, you go and stay with Li Bai and Lan Luo. We wouldn’t want them to get carried away and cause trouble."

Having stayed at Shen Yuxi's villa before, Qi Chao knew the location of the basement, even though he had never been there. 

Moss nodded and, noticing that Qi Chao was indeed heading towards the basement, felt a slight shift in his mood. 

He then looked at the nearby puppets, who were all staring at him with a purposeful gaze, making him feel a bit uneasy.

“Brother Moss, is Agu in the villa?” Lan Luo asked.

“No, he isn’t,” Moss replied hoarsely.

“When will he be back?”

The question came from Xiang Yue.

“I don’t know,” Moss replied.

Seeing the disheartened look on the puppets’ faces, Moss seemed to understand what they wanted to do. He knew that Agu's behavior often made him disliked, and given the circumstances, it was clear that these puppets probably wanted to give Agu a good beating.

Moss didn’t mind the puppets taking action against Agu, as he often did so himself. He adjusted the doll in his arms and said, “I’ll take you to see your rooms.”

Meanwhile, Agu, stationed far away in the trial ground, was unaware that a group of puppets was eagerly thinking about beating him up. 

He sat on a tree, observing with interest the actions of a man known as “Old Liu.”

At that moment, the man was screaming loudly at the sight of severed human limbs, trembling all over. His fear was evident to anyone watching.

How interesting.

Agu watched Old Liu’s expression with a smile. Despite being someone who had been in the trial ground for over six months, seeing a few severed arms caused such a reaction, which was clearly abnormal.

Schizophrenia?

Could it be that he's been scared into a breakdown? 

No, Agu squinted as he observed Old Liu’s pupils, which had expanded in fear. This state seemed more like that of a newcomer who had never experienced the trial ground before.

Perhaps finding this amusing, Agu didn’t intervene or call forth the deformed puppets. He simply stayed perched in the tree, watching with interest as Old Liu reacted with increasing fear and screams at the sight of the severed arms.

After about ten minutes, Old Liu stopped screaming, though his mental state was clearly deteriorating, becoming more like those first-time visitors to the trial ground.

Having seen enough, Agu grinned, as if he had discovered something entertaining. He left the deformed puppets to guard Old Liu and skipped back to the base of the Mother Tree.

The Mother Tree, located at the center of the trial ground, exuded an eerie, damp, and dark aura that made it extremely uncomfortable for humans. 

However, Agu , being a puppet, found this chilling atmosphere quite pleasant. As he approached the giant Mother Tree, he noticed that his father was not there. 

Agu’s slitted eyes opened fully, revealing his curiosity.

How peculiar.

It should be around nine in the morning now, and Agu expected his father to have arrived long ago. Looking up at the shadows flitting among the branches, he felt a bit puzzled. 

Although these shadows wouldn’t cause any major trouble, given his father's suspicious nature, it was normal for him to check on them seven or eight times a day. 

The fact that his father hadn’t appeared yet was clearly unusual.

Leaning against the Mother Tree and unable to figure out why, Agu decided to use his light brain to send a message to his father. Given how interesting the recent events had been, he thought his father would also be interested. 

But as he opened the screen, Agu suddenly remembered that he might have upset his father yesterday.

So, instead of messaging his father, Agu directly called Moss. Even though Moss hadn’t given him his light brain number, Agu was well aware of everything he wanted to know.

When Moss’s upper body appeared in the projection, Agu greeted him with a cheerful tone, “Hi, big brother, how are you? Did you miss Agu?”

As soon as Agu finished speaking, he noticed a stranger puppet with dog ears standing nearby. 

He could also faintly hear the voices of Li Bai and Lan Luo in the background, which led him to an immediate realization. So, is this why his father was late today?

Agu’s smile widened as he made a heart gesture toward the unfamiliar puppet. With a cheerful tone, he said, “Hello! I’m Agu. You can call me Brother Agu. I’ll get you some high-quality energy stones!”

Moss, watching the lively projection of Agu, had a puzzled expression under his bandages. How did Agu know his light brain number?

Next to him, Xiang Yue’s red eyes darkened as he stared at the smiling black-skinned puppet. 

Was this the puppet that had hurt his father? 

His tail flicked slightly, indicating his struggle to calm his emotions.

He fixed his gaze on the puppet and asked, “Where are you now?”

“Agu is outside,” Agu replied, detecting the intent behind Xiang Yue’s words. He maintained his cheerful demeanor and asked, “Do you want to come and find me?”

“Come quickly. Agu is so bored,” Agu said, chatting endlessly but deliberately avoiding revealing his exact location. 

His eyes sparkled with mischief, clearly enjoying the game. “Even though Agu doesn’t know you, Agu is friendly and gets along well with everyone. All puppets like...”

As Agu rambled on, his tone grew increasingly unsettling. Before he could finish, the screen went black. 

The next moment, Agu saw a pair of jet-black wings.

The wings fluttered slightly as the black-haired puppet with dog ears floated in the air, and the wings left behind two beautiful black feathers that slowly fell, turning into shimmering starlight.

“He can fly!” Agu exclaimed in shock. Even more surprising was, “Is he coming to find Agu?”

Li Bai, who had been watching Xiang Yue disappear into the sky, turned his head, his golden eyes showing some confusion. He didn’t quite understand why Agu would ask such a question.

“Of course he’s coming to find you!” Li Bai said. 

As a responsible older brother, he understood Xiang Yue well, even if he was taciturn. “His nose is very sensitive. If you’re not far from here, you’ll meet Xiang Yue soon.”

Just earlier, while they were exploring the rooms, Xiang Yue had already memorized Agu’s scent.

Upon hearing this, both Moss and Agu tensed up. Even Lan Luo, who was nearby, sensed that something was off.

Lan Luo didn’t realize how sharp Xiang Yue’s sense of smell was, but he could tell from the background behind Agu that he was definitely in the trial ground. 

If Xiang Yue really found the trial ground, their father would certainly be upset.

His blue eyes showed signs of anxiety.

Agu, quickly realizing what was happening, shut down his light brain and dashed toward the edge of the trial ground. 

No need to panic, no need to panic.

Agu’s eyes narrowed slightly. The illusion barrier of the Mother Tree would block everything. 

Even if the puppet named Xiang Yue managed to find this place, he wouldn’t be able to detect anything unusual. To ordinary puppets or humans, this place would just appear as a regular desolate mountain.

Only those carrying a special token can be recognized by the Mother Tree and enter the real space.

Despite this understanding, Agu kept running toward the edge of the trial ground. Before he could make it out, a cold wind blew past. 

When Agu looked up, his smile completely froze.

It was clear that the other party had entered by stepping onto the Mother Tree’s barrier. 

Although it was only a few steps away, there was no doubt that Xiang Yue could enter the trial ground.

How did he get in?

Agu's thoughts were in disarray.

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