Puppet Notes (Wearing Book) - 167

 

| PN | Loose | 167

"...Brother, why do you not make any sound while walking?"  

Qi Yang fell silent for a moment, then switched to another topic.  

If the group of people who survived alongside him in the infinite world saw him acting this timid, they would never associate Qi Yang with the No. 1 ranked existence.  

"Don’t change the subject. I’m asking you—what did you mean earlier when you mentioned my brother Shen?"  

Realizing that his attempt to change the subject had failed, Qi Yang instinctively averted his gaze, clearly feeling guilty.  

Qi Chao furrowed his brows, his voice unconsciously lowering, carrying a hint of warning. "Don’t make me angry."  

Qi Yang was hiding many things from him—for instance, why Qi Yang called the system "baby," or how he knew about Shen Yuxi. These were things he needed to get to the bottom of.  

Qi Chao was very patient by nature.  

But if his brother got angry, Qi Yang would get nervous.  

"I won’t lie to you."  

Qi Yang immediately swore an oath.  

But in truth, when it came to revealing the whole truth, Qi Yang hesitated. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to share Shen Yuxi’s situation; rather, if he exposed what had just happened, his brother would undoubtedly become suspicious of him. 

The secrets about his previous life might also come to light.  

The system hidden in Qi Yang’s mind found the scene amusing. It was the first time it had ever seen Qi Yang acting so timid.  

To think that back when he escaped from prison, even when bombs were exploding right in front of him, Qi Yang hadn’t so much as blinked.  

In the end, Qi Yang decided to tell the truth.  

He knew just how stubborn his brother could be. Besides, Qi Chao had already heard enough of the truth to make it impossible to brush things off casually.  

“It’s exactly as it sounds. Brother, you know about the existence of the Trial Grounds, so you must also realize that Shen Yuxi isn’t as gentle as he appears on the surface. In the original timeline, his ending with the puppet wasn’t a good one.”  

As Qi Yang observed his brother’s unchanged expression, he realized that Qi Chao probably knew more than he’d initially assumed. Gathering his thoughts, Qi Yang continued, “This is what the system told me. Everything else, it’s just my own speculation.”  

"Continue."  

Qi Chao closed the door and sat in the chair behind the desk, his gaze fixed on his younger brother.  

Brother Shen and the kids were all downstairs, so he had plenty of time to listen to his brother explain everything.  

Standing in front of the desk, Qi Yang suddenly felt a strange sense of déjà vu, as though he was a child again and was caught eating too much candy and ending up with cavities, confessing his misdeeds in front of his elder brother.  

He steadied himself, shaking off the odd sensation, and continued:  

"According to the system, this dimension is derived from a certain book. In such cases, the dimension itself is inherently flawed. If anything goes wrong, the dimension will likely mechanically reset the timeline to its original course."  

"But the endpoint of the fate line in this dimension is destruction."  

This was something Qi Chao had learned from a transmigrator. In the original story, the plot had suddenly taken a dark turn, and Brother Shen had used some unknown means to destroy the entire Blue Star.  

Qi Yang looked at his elder brother and said, "So, the purpose of this world plane is to destroy itself."  

Qi Chao’s fingers trembled slightly.  

"Just like I said earlier, Shen Yuxi, who was originally supposed to remain healthy and live until the end of the story, suddenly falling ill is actually the world consciousness twisting the plot."  

"Targeting one of the world's pillars shows how unstable the dimension is right now. It's not rational—it's even absurdly foolish. If it keeps failing to reset the timeline, this unconscious dimensional consciousness might accumulate enough energy to bypass logic entirely and skip straight to the end."  

"In other words, straight to self-destruction."  

Qi Yang paused for a moment. "In fact, even before entering this dimension, I already had a chilling feeling about it."  

This ominous sensation stemmed from Qi Yang’s special ability: danger perception.  

It was a skill that had saved his life countless times in his past existence, and one of the crucial reasons he had been able to escape from prison.  

He watched his older brother’s silent expression, finding it difficult to guess what Qi Chao was thinking.  

"Brother, you don’t need to worry. Before this dimension collapses, I’ll make sure to take you away."  

Qi Yang thought to himself: if his brother wouldn’t agree, taking the villain along would work too. 

He could focus on getting his brother out first and deal with Shen Yuxi afterward.  

"Is there no way to stop it?"  

When Qi Chao heard Qi Yang’s words, he didn’t show any trace of happiness. Instead, his brows furrowed.  

"Why stop it? This is the dimension’s own choice," Qi Yang said, puzzled. "This is a thankless task. Neither I nor the system has ever heard of anyone trying something like this."  

Qi Chao remained silent, but his heart grew heavier.  

It wasn’t just about Brother Shen’s health—it was also about Blue Star.  

After nearly four years of living here, Qi Chao had built a life. He had family, friends, and three disciples. These were ties he couldn’t easily cut, and leaving wasn’t as simple as it sounded.  

More importantly, no one could guarantee that even if they left the dimension before its collapse, people like Brother Shen, the puppets, and Qi Chao himself—integral parts of this world—would survive once the dimension was destroyed.  

"Brother, are you thinking of stopping the dimension from self-destructing?"  

Qi Yang’s throat felt dry.  

When he saw that Qi Chao didn’t deny it, Qi Yang was at a loss for words.  

He thought he was already daring enough, but he hadn’t expected his brother to be even more crazy.

"So, do you know how to stop the world plane from self-destructing?" Qi Chao repeated.  

His expression was serious, and his green eyes, devoid of any hint of humor, made it clear that he was genuinely considering the matter.  

Qi Yang looked at his brother and suddenly said, "Brother, aren’t you worried that I might just be making this up? Why do you trust me so much?"  

Most people, upon hearing about something as unscientific as dimensional consciousness, would instinctively dismiss it as nonsense.  

"Because I don’t think you’d lie to me."  

Qi Chao knew his younger brother well. Qi Yang had never lied about important matters.  

"Is that so?"  

Qi Yang lowered his head and let out a brief laugh.  

"There is a way to stop the world's consciousness from self-destructing. This world’s dimension is flawed, which is why its consciousness is muddled and heading toward destruction."  

"A normal world consciousness wouldn’t want to disappear. To stop it, you’d first need to make it whole," Qi Yang explained.  

"And to strengthen world consciousness, there are very few methods. The simplest one is to use the most energy-rich and powerful entity within the dimension as its nourishment, helping it grow."  

This was the simplest method, yet even this was practically impossible for them. Qi Yang didn’t voice that part, not wanting to upset his brother.  

Surprisingly, Qi Chao’s expression softened slightly, a subtle trace of relief appearing on his face.  

"I understand," Qi Chao said.  

Qi Yang, noticing his brother’s response, assumed Qi Chao didn’t fully grasp the difficulty of the situation and added an explanation: "No one knows what the most powerful entity in this dimension is. Even if we wanted to find it, it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. And this dimension probably only has about a month left before it disappears completely."  

Before they could figure out what that entity was, the dimension would likely self-destruct first.  

“Mm, I know.”  

Qi Chao nodded again.  

Does my brother actually know what that thing is?  

Qi Yang was puzzled. Just as he was about to ask, he heard Qi Chao say:  

“Now it’s time to talk about why you know so much.”  

“And why do you keep calling the system baby. What exactly are you up to?”  

Qi Yang: …  

This was going to be a long explanation.  

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Shen Yuxi heard the soft ding sound and turned toward the oven. 

He got up, walked over, and carefully took out the pastries Qi Chao had made earlier.  

Qi Chao still hadn’t come down from the second floor.

Shen Yuxi’s eyelashes trembled slightly as he felt the heat rising from the tray. His pale lips seemed even paler.  

He was curious about what the two upstairs were discussing.  

But this time, he hadn’t instructed Ayu to monitor Qi Chao.  

Hearing the sound of the wooden kitchen door opening, Shen Yuxi turned his head and smiled gently. “You’re here?”  

Seeing Shen Yuxi’s warm smile, Qi Chao felt a subtle sense of relief. But remembering what his brother had said about Shen Yuxi’s health earlier, his own smile faded slightly. He gave a soft hum in response.  

As Shen Yuxi approached, Qi Chao leaned his head onto Shen Yuxu’s shoulder.  

“Tired?” Shen Yuxi asked, a bit puzzled.  

“A little,” Qi Chao replied, wrapping his arms tightly around Shen Yuxi’s waist. “What about you, Brother Shen? Are you still feeling upset?”  

Before Qi Chao went upstairs, Shen Yuxi had been upset by the knowledge of how the association had converted Moss and the others in the previous life.  

“Much better,” Shen Yuxi replied softly. Then, with a gentle concern, he added, “What about you? Did Yangyang say something to upset you?”  

“I’m not upset. I just learned that your poor health is because of the world consciousness,” Qi Chao answered honestly, not hiding anything.  

Shen Yuxi, who had been in a relaxed state, immediately stiffened at those words, his back going rigid.  

“You know too, don’t you? Of course, you do. You’re pretty smart,” Qi Chao murmured, his voice calm but tinged with an undertone of tension.  

Qi Chao lifted his head from Shen Yuxi’s shoulder, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studied him. But instead of pursuing the matter, he rested his head back down again.  

He didn’t ask why Shen Yuxi hadn’t told him earlier.  

There was no point in questioning past decisions. Knowing Shen Yuxi’s personality, it was clear he had tried to handle everything himself, sparing Qi Chao from worrying.  

"Does your body feel uncomfortable anywhere right now?"  

"No, I  just have occasional headaches," Shen Yuxi replied.  

It seemed like Shen Yuxi had sensed that Qi Chao wasn’t angry, and he relaxed a little, though there was still some lingering guilt.  

Qi Chao gave a soft hum in response and gently ran his right hand through Shen Yuxi's long hair. "I'll give you a massage later."  

The more Qi Chao treated him well, the more uneasy Shen Yuxi felt. His voice was muffled as he spoke. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier... I really didn’t want you to worry. You were already upset because of the association, and I didn’t want to see you sad again."  

"I know."  

Qi Chao reassured him, then gave a light laugh. "I wasn’t angry. I just felt sorry for you."  

Shen Yuxi’s heart eased a little, and a faint smile appeared in his eyes, the rosy tint on his cheeks softening his otherwise pale complexion.  

Seeing this, Qi Chao couldn’t resist. He leaned down and kissed Shen Yuxi softly. When Shen Yuxi’s eyelashes fluttered, and his fingers subconsciously tugged at his shirt, Qi Chao pulled back. 

Instead of continuing, he rested his forehead gently against Shen Yuxi's shoulder.  

The world consciousness had to be fixed as soon as possible.  

Otherwise, Shen Yuxi’s safety would hang over Qi Chao’s heart like a sword.  

Originally, Qi Chao had planned to go back to the Linjing District first to investigate the association and the royal family, to prevent the events of the previous life from happening again. 

But now, it was clear that the world consciousness was the more urgent matter.  

Perhaps the association and the royal family were both manipulated by the world consciousness, Qi Chao thought, his lips pressing into a tight line. He knew he had to go to the Trial Ground.  

Qi Chao’s actions were swift. After lunch, he excused himself to go out and, with his younger brother in tow, left the villa under Shen Yuxi and the puppets' puzzled gazes.  

According to what Qi Yang had said, to repair the world consciousness, they needed to supply energy from the most energy-rich entity within the dimension.  

As the incarnation of the Mother Tree, Qi Chao knew that nothing in this world could provide more abundant energy than the Mother Tree.  

However, if the Mother Tree’s energy were used as nourishment for the world consciousness, there was a significant risk. If the energy supply from the tree ran out, the Mother Tree itself could be drained dry. 

For this reason, Qi Chao had to ensure the Mother Tree had sufficient energy beforehand. 

Qi Yang followed his older brother in silence, his mind racing as he tried to gather more information from his baby about this strange place.  

[I’m not sure. I've never been here while staying by the host's side.]

Qi Yang glanced at his brother's back, hesitating for a moment before speaking up. “Brother, where exactly are you taking me?”  

“To find the Mother Tree.”  

“Mother Tree?”  

Qi Yang didn’t know what that was, and his baby hadn’t told him either.  

Qi Chao gave a soft hum in response, leading him to the enormous tree, one of the incarnations of the Mother Tree.  

Noticing the confusion in his brother’s eyes, Qi Chao paused and turned to him. “I didn’t tell you before, but you should know now. I’m currently the incarnation of the Mother Tree.”  

The Mother Tree’s incarnation.

Qi Yang looked at the towering tree in front of him, then glanced back at his older brother. The once-dominant figure, the No. 1 powerhouse, appeared a bit lost. 

He couldn’t understand why his brother had become a tree.  

When he heard the sharp, eerie cries coming from the tree branches above, Qi Yang became more cautious. He could tell the shadows in the tree were trying to drive them away.  

“What are those things?”  

“They’re the children of the Mother Tree,” Qi Chao answered, his eyes softening with a tenderness that reflected the affection of an elder toward a younger. “Aren’t they adorable?”  

Qi Yang looked up at the shadows on the branches, their mouths wide open with jagged, bloodthirsty teeth, letting out terrifying cries that seemed to radiate an ominous aura. 

For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.  

His brother called these things adorable?

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