Our Entire Family Has Secrets [Transmigrated] - Chapter 40
Chapter 40
Yuan Wanjiao stood at the entrance of the community waiting for him.
The night had completely fallen, and the faint white light from the vending machine illuminated her face, casting an eerie glow.
Her usually sharp and occasionally biting eyes now showed only fatigue.
She wore a thin wool sweater meant for lounging at home; when the wind blew, a chill seeped through the fabric.
Yet, Yuan Wanjiao seemed unaffected by the cold.
She looked up to see Yuan Bozhu approaching her and instinctively raised her hand to greet him, but ultimately didn’t move.
“Why did you come down?” Yuan Bozhu asked as he walked up to her, casually removing his jacket and handing it to her.
Yuan Wanjiao didn’t refuse; she wrapped the jacket around herself and turned to walk shoulder to shoulder with him into the community.
“I was wondering if you would come back with your early love interest, so I planned to surprise you,” Yuan Wanjiao said, suddenly coughing.
But she quickly suppressed it, pretending nothing had happened, and asked Yuan Bozhu, “Where did you go today?”
Yuan Bozhu didn’t answer her question, turning to glance at her.
“Are you sick?”
Just then, they stepped into the elevator. Yuan Wanjiao seemed fine and casually replied, “Maybe I just have a slight cold.”
Yuan Bozhu nodded and turned his gaze away.
When they got home, the warm lights and the enticing aroma of hot pot greeted them.
“Finally back!”
Zhang Shu waved eagerly when she saw them. “Come on, the broth is boiling! I’m making my special dipping sauce for you! Daughter, you don’t want any cilantro, right?”
Yuan Bozhu went to help in the kitchen.
Yuan Wanjiao sighed quietly in relief as she changed her shoes, her hand resting on the shoe rack twitching nervously.
Her lich spirit had been taken by Satan.
To be precise, it had been stolen.
As one of the most powerful witches in her community, Yuan Wanjiao had strong spiritual abilities, but her physical strength wasn’t very high.
She could do many things that rare beings couldn’t, but she couldn’t escape unscathed in a crowd.
Satan only wanted her lich spirit and hadn’t harmed her.
Yuan Wanjiao had sustained some minor injuries while struggling with other rare beings, but nothing serious.
In fact, losing her lich spirit temporarily didn’t harm her body too much.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have made it into a protective talisman for Yuan Bozhu.
The problem was that with Satan having her lich spirit, she had become very passive.
If her lich spirit were damaged or absorbed by others for energy, Yuan Wanjiao could be in danger at any moment.
She should have known better.
Satan allowed other liches to steal energy cores, and now he had taken her lich spirit, clearly indicating that he had anticipated her intentions all along.
Perhaps he had been waiting for her to say the wrong thing, giving him an excuse to turn against her.
Would the ritual really go smoothly?
If Satan’s plan succeeded, what would happen to human society, to this planet, and to the entire star system?
As Yuan Wanjiao pondered this, what troubled her the most wasn’t the future of the world.
She only worried about the people in this room—
Zhang Shu, who was still preparing her special dipping sauce; Yuan Jilang, who was half-heartedly checking the news while setting the table; and Yuan Bozhu, who was helping with the chopping and plating.
The revival of the undead would undoubtedly threaten human survival, and her family would inevitably be implicated.
Family.
Yuan Wanjiao could now say that word without hesitation.
When she first arrived at this home, she had just turned eighteen.
At that time, she had never imagined she would stay for ten years.
She came with a mission, pretending to be obedient while internally feeling that humans were fragile and troublesome.
Now, she had become inseparable from the very humans she once looked down upon.
She was even going against her own organization to protect them.
Did that really have any meaning?
“Daughter, hurry up!” Zhang Shu called as she noticed Yuan Wanjiao still struggling with her shoes. She jogged over and whispered, “Did you see? Did he come back with someone?”
Yuan Wanjiao chuckled; her chaotic thoughts suddenly pushed aside.
She responded mysteriously, “I didn’t see anyone, but he was dressed so nicely today; he must have gone on a date. I’ll ask him later.”
Zhang Shu made a face at her, and Yuan Wanjiao nodded.
The mother and daughter quietly high-fived, successfully forming an alliance.
While eating hot pot, Zhang Shu and Yuan Wanjiao took turns trying to dig into Yuan Bozhu’s romantic history.
Yuan Bozhu remained unfazed, deflecting their questions and refusing to give any useful information.
“Has your brother ever given anyone a gift? The end of October is Valentine’s Day!”
“Ah Zhu is such a blockhead; I don’t think he’s even thought about it.”
“What’s this Valentine’s nonsense? He’s just a high school student. Even if he’s dating, it’s probably just doing homework together or browsing bookstores. What’s the point?”
As soon as Yuan Jilang finished speaking, Zhang Shu shot him a glare.
“Romance knows no age! No matter where you go or what you do, as long as two people are in love, they can celebrate Valentine’s Day.”
After she said that, Yuan Jilang blinked and couldn’t help but add, “What if your son spends the night out on Valentine’s Day?”
Zhang Shu: “…”
Her expression went through a rapid change before she turned to Yuan Bozhu with a serious face. “Brother, you just turned eighteen. You should… try not to stay out all night, okay?”
Yuan Bozhu helplessly took a sip of the drink beside him.
Yuan Wanjiao was still stoking the fire, saying, “Oh, come on, Mom and Dad, don’t be so old-fashioned. As long as both parties are adults, let them enjoy themselves however they like!”
“That’s not how it works!” Yuan Jilang strongly disagreed. “A man must have a sense of responsibility. He needs to know when to do what to provide the greatest sense of security to his partner and family. Until he knows whether he can give someone a stable and happy life, he shouldn’t make any mistakes!”
Zhang Shu nodded, adding, “Ah Zhu, you absolutely cannot make mistakes!”
Yuan Wanjiao retorted, “What mistakes can you make while dating?”
Zhang Shu scratched her head. “Yeah, Dad, what exactly does making mistakes mean?”
Yuan Jilang pondered for a moment and solemnly told Yuan Bozhu, “You cannot sleep in the same bed before graduation.”
Yuan Wanjiao burst out laughing.
“Come on, with Ah Zhu’s personality, he’d struggle just to hold someone’s hand, let alone sleep in the same bed! I bet if he ever stays out all night, it’ll be because he’s helping someone fix a broken faucet.”
“Pfft…” Zhang Shu laughed as well but then became curious. “What would it be like if Ah Zhu held someone’s hand?”
Yuan Wanjiao and Yuan Jilang both frowned, looking utterly blank.
Zhang Shu pressed on, “What if Ah Zhu kissed someone?”
Yuan Wanjiao and Yuan Jilang exchanged glances, shivering in unison as they said, “We can’t even imagine.”
“I don’t think that’s happening anytime in the next ten years,” Yuan Wanjiao declared. “Ah Zhu should probably start with holding hands first.”
At that moment, Yuan Bozhu seemed to fumble, accidentally knocking over his drink and soaking his clothes.
He stood up, his expression calm as he said, “I’ll go change.”
“Go on, go on,” Zhang Shu urged. “Just toss your clothes in the washing machine!”
Yuan Bozhu acknowledged her and turned to leave.
The three at the table continued their chatter, speculating about when Yuan Bozhu might dare to hold a girl’s hand.
In the bedroom, Yuan Bozhu closed the door.
Leaning against the door, he suddenly felt a heaviness in his chest, as if some unfamiliar emotion was pressing down on him, yearning to be released.
But he had never experienced anything like it before, so he didn’t know how to handle it.
In the end, he could only tilt his head back and let out a long sigh.
At 2 a.m., Yuan Bozhu was still awake, sitting at his desk in the dark without turning on the light, with paper and pen in front of him.
Several pieces of information came together in his mind:
Spider Domain, ritual.
Lich, energy core.
Vessel of resurrection.
Lin Shuanghuai, unknown.
He recalled the information he had gleaned from Yuan Wanjiao’s lich spirit and connected it with what had happened today.
His understanding of rare beings stealing energy cores to enhance their own power came from the original text.
A place where energy gathers in a rare being is called an energy gland.
They can adjust and control their abilities through the energy gland.
Destroying it would disrupt the balance of bloodlines and human genes, leading to the loss of abilities, or even death in severe cases.
An energy core isn’t a tangible substance.
It is a later term that refers to completely stealing another’s energy without harming their energy gland.
Whatever bloodline or ability is taken, once extracted, it becomes nothing more than a formless energy field.
Anyone can absorb someone else’s energy core, with a certain probability of enhancing their own energy gland.
However, the absorption and transformation of energy cores vary between different bloodlines.
It is possible to take a powerful energy core, but when absorbed, one might find it incompatible, ultimately being resolved or repelled by their own bloodline.
So it’s rare for anyone to risk offending all rare beings by stealing an energy core that likely cannot be absorbed.
Only liches are a special group.
They are uniquely compatible with all attributes of bloodlines.
Like Yuan Wanjiao, every lich can extract their own lich spirit—a presence that closely resembles an energy core—without harming themselves.
Because of this unique ability, if they steal someone else’s energy core, they can easily absorb it into their own lich spirit, enhancing their own spiritual abilities.
The lich Yuan Bozhu encountered today was openly seeking to identify awakened or recently awakened rare beings in the crowded city center.
Yuan Bozhu could conclude that his goal was the energy core.
However, in rare being society, such actions are considered extremely evil and against their beliefs.
Their bloodlines all trace back to the same high-dimensional ancestor, and sacrificing one’s kin to grow stronger is immoral.
Moreover, liches usually do not dare to offend other rare beings.
They were, after all, a minority within a minority. If they stole the energy core from a child and offended an entire group, they would only end up being chased and beaten.
Yuan Bozhu recalled the events at Sitongxing Media Company today.
That lich’s spiritual power was quite ordinary.
Although he could extract the consciousness of dozens of people and turn them into paper puppets, the degree of attachment to his spirit was low.
Furthermore, during the fight with Yuan Bozhu, he showed almost no ability to fight back—
Excluding Yuan Bozhu’s own superior cultivation in this world, it was still clear that this lich was not of pure blood.
Given that, if he dared to create such a commotion in a downtown building, there could only be one possibility:
Someone was backing him up.
A name appeared on the paper:
Satan.
He had been making too many small moves lately, but Yuan Bozhu could understand.
Although Satan was a character not mentioned in the original text, everything he was doing now was laying the groundwork for the future main plot.
Yuan Bozhu respected every hardworking pawn.
Satan had his own storyline to follow, and Yuan Bozhu had no intention of disturbing this potential “setup” that might impact the future.
But if it threatened the lives of Yuan Wanjiao and Yuan Qifeng, he would undoubtedly intervene.
What about Lin Shuanghuai?
Now, it was clear that Lin Shuanghuai was also caught up in the situation.
He seemed to be a bug, just like Yuan Bozhu—someone who didn’t appear in the text yet was being subtly influenced by the world’s consciousness.
If it had been before, Yuan Bozhu would have tried to distance himself from this. He wanted to protect his family while minimizing his impact on the main plot and avoiding its influence on him.
But Lin Shuanghuai’s name on the script was unsettling.
Was there a way to pull him out of this narrative vortex?
If Lin Shuanghuai wasn’t an important character, then saving him wouldn’t matter, right?
Just like everyone in the Yuan family.
They weren’t important characters, so saving them shouldn’t affect this world.
But could it be…
that Yuan Bozhu had forgotten the details of the original plot?
Could it be that Lin Shuanghuai was actually an important character, and saving him would disrupt future developments?
If the entire worldview were to collapse because of a deviation in the plot, Yuan Bozhu couldn’t guarantee what would happen.
He found himself at an impasse.
Should he save him or not?
Yuan Bozhu had always believed his goal was clear, and he had been navigating it.
Everything that might obstruct him should be avoided as much as possible.
But now he hesitated.
The wind blew across the books on the table, creating a rustling sound that disrupted Yuan Bozhu’s usually calm mind.
He stood up and closed the window.
When he sat back down, he suddenly noticed a red piece of paper tucked in the book.
Taking it out, he realized it was a ticket for the welcome party he hadn’t attended.
It had long since expired, and he had forgotten about it.
He stared at the ticket for a long time before pulling it out.
As leftover trash, it should have been tossed in the garbage.
But after a moment of silence, Yuan Bozhu didn’t throw it away.
He placed it in the drawer and closed it.
Picking up the pen again, he let the tip fall onto the three characters for Lin Shuanghuai.
A stroke of ink crossed it out.
Save him.
After all, it wouldn’t be difficult for him.
***
It was just an ordinary Monday.
The only difference was that the flag-raising ceremony had been canceled and replaced with temporary class meetings.
At that moment, the teacher announced everyone’s monthly exam results and the new class list.
“The class monitor did exceptionally well this time and is moving directly into Class Rocket 2! Although I won’t be able to teach you anymore, I’m still very proud of you!”
“And to those whose names were just read, please confirm your new class. After lunch, you can start packing your bags. I wish you all the best.”
“Overall, our class won’t see too many changes. Of course, there will be a few new students joining us… No rowdy behavior! Anyway, it’s just a few students coming and going in the senior year—what’s so fresh about it? Everyone, sit down!”
Perhaps knowing her students’ exuberant personalities, the homeroom teacher intentionally left them in suspense about who would be joining their class, to prevent them from rushing around after the bell.
In the end, she only mentioned that after lunch, students should bring their belongings and move to their new classes.
From the afternoon onwards, the new senior year matrix would officially take shape.
This had nothing to do with Yuan Bozhu.
So he continued as usual.
He sat quietly at his desk, calmly accepting all the teacher’s arrangements.
Notably, Qin Rui was unexpectedly tight-lipped.
Since starting school, Yuan Bozhu had been discreetly observing Qin Rui’s movements.
He was certain that Qin Rui hadn’t mentioned anything about his “superpowers” to anyone.
But Qin Rui wasn’t completely reassuring either…
When classmates showed concern about his interview, Qin Rui coldly replied, “What’s it to you?”
Someone chimed in, “Aren’t we good buddies? It’s only natural for me to care about your part-time job!”
Qin Rui sneered, snorted, and strode over to Yuan Bozhu’s desk, wrapping an arm around his neck and announcing to everyone, “Let me tell you, in this class, only Yuan Ge is my brother. The rest of you… well, let’s say you’re just acquaintances!”
His words left no room for interpretation, as if he had no intention of parting amicably with anyone.
After a series of events, Qin Rui realized that the vast majority of people around him were only interested in his money.
He didn’t think they were wrong; after all, money was Qin Rui’s greatest asset.
However, he was no longer willing to call these people his brothers.
It was pointless.
Yuan Bozhu was much better.
He remained unaffected by material gains, calm and reliable, and he even had superpowers!
Who could be more suited to be a good brother than Yuan Ge?
“In the future, I’ll treat my Yuan Ge to good food, buy him the latest gaming consoles, and take him on world trips—”
Those nearby displayed a mix of disdain and jealousy.
“Ah, this…”
“Qin Rui, when did you two get so close?”
“Don’t joke around! Yuan Bozhu doesn’t seem to understand games at all. Qin Rui, let’s study together instead!”
Qin Rui rolled his eyes. To provoke the money-driven followers, he leaned his head affectionately on Yuan Bozhu’s shoulder.
They were all wondering how Yuan Bozhu had managed to win over the incredibly arrogant Qin Rui to the point of calling him “brother.”
The next moment, they saw Yuan Bozhu press a finger against Qin Rui’s temple and push him away.
He coldly added, “Class is starting.”
Yuan Bozhu had no interest in Qin Rui’s showmanship.
He simply felt uncomfortable being surrounded by a group.
Qin Rui, however, obeyed and looked at him with a devoted expression, nodding, “Bro, let’s have lunch together. I’ll take you to—”
“Sit back down,” Yuan Bozhu interrupted.
Qin Rui immediately stood up and responded, “Got it!”
He turned around on the spot.
The crowd watched in stunned silence, whispering among themselves, “Did Yuan Bozhu cast a spell on Qin Rui?”
“Does Qin Rui have some leverage on him?”
Yuan Bozhu lowered his gaze, waiting for the surrounding chatter to disperse before letting out a silent sigh.
Well, at least now everyone was discussing how he had “established a relationship” with Qin Rui, rather than questioning why he had superpowers.
At twelve-thirty, the bell rang, and students scattered like birds taking flight.
Today, there were unusually few people in the cafeteria.
Yuan Bozhu took just ten minutes from getting his meal to finishing it.
During the meal, he frequently glanced at his phone—something he never used to do when eating in the cafeteria.
Yuan Bozhu couldn’t deny that he was checking his phone a bit too often.
But it wasn’t entirely his fault.
Previously, Lin Shuanghuai would always show up right on time, so to avoid disrupting his rhythm, Yuan Bozhu had to prepare himself mentally in advance.
However, today that person didn’t appear.
Could it be because of the awakening period?
Was Lin Shuanghuai really absent from school today?
As Yuan Bozhu walked back to the classroom from the cafeteria, fragmented thoughts crossed his mind but failed to form a complete answer.
When he reached the classroom door, he suddenly took out his phone, feeling the urge to message Lin Shuanghuai for the first time.
But a few seconds later, he put it away.
In what should have been an empty classroom, two voices were audible.
“I’m telling you; a strong dragon doesn’t suppress a local snake. If you dare to go against me today, don’t expect to have a good time in Class 7 in the future!”
It was Qin Rui’s voice.
“Sorry, I didn’t intend to argue with you. I just wanted to ask if you could please get off my desk…”
Lin Shuanghuai replied with a laugh, “Get lost.”
Yuan Bozhu’s eyebrows jumped slightly.
Because Lin Shuanghuai was now sitting right next to his desk.
—
Author’s note:
Yuan: Quietly eating.
Shuanghuai: Stealthily sneaking around.