The time in Lijing, China was more or less the same as in Whalegarden, so it was currently night in Lijing as well.

"Wenyu, are you awake?" Gu Qiye's voice called out, followed by a light knock on the door.

Hearing the commotion, Ji Minghuan controlled his Host Body One, Gu Wenyu, to open his eyes. He sat up from the bed and groggily glanced at the time on the wall: "21:25".

Pulling on his pants, he quickly got out of bed, turned the doorknob, and opened the door.

Looking up, Gu Qiye's face came into view, the bright white lights of the hallway illuminating his clear eyes.

"What is up, Big Brother?" he asked.

Gu Qiye rubbed his forehead, hesitating to speak for a moment. "Uh... Little Sister sent a message on WeChat saying she has something to tell us tonight."

Pausing there, he crossed his arms, looked up, and smiled. "Since you are awake, want to head downstairs and chat?"

"Oh, sure," Ji Minghuan agreed. "Let me wash my face first."

Ji Minghuan watched his receding back and reached up to scratch his messy chicken's nest hair. Feeling somewhat baffled, he walked into the washroom, thinking to himself, 'What crazy fit is Little Sister throwing this time?'

Stopping in front of the sink, he looked up at his lethargic reflection in the mirror and slowly began to recall:

Su Zimai was heading to London in a couple of days with Ke Qirui to capture the Mad Exorcist, "Red Traffic Light."

Actually, from Ke Qirui's perspective, they were not overestimating their strength this time. After all, with the capabilities of the Ghost Train Gang, dealing with a mere Red Traffic Light would be quite simple. No matter how infamous Red Traffic Light was, he was still just a Tier 2 Exorcist. Most of his kills against other Exorcists were achieved through successful ambushes.

However, what they did not know was that the Salvation Society would also be involved in this incident.

Taking a ten thousand steps back, even if they did know, they probably had not yet figured out exactly what kind of entity the Salvation Society was.

That was the most dangerous part of it all...

"I will just take it one step at a time," Ji Minghuan sighed.

After washing his face, he smoothed out his hair and quickly went downstairs.

The living room lights were all on. An upright fan was pointed directly at the sofa, its blades spinning lazily to blow a cool breeze. From outside the window came the chirping of cicadas, mingling with the laughter of children chasing each other with glow sticks.

Under the warm orange lights, Su Zimai sat on the sofa in her pajamas, watching the television. Gu Qiye leaned against the living room wall with one hand shoved in his pocket, quietly staring out the window in a daze.

Ji Minghuan thought to himself, 'Dad is not here. You guys really know how to pick the time. I guess you still do not consider Dad's opinion to be worth anything... though to be fair, he does not have much say around here anyway.'

"What is going on?"

Ji Minghuan asked as he walked over and found a spot to sit on the sofa.

"I have to leave home in a couple of days, and I probably will not be back for a while," Su Zimai announced.

Gu Qiye paused, startled. "You are leaving again?"

"Yes... I have some business to attend to," Su Zimai murmured.

Since the back of the sofa faced Gu Qiye, he could not see her expression.

"What kind of business?" Gu Qiye kept his head down and asked softly. "You have barely been home for two days, and you are already in a rush to leave again... Do you really hate staying at home that much?"

"It is my own business, it is not convenient to talk about... I am just letting you know so you don't worry about me again," Su Zimai replied nonchalantly.

A brief silence settled over the three of them as the television broadcasted the latest news.

Reading from a script, the host reported, "Last night, suspected members of the White Raven Brigade appeared in Lijing, China, taking part in a bank robbery. The Ability User Fugitive known as 'Black Cocoon' also appeared at the scene. Here are photos from the incident..."

Ji Minghuan glanced at the television, tossed a peanut into his mouth, and then remarked in a sarcastic tone:

"I do not think this is a good idea. Last time, Little Sister even managed to sneak off to Japan behind our backs. Who knows what she might pull this time."

Su Zimai looked up and turned to glare at him fiercely, her eyes practically screaming, "And here I thought you would take my side."

Ji Minghuan remained silent, merely returning her gaze with a cold look that seemed to say, "Who are you again?"

Su Zimai said nothing. She had no desire to speak anyway.

Whenever she recalled how Gu Wenyu had lost his temper at her near his bedroom door a couple of days ago, she felt a bit lost for words. She could not even muster up any anger; instead, she felt a warm sensation in her heart.

'He really cares about me,' she thought.

The upright fan whirred softly against the side of her face, causing her ponytail to rise and fall with the breeze.

The evening wind, laden with summer heat, poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows and gently brushed against Gu Qiye's forearms.

Gazing at the night scenery outside, he remained quiet for a moment before finally speaking. "Xiaomai, this 'business' you mentioned... it is about the Exorcists, isn't it?"

Su Zimai froze for a second before furrowing her brows. "No, it is not! Didn't I explain this to you already? That 'Exorcist' thing is just some title in a game. You guys are always getting easily startled over nothing. Can you just drop..."

Amidst the gradually swelling sound of the cicadas, Gu Qiye suddenly cut her off.

"You do not have to hide it from me. I know what an Exorcist is."

Ji Minghuan paused, nibbling on a sunflower seed while looking around.

He checked Gu Qiye's expression, then looked at Su Zimai's, and promptly decided to strategically retreat from the battlefield. Breaking the silence, he played dumb and asked,

"What the heck is an Exorcist?"

Seeing his younger brother's reaction, Gu Qiye secretly let out a sigh of relief. 'Just as I thought,' he mused. 'Xiaomai hasn't come clean about the Exorcist stuff to the rest of the family yet.'

He had originally assumed that since Gu Wenyu and Su Zimai had gotten so close recently, she might have already told him about the Exorcists.

But now it seemed things were not as he had imagined.

Gu Wenyu was still completely in the dark.

'But is it really good for Wenyu to know about these things right now?' he pondered. 'He still needs to focus on high school... Knowing his personality, he will definitely start asking endless questions. Xiaomai wouldn't be happy about that either.'

'I had better talk to her alone first, see where she stands, and then consider whether to discuss this with Wenyu.'

Having made up his mind, Gu Qiye suddenly spoke up. "Wenyu, I want to have a private chat with Little Sister."

"What is it? Is it something you cannot say in front of me?" Ji Minghuan tilted his head.

"I am just afraid of making her mad," Gu Qiye chuckled. "You understand, right?"

"Fine, fine, fine... The two of you have such deep sibling affection, and I am just an outsider. I will leave, then."

Ji Minghuan snorted coldly, speaking with utmost indifference. Before leaving, he grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and brazenly pulled out the can of cola that Su Zimai had just recently put in the fridge to chill.

Munching on seeds, he made his way upstairs.

Unsurprisingly, with her thoughts running wild, Su Zimai completely failed to notice her Second Brother walking off with her drink.

The moment he stepped onto the second floor, Ji Minghuan halted and leaned his back against the wall. A restraining band slithered out from his cuff and popped the tab of the cola can with a crisp snap, releasing faint wisps of cold vapor.

Immediately after, the black restraining band released the tab, slithered downward, and pressed itself firmly against the floorboards.

Utilizing his Restraining Band Senses extending downwards, Ji Minghuan sipped his cola and quietly eavesdropped on their conversation.

Su Zimai asked suspiciously, "You said you know about the 'Exorcists'?"

"Yes," Gu Qiye smiled. "What is your Celestial Drive? I am actually quite curious to know what kind of supernatural ability my own sister possesses."

Su Zimai froze in her tracks. "No way. How do you even know about that?"

"Of course I know," Gu Qiye replied mildly. "Ke Qirui, that teacher of yours, she belongs to the Exorcist Association, right?" He pondered for a moment. "Her Celestial Drive is the One-Way Mirror, her ability involves controlling Demons, and the Demons she has contracted are the Train Demon and the Film Demon..."

Su Zimai was left dumbfounded, completely at a loss for words.

At that moment, her brain practically shut down.

To put it into perspective, it was as if she had painstakingly pieced her brain together block by block with Legos, only for Gu Qiye to act like a mischievous neighborhood kid who ran over screaming and ruthlessly kicked her freshly built brain to pieces. Now, her mind was reduced to scattered, shattered bricks, clattering loudly against the floor.

A moment later, a thought hit her mind like a great commotion of terrifying waves.

"Big Brother, do not tell me you are..." Her brows twitched as she gasped in sheer astonishment.

Hearing this, Gu Qiye lowered his head, his expression complex. The corners of his lips quirked up slightly, and after a moment, a relieved, carefree smile spread across his face.

"You managed to guess it, huh?" he murmured softly. "Yes, I am Blue..."

Su Zimai interrupted him. "You are... Black Cocoon?!"

Gu Qiye faltered, slowly lifting his head.

Their eyes met in silence.

A brief silence blanketed the space between them. Suddenly, a violent Pfft! echoed from the hallway upstairs as Ji Minghuan sprayed the mouthful of cola he had just drank everywhere.

He sprawled on the floor, thumping his fist against the ground in silent laughter, while using a restraining band to frantically wipe up the sticky puddle.

Coughing several times, Ji Minghuan thought to himself, 'Little Sister, you truly are a once-in-a-century genius... even if it is a genius of comedy.'

To avoid making the two of them suspicious, Ji Minghuan started talking to himself, shouting loudly at his mobile phone:

"Come on, Li Qingping, can you land a single skill?! I could scatter rice on my mobile phone screen and a chicken could play better than you! Could you please stop stealing the AD position next time?! Just play a support cat and attach yourself to me!"

Hearing the grumbles and curses wafting down from upstairs, Gu Qiye and Su Zimai fell silent for another moment.

Both of them thought, 'Since when did Gu Wenyu get addicted to mobile games again? That Li Qingping guy is his best buddy, right? Playing online games together really ruins friendships.'

Shortly after, Gu Qiye seemed to connect some dots, so he probed cautiously,

"Um... Xiaomai, why would you think I am Black Cocoon? Care to explain your reasoning? Did Black Cocoon say something to you?"

Su Zimai's eye twitched slightly as she clutched her head, feeling as though it might explode. She had completely given up on rational thought. A messy web of clues tangled together in her mind, all inevitably pointing toward the indisputable fact that Gu Qiye was Black Cocoon.

She ducked her head in flustered panic before snapping it back up, her eyes already brimming with red.

Ultimately, she cried out in a mix of utter embarrassment and fury, "You really are Black Cocoon, aren't you?! You massive jerk of an older brother! You have been playing me this whole time... Was it fun leading me around in circles?!"

"No, I am not—"

Before he could explain, an explosive barrage of accusations from Su Zimai swept over him. "I was wondering why Black Cocoon knew so much about our family! Why he felt so familiar, and why he would go out of his way to save me! It was you all along! Why did you hide it from me? If you knew I was an Exorcist a long time ago, why didn't you just come clean and tell me?!"

"I am seriously not Black—"

"You are not?! You still dare to say you are not?!"

Su Zimai shot up from the sofa and stomped over to Gu Qiye with righteous indignation, glaring fiercely into his eyes.

When she got angry, she resembled a penguin—charging forward clumsily, only to give you a vicious peck.

Gu Qiye did not really mind; he actually thought his sister was quite adorable when she acted like this.

Nevertheless, he was left entirely speechless by the sheer speed of her verbal assault.

Dead silence fell over the living room.

Finally recovering his wits, he raised a hand and gently ruffled Su Zimai's hair. He spoke in a mild, soothing tone. "Xiaomai, calm down for a second and just listen to my explanation, okay?"

Su Zimai abruptly raised her right hand, freezing it in mid-air as if she wanted to slap him across the face, her eyes shimmering with emotion.

After a moment of hesitation, as if feeling a twinge of heartache, she lowered her hand with reddened eyes. Instead, she lightly thumped her fist against his chest.

"You had better give me a satisfactory explanation," she whispered, keeping her eyes cast downward. "Otherwise, I will never forgive you. Never..."

Gu Qiye frowned, wondering just what exactly Black Cocoon had done to trigger such an intense reaction from Su Zimai.

The next time Black Cocoon appeared, he was definitely going to track him down and demand some answers. If he dared to bully his little sister, he would make that black bug pay a price, one way or another.

"I understand," Gu Qiye assured her. "I will explain everything properly."

"I feel so humiliated," Su Zimai muttered softly. "I just told you that I was capable of handling things on my own... but in the end, you still had to come save me at the Auction."

Gu Qiye paused. 'True, I was the one who asked Black Cocoon to look out for Su Zimai back then. Judging by her words, Black Cocoon really did save her in the end?'

'But if that black bug really saved my sister, why didn't he come to claim credit the next day? That does not seem like his style.' Gu Qiye pondered, 'Could I have misunderstood him?'

At that very moment, Ji Minghuan, who was eavesdropping on the second floor, felt his heart skip a beat. 'Oh crap! How did I forget to claim the credit from Big Brother after saving Little Sister that day? What a catastrophic blunder!'

'If I had just made it clear to Blue Arc that I saved his family, his favorable impression of me would have absolutely skyrocketed! That would have been so beneficial for our long-term cooperation.'

'After all, we still have to team up with Dad—Ghost Bell—and smash Rainbow Wing into tiny pieces. How can we do that without establishing a solid partnership in advance?'

Thinking of this, Ji Minghuan casually brought the can to his lips and gulped down a large mouthful of cola. 'Actually, this might not be so bad,' he mused. 'Having Gu Qiye find out about this through Su Zimai's own mouth might make him trust me even more.'

'I totally stumbled into boosting Big Brother's approval rating.'

Down in the living room, Gu Qiye said, "You just said that I am Black Cocoon, right?"

Su Zimai was unrelenting. "Are you going to claim you aren't? Who else could it possibly be?!"

"At first, I suspected that Dad might be Black Cocoon," Gu Qiye joked.

"Huh?"

Su Zimai's brain short-circuited once again. Drooping her head, she began ticking off the points on her fingers as she thought about it.

When Black Cocoon first appeared in Lijing, Dad had just come home. When Black Cocoon was active in Lijing, Dad happened to be out. When Dad traveled to Japan, Black Cocoon also showed up in Japan. Black Cocoon was intimately familiar with their family's situation, and naturally, Dad knew everything about their family as well.

It was a perfect match!

Slowly, her mouth gaped open, and her eyes widened to an absurd degree as she stared blankly at Gu Qiye.

"Black Cocoon is... Dad?!"

In that split second, Su Zimai's entire worldview shattered into a million pieces. Just imagining their usually stern, unsmiling father—a man as rigid as a stone statue—donning a trench coat, wearing a mask, and instantly transforming into a dancing, singing lunatic who spouted endless nonsense...

The contrast... it was terrifying!

She chewed on her fingers, her face draining of color. She stood entirely petrified on the spot, as if she had just met the gaze of Medusa.

After a long while, she spoke up. "Do not stop me. I am running away from home... and I am never coming back for the rest of my life."

Gu Qiye looked at her expression with amusement, then shook his head in comfort. "Don't panic just yet. I am actually not sure either."

"Wait a minute! Big Brother, you are not just trying to distract me, are you?" Su Zimai suddenly grew alert, furrowing her brows. "Which one of you is Black Cocoon?!"

"Since you are already suspecting us, why couldn't it be Wenyu?"

"My leader and I already verified that! It is absolutely impossible for it to be him!"

"That makes sense, seeing how close you two have been lately," Gu Qiye shrugged. "Never mind... no more jokes. Let's be serious for a moment."

"So who are you exactly?" Su Zimai asked, looking as if she were about to cry. "I feel like I am losing my mind here. Can you just give it to me straight?"

Gu Qiye suddenly fell silent. He slowly raised his hand and switched off the living room lights. The room plunged into pitch darkness, so black that one could not even see their own fingers in front of them, leaving only the relentless chirping of cicadas ringing in their ears.

Su Zimai blanked, unsure of what her brother was doing.

The next second, a deep blue electric arc slowly rose from the darkness, illuminating both of their faces. It felt as warm as candlelight flickering at a birthday party.

"This is..."

Su Zimai was stunned for a long, long time. Following the source of the light, she saw thin, dancing electric arcs crackling over the five fingers of Gu Qiye's right hand.

"I am... Blue Arc."

Amidst the dead silence, Gu Qiye spoke, his voice completely calm.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com