NOVEL NEXT Ch. 113
Chapter 113: I Don’t Know If the Manga Artist’s Hand Broke, But the Author’s Hand Is About to Break from Another Update
[I’ve gone mad, me and my Li stan sisters and Heige stan sisters have gone mad together, because I’m a dual stan.]
1L OP
What sins did I commit in my past life to stan a walking tragedy in this one?
But I don’t regret it, neither do my sisters.
Wahhhh, my male god, wahhhh.
2L
So many night owls tonight.
Is everyone too stabbed to sleep?
3L
No, upstairs, I fell asleep, but I dreamed of Heige and Li saying goodbye, so I woke up again.
No goodbyes, please, no!
4L
I’m a Li stan.
I know I should hate this twist, I should be unable to accept that someone I once saw as my rival’s mortal enemy is the same person as my fave.
But, I’m so heartbroken, I feel like my heart’s split in two.
He is Li, he really is Li, that stubborn, soft-hearted, awkward kid.
Only now he’s grown, become a strong, mature adult.
But deep down, that awkward kid is still standing there, quietly watching him.
5L
In Four-Way City, at Yue Shan’s place, he wasn’t talking to his friend, he was talking to his past self.
Saying no one remembers you, not even you.
He doesn’t even have a best friend who remembers his name, all he has is himself.
I so wish he really had a best friend.
6L
Tragedy incarnate, even with a mouth full of glass shards and blood, I’ll say it: he’s tragedy incarnate!
7L
My mom doesn’t believe I’m crying this much over a manga.
She thinks I’m secretly dating someone and got dumped tonight.
If I could date Heige, I’d laugh myself awake in my dreams—no, I’d cry myself awake.
8L
Upstairs, please stop stabbing.
Why did the manga artist stab me once, and now I’m getting stabbed again in the forum, wahhhh.
9L
The Prophet saved him, then abandoned him.
Could that Yu Xiao be the Prophet? I so hope he is, I really want him to be.
If you pull someone out, take responsibility to the end! Halfway through, you leave them behind and go die, then meet again and don’t remember him!
Shuang Buyan doesn’t remember him either…
Wahhhh, damn, how did it get even sadder!
10L
‘Yu Xiao’ is probably Shuang Buyan.
Otherwise, when has Heige ever forced himself?
He has anorexia but still tried to drink the hot milk ‘Yu Xiao’ gave him.
Even though he threw it up right after.
He wanted to drink it, but he couldn’t.
11L
I found a hidden detail.
Looking back at the Jiao Huang Arc, when Yiming confronted Heige and said ‘We’re different,’ Heige’s hand trembled.
Li’s hand trembled.
He cared about Yiming’s words, he was hurting.
12L
Wahhhh, why is every detail a tragedy!
What is Li made of? Knives, endless knives!
13L
In the Four-Way Arc, Heige pretended to be Yue Shan.
Back then, I cursed him as a murderous lunatic, but now, he was clearly training Yiming.
He told Yiming about Momo and Youyou’s situation, indirectly gave Yiming a chance, and stepped in to save them.
Wahhhh, damn it, I’m an idiot, a fool.
Such obvious Ahoge Li behavior, and I didn’t see it, I even cursed him…
I’m a moron!!!!!
14L
I’m a moron!!!!!
15L
The saddest part is, we don’t even know his name.
Li, or Heige, or the name he once used, Li Baige?
We don’t know, no one knows, only he knows his own name.
16L
Next chapter, I want to see the Prophet give the awkward kid a loving hug! I need to see it!
17L
I want to see it too, wahhhh.
Little Corgi can’t be counted on, Heige has no intention of explaining to him!
Prophet! Shuang Buyan! Yu Xiao! I don’t care who you are! Hug this awkward kid!
18L
I want to hug him myself, wahhhh.
A dog that can’t comfort its master is a useless dog, I’m a useless dog, I can’t do anything when my master’s hurting!
19L
Heige suddenly brought up Shuang Buyan to Yiming.
He must have realized ‘Yu Xiao’ might be Shuang Buyan, right?
In the last flashback, the nobles called Heige the Avenger, and he indeed had a purpose, reclaiming the Prophet’s skull and taking revenge on the betrayers.
If Shuang Buyan is alive, though it’s unclear what his deal with Yu Xiao is, is he questioning the meaning of his existence?
20L
No, I don’t think so.
Little Corgi said Heige is a stubborn person.
He’s probably just seeking an answer.
21L
Wahhhh, Shuang Buyan, you’re my god, show up already!
Remember him!
22L
It’s 5 a.m., are you all really not sleeping?
23L
Not sleeping, my eyes hurt from crying, can’t sleep.
24L
Thinking that my male god can’t sleep either makes me feel better.
I’m staying up with my male god, rounding up, I’m his good dog!
…
[With that massive tragedy chopping me into a board, is no one talking about Red Crane’s pledge?]
1L OP
Red Crane, An Heyu’s kneel was so badass!
Heige boss is forever the god! No matter how tragic his past, he’s already a fully capable adult!
This ability, this cunning, not just anyone could pull it off.
Heige boss is forever the god!!!!!
2L
Right, and An Heyu’s inner monologue clearly said everything was within Heige’s plan, he was completely played by Heige.
Heige boss is so smart.
Tide was right later on—if Heige boss was an enemy, he’d be absolutely terrifying.
When someone has both intelligence and the strength to execute their ideas, what could possibly stop them?
3L
An Heyu is the teammate Heige chose.
Honestly, when Red Crane showed up, I already thought he was super reliable, an all-purpose assistant!
After Heige’s talk with ‘Yu Xiao,’ I felt so heavy, but when An Heyu and Dan called, I felt better.
4L
Heige is definitely the beautiful, strong, tragic type, but with An Heyu and Dan around, it does feel livelier.
He’s doing it on purpose, right? Dressing Dan up all pretty every day. How many outfits has Dan Dog changed in just these few chapters?
He even braided Dan Dog’s hair! Gave him a strawberry hairpin! Replaced it when it broke!
Don’t other dogs deserve this? I’m jealous!
5L
Though he keeps saying he’s a villain, he’s obviously super protective.
Yiming, Dan, and An Heyu are all under his wing.
Heige had a grudge with Qu Yan too, but he let An Heyu take revenge first.
That strawberry hairpin…
It’s just proof of how protective he is.
6L
As expected, the Li who talks tough but is actually ridiculously gentle.
They really are the same person.
7L
The manga artist’s foreshadowing, this twist—I’m genuinely impressed.
Two characters who seemed completely different early on turned out to be the same person.
8L
If they were two people, it wouldn’t be so tragic…
Sigh, this character, even as a passerby, it’s hard not to love him.
…
[Help, who’s digging up all the old forum posts cursing Heige?! Don’t I have any shame?]
[When will Heige die? :)] hot
[I’m sticking my face out for my male god to slap. Hey, smells good!]
[Reporting, just went back to the original post to apologize to my male god!]
[I thought I time-traveled back to the end of the Jiao Huang Arc. Why’s the forum full of hate again…]
[Sorry, my male god. I shouldn’t have cursed you. As a diehard fan, I didn’t even see the manga artist’s obvious hints!]
[Wahhhhhhhhh]
[If my male god isn’t sleeping, I won’t either. If he can’t sleep, I’m crying too hard to sleep!]
[*Extreme Black and White*, more like Extreme Blades! This manga is full of knives! Oh, Ahoge Knife Li, never mind, he’s literally tragedy incarnate.]
[Though I’m crying my eyes out, as a Heige stan, I still want to know whose house we’re kicking next!]
…
The day after the manga updated, in the stage play chatroom Li Li had joined, the scriptwriter and cosplayers were losing it together.
[Lazy]: I was wrong, my script was wrong, I’m not a qualified Li stan!
[Han Zhi]: I was wrong, I misjudged my fun, I’m not a qualified Heige stan!
[Lazy]: Sister
[Han Zhi]: Sister
[Lazy] and [Han Zhi]: From now on, we’re family!
[Meowla]: So how are you splitting the merch?
[Lazy]: …
[Han Zhi]: …
[Lazy] and [Han Zhi]: We’re not close, every fan for themselves!
The scriptwriter, who’d added scenes for Li Li with a Heige and Li dialogue, had to revise it, but because this wave of tragedy was so powerful, the editor finished tweaking the dialogue in minutes.
It got even more tragic.
Li Li looked at it and thought the scriptwriter, true to being a Li stan, had a full-on self-sacrificing spirit for tragedy.
But she glanced at the devastated forum, then at the new script, and slowly said: “This is just the beginning.”
She looked up at the bright, sunny sky outside the window.
…
[Preparing for traversal.]
[Channel opened. Wishing you success as a high-popularity character, bringing new vitality to the manga.]
In Ranmu City, Tide’s people were still preparing for the upcoming negotiations with the imperial family.
The imperial family wouldn’t abandon the princess, and how much they could gain from these talks was something Tide’s leaders had to consider.
Because of yesterday’s conversation with Li Li that left him emotionally wrecked, Yiming was downcast all day.
Tang and An Huyu both noticed his low mood.
It was actually Yiming’s birthday today.
Yiming didn’t have an exact birth date, so he used the day Shuang Buyan found him as his birthday, which both of them knew.
Since it was a rare moment of calm, they wanted to do something to surprise Yiming.
This kind of thing would usually involve Yu Xiao, but Tang and An Huyu searched for a while and couldn’t find him.
“Where’s Yu Xiao? Lost again?” Tang found it unbelievable.
Ranmu City and Tan City were both under Tide’s control now—where could Yu Xiao get lost?
Yiming noticed the commotion, and beside him, Sang Feiling rolled out in her wheelchair: “Who’s lost now?”
“Yu Xiao,” Tang said obediently.
“He gets lost a lot, he’ll be fine,” Yiming explained.
Sang Feiling hummed for a moment, then said: “He might have gone to find Heige.”
“Huh?” Yiming was surprised but thought it made sense. “True, this time he came to Ranmu City with Heige and acted together.”
But Sang Feiling said: “Probably to help. Yesterday, he and Heige came to me one after the other, and he even asked if something was wrong with Heige.”
“He’s pretty warm-hearted…” Tang muttered.
Yiming caught the implication in Sang Feiling’s words and pressed: “Something’s wrong with Heige?”
He did feel Heige’s reaction last night was off, but in front of him, Heige always acted like the unlikable villain.
“He asked me if I regretted listening to the Prophet,” Sang Feiling said, shaking her head. “I think the princess said something to provoke him. I didn’t get a chance to tell him the princess’s rhetoric is slick and not to fully believe it before he left.”
“When Yu Xiao came, I told him the same and asked him to pass on the message,” Sang Feiling said. “There shouldn’t be any trouble.”
“Heige wouldn’t switch sides just because of a few words,” Yiming said.
Though he didn’t think Heige was a good person, he had that much confidence.
“You guys looking for Yu Xiao?” The topic circled back, and Sang Feiling said, “Then you can ask An Heyu or Dan. Find out where Heige is, and you’ll know where Yu Xiao is.”
Tang and An Huyu glanced at Yiming, wanting to keep it a secret, but they caved under his gaze.
“Let’s go ask big brother,” An Huyu said.
…
Meanwhile, the Heige in question, Li Li herself, was in Jiao Huang.
Before leaving, she had told An Heyu to prevent Dan from looking for her and not finding her.
Hua Yizhi was in Ranmu City at the time, so the casino in Jiao Huang belonging to Hua Yizhi was being overseen by other Tide members.
Li Li took a look and realized it was someone familiar—the person who had once explained at a Jiao Huang breakfast stall how terrifying Qing Tong was.
She had no intention of greeting them.
Concealing her form, she deployed her illusion ability, and mirages materialized throughout the casino.
Her eyes, through these illusions, surveyed the entire casino.
In the basement, she found the skull of a Former Ability Guild leader, carefully preserved by Hua Yizhi, which she had taken from Qu Yan.
Li Li took the Prophet’s skull and left the casino directly.
No one noticed anyone had entered that room, nor did they realize a skull was missing.
She walked along the Jiao Huang seaside, following the boundary line, smelling the salty, damp sea air, and looking at the skull in her hand.
Li Li couldn’t tell if the skull was real or fake, but given that Qu Yan had collected it for six years without noticing any issues, it was likely genuine.
Besides, she wasn’t there to verify its authenticity.
The sun reached noon, the blazing overhead light enveloping her in a bath of sunlight.
Her steps suddenly halted.
Her crimson pupils slightly lifted, and she looked ahead.
A blond boy with the same red eyes stood in her path, slowly raising a hand: “Good afternoon.”
It was Yu Xiao.