That Dropped Chinese Novel’s Useless Me Says No to the System

Chapter 155 The Next Divergence Point

Lian spoke fast, almost breathless, as if slowing down for even a moment would let the illusion swallow us into an irreversible undertow. “There’s no time. If we don’t move quickly—if we don’t push the next moment to replay what I once lived through—we may have another person lose his mind.”

I stared at him, stunned, brain buzzing like a beehive. “Another one? You mean… someone else will get hit?”

Lian pressed his lips together. He didn’t answer. His expression darkened, as though he were digging through fragments of memory that kept slipping out of reach.

By his account, at this exact time in the original sequence, I was entangled in chaos with child-version Lian, Hua, and a deranged Mu Cangli who didn’t even spare the ceiling from his rampage. Meanwhile, the present version of Lian had stayed outside the hut with Hua and Feng Yuliu, waiting for the illusion to reset. But the hut never reignited. Not even a wisp of smoke returned. That was how they realized the loop wasn’t looping anymore—it was moving forward.

Everyone sensed danger immediately. They forced their way back in, searching for me and Mu Cangli so they could synchronize information.

A chill slid down my spine. He wasn’t exaggerating.

After witnessing the Seven-Step Madness debacle, I already knew how lethal a time glitch could be. One insane Mu Cangli was more than enough. If another person snapped, I’d be stacking madness on top of madness until it all collapsed on me.

I forced myself to inhale slowly. “Fine. What do we do now?”

Lian finally looked up, voice low and taut. “We find the next pivotal moment. Just like that day… when Hua blocked the sword for me.”

I froze.

Blocked the sword? Yes—we had tried to recreate that scene. But in the end—it wasn’t Hua who blocked it.

It was me.

The sword that should have struck Hua diverted at the last moment and buried itself in me. I was the one who fainted. Mu Cangli was the one who snapped. No wonder—everything veered off the original track from that instant.

I frowned. “But we already changed that part. I blocked the sword, not Hua. The story is moving forward now, but not necessarily along the branch you originally lived through. And what about Mu Cangli? And Hua and the others?”

I glanced at Mu Cangli on the floor. His forehead was slick with a cold sweat, his breath ragged. He muttered nonsense, then snarled through clenched teeth the next moment. Clearly, his mind was still wrestling inside the illusion.

Lian glanced at him and gave a short nod. “Hua and Feng Yuliu have drawn the others away. Bought us some time. I came to tell you this.”

He paused, mind working rapidly, as if verifying a timeline before his eyes.

“In the original sequence,” Lian said slowly, “child-me was besieged. Hua stepped in front of me and took the sword. I fainted, and when I woke, Hua was missing and ‘I’ had already been proclaimed the next cult leader.”

Piece by piece, the logic clicked into place.

Hua blocks the sword → story stays on track.

I block the sword → story derails.

Lian pressed on, urgency sharpening his words. “Because you took the blow instead of Hua, Hua never vanished. Child-me never fainted. Both of us survived intact. Which means the story didn’t pause—it continued smoothly along the leadership succession line.”

“So the next critical point,” I said, picking up his thread, “is your… ascension?”

Lian nodded, expression cool. “That’s our hypothesis. How it will manifest—we need to see. But we should try.”

Then he added, “Also, child-me cannot see me as I am now. If he does… I don’t know what will happen. But I know it won’t be good.”

I immediately agreed. “Makes sense. That kid version of you already acted weird earlier. Like he remembered something he shouldn’t. Maybe me and Mu Cangli showing up messed with the timeline. Maybe he—well, I actually have no idea what that would cause.”

Lian frowned, considering, but time was slipping through our fingers. “I wanted you to avoid him as much as possible. But to reach the next key moment in time, you need to stay here.”

I thumped my chest lightly. “No problem. I keep secrets, react fast, and adapt even faster.”

Then I glanced at Mu Cangli again. “But him? If he wakes up crazy again, he might kick the entire timeline off the rails with one foot.”

Lian exhaled—quiet, tired. “Mu Cangli’s state is backlash from our interference. His mind is being pulled between old memories and reality. Once we correct the story’s trajectory by hitting the next key point, he will stabilize.”

He looked toward the dark sky. Far off, Hua’s whistle sounded—sharp, uneasy.

Lian’s voice dropped further. “It’s starting. Act according to the moment. We’ll assist from the shadows.”

My chest tightened. “Didn’t the imperial troops break in earlier? Be careful.”

“They entered,” Lian said, tone colder, “but they’ve already been subdued. The fire in the hut is out. What’s happening now is interrogation… and the preparation for selecting a new leader. The next key moment could appear at any time.”

My throat tightened. “So the next scene is… life or death?”

“Exactly.” Lian’s gaze cut like a blade. “One mistake—and we may never return.”

He didn’t wait for my reply. His sleeve flicked, and he leapt out the window, vanishing into the wind.

Leaving me alone in the room.

And Mu Cangli sprawled on the floor like an unconscious disaster waiting to happen.

I sighed. “Brother, you really came to complicate my life this time.”

Before I could form a strategy, footsteps approached.

Child-Lian and Hua walked in—one behind the other, both with grim faces. Hua’s sleeves were dust-stained, as if he had just wrestled chaos outside.

Child-Lian studied me with suspicion and calculation, as if already certain I’d done something shady again.

I gave him my most innocent smile. “Perfect timing. I was just about to ask—sounds messy outside. Did they catch all those soldiers? I’ve been here watching Mu Cangli. He keeps slipping into madness, and you know how he gets. I didn’t dare leave him alone.”

Child-Lian hummed softly. “A few stragglers slipped in, but it’s handled. The imperial dogs are under guard. You don’t need to worry.”

I nodded quickly. “Good, good. Right, you still need to prepare for your ascension, don’t you? You should go. I’ll watch him. Maybe ask Hua to help tap a pressure point or pour medicine if he wakes.”

Hua’s brows twitched. His gaze chilled instantly. “How do you know about the ascension?”

A jolt shot through my chest.

Damn it—misspoke.

Before I could scramble,

Child-Lian calmly interjected, “It doesn’t matter. There have been whispers in the cult for days.”

His tone was steady, but his smile had an undercurrent I couldn’t decipher—at once trusting and quietly scrutinizing.

Hua stared at him for several seconds before turning back to me. “Watch Mu Cangli. He must not wake. And no one touches him. I’ll deal with the situation outside.”

But child-Lian suddenly added, “No. I’ll assign someone to guard him. You—” He pointed at me. “Go with Hua and assist.”

I pointed at myself, incredulous. “Me? Are you sure?”

Hua blurted immediately, “Lian, he’s an outsider.”

Child-Lian’s voice was unyielding. “Hua-ge, I’m more at ease with him where you can see him. I’ll be in seclusion. Keep him close. Don’t let him wander.”

My stomach sank, but I forced a smile. “All right.”

Who knew what the little brat sensed.

Hua looked at me as if I were a flaming bundle of trouble shoved into his arms.

I decided to lean into it. I raised my voice a little, teasing him, “I’ll obey the young—no, the Cult Leader! Little Hua, what are we doing first?”

Hua’s expression went even darker than Mu Cangli’s when he lost his mind.

He looked ready to seal my meridians and drag me out by force.