The high-speed train arrived at the station. Two young men stepped out one after the other. A banner greeted them at the station entrance: “Welcome to Pujiang, the thousand-year-old ancient city.”
Beneath it were smaller slogans like “National Civilized City,” “National Hygienic City,” and so on.
The young man walking in front looked very familiar with the place. Without even glancing at the signs, he confidently headed down the right-hand passageway.
The one behind paused for a moment, hand resting on his suitcase, looking around briefly before striding forward with his long legs to catch up. As he did, he reached out his hand.
Though the man in front didn’t turn around, he lifted his arm back at just the right angle—perfectly clasping the hand reaching out.
People nearby couldn’t help but admire: What a perfectly in-sync pair.
The one in front was Zhou Mu. He had been saying for a while that he wanted to bring You Qi to visit his hometown—and now, they had finally made the trip. Technically, it wasn’t even that far. Once they left the mountains and hopped on the high-speed train, it was only about a three-hour journey.
As soon as they arrived in Pujiang, both their phones buzzed with new text messages.
You Qi casually unlocked his phone and checked his:
[Pujiang Culture & Tourism Bureau] Welcome to the thousand-year-old ancient city of Pujiang! Here you’ll find Song Dynasty government site ruins, the famed Fengqi Mountain…
Zhou Mu also checked his phone. You Qi glanced over and noticed Zhou Mu’s message looked very different. Taking a closer look, it read:
[Safe Pujiang] This is a reminder from the Pujiang Municipal Public Security Bureau: You are now within a monitored area. Any illegal behavior will be recorded and shared in real time with the Bureau of Demon Affairs, the National Taoist Association, the National Buddhist Association, and other relevant platforms. Peaceful Pujiang walks with you.
Zhou Mu sounded genuinely amused: “Haha, I’ve been gone for so long, and I’m still on the key surveillance list. If that’s not love from my hometown, I don’t know what is!”
Wait a minute… is that how that old saying is supposed to go?
You Qi replied dryly, “…Truly worthy of your City Contribution Award.”
Indeed—whether someone is dear or not, they’re still from your hometown. And whether rules are strict or not, the home still enforces them.
The moment Pujiang’s extensive surveillance system caught sight of Zhou Mu, it instantly recognized him and issued a high-priority alert.
The notice was transmitted with top efficiency to the municipal platform, where it received expedited handling, repeated verifications, and was relayed to the relevant department—all while maintaining full-time monitoring from that point on.
Thanks to this efficient process, by the time Zhou Mu and You Qi reached the exit of the station, a woman was already waiting there in professional attire. Her looks were plain and easily forgettable—any ordinary person would walk past her and forget her face within three seconds.
But she emitted a faint demon aura, making her stand out to any non-human being more clearly than any human ever could.
As Zhou Mu stepped out, the woman stiffly raised her badge. Her name was Lu Ying, and she was with the Demon Affairs Enforcement Squad at the Pujiang High-Speed Rail Station.
Lu Ying handed Zhou Mu a form, her tone awkward—like she wanted to laugh but couldn’t, wanted to cry but dared not.
“A warm welcome… to Zhou Mu. Please take a moment to fill out this form.”
“Sure thing.” Zhou Mu casually accepted the form and greeted her, “You look kind of familiar. Have I eaten you before?”
“Ahem!” Lu Ying replied, “You’re mistaken. When I just started working here, you did insult me, though—you said I smelled like I’d taste bad.”
Zhou Mu: “Wow, you’ve really changed then. Quite the glow-up.”
Lu Ying’s expression twitched violently but she forced a smile, “…Yes, exactly.”
Standing beside them, You Qi watched this unfold with a dawning realization: So this was what Zhou Mu meant by “feeling at home.” This wasn’t just comfort—this was ruling the roost. He was truly in his element.
Zhou Mu hadn’t visited in a while. Most school holidays he had spent with You Qi instead. Now he reminisced: “Our city’s management has really gotten strict over the years. I’ve heard from my old contacts—they’re all pretty impressed. They say public safety for the demon community is way better now. Every demon being has to be registered, comings and goings are monitored, and neighborhoods are divided into sections with detailed oversight. Every yao’s behavior is tracked, so unauthorized magic duels have dropped significantly, and safety is way up.”
Pujiang’s approach was considered innovative and advanced even by national standards, becoming a model city for managing supernatural beings.
Clearly, Zhou Mu had kept tabs on developments back home despite being away. Lu Ying, however, could only taste bitterness in her mouth. All this increased sophistication in their management? It had originally been created to deal with him…
Most of their new systems had gone through a ‘Zhou Mu testing phase,’ where he would trial them, give feedback, and they’d adjust accordingly.
One side dared to ask, and the other really dared to comply.
No wonder Zhou Mu had actually earned that ‘City Contribution Award.’
After Zhou Mu finished the form, Lu Ying glanced over it and frowned. “Um, Zhou Mu, it looks like your luggage declaration is incomplete. That souvenir you brought back from school—what species is he? If he’s a foreign or special race and you’re planning to raise him here, he’ll need to go through quarantine…”
She said this while looking straight at You Qi.
You Qi paused. “…Souvenir?”
He had assumed he’d just be filling out his own form once Zhou Mu was done—but he was the souvenir?
True, he hadn’t been wearing a magic-restricting muzzle outside of school, and didn’t look very threatening, but… did she just classify him as a regional specialty?
Weirdly enough, this was a kind of treatment You Qi had never received at Hualing Academy. For a moment, he was stunned into silence. Then he quietly released his own demon aura.
As the aura of a ferocious beast spread out, Lu Ying instantly tensed up. Her legs trembled, but she didn’t run. Instead, she stood her ground and said: “Zhou Mu, this type definitely needs to be declared!”
You Qi: “…”
He never imagined that even after releasing his beast aura… he’d still be treated like this. How terrifying exactly was Zhou Mu in the eyes of Pujiang’s demon community?
“You’ve got it all wrong! He’s not some kind of snack, he’s my boyfriend.” Zhou Mu sounded annoyed. “What kind of eyes do you have?”
Lu Ying was stunned.
Then panicked—very panicked and flustered.
“Boyfriend? Th-this…” Lu Ying’s hand trembled as she clutched the form, unable to believe what she’d just heard. Zhou Mu had left Pujiang to study, and now he had actually started dating someone?
It took her a while to gather herself before bowing repeatedly to You Qi, handing him a separate entry form. “I’m so sorry for the misunderstanding, sir.”
“It’s fine.” You Qi accepted the form and quickly filled it out.
As he wrote, Lu Ying kept sneaking glances at him. When she saw he had written ‘You Qi’ under race, she felt a bit disappointed. She had just constructed an elaborate theory in her head—wondering if maybe he was the refined spirit of some ancient god’s corpse…
After collecting the form, Lu Ying stood there and watched as Zhou Mu and You Qi walked away hand-in-hand to grab a taxi, still in a daze, muttering to herself: “How could it be You Qi? He’s supposed to be so fast, how did Zhou Mu catch him and make him his boyfriend?”
……
In the taxi, the city lights had just begun to twinkle as the car merged into the bustling streets. You Qi gazed out the window at the colorful passersby, feeling a strange, surreal disconnect.
“We’ll drop our stuff off at home first, then I’ll take you out to see the night view,” Zhou Mu said, yawning as he leaned his head on You Qi’s shoulder and started dozing off.
About forty minutes later, the taxi pulled up to a residential complex. You Qi saw that Zhou Mu was fast asleep, so he paid the fare, picked him up with one arm, grabbed their luggage with the other, and walked into the complex.
He had heard the address from Zhou Mu before. Although Zhou Mu’s parents were traveling, it seemed that many of his relatives lived in the same complex. So he knew that this visit meant meeting a whole lot of Zhou Mu’s family.
Many of Zhou Mu’s paternal relatives were ordinary humans. Even those with some demon blood had grown up identifying as human. Quite a few had only recently learned the truth about their heritage.
You Qi wasn’t sure how to interact with them…
Deep in thought, he pressed the doorbell to Zhou Mu’s house.
There was an immediate response from inside—almost like someone had been standing watch. The door opened, confirming that yes, someone had been standing watch.
A flood of humans surged out, each one wearing a small, colorful party hat. One of them pushed a small cart carrying a massive three-layer cake. The top layer was decorated with cheese or cookies, and an image of You Qi in his original form was drawn in the middle, along with a rainbow-shaped sign that read: Happy Birthday.
“生日快乐~~~”
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY~~~!”
The whole group surrounded You Qi, grinning cheerfully as they said it to him.
You Qi paused, confused—had he gone to the wrong house? But then he saw the cake decorated with his likeness. No way there was another You Qi living in the same complex.
Before he could fully process what was happening, an older woman stretched out a hand and pinched his cheek. “Wow, what a handsome young man—tall and full of spirit!”
You Qi’s pupils shrank: “…”
Not even Zhou Mu dared to pinch him like that on their first meeting!
But he couldn’t get mad, because the next second, the same woman called toward the boy in his arms: “Mumu, wake up already! Auntie made eight-treasure porridge for you.”
“Yeah, why’s Xiao Mu still asleep?”
“Xiao Mu, it’s your boyfriend’s birthday and you’re making him carry you around?”
“Poor Xiao You looks tired.”
Someone teased them warmly.
Someone even reached out to tickle Zhou Mu’s face.
Zhou Mu stirred in You Qi’s arms. Before his eyes even opened, his mouth moved and he licked his lips. “Mmm… cake.” He woke up slowly. “Is there cake? Whose birthday is it? I think I smell eight-treasure porridge too…”
“Isn’t it You Qi’s birthday?” Zhou Mu’s younger cousin piped up. “Auntie saw his ID when she booked the tickets—it says his birthday is today.” Everyone here was a bit of a busybody.
They were already hyped to know Zhou Mu had started dating at school. Now that he finally brought someone home, they’d been planning a welcome party for days. When Zhou Mu’s aunt found out today was You Qi’s birthday, the party naturally took on a theme.
“Really?” Zhou Mu blinked drowsily, trying to remember.
You Qi paused for a moment and said, “…I go by the lunar calendar.”
The room fell silent—only the birthday bear toy was still singing its off-key tune: Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you…
The birthday bear’s voice made things feel even more awkward for a few seconds.
Zhou Mu jumped down from You Qi’s arms and burst out laughing. “Then this whole cake is mine?” He lunged toward the cake with his mouth open, only to be blocked by his aunt and cousin, who each pushed his face back into You Qi’s chest.
“Hey—” Zhou Mu complained.
“You can’t just eat it like that! We missed celebrating Youqi’s birthday, so let’s just treat today as a belated birthday celebration and a welcome party.” Auntie was the one who planned this surprise birthday party, so she felt very embarrassed about getting that part wrong and really wanted to make up for it. She couldn’t let Zhou Mu just eat up the whole cake in one bite.
Everyone joined forces to push Zhou Mu and You Qi into the house, which was decorated with balloons and gift boxes.
You Qi realized that even Zhou Mu couldn’t just eat cake whenever he wanted here. Watching Zhou Mu puff up in frustration, he almost laughed, standing there in the middle of the festive room, quietly taking in all the decorations made just for him.
Zhou Mu’s aunt—the same outspoken older lady from before—walked up and gave You Qi a hearty slap on the back. Once again, she did something no student or teacher at Hualing Academy would ever dare to do: she ‘ambushed’ You Qi from behind.
“Xiao You, you’re a fierce beast too, right? Must be pretty strong. Help me crack a walnut.” She handed You Qi a few walnuts. “You can eat a couple yourself—good for the brain, helps with writing papers.”
“…Thank you.” You Qi crushed the walnut effortlessly.
“I should be thanking you.” The aunt chuckled as she took the walnut meat, then teased, “Really appreciate it. You don’t know how much Xiao Mu can eat—he’s about to empty out our pantry.”
She motioned with her eyes toward Zhou Mu, who was currently tipping a rice cooker full of eight-treasure porridge into his mouth.
You Qi couldn’t help but chuckle.
His cool demeanor, combined with the birthday mix-up earlier, had made some of the relatives feel slightly awkward. But now that aunt had taken the lead in breaking the ice, everyone started to relax and crowd in—eager to participate in the human clan’s favorite activity: gossip.
“How tall are you, Xiao You?”
“Planning to take the civil service exam after graduation? You can take that as a demon clan member, right? I’m telling you, it’s a stable career.”
“LOL, stable? Didn’t Zhou Mu’s mom burn through like three dynasties working as a civil servant?”
“What do you like to eat, Xiao You? I heard your species can fly—should we order a bucket of wings for you tomorrow?”
Amidst all the questions, Zhou Mu’s younger cousin dropped a bombshell: “Brother, when are you planning to have kids?”
Everyone froze for a second and glared at her: “What kind of question is that?!”
How could you ask two guys when they’re having kids? Are you trying to stir up trouble? This is Pujiang, not Jinjiang.
But the cousin retorted confidently, “How are we supposed to know if they’re not from a species that can have kids?”
And right then—Zhou Mu suddenly doubled over and dry-heaved. “Ugh—”
This…
Everyone stared at the two of them in horror.
The younger cousin looked from Zhou Mu to You Qi, and then exclaimed in awe: “Holy crap! You’re amazing!”
You Qi: “…” The imagination of Zhou Mu’s family was a bit too wild.
He walked over to Zhou Mu and rubbed his stomach. “Don’t eat so fast.”
Zhou Mu let out a burp and stuck out his tongue. “It’s been too long since I’ve had home-cooked food.”
“Mhm, see? I knew a man couldn’t get pregnant.”
“Hahahaha, just kidding.”
The relatives had clearly mastered the art of laughing things off.
The younger cousin made accidental eye contact with You Qi and quickly raised his cola in an awkward attempt to change the subject. “Um, happy birthday.”
Acting as if he hadn’t just said anything outrageous.
You Qi raised his glass too. “Thanks.”
Despite the minor chaos, You Qi actually felt that his earlier feelings of alienation and unreality—of being new to a human city—were starting to fade. This city, or more accurately, this family, was showing him the warmth and quirks of the human world.
“You Qi, come blow out the candles,” Zhou Mu called, already itching to go at the cake. He had his eye on a gooey cheese piece on the first layer and tugged You Qi along to make him blow out the candles.
Of course, before that, they had to sing. Zhou Mu led the song, the birthday bear provided background music, and everyone turned off the lights and sang the birthday song together for You Qi.
“Happy birthday to you…”
“Happy birthday to you…”
“……”
“Now close your eyes, make a wish, and blow out the candles in one go.” Zhou Mu leaned close to You Qi’s ear and explained human birthday customs.
You Qi closed his eyes, made a wish, and blew them all out.
“Oh! All out! All of them!”
“Happy birthday! Your wish is gonna come true!”
“So dark—Zhou Mu, don’t take advantage of the moment~”
Amidst the laughter, You Qi whispered, “Guess what I wished for?”
Of course, it was something about Zhou Mu—it could only be about Zhou Mu.
His voice was soft, but Zhou Mu’s sharp ears easily picked up the words—and the hint of flirtatious heat behind them.
In the darkened living room, unseen by anyone else, Zhou Mu took the chance to lean in and kiss You Qi’s ear. “Whatever it was, it’s your birthday. Your wish has to come true…”
Just then, someone flicked on the chandelier light—flooding the room with brightness.
Zhou Mu’s expression froze. He shouted in outrage, “Shameless! Who stole my cheese while the lights were off?! The one on the first layer!!”
But no one joined him in his quest for the ‘cheese thief.’ Instead, they just called out, “Birthday boy, time to cut the cake!”
Though it was his first time meeting Zhou Mu’s family, You Qi still politely said, “Thank you, everyone.”
“Xiao You’s so polite. Come on, cut me a slice.”
Zhou Mu glared at everyone, eyes narrowed. Any of them could be the cheese thief. Heck, maybe it was a group crime—while he was distracted whispering with You Qi in the dark.
Then he noticed You Qi genuinely preparing to cut the cake and blinked dramatically before whining, “Hubby, feed the whole thing into my mouth—ahhh—”
You Qi’s cake knife, missed the cake completely. He turned to the family, apologizing, “Sorry, everyone.”
The whole family: “…………”
![Professional Red Thread Cutter [Quick Transmigration]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_6298.jpeg "Professional Red Thread Cutter [Quick Transmigration]")
