Chapter 137: The Cat Is Out of the Bag

As the commotion subsided, Gu Chongyan finally returned to his home in Hell's Kitchen two hours later.

The moment he opened the door and stepped inside, an invisible force field pressed down upon him. The magic flowing smoothly through his body felt as if it had instantly turned into thick, viscous glue, impossible to stir.

His pupils contracted. Without a second thought, Gu Chongyan spread his palm, and the Darkhold appeared in his hand, its pages flipping frantically.

Before he could cast a spell, Su Yan hurried over, waving his hands repeatedly. "No, no, no! Brother Gu, don't do it! There's no danger, please, let me explain."

Hearing this, Gu Chongyan frowned. Before he could speak, he saw the familiar figure of Father Lanton appear before him, glancing briefly at the floating Darkhold in his hand with a slight furrow of his brow.

*Oh no, I've been exposed!*

Gu Chongyan felt a surge of panic. He had never expected Father Lanton to be home, let alone to have witnessed this. Should he use *Obliviate* to wipe his memory?

Before Gu Chongyan could steady his nerves, Father Lanton shifted his gaze and spoke slowly, "Put the magic book away; there is no danger in this house." He paused, then added, "However, the power of this book is far too dark. It would be best if you used it with caution."

Gu Chongyan froze, staring blankly at Father Lanton, at a loss for words. Was Father Lanton's reaction not a bit too calm? And from the sound of it, did he already know that he possessed magic?

"Father? You?" Gu Chongyan looked at him, stunned. It was the first time since his transmigration that he had worn such a bewildered expression.

Father Lanton took a sip of coffee as if nothing were amiss and said slowly, "What is it? Is it because my reaction is too natural?"

Gu Chongyan quickly composed himself, glancing at the priest. He realized that Father Lanton wasn't just being calm—he must have known about his magic for a long time.

"Father, when did you find out?" Gu Chongyan couldn't help but ask. He had thought he was hiding it quite well.

Father Lanton looked at him and replied, "You have always loved Chinese culture. You should know the saying: 'If you don't want people to know, don't do it in the first place.'"

"Though you hid it well, how could you keep it from your own family? From the very first time you climbed out the window to sneak out, I knew you were different from other children. I even suspected you might be a mutant."

"Later, I realized that I couldn't perceive the location of your room—every time I thought about it, I would simply forget it—and I gradually realized something was wrong."

"Although I am not a mage or a super-powered being, I am, after all, a priest of the Church. Getting to the bottom of things is not particularly difficult."

"You are a person of strong will. Since you didn't want to tell me what was happening, I chose to act as if I didn't know. After all, we are family, aren't we?"

Looking at the gentle smile on Father Lanton's face, Gu Chongyan felt a warmth spread through his chest. "I'm sorry, Father. I didn't intend to hide it from you; I was just afraid you wouldn't be able to accept it, and I didn't want to drag you into danger."

Father Lanton smiled slightly and shook his head. "No need to apologize. I understand your choices and I respect them. I have never felt you owed me anything."

"I am well aware of your concerns. I have seen many people with your mindset. I understand the anxiety in your hearts and know that everything you do is out of care."

"I am not ungrateful. If you wish, I can continue to act as if nothing has happened, or you could even wipe my memory—it truly does not matter."

"Father!" Gu Chongyan's heart gave a violent jolt. A stinging, sour sensation welled up behind his eyes, and his vision blurred.

"There, there, don't be like that. I've made fresh crepes. Would you like a couple?" Father Lanton asked with a laugh.

Taking a deep breath to suppress the surging emotions in his chest, Gu Chongyan nodded firmly. "I would. It's been a long time since I've had your crepes; I’ve almost forgotten what they taste like."

"Then have plenty later. I used a new recipe this time, so you'll have to help me taste it properly."

"Mm."

After chatting for a bit, Gu Chongyan finally remembered the invisible force field and asked, "Father, what about that force field in the house? Is it some kind of divine magic from the Church?"

"Force field?" Father Lanton looked puzzled, a trace of suspicion crossing his eyes.

Just then, Su Yan chimed in quickly, "No, Brother Gu, I know what that is."

"Oh?" Gu Chongyan looked at Su Yan.

The little boy looked guilty, glanced cautiously at the two men, and whispered, "Well, I... I picked up a child from the street."

"???"

Gu Chongyan and Father Lanton both looked at the guilty-faced Su Yan.

Facing their stern gazes, Su Yan hurried to explain. It turned out that after he and Richard had returned to New York, they had each chosen a hero name. Richard, needless to say, used the title "Nova" from the comics, while Su Yan called himself the "Child of the Weather."

The two boys, having been tempered under Gu Chongyan for some time, had thrown themselves into the life of superheroes while he was away. With the Defenders already in Hell's Kitchen, there was little for them to do there, so they split up—one taking Queens and the other Brooklyn—and eventually, they actually started to make a name for themselves.

As the saying goes, if you walk by the river often enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet. During one mission, Su Yan, who had just taken to the sky, found his powers suddenly vanished and fell straight out of the air. Fortunately, he was working with Richard, who caught him in time; otherwise, he would have been a dead man.

Strangely, once caught by Richard, Su Yan’s powers returned, only to vanish again shortly after he took flight. After a few back-and-forth incidents, he stopped flying until he encountered a homeless child about his age in a corner of an alley.

Every time he got near that child, his powers disappeared, and when he moved away, they returned. He quickly found Richard and realized that only he was affected; Richard’s Nova Force remained untouched.

The two conferred and, believing the child might be useful, brought him home. Because Gu Chongyan’s room was protected by a Muggle-Repelling Charm, it was convenient, so they decided to hide him there.

They hadn't expected that the child could affect not only Su Yan's powers but also Gu Chongyan's magic. Once they entered the room, even the Muggle-Repelling Charm had failed.