TDU Chapter 154: Easily Agitated
TL Note: (12/21/2023) The previous chapters have now been updated with Molly’s suggestions, I think other than a single change from ‘succeed at inferring’ to ‘may catch a glimpse of the truth’ in c152, the other adjustments aren’t worth noting if you have already read past that point.
Edited by Molly Z and CitrusP
Chapter 154 Easily Agitated
"What did you say...?" Qi Xia stood up slowly, his voice trembling with agitation, his composure unraveling. "Don’t speak such nonsense to me… Other people’s lingering thoughts might be distractions, but mine—my lingering thoughts (Yu Nian) are everything to me…!"
"Hey... swindler lad, calm down…" Qiao Jiajin reached out instinctively, grabbing Qi Xia’s arm to steady him. "What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?"
Lin Qin’s gaze sharpened as she observed him. Something was wrong. Qi Xia’s emotions were splintering, his restraint fraying. It wasn’t the first time she’d noticed it—this fragile balance of his, always painful, always constrained, yet perpetually teetering on the edge of collapse.
"My wife's name is Yu Nian'An." Qi Xia said to the aunt, "When I arrived home this time, she disappeared."
Auntie Tong tilted her head thoughtfully, her expression unreadable as she asked, "Child, what does {disappear} mean?"
"Her very trace of existence has been erased," Qi Xia replied coldly, his eyes dark with a turmoil that ran deep. "This method… it’s disturbingly similar to the twisted {Mother God} you revere. If you can truly sense her, then let me speak with her directly. I have questions—many things I need to ask and understand."
Auntie Tong shook her head faintly. "Child, though your plight is indeed pitiful, even I cannot commune with {Mother God}. How could I possibly help you establish contact with Her? Besides…" Her voice trailed off, and she cast Qi Xia a measured look. "This is the first time I’ve heard of {traces of existence being erased}."
"What…?" Qi Xia’s brows furrowed, his expression clouded.
"Typically, when a {Reverberatee} returns to the day before their death, it is a clear {bestowment from God}. They are granted a day to savor divine power, a moment of the extraordinary," Auntie Tong said, her tone low and weighty. "But you—unexpectedly, you experienced suffering." Her gaze grew sharp, as though peeling back layers of Qi Xia’s soul. "Child, take heed. The very fact that you remember means you have also received the {bestowment from God}. So tell me… are you truly certain that the one who erased your wife’s traces… wasn’t you?"
Qi Xia opened his mouth as if to respond but froze, his eyes widening gradually. The implications of her words crashed over him like a tidal wave—so immense that he couldn’t fully process them all at once.
{Reverberation}... wasn’t just an ability confined to {End Point}?
It could extend beyond, back to the real world, allowing someone to relive a day with its {power}?
But if that were true… it still couldn’t explain why Yu Nian’an disappeared.
"Even if my {Reverberation} truly has the power to {erase a person}, how could I have possibly erased my wife? Even now, I can’t accept—can’t believe—that she’s gone!" Qi Xia gritted his teeth, his voice taut with anguish. "I could never abandon my {lingering thoughts (Yu Nian)}."
"Is there a chance..." Auntie Tong lifted her gaze, staring intently at Qi Xia, her eyes dark and unfathomable. "Child, could it be that you never had a wife at all?"
"You!" Qi Xia's fury ignited instantly, his voice sharp and trembling. "What nonsense are you spouting? Are you saying I can't even tell whether I had a wife or not? What right do you have to claim she doesn't exist?!"
Lin Qin and Qiao Jiajin hurriedly stood up, each grabbing one of Qi Xia’s arms, pulling him back before he could do anything reckless.
"Qi Xia… you…" Lin Qin opened her mouth as if to speak but hesitated. In the end, the words never came.
He was acting very strange. When most people spoke of their wives, they would wear their emotions openly—pride, longing, a soft yearning.
But Qi Xia was different. The moment {Yu Nian’an} was mentioned, his entire demeanor would shift—his calm would fracture into raw sensitivity, fragile as glass, and his irritability would flare like a spark to dry tinder.
The two of them guided Qi Xia to sit down, noticing the slight tremor running through his frame.
Auntie Tong's gaze remained fixed on him, her expression thoughtful as she slowly spoke, "Child, how about trying to ask others?"
"Ask others?" Qi Xia blinked in confusion.
"When you return to the real world, seek out your and your wife's mutual friends," Auntie Tong suggested, lifting her teacup to take a sip. "If they still remember her, it would suggest that her disappearance was likely tampered with—perhaps by {Mother God} or through some {Reverberation}. But if they don't recall her at all... then it could only mean..."
"Stop right there!" Qi Xia interrupted abruptly. "I will, without a doubt, go back and get to the bottom of this." Although he said the words with resolve, the unsettling truth lingered—he couldn't recall any {mutual friends} between himself and Yu Nian'An.
Did Yu Nian'An… even have friends?
A sudden shift in his thoughts made him freeze. His lips parted slightly as a more disturbing question began to form in his mind. ‘No... wait... did I... have friends?’
Auntie Tong, unfazed by Qi Xia's brief outburst, continued to extol the greatness of {Mother God} to the group before announcing the end of the session.
Long after everyone had left, Qi Xia remained seated, motionless, as if rooted to the spot.
"Qi Xia... are you okay?" Lin Qin's voice was soft as she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
Qi Xia slowly turned to meet her gaze. "I—I'm fine," he said quietly, his voice betraying a deep unease. "But there are so many things I still yet comprehend."
"What’s there to be afraid of?" Han Yimo suddenly interrupted, his tone light. "Isn't there an auntie here who knows everything?"
Qi Xia exhaled deeply. "Han Yimo, do you truly believe what that auntie said?"
Han Yimo tapped his chin thoughtfully, considering the question. "How should I put it... Qi Xia, when we find ourselves in a situation like this—suddenly reincarnated into a strange world—there are always {predecessors} to lead the way, to guide us. As long as we follow the path they set, we should eventually reach a good ending. I think that auntie is playing the role of one such predecessor."
If Qi Xia’s guess was correct, Han Yimo was attempting to rationalize their situation using the familiar logic of a story’s plot.
"You died early last time, so you might not know..." Qi Xia shook his head with a weary expression, "We wandered in {End Point} for four whole days without any guides or predecessors. Not just us, but the {Earthly Branches} here too. Everyone is stumbling forward, fumbling for answers. Everyone is fighting for their lives in complete confusion. That’s the most terrifying part of it all."
"Ah...?" Han Yimo blinked, pausing as he processed Qi Xia’s words. A thoughtful look crossed his face, then he mumbled to himself, "Could it be because I’m the {protagonist}...?"
"What?"
"Last time, because {I} didn’t show up, you all didn’t have any guidance..." Han Yimo fumbled for the right words, trying to explain his reasoning. "What I mean is, now that the {protagonist} is here, the {guidance} has arrived along with it."
Qi Xia shook his head, his expression grim. Without a word, he stood up, clearly done with the conversation.
He had never imagined that a writer’s ideas could be so absurd.
"Han Yimo, I may not know much about this place, but I do know that a good portion of what that auntie said is complete nonsense. I suggest you don't blindly follow her path, or you'll lose your mind." With those words, he turned and walked out of the classroom slowly.
The three of them exchanged glances before silently following Qi Xia.
Evening had already fallen, and the first day was drawing to a close.
The good news was that Qi Xia had gathered much more information than he had the last time, inching closer to the elusive hope of {escape}.
The bad news, however, was the heavy cost he had paid—he had lost three teammates in a single day: Tian Tian, Officer Li, and Lawyer Zhang.
When the four of them returned to the classroom, they found Doctor Zhao sitting inside, eating canned food, while Xiao Ran was nowhere to be seen.
Upon spotting Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin, Doctor Zhao's face tightened with a hint of embarrassment, and he did not offer them a greeting.
Han Yimo and Lin Qin, perplexed by the sudden change in atmosphere, simply took a seat in silence, unsure of what had transpired.
Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin went to fetch them food, and the four settled into a quiet corner, gathering around their meals.
After a while, Yun Yao entered the room, her gaze sweeping across the group before she spoke. "Qi Xia... Although it's a bit presumptuous to ask this... but there is a {welcome party} tonight. Would you all like to attend?"
