TDU Chapter 288
Chapter 288 Hold Your Tongue
With frosty eyes fixed on the tiger-headed figure, Qi Xia asked quietly, "What do you mean by {all four of us saw it}...?"
"What does it have to do with you?" Terrestrial Tiger glanced at Qi Xia coldly. "Are we close?"
"No," Qi Xia shook his head. "It’s simply a matter of cooperation. To increase our chances of finding the one you spoke of, I must gather all the clues I can."
A faint sigh escaped Terrestrial Tiger’s lips as he said, "All four of us... were Goat ge's disciples..."
Qi Xia’s eyes widened sharply, as though something within his mind had suddenly collapsed with a thunderous crash.
"Goat ge?!" He walked forward in disbelief, face full of astonishment as he fixed his gaze on Terrestrial Tiger. "What do you mean by {Goat ge}?! Celestial Goat is male?!"
Terrestrial Tiger gave Qi Xia a puzzled glance. "I should be asking you that—when did I ever claim he was female?"
Qi Xia rapidly combed through his recollections of every interaction he'd had with Terrestrial Tiger.
Indeed, he had never once claimed that Celestial Goat was a woman.
This completely changed the nature of the entire situation... It seemed as if everything had returned to square one.
In other words, Yu Nian’An had never existed within that frame of reference in regards to Celestial Goat or Terrestrial Goat.
Following the reasoning Qi Xia had previously laid out… she was, in all probability, already deceased.
"Little Mouse... that Damned Snake... Ole Black...and I, " With four fingers raised, Terrestrial Tiger spoke. "In the last seven years, Goat ge’s only disciples have been the four of us."
Qi Xia's mind strayed, and it took a long while before he turned to look at Terrestrial Tiger.
It seemed as though another thread had quietly woven itself together.
Seven years?
But is this idea not a little too far-fetched?
"I’ve already identified you and {Little Mouse}," Qi Xia inquired. "But who are {that Damned Snake} and {Ole Black}?"
"One is a frivolous, foolish snake, and the other, the annoying Goat you saw today." Terrestrial Tiger gradually extended four fingers. "The four of us, along with Goat ge, used to always eat meals together at the same table."
Qi Xia’s mind raced as he processed everything, and within moments, a staggering truth unfolded before his eyes.
"The {Goat ge} you mentioned… took seven years to ascend and become {Celestial Goat}?" Qi Xia questioned.
"That's right." Terrestrial Tiger nodded. "He arrived later than Ole Black but ascended faster. He stayed at Mortal-grade for three years, at Terrestrial-grade for four years, and within seven years, he ascended to {Celestial}. If Ole Black had even half of Goat ge’s abilities…then it wouldn’t have taken him thirteen years to become a {Terrestrial}—and this was with Goat ge’s help too."
"Are you implying that... he not only ascended at an extraordinary pace, but also assisted all of you?" Qi Xia asked.
"That's right, Goat ge was born to deceive," Terrestrial Tiger nodded. "But now, Ole Black boldly occupies the position once held by Goat ge, acting all tough—taking in dozens of {disciples}. I can only wish for his utter defeat... Fortunately, you came along."
Qi Xia lowered his head, his palm raised as he inspected it. A disconcerting thought continued to swirl in his mind.
Am I Celestial Goat?
Even without {Sacred Guardians} or {Earthly Branches}, an ordinary {participant} at {End Point} could bring about his death with nothing but a knife.
This isn’t a Celestial Goat at all—it’s more like a lamb on its way to the slaughter.
How is this different from the most menial of {participants}?
‘Could my thoughts still be misguided...?’ Qi Xia slowly furrowed his brow. If he truly was Celestial Goat, then why was he still here?
Why am I still here...?
As soon as this question found its place in his mind, Vermilion Bird’s previous words reverberated in his ear.
"Qi Xia, what are you doing here?"
"It appears you are all genuinely unaware of why you are here. How lamentable."
"Who exactly have I offended?"
"Who have you offended? Wasn’t offending {Celestial Dragon} enough?"
Qi Xia slowly narrowed his eyes, finally connecting all the elusive and intangible clues together.
During his {seven years of absence}, he had become {Goat}, starting from Mortal Goat and working his way up to the summit.
However, during his last critical juncture, the Celestial Dragon used a sleight of hand to obscure the truth.
Everyone assumed he had become Celestial Goat, but the truth was far different—he had been wiped of all memories and reduced once more to a mere participant.
Over the past seven years, for reasons unknown, no one in his room had passed probation. It wasn’t until his return that a turning point finally emerged.
Lin Qin’s words also echoed in his mind— "In these past seven years, I’ve never come across any mention of you, nor heard of your formidability within {End Point}."
With a sense of dread, Qi Xia glanced nervously at the surroundings, then turned his gaze downward to the land beneath him.
The situation seemed to be slipping out of control.
The actions he was taking now... the events he had endured... had he really never gone through them before?
He had been present at {End Point} for seven years!
This was merely the time with clear records... Could the real span be even longer than seven years?!
Over these years, he had almost tried every method, even coming within a step of becoming {Celestial}. Yet in the end, he was forced back to square one.
It was utterly horrifying. He resembled a monkey from the {Infinite Monkey Theorem}, existing within an eternal timeline, randomly setting off infinite possibilities.
No... this bore some differences from the {Infinite Monkey Theorem}.
After all, there's a {Celestial Dragon} in the equation. When a monkey is a mere letter away from completing Shakespeare's works, {Celestial Dragon} will reset its computer, forcing a fresh start.
Why is this happening?
Chu Tianqiu once mentioned that this cursed place might not even have {Celestial-grades}… Could it be that all those who achieve {Celestial-grade} are reverted to their original forms, their memories erased, and reduced back to mere participants?
‘Indeed, there are no flaws here... but I can’t quite shake the nagging feeling that something’s amiss…’ Qi Xia inwardly mused, stroking his chin, as his thoughts faltered once more.
After observing Qi Xia in silence for quite some time, Qiao Jiajin finally stepped forward and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Swindler lad, you alright?"
Qi Xia snapped out of his reverie, nodded at Qiao Jiajin, and replied, "I'm fine. I believe I’ve found {Celestial Goat}."
"Huh?" Qiao Jiajin froze for a moment. "You found him?"
Terrestrial Tiger lifted his head, his eyes fixed on Qi Xia. "Where is he?!"
Qi Xia refrained from a direct response, instead asking, "Terrestrial Tiger, I want to know if you're sincere in your words… No matter which grade of Goat he is—{Celestial}, {Terrestrial}, or {Mortal}—even if he’s no longer a Goat, do you still wish to meet him?"
Terrestrial Tiger looked a bit lost and asked, "What do you mean by no longer a {Goat}? Did Goat ge go through all that effort, only to be f*cking abandoned like a {dog}?"
"What if he became an ordinary human?" Qi Xia asked.
Terrestrial Tiger’s heart jolted at those words. “An ordinary human?” He looked intently at Qi Xia, as if a hazy realization had just come into focus.
“I only asked on a whim,” Qi Xia said. “But if he became no more than an ordinary participant, would you still wish to meet him?”
"I..." Terrestrial Tiger hesitated.
"I see," Without another word, Qi Xia pulled Qiao Jiajin along and prepared to leave.
"Hey..." Terrestrial Tiger called out, his voice trembling. "You—"
"Hold your tongue," Qi Xia commanded coldly. "Not a single word until I’ve sorted everything out."
TL Note: Omfg, it would make so much sense if our mc was White Goat gege!! Why his head ached when Mortal Mouse was killed… and even why he likes to eat peanuts!! NOOO MY BABY MOUSEEE ( ╥﹏╥)
